Chapter 96: Chapter 96
"Why do we have to kill this one too? Why?"
"Why are you so keen on protecting him? He's a worthless human being."
Nahan's cold grey eyes gleamed with ruthless intent.
"There's no value in us fighting over that idiotic man. Haven't I been a decent ally up until now? Trust me. Let go of his arm and come here."
"..."
Yuder looked down at Kiolle's arm.
'Well, his point is hard to deny.'
Kiolle Diarca may indeed be someone not worth saving here. Perhaps he might regret this decision later.
'However.'
Yuder took a deep breath and gripped Kiolle's arm even tighter.
"No."
Nahan's fleeting smile vanished the moment Yuder's firm response echoed through the dark cave.
"What kind of ally kills all the witnesses on a whim, without any reason? I find you, who kills people as casually as a brainless nobleman, far more distasteful."
From the beginning, Nahan had been a suspicious figure. More elusive than Kiolle, who was transparent in both origin and character. Unlike Kiolle, Nahan concealed his true intentions too well, and that unsettled Yuder.
'Don't trust anything you can't clearly understand.'
This was one of the pieces of advice Kishiar had given him before Yuder took over his position in his previous life. And Yuder had followed it religiously ever since, especially on missions. It had been one of the most practical and helpful pieces of wisdom.
"Stubbornness toward worthless targets only leads to unfavorable outcomes."
"And who are you to decide that? By what standards?"
At Yuder's question, Nahan fell silent. His left eye, marked by a red scar, stared blankly into space. Lost in thought, he slowly opened his mouth.
"The standard is simple: the presence or absence of power."
'Presence or absence of power?' Yuder silently repeated the unusual words, committing them to memory.
"I will do anything for my brothers and sisters who share the same power and will. And I will take lives as payment from those who have insulted and trampled upon us. There are no negotiations."
Nahan's voice was devoid of emotion as he finished speaking, his gaze returning to Yuder.
"You're a smart brother. You must understand what I'm trying to say. Now let go of his hand..."
"...You're not just a simple bandit leader, are you?"
Yuder's sudden remark caught Nahan off guard, halting his speech.
"Where are you from? What's your true purpose?"
Nahan had claimed he and his bandits would leave the empire once they had gathered enough money. But now, Yuder recalled that these so-called bandits were Awakeners—people who had left their original homes—and even the dazed mercenaries standing behind Nahan were Awakeners too.
The boy Nahan had come all this way to save was also an Awakener. It became clear that Nahan's motives for gathering these Awakeners went beyond personal or simple reasons.
'Is there someone or some group trying to gather lost Awakeners during this time? This didn't happen in my previous life.'
"Are you targeting the Cavalry? Or is rebellion your goal?"
"Neither," Nahan replied.
Yuder, deep in thought and about to press further, was cut off when Nahan furrowed his brows.
"Really, such a suspicious brother. Why does it matter whether I belong somewhere or not? All I want is to clean up this mess and leave."
As he subtly moved his finger, Kiolle, still with a dumbfounded expression, began shaking his arm vigorously, trying to free himself from Yuder's grip. The sudden force almost caused Yuder to lose hold.
"Let go."
"I said I don't want to—ah!"
Before Yuder could finish his sentence, Kiolle had stopped struggling and attempted to kick him. Yuder swiftly dodged and, clicking his tongue in annoyance, struck Kiolle's nape with a sharp blow.
It was a blow strong enough to knock out most people, even trained knights. But to Yuder's surprise, Kiolle didn't collapse. He just gaped, seemingly dazed, and continued trying to wriggle free from Yuder's grasp.
"I don't understand. Why are you going to such lengths?"
"I told you. I don't like your side more than this guy. So, and..."
Yuder, struggling to suppress the increasingly violent Kiolle, raised his voice.
"Don't order me around just because you're upset. There's only one person who can command me!"
As soon as his words left his mouth, Yuder slammed Kiolle into the ground, leaving only his head exposed. Kiolle, buried deep within the hardened earth, twitched and groaned, but he was utterly trapped, unable to break free.
At the same time, Yuder felt a sharp throb in his arm.
'I tried not to use my power... I had no choice.'
He glared at Nahan, the one responsible for pushing him into using his abilities, and slowly drew his sword from his waist. Flames spiraled up the blade as Nahan frowned at the sight.
"Planning to attack?"
"You started it."
Nahan's expression shifted, as if he were caught between amusement and irritation.
"Well, fine. Then I'll do my best to get rid of this trash."
"Using powers against brothers was forbidden, but I guess there's no choice with someone as skilled as you." As soon as he finished speaking, Nahan's face began to ripple.
Suddenly, Yuder's head grew heavy, and his body felt like it was being weighed down. He realized instantly that Nahan was using an illusion ability to incapacitate him.
'He's trying to immobilize me and finish his task...!'
Yuder hastily used his power to protect Kiolle, still buried in the ground. However, in an instant, the scenery around him changed with a swift gust of wind.
'Yudrain.'
A strange sensation washed over him. Yuder knew he was kneeling inside the cave, holding onto Kiolle, but at the same time, he saw a golden-haired man standing before him. It was Kishiar, dressed in his white uniform.
Yuder knew this was an illusion. Kishiar couldn't be here, not now. And he was calling him Yudrain—a name that no longer held any meaning.
Even though his rational mind recognized it as a trick, Yuder found himself momentarily frozen.
'This illusion...'
"Yudrain."
Kishiar's voice called him again, a low, captivating tone that echoed in Yuder's ears.
He needed to ignore it. He knew he had to avert his eyes from those crimson eyes staring back at him. Yet, despite knowing he had to act, his body refused to obey, as though trapped in an invisible grip.
"Was it a good experience? The moment you plunged your knife into my heart?"
Kishiar lowered a hand to his chest, revealing a gaping wound, blood gushing between the black gloves he wore. Yuder knew that wound all too well.
It was a wound he had inflicted himself.
Before he realized it, Yuder's breathing grew ragged.
"It's just an illusion."
He knew that. But why couldn't he tear his eyes away from Kishiar? His heart pounded so violently that it reverberated through his fingertips.
The strength in his grip on Kiolle began to wane. Behind Kishiar's illusion, Yuder spotted Nahan, watching with cold, shining grey eyes and a quiet smile on his lips.
Seeing that, a sliver of clarity returned to Yuder's hazy mind.
'This is an illusion designed to exploit fear, to drain the willpower of the victim. That man... he doesn't know Kishiar. This is all from my own memory...'
"Yudrain."
The fragile chain of logic Yuder had been holding onto shattered as Kishiar's voice called him again. The illusionary figure knelt before him, his bloodied hand reaching out to touch Yuder's cheek.
"Answer me."
Though it was only an illusion, the sensation was so vivid it sent a shiver down Yuder's spine. He gritted his teeth as the warm blood from Kishiar's hand soaked his skin.
"Answer me, Yudrain."
Yuder almost answered reflexively, but his instincts screamed at him not to. If he responded to that voice, he would succumb to the overwhelming pressure suffocating his mind and body.
'To break free from a mental attack... The general way is...'
Desperately clinging to his fading reason, Yuder searched his memory. He had never encountered such a potent illusion before, but he'd dealt with enough psychic users to know that, usually, the key was either to attack the caster or...
With his breath pounding in his ears like a drum, Yuder glared at Kishiar's crimson eyes and raised the sword in his hand. A faint sound, like the slicing of flesh, echoed in the cave.
"..."
Moments later, Yuder opened his eyes, gasping for air. A searing pain shot through his arm—he had deliberately cut himself deeply to regain clarity. But his mind was clear now, and the illusion of Kishiar was gone.
In its place, Yuder saw Nahan, now standing close and swinging a bloodied dagger toward Kiolle.
"This bastard."
Without a second thought, Yuder swung his sword to block Nahan's strike. With a sharp clang, their blades clashed violently. Using the wind, Yuder flung Nahan against the cave wall with brutal force and scooped Kiolle up from the ground.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone