The first time was tough, but the second time was a breeze.
In a sudden burst, Plona’s sword, cutting through hesitation, flashed as she crossed the line, and another enemy crumpled to the ground, blood gushing from their throat.
Now, just three foes remained.
However, as if sensing an opportunity, the approaching enemies suddenly changed their strategy with Plona’s formal participation, pulling back to a distance.
“Hah, uh.”
Plona exhaled roughly, relieved that she managed to protect Aria despite getting distracted during the battle, but the cost was anything but light.
The blood gushing from her belly soaked her clothes and overflowed between her fingers. The wound from receiving a blow without any armor was quite deep, even by Plona’s standards.
No matter how much a knight is treated as inhuman, the essence remains human. The fact that one dies from being pierced through the insides and bleeding doesn’t change.
‘Thinking about it, there was no need to go that far.’
Aria is a vampire. If her heart had been attacked, it would have been dangerous, but in other words, if she had just slightly redirected the opponent’s sword away from her heart, it wouldn’t have led to instant death.
So, Plona might not have needed to throw herself into harm’s way. Just a small adjustment to the enemy’s sword path, and her momentary rush led to an excessively high price.
‘Still, I can endure.’
The worsening situation was all because she hesitated.
Being indecisive, giving up this and that, clenching her hands full of sand while watching the grains slip through her fingers, she lost many things in the process.
There was no guarantee that the changed Aria would look back at her.
There was no certainty of returning to a relationship where they could laugh together like before.
But even so, Plona chose. She chose to give up her status as a knight and her social standing as a human, clinging to the warmth left by uncertain affection.
‘If I hadn’t known from the beginning, would it have turned out like this?’
A wry smile crept up on Plona’s lips.
Looking back, it’s quite a fateful path, isn’t it? A girl who grew up without knowing her family, yearning for true affection, ended up feeling something resembling blood ties with none other than the Progenitor of Vampires.
If only Aria were an ordinary vampire, Plona might have quit being a knight and escaped with her to live a quiet life.
But as she is the Progenitor of Vampires, that was not possible. To be with Aria, who is destined to be hunted by the Church, she must give up not just the sword of the guardian but all her rights as a human.
If she had known she would hurt this much, she wished she hadn’t known at all.
It would have been better if she hadn’t known the gentle, smiling eyes that met hers every time, or the warmth of being gently held even when there was trouble.
It would have been better if she hadn’t known the voice that whispered, “That must have been tough,” when she acted like a child.
It would have been better if she hadn’t known the warm hands that patted her head like a cherished object.
If she had known none of this, and from the start hadn’t known what true happiness was, then she wouldn’t have these worries now.
But Plona had already felt what a family was through Aria, and once the girl tasted the ecstasy of affection, she could never return to the lonely past.
‘For now, first aid.’
White particles began to bloom from Plona’s body.
Even when classified under the same holy magic series, combat magic and healing/support magic are entirely different.
What Plona had practiced leaned heavily towards the former, primarily designed to counter the darkness of vampires.
Healing and support holy magic are strictly the specialties of support priests. Naturally, Plona couldn’t perform healing magic capable of treating wounds that pierce through the insides.
However, a genius is a genius for a reason. As long as it was minimal bleeding control and first aid to ensure continued combat, she could manage that.
But the moment she activated holy magic, Plona clearly saw one of the three enemies retreating slyly while smirking.
Something feels off.
With her instincts screaming, Plona hurriedly stopped using holy magic.
“Ugh, cough!!”
The flickering white particles distorted and vanished as blood surged from Plona’s mouth.
Aria, who had been maintaining a vigilant gaze on Plona, seemed quite startled and rushed towards her, calling her name.
“I’m okay, big sis.”
In truth, she wasn’t okay at all.
A sensation of something breaking from within. Even Plona, who had endured countless wounds on the battlefield, instinctively felt threatened by this unfamiliar pain.
Yet still, Plona stood with her sword raised.
Her trembling legs felt like they could give way any moment, but she desperately held on, staring ahead with a steely resolve despite the shivering.
The reason she must endure is simple.
Her big sister wasn’t in perfect shape either. If she collapses with three enemies left, her big sister would not escape death.
She had to endure. She had to endure.
Clenching her teeth, Plona advanced and swung her sword.
Clang! Swords clashed with a ringing sound.
Despite looking like she could fall at any moment, surprisingly, the enemies, who had previously had smirks on their faces, began to lose their composure and clenched their teeth, ready to engage.
The gust of wind hit her from the side. Plona took a quick glance.
Aria was stepping in to block another enemy trying to sneak in. Having just drunk blood, she seemed to have improved a bit.
‘Thank goodness.’
It would be no surprise for Aria to collapse at any moment. That she still had the energy to support Plona was indeed good news.
Suddenly, Plona found herself to be ridiculous.
Thinking a step beyond what’s important, just a foot forward, and now she saw it as good news that her sister had regained some strength from drinking human blood.
It’s quite laughable that she had to lose something to take a step forward.
But there was no time for sentimentality. Before Aria reached her limit, and before her own limit came, Plona must find a way to settle this.
“Ugh!”
She twisted her sword to evade and struck.
But it was shallow.
This time, there was no hesitation. Yet her body simply wouldn’t move well.
‘If only I could use magic.’
Even if it wasn’t healing magic or some flashy ultimate technique, the applications of divine magic are vast.
One of the key contributions to placing the holy knight among humanity’s strongest is the physical enhancement magic utilizing the blessings of the Light Spirits.
However, even if it’s a spell that significantly enhances combat capability and average operational proficiency, it becomes useless if it can’t be used now.
Plona clearly remembered that her condition rapidly worsened from the moment she tried to use magic earlier to provide first aid.
Isn’t it a little too perfectly timed to dismiss as coincidence? And Plona had no intention of risking her life again to find out if her assumptions were correct.
‘No, honestly, my life is…’
Though deep down, she felt that perhaps it might already be hopeless.
The wound in her abdomen was deep, and she continued to bleed from it while moving, and if she won now, there would be no way to heal.
‘Whatever it is, I don’t know…’
The opponents are the Inquisition execution team.
If former Cardinal Raul Carlos was an expert in research and examination within the Inquisition, the execution team specializes in suppressing or assassinating heretics, known as “humans.”
They handle matters discreetly, so under normal circumstances, one wouldn’t meet them, and even Plona, who belongs to the same Luminous Church, had never seen any of their faces, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they had hidden daggers or two.
“Ugh!”
Even if it costs her life, she must save her sister.
Plona swung her sword, her body burning with heat.
But the enemies knew best that time wasn’t on Plona’s side. Every time she tried to close in, they blatantly widened the distance, letting the time pass.
‘…This isn’t easy.’
One enemy was blocked by Aria. Plona was facing two.
Among the two, particularly, the man who issued a banishment decree against Plona was clearly several notches above in skill, befitting a leader, and so, with multiple opponents stalling for time, Plona found herself without good options.
“If you surrender now, I promise we’ll spare your life.”
The man, claiming to be the onsite commander, attempted to persuade Plona. But she silently swung her sword as if it weren’t worth answering.
‘Not just forget about it, but “I will spare your life,” huh?’
The intent was apparent even from the choice of words, not even bothering to conceal it.
Even if she surrendered now, the best outcome she could hope for would be the fate of a condemned sinner. There was a high possibility that they were lying about wanting to spare her life from the start.
But that thought didn’t need to be pursued further.
The minimal mercy they might extend would only be towards Plona, not Aria.
If she surrendered, Aria would die. If she fell, Aria would die.
So, even in a situation where breathing was difficult, Plona forced her heavy body to swing her sword.
But the next moment, the man who had been stalling suddenly changed strategies and charged directly towards Plona.
Caught off guard, Plona barely managed to respond.
Yet the crisis turned into an opportunity. Just as she anticipated an opening in the enemy’s advance, Plona noticed something strange.
‘One is missing.’
A gust of wind brushed past. Plona reflexively turned her head despite the enemy right in front of her.
Until a moment ago, she was facing two enemies. One had suddenly changed direction to aim for Aria’s back.
“Sis!!”
As time passed, the situation that favored her teammates took a sudden turn.
If Plona had been in peak condition, she would have easily noticed the attempted sneak attack as her hand slipped, and if Aria were in perfect shape, she could have dealt with the attack on her own.
But now was not the time. Although Aria spotted the approaching enemy, she couldn’t afford the luxury of countering while dealing with the one in front of her.
“Don’t!!!”
A surge of light from the blessings of the Light Spirits exploded from Plona’s body.
With a flick of her blade, she sliced through the enemy commander’s extended left arm and, almost simultaneously, the blade directed at Aria’s heart was deflected by Plona’s sword, leaving a silver afterimage in its wake.
“Cough!”
With that, Plona struck down the Tracker, who fell, blood splattering everywhere.
At the same moment, Plona also collapsed to her knees, coughing up blood.
In a fleeting instant, the once-gleaming particles of light began to distort again.
The wound on Plona’s abdomen seemed to burst like it was being ripped open, and the bloodstains on her clothes rapidly expanded like a piece of paper soaked in water.
“How foolish. To choose self-destruction,”
the commander muttered through gritted teeth, his face contorted with cold sweat.
Aria’s expression clearly reflected her shock. But she couldn’t even rush to check on Plona’s condition.
From the looks of it, Plona was unlikely to move again and would scarcely have a hope of survival, and now Aria had to deal with two enemies when one was already overwhelming.
“Then now, the Progenitor—”
Caught in a bind. Was it when Aria thought that?
Suddenly, a dark shadow shot up from the ground, devouring her eyesight in the blink of an eye.
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