Zaiha Aher.
The one who wields the Great Scythe, a black reaper with all deaths beneath his feet. The lives he crushes vanish without a trace, and the weak lose their breath just by looking at him.
In other words, if there’s a certain level of strength, it means they could resist instant death. From his perspective, the Guardian of the Forest and the Archer were incredibly annoying opponents. The power level was secondary.
His madness, which scorched his own body while charging forward, felt like it could go completely insane at any moment. In fact, there were several times he nearly faced death. However, that was also due to being constrained by the current situation.
[Survive by any means. Never die.]
As long as there were only seven Zaiha left, the Zaiha could never afford to die. Ironically, now that they had to act directly, what a contradiction it was.
Yet, up until now, things had been somewhat fine. Crushing the Anti-Demon scum was easy. At least until a year ago. Who would have thought the Elves would join forces with the Anti-Demons?
No matter how experienced Aher was, he couldn’t have predicted this. After the Elves joined in, the Anti-Demons changed completely. They became equal in power to the forces led by Zaiha Aher.
[If I can only contain them, that will be enough. Don’t overexert yourself.]
“Zaiha, you said that, but how can I just stand idly by?”
Thinking of the few remaining fellow tribesmen and our Queen, it wasn’t just Zaiha. Aher personally took up his scythe.
He dug traps and waited for the Elves. The moment they heard the word Zaiha, the madmen couldn’t resist charging in. It surely wouldn’t take long for them to arrive. However, that plan was soon thwarted.
The leader of the Anti-Demons, Revel, moved directly. To stop Revel, at least two more regular Zaiha were needed. Therefore, reluctantly, Aher sent the Zaiha around him back.
“Well, look who it is? This trash.”
“Are you ready to die?”
“Oh dear, that damn Revel!”
Suddenly, the Elves burst in like ghosts. At that moment, Aher realized this was a trap set by Revel. But it didn’t matter. He never had any intention of running away.
“Today, let’s end this.”
Zaiha. The weight of that name is immense. Yet, in stark contrast to the weight of that name, Aher was barely holding his ground against the Elves. Indeed, this was the Guardian of the Forest and the Archer.
The Archer, whose name seemed misleading, was Clara, who fought using both bow and sword in close combat, seamlessly blending offense and defense. And supporting from behind was Cluna, using magic. They were a perfect combo.
If time had passed like this, this fight would surely have ended in his defeat. If, in that fleeting moment, the Archer hadn’t stopped her attack and turned slowly to look behind her, that would have certainly been the case.
Zaiha.
Facing the immense weight of that name and turning around was practically a suicidal act. And when Clara turned around, she ultimately paid the price.
The Scythe-wielding Zaiha, Aher, tilted his head. He had been facing Clara and Cluna until now. Therefore, he knew she wouldn’t suddenly create an opening like that.
Thinking about it, she had been looking back up until the moment of death. Was someone coming for her? With that thought, Aher raised his head and saw a fist closing in on him.
Thwack!
A strike so swift even Aher himself couldn’t react in time. The power contained in that blow was so tremendous that it nearly tore his throat off. Somehow, he managed to withstand it.
But if this kind of attack continued, there was no doubt that even Aher, as a Zaiha, would eventually die. He wondered if this was the Guardian of the Forest, but no, it was magic continuously raining down.
‘So that means a third party intervened.’
That was another nonsensical thought. A third party could intervene without him noticing? That was like three years ago… Aher shook his head to rid himself of the thought.
That monster shouldn’t be here. Of course, he knew it was alive through a deal. But it was evident that it wouldn’t come directly here right away. Still, if that were the case, who the heck could it be?
‘No, that doesn’t matter.’
Aher coldly analyzed the current situation. Whoever it was, if they were an enemy of his fellow tribesmen, he would eliminate them right here. Everything was for his fellow tribesmen and the Queen. He steeled his will.
But continuing to take these attacks was dangerous, so Aher chose to step back. However, he couldn’t truly retreat. Every time he tried to get away—
That guy welcomed him with a fist. Yet, trying to get far away, the Guardian blocked his escape with magic. It was truly a dire situation.
‘It feels like fighting dozens of Knights.’
Not just any random warriors, but perfectly trained elite knights were tightening the noose around him. And that was a testament to how Aher was being overwhelmed.
Even amidst this, Aher was desperately trying to find a way out, but it was only for a brief moment, and before long, he found himself being attacked again.
“Fight fair! You damn cowardly brat!”
Knowing perfectly well the taunt wouldn’t work, Aher still showed his rage, hoping to at least get a response. However, the scythe Aher swung tragically failed to hit its target.
The reason Aher couldn’t keep up was simple. Hans was using not just Time Stop but even Time Acceleration to thoroughly attack Aher and corner him.
In the midst of this intense brawl, Aher could tell that his opponent was furious. And true to that thought, Hans was indeed raging fiercely. It seemed like his heart would burn.
If only he had used Time Stop back then. He could have saved himself. But this damn time trickster is messing around like this? That was his anger directed at time.
At the same time, it was also anger directed at himself. Originally, Time Stop was not Hans’s power. Yet, he tried to rely on it in a crucial moment. That infuriated him deeply.
However, the fact that Clara lost her life didn’t change. While furious, Hans continued to push Aher relentlessly. Suddenly, a swift blade targeted Aher’s neck.
The fast blade was one he normally wouldn’t be able to dodge. Yet, the reason he could evade it was solely because Aher was an experienced Zaiha. However, he didn’t completely avoid it.
“Tch, lost an arm.”
“…….”
“Aher of the Guardian of the Forest seems quite angry, huh?”
But even though one of his arms was severed, Aher didn’t panic; instead, he taunted Cluna, who approached him. She was filled with rage, seeing nothing else. She had but one goal.
To rip apart the trash that killed her daughter.
Feeling that rage, Aher sighed. It seemed I was destined to die here today. Of course, fleeing could offer a way to live, but the chances were slim.
‘Whether it’s the one in front of me or the one behind, they all hold immense hatred towards me. They won’t let me go easily.’
When there were only seven Zaiha left, Zaiha had commanded them to survive at all costs. Throwing away pride or anything else, he asked them to at least survive.
“I’m sorry, Zaiha. I’m going ahead.”
But don’t worry too much. I won’t leave empty-handed; I’ll at least take the neck of that Guardian of the Forest. At that moment, the massive scythe Aher wielded was shattered. It was the true heart of a Zaiha.
Because it held such powerful strength. The true form of Zaiha sealed under the name of bondage. A monstrous figure, mixed with someone’s hatred, anger, and grudge. Aher soon returned.
It took the form of a wolf. Not affected by the barrier, the now genuine form of Aher could boast immense power, capable of bringing down even mountains.
At least, that was true until just a few seconds ago.
The scythe that should have surely broken was somehow still in his hands. Aher couldn’t comprehend it. Having unsealed it, he thought of consuming everything to at least eliminate the Guardian of the Forest.
However, why was this prison scythe still intact? Only then did Aher realize. His form had reverted back to human while he returned to his original body. At that moment of shock—
Rustle.
A chilling sound echoed from behind him. The familiar noise of flesh being cut. But since it resonated from his throat, it sent a shiver down his spine. His world violently shook.
“Your loyalty meant nothing.”
His crumbling body and severed neck. Following that, a voice echoed.
“In the end, everyone will die.”
That was undoubtedly mockery.
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