The knight lunged.
Auren had, of course, already picked up the sword and he was expecting the knight to move. With a conscious reminder of how devastatingly fast the Light Paladin was, he shifted before the motion even began.
Yet he barely managed to move a little to the side, raising the sword just before the blur of the Paladin crashed into him again. A cold, terrible pain surged through his muscles. The impact released a shockwave that compressed his body in place for a single suspended heartbeat—time seemed to slow. Blood splurged from his mouth.
Then time picked up again.
He was ripped from the ground, tearing into the wind, rolling helplessly across it. He hit the earth like a broken doll, limbs ragdolling, his body crumpling against the black sand.
Auren let himself roll, then sprawled flat on his back, eyes staring up at the dark skies. His metallic body had fully manifested at the last moment—blackened skin, glossy with impact. But it was already fading, dispersing as he gasped for breath against the cold ground.
The majority of the attack's force had been absorbed by the metal-flesh armor.
'If I didn't have it… I definitely would've died from that attack!'
The Paladin—as he called himself—was strong. Too strong.
'Is a Devout supposed to be this powerful? No… is he even a Devout?'
Auren was right to question it. He'd only assumed they were Devouts because the Sentries who'd imprisoned him the first time had been Devouts.
It was a déjà vu kind of assumption. But if he was wrong…
Then that meant—he was fighting a Consecrated.
'What?! No. No. No!'
It couldn't be.
A Consecrated had undergone not one, but two trials. Imagine surviving a hell like this just to prove yourself to the Archons, only to return to another—possibly worse—trial, when you could've simply lived your life out as a Devout?
Consecrateds were vessels of holy madness.
And yes, Auren knew. His brother was one of them.
It was because he knew Ezryn so well that he could vouch for the authenticity of that madness.
'Damn it… I can't stay down for long.'
He had to rise. But the pain was paralyzing. Gritting his teeth, Auren pushed against the ground, forcing himself up.
The Knight stood across from him, unmoving—watching him with a look of abhorrent indignation.
Auren paused on one knee, resting for just a breath.
Then, he grinned.
"So… you're just going to wait for me to stand before beating me to a pulp?"
He shifted his other hand, stabbing the sword into the ground and using it to support his weight as he slowly rose.
That gesture made the dangerous light in the Paladin's eyes burn even fiercer.
His indignation only seemed to fuel Auren's amusement.
The grin stretched wider across his bruised face.
The Knight inhaled deeply, then exhaled with the same measured tempo.
"I wouldn't blame you," he said coldly. "A creature born of darkness like you could never understand the true meaning of Light. You mock what you cannot comprehend. You are a wretched thing—something that has no place in the Father's grand design of this universe. Death should be your eternal prison."
His voice tapered off, eyes narrowing—focused entirely on Auren, as if trying to pierce through flesh and bone, straight into the soul.
"…If not for that thing locked within you, you'd already be dead."
Auren's brows furrowed at the statement.
'What the hell does that mean?'
He tightened his grip around the sword, eyes narrowing into a glare.
Footsteps shuffled behind him.
Jasper, dragging his feet and clutching his side, finally reached him. Meredith followed, slightly steadier, though the entire right side of her face was smeared in blood. Despite it, her gaze was still sharp—defiant, dangerous.
Auren cast a glance over his shoulder, voice low enough for only them to hear.
"Listen, you two. He won't kill me. So I need you to run. Get away from this place. Find another way to end this damn trial… without me."
Jasper's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"What…?"
His voice cracked with dread.
"Wha—what do you mean he won't kill you? He will, Auren! They're lunatics here!"
Of course, that wasn't what Auren truly meant.
It wasn't that the Paladin wouldn't kill him.
He'd simply twisted the words. What he meant was: he wouldn't die. Or at least… not stay dead.
And even that, he wasn't sure of.
But at this point, it was all he had left. The only thing left to gamble on.
Meredith said, her voice low but firm:
"I must agree with Jasper. You're in trouble. You can't face him alone. We need to do this together."
Auren's frown deepened, his irritation growing like a crack through glass.
'Can they just leave already?'
He sighed.
"Don't underestimate me, you pieces of shit."
His tone sharpened.
"I have my ways around things like this. The three of us trying to fight him together? That's just going to be a damn burden. You'll drag me down and corner me into fewer options."
He jabbed a thumb toward the Paladin, then gestured toward Jasper and Meredith.
"So instead of getting in my way, how about you and beauty prince here figure out another way to end this damn trial. I'll deal with him. And I'll survive."
He looked at Meredith directly.
"Think about it. Isn't it smarter for you two to split off and find another path? Instead of us throwing everything at this guy and getting nowhere?"
Meredith stayed silent for a moment, eyes narrowed as she weighed the words in her mind. A soft flicker of lilac light shimmered in her irises.
"You're right. Divide and conquer. That's the best chance we have of ending this trial."
She paused.
"But still—"
Auren cut her off.
"Don't think about the other side of it. Just focus on surviving. Let me do the same."
He turned to Jasper, his gaze sharp.
"You too, beauty prince…"
Jasper was trembling slightly, shoulders tense.
"So… we're just going to leave you? That doesn't feel right…"
Auren replied, voice steady.
"That doesn't make it wrong, Jasper. Feelings don't decide what's right or wrong. Now get out of here."
The Paladin, meanwhile, stood still, watching them like one might watch a leaf drift across a stream. Indifferent. Unmoved.
After a while, he lifted his pinky, cleaned his ear, then inspected the dirt with a faint frown before blowing it away. His eyes flicked back to Auren and his companions.
His voice was cool.
"I do not have much time. So, Heretic… I am bringing you in. Are you done saying your farewells?"
Auren flashed a sharp smile and raised the sword, steadying it toward the Paladin.
"I've said my last words, incompetent Paladin. And I'd rather die than let you drag me back to that ditch of yours."