Chương 69: 68. The Divine Thread

An aether thread flew above the sand's surface, slicing through dozens of skeletal warriors in the process. The annoying thing was that it didn't particularly matter. Regardless of the number I destroyed, more would emerge, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. A short distance away, Sparta was taking her time with a skeletal captain. During the cruise trial, facing such a monster would have meant certain defeat. Now, there didn't seem to be any difference in their skills.

With a single strike, she severed the monster's spine in five places. The skeleton's eyes flashed green, not in the least bit impressed. Bone shards emerged from its body, shooting out in Sparta's direction. All of them proved far too slow to even touch her. You always were a show-off, I thought. Nearby, another batch of skeletons came out of the sand, their chipped bones covered in bright flames that burned off the remnants of their clothes. Most of them held rusty swords with the occasional shield.

Harlequin's Sight showed me that they didn't have any particularly powerful cards or specials. With the exception of the captain, cutting them was easy. My magic sight, however, made it clear that wasn't the issue. Despite their numbers, the skeletons weren't the issue. All of them were connected through aether threads to the captain. The strange part was that he didn't have any cards that could explain his unusual power.

When I had first seen the threads, I had assumed that I might get another Gravedigger, only to have my hopes dashed moments later. Skeletal Captain Level: 10 Cards: Four of Rings, Five of Rings, Eleven of Chalice, Knave Special: Decaying Touch, Bone Shards Weapon: Ivory Scimitar More bone shards shot out of the captain, targeting Sparta like crossbow bolts. Her thread-dagger sliced the fragments before they could do any harm, yet even so she was smart enough not to approach.

In spite of his battered appearance—and relatively low level—the captain's fighting style was a lot more sophisticated when it came to the rest. He had already shown that he could reconstruct himself—another skill that he wasn't supposed to have—not to mention that he had a Knave card, granting him the ability to disarm.

"How are you holding out?" Sparta glanced my way. It would have been nice to think that she actually cared about me, but I knew her well enough to say that wasn't the case. Even now, she was assessing me, determining whether I would become a threat or an asset. Gripping my divine blades, I combined a thread strike with an arc attack. An X of destruction cut through the group of skeleton legionaries. The new zap gem added its effect, electrifying every monster that came into contact.

Some tried to block my attack with their shields, only to suffer a similar fate as the rest. Suddenly, a spell circle formed around the captain's neck. That also wasn't supposed to be possible. The undead didn't have any magical cards or items, yet there was no denying it. Suddenly, one thing came to mind. It was absurd beyond belief, crazy even. There was no way that the rule-masters would allow it; what other explanation was there? Move back! I yelled in my mind as I sprinted towards Sparta.

More skeletons leaped out of the sand, but they were my least concern. Ten of Chalice! A layer of ice covered my body, just in time to shield me from the effects of the skeleton's spell. A new set of shards emerged from his bones, only this time they weren't simple fragments. Bone serpents jumped out, flying at me with a vengeance. I watched their teeth sink into the protective ice layer and release a rusty-orange liquid. Fire! Spell circles of my own formed around me, setting the creatures on fire.

The smell of burned bone slammed my nostrils, mixed with a sickly, sweetish smell. That wasn't good. Immediately, I used my Two of Chalice, if only to slow down whatever I had inhaled. You piece of shit! I performed a power thrust. The skeleton's bones shattered, yet that didn't keep him from doing a wide swing with his scimitar. Instinctively, I blocked with my second blade. The weapons never came into contact. My blade went through the surface of the scimitar as if it were made of milk.

I was experienced enough to know what would follow, though. Bending backwards, I let the skeletal weapon pass inches from my face. Normally, it was nobles who used liquefying weapons, and I hated it. Parrying was useless, blocking—for the most part, even common armor provided no protection. The skeleton twisted his scimitar, following up with another slash. I countered it with both blades, this time using a spell circle to freeze anything in contact. The scimitar sank in halfway then stopped.

"Duck!" Sparta shouted from behind. I had only an instant to react, so I did the opposite of what she said, jumping high into the air. Even without any acrobatic cards, I had trained to the point that I could easily reach five feet above the air; with a bit of effort, possibly a few more. Sparta's thread knife sliced the air beneath me, striking the skeletal captain in the spine dead center. A burst of golden light emanated from the weapon, consuming part of the spine and ribs like a mini nova.

Unfortunately, that didn't prove to be enough. Just as it reached to engulf the entire monster, a darker glow rose up from below, moving up the skeleton's legs. Fire! I melted the scimitar off my divine blades and threw both blades below. One struck the captain in the skull from above, instantly shattering it. The other struck the sand beneath the monster's legs, where a cluster of aether threads reached out to the horde of skeletons in the sand. You might be reading a stolen copy.

Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. My target wasn't the threads; at least not the ones I saw. If my reasoning was correct, there was another hidden among the glowing strands. Before gravity could pull me back to the ground, the skeleton exploded in a cloud of rust. Two purple spheres fell from its eyes, along with two bronze cards. Keeping my guard up, I twisted my body while still in the air. All the other skeletal minions lay motionless on the sand. Sadly, there wasn't much time for celebration.

The effort had triggered one of my curses, causing my lungs to explode with pain. Breathing heavily through my nose, I tried to maintain appearances, but it was increasingly difficult. My only hope was that the night vision granted to Sparta by Mercury wasn't strong enough to fully make out the expression on my face.

"I told you to duck," she pulled back her dagger. The threat connected to the hilt glowered in the unmistakable light of a deity.

"Good job, though." I shook my head, then picked up one of the cards. THE KNAVE (XIII, MAJOR, SWORD) (Rarity – Common) SKILLS (1/2): 1 DISARM STRIKE: (weapon required) Disarm an opponent 2??? It was tempting to grab the other card as well, but I left it for Sparta. Getting her pissed off was worse than angering her patron god. Take both! Serp shouted, though his attention was focused on the sphere. Serp, shut up. I replied. I took them both, of course, but only to ensure they wouldn't fizzle away.

When Sparta approached, I handed one of them to her.

"Thanks." She accepted it with a smile.

"And they say chivalry is dead." For a moment, part of her "old" self shone through. It was as if I were looking at the person I had been with for two years. By all the deities, I really hoped that she wasn't the one who had betrayed me. If she had, though, it was better to find out now. My heart tightened as I watched her swallow the aether booster. If she happened to be the one, I'd have to kill her now before she got any stronger. Come on, old man! Serp urged.

With my lips sealed, I had two options: what to do with the sphere. I could give it to Serp or use it to boost one of my cards. Given the obvious benefits, I chose to boost my Magician card. THE MAGICIAN has been improved Skill 4: MEGA SPELLS: create massive spells of destructive power encompassing entire areas. Complete development of the Magician has granted you the special Aether Store. The special will only be in effect while the completed Magician is in your possession. So stingy!

the serpent blade complained, but I wasn't paying attention. The new card special finally allowed me to drain and store mana within my body. It couldn't match the power granted by a deity, but as long as I was diligent enough, I could build up powerful spells to use in the future. That was after we had completed the trial. Suspecting what we might face in the fort, it didn't look like I'd be able to save up much. I picked up my divine blades and slashed the air in an attempt to get Sparta's attention. It worked.

The woman looked, maintaining her calm demeanor. Still, I knew that given the slightest provocation, a bolt might find its way flying towards my throat.

"Something wrong?" she asked. I drew a skull in the sand, then added a crossed triangle—the universal Grand Arcana symbol for a deity.

"You think the minion was controlled?" I nodded, then pointed at her dagger.

"A thread?" she asked. Close. I pointed at the crossed triangle again.

"A divine thread." She came to the realization.

"The skeletons guarding the temple aren't minions. They're puppets." She paused again.

"Not puppets. Pawns." I nodded again.

"You think someone's already there?" Provided the state of the bodies we had come across, it wasn't difficult to fake someone's death. The four groups didn't know each other. At most, we'd remember what someone else was wearing. Finding a mangled, de-limbed body didn't mean anything. With the proper assistance from a deity, someone might well have killed off their group, then gone all the way to the alternative trial end. Still, something didn't sit well with this theory. There were too many unknowns.

Plus, the rule-masters would have intervened. There was only one power against which the rule-masters couldn't do a thing. Answering her question with a shrug, I tapped the triangle again with the tip of my sword. This felt more than a player could achieve.

"A full possession?" Sparta visibly trembled.

"That goes against the pact." The woman's eyes turned gold. Faster than the blink of an eye, she went up to me and placed her hand on my lips.

"Don't drink," Mercury said through her.

"Or eat." The woman removed her hand. Once she didn't, I could feel I was able to open my mouth again.

"Explain," Sparta—or rather Mercury—ordered.

"Only the divine could reject the divine," I said, careful not to indicate that I had Harlequin's Sight.

"If a player was involved, they would have completed the trial. Only a deity could achieve this and stay here." Sparta scratched her chin. Not that I saw what the big deal was. My concern was that facing a deity at our strength would be difficult. Maybe they were intervening in the trial more than they should, but there was a loophole for everything. Technically, the deity hadn't taken any personal action, but merely provided assistance for a trial monster.

That fell well within the rules, especially since no preference had been shown. The skeleton captain aimed to kill me just as much as Sparta.

"Is that all?" Golden eyes glared at me.

"Yes," I said without hesitation.

"I saw the skeleton counter the power of Sparta's thread-dagger, so I attacked to sever the thread." Mercury looked at the sand, then at me again.

"Don't share this with anyone!" Sparta's eyes went back to their usual color. Meanwhile, I felt my lips stick together. The brief reprieve had ended. Now, I was back to using nonverbal communication skills.

"You really are something," the woman smiled, though it was a guarded smile.

"I haven't seen anyone get Mercury ruled up this much." I remained still and silent.

"Did he order anything?" There was no way of knowing whether this was a test of Sparta's honest question. Whatever the case, I shook my head, then pointed at the horizon. The woman also looked in that direction.

"The fortress is less than an hour away," she said.

"Half that if we run. Can you run?" She looked at me. There wasn't even any point in shaking my head. Even without the curses, I would be hard-pressed to sprint through the desert. It had been close to two days since I had eaten, and by now that was taking its toll. I still had enough energy to fight, but that would also change if I wasted it.

"Alright, we'll walk. Want me to lead." I raised my blades, but couldn't feel them pulling me in any direction. The boss monster wasn't following the rules, remaining effectively invisible to their bloodlust. Seeing that they wouldn't be of any use, I returned them to my inventory. Go ahead. I gestured at Sparta with an open hand.