Chương 59: Fulfilling a oath

Leah looked away as the body hit the ground. Ethan couldn't blame her. Death wasn't something you just got used to, no matter how many times you saw it. Especially the way it'd happened just now. However, around them the battlefield didn't stop. Most hadn't seen what had happened, and even fewer understood it. The clash of steel carried on, spells still tore through the air, and people still fought like nothing had changed. Only a handful had turned, reacting to the surge of mana that still lingered.

Ethan looked back to where the guildmaster was. She turned, disregarding the dead body and shifting her attention to someone else. He could see her speaking, but even with [Keen Sense], the noise of the battle swallowed the words before they reached him.

"Move forward. Let's finish them from behind. Capture any who surrender," Thane said, already stepping past him. The others followed along. Ethan could tell they were worked up. After coming from a battle and now seeing their home attacked. It didn't bode well. However, Ethan didn't follow, and when Leah tried to move he reached out and caught her by the arm, stopping her mid-step.

"What is it?" she asked, pulling slightly against his grip. Ethan let go.

"I don't want us involved in this anymore." She frowned.

"What do you mean? Stop trying to sideline me."

"That's not why," he said, his tone even.

"This battle is as good as over. Throwing a few more bodies into it won't change anything." She didn't look convinced. Ethan pointed toward the upper path where the guildmaster stood.

"Instead I want you to watch her." Leah followed his gesture, her eyes landing on the blonde woman.

"Why?"

"Because that's what real power looks like." Leah paused, staring at the boulder of a man, lying on the ground. For a moment, she just stood there, then let out a breath that was half a sigh. Ethan could tell she didn't like it, but she didn't argue either. If anything, there was a hint of relief beneath it. Ethan understood. He was done with this fight too. And if he could, he would keep her from having to fight humans for as long as possible.

He shifted his stance slightly, letting his sword rest on his shoulder as he looked back over the battlefield. From here, it was clear how things were unfolding. Whoever this opposing force was, didn't have a chance, especially with Thane's force about to hit them from behind, it was only a matter of time. His eyes drifted across the ground again, taking in the bodies scattered along the approach at the bottom of the cliffs. There were hundreds of unmoving undead. Was Ethan really this lucky?

He didn't think so, but he would definitely take it. Ethan looked back up. The guildmaster hadn't moved far. She stood in the same place, her blade still burning, though the flames had settled into something more controlled, instead of the raging fire it had been. She brought the blade up, looking ready to attack again. Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly, he hadn't seen her fight before. He technically hadn't even met the woman before. So he was eager to see how she fared.

Even if he knew a tier two cultivator should be able to wipe the floor with anyone who hadn't reached that level yet. She shot forward, and was met halfway by another woman. Their blades collided. The flames surging past the initial contact and forcing the dark-haired woman to disengage. They both circled slightly, and Ethan got a good view of the guildmaster's opponent. When he saw her, he almost faltered. His eyes widened slightly and instinctively he gripped his sword tighter.

"Katara," he whispered. Memories surfaced whether he wanted them to or not. The slow spread of poison through his veins. The way his body had shut down piece by piece while she watched. The feeling of helplessness as something foreign rewrote him from the inside. But with those memories came others. Ones he hid deep. The ache of betrayal, lingering far longer than the poison. And now she stood there again, confirming Ethan's suspicions about who was behind this group.

Her katana cut forward in a clean, direct strike aimed at the blonde's throat, as they engaged once more. It was fast enough that most people on the battlefield wouldn't have even registered the start of the motion. The response came instantly, however. The flaming blade rose just enough to meet it, steel clashing against fire as the impact rang out. Katara didn't disengage again, instead her blade slipped free and came again, angling toward the ribs before twisting mid-motion toward the hip.

The transition was seamless, a controlled chain of intent designed to force a mistake. She stepped in closer as she did it, reducing the distance, forcing the fight into close quarters. Which, despite Ethan's initial shock, baffled him. She should stay far away from those flames. However, despite his thoughts, she leaned forward as their blades collided, and spat at the guildmaster. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It hit her cheek.

She jumped back several steps and brought her hand up to wipe it away. Ethan could see her skin was sizzling. And he knew why. One of Katara's first skills was the ability to change her body fluids into poison. She was actually a massive reason why Ethan decided to temper his first body transformation with poison. The guildmaster looked at her hand, before speaking once more. As they talked, Katara wiped her blade, making it take on a faint distortion, the edge warping as the toxin layered itself over the steel.

Ethan took a step forward, bringing his sword off his shoulder.

"I thought we weren't going to engage?" Leah asked from beside him.

"Plans changed. Stay close," Ethan responded, before breaking into a run. He didn't know what he planned to do, but still he moved towards the battle, ignoring everything else. Katara disappeared from where she stood, and Ethan knew she had used [Flash Step]. She appeared in front of the guildmaster, her sword slashing upwards. The guildmaster met the attack, before following up with an attack of her own. Even from the brief exchange, Ethan could tell she was playing with her. And Ethan knew why.

After all, the poison that was once circling the guildmaster's body, belonged to none other than Katara. The guildmaster's blade sliced through Katara's arm, blood splattered along the ground and Ethan activated [Mana Infusion]. As it sunk into the ground, her blood turned into a mist that clung to the floor, then lifted just enough to catch movement, before spreading out, through the air. Ethan watched it expand, felt the weight of it in the air. Luckily, Katara was a low level.

He had seen that exact ability been used against hundreds of enemies. But as it was, the guildmaster wasn't affected at all. The blonde stepped into it. There was no hesitation in her movement. She didn't slow, didn't adjust, didn't acknowledge it as a threat. She moved forward through the poison, the air shimmering with heat around her. Ethan was only twenty yards away and closing the distance fast. But not fast enough. The guildmaster attacked. She shot forward, faster than Ethan could track.

It was a daunting realization, when he noticed she hadn't used a skill. That was just raw stats. Ethan stared as her fiery blade pierced Katara's stomach. He finally reached them. Though he was unsure what he was even doing. The guildmaster turned. Likely fully aware he had been coming towards them.

"What is it?" she questioned. Ethan looked at the blade still embedded in Katara's stomach. The woman had dropped her own weapon, looking down at the wound in horror. Ethan opened his mouth before closing it again, unsure on how to respond. From the moment he noticed the guildmaster had been poisoned, he knew Katara was somewhere close by. But still, looking down at the woman who had once shown him how to wield a blade, and now being reduced to this fragile state, made him feel a mix of emotions.

His grip tightened. Unlike the witch of decay, there was no reason to keep Katara alive. She would never help humanity, and instead had always been detrimental to it.

"I… let me do it," he stated. The guildmaster looked down at the woman, before pulling her blade out.

"Not today. First I need my answers." Katara tried to speak. But before she could get a word out, the guildmaster struck her with the flat of her blade. Katara fell to the ground, unconscious and bleeding out. The woman who had nearly killed him in another life lay there. Completely and utterly defeated. —~~— Ethan found himself sitting on a settlement bridge. He looked down at the aftermath of battle. Along the ground, people had begun to clean the mess. He idly watched them as his thoughts drifted.

After Katara had been defeated and the guildmaster had been able to focus on other things, the fighting had ended rather abruptly. After all, it didn't take a genius to see the opposition stood no chance. He exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of everything leave him. By all rights, he should be happy. His Oath had disappeared, making it obvious he had fulfilled his vow. Even if he had been helped out a lot at the end there. And with the oath complete, the guild war should have come to an end.

A major event in his other timeline was now put behind him. With the system acknowledging that it was over, he had felt a sense of relief. He wasn't too sure how it worked, but for now he would take the system's word for it.

"What is it?" Ethan questioned, when he felt someone approaching. Nivia stood there, a worried expression on her face.

"You need to come. Now." Something in her tone cut through everything else.

"What happened?" he asked, already moving.

"It's Alex. Just—come." Ethan stood up.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll explain on the way. But I'm hoping you'll know more than me." Ethan followed Nivia as she told him how Alex had been cut and potentially poisoned. Immediately he had a sinking feeling. Already knowing the cause. Especially with Katara fresh on his mind. Nivia led him off the bridges and down to what looked like the medical area. Ethan slowed slightly as he approached, his eyes taking everything in at once. People lay across the ground, while others rushed between them.

This was exactly why Ethan wasn't sure on taking [Aura Overload]. Now he had no way of helping them. Only himself. He kept scanning the crowd until he spotted Alex, along with the guildmaster. A tourniquet had been tied tight around Alex's upper arm. His other hand was braced against the ground, his jaw clenched as he held himself upright. Ethan stepped closer, already dropping into a crouch as he reached him. The person who had been trying to heal him, politely moved out of the way.

"Let me see," Ethan said. Though he knew he would be unable to heal anything. If it was poison, he would at least be able to tell what sort. Alex shifted slightly, allowing it, though his expression didn't ease. Up close, Ethan could see it clearly. A cut along the arm, not deep enough to take the limb outright, but it was clean. Cutting into the muscle and fat. Ethan's eyes narrowed as he took in the wound. It was definitely poisoned. The outer area of the wound was festering, with a sickly yellow color.

"Was this from the woman with the katana?" Ethan questioned.

"Yeah," Alex muttered, his voice coming out as a hiss.

"I thought nothing of it until the pain built up." Nivia stepped closer.

"You know anything about it?" she asked quickly. Ethan nodded, though he could feel the weight of the guildmaster's gaze boring through him. His eyes flicked up for a split second before dropping again, avoiding it. The blonde stood a short distance away, leaning against the wall, watching him. Ethan ignored it and focused back on the wound.

"What's it doing?" he asked. Alex exhaled slowly.

"Hurts like a bitch. Feels like it's trying to spread, but…" he clenched his jaw harder, "my mana's holding it. Slowing it down." Ethan nodded and was glad Katara hadn't leveled up too much yet. Or used her best poison. It was likely just her base fluid.

"It's not the worst kind," Ethan said, finally.

"I think you could probably fight it naturally. It'd just hurt like a bitch." Nivia let out a breath at that, but didn't relax fully.

"So what do we do?"

"I've got something," Ethan said.

"Antivenom. I made it for a far weaker poison, but it'll help. Might neutralize it enough for his body to deal with the rest." Alex let out a short, humorless breath.

"I'll take anything right now." Ethan nodded and pushed to his feet, hoping Mark and Sarah hadn't thrown it out.

"I'll go grab it." He had already started to turn when a voice cut in.

"I'll come with you." Ethan paused. Slowly, he glanced back. The blonde had pushed off the wall, her eyes still locked on him. Ethan held her gaze for a moment, then let out a quiet breath. He knew she would have questions. They had both been too preoccupied with the battle to finish their conversation.

"…Sure."