Aldred’s heart raced, realizing the severity of the situation. He hadn’t expected Vanitas Astrea to appear so suddenly.
And for some reason, despite clearly overpowering him, he felt like he was slowly being led to a spiderweb.
Then, there was that one question he just couldn’t fathom no matter how much he tried wrapping his mind around it.
‘How is he casting magic without chanting!?’
In all his years of hunting, he had never faced a mage like this before.
But Aldred was a seasoned hunter. He calmed his racing mind as he pondered on his next move.
Swoosh—!
In a blur of motion, Aldred cut through the air. His body glowed faintly as he empowered himself with aura—a signature technique of the Crusades.
While mages wielded mana to conjure spells, Crusades channeled it directly into their bodies, enhancing their speed, strength, and endurance.
This was what set them apart.
It was more so talent, a category that differentiated them upon birth.
Vanitas barely had time to react as Aldred lunged forward, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Clang—!
The dagger met a hastily conjured barrier of wind, shattering it with ease.
Aldred used that opportunity to kick Vanitas straight in the abdomen, causing him to skid back while clutching his stomach.
Vanitas felt all sorts of pain coursing through his body. However, he merely dismissed it as if it were something meager.
The original Vanitas Astreas’ influence.
Throughout the fight, Aldred was relentless. Vanitas, meanwhile, had been fighting slowly. Methodically, even.
Vanitas fixed his gaze on Aldred for a brief moment and narrowed his eyes.
His fighting style was a mix of the Levisha Sword Art and the Elenor Sword Art.
From what he knew, the Levisha Sword Art was designed for relentless aggression.
It emphasized overwhelming the opponent with a constant barrage of strikes, leaving no room for them to counter.
But it wasn’t perfect.
Levisha’s biggest flaw was its dependency on momentum.
Once interrupted, the flow of its movements became erratic, and would force the practitioner to either retreat or risk overextending.
And that became evident as Vanitas focused on interrupting Aldred’s momentum, completely seeing through his attacks as he countered.
Bang!
The Elenor Sword Art, in contrast, was all about adaptability and defense.
Elenor users relied on their opponent’s aggression to create openings, punishing every mistake with precision.
However, just like every Sword art, this style had its own limitations.
It was reactionary by nature, and against an opponent who refused to play predictably, its efficiency waned.
The unpredictability left Aldred unable to adapt effectively
“H-haaa….”
Aldred took deep and heavy breaths, blood trickling down his arms.
Vanitas, meanwhile, felt his mana slowly declining.
It was only thanks to the Ethereal Fragment in his pocket, that he had managed to dish out spells way beyond beginner to this extent.
Of course, Vanitas had kept watch of his reserves, while simultaneously keeping up with Aldred.
“Haaa…. H-haaa….”
Vanitas’s chest rose and fell steadily, though the faint sheen of sweat on his brow betrayed the strain of prolonged combat.
Still, he had the upper hand.
Vanitas’s eyes darted around, calculating the possibilities of Aldred’s next move.
Aldred’s moves had gotten sloppier. Vanitas had been keeping him at bay, forcing him into exhaustion.
While physically powerful, Aldred relied heavily on the dagger. Vanitas, however, knew exactly what its weakness was.
The Dagger of Resonance’s essence cutting properties had a fixed time lag.
A meager second.
For a seasoned mage, it usually took a second, maybe two depending on the complexity to cast a spell. To them, there was no escaping the Dagger of Resonance.
But Vanitas had his stigmata.
Ironically, the Named Character, the Third Rate Boss, Vanitas Astrea, was the perfect counter to the Mage Killer, Aldred Haide.
Bang!
Aldred surged forward with a guttural roar. His aura flared even brighter than before.
He moved erratically, slashing at Vanitas with a reckless speed that aimed to overwhelm him.
Vanitas swiftly evaded the first strike, narrowly dodging the dagger’s edge.
He countered with a quick spell, conjuring an earthen pillar that shot up beneath Aldred’s feet.
Boom—!
The pillar shattered as Aldred’s dagger cleaved through it.
Vanitas raised his hand, conjuring a wind barrier.
The gale surged forward, forcing Aldred back just enough for Vanitas to reposition.
Time was ticking.
The bonus rewards for the heightened difficulty would soon diminish if he didn’t finish this fast enough.
Help was coming, he knew that much.
Voosh—!
A burst of flame erupted from Vanitas’s palm. The flames hurtled toward Aldred like a molten spear.
Aldred slashed forward, cutting through the heat. But the flames singed his coat, leaving behind blackened edges.
“Haah….”
He grunted, his steps faltering as the accumulated damage began to slow him.
Vanitas watched carefully, his eyes tracking every movement.
There it was.
The cracks in Aldred’s form grew wider.
To Vanitas, everything had been nothing but a chess game.
A chess game Vanitas had played a hundred times before.
He didn’t approach the fight like a mage.
He approached it like a player.
In the hundreds of runs through the Mage Killer act during his playthroughs, Vanitas had dissected every move, every tendency, and every possible weakness of Aldred Haide.
This fight was no exception. From the first clash of spells and steel, Vanitas had been setting the stage for Aldred’s defeat.
Vanitas meticulously used the terrain to his advantage, positioning himself strategically.
“Fuck….” Aldred cursed under his breath.
And Vanitas capitalized on his fatigue.
Swoosh—!
He created overlapping layers of spells, forcing Aldred to defend against multiple threats at once.
A windblade drove him back, only for an earth spike to rise in his path.
Flames licked at his heels, forcing him to redirect his attention while Vanitas prepared the next attack.
It was a relentless assault, completely capitalizing his knowledge of the game.
He wasn’t just casting spells spontaneously in the heat of the moment.
He was setting traps, manipulating Aldred’s movements to funnel him into disadvantageous positions.
When the moment finally came, it was almost anticlimactic.
“Checkmate.”
Vanitas saw the opening and delivered the finishing blow.
Swoosh—!
A calculated attack that left Aldred incapacitated, dropping to the ground with a loud thud.
But of course, it wasn’t without its difficulty, as Vanitas felt his entire body strained and wounded.
“Haaa…. H-haaa….”
And naturally….
———「Event Act: Mage Killer」———
「Rewards Obtained:」
◆ Understanding: +20%
「Bonus Rewards for Maximum Difficulty:」
◆ Understanding: +20%
◆ Dagger of Resonance
————————————
As per the game’s standards, it was a high difficulty act.
But to Vanitas, it was a walk to the park.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
Vanitas stepped closer, clutching onto his bleeding arm as he stared at the dagger beneath him.
He checked his stigmata status.
———「Stigmata」———
「Boundless Reservoir」
◆ Understanding: 10%
◆ Capacity: 932/9000
◆ Fosters continuous growth in mana reserves, allowing mana capacity to expand and evolve over time.
——————
The capacity had increased by 4000 more.
Vanitas nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he picked up the dagger and scanned it with his spectacles.
———「Dagger of Resonance」———
◆ Description: A dark magic-forged dagger that disrupts mana flow and essence up to a certain point.
◆ Effects:
◆ Nullifies spells by cutting through mana circuits.
◆ Boosts the wielder’s speed and strength by 20%.
————————————
The reason why the dagger was part of the reward for the increased difficulty, was because there was no witness.
In other words, the dagger wouldn’t be confiscated, as long as the player hid it thoroughly.
“Haaa….”
The fatigue was undeniable.
Thud!
Vanitas collapsed beside Aldred’s unconscious body. His chest heaved with every strained breath.
Truth be told, he couldn’t grasp the Aether essence at all. Back then, he had only lied to Charlotte about healing her to appeal to her.
For some reason, it was as if the very notion of Aether itself rejected him.
“Hoo….”
He turned his gaze upward, the moonlight casting a silvery glow over his bloodied figure.
The battle lasted a mere five minutes.
Yet to Vanitas, it felt like an eternity.
“Ah.”
All of a sudden, a sharp, searing pain shot through his chest.
His hand instinctively clutched at his ribs as the familiar ache spread like fire.
The cancer.
It always came creeping back when his mana reserves dipped too low.
He gritted his teeth as the pain radiated upward, tightening around his lungs.
“….”
A faint, metallic taste filled his mouth.
He coughed once.
Then again, harder this time.
The taste intensified as crimson streaked his lips.
Blood.
His breathing grew shallow, rasping like sandpaper against his throat.
The world around him seemed to blur as the edges of his vision darkened.
Instinctively, Vanitas clutched the Ethereal Fragment in his pocket, feeling the mana pulse within his body.
“Hooo…..”
The crushing weight in his chest eased, if only slightly.
The symptoms, though still present, began to alleviate somewhat.
Tak. Tak—!
Footsteps echoed somewhere.
“….Vanitas?”
Followed by a soft voice, causing him to twist his head to the side.
“Ah.”
Of course, Karina wouldn’t just blindly follow his instructions in a life or death situation.
She wouldn’t have left him behind without calling for help.
Vanitas had already expected this, knowing the event–act difficulty increase had a deadline.
Several people adorned in light armor approached, their capes fluttering by the breeze.
“The Crusade Order,” he muttered under his breath.
At that moment, a woman stepped forward. Her beauty was cold, yet mesmerizing, like frost glistening under a winter dawn.
With hair as pristine as snow, and lavender eyes that could only be described as ethereal.
He recognized her.
‘Crazy coincidence…..’
Margaret Illenia.
“Do you know him, Grand Knight?” a subordinate knight asked.
“I do,” the Grand Knight, Margaret Illenia, responded.
Vanitas forced his weary body to stand upright. “Nice to see you again, Margaret.”
His gaze flicked briefly to Aldred, lying unconscious on the ground, before returning to her.
“Though, if I’m being honest—you’re late.”
Margaret shook her head, stepping forward with her usual blank expression that cemented her personality in the game.
“….”
Margaret remained silent and stopped just in front of him, her lavender eyes scanning the scene.
She gestured toward Aldred, and asked, “Is this your doing?”
“Who else?”
A faint hum escaped her lips, yet her expression remained unchanged as she glanced back at her Crusades.
“Secure him. I’ll handle the rest.”
The Crusades nodded in unison, moving swiftly to bind Aldred with reinforced mana chains.
Margaret’s attention returned to Vanitas.
“I didn’t expect you to handle someone like Aldred on your own.”
“It wasn’t a choice,” Vanitas replied flatly. “He targeted my assistant.”
Margaret’s eyes widened before her gaze shifted to Karina, who was standing outside the corridor, visibly uneasy.
“This little girl?”
“Yes.”
For a moment, Margaret’s mouth hung slightly open before she composed herself once more.
“You…. protected her?”
“Is that so wrong?”
“….No,” Margaret muttered, quickly composing herself. “Just that, you’ve…. changed.”
“Mhm. I’ll be going now.” Vanitas brushed past her without a second glance.
“Wait.”
Her voice cut through, stopping him in his tracks.
He turned slightly, his expression neutral.
“He was described to have a dagger,” Margaret said. “Where is it?”
“It broke during the fight.”
Margaret raised a skeptical brow. “Is that so?”
“It was brittle. Not surprising, considering how reckless he was with it.”
She studied him for a moment longer, as if searching for a crack in his story.
When she found none, she finally exhaled, though her expression remained guarded.
“If you come across anything else, please, please, inform the Crusade Order.”
There was an emphasis on her pleading, as if she didn’t fully trust him at all.
“Of course.”
“Okay.”
With that, she stepped away. Her Crusade subordinates followed closely behind her, carrying Aldred’s unconscious form.
Vanitas stood still, watching them disappear into the distance before releasing a quiet breath.
He didn’t want to prolong the conversation with Margaret Illenia.
He had done his research on her after his encounter with Nicolas.
In simpler terms, she could be described as Vanitas’s ex.
Though, that relationship was questionable. It seemed one–sided, leaning more to Margaret’s side.
But in any case, correlating to Aldred, his capture instead of death by his hands was the best outcome.
He turned to Karina, who had been standing nearby, watching the exchange in silence.
“Go home,” Vanitas said.
Karina scanned his bloodied figure, concern evident in her expressions.
She hesitated, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides before finally stepping forward.
Vanitas, noticing her movement, tilted his head slightly. “What are you—”
Without waiting for him to finish, she knelt down, extending her hands toward him.
A faint blue glow began to emanate from her palms.
“Stay still,” she said softly.
“Huh—”
Karina didn’t respond. Instead, she took a deep breath. With a steady voice, she began to chant.
“O life that flows eternal, mending the weary and broken, hear my call. Stitch the wounds, ease the pain, and let vitality be restored—”
The blue light around her hands intensified as soft tendrils of energy swirled toward his injuries.
Vanitas watched.
He hadn’t expected her to use healing magic, much less a spell that seemed this refined.
The warmth of the magic seeped into his skin, dulling the ache in his muscles and sealing the smaller cuts.
The deeper wounds began to knit together slowly, though the process left Karina visibly strained.
“You’re overexerting yourself.”
“I’m fine,” she replied, though her voice was slightly breathless. “Just let me finish.”
She continued her chant despite her strain.
As the final words left her lips, the glow faded, and Karina slumped back slightly, taking heavy breaths.
Vanitas stared at his assistant. Aether magic required a substantial amount of mana. Her exhaustion was expected.
‘This kid….’
Without a word, Vanitas stepped forward and offered his hand.
“Come on,” he said.
Karina hesitated for a moment before accepting it. His grip was steady, pulling her to her feet effortlessly.
“Thank you.”