Arthur pulled out his sword. The blade shone as bright as the sun, forcing Aldred to close his eyes.
Arthur's sword turned the dark sky into blue. Powerful killing intent exploded in all directions, waking everyone up and carving fear in their heart.
The world trembled, and the sky dimmed, turning into night as the light condensed on the sword. With bloodshed eyes, Arthur pointed the sword at Aldred, sending a tiny beam of light that warped the space around it.
He was precise in his control as he did not want to hurt Mira and the other woman. He just wanted to kill the boy.
The light struck through.
BOOM!
A massive earthquake almost shook the entire mountains. A large part of the cliff got cut off, and it slowly creaked before falling off. Those who were unlucky enough to camp in the area screamed as they jumped and tried to reach the cliff.
They failed and fell along with the rocks and rubble.
The people who were below, still trying to figure out the riddle, looked up and were shocked to see a rain of boulders.
"Run!"
The boulders slammed onto the houses and tents. Some fell on top of a person, crushing them to bits.
Arthur was breathing profusely and stared at the spot where the boy stood earlier. After the dirt and dust disappeared, he realized that the boy and Mira were gone. The other women vanished as well.
Bartrem ran out of his tents followed by his soldiers. "What the fuck are you doing!"
Suddenly, a flash of light came and Aldred appeared with Mira and the others. He had entered the divine dimension earlier the moment that blinding light appeared. If not for that, he'd be dead right now.
The boy stared at Arthur, and dashed at him.
"Wait, Aldred," Mira called.
Aldred halted. "He tried to kill me."
"I know." Mira nodded and glared at Arthur. "What are you doing, Arthur? Why did you try to kill this boy."
Arthur noticed Mira's naked body and looked to the side. "That boy sullied you, sister. I cannot have it."
"Who said he sullied me?"
"He—he did something to your body."
"I let him do that on my own accord. He did not sully me."
"But…"
"Look at me, Arthur. You didn't even have the self-control and look away, and you dare to say that this boy sullied me? Look at me!"
Aldred was surprised. He had never seen Mira this angry before. Her eyes were more than anger though, they depicted a greater disappointment than before.
Arthur took a deep breath and looked at her.
"You use your sword," Mira said in anger. "You use the power that God bestows upon you to kill an innocent boy. Where is your honor as a hero?"
"Sister…" Tears welled up in his eyes. He did not realize what he did was wrong. Blinded by rage, he stormed to the tent and attacked the boy, all because he did not want the boy to touch her body.
"I am disappointed in you, Arthur. From now on, you are no longer a hero."
Arthur widened his eyes. Golden light came out of his body, and then it siphoned to the sky, disappearing to never be seen again. The sword in his hand shattered into a million pieces.
"Sister, I am sorry," he said as he looked her in the eye.
Tears fell from Mira's eyes as her body trembled. "I do not want to do this to you, child. But you are not worthy to wield this power."
"Then, I am no longer worthy to live." He stabbed his own neck with his hand. His eyes widened and he gagged for air.
"No!" Mira started to cast her spell.
Arthur smiled as tears fell from his eyes. "I am sorry, sister Mira. You will always be a mother to me."
He slashed his own neck. It fell to the ground with closed eyes and a subtle smile.
"NO!" Mira dashed to his body, and stopped as his body disappeared into dust.
Jake and Hugo were running towards the tent before they widened their eyes when they saw what happened. They cried.
Hugo dashed towards the tent, crying loudly in tears. "Arthur!"
Jake sighed and fell to his knees. "I have failed. As his companion I am responsible for him losing control."
"Arthur!" Hugo fell to the ground where Arthur's clothes were. "Arthur! No!"
He looked up at Mira. "Sister Mira, what happened? Why is Arthur turning to dust?"
Mira took a deep breath. "Arthur lost his control and used his power for his own emotion. He is no longer worthy to be a hero, and he killed himself."
Hugo cried. He regretted that he always acted childish in front of him. If he was mature like Jake, he might prevent Arthur from dying. Now he was gone, and there was nothing he could do.
After a while, Hugo calmed down, took Arthur's clothes, and stood up.
Jake slowly approached them. "Sister Mira, we're sorry to bother you. We are going to climb down the mountain and return to the church. I no longer have anything to do with this mountain."
Mira nodded. "Be careful."
Jake nodded and put his hand over Hugo before walking away.
Aldred looking at this could only sigh. He was conflicted. Arthur tried to kill him which justified his anger, but at the same time, he did not want Arthur to die as he seemed to be a very nice guy. His attitude changed the moment he realized Mira was a nun.
He sighed even deeper. Mira must be a very important person to him. To kill himself because of Mira's disappointment, how could such a person be bad?
How could one tell if a person was really evil? Arthur tried to kill him. Was he evil? Not necessarily. He might have a reason for that.
Bartrem and the others came to check up on them.
"Are you guys okay?"
Aldred nodded. "We're fine. I went to the divine dimension to dodge his power."
Bartrem was about to ask more questions but stopped himself when he saw Mira crying.
On the other hand, Maverick and the others were out of their tent to see what happened.
They were shocked to see a large part of the cliff fell down. Luckily, His camp and Bartrem's camp were not in the way, otherwise they would fall.
The adventurers and other groups stared with widened eyes. It was like a part of the mountain was cut by a gigantic knife.
"So this is the power of the so-called hero. Looking at the damage, it's a wonder how the Ceraisian still stands as a powerful Empire."
"You shouldn't be surprised about that. Look at the boy. He was the target of the attack, and yet he doesn't even have a scar."
"Only the tent is destroyed. How is that possible?"
"That means he is more powerful than the hero. I saw it earlier. The hero was sapped out of his own power, and then he turned to dust."
"That boy is stronger than we imagine. Do not ever offend him."
"Even if you don't say that. I believe nobody will mess with him ever again."
Byron looked at the cut-off cliff, and then looked at the boy. Sweat trickled from his forehead. "How did he survive that?"
