Chapter 167: The Failure And The Disaster | 100 PS Bonus

Elias stared at the orange system screen for only a moment before dismissing it. Although the words continued to echo inside his mind, he forced himself to focus on the motionless knight lying several steps away.

Wind brushed his wounds as he took a step forward.

"Sir Belthon," he called out, his voice heavy with exhaustion, and he stumbled toward him before collapsing onto his knees beside the fallen knight.

The armor plates clicked, most of their sound muffled by the rubber.

Elias stored Hellcaller in his Inventory and carefully turned Belthon onto his back.

The knight’s face was completely emotionless, his eyes remained closed, and although the wound across his chest had stopped bleeding, the stone beneath him had already been dyed red.

"Please..." Elias exhaled shakily as he placed his trembling hand over the wound and mumbled weakly, "Heal."

A tiny green flame drifted from his palm and sank into Belthon’s chest, spreading through the wound as Elias waited desperately for the familiar sensation of his Healing Magic.

However, he couldn’t feel any connection to the Knight’s wound.

He couldn’t feel the severed flesh and damaged veins the way he had with Trons’s arm and shoulder.

He couldn’t feel anything.

Elias’s expression darkened as the tiny green flame faded, and he immediately cast the spell again.

"Heal."

The same thing happened.

There was no connection. There was nothing.

Deep within his heart, Elias already understood what that meant, but he refused to acknowledge it.

He stared at Belthon’s unmoving chest, and his breathing grew heavier. The realization that the only knight who had stepped forward to help him had died because of him twisted something inside his chest.

"You cannot die, Sir Belthon," Elias whispered, his voice trembling.

His stomach twisted from guilt and fear, and he tightened his jaw while clenching his bloodied fist. Then a pained growl escaped his throat.

"Why?"

All he wanted was to live a life where he was no longer treated as someone disposable. He wished his clan and the people of the West to acknowledge him beyond just being a bastard of the Crimson Duke.

He wished to live peacefully, but the world wasn’t kind to his wishes.

Was it his fault that he was a bastard? Was it his fault that he had been unable to advance his swordsmanship before?

No... the world was simply cruel to him because he was the weaker one.

Elias ground his teeth and mumbled, "I will make all of you pay..."

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached from behind him, accompanied by the clicking of armor and slow claps that echoed across the ruined training ground.

"You actually pulled it off, Lord Elias," a familiar voice said.

Elias’s expression twisted, and he slowly forced himself to stand before turning toward the man.

"Berman," he growled, his voice carrying the fury of a wounded beast.

Berman stopped clapping and glanced toward Belthon’s corpse before looking back at Elias with an amused smile.

"Did you do it to save him?" he asked, and then he chuckled lightly. "He had died the very moment he fell."

"Shut up," Elias spat as he placed one hand against his chest.

Berman merely smirked before continuing, "You see, that monster was not a true Exalted."

Confusion spread across Elias’s face, and he glanced at Charles.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Berman calmly pointed toward Charles’s corpse and explained, "Usually, whenever an Exalted swordsman dies, we can feel the Aura inside their body. It is like a flame that slowly disappears after their death."

He paused and looked toward Belthon.

"But in Belthon’s case, that flame disappeared the moment the black Aura appeared on that monster’s blade."

Elias’s eyes narrowed as Berman continued.

"That thing stole Belthon’s Aura," Berman stated with a curious gaze, and then his expression changed slightly as he added, "How horrible."

’How can something like that be possible?’ Elias wondered.

He couldn’t understand what Berman was saying, nor did he have enough time to think about it. His body was still barely holding together, and he needed more time to heal himself enough for I Can Do This All Day to activate.

Elias secretly continued using Heal, allowing the green life flame to slowly close the wounds scattered across his body while he kept his attention fixed on Berman.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Berman smiled calmly.

"My Lord sent me to finish you if the monster somehow failed."

Elias’s expression darkened, but inwardly, his thoughts remained surprisingly calm.

’Why did the Sword Spirit not alert me about this?’

Berman looked over Elias’s battered body and shook his head slightly.

"Seeing the pathetic state that you are in, I do not think you can fight any longer," he said.

Elias didn’t answer and stared at him.

His mana was almost completely depleted after repeatedly using Enhanced Mana Enhancement and Heal throughout his battle with Charles, and although his wounds were slowly closing, his body remained exhausted. Fighting Berman in this condition would almost certainly mean his death.

Berman seemed to notice his silence and smiled.

"My Lord also gave Daemon a task," he said casually. "That too is related to you, or should I say... your wives?"

Elias’s eyes widened, and anger immediately boiled within him.

"You dare!" he growled.

Yet beneath that anger, his mind remained strangely calm.

’I was correct after all... I hope it works out.’

Elias stumbled forward, preparing himself to summon Hellcaller, but before he could make another move, Berman grinned and glanced toward Lastbane lying nearby.

"Finally, you seem ready to continue," Berman said as he bent down and reached toward the sword. "But for that, you would first need your sword."

His fingers wrapped around Lastbane’s hilt.

The moment Berman touched it, however, a violent shiver ran down his spine.

His expression instantly changed.

"Guh!"

Blood suddenly erupted from Berman’s mouth, and he stumbled backward while releasing Lastbane. His arms trembled uncontrollably, and his hand pressed against his chest as his heart hammered inside him as though something utterly terrifying had attacked him.

"W-What was that?" he stammered, his eyes fixed on Lastbane with disbelief and fear.

Elias stared at him in confusion.

He had no idea what had just happened. But he wasn’t going to waste such an opportunity.

Hellcaller appeared in his grip. He tightened his fingers around the hilt, ignored the pain tearing through his body, and rushed forward.