These feelings of unease were so intense that every student felt them. Out of fear, most of the candidates chose to flee in the opposite direction from where that discomfort was coming. It was the same for the monsters and animals living in the forest.
When one thinks of a forest, the first things that come to mind are the fresh breeze of nature, the singing of birds, and the gentle sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees. A calm, almost soothing atmosphere, where every sound seems natural and reassuring. That is usually how normal forests are.
This forest was filled with monsters. During the twelve days the candidates had spent there, nothing had been normal. Instead of feeling the fresh forest breeze and the damp scent of leaves, they smelled blood—human and monster alike. Instead of hearing birdsong, they heard human screams of agony and the roars of beasts.
But all of that was nothing compared to what they were facing now.
"Get ready," said Ray as he drew his sword from its sheath.
"It's getting closer," said Kayla, lifting her cross to begin her prayer.
During their time in the forest, a few candidates had chosen of their own will to follow Kayla in order to protect her. Three of them—Ray, Berm, and Vali—were paladins-in-training sent by the Holy Kingdom. The other two were simple followers of the Church of Light whom Kayla had saved during the trial.
"Yes, Saint," Ray replied.
FWOUOOCH!
As soon as Kayla finished her prayer, a barrier of light rose around them. Those inside received blessings. The feelings of unease and disgust disappeared.
As expected of the Saint, Ray thought, his eyes filled with tears of admiration.
The others were equally full of awe as they looked at her. They all shared the same thought: God is protecting us.
A shadow approached.
"It's here," said Vali, pulling an arrow from his back.
Fwoosh!
Vali released the arrow. The swift projectile reached the shadow—then disintegrated.
"How?!" Vali exclaimed as he grabbed another arrow.
"Stop," Ray said, grabbing Vali's hand. Then he turned and asked, "What do we do, Saint?"
The shadow stopped. It was observing them.
"We must see who it is," Kayla declared, lifting her cross to her chest once more. Then she began her incantation: "O heavenly mother goddess, let your light illuminate this impure land."
A sphere of light formed and shot rapidly toward the shadow.
But before the sphere could even touch it, the shadow leapt backward.
VOOCH!
The sphere of light exploded.
The part of the forest where the explosion occurred was illuminated.
The darkness surrounding the being that had leapt away vanished.
"What is that?" Ray said, filled with disgust.
Berm, one of the three paladins-in-training, had remained calm until now; he stood near the Saint. But that was no longer the case.
Among the three, Berm was the most fervent—especially regarding the Saint. While Vali and Ray assessed the situation on their own, Berm had remained silent, waiting for orders.
"How dare you?" Berm muttered, pulling the axe from his back.
His brows furrowed in anger as he glared at the thing before him.
"It's a chimera," Kayla declared.
But what is a chimera doing in the trial? Kayla wondered as she searched for the surveillance insects that had been observing her since the beginning of the trial.
Then she realized—they were gone. All the animals and insects had either fled or died from the pressure.
The chimera standing before them was massive, large enough that each step it took made the ground tremble. Its face was grotesque—one half burned, the other half green. It had four arms. In each hand, it held a different object: a greatsword, an axe, a mace, and an hourglass filled with yellow sand.
BAM!
"How dare you, a mere chimera, present yourself before the Saint of Light?!" Berm shouted as he charged at it.
He swung his axe at the chimera.
CLANG!
The chimera blocked Berm's attack with its greatsword—then countered with its mace.
BOOM!
Berm was launched backward. He crashed through several trees, which fell one after another, before finally slamming into a sturdier trunk.
"Arrgh…" Berm groaned, coughing up blood.
"Berm!" Vali shouted.
Berm remained on the ground. He could no longer stand.
"Kill the Saint," the chimera said as it began to move.
Those were the first words it had spoken.
With a leap, it closed the distance to Kayla and struck her with its mace.
VAMM!
Despite raising a barrier, Kayla was thrown backward.
Seeing this, Ray roared in anger, "Saint!" and attacked the chimera with his sword.
The two other candidates accompanying Kayla were third-circle mage girls. They too were thrown back by the shockwave.
Ray, a four-star paladin-in-training, engaged the chimera.
Clang! Clang!
Ray unleashed rapid strikes, attempting to pierce the chimera's chest. But each blow was blocked by the greatsword, followed by a counterattack from the mace.
"You won't get me with that," Ray declared as he leapt back to evade the mace. He recognized the tactic—the chimera had used it against Berm.
FWOOCH!
A mana-charged arrow shot toward the chimera. It pierced its torso. Black blood spilled out.
Kayla, who had been thrown back, had finished her incantation.
"A thousand swords of light," she said, raising her cross.
FWOOCH! FWOOCH! FWOOCH!
Golden blades surged toward the chimera. They might not have truly numbered a thousand, but they were too many to count.
The swords pierced the chimera.
BOOM! BOOM!
After impaling it, they exploded.
"So this is the Saint's power!" Lila, one of the two girls, exclaimed.
"Yes, she's incredible. I think it's over," June said.
"Saint, are you alright?" Vali asked, approaching Kayla.
For her final attack, Kayla had consumed nearly all her mana. As a result, she could no longer stand.
"I'm fine," she said, trying to rise.
She couldn't. June, who stood nearby, supported her by the shoulder so she could remain upright.
Smoke from the explosion obscured their vision.
Ray, who stood at the front, could barely see Kayla and the others. Believing the battle was over, he sheathed his sword and began walking toward Kayla with a broad smile full of admiration.
"Praise be to the goddess," he said. Then he added, "I must retrieve Berm, who is still unconscious, and go to the Saint."
Kayla could not see—she was blind. But through sacred magic, she could sense the shapes around her. Even so, colors remained indistinguishable. It was not truly the same as seeing.
During the battle, she had sensed several other presences, but they had never approached. They were candidates. One could assume they had chosen not to interfere out of fear.
"Thanks to the Goddess of Light, we are alive and—" Kayla began, then abruptly stopped herself.
"Ray, behind you!" Kayla cried in fear.
Ray turned his head—
SLANGG!
A greatsword severed his left arm.
Instinctively, Ray leapt backward. He dropped his sword from his right hand and pressed that hand against the stump to stop the blood from pouring out. He could die from hemorrhage.
"Kill the Saint," the chimera declared again. It seemed completely intact.
The only difference was that it no longer wore any clothing and now held only the greatsword and the hourglass. Nothing more, nothing less.
"How is it still alive?" Vali asked, horrified.
"Argh!" June and Lila groaned.
They too could no longer stand.
"Saint, please accept our mana," they said.
The two girls understood that with the murderous intent radiating from that creature, they could not help in any other way.
Vali looked at the girls, who seemed resolute, and thought, I think they're right. It's for the good of the Saint of Light.
"Wait," Kayla began. "You don't need to do this. My sacred mana regenerates quickly," she added anxiously.
"Thank you for worrying about insignificant beings like us, but we've made our decision," Lila replied, shaking her head.
"Besides, if you manage to defeat it, we'll all be saved."
"Transfer," they said as they touched Kayla. "We're counting on you."
Kayla did not even have time to thank them. They had already collapsed.
"Thank you," Kayla said as she rose.
Ray was cornered. He could barely evade the chimera's strikes—especially with one arm gone. He was lucky to still be alive.
He leapt back and landed beside Vali.
"Are you going to be okay?" Vali asked, looking at Ray. His breathing was heavy, and his skin had turned pale.
"Yes," Ray replied, tearing part of his clothing and tying off the wound where his arm had been severed.
The chimera stopped moving. Now, all it did was stare at the hourglass in one of its hands.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Ray said as he observed the chimera.
"We can't just charge in blindly. Especially since you're no longer in condition to fight," Vali replied. "And no candidate or professor has come to help us. There must be something wrong." He dropped his bow and drew a short sword.
"I'll heal you," Kayla said, approaching them. "I can't regrow your arm, but I can at least replenish your blood."
"You don't need to waste your mana, Saint. Save it in case you need to flee if things get worse," Ray said.
"No. I will not abandon you," Kayla replied as she began healing him.
"The hourglass the chimera is holding—I'm sure the sand was yellow," Vali commented.
"Now that you mention it…" Ray began, frowning. "It's red now. What is it doing?"
"The most important question is: how is it still alive?" Kayla said as she finished healing Ray.
"I once read that chimeras are like golems. As long as their core isn't destroyed, they regenerate," Vali said, staring at the still-standing chimera.
"So we have to destroy the core—but where is it?" Ray asked, perplexed.
"Should we flee and look for help?" Vali asked. Then he answered himself: "No. That's not an option."
Indeed, the three of them knew fleeing was not an option. Not unless someone stayed behind to distract it. And the chimera clearly wanted to kill only one person—the Saint. No matter where they ran, if they didn't gain distance fast enough, it would catch them.
"Let's think of a strat—" Vali did not finish.
CRACK! CRACK!
The hourglass in the chimera's hand shattered. The sand inside began to fall.
When that sand mixed with the sand of the forest—
BOW!
Red sand rose up.
Like a sandstorm in a desert, they could no longer distinguish anything—not even Kayla.
After the wind calmed, the red sand continued swirling around them.
"I can no longer use sacred magic," Kayla said in horror. She could neither see nor sense.
"This is bad. Very bad," Vali said, realizing he could no longer use his mana either.
"Without mana, we won't last long," Ray finally said, turning toward the Saint. I want to abandon her and run, but… he thought as he looked at Vali, whose eyes still shone with determination to protect Kayla.
"Saint, stay behind us. We'll protect you with our last breath," Vali said, not wavering despite the situation. Then he added, "We'll have to hold our ground and counter its attacks. Above all, make sure it doesn't get close to the Saint."
"Aahaha…" Kayla sighed. She truly could not endure such words, but she chose to remain silent.
"Alright," Ray replied. Then he added, "Since I've lost an arm, I'll stay behind to protect the Saint. I'll remain here even if I must give my life," he declared solemnly.
The chimera began running toward them but was intercepted halfway by Vali.
They began to fight—well, not truly fight. A fight implies both sides trading blows, but this was one-sided. Vali could barely hold on. He wielded a sword, yet he was a ranged fighter by nature.
The chimera's attacks were heavy and swift. All Vali could do was endure.
Ray, who had remained behind, thought, I am faithful to the Light, but I cannot die like this.
"I know what you're thinking, Ray," Kayla began. Then, with a smile, she said, "I can feel your fear. You're surely thinking that if I die, that thing will leave."
Still smiling, she continued, "You're probably right. If I die, that thing will leave. So go ahead. Don't be afraid. I will pray for the Light to forgive you. If I must die to save your four lives, then it is worth it."
Ray closed his eyes, picked up a dagger from the ground, and said, "I'm sorry."
Vali, who was fighting desperately, saw Ray raise the dagger toward the Saint and shouted, "Ray! No, don't do it!"
"You are forgiven!" Kayla said.
"That's right. I am forgiven," Ray muttered, trying to justify what he was about to do.
The dagger moved swiftly toward Kayla.
But just as it neared her body—
BANG!
A fist smashed into Ray's face, sending him flying to the ground.
"Hey, asshole," a voice began.
Then the person continued, "Forgiven? You can't be forgiven at all."
"You want to know what you are, don't you?" the furious voice asked.
"You're a dead man," Aren declared firmly.