The Sword Saint's Second Life As a Fox Girl

Merith tittered. The violet mist emanating from Erin was inching closer to her, but she showed no sign of urgency or distress. “I do not know what this mist does, but don’t presume that I will just let it be.” She thrust Katya forward, who was in her grasp and raised off the ground. “Don’t do anything stupid, now. I will not hesitate to crush her head, and trust me when I say it will be extremely easy for me to do so.”

“I believe your words,” said Erin. “But I don’t believe you can.”

Merith grinned. “The moment the mist touches me, I will crush her head. Now, will you withdraw the mist?”

“No,” Erin answered. “If you kill her, you will have no leverage against me. Instead, you will only garner my fury.”

Merith chuckled. “Oh, dear. I’m being underestimated here. Perhaps a taste of my resolution is in order.” She brought her other hand close to Katya’s shoulder. “She wouldn’t be needing her arms or legs. So, let’s get rid of them one by one, shall we?”

“Stupid bitch,” Erin sneered.

Merith laughed and grabbed tightly onto Katya’s shoulder. But before she could pour any strength into her grip, the sound of an explosion erupted in the air, followed by a sharp noise that streaked through the air. Flesh ruptured, blood splattered. An arm flew into the air, Merith’s arm. “Oh, my. How careless of me.” The person in question muttered faintly in response to seeing and experiencing her arm being shot off.

Katya dropped to the ground. She winced. It was not a long drop, but given her frail condition, the slightest bump was enough to inconvenience her.

Erin dashed forward. She reached Katya in seconds, bringing the mist with her.

The mist swallowed Merith, who was staggering from the loss of blood and an arm. Still, she was not screaming or crying in pain. Instead, her gaze only hardened as she stared at Erin with fierce and wrathful intent. “You will pay dearly for this.”

Erin contemplated finishing off Merith in the very moment, but Katya’s well-being came first. She scooped Katya into her arms and leapt to safety. “What are you doing? Shoot her again,” Erin whispered.

“It won’t work when she has her guard up.” Aedan cocked the hammer of his gun and pulled the trigger. A shot rang out, and the bullet sped towards Merith.

However, the bullet slowed down just as it got within two feet of Merith. She giggled and flicked the bullet away like a fly.

“See? I was about to shout after you, but thankfully, you had the sense to pull back instead of attacking.”

“Katya was there. I couldn’t risk it.”

“If only you were always this prudent.”

“Shut up,” Erin tutted. “How are you, Katya? Is your head fine?”

“I-I’m alright… I wasn’t hurt… much.”

“What are you three whispering there for?” Merith asked. She didn’t shout, but her voice was loud enough to be carried over the distance. “Are you stalling? Should I be the one to approach?”

“I would appreciate it if you just stand there and don’t move at all,” Erin retorted.

“Ah, how cute and funny of you. We could have been such good friends, but fate has other plans. It’s a shame.”

“I don’t ever want to be friends with a murderous maniac like you.”

“A maniac? Me?” Merith scoffed.

Erin pointed at her own arm as she met Merith’s gaze.

Merith glanced down at her right arm, or what was left of it. It was still bleeding. She gave her bleeding stump a gentle tap, and the bleeding ceased, though the wound was still open and throbbing.

“You truly are insane.”

“Isn’t that a bit hypocritical of you to say?”

“What’s so hypocritical about that?”

“Do you know why I’m doing this?”

“Why? Did you forget already?”

Merith chuckled. “You really are too witty for your own good. I know what you are, Erynthea. Every one of us does. Your kind is dangerous. There’s no limit to your growth. You are unbound by the limitations of this world. An aberration as much as you are an abomination. Wars have been started because of the lust and greed of your kind.”

Erin raised an eyebrow. She glanced at Aedan, who only gave a shrug in response.

“That look in your eyes… You don’t believe my words.”

“And how do you know of this?”

“It is told to me by mentor, and their mentor, and their mentor. It’s practically essential knowledge that has been passed down for generations.”

“And you never once question it?”

“I have, and I found no disparity. I have done my own… studying. Even if it was exaggerated, the core of the truth remains the same. Offworlders are dangerous.”

“Dangerous, huh…” Erin mused. “Dangerous to who, exactly? To the world or to you and your gods?”

Merith’s smile vanished. Then, she sighed. “Words are pointless, after all.”

Erin chuckled. “Seems like I struck a nerve. I’m not dangerous to the world, am I? I’m simply a threat to the gods and those ancient relics because I couldn’t be comprehended or controlled, isn’t it?”

“We have sparred with words enough. Time for the real deed,” Merith said and waved her hand.

A wave of unease washed over Erin. Her world began to whirl and spin.

“Be careful! She’s messing with our sense of time!” Aedan shouted.

“I know— shit!” She couldn’t see it, but she could feel it. She raised her sword in a hurry, but she was a second too slow. The punch connected with her face, and she staggered. Her vision was blurred from the punch, but she saw Merith standing right in front of her. Her instinct flared up again, and she took a step back. It was not enough. Her belly was struck. She was taken off her feet and she flew in an arc before dropping back to the ground.

Aedan raised his gun, but before he could pull the trigger, Merith had disappeared from his blurry sight. Then, he felt something grab his arm. It was a pair of hands. He was tugged and thrown across the ground. It was not a simple throw. He was practically hurled with great strength. Cracks were formed in his wake.

Erin quickly got back up and charged at Merith, though she had to bite down the pain.

“Oh? Still moving. Interesting. You’re in your fifties, and I’m in my upper sixties. My strength should have crippled you. Was the intelligence wrong or expired?”

“I’ll leave that to your own study!” Erin shouted and swung her sword, unleashing her Aura at the same time.

Merith splayed her hand forward as the mist approached her at great speed. The moment the mist touched her, it all dispersed into nothing. Merith sniggered. “I am not someone you can defeat with just strength and speed.”

“I know,” said Erin. “But that wasn’t my intention. As you said way earlier, I was just stalling.”

“Oh? Waiting for your friends who are all back in the city?”

Erin smirked. “Perhaps.”

“What are you talking about—” Suddenly, a dreadful and oppressive feeling swept through the area. Merith’s knees immediately turned weak. She choked on her own breath. Her world tilted. She was close to losing her balance, but she retained her bearings with the use of her Divine Gift, Chrono Shift, the ability to manipulate one’s perception of time, her own or others. She prolonged her perception of her disconcertment, giving her ample time to find her footing. She could not afford a single mistake. Anyone was prone to a momentary lapse of judgment. As much as Merith hated to admit it, the Fox-kin was a formidable opponent, one that she couldn’t allow to grow and blossom. Be that as it might, the Fox-kin would have to wait. There was a much more treacherous enemy at the moment. “A demon… here? Is this your doing, fox?”

“I wouldn’t completely deny my involvement, but I am not the primary cause of the demon’s emergence.”

“But you are the cause, are you not?”

“Why does it matter?”

“You are my mark, not the demon. I would prefer not to get myself caught in the clash.”

“Aren’t you warriors of faith supposed to hunt down and destroy demons?”

“There is no such creed.”

Erin clicked her tongue.

Just then, screams and cries erupted from the depths of the woods. The oppressive aura only grew heavier. There were sounds of flesh being torn apart and bones being shattered with great force.

Merith spared a brief glance towards the direction of the noises of anguish and distress. It was only for a second or two, but that was a mistake. She heard a familiar click. She turned back to her opponent just as a shot rang out. She cast Chrono Shift on herself at the same time. The cylindrical-shaped projectile slowed down considerably in her eyes. It had already flown halfway from the barrel where it was sent out. A peculiar weapon, she made a mental note of. She had seen weapons that resembled the one the boy used, but none had looked half as refined as the one in the boy’s hands, and none was even a quarter of its destructiveness. She had to look further into this matter after she was finished with her main purpose. For now, she had to avoid the projectile and quickly make herself scarce before the demon appeared. Though the bullet slowed down, it was only in her perception. The bullet was still travelling at its normal speed, the same went for her own body. Chrono Shift was a mental-based spell. It did not mean that she was moving faster. She could not tamper with time directly; no one but the gods could. The bullet was only halfway. There was ample time for her body to move. However, in the corner of her sight, she saw the Fox-kin rushing straight at her. The Fox-kin was quick. Merith undid the spell. Her perception of time returned to normal.

Merith dodged the bullet. She raised her hand and caught the blade that was aiming for her neck with her bare hand.

Erin widened her eyes. “This is annoying. You move no faster than the average person, but somehow, you always move just enough and just in time.”

“It is the grace of Chronos, dear Erynthea. Surrender and I’ll give you a quick death, even though you have taken one of my arms.”

“It’s not me you should be worrying about,” Erin said and leapt. She drove both of her heels into Merith’s bosom.

It was difficult for Merith to dodge. She was holding tightly onto Erin’s blade. She released her hold on the sword, but the heels had already struck her chest. There was barely enough strength behind the attack, but it was enough to make her stumble.

Erin gripped her sword tightly. Instead of rushing at Merith, she withdrew a few steps.

“Have you finally learned?”

“I have stalled long enough.”

Merith smiled. “You can’t fool me. The demon may be approaching this way, but it’s still nowhere close.”

“Well, this is surprising. I didn’t expect you to be a naive fool.”

“Your provocations are—” Merith choked on her words. Something struck her from behind. No, it would be more apt to say that something pierced through her from behind. She looked down and saw a hole through her chest. She didn’t know what had pierced her, but she could sense the faint traces of dark magic emanating from her wound. She tried turning her head to see her assailant, but her body failed her. Strength seeped away from her and she collapsed to the ground.

“What an idiot,” Erin scoffed. Though the Apostle of Chronos had collapsed, Erin couldn’t let her guard down just yet. If she did, she would suffer the same fate as her. “Aedan, can you stand?”

Aedan groaned as he tried to move. “Is it too late to tell you that I may have broken a few bones? That bitch sure can throw.”

“So, you weren’t just lying on the ground with frivolous intentions?”

“I’m hurt, Erin. I’m not that frivolous.”

“How fast will it take for you to heal?”

“Not fast enough.”

“Then, I suppose we will have to make a stand.”