The young man's concealed footsteps could barely be heard, yet the old priest was aware of his presence since he had stepped foot in the cave.

  Although, to be precise, he was only aware of his first, then second alarm miracles ‘popping’ – and in a strange manner, too, much different from how a human should have triggered them.

  For a moment, fear began rising in his heart, yet, as he saw the intruder’s appearance - through the eyes of his undead minion, a feat he could never dream of before - that fear quickly subsided.

  “What have you done to Amelia?”

  The tall black-haired young man tried to maintain a calm facade, yet his true feelings shone through, as his green eyes, wide open and unblinking, were locked onto him with a hateful gaze.

  “To think, of all people, it would be you who interrupts my holy rites. Truly, the gods have a fine sense of irony.”

  His voice no longer sounded frail, possessing instead a deep, almost captivating tone.

  “You!.. She... Why?”

  “I just wanted to live.”

  “What?”

  The young man was taken aback by the response.

  Of course, the way he was scanning his surroundings, likely calculating potential plans of attack, did not escape the priest's notice. However, he didn't mind gaining some time for himself, as well.

  “I am old. Very old. My natural lifespan, even as a Path-holder, would end soon.”

  “...and you decided to do what? Sacrifice an innocent young woman! Who.. trusted you!..”

  “You couldn't understand. You are still young…”

  The priest sighed, his mind trailing off into the distant past.

  “I have lived for a long time. And during that time, I committed… sins. Many sins, some more grave than others.”

  A complex emotion flickered through the priest's eyes, if only for a moment.

  “I really hoped I could repent, you know. When I joined the Sun Temple, I was still foolish enough to believe the Shining Lady would help me wash away the darkness in my soul – darkness of my own creation.”

  The old priest didn't have to buy any more time – his Miracle was complete, ready to be cast at any moment. However, he continued speaking.

  Perhaps he simply wanted someone to hear the story of his past, a story no living person knew anymore. Or perhaps, like a snake shedding its skin, he wanted the story of his old life to remain here, in this cave, together with this young man.

  “Lord Xerius helped me see through my delusions… The Lady never truly forgave me. After granting me my new Path, no matter my devotion or deeds, no matter how much time passed, I would remain stuck in the same place. That was a sign – my sins were too heavy to redeem, even for someone like her.”

  The priest could see the youth move a step or two closer, but he didn't mind. In fact, even if the young man wouldn't die to his first miracle, stepping closer to the bones, which were scattered on the ground between them, held no advantage.

  “I don't care about your cult. If you let her go now, you can leave this cave. Just-”

  “Keltion. That was my old name.”

  “Why do you think I give a damn?”

  “You shouldn't.”

  The Death Priest couldn’t help but release a self deprecating chuckle.

  “In truth, this name is no longer mine. It's truly ironic, though. After I took my holy oath, I could not utter this name – not without facing divine punishment. And now, as that oath no longer holds power over me, the name holds no value, either.”

  Keltion, or at least the man once known as Keltion, let out a melancholic sigh.

  “If you lay a finger on her-!”

  “Oh. It seems you have misunderstood.”

  The fully converted and freshly strengthened level 3 Death Priest smiled in mild amusement, his eyes shining with malevolence.

  “You thought that interrupting this ceremony would prevent her death?”

  The corner of his lips curved farther.

  “It’s true I still need her. However, I no longer need her alive – not since after the very start of this rite.”

  The edges of his eyes curved upwards as they looked deep into mine.

  “Her heart stopped beating long ago.”

  The priest watched the young man freeze, the corners of his lips trembling, and his faltering expression sinking for a few seconds.. before settling back to its calm facade.

  However, the cold green eyes, now burning with endless hatred, which would soon turn into either despair or impotent rage; the look in those eyes made his imminent ascension that much more satisfying.

  And now, the time for words was finally over.

  ***

  “Her heart stopped beating long ago.”

  At his words, time grinded to a halt.

  Suddenly, the few short weeks in which I knew Amelia flew threw my head.

  Our first meeting, back when I was desperate and terrified in that mine;

  Our journey back to town;

  The time she made me breakfast, terrible as it was, and our first calm conversation;

  Our many conversations since-

  Then, many small things combined in my head – from the tone of her voice, to the subtle way she played with her hair when she was nervous or flustered, to the way she sometimes trailed off or left things unsaid during our conversations…

  ‘She even asked me to take her out to her favorite shop when she returned to the city..’

  Could it have become something more than friendship? Or had that process already started, without me even noticing?

  ‘But..’

  None of this mattered anymore.

  Just like Tim, Amelia was now just another person from my past.

  Everything that could have been, every possibility which might or might not have happened – all of that was meaningless now.

  If Amelia truly felt anything towards me, those feelings would now remain in this cave, forever unspoken.

  Because she was dead.

  No. She was killed. Murdered. Forcefully removed from this world.

  And the one responsible!..

  Time sped up once more, if only to some extent.

  I slowly raised my eyes, as everything around me became meaningless.

  Everything beside the weight of the sword in my hands; The few piles of bones, those which just so happened to be scattered near the pristine weapons laying on the floor; The two skeletons, silently standing in the back;

  And finally – the robed priest, his figure as scrawny as it was before his transformation, his neck just as thin as it was when I first saw him. And… a faint shimmering glow at the tips of his right hand's fingers?

  “Arise!”

  Just as I sprinted forward, two piles of bones swiftly formed into new skeletons, sword and shield in their hands. At the same time, both old skeletons stepped forward, taking defensive positions in front of the priest.

  The two new skeletons charged at me. I simply charged at the one closer to me, raising my sword.

  CRACK

  A single downward swing split the wooden shield - then, the skeleton’s torso.

  The skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones, not unlike the shard in the basement earlier.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  The priest, who I had kept an eye on all this time, couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.

  Was he expecting the skeleton to reform after suffering minor damage from a regular, non-magic weapon? Like a ‘naturally occurring’ skeleton, the type described in the local monster guide, would?

  ‘Well, eat shit.’

  Between the magical and magic-piercing properties, even a shallow slice with this sword would be enough to sever whatever magic was moving those undead things, at least when they were this ‘fresh’.

  And the sword clearly did not discriminate between regular and divine magic.

  However, I kept in mind this was but a small stepping stone - my goal was still far away.

  The second skeleton was already swinging its sword at me – even if the priest could force it to retreat, he probably realized it was too late by now.

  CLANG!

  CRACK!

  Metal met metal, but my sword effortlessly shattered one of the lowest dregs from Goromir's smithy, putting an end to the second skeleton a moment later.

  “Arise!”

  By now, the priest had prepared his second spell. This time, three skeletons formed - two holding sword and shield, one holding a greatsword.

  This time, they slowly encircled me-

  [Charge Thrust] !

  Once the skill reached level 3, I could feel the synergy between the movements improving – the movement range extending from around 5 meters to 6, on par with a regular [Charge], the [Thrust becoming more powerful, and the time it took to activate dropping by nearly half.

  The greatsword-wielding skeleton collapsed without making a single swing.

  However, I was now between two skeletons, each one nearly within their sword's reach, and both of them adjusting course without a moment of hesitation - just like enemy NPCs with AI-levels of reaction speed.

  I began tensing my arms, about to swing my sword at the skeleton to my right while dodging the swing to my left-

  At that moment, I noticed a slightly different, light-teal glimmer at the tip of the priest's fingers. Moreover, his hand began rising - in a few moments, his fingers would be pointed directly at me.

  I abandoned my attack, instead raising the sword vertically in front of me, and tensing my legs.

  Just as both skeletons swung their swords at me, a ray of what looked like shimmering fog, with tiny icicles forming at its sides, shot straight at me.

  However, half a heartbeat before that, I had already used [Charge], my figure bolting towards the right skeleton.

  The skeleton’s sword adjusted its course, showing its complete disregard of concepts like reaction time, but this was expected.

  The sword would at most graze me at my current speed, but still, I moved my sword to both block the sword and cut through the skeleton in a single motion.

  While I still couldn't properly use [Arc Slash] mid-charge - although I was getting closer to success on that front - using regular, slower and weaker swings was a different matter entirely.

  Behind me, I could feel the flow of chill air hitting my neck. Given the ray's speed, it probably missed me by a meter or two – which was a fraction of a second, given the fact I was mid-charge.

  I was now about 5 meters away from the last of the three skeletons, and about 12 meters away from the priest, and the two skeletons guarding it.

  For a moment, I considered charging head on, but I instantly discarded that idea. If he had a spell which could force me back, I would be caught between the three skeletons.

  Resolved to eliminate the nearby threat, I leapt to meet the skeleton, my sword brought backwards before I swung forward with great force.

  Throughout those few seconds, the priest was already preparing another miracle, but it looked like it wouldn't catch me mid-swing.

  Indeed, as the skeleton collapsed to the ground, the priest had just begun raising his hand.

  I prepared to dodge again, only that this time, the shimmering felt different yet again.

  I raised my sword in front of me, in a makeshift defensive stance emulating that of the hobgoblin I met. While I couldn't figure out neither the proper footwork nor offensive strikes to properly fight in this style, the baseline stance was pretty good for deflection and swift defensive strikes.

  This time, what came out of the priest's hand was another hand.

  It looked slightly similar to the [Mage Hand] I occasionally saw Jane use, but it was twice as big, and the frosty fog behind it, as well as the familiar icicles, made it clear this spell - or rather, Miracle - was not a utility one.

  This spell was much slower than the ray, covering around 4 meters per second. That was still pretty fast, but it would take 3 seconds to reach me.

  However, given its speed and my previous dodge, I was certain this was a homing spell.

  Looking at the priest, I could see his lips once again curve in a faint grin, and as I entered my stance – a glimmer of ridicule and pity reflected in his eyes.

  The hand was aiming straight at my chest. At its current speed, it was just as fast as a certain stone, thrown at me by a spear-wielding goblin many days ago.

  If back then deflecting it was something I managed to do purely by instinct, today it was easier than catching a basketball that was leisurely flying my way.

  Poof

  With a damp popping sound, the icy fog scattered into nothingness as it collided with my sword.

  This time, the priest couldn't even partially conceal his stunned expression – and, it was turn for my lips to curve ever-so-slightly upwards, as I looked into his confused eyes.

  “Rise!”

  However, his confusion did not interrupt the charging of his next miracle.

  Three skeletons rose up – however, only one of them had a weapon, while the other two were “naked”. It also seemed those were the last piles of bones which hadn't returned to that state thanks to my sword.

  “Running low on bones?”

  The priest did not answer, but his tense expression was the only answer I needed.

  Those three skeletons, and then the last two – that was all that stood between me and him.

  I could also see the droplets of sweat appear on his wrinkled face, which first appeared after the frost ray, and have now transformed into streams. All those miracles were definitely taking a heavy toll on the priest.

  I rushed towards the skeletons, as they rushed towards me.

  At the same time, I saw the priest turn towards the altar.

  CLANG!

  The first, unarmed skeleton collapsed onto the ground as a pile of bones, his sword flying through the air.

  Splash!

  The priest flipped the bowl onto the altar, washing it in blood.

  CRACK!

  The second skeleton’s shield broke – moments later, it, too, collapsed.

  “..ius, g…nt m.. ..r.. ength!”

  The priest's faint whispers ended on a high note, as the altar began to shine in deathly green light.

  CRACK!

  The last of the skeletons collapsed l, as the priest’s eyes began to shine with light similar to the altar's. He had already turned towards me once more.

  [Charge] !!

  The world blurred as I desperately charged forward, hoping to interrupt the upcoming miracle.

  Straight out of the [Charge], I prepared to use a [Charge Thrust], resolved to tank the skeleton's swings in order to get to the priest as soon as possible.

  And then… the Miracle was cast.

  ***

  At first, the priest was sure this would end quickly – after all, skeletons were pretty resilient against non-magical swords, albeit less-so than against spears and other piercing weapons.

  Even if the young man had a way to avoid the skeletons and try to rush him down, between his two guardians and his own Miracles, such an attempt would only end in despair.

  However, against all odds, the youth had an enchanted sword?..

  Gritting his teeth, the priest tried to end it quickly with his fastest offensive Miracle, even if, as a tier 2 miracle, [Frost Ray] would take a heavy toll on him.

  However, his opponent possessed excellent perception, adequate reflexes, and a quick-to-activate movement technique. This was beginning to turn dangerous, and quickly.

  Thus, the Death Priest quickly decided to expand the energy to cast another tier 2 Miracle - [Hand Of Frost], a Miracle that dealt direct, unavoidable frost damage.

  Even if the young man managed to survive it, the damage, coupled with the immediate effects, would render him defenseless against the next miracle, especially if he used the last of his prepared skeletons to further distract him.

  The young man's futile attempt to block this Miracle with a sword only brought the priest some amusement.

  Unfortunately, the priest had an even bigger surprise in store for him.

  ‘Adamantium?! This Pathless adventurer has an adamantium sword?!..’

  The death priest lived a long life – much of it as a priest, and nearly as much as someone treading a much darker path. A path he once swore to never step on again.

  Either way, throughout his long life, he, of course, came to know the effects of adamantium. He also knew its price, and how absurd it was for a Pathless young man to have such a sword.

  “Running low on bones?”

  He had indeed used the last of his prepared skeletons. However, the sword was an even bigger problem.

  Even if he tried to cast another 2nd tier miracle, it would most likely be either dodged, or harmlessly dispersed. And he was very close to his limit as is.

  ‘This isn’t over… Actually, this crisis can become an opportunity.’

  He would much rather continue building up the power granted by his sacrificial offering, so that he could cast the last spell of this holy rite – one which would allow him to ascend to the next level.

  ‘However, if I kill him and take the sword, selling it would leave me with enough money to buy a thousand slaves, and still have some left over.’

  Oftentimes, a high enough quantity could overshadow quality. A thousand sacrifices, even those of feeble and impure slaves, would still be worth more than this one soul.

  I would take time, but it would be manageable.

  All he had to do was kill this young man.

  And it just so happened he had a perfect way – one which took advantage of an adamantium arm's biggest weakness. And the price he had to pay was the rest of this ritual.

  ‘You are in luck, young priestess. It seems your soul shall ascend to meet the Lady after all.’

  Using the last 3 skeletons to buy a few seconds, he swiftly spilled the blood from the bowl onto the altar.

  “Xerius, grant me your strength!”

  Even a faint whisper was enough to catch the attention of his god - especially with such an offering.

  He could feel the divine energy swelling in him, granting him the right to request one of a few specific miracles that would normally exceed his grasp.

  A little bit longer, and he would be able to use the 5th tier [Soul Siphon] to forcefully offer Amelia's soul to his Lord, which would certainly earn enough favor to receive another Path level.

  However, with this much power, he could still cast the 4th tier Miracle [Soul Sap] - a Miracle which could not steal, but would instead cause damage, and could even destroy a weak enough soul.

  To cast this Miracle the regular way, one would need 6 Path levels, at least as a Death Priest. The power disparity between a level 6 Path-bearer and a Pathless human was like heaven and earth.

  There was no way the youth would survive this, nor was there any way to avoid it or slice through it – only resist it, which was impossible at this level. The young man's fate was sealed.

  With a smile subconsciously creeping onto his face, the priest faced his opponent – that Pathless brat, who, thanks to his equipment, managed to deal with 3 more skeletons, and was now closing in on him.

  However, it was too late.

  Before the young man could get any closer…

  [Soul Sap] !!!