Chapter 47: EXCALIBUR

The party of four walked toward the town, each step a drumbeat of tension as the air grew heavier with approaching bloodshed. Battle-ready, their gazes were sharp — a storm on the verge of breaking. "Aaron, if things go south, please don’t hold back your strength. I take a mana oath on our behalf that we will keep your true strength a secret until you’re willing to reveal it," Nathan said, his voice calm but resolute, echoing with the strange clarity that always made Aaron uneasy. Aaron threw a sideways glance at him, a spark of frustration flickering in his eyes. He couldn’t stand the young man anymore — not because he disliked him, but because of how naked he felt in his presence. Not physically, but spiritually, fundamentally. Nathan saw through him like a mirror polished by the gods themselves. "System, should he really be able to see through me that easily?" Aaron asked in his mind, his tone laced with irritation. > [Unfortunately, Host. His blessing is above your god rank phantom mask. Unless you upgrade phantom mask to sovereign rank, you won’t be able to hide anything from him. But rest assured. A mana oath made by the blessed is unbreakable. Unless he wants to invite an early death, your secret is safe.] "Very reassuring," Aaron muttered sarcastically. Still, he gave a reluctant nod. "Fine then. I agree." They stepped into the town. "This is an S-rank orc town. The strongest being here is the orc chief — an S-rank boss monster. The dungeon core is worn around his neck as a necklace. To clear this dungeon, we’ll need to defeat him," Nathan explained casually, like he was narrating a sightseeing trip. Before Aaron could respond, a shrill, guttural voice tore through the street. "Kikik! Intruders! Attack!" An orc guard had spotted them. The creature’s scream echoed like a siren across the town. "I got this. Ice Prison!" Alice snapped, her voice laced with elegance and power. A cage of jagged frost erupted around the orc, freezing the creature mid-breath. His scream was choked off. "Ice Burial." The prison contracted violently, compressing until it resembled a coffin — half the orc’s original size. Bones crunched. Silence followed. "This is the cue for us to attack, right?" Aaron asked, eyes on Nathan. "Yes. I’ll be fine," Nathan replied with a nod. "Not you. Your friend. Can he protect himself?" "You don’t need to worry about me," Ryder said with a smug grin. "I have one of the best defenses out there." "Then you both stay behind. Alice and I will deal with the orcs," Aaron said as he strode forward — calm, fearless, itching to unleash what he’d held back for too long. Finally, a real test. "System. Draw." he whispered, ensuring Nathan was out of range. He trusted the system’s assurances — barely. But with Nathan? Better paranoid than exposed. > [Congratulations! You have drawn the sovereign rank item — Excalibur!] Aaron’s heart skipped. Finally — an active item he could wield in combat. --- Excalibur One of the racial artifacts of the human race, long lost in the folds of time. Once wielded by Arthur Pendragon — noble, valiant, protector of humankind. Lost after his death. Until now. Indestructible – Cannot be broken, dulled, or defiled. Always sharp. Always deadly. Holy Aura – Blessed by dragon’s breath. Deals massive damage to unholy beings. Burns those of unholy nature upon contact. Archive of Knowledge – Grants the wielder access to the combat memory and insight of past wielders. Royal Candidate – Wielder of Excalibur qualifies to contend for the title of King of Humanity. --- Aaron stared at the description, jaw tight. Holy aura? Seriously? "That’s like handing me a fish and telling me I’m allergic to it," he growled internally. > [Host need not worry. Excalibur will never harm you. No system reward can damage its host.] Still, Aaron sighed. He didn’t fully trust the system — but he trusted its track record. It hadn’t failed him yet. But using Excalibur now? Nah. Not with Alice nearby. And especially not with Nathan, that walking, talking spoiler alert. Sure, the brat had sworn an oath to protect his secret. But trust? Real trust? That didn’t come cheap. Aaron had seen too many stories where the MC got betrayed by their own party in the end. He wouldn’t be that fool. Not him. "Humans! Intruders! Kill them!" A chorus of thunderous footsteps followed. Orcs poured in from alleys and side streets — hulking, green-skinned monsters wielding cleavers and crude axes, eyes wild with rage. "You’ll keep my strength a secret, right?" Aaron asked, glancing at Alice. "I swear a mana oath. I will, until you choose to expose it yourself," she replied, sincerity in her tone — but curiosity burning behind her eyes. Got her, Aaron thought, suppressing a grin. Acting vulnerable always worked. People let their guard down when they thought you were hiding pain instead of power. He raised a hand. "Blood Rain." The words were spoken softly. Too softly to match what followed. Blood — his and the orcs’ — surged upward like a crimson tide, floating skyward, twisting into a roiling blood-red cloud that hovered above the battlefield. Dozens of orcs staggered, their veins collapsing as their blood left their bodies. They fell in heaps — hollowed husks with terror frozen on their faces. "You’ll want to stay close to me to avoid getting hit. Not like it could hit you either way," Aaron told Alice, who instinctively stepped closer, her wariness growing with every passing second. His eyes glowed crimson. Then the sky bled. The blood cloud ruptured, showering the town with a torrential downpour of blood. The rain didn’t just soak — it killed. The B-ranked orcs were obliterated on contact, reduced to mangled, steaming flesh. Even the A-ranked monsters screamed in agony, their bodies seared and torn by the cursed rain. Alice stood stunned, trying not to show it — but the shock was clear. The range? Expected. She could manage wide-scale magic too. But the lethality? That was something else. One attack — just one — and half the battlefield was already cleared. "Let’s get going, shall we?" Aaron said, nonchalant, strolling toward the town center like he was out for a walk. Above them, the blood cloud grew thicker — fed by the blood of the fallen. Every few seconds, it descended again, continuing the cycle. Kill. Absorb. Rain. Kill again. A self-feeding storm — Aaron’s storm — and it showed no sign of slowing.