Extra's Perfect Ending

Chapter 135: Caught 2

"Lady, can you stop them?" the mercenary asked, his voice tense as they were being chased by two heretics. Three more cult members blocked their path ahead, and the mercenary tightened his grip on his sword, ready to engage.

"Yes!" Theia answered confidently, but inwardly, she was unsure. Her training with Hilda had been basic at best, and she knew she didn’t have Hilda’s skill. Her knife skills were just enough to keep her alive.

The mercenary gave her a doubtful glance but decided to press on anyway. His sword cleaved through the first heretic, bringing him down with one swift strike. Without hesitation, he turned to the next cultist. He needed to finish quickly so he could assist the girl.

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the corridor as his sword collided with the cultist’s weapon. The force of the blow was unequal, and the cultist’s hand gave way, trembling from the impact. The mercenary smirked, quickly swatting the opponent’s sword aside, leaving him defenseless. One quick slash incapacitated the cultist, and he fell to the ground.

The mercenary couldn’t help but feel pity as he fought. These so-called "big bad cult members" had no real combat training. They were just ordinary people who had been brainwashed further into this madness.

The last cultist fell quickly, no more skilled than the others. With the fight over, the mercenary turned his attention to Theia, who had been facing her own battle. The eerie quiet that followed made him worry.

To his surprise, he saw Theia standing over her opponents, victorious. She had managed to defeat two cult members on her own. It was an impressive feat, considering her petite frame.

"I did it," Theia said, breathing heavily after finishing off the two cultists with her knife. Hilda had taught her that, as a woman, even with mystic power, biology could not be ignored.

Because of her smaller frame, there were natural physical limitations she had to overcome. To compensate, Hilda had trained her to focus on agility and dexterity. Theia had leveraged her smaller size to outmaneuver her opponents, quickly closing in from unexpected angles. She had won her first real fight. However, she hoped the cult members weren’t injured too badly — at least, not fatally.

"Good job," the mercenary said with a smile. "Let’s keep moving."

Seeing that Theia could hold her own, the mercenary quickened his pace. Time was running out, and the others would be in trouble soon. He wasn’t the type to worry about everyone, but if there was a chance to help, he would take it.

"Are you hurt?" he asked while they ran, noticing a small wound on Theia’s arm.

"No, I’m fine," she replied, though the cut stung a bit.

Theia answered while clutching the part of her arm where she was bleeding. She and the mercenary continued navigating the tunnels, fighting off heretics. With each battle, they earned new scars and fresh wounds. Despite their training, neither of them was perfect — he was still a mercenary, and she was still a runaway girl.

This time, they were up against five cult members, and things weren’t looking good. The mercenary was taking on most of the attackers, with Theia only able to handle one or two at a time. The cultists ganged up on him, which left Theia half-relieved and half-worried. Relieved she wasn’t being overwhelmed but worried that they would lose at this pace.

They were nearing the end of the tunnel, and Theia decided it was time to use her power.

Her voice echoed through the narrow hallway, reaching everyone. The cultists froze in place, their eyes wide in shock as they locked onto the gaze of a certain turtle.

The mercenary, too, was stunned. As the turtle’s presence filled the space, everything around them seemed to freeze, leaving a strange, immobile feeling in the air. For the first time, the mercenary witnessed the power of a mystic. He had only heard rumors of people with mystical abilities, but seeing it firsthand was awe-inspiring.

"Let’s go!" Theia shouted.

She couldn’t hold the spell for long, and they had to move quickly. The mercenary darted ahead, with Theia following close behind, tugging at his shirt to make sure she didn’t stumble into anything. She kept the turtle looking back, locking the cultists in place with her power.

After what felt like an eternity of running, they finally reached the exit. Theia’s heart raced, and her legs burned, but they had made it. Now they could signal the rest of the mercenary group to launch their assault.

"Wow, miss! Thank you! I didn’t think we’d make it out," the mercenary said, clearly relieved.

Theia was utterly exhausted from using her power but managed to give him important instructions. Otherwise, the guy would not live to see another day.

"Using my power drains me... I’m going to sleep. Whatever you do, don’t look into my eyes," she warned, her voice weak.

With that, Theia’s body gave out, and she collapsed. Just before she hit the ground, the mercenary caught her, his voice panicked as he shouted, thinking she had died. Despite her exhaustion, Theia smiled faintly before succumbing to sleep.

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Sometime later, Theia woke up from her slumber. It hadn’t been long, but she felt disoriented. Blinking her eyes into focus, she realized she wasn’t in the safe room they had planned to retreat to after escaping. Instead, she was lying in the middle of the street, her back pressed against a wall.

Her vision sharpened, and she noticed someone sitting nearby, a blonde-haired man who wasn’t the mercenary she had escaped with. Hearing a commotion, he turned slightly, revealing a group of about ten mercenaries encircling them.

Why?

Theia’s mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening. But before she could fully comprehend the situation, her gaze fell on a familiar figure — someone with purple hair and a recognizable stance. She could tell right away who this is.

It was her sister, Onia.

What the hell!?