CHAPTER 231: THE BATTLE OF THE UNBROKEN OATH

"Looondon bridge is falling down~ falling down~ falling down~"

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"Looondon bridge is falling down, my fair lady~"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

Willow’s desperate, pained, soul-sucked screams were drowned out by Alex’s singing like an unstoppable tsunami.

Even with Lapiz’s Nature Magic boosting the two potions he had consumed, the young man was still in a world of pain. He was also truly exhausted, so he struggled to think of a song to sing as he felt his consciousness slip away.

However, he had made an Oath, so he chose a song that didn’t require much effort, so he wound up singing the nursery rhyme song, London Bridge.

"Buuuild it up with wood and clay~

Wood and clay~ wood and clay~

Buuuild it up with wood and clay~

My fair lady~"

"STOOOOP SINGIIIIIIIING!" Willow writhed like an earthworm sprinkled with salt as she tried to cover her ears to block out that damned song.

However, this was a Divine Skill.

How could she possibly nullify the effects of a skill the Tone Deaf God himself had personally bestowed upon his chosen one just by covering her ears?

The pitiful Demon Worshiper grew more and more desperate as she felt the injuries to her body and soul worsen with each passing second.

It was as if her limbs were being torn from her body. There was no end in sight.

She liked torturing people, but getting tortured was something that she didn’t want to experience.

Although her body wasn’t being cut, pierced, or punctured by torture tools, the suffering she was experiencing at the moment was second to none.

’I have to escape!’ Willow clenched her jaw as she decided to give up this fight, for she had no other way to survive.

She didn’t know why, but the young man’s singing also dealt even more damage to her already injured soul.

"I’ll remember youuuuuuuuuu! Aleeeeeeeeeex Stratoooooooooooooooooos!"

With a hateful scream, Willow finally relinquished her control over Vaan’s body.

But that was a mistake.

When Alex saw her leave Vaan’s body, he sang even louder, causing a flock of birds flying over the Mistral Weave Forest to fall to the ground, where they remained as they twitched and spasmed.

"Looondon bridge is falling down~ falling down~ falling down~"

"London bridge is falling down~, my FAIR LAAAAAAAAAAAAAADY~"

The moment Willow’s soul lost her vessel, the full power of Alex’s song manifested and assumed the form of a giant fly swatter.

It then swatted down as if trying to kill a pesky insect that had been buzzing around him for a long time.

"N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The fly swatter slammed on Willow’s soul like a ton of bricks, pinning her to the ground.

Of course, things didn’t end here. It would have been too merciful to Willow, had that been all.

The giant fly swatter had the power to exorcise souls, so the Demon Worshiper found herself being purified.

In her last moments, she saw someone precious to her reaching out their hand to hold her.

"It’s fine now."

The voice was soft, and the Elder of the Demon Worshipers felt herself being embraced in warmth.

"You no longer have to suffer and make others suffer."

An ethereal sigh of relief escaped Willow’s lips as her soul turned into particles of light and rose up to the heavens.

The corruption of her soul was purified, as if all the sins that she had committed in the past were forgiven.

Alex coughed a mouthful of blood and finally stopped singing.

He had finally reached his limit.

Just as his body was about to collapse on the ground face first, someone broke his fall and held him firmly.

"Thank you."

Those were the first two words that Alex heard as Vaan, who was also wounded, held him tightly.

"Thank you. Thank you very much for saving me."

The teenage boy sobbed, his body shaking as he held onto Alex.

Despite the pain he was feeling, Alex wrapped his left arm around Vaan’s body and used his right to lightly pat his head.

"You endured well," Alex said as he fought off the strong urge to close his eyes and sleep. "It’s normal to make mistakes. You’re not in the wrong. It just so happened that you accepted help from the wrong person."

Alex held back a groan as Vaan hugged him tighter.

But the young man still needed to say a few words so that Vaan’s broken heart could start healing.

"Vaan, it’s okay to take one small step at a time," Alex said softly as he continued to pat the teenage boy’s head. "Even if your feet tremble, even if you fall down again... the important thing is to get up and keep walking forward. Life is a journey, and your journey has just begun."

Vaan’s shoulders trembled, his tears soaking through Alex’s cracked Oathbound Armor.

"I thought it was the only way I could return the glory of my family," Vaan whispered. "I thought Willow would really help me. But all I did was bring ruin to many innocent lives."

"No," Alex interrupted, his voice weak but firm. "She brought the ruin. Not you. Do you understand?"

The winds in the forest stilled as if the Mistral Weave Forest itself was holding its breath to witness this moment.

"Willow is gone," Alex stated. "Her soul is purified and has now ascended into the heavens."

Vaan pulled back just enough to look at Alex’s face. "Then... Am I really free?"

Alex gave a slight nod. "You’re free, Vaan. And from now on, you get to choose who you want to be."

Vaan opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a broken cry.

He buried his face in Alex’s shoulder again, this time not from fear or guilt but from overwhelming relief.

His body rocked once more, as if all the shackles that had bound him all this time were finally shattered, setting him free.

Lavinia watched this from far away before glancing at Nessia, who was right beside her.

"Are you sure he’s a boy?" Lavinia asked. From her point of view, all she could see was a pretty lady. hugging Alex as if he was the Knight that had saved the Princess from the Demon Lord.

"What’s wrong?" Nessia replied in a teasing tone. "Feeling jealous?"

Lavinia didn’t reply and simply looked back at their club president, who had once again suffered because he wanted to save others.

’I need to get stronger.’ Lavinia clenched her fists as she looked at Alex’s from afar.

The young man’s armor was soaked in his own blood, but there he was, still trying to comfort Vaan despite his own pain.

Seeing him like this made Lavinia feel sad, especially after knowing what kind of person Alex was.

The young man was usually all smiles and goofing around.

But when it came to important matters, he would always be on the frontline, standing tall and proud.

He would not hesitate to shield others from the pain, despite knowing that the one who would get hurt was him.

The magical screens in Frieden Academy regained their sound after Alex had stopped singing.

The observing students were now able to hear the young man’s words, making some of them look at his pitiful form with admiration.

But the majority only had one thought in mind.

"Damn, this guy is a simp!"

"Trying to act cool in front of a pretty girl? PTUI!"

"Tsk! He’s very good at using pick-up lines. Saving the damsel in distress is the guaranteed way to make her fall for him!"

Many single guys cursed Alex internally. After all, the one crying and hugging him was a pretty lady!

None of them knew that Vaan was actually a guy since even his voice sounded feminine.

A good distance away, an actual young lady with sun-kissed skin and long blonde hair looked at Alex and Vaan. Her expression betrayed her internal struggle.

She was none other than Evangeline. From her vantage point, this was the perfect opportunity to eliminate Alex and Vaan.

The battle royale was still not over. The counter above the forest showed that fewer than fifteen students remained inside the forest.

Only ten survivors were needed for the competition to end, so eliminating two powerless students would dramatically improve her chances of being in the top ten.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

"Willow..." Evangeline muttered faintly. "You looked so happy in your last moments."

Her eyes glowed, but she forcefully stopped her emotions from running wild.

She gave Alex and Vaan one last glance before running in the opposite direction.

Evangeline had already seen Lapiz, Nessia, and Lavinia, but her instincts were telling her that she shouldn’t underestimate these ladies.

Because of that, she went to look for easier prey, so this event could finally end.

’I’m sure that person will be furious after he realizes that Willow is truly gone,’ Evangeline thought. ’But that’s not my problem anymore.’

And with that, she disappeared into the forest, planning to finish the hunt that had been momentarily stopped by the Demon Worshipers until they were eliminated by the members of Endless Horizon.

After they had been dealt with, the demon worshipers turned into beams of light, which flew directly to a special domain belonging to the Headmaster of the Academy.

He would personally interrogate these survivors and make sure to get as much information from them as possible.

Half an hour later, the Battle Royale finally ended. It would go down in the history of the academy as the Battle Of The Unbroken Oath.

————

End of Volume 2: The Second Oath