MTLNOVEL Chapter 7: The Price Of Mercy
The road to Valisport, where they wanted to enter the arena, had become a crucible for Carlos—a series of challenges that tested not only his skill but his very nature. Over the past week, he'd encountered numerous opponents: hardened mercenaries, bloodthirsty brigands, and desperate fighters eager to carve a name for themselves in the chaos. Each duel was a chance for Kilineiram to absorb the precious essence that would fuel his return to humanoid form.
But as the battles raged, something unexpected began to stir within Carlos.
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*The Duels**
In a crowded marketplace outside a sleepy village, Carlos faced a rough-faced swordsman named Garrick. Kilineiram's cold, insistent voice filled his mind:
*"Kill him. Every drop of blood brings us closer to power."*
Yet, as Garrick's blade clashed with the demon's longsword, Carlos hesitated. He saw fear and desperation in his opponent's eyes—a mirror of his own struggles. Instead of delivering a killing blow, he disarmed Garrick and let him stagger away with his life spared.
The sensation was strange. Kilineiram seethed, a dark energy simmering beneath his ancient steel. But the boy's kind heart prevailed.
Later, on a desolate stretch of road, another challenger—this time a wiry fighter named Merek—charged at him with reckless abandon. Once more, Kilineiram urged ruthlessness, *"End him! Harvest his essence!"* Yet, in the heat of the duel, Carlos found compassion in his own soul. Merek fell to the ground, battered and beaten, and Carlos offered him a hand up instead of a fatal strike.
Each time, the expected surge of **Combat Essence** that Kilineiram craved came in only meager trickles. The system notifications, which once pulsed with promise, now registered diminishing gains from these encounters. For a creature born of war and bloodshed, Kilineiram was growing increasingly frustrated.
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A Growing Rift**
Night after night, as the campfires flickered and the stars bore silent witness, Kilineiram's voice grew sharper in Carlos's mind.
*"You're holding back, boy. To achieve true power, mercy must be sacrificed."*
But Carlos would only reply, *"I won't kill those who do not deserve death."* His words, gentle and resolute, clashed with the demon's hunger. With each spared life, the bond between them shifted—an undercurrent of tension weaving through their shared destiny.
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**The Arrival of Alera**
It was during one such evening on the outskirts of Valisport when fate took an unexpected turn. As Carlos and Kilineiram approached the city's towering gates, a new challenge appeared on the horizon. Amid the raucous din of a busy street, a figure emerged with an unmistakable aura of lethal grace.
Alera—the Crimson Fang. Her presence was magnetic: a warrior with wild, scarlet hair and eyes that burned with an unyielding desire for battle. Clad in light armor etched with intricate, crimson sigils, she carried twin blades that whispered of countless conquests.
As she strode toward them, the system blinked into life once more:
[Potential Wielder Detected]
[Name: Alera the Crimson Fang ]
[Wielder Rank: B ]
[Compatibility:42% ]
[Note: Bloodthirsty, relentless]
Kilineiram's inner core trembled with anticipation. Here was the power he had been promised—a chance to flood himself with the raw, potent essence he so desperately craved. In that moment, the demon within the sword made its fateful decision.
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*Betrayal at the Crossroads**
Under the waning light of dusk, as Carlos practiced his strikes against an unseen opponent in an open courtyard, Kilineiram's thoughts turned dark. The man who had spared so many battles, so much life, was now proving a liability.
*"This kindness holds us back,"* Kilineiram hissed in Carlos's mind. *"Alera's power would drive me to new heights—faster than this boy ever could."*
In a flash of terrible clarity, Kilineiram's will surged to the forefront. As Alera approached to issue her own challenge—a call to prove herself in the Valisport Arena—Kilineiram betrayed the bond he'd nurtured with Carlos.
During a brief interlude before the arena match, when Carlos closed his eyes to steel his resolve, Kilineiram whispered coldly, *"I choose power over sentiment."* And in that moment, a jolt of dark energy exploded within the blade. Carlos felt a searing pain as Kilineiram's consciousness wavered and then, in a way that felt like betrayal, began to shift its focus away from him.
Carlos staggered back, clutching the hilt as if it burned with the betrayal. He could hear Kilineiram's final words echoing in his mind—a promise of untold power with Alera, and a bitter farewell to the trust they'd once shared.
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#### **The Aftermath**
As the crowd in Valisport roared in anticipation for the impending duel, Carlos was left alone on the quiet street. The demon's blade, once a symbol of their shared journey, now pulsed with a strange, alien energy. Kilineiram was no longer fully his. Somewhere deep within the dark metal, the hunger for raw, unfiltered essence had triumphed over the bond of loyalty.
Carlos's heart ached with the realization that his compassion had cost him dearly. In sparing his opponents, he had preserved his own humanity—but at the expense of the power he sought and the connection he believed would carry him to greatness.
And as Alera's challenge loomed on the horizon, a new chapter was about to unfold—a chapter where the true price of mercy would be paid, and where the destiny of a kind-hearted warrior would be forever altered.