Sparrow looked at Kairos, bemused at the regret flitting across his eyes for trusting her. She knows he wanted to know why and the grin on her face grew wider. In truth, that Sparrow that Kairos and Relestia had met was but a persona she created. An alter ego that was made to get into the good books of her grandfather, King Hogard. As expected, the naïve and energetic Sparrow became the king’s favourite and helped get her out of trouble often. However, the true purpose behind her actions was far more sinister. Sparrow wanted to use her harmless persona to disconnect her from the horrible things she had been doing in secret.

Who would have expected that someone as sweet and adorable as her would be the black robes priestess of the Church of Unbound Fetters?

This church is one of many "black churches" that worship different Great Old Ones and Outer Gods, such as the Black Church of the Ram, Eidolon Church, Church of Eldritch, and Mother Church of Yog-Sothoth.

Magic crackled violently on Kairos’ hands as he gathered power to defeat the dwarf.

It was then when Sparrow looked up at Kairos with a pained expression on her face.

"Kairos, I... I can't believe what I've done. I've been under some sort of hypnotic spell. I had no idea that I was working for the Church of Unbound Fetters. I'm so sorry. Please, you have to believe me."

Kairos narrowed his eyes, studying Sparrow's face for any signs of deception. He had a hard time believing that she had been under a hypnotic spell, but he couldn't discount the possibility. After all, it will not be unexpected for cultists to use mind control and manipulation to achieve their goals.

"What happened, Sparrow? How did you get involved in all these?" Kairos asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

"I don't know, Kairos. It's all a blur. I remember meeting with some people who claimed to be part of a secret society, but I didn't know what they were talking about. They said they wanted to help me get closer to my grandfather, but then they started asking me to do things for them. I thought it was just harmless stuff, but then it escalated. I didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late," Sparrow explained, her voice trembling with emotion.

Kairos studied Sparrow's face carefully, searching for any signs of deception. But to his surprise, he couldn't detect any. Sparrow seemed genuinely upset and remorseful. He felt a pang of sympathy for her, but he couldn't forget the fact that she had betrayed him and harmed Von Von.

"I don't know what to believe, Sparrow. What you have done is unforgiveable," Kairos said, his voice cold and distant.

"I know, Kairos. And I'm so sorry. I'll do anything to make it up to you. Just tell me what I can do," Sparrow pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. Kairos paused, considering Sparrow's offer. He knew that he couldn't trust her completely, but with her help, he might be able to find the cultists and stop their ritual.

When Sparrow saw the consideration on his face, she laughed in her heart. She knows that she is not a match for Kairos who had defeated Exterminus and is known to be a master of swordsmanship, Magic, and Aura. But the guy is too trusting, and this is a fatal shortcoming.

“You know, I am curious, who is the real you. The one I knew before, or this monster without a heart.”

When Kairos was attacked, Aisa had been playing with the magic familiars back in the courtyard the group rented. The little dragon sensed the danger that Kairos was in and flew over at a speed undetectable by anyone. When she appeared, she already noticed Sparrow standing over a paralysed Kairos and could not do anything. Still, the Holy Dragon warned Kairos telepathically that the Sparrow who attacked him is completely filled with darkness, and not the same Sparrow that Aisa had seen before which hardly had a spark of evil in her.

This shocking difference caught Kairos off guard. He had heard from Aisa a few times before that the True Holy Dragon can detect evil in people and thought that it will become a good indicator for him to judge who to trust.

Aisa had used this ability on the girlie before, the daughter of the burly merchant whom they met on the way to Blacken Soot Mountain, and the ability had accurately warned Kairos not to trust that girl.

Sparrow, on the other hand, somehow managed to trick Aisa – something that Kairos never believed possible.

Considering that Aisa is a higher form of life and uses dragon magic, Kairos come down to two possibilities. That this is a different person, or that Sparrow had turned evil recently.

Given that the last time Kairos and Aisa saw Sparrow until now was merely a few hours, the likelihood of her turning dark so quickly and without a gradual process is implausible. Then, this Sparrow must not be the Sparrow he knew.

Kairos did not wait for Sparrow to answer, he turned his face towards the elf and suddenly asked, “Are you still watching, Von Von?”

With the healing magic enveloping the elf, even if Kairos is not actively controlling the mana, it should be able to keep her alive for a while. Of course, to save her it would be impossible.

Von Von blinked weakly. Her eyelids are heavy and just keeping them open is all she can do but she refused to close them. Kairos nodded at her.

“Before the end, I will give you justice.”

As he spoke, countless magical coils appeared surrounding them, like the fine hairs of a furry animal. Even without looking, the feeling of such immense magic drained the blood from Sparrow’s face and caused a smile to rapture on Von Von’s lips.

Despite being a Circle 1 magic, the Octopid Coil spell gave off the feeling of a Circle 7 magic. Spells are classified according to complexity, power, and level of control needed to activate it. Any mage of the same level should be able to use the spell. The Octopid Coil is a simple spell made to entangle or slow down goblins and horned rabbits, but after Kairos’ modifications, it is only strong enough to flip pages but in exchange the number of coils increased exponentially.

Although any Circle 1 mage can use this spell, the number of coils will not be as numerous as what Kairos is using now. Now, if it is only numbers, Sparrow and Von Von would not have been shocked. However, it is a different thing when each of the coil is held onto what looked like a small crystal ball of light and made there seem to be countless suns in the sky.

Even without the visual magnificence, just the amount of mana in the air is suffocating. A mage is measured by three things, the aptitude to use spells, the affinity with magic, and lastly, the amount of mana they can use. And despite only having slightly above average magical talents, Kairos has incredible affinity with healing spells and a tremendous amount of mana. After all, he is chosen to vanquish devils, and the only wielder of the Holy Element besides Aisa. As for his abnormally large mana pool, because of the dragon magic he learned from Aisa. Without enough mana, he would not be able to use any spells of draconic art. For other mages without the luck to find a dragon teacher, their mana pool will naturally increase as they wield powerful spells frequently. Although mana will not be absorbed by the body and cannot enhance a mage’s constitution, the body does store mana drawn from the surroundings and keep them in the mana core that acts like an engine and fuel tank for spells.

“Unison Magic, Bright Cannon” Kairos explained his magic, “Circle 1, Octopid Coil spell. Circle 1, Illuminating Light spell. Circle 1, Water Ball spell. What do you think will happen if I use the three spells together?”

Before Sparrow could answer, a number of rays shot at the same time striking precisely at her heel. The dwarf screamed as she felt her ligament burn off. The force was powerful enough that she was blasted away, spinning across the floor, skidding like a pebble across a pond. They only heard the sound of multiple thuds followed by a loud clash as the dwarf smashed into the back wall.

“Now you cannot run,” Kairos stated plainly.

There are two ways to use multiple spells, the one Kairos used is called Unison which is to cast several spells at the same time, the second way is called Fusion which mixed a few spells into one like the steam explosion which combines fire and ice spells.

Sparrow dragged herself out of the hole she made in the wall and wobbled to her foot – since only one was left. The dwarf smiled at Kairos, “You are more powerful than I thought. I never expect you to stand up after getting hit like that. I felt your neck cracked, or was I mistaken?”

Kairos did not answer. He did not want answers right now. Things like why Sparrow is working for the enemy, or why did she betray him, or even how she managed to hide her wickedness, all these questions meant nothing at this moment.

The lights floating around them glowed intensely, then several beams directed by the coils shot at Sparrow. This time the concentration of beams is aimed at her while preventing any escape. Kairos never had the habit to tarry when attacking his foes.

A powerful shield appeared surrounding the dwarf. The beams crackled with ferocity as they slammed hard into the materialised bubble accompanied by the hissing of air. A radiant smile appeared on Sparrow’s face as her heel recovers. In the matter of seconds, she appears unharmed.

“It had been interesting, Kai kai~,” Sparrow said, copying the manner which Relestia would speak to him. Then waving at him like an old friend, Sparrow turned to leave.

Kairos was surprised by the shield’s strength. His unison spell has the strength of a level of Circle 7, and because it is made of three Circle 1 spells that has a much lower mana requirement, it can be used repeatedly with enough continuance to compare to Circle 8 spells.

However, this is not his limit. Before the dwarf could actually leave, he altered the spell circle sightly. The beams on her forcefield refocused into one, brightening up immensely as it turned into a concentrated blast. A huge boom shook the room, as the empowered energy shaft drove Sparrow into the ground. This is the true form of his magic.

An explosion of dust and stone covered everything before settling like rain. Before them, Sparrow had been suppressed into a half-kneel position. Her forcefield bubble partially submerged into the ground but still resisting Kairos’ spell.

The one thing about the Bright Cannon spell is its ability to persist and can make his spell be considered a circle higher in a long battle.

At this time, several people walked out from the shadows looking at Kairos. At one glance, they are all at the level of Circle 9, Class 9, or Stage 9. By the look of it, there is one elven spellsinger, two gnomish brawlers, and two human aura knights.