Chapter: 277
The battlefield is a chaotic place.
The horror of life-threatening battles and the torrents of noise created by the mixture of allies and enemies are enough to steal one’s soul.
And in such a situation, holding onto one’s sanity was by no means an easy task.
“Retreat! Retreat!!”
“Fall back to the line of defense! We need to retreat to where the spell is cast and block the demonic beasts!”
The group of heroes fighting the demonic beasts at the formed line of defense were those who had failed.
Enthralled by the atmosphere of the battlefield, they poured all their focus into fending off the demonic beasts rushing at them, not realizing in time that a withdrawal order had been issued.
“What are you doing…! I told you to retreat quickly!”
“Uh… huh? Guys, wake up! We’re told to retreat, hurry!”
“Ah…! Yes, sir!!”
By the time one of them realized that the command to retreat had been given, other heroes around them had already begun to withdraw from the line of defense.
Though they also started to stop fighting and retreat, such belated decisions usually led to unfortunate outcomes.
“Ah…!”
“Captain…! They fell over!”
“Damn it, quickly help them up!”
Just then, one of their party members, who had been frantically fleeing from a horde of demonic beasts now closing in from behind, stumbled and fell.
“Hey…! Are you okay?!”
“Ugh, I was already late, and now I fell like an idiot… At this rate, we’re all going to die!”
“Who told you to fall like an idiot?! Ugh, guys! Get ready for battle!”
Having been caught by the horde of demonic beasts chasing them, they sensed imminent death as they looked at the demonic horde closing in.
If they were surrounded by so many demonic beasts, no matter how elite they were, they wouldn’t be able to manage it.
But just then, the pursuing demonic beasts vanished from their sight.
“What, what’s this…? A fire?”
Suddenly, a wall of flames erupted, separating them from the horde of demonic beasts.
“Captain…! We don’t have time to be surprised! This is our chance to run away!”
“Oh, right…! Everyone, run for your lives! The next one to stumble won’t get any mercy!”
During the fleeting moment that the wall of flames provided, the team dashed desperately and managed to retreat to the place where the other heroes were.
Only after entering the barrier created by Sylvia did they let out a sigh of relief, recalling the wall of flames that had saved them.
And they saw it.
“…Captain, that.”
“…Right. It must be the person who saved us.”
Amidst the deep darkness that enveloped the other side of their barrier, a solitary flame shone brightly.
“Why, why is that person alone…?”
As everyone fled towards the light, one of the party members questioned the precarious flame walking into the darkness alone.
And in response to that question, someone from the party opened their mouth, gazing toward the flame in the darkness beyond the glowing barrier.
The very flame that had given up coming to the light to shine alone in the darkness was essentially the answer to that question.
She must have realized it.
“…She’s probably doing it to save others. Just as she saved us.”
To save everyone, the flame’s rightful place wasn’t here in the light, but in the darkness beyond.
“…What an extraordinary person. It’s only natural to be scared, yet…”
“Yeah, truly a courageous person.”
They all recognized that the one producing that flame was a witch.
But even knowing the danger, heading toward the place where she was most needed is what makes someone a hero.
At that moment, to them, that flame was no longer a witch but the hero of one person.
Thus saved, they earnestly wished in their hearts for their hero, the flame in the darkness.
That her flame wouldn’t be extinguished beneath the shadows.
*
“Everyone has retreated safely, right?”
Glancing to confirm that the heroes had successfully retreated behind the barrier, I withdrew the wall of flames I had conjured and turned my gaze forward.
What lay before me were only the demonic beasts that shoved against each other as they approached.
The reflection of the flames on their black bodies glistened, making them appear like a swarming mass of insects.
Vomit-like disgust surged within me, yet it made the fear of numbers lessen.
After all, wasn’t fire the weakness of insects?
“So, it’s incineration.”
Muttering to myself, I burst flames into the surroundings.
As the attention around me waned, the need to hold back my flames dissipated, and they spread wide, turning the area into a sea of fire.
In an instant, many demonic beasts and bugs in the vicinity ignited, but it was evident that the number of demonic beasts I had taken down was merely a fraction of the total.
This meant there were still countless others eyeing the city.
In order to stop that, I gathered my strength and stomped the ground with enough force to create a rumble, charging forward.
“Let’s see if I can be ignored!”
Wrapped in flames, I became a fiery war machine, moving straight toward the source of the witch’s energy.
It seemed the surrounding demonic beasts could no longer ignore my threatening advance, as they began gathering in front of me, blocking my path.
Yes, focus on me.
If your attention is on me, the burdens that Sylvia and the others have to bear will lessen, and thereby I can prevent these insects from ravaging the city.
Furthermore, isn’t there a chance I could finish this by taking down the source, the witch of lust?
Thinking that as I charged forward, the demonic beasts roared furiously, carelessly taking on my flames and blocking my path.
I shouted loudly, lighting them ablaze to grab their attention.
“Step aside!”
“Why, are you going to come to kill me?”
Suddenly, from the mouth of a demonic beast that was screaming while burning, a bizarre voice escaped.
After spewing those words, a replacement beast filled the space left by the ashes of the previous one, and soon its mouth opened to speak again.
“Hehe, did you really think you could break through this army and reach me alone?”
“Why! Do you think I can’t do it?!”
I shouted back at the voice of the witch of lust emanating from within a nearby demonic beast as I immediately incinerated it, and laughter erupted from the surrounding demonic beasts.
“Ahaha!!”
“This is fun, really.”
“It’s so cute how you’re desperately struggling without knowing your place.”
As I scorched the laughing demonic beasts, even more gathered, speaking up.
“Your name was Scarlet Evande, wasn’t it?”
“Do you really think you can defeat this many with just yourself, even if you’ve become a witch?”
“No, it’s absolutely impossible!”
In order to demonstrate that it was not impossible, I incinerated all the beasts that informed me, and this time far more gathered and spoke.
“Fire is indeed a useful ability against me.”
“But you’re merely one person. You’re not some monster of gluttony or sloth.”
“Then you’ll never win against me. See? You can’t lay a finger on me, even with this right in front of you!”
As those words ended, the innumerable flying bugs that had filled the sky parted.
Then, a girl with light pink hair sat atop a tower of stacked demonic beasts, glaring this way with a smile that seemed to dare me to try and prove her wrong.
Realizing from her presence that she was the witch of lust, I immediately unleashed flames toward where she sat.
But that strike didn’t hit the witch I aimed for; it instead struck the horde of bugs that quickly acted as a shield in front of her.
The flames shot through the bodies of the bugs, spreading in all directions. However, the bugs, burning with flames, detached from the swarm like lizards cutting off their tails, minimizing the damage to the group.
Such an effective defensive mechanism, where each entity acted collectively, managed to block my attack, and shortly after, the girl reappeared, speaking tauntingly.
“See? No matter how hard you try, you can’t defeat me alone, can you?”
“But if you’re still unwilling to give up, you can struggle all you want.”
“After all, soon you’ll become my puppets, along with the rest of the humans in the city.”
“Hahaha!”
Thus, the witch of lust, who had been mocking me, once again vanished into the swarm of bugs.
“Damn… that b*tch…”
Feeling anger boiling within me at her utterly dismissive attitude, I ramped up the flames and attempted to dash toward her direction.
Yet, the horde of demonic beasts continually blocked my way, and it wasn’t just them preventing my advance.
“Ahhh!! It hurts!!!”
“What… what is this… a person…?”
Amidst the flames I had unleashed upon the demonic beasts, the sound of a scream reached my ears, causing me to quickly turn my head.
I spotted the silhouette of a person engulfed in flames, screaming for help while burning within the horde of beasts.
“Help… help me…”
“Ah…”
Startled, I extinguished the flames that were consuming him, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
A person suddenly appearing amidst the swarm of demonic beasts.
Such a suspicious circumstance made me keep my guard up, but soon he whimpered in pain and continued to plead for help.
“Ugh, this predictable bait doesn’t work at all.”
With a smile towards me, he muttered that.
“…”
“Hehe, look at your face. You’re really weak against this kind of thing, aren’t you?”
The ashy figure smiling like that soon lowered his head and drew his last breath.
…So he was being controlled by the witch of lust after all.
Moreover, judging by the fact that he had managed to walk normally in this cursed atmosphere, he probably wasn’t an ordinary person.
But, knowing that…
“Damn…”
I felt a wave of nausea wash over me.
Burning a demonic beast was a completely different sensation from burning something that resembled a person.
On top of that, the witch of lust seemed aware of that as well.
“Sister! Sister! Am I going to burn too?”
“It hurts so much…!”
“I… I have a baby in my belly…”
The swarm of demonic beasts stepped in front of me, presenting a multitude of puppets.
They seemed to understand that this was the more effective method.
Moreover, some of them even deliberately took on the forms of children or pregnant women to trigger my guilt.
I felt a surge of rage towards the witch of lust, who was toying with human emotions, rising strongly within me.
“You motherf*er…”
Blood dripped from my split lips onto the ground.
I knew.
That this was all just a ruse created by the witch of lust.
These were nothing more than her pawns prepared to torment me.
And as I witnessed them approaching, I repeated to myself.
They are not people.
Regardless of appearance, they are no different from demonic beasts.
So I shouldn’t hesitate to burn them.
Thus, I shouted,
“Ahhh…! Sister…! Sister…! Please save me…!”
I burned the boy who had been crying for help amidst the horde of demonic beasts.
“I… it hurts…”
I burned the newborn baby who wailed in agony alongside the demonic horde.
“My baby… my precious baby…”
I burned the pregnant woman who clutched her belly tightly while amidst the demonic beasts.
“Damn it…”
It was an unavoidable act.
To protect the people, to safeguard the city, I had to incinerate as many demonic beasts as I could.
They were not people; to eliminate the demonic beasts, I had to burn them as well.
Thus, there was no need to feel guilty.
Since they weren’t human, I shouldn’t feel any guilt about it.
“Ahhh…!!!”
“Damn it…!!!”
As I snapped back to reality, I realized tears were streaming down.
The witch of lust was an enemy who knew all too well how to torment humans.
Every time I heard the screams of those resembling people burning within the waves of demonic beasts, I felt my sanity eroding rapidly.
Even though I knew I didn’t need to suffer like this, every time I heard those screams mixed with the flames I emitted, strength drained from my body.
And every time I looked at those resembling people caught in the mass of demonic beasts, the strength of my flames waned.
But still, I keep burning.
“Ugh…!!”
I burned.
“Ahhhhh…!!!”
And I burned again.
How long had I been incinerating those resembling people alongside the demonic beasts?
I lost track of how much time had passed, but I realized that I was becoming exhausted.
I realized that the time I had to fight like this was running out.
There wasn’t much time left.
So as I scanned the surroundings, thinking I must incinerate as many demonic beasts as I could,
“…Ah.”
I succumbed to despair.
Despite having fought for so long, hardly stopping to burn the seemingly infinite horde of demonic beasts.
Yet, the ones that remained were still countless.
“Ahaha…! Well, it was a bit more resistant than I expected, but it seems this is it! The humans in the city must have worn out too!”
Maybe she had sensed the weakening of my spirit, as I heard the witch of lust saying that tauntingly.
Turning my listless gaze toward the city, I saw the barrier conjured by Sylvia fading in brightness.
Ultimately, the demonic beasts’ onslaught had drained Sylvia.
Seeing her like that, I softly muttered “this can’t be… it can’t…” as I tried to stop the advancing horde toward the city, but I couldn’t handle them all on my own.
Would I have been able to manage it if I hadn’t expended my strength fighting the witch of gluttony?
I couldn’t say, but regretting wouldn’t give me the strength to defeat all the demonic beasts, so I had to helplessly watch as they swarmed toward the city.
In the end, I hadn’t kept the promise I made to Yoon Si-woo.
I promised to protect you, to protect everyone, yet I ultimately failed to do it alone.
For that, I prayed to the heavens.
Please, anyone, protect the people.
But that was akin to wishing for a miracle.
With a heart half resigned, I stared at the advancing demonic beasts heading toward the city.
At that moment, far away, the horizon began to glow as the sun rose.
The night ended with hope, while a dawn filled with nothing but despair arrived.
In the depths of my despair, just as I was lost in thought,
“Huh…?”
While gazing at the rising sun, I realized something was off.
The witch of lust had invaded from the west, which meant the sun should be rising from the opposite direction of the city.
So the sun shouldn’t be visible from here.
I confirmed again the direction from which the sun was rising.
It was certain.
If my eyes weren’t betraying me, that direction was not east but north.
And at the same time…
-■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!
A resounding cry echoed through the air.
What I had thought was the sun—a massive fireball—shot up high into the sky like a bright star, accompanied by that sound.
Hearing that cry, I thought—
It resembled the call of a rooster.
That burning mass that had made that sound soared in the sky, circling once before swiftly diving towards me.
On closer inspection, it was a colossal bird of flame.
The fiery bird landed silently behind me, disproportionate to its size.
-■■■■■■
It released low cries directed at me.
At the sound of its call, I turned my head to view the brightening horizon in a daze.
“Ah, haha…”
And before I knew it, I found myself relaxing and smiling.
It came to help.
Those words and the arrival it brought were—
-■■■■■■■■!!
-■■■■■!!!
It wasn’t the dawn that would drive away the night.
But a force of fire meant to dispel the darkness.
The morning didn’t come, but hope did.
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