Episode 13
In an instant, a gust of wind blew and sent the monster flying. Young girl Freesia thought this was just some wild scene. But no. The presence of a woman holding a sword radiating a deep light immediately overwhelmed the air in front of Freesia.
A torrent of bright red liquid and flailing white hair. Her teeth were gritted tight, and a fierce glint sparkled in her eyes.
“Lady Gonyu…?”
It was Freesia’s sister, who had recently become infatuated with this woman. With a beauty straight out of a fairy tale, she swung her massive sword and cleanly decapitated the monster.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Freesia.”
Alicia, who saved Freesia from peril, repeatedly offered her apologies. The horrific scene around her immediately entered her view. Bodies littered like rags. One was the recently deceased Edel, and the other two were their parents.
“I’m sorry for being late… I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”
Alicia’s apologies weren’t just for Freesia. She spoke to the countless villagers who had become corpses.
Alicia did not shed any tears. To cry after having allowed their deaths to happen seemed like mocking them. Instead, her eyes filled with determination. Flames ignited within her gaze.
The sound of dried grass crunching underfoot echoed from all directions. In this open area, the red monsters, having witnessed their comrade’s death, quickly converged.
Alicia raised her sword with even more intensity. There was no hesitation in her movements. This could be the last time. She might actually die. While the thought crossed her mind, it only spurred her to move even faster, shaking off the notion.
Swoosh⎯!
Alicia established her perimeter and sliced down the monsters that crossed the line one by one. With each swing, a head plopped off. The vibrating energy from Alicia’s sword resonated in the air.
One down, then another. The heads of monsters breaching her territory rolled to the ground.
At first glance, she seemed to be doing well, but upon closer inspection, Alicia’s consecutive moves were rough. More force was behind each action compared to her usual fluidity, pulling her in with each strike.
Even now.
“Ugh…!”
Having taken down one monster, she failed to connect her movements fluidly and got a tentacle from another monster lodged in her side.
Alicia grimaced in pain. With a slice, she severed the tentacle, then lunged to behead the enemy.
【Chomp.】【Crash!】【Gulp.】【Huh?】【Kreeeek⎯】
With each monster she killed, an increasingly irritating sound filled her ears. What once seemed like a dozen monsters now surrounded her in droves, numbering in the dozens.
Alicia didn’t halt her movements. She engaged every foe converging around Freesia. She wouldn’t take more than two moves against a single one. The speed at which these critters poured in was blinding. Any additional moves would splatter Freesia’s and her own blood all over the place.
Fast. If I consume more actions than this, Freesia’s and my own blood will soon splatter all over the world.
Crack. This time Alicia’s rib popped out. She took a monster’s headbutt. Still, her movements didn’t stop. She stomped on the fallen monster’s corpse and leaped forward.
Smash. Once again, one monster’s tentacle pierced each of Alicia’s legs. She immediately cut them off and charged ahead, but her speed and power began to wane. As time passed, the area Alicia protected shrank, and the monsters drew closer.
“Ugh…!”
That black fiend finally reached Freesia. Freesia was desperately trying to stifle a scream with both hands, holding back her terror as it tried to escape.
Alicia understood the meaning behind that act. She had experienced the same when she was young. The memory of holding her breath in the cramped warehouse while watching her sister’s last moments came flooding back.
Gathering mana at her toes, Alicia leapt into the air, propelling herself toward Freesia. There was no reasoning or consciousness involved in that action. Her body moved instinctively.
“…!”
However, Alicia’s desperation failed to reach Freesia.
Crunch. A monster precisely bit into Alicia as her body flew through the air. The creature’s massive teeth consumed her.
Crack. Bones shattered. An indescribable pain spread throughout her body. She wanted to scream, to express her agony.
Alicia gritted her teeth harder and stubbornly shoved her sword into the monster’s eye. Her stance and strength were lacking, but it pierced effortlessly. It was the only part she could stab without mana. Naturally, it would be easier with mana infused.
The monster howled and spat Alicia out, throwing her away. Thud. Covered in saliva and blood, she fell helplessly.
Her legs… no longer functioned. The only things that could move were her hands. Struggling to drag her body toward Freesia, she soon stopped even that.
The monster devoured something greedily, as if it were a delicious meal. Blood smeared at the corners of its mouth.
Crunch. The sound of fragile bones grinding between its teeth.
Alicia could no longer lift her head and bowed down.
At the moment when her muscles trembled and an unexplainable euphoria flooded her body as if her brain’s limits were released.
Alicia faced death once again.
*
“Oh dear… Thank you, lovely lady. You’ve made things much easier for me. Huh? Why is that?”
Alicia grabbed the village chief’s shoulder and prevented him from taking action. Through long repetition, she had learned that one action was more certain than a thousand words.
A force stronger than the shocks she had endured surged through her body. It began in her brain and tortured her nerves all over. Yet, Alicia was grateful to feel this pain. It wasn’t the last time. A chance had come again.
Calmly observing the situation, she noticed something. The unique mana energy that had swirled around her body had completely vanished. This death was distinctly different from the others.
Controlling her mana as if taking a deep breath, she steadied her body. Then she moved forward, approaching the door threshold. At last, she revealed that horrific creature.
【Krrr⎯?!】
She sliced it in one go.
“Wha-wha-what in the world…! Oh, lady… right now…!”
In response to the flustered village chief, Alicia maintained a calm demeanor. She firmly told him not to go outside.
The village chief couldn’t comprehend the current situation, but he had definitely witnessed the monster that suddenly appeared and her displayed skill. Nodding, he decided to follow her instructions.
Alicia emerged with the monster’s corpse. The ground trembled as monsters charged from afar like a cloud, but they did not invade the village. Fortunately, it seemed that this creature was the one leading the charge into the warehouse.
I stepped outside, holding my body steady. The ground shook as monsters rushed in like storm clouds, but they didn’t invade the village. Thankfully, it seemed that this guy bursting into the warehouse was at the very front.
With my sword surrounded by an aura, I chopped at the lifeless body. Blood sprayed everywhere, and unfamiliar organs and chunks of flesh flew off.
I knew they would react to the sight of their fallen comrade. One corpse would lure the others in. Then, I’d turn those baited creatures into corpses, bringing in even more.
After finishing my butchery, Alicia didn’t just sit and wait. Some were charging straight at her, while others were completely uninterested. Well, if that’s the case, let’s show them something even more intense.
I shifted my weight forward and shot out in a burst.
Boom!
Gliding forward, Alicia collided fiercely with the creatures. The muscles in my hand weren’t overexerted. My body burned hotter than ever, but my mind remained cool.
Crackle. My steps were different now. Light and nimble, like dancing at a ball, yet piercingly sharp. I maximized my central and peripheral vision to gather as much information as possible. My hearing assisted in the delicate maneuvers, helping Alicia.
Swish—!
The ripples expanded. Twenty slashing sounds, and twenty necks severed. Alicia’s speed of cutting down monsters kept increasing, as if she was rapidly adapting to her own moves, pushing past limits.
In the blink of an eye, having killed over twenty creatures, I was drawing significant attention. A large number of monsters charging toward the village began to gather around Alicia.
There was no order among the monsters. They didn’t care for their own lives. They charged recklessly at their opponents and attacked. That was their thought process.
Alicia slaughtered the ones that rushed at her like an army of ants. If there was a risk of being attacked, she’d widen her sword’s range and slice through two at once, using the momentum from dodging tentacles to sever another’s neck.
Then, she sometimes found herself completely surrounded, unable to move; bodies littered the ground, and the creatures were closing in. In such moments, she’d unleash her internal mana like an explosion, pushing them back or temporarily stalling their movements. Using that gap, she’d continue killing and shift her position.
Sure, the loss of mana was severe, but it couldn’t be helped. This was a different situation from training. Right now, Alicia was steadily drawing mana from the air.
【Kreeeeek—!】
The monsters screamed.
As I crushed my fear with rage, I realized one thing: each of them was less than nothing. With everything I learned, I could handle them easily.
But, the problem was their number. Where were all these creatures swarming from? It felt never-ending.
While I tried my best to attract attention, the incoming monsters just wouldn’t stop. More had already entered the village.
Screech! That sudden feeling. A sharp tentacle grazed my arm. I swiftly severed the creature that attacked, but then others dashed in.
Boom—!
Even though I had just exploded my mana, I had to use it again. As the situation grew increasingly urgent, I couldn’t wait for my mana to fully recover.
I slayed the monsters like a machine. Gradually, I relied more on instinct than consciousness, resulting in minor wounds multiplying. Alicia tried to awaken her awareness each time, but her stamina and mental strength were not boundless.
The sword I held felt heavier and heavier.
Monsters attacked without a moment’s pause. Four of them at once. Twisting in this position made slashing difficult. I had to release my mana…!
Once more, a blue light spread from Alicia’s body. The three monsters captured in her sight were pushed back, restricting their movements.
A blue light spreads. Three monsters captured in Alicia’s sight begin to move, their movements restricted.
Wait, three…?
Where’s the fourth one?
Boom. Alicia nearly lost consciousness. Something charged from behind her and struck with all its might. Suddenly launched into the air, Alicia grasped the thread of her consciousness trying to escape from her body, twisted, and swung her sword.
【Keeeeeeek!】
The creature’s neck was only half severed, letting out a sound that threatened to burst her eardrums. In an awkward position, she failed to deliver a killing blow. The uninjured creature thrashed its tail like a whip.
It struck Alicia.
“Khuh…!”
Alicia’s mouth opened wide as her abdomen was slammed, her lightweight body soaring quickly above the monsters. Their amber eyes gathered. Some were gaping wide, ready to swallow her up, while others leaped with their mouths agape.
They jumped high.
⎯I’m gonna die.
Alicia’s body began to be stained by that thought once again. It was just a fleeting moment, yet everything slowed down. Herself soaring and the monsters jumping felt like molasses.
She had died numerous times, but this sensation was new. Perhaps it was a time only felt when truly facing death. No, no, no. Let’s discard such weak thoughts.
“Ugh…”
Alicia moved her body. Time was flowing so slowly that she was nearly hovering in mid-air, yet she exerted pressure like it could burst.
Bit by bit, ever so slightly.
Her sword moved. It aimed at the advancing monster’s face. Slowly. But the monster’s approach was much faster.
If her sword advanced the length of a fingertip, the monster would be three cheeks closer. In this breathless moment, she fought with all her might to survive.
Then, something suddenly entered her sight.
It was white and round. A snowflake that felt cold and lightly melted upon contact.
It wasn’t just a sprinkle. A flurry far exceeding the number of monsters rained down from above. Looking closely, everywhere was covered in snow. Even the place she fought, even the distant stone walls. It enveloped the village.
When did it start snowing like this? She certainly didn’t see it while darting back and forth. Was she too out of it to notice?
Tap. A tiny snowflake fell into Alicia’s eye, blurring her vision and obstructing her view.
The monster is approaching. She has to block it. If she dies here, all the villagers… all of them…!
At that moment, perhaps because of the foreign object in her eye, something black appeared in Alicia’s vision. It emerged from an empty space, staring at her.
Sister… is that you…?
Her sister, Charlotte, who had appeared repeatedly amidst her deaths. She often vanished like a mirage and suddenly reappeared, so it could be her.
There wouldn’t be anyone else.
“Here you are, making that dumb face again. But, yeah… this time, I’ll let it go in celebration of your achievement. You pass, Alicia.”
In that instant, she almost choked on her breath.
The flow she thought was halted seeped into her lungs along with her delicate breathing.
That which reflected in her eyes became increasingly hazy, twisting into something unrecognizable. Yet, as its form distorted, Alicia became more assured.
“You did well. You’ve come this far. Exceeded my expectations.”
A voice dripped with arrogance, sounding like a man looking down on others.
Hearing that voice, Alicia forced her quivering lips to speak. The emotions intertwined within that word managed to escape.
“Vargan… Young Master…”
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