Chapter: 277
The battlefield is a chaotic place.
The fear of risking one’s life in battle, mixed with the noise created by allies and enemies alike, is enough to suck the soul out of a person.
And holding onto sanity in such a situation is definitely not an easy task, like holding onto a slippery fish.
“Retreat! Retreat!!”
“Fall back to the defense line! We need to fall back to where the spell is cast and fend off the Demonic Beasts!”
The heroes, engaged in combat with the Demonic Beasts at the front, were a group of those who had failed.
In the heat of battle, they were so focused on keeping the beasts at bay that they failed to notice the retreat order had been given in time.
“What are you doing there…! Hurry up and retreat!”
“Uh… uh? Guys, snap out of it! We’re retreating, retreat! Move it!”
“Wha…! Yes, sir!!”
By the time one of them realized the order had been issued, the other heroes around them had already begun to pull back their defense line.
Though they belatedly stopped fighting and began to retreat, that late judgment would inevitably invite disaster.
“Ah…!”
“Captain…! They’ve fallen!”
“Damn it, get them up quickly!”
One of their group, who had been desperately fleeing from a horde of Demonic Beasts that had pursued them, tripped and fell.
“Hey…! Are you okay?!”
“Ugh, why the heck do I have to fall now when I was already late…! We’re all going to die at this rate…!”
“Who told you to be such an idiot and fall?! Damn it, guys! Get ready for battle!”
Cornered by the horde that caught up to them, they felt death creeping up as they saw the oncoming waves of beasts.
Even if they were elite fighters, there was no way they could handle being surrounded by that many beasts.
But just then, the chasing beasts disappeared from their sight.
“What, what is this…? Flames?”
Suddenly, a wall of flames surged up, separating them from the horde.
“Captain…! We don’t have time to be surprised! This is our chance to escape!”
“Uh, right…! Everyone, run for your lives! Whoever falls behind will be left behind!”
Taking advantage of the brief time provided by the wall of flames, they ran desperately and managed to retreat to where the other heroes were.
Only after entering the barrier created by Sylvia did they let out a sigh of relief and turned to look behind them at the wall of flames that had saved them.
And then they saw it.
“…Captain, look at that.”
“…Yeah. That must be the one who saved us.”
In the darkness enveloping the wall they were in, a single flame radiated light.
“Why is that one… all alone…”
As everyone fled towards the light, one of their group asked, staring at the precarious flame walking straight into the darkness.
In response, another member spoke while looking at the flame in the darkness beyond the glowing barrier.
That flame, abandoning the light to shine alone in the darkness, was almost an answer to the question.
She must have realized it.
“…She’s probably doing it to save others. Just like she saved us.”
To save everyone, the flame needed to be in the darkness rather than this place filled with light.
“…What a remarkable person. It would be natural to be scared.”
“Yeah, truly a courageous person.”
They all knew the one creating that flame was a witch.
But heading toward the place where she was most needed, even while knowing it was dangerous, was what made her a hero.
At that moment, to them, that flame was no longer a witch but a single hero.
The saved ones looked on at their hero, the flame in the darkness, and silently hoped.
That her flame wouldn’t extinguish in the darkness.
—
…Did everyone retreat safely?
Glancing sideways to confirm the heroes had retreated behind the barrier, I withdrew the wall of flames I had just summoned and turned my gaze forward.
What I saw was only the Demonic Beasts writhing with each other.
The way the flame reflected off their black bodies, glistening, made them look like a writhing mass of bugs.
I felt a surge of visceral disgust, yet ironically, that diminished my fear of their numbers.
Historically, bugs are weak against fire.
“Then, let’s incinerate them.”
Muttering that, I scattered flames around.
As the surroundings became devoid of anyone to worry about, the flames spread out widely, turning the area into a sea of fire.
In an instant, numerous Demonic Beasts and bugs caught fire, but it was clear that the number of slain beasts would barely amount to a fraction of the total.
Of course, it meant that many other beasts were still prowling, targeting the city.
To stop them, I gathered my strength and stomped the ground so hard it shook, charging forward.
“Let’s see if they can ignore me!”
With my body draped in flames, I charged straight toward the direction the witch’s presence was felt.
The nearby Demonic Beasts couldn’t just ignore a terrifying charge like mine; they began to converge and block my path.
“Yeah, focus on me.”
If they’re drawn to me, the burden on Sylvia and others will decrease, allowing the city to avoid being ravaged by these bugs.
Moreover, who knows?
Maybe I can end this situation by taking out the root cause, the Witch of Lust.
As I thought that while running, the beasts charged at me without a hint of concern for the flames, blocking my path.
I shouted loudly, setting them ablaze to draw their attention.
“Get out of the way!”
[What, are you coming to kill me?]
Suddenly, a strange voice emerged from the mouth of a burning beast crying out in agony.
And then, filling the space left by the beast that disintegrated into ashes, another voice emerged from the new beast that had just appeared.
[Heh, do you really think you can fight your way through this army to reach me?]
“Why! You think I can’t do it?!”
In response to the words of the Witch of Lust spoken through the beast, I snapped back and promptly incinerated that beast, causing laughter to erupt from the surrounding ones.
[Hahaha!!]
[This is entertaining, really.]
[It’s so cute seeing you struggle without knowing your place.]
As I burned away the laughing beasts, even more of them appeared and spoke.
[Your name is Scarlet Evande, right?]
[Do you seriously think you can defeat this number of troops alone, even if you’ve become a witch?]
[No, absolutely impossible!]
To demonstrate that it was not impossible, I incinerated all the beasts speaking, and yet even more appeared, opening their mouths.
[Flames are indeed useful against my powers.]
[But you’re only one person. You’re not one of those gluttonous or lazy beasts.]
[Then you can never win against me. See? You can’t even lay a finger on me!]
The moment that statement finished, the swarm of flying insects clouding the sky disappeared.
Then, in the distance, I saw a girl with light pink hair sitting atop a tower made of the beasts and looking back at me as if daring me to try.
Realizing from her presence that she was the Witch of Lust, I immediately blasted fire toward her.
But the strike hit not the witch I aimed for, but the swarm of insects that instantaneously shielded her.
The flames shot through the insects, jumping from one to another, but the burnt insects detached themselves from the group, reducing damage to the horde.
Thanks to their efficient defense system — acting collectively for the group’s benefit — my attack was blocked, and the girl reappeared with a voice mixed with mockery.
[Hehe, see? No matter how hard you try, you can’t defeat me alone.]
[Well, if you’re not going to give up, then go ahead and struggle to your heart’s content.]
[After all, soon, the humans in that city will be fated to become my puppets.]
[Hahaha!]
With that, the Witch of Lust, who had been gleefully mocking me, once again vanished into the swarm of insects.
“Damn that b*tch…”
Feeling furious at how she completely disregarded us, I unleashed my flames more violently and attempted to charge in her direction.
But the Demonic Beasts continued to endlessly block my path, and it wasn’t just them.
[AHHH!!! It hurts!!!]
[W-What… a person…?]
During my rampage against the beasts, I quickly turned at a scream that pierced through the chaos and found someone in the flames, crying out in agony along with the burning beasts.
“Help… please…”
“Ugh…”
I was taken aback and withdrew the flames consuming him, but I couldn’t shake the suspicion of how strange the situation was.
A person, suddenly amongst the horde of beasts.
It was too suspicious.
Before I could lower my guard, the person who had been groaning in pain turned to me and smiled.
“Hehe, these obvious tricks won’t work on me.”
“…”
“Ugh, look at your face. You’re totally weak against this kind of thing, aren’t you?”
That person, now a charred husk, suddenly dropped their head and took their last breath.
…It was indeed one of the puppets controlled by the Witch of Lust.
Moreover, it seemed they weren’t an ordinary person since they walked around freely even in this miasma.
But even knowing this…
“F*ck.”
I felt nauseous.
Burning Demonic Beasts and burning beings that looked like people felt entirely different.
And the Witch of Lust seemingly understood that, too.
“Sister! Sister! Can I burn them, too?”
“It’s painful… it hurts…”
“I-I have a baby in my belly…”
They swarmed in front of me, blocking the way with multiple puppets.
It was as if they knew this was a more efficient method.
Among them, some presented themselves as children or pregnant women, seemingly to provoke my guilt.
I felt my rage towards the Witch of Lust, who toyed with people’s feelings, surging to the top of my head.
“You bastard…”
Blood dripped from my busted lip onto the ground.
I knew.
I knew this was all just a ploy by the Witch of Lust.
These were merely instruments she’d prepared to torment me.
And as I watched them close in, I repeated to myself.
They are not people.
Despite their appearance, they are little different from beasts.
So don’t hesitate, just burn them!
Therefore, I—
“AAAH…! Sister…! Sister…! Help me…!”
Burned the boy who cried with the beasts.
“I’m hurting… I hate this…”
Burned the infant who cried in agony alongside the horde.
“Oh… my baby…”
Burned the pregnant woman clutching her belly amidst the swarm of beasts.
“F*cking…”
It was unavoidable.
To protect others, to protect the city, I had to burn as many Demonic Beasts as possible.
They weren’t human, and to incinerate the beasts, I had to burn them, too.
So there was no need to feel guilty.
They weren’t people; no need to feel guilt at all.
“AAAAAH….!!!”
“F*CK..!!!”
When I came to my senses, tears were overflowing.
The Witch of Lust was an enemy who knew precisely how to torment people.
Every time I heard the screams of beings resembling people burning among the Demonic Beasts, I felt my sanity rapidly eroding.
Even knowing I didn’t have to suffer like this, each scream that mixed into the flames drained my strength away.
And every time I saw the forms resembling humans in the swarm of Demonic Beasts, my firepower gradually weakened.
But still, I—
“Ugh…!!”
Kept burning,
“AAAH…!!!”
And kept on burning.
I had no idea how long I had spent incinerating the beast-like beings that resembled people.
But I realized I was growing weary.
I understood that my time to fight like this was limited.
There wasn’t much time left.
So while thinking I needed to incinerate as many beasts as possible in that time, I looked around.
“…Ah.”
I fell into despair.
I had burned countless beasts without resting up until this point.
Yet even so, the remaining Demonic Beasts were still countless.
[Hahaha…! Well, you did resist a bit more than I expected, but it seems this is where it ends! The humans in the city all seem worn out!]
Noticing my spirit breaking, the Witch of Lust muttered.
Hearing those words, I numbly turned my gaze towards the now dwindling barrier protecting the city, where Sylvia’s spell seemed to be losing its light.
In the end, even Sylvia was worn out from the continuous assault of the Demonic Beasts.
Seeing this, I muttered, “This can’t be happening…,” as I tried to stem the tide of beasts heading for the city, yet I couldn’t handle them all alone.
Would I have been able to manage if I hadn’t exhausted myself fighting the Witch of Gluttony?
I couldn’t know, but regretting wouldn’t give me the strength to defeat all the beasts, so I had to despair as I watched the remaining beasts head towards the city.
Ultimately, I hadn’t kept my promise made to Yoon Si-woo.
I promised to protect you and everyone, but in the end, I couldn’t manage it alone.
Yet still, I pleaded skyward.
Please, anyone, protect the people.
But that was akin to hoping for a miracle.
With half-hearted resignation, I gazed at the approaching beasts.
Then, in the distance, I saw the horizon brighten as the sun rose.
Dawn was breaking at last, bringing hope and an end to the night filled with despair.
As I contemplated this, feeling hopeless,
“Uhm…?”
While watching the rising sun, I recognized something strange.
The Witch of Lust had invaded from the west, which meant the sun should naturally rise from the opposite side of the city.
Then seeing the sun rising where it shouldn’t be was impossible.
I double-checked the direction where the sun was said to rise.
It was clear.
If my eyes were not deceived, that direction was—
Not the east, but the north.
And at that very moment,
-■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!
A resounding roar echoed through the air.
What I had thought was the sun, a massive fireball, soared high into the sky like a bright star, accompanied by the roar.
Hearing that sound, I thought—
It seemed oddly reminiscent of a rooster’s crow.
The fireball that emitted that cry circled in the sky before promptly swooping down.
Upon closer inspection, it was a massive bird made of flames.
This flaming bird landed silently behind me, fitting its size.
-■■■■■■
It let out a soft cry directed at me.
At that cry, I blankly turned my head to look at the brightening horizon.
“Oh, haha…”
Without realizing it, the tension drained from me, and I smiled.
It had come to help me.
With that single phrase, a force summoned by the morning star had arrived.
-■■■■■■■■!!
-■■■■■!!!
Not the dawn that would banish the night.
But the fiery army that would repel the darkness.
Though morning had yet to arrive.
Hope had found me.
—
277 – The Morning Star
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