[Hey, did I just hear that wrong??]
“I heard it too.”
Sound.
What I just heard was undoubtedly a sound.
It was the sound of human bones and flesh being torn apart.
The fact that I could hear that sound in this place where even my senses were blocked meant that Rubia was in danger.
I gripped Frey so tightly it felt like I might break him. At the same time, Frey and Cartia also swung their swords toward the barrier.
Swish-
Due to the cramped space, less force was used than usual, but it wasn’t weak.
Moreover, since Cartia and Frey were both better at handling swords than I was, I thought for sure we would cut through.
But.
[What the…]
There wasn’t even a scratch on the vine wall.
Again, Boom-
Again, Crack-
Again, Thud-
My sword still couldn’t leave even a mark.
On the contrary.
Creak- once more came the sound of flesh being pulled, thicker than before.
Biting my lips, I grabbed Frey again. Drip- Blood from the torn leather stained the flowers. A broken fingernail fell over the flowers’ heads.
Just three pyeong of space.
Soft floor.
Insufficient oxygen.
Stagnant magical power.
Invisible outside.
No matter how I looked at it, this place was not suitable to swing a great sword carelessly.
There wasn’t enough space to use Carpen’s blood aura.
There was no magical energy to utilize Tylant’s cold.
Valoran’s feathers or Brunhilde’s flames.
They couldn’t be used in here.
So, what now?
Thud- My hurried steps crunched the flowers as I approached the wall.
With cold trembling hands, I gripped the hilt. I gathered the last remnants of oxygen from the nearly depleted air.
I cooled my head and desperately thought of what I could do right now.
Slowly retracing memories that hovered at my fingertips. The sensations that were gradually becoming clearer began to surge more intensely.
The sensation of cutting something attached to Frey’s soul.
The sensation of cutting Sirin’s magic.
The sensation of cutting a neck.
Going back, for the first time.
The sensation of cutting the cuff of Sirin’s sleeve.
The feeling of using my existence, not my sword. Thus, a strike that leaves only results.
There was no need to look for what needed to be cut. Everything around me was something I needed to cut. I just had to recognize their existence and swing.
All that was left was to borrow a tiny bit of ‘that’ power.
Cartia said to use it only once a day, but right now, I had no choice—
Thwack-
The sudden shock at the back of my head shattered my focused mind all at once.
“…Ca, Cartia?”
[Damn brat. Ugh, you really don’t listen at all.]
Cartia, who had clenched a fist, pulled my body back and said.
[Check this out. Just how amazing your master is.]
Then, they raised a great sword that looked like mine but felt entirely different.
[Frey, you look too.]
And, don’t act foolish again.
With smooth movements.
Steady hands.
Short breaths.
Thus completed, a natural mid-stance.
Like the great swords held in each hand, Cartia, who looked nothing like me, raised the sword.
Swish- A light step was taken.
From the lower body, to the waist.
From the waist to the shoulders.
From the shoulders to the arms.
With no trembles, the seamless strike from top to bottom came with a clear sound.
Swish-
It created a perfect result that made me ashamed of my previous resolution.
Cartia, who would normally boast to the heavens, was not like that now.
Instead, with a voice heavier than before, they quietly murmured.
[I don’t know what’s out there, but prepare yourself.]
Words without a target.
But they were clearly directed at me.
I nodded my heavy head and took a breath.
Feeling the weight of the sword in my hand, I steeled my resolve.
Then Creak- the walls surrounding us began to crack.
A blood scent, different from the blood scent filling the walls, assaulted my nose.
The killing intent and magical power, sharp enough to make my skin prickle.
I felt a wave of this unfamiliar power for the first time.
Through the opening, sensations spread out.
“Shit…”
Then for the first time, I saw.
Aaron, lying on the ground.
His legs were crushed, and his right arm was severed. No, more accurately, it was torn off.
The severed area was coarse. The visible bones were intact. The muscles were torn, and thick blood flowed endlessly.
A wound torn by an unearthly strong force.
Before I could even guess who had done it—
The expanding sensation revealed another scene.
Unlike earlier, Laila was pierced through by the root of Yggdrasil, harboring a disturbing aura.
Ser was kneeling with a hole in his stomach.
And.
A shapeless, dark figure.
And.
And.
And.
Stabbed in the chest and grabbed by the hair was.
“R, Rubia…?”
Drip- Rubia lifted her head towards me; blood mixed with her insides flowed down.
She shook her head.
Smiling, she opened her mouth.
Run away.
Boom- Before I could even think, my body moved.
With a massive leap, I shot myself forward and landed in front of Rubia. Simultaneously, I swung Frey toward the hand holding her head. Whoosh- It felt like I was cutting through the clouds.
With nothing to hinder the swing, Frey danced in the air. Swish- The blood aura burst forth, twisting the muscles in my arm. Immediately reversing my grip, I brought Frey down toward that hand.
Yet the result was the same as before.
Without any obstruction, Frey’s blade plunged into the ground with only black smoke rising. I bit my teeth Crunch- and spread Tylant’s powers. Scattering feathers everywhere, I transformed the ambient magical power into magical energy and shot it toward them.
The magical energy, condensed with the power of the descent, tore at its form. The feathers that had fulfilled their role settled back down. Gathering them, I lit the inferno from hell. Whoosh- Fire, larger and hungrier than before, surrounded Rubia and burned fiercely.
Without hesitation, I dove right in.
There, with a gaping hole in her chest.
Rubia lay there, twisted smile directed at me.
With trembling legs, I barely knelt, cautiously pulling her close. I wiped the blood off her face and checked her breathing. Weak. Concentrating on my senses, I examined her body. The heartbeat was unstable, and her body was cold.
“Ah, ugh…”
The wounds wouldn’t heal. Blood continuously poured from the hole.
Along with it, the divine power that had filled her was rapidly draining away.
“Why, why…?”
Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?
Why isn’t she healing?
“Ru, Rubia… why, why… why isn’t she…”
My words couldn’t continue.
“Wow, this is quite something. You really are impatient.”
The dark figure that approached with Brunhilde’s flames extinguished.
Crack- Frozen dew fell onto the extinguished flames. Concentrated, it gathered around Rubia. From within, a warm flame rose. Soft feathers settled down, and the flowing blood aura enveloped her, revealing fangs.
Confirming Rubia’s safety.
Boom- I swung Frey toward the direction of the voice, showering petals around me.
It vanished. The entity that had just been in my senses disappeared. I expanded my senses further. Nonetheless, I still couldn’t find it.
However, the unsettling aura I sensed somewhere was still there.
I shut off my senses and focused on the sound.
Where the petals fell.
Not on the ground, but in the air.
And, the feathers I had previously scattered.
Concentrated there.
I swung Frey toward that spot.
Crackle—!
A red flame, almost white, burst forth along the blade’s path. The aura of blood took the shape of claws, tearing at the air.
Boom- I leaped again, focusing the cold air dominating the space in one place. The air froze. The magical power froze.
In that moment, frozen in time, I hurled everything at that spot.
———!
An earth-shattering roar echoed through.
The impact was even damaging my own body, but Frey didn’t stop.
Again and again, without rest, forgetting to breathe.
I poured everything I had into that spot it occupied.
By the time the beautiful flower garden had completely vanished, my sword finally came to a stop.
Amidst the swirling dust, a hollow ruin emerged.
Clinging to my wobbling body, I didn’t ease my guard.
The unsettling aura surrounding the area was still present.
Slowly gathering my breath, I listened for sounds.
At that moment.
Woosh- From the emptiness.
A dark light shot right in front of my heart.
This, I can’t dodge—
Crash-!
[You bastard, who do you think you’re touching.]
Cartia’s sword rushed in at an unimaginable speed, deflecting the light.
Simultaneously, Frey’s great sword, leaving a trail of light behind, cut through the air.
Swish-
Unlike my sword, Frey’s blade left a definite sound.
From that, a mirage appeared in the air.
There, the dark light revealed itself.
“Ha ha, you two are acquaintances, aren’t you?”
It was grinning.
With the benevolence of a saintly figure.
“It’s been a while. As a representative of humanity during the Age of Chaos—”
Bowing low with hands clasped together.
“I am ‘Alstein, Lord Shimon’ of the current Erden.”
