Sunset (2)
The fist slammed into my face with a sickening thud.
“Ugh…!”
I couldn’t even put up a fight. The impact sent me flying backward, crashing face-first into the snow. Heavy footsteps approached. Crunch. Crunch. The sound grew louder with every step.
Thump!
My heart pounded so violently I could hear it in my ears. I can’t see anything. Everything in front of me was stained red. I couldn’t tell if it was blood pouring from my head, matted hair sticking to my eyes, or the sky itself burning crimson.
My body, battered from the long fight, refused to stand. The damage was too severe.
“It’s over.”
Hal had closed the distance without me realizing. His low voice rang out.
…So this is how I die.
The growing surge of demonic energy from his direction left no room for any other thought. Even on the verge of death, the fact that I felt no particular longing or regret felt utterly pathetic.
Crack… crackle…!
Just as I resigned myself to death, the sharp sound of something freezing solid echoed through the air.
“Adel!”
A woman’s urgent voice called my name. In an instant, the world brightened. Christina and Circe stood before me, blocking Hal’s fist. His punch hadn’t struck my body—it was frozen in place, buried in the ground. His other hand gripped Christina’s radiant sword.
They’re here.
The two of them had been trapped by Hal’s bizarre demonic energy until just moments ago. They had finally broken free and come to help.
“Tsk.”
Hal clicked his tongue in clear annoyance at failing to kill me. He raised his demonic energy even higher. The frost shattered. The blade of light crumbled. Unable to resist the overwhelming force, I was blasted backward once more. Snow seeped into my wounds, bringing a stinging pain.
“If death is what you wish for, I’ll grant it.”
Hal’s target had shifted. No longer me, but the two who had interfered—Christina and Circe.
Whoosh!
Before either of them could speak, the wave of demonic energy swallowed both light and frost.
Screeech!
The light resisted being consumed by the approaching darkness. Hal instantly appeared behind Christina and threw a punch. Crack. Before she could even turn, his body froze mid-motion. In that brief window, Christina swung her radiant sword. But Hal, having already broken the frost with his demonic energy, retreated just in time. Her strike missed its mark.
Shiiiing!
Circe, predicting his retreat, hurled a spear made of pure frost toward his landing spot. Caught off guard by the long-range attack, Hal urgently swung his fist to shatter it. Crack. The moment his fist touched the ice, Circe charged in with frost in one hand and a sword in the other.
When she raised her left hand, Hal felt his body slow down. Taking advantage of the moment he tried to reclaim his speed by raising more demonic energy, Christina unleashed dozens of radiant orbs.
Screech.
Hal frantically gathered his power and swept his hand through the air, erasing the orbs. But Circe didn’t retreat. Slash! Her sword cut downward, leaving a faint gash on Hal’s body. Even then, he had protected himself with demonic energy.
I watched the two of them flow seamlessly from one attack to the next for a moment, then closed my eyes. While recovering my body’s condition, I began to think.
The sun was still in the sky. Think. I could leave those two to handle him for a little while. Circe possessed an almost prophetic sense of the future. Christina knew exactly how to make use of that intuition. Having grown up together since childhood, their coordination was flawless.
But they can’t win.
After fighting Hal for nearly an hour, I was certain of it. That didn’t mean I was giving up, though.
What’s the variable?
Every situation has one. Even the tiniest thing could become the dagger that pierces Hal’s heart.
Clink.
Two objects rolled out of my pocket. That’s right. I still had these.
A small bead and a wooden box. The moment I saw them, I immediately crushed the bead.
They’ll be here soon.
Allen and Vincent would have received the signal. Borrowing help in a dangerous situation felt awkward, but if I wanted to survive, I had to do whatever it took.
What about this one?
My gaze fell on the wooden box. I had originally planned to consume it during personal training, but the fact that it had fallen out alongside the bead made me feel as if fate itself was guiding me.
Is there a way?
I was still pondering the box when—
“Ugh…”
Circe let out a pained groan. Something stabbed into the ground right in front of me with a heavy thunk.
Drip… drip…
Before opening my eyes, I brushed away the blood flowing down my forehead and looked up. In my cleared vision, I saw Circe’s sword embedded in the ground before me, both Christina and Circe collapsed, and Hal walking straight toward me.
He didn’t spare them a single glance. His eyes were fixed solely on me. Knowing I was half-dead, he wasn’t in any hurry. His steps were slow and deliberate.
“The Red Sky will arrive soon.”
At his words, I looked up at the sky. When…? The sun had still been high when I fought Hal. It was the same even after Christina and Circe joined. But now, the sunset had begun. Time had slipped away while I was lost in thought.
“You’re going to die soon.”
Crunch. Hal approached, stating the obvious as if it were simple fact. I had been circulating my energy to recover, and with great effort, I forced myself to stand.
“Your condition is terrible.”
Even though he was still some distance away, Hal smirked at the sight of me barely getting up.
“I don’t understand why someone who’s about to die is struggling so desperately.”
He tilted his head as if genuinely puzzled.
What now?
Using my sword as a crutch, I realized I had no strength left to move. The best I could do was stand and swing my fist once.
“……”
I didn’t answer him. Instead, I lowered my head. There, the sword and the wooden box lay in stark contrast, glowing brightly in the fading light. Suddenly, a connection between the two flashed through my mind.
Let’s try it.
There was still one last chance.
“……”
With a determined expression, I lifted my head and measured the distance to Hal. Not yet. He hadn’t entered the range I wanted. Even though he could attack with demonic energy, he stubbornly chose to end my life with his own hands. It was proof he was letting his guard down.
I can do this.
I repeated the words in my mind, trying to silence my anxiety. It’ll work. A wave of genuine confidence surged through me, bringing certainty.
Crunch.
Finally, Hal stepped into my range.
Shhk.
With a blood-stained hand, I grabbed Circe’s sword that had been supporting me. Click. I opened the wooden box and swallowed the Flame Jade whole.
“……”
Hal watched without any reaction. He was completely certain I was going to die.
Fwoosh…!
On the surface, nothing seemed to happen. The sound came from inside my body. Ugh. Taking a spiritual medicine in a near-death state was beyond foolish. Not only would I fail to absorb its full power, it could even become poison. And yet, I was willingly taking that risk.
Fwoooosh!
Fire energy surged down my throat and flooded my body. It was immense. The spiritual medicine Elena had given me contained so much fire energy that even she would have struggled to consume it fully.
It should be possible.
She wouldn’t have given me something impossible. I focused with everything I had, trying to keep the fire energy from leaking out while enduring the pain.
“Kh…!”
I even held back the groans that threatened to escape, controlling the energy. It felt like my entire body was being torn apart from the inside. The pain was beyond description. I wanted to scream. I questioned why I had to suffer like this. But I endured it.
For survival. To cut off Hal’s breath. And for the two who had fought for me.
Sssss…
Something settled deep inside my body.
“……”
I ignored the changes happening within. Fwoosh. Unconscious flames flickered, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. A side effect of suddenly consuming the spiritual medicine. I told myself it was a taste I never wanted to experience again and focused entirely on control.
Crunch.
The moment Hal drew even closer—
Shing.
I raised the sword high above my head. Vincent said it, didn’t he? That I should be able to use Mana Blade too. At its core, Mana Blade was simply condensation and control. Only now did I understand why it had always felt so familiar.
Red Sun.
For some reason, my technique resembled Mana Blade. Fwooooosh! The fire energy I had barely been containing burst outward from my body. My affinity kept it from dissipating. The flames spread so vast it was hard to believe they had once been contained within me.
“…!”
Even Hal seemed to sense something was wrong. His eyes widened. The instant I began condensing the blooming flames onto the blade, I finally understood the connection.
So that’s what it was.
From the very beginning, Red Sun had taken the form of a Mana Blade.
“……”
The sunset deepened. The red sun in the sky began to sink. The light of the true red sun was exactly this—the glow of dusk before night fell.
Whoosh!
Realizing something was off, Hal stopped advancing and began gathering his demonic energy. Perhaps exhausted from the long battle, his movements weren’t as fast as before.
Fwoosh.
The immense fire energy condensed along the blade and stabilized. A familiar sensation washed over me—the feeling that I could cut through anything.
“You’re too late.”
Hal was already well within the range of my single strike.
Shing.
The sunset flowed along the blade.
Flame Divine Art - Red Sun: Slash
Oooooooong!
With a majestic surge of energy, my sword descended to cleave Hal in two.