Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: A Desperate Crisis
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***
Crack!
Ice crystals formed as a chill spread out from Anastasia.
Through her awakening, her innate trait, ‘Ice Blossom,’ was greatly enhanced, its influence extending even to the surrounding atmosphere.
Shhhhhh!
Her overwhelming presence pushed back even the darkness mixed with the flames that had engulfed the area, and countless shards of ice began to adorn the air.
The number of ice shards easily surpassed hundreds, even thousands, enough to stain the flame-tinged darkness with a pure white chill.
“……”
At the sight of the two who had intruded upon her domain, Sekhmet narrowed her eyes.
She didn’t even spare Han Cheon-seong a glance, her gaze fixed solely on Anastasia, who had unleashed her power. The sheer magnitude of that power sent a shiver through her body, even though she was just a clone.
‘So that’s Anastasia.’
She had observed her appearance over the past few days.
Facing the power of this central human figure directly, she could see there was something truly different about her.
Still, she had anticipated Anastasia’s arrival.
That was why Sekhmet’s reaction was just that. There was no hint of surprise.
“……”
Sekhmet’s faint reaction caused Anastasia’s eyes to darken further, and without delay, she launched herself forward.
Shashashashashashashak!
The shards of ice shot out simultaneously, weaving a brilliant pattern through the air, as Anastasia’s form vanished in an instant, like an afterimage.
The ice shards seized control of all eight directions around Sekhmet.
Anastasia had cast an inescapable net of ice shards, preventing any escape. And at its center, Sekhmet’s response was markedly different from before.
—!
As she stretched both hands forward, black flames flared up, engulfing her entire body as if to burn it away.
There was no sense of the air rupturing or a massive explosion.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
As the ice shards that assailed her from all sides tried to tear her apart, they shattered upon contact with the flames, spreading a cold mist.
And through that mist, Anastasia’s vanished form reappeared directly in front of Sekhmet.
Thud!
In a single step, Anastasia reached Sekhmet and, without hesitation, drew her sword, slashing upward from below.
Slice—!
With a strange tearing sound, as if the darkness-stained space itself was being severed and dislocated, both of Sekhmet’s outstretched arms were instantly blown away.
Sploosh!
Blood erupted from the severed stumps of her arms, painting a gruesome picture in the air.
“……”
Yet Sekhmet’s eyes remained downcast, and she did not even open her mouth.
Instead, the black flames enveloping her burned even more intensely, and she slowly closed her eyes.
Slice—!
Just as the extreme chill from Anastasia’s sword, which once again cut through the air, was about to end Sekhmet’s life.
Claaang!
Sekhmet’s body, wreathed in black flames, was no longer cut by the sword. As if made of a hard crystal, she was pushed back by the force, sent flying rapidly through the air.
“…!”
In that instant, Anastasia’s eyes became completely impassive. The moment she seemed to bend at the waist, she kicked off the ground.
————————————————!!
Countless ice shards shot forward, forming a single, massive trajectory.
And at its head, Anastasia, sword in hand, instantly closed the distance, chasing the trail of black flames left by the airborne Sekhmet.
Clang! Clang!!
Immediately after, a sound that was impossible to believe came from a sword striking a human body rang out repeatedly. Sekhmet, in turn, seemed to use that force to move swiftly through the space.
Whoosh!
The trail of black flames burned through the air, leaving an afterimage of movement that surpassed mere speed, and right behind it, Anastasia pursued with a strange tearing sound that seemed to cut space itself.
Shashak! Clang! Crack!
In a matter of seconds, a battle unfolded that an ordinary person’s eyes couldn’t possibly follow, yet it was more like a one-sided assault.
What was peculiar was that Sekhmet never attempted to match Anastasia's power.
At the same time, Sekhmet’s entire body began to slowly break apart.
Her severed arms were torn away up to her shoulders, and a part of her face was ripped off as she spat frozen blood into the air.
Even so, not a single pained cry escaped Sekhmet’s lips.
As if hardening her durability with absolute petrification, Sekhmet manifested even stronger black flames around what remained of her body.
Meanwhile.
Han Cheon-seong, who had rushed to Leonhardt’s side, couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“……”
Even though Anastasia had instantly erased the black flames, Leonhardt’s condition was nothing short of horrific.
His arms and legs were charred a dark red, and his face, contorted in what must have been terrible agony, was no longer recognizable as the Leonhardt he knew.
The sharp intelligence in his eyes had grown dim, as if he had lost his sanity. Just looking at him, he had no idea where to even begin to help.
“Ughhh—”
As Leonhardt let out a groan from behind his hazy eyes, Han Cheon-seong realized there was no time to hesitate.
He glanced at Anastasia, quickly assessing the situation. The red-haired, human-shaped Apostle and Anastasia were locked in a fierce confrontation.
The tide of battle was clearly in Anastasia’s favor. He believed it would be over in minutes, even without his help.
‘I have to treat Leonhardt.’
As he thought this, he noticed the traces of shattered space at the edge of the area, a result of Anastasia unleashing her power.
It was a domain, just like the one Leteia had created. Anastasia had forcibly twisted the domain to intervene. That meant it should be possible to escape it.
“Leonhardt… just a little, just a little longer. I’ll get you treated right away.”
Biting his lip against the heat rising in his heart, he carefully lifted Leonhardt’s body.
He had to do what needed to be done first.
“Guhk!”
Even that slight contact seemed to cause Leonhardt terrible pain. Han Cheon-seong immediately wrapped his legs in a spiral aura.
‘There were two Apostles who came.’
Besides the one Anastasia was fighting, there had to be another.
But even knowing that… he couldn’t stay in this space.
Shhh.
Holding Leonhardt’s limp body as his eyes closed, he threw himself toward the distorted space.
‘If we stay here, Leonhardt will die soon.’
He had to entrust that Apostle to Anastasia and save Leonhardt first. If Leonhardt died, this world had no future.
It was a risk he had to take.
—!
He kicked off the ground and launched himself toward the distorted space.
His heart was pounding with a tension that made his earlier sense of crisis seem trivial, a feeling of urgency washing over him.
Vwoom—!
The moment he escaped the darkness-warped space.
“H-He appeared out of nowhere?”
“What the?”
Amidst the students who were startled by my sudden appearance, I instantly changed direction, intending to head straight for the infirmary.
Thud!
Just as I landed on the park ground and was about to leap again.
“Leonhardt…?”
My body froze as I met the horrified gaze of Yumia, who was watching me from a distance.
“……”
My feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to take the next step.
…I knew instantly that it wasn’t because I was looking at Yumia.
—————!
The very air around me felt like it was trying to crush me.
A formless, indescribable pressure that seemed to constrict my entire body, a sensation as if I were being crushed to the ground, made my heart sink.
‘An Apostle…’
I realized this was undoubtedly the power of the other Apostle. And I could feel the sheer difference in the Apostle’s power.
‘This… is not an Apostle I can handle.’
Was my decision to take the risk too naive? Leaving Anastasia’s side now felt foolish.
But even in that fleeting moment.
The sight of Leonhardt’s horrific state shattered the fear rising in my heart.
My greatest mistake was not considering that the Apostle would target Leonhardt, not me.
I had to endure it.
‘No matter what…!’
Grit.
Biting my lip hard enough to draw blood, I manifested the spiral aura to its absolute limit.
Swoooosh!!
Resisting the formless energy crushing me, the spiral aura erupted from my entire body, swirling violently and wrapping around me.
And it was for just one instant.
Ting!
The moment I felt the energy binding me weaken, I didn’t hesitate. I threw Leonhardt with all my might and shouted.
“Yumia!! Take Leonhardt!”
After that, my actions and words were finished. That was all I could do.
I couldn’t completely shake off this formless energy clinging to me to escape with Leonhardt.
Thud.
The moment I saw Yumia hastily catch Leonhardt in her arms, my heart filled with relief, and at the same time…
—Flash!
My vision was completely engulfed in light.
Countless refracted lights blurred my sight before exploding like a flashing strobe.
Stagger!
Unable to even get my bearings… I was completely helpless.
“……”
Immediately after, it was as if all my surrounding senses were cut off. I couldn’t feel anything.
At the same time, I felt the immense pressure that had been weighing me down vanish completely. Dazed, I tasted the metallic tang of blood from my split lip as I instinctively summoned my spear.
Clack!
Feeling the weight of the spear in my hand, my heart only sank deeper.
“Dammit…”
Everything was a white space.
All I could see was a space engulfed in light. Nothing was visible, indistinguishable due to the light.
And I had already experienced something similar to this several times.
—An Apostle’s unique domain.
This space, too, was within the sphere of influence of an Apostle’s power…
Shhh.
As I endlessly tightened my grip on the spear, my heart pounded as if it would burst.
The horrific image of Leonhardt I had just seen lingered in my mind, refusing to leave.
‘One moment of carelessness, and I’m dead.’
Leonhardt, at trait level 4, wouldn’t be that much different from my current self.
And yet, even he had been so brutally defeated.
“……”
Breathing shallowly, I heightened my senses to prepare for a surprise attack, forcing myself to steel my resolve.
‘I have to hold on.’
Even in this desperate situation, I had to cling to hope.
And there was a way out.
I just had to survive until Anastasia killed the Apostle she was fighting and came to find me.
That would only take a few minutes.
Making up my mind, I manifested a spiral aura on the spearhead. The familiar blue light wrapping around the blade hardened my resolve.
But I felt no sinister presence at all.
A strange sensation, as if I were the only one in the world, completely isolated.
And then, it happened.
Whoosh.
I instinctively twisted my body.
It was an action born of instinct, one I hadn't even consciously made.
Thunk!
And yet, excruciating pain shot up from my shoulder.
“Keuk!”
Even as I kicked off the ground and launched myself away from the pain piercing my left shoulder… I couldn’t feel any presence.
Nor could I see anything.
…But my left shoulder had already been pierced through.
A small hole was punched through my shoulder, and the gruesome pain, as if the wound was being gouged and stabbed repeatedly, made me groan, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go of the spear.
“……”
There is no next time for me.
I had to desperately recall the sensation of being pierced just a moment ago.
If I fail to react next time, I will die.
And if my instincts reacted to it just now, then my only path to survival was to somehow become aware of it myself.