Death and Resurrection
Thud! Rumble! Boom!
I dodged and defended at the same time. Using the Moon Shadow Step I'd learned from Kain, I moved like an afterimage, evading as much as possible and punching away anything I couldn't avoid. I pinpointed their locations, calculated their speeds, and struck the spatial orbs to make them collide with each other. The two orbs canceled out each other's destructive power and vanished into nothing.
"Ahaha! Impressive. But that's all you've got. Don't just dodge—try counterattacking!"
Ethan kept hurling spatial orbs without pause, yet his tone carried a hint of boredom. Just moments ago he'd been thoroughly enjoying himself, but his interest waned at an unbelievable speed.
I ignored his provocation completely and checked on Kain's condition.
'He's fine for now.'
It seemed he'd already used that technique that put a strain on his body, but that was something a proper rest could fix, so it wasn't worth worrying about. However, the moment the balance of the fight shifted, crisis would strike.
Originally, I'd planned to intervene at the right moment and gloss over any danger, but that damned mage had ruined everything.
Bang! Boom-boom!
While knocking away the spatial orbs whose destructive power kept growing and searching for an opening to press forward, I heard Ethan Gloucester make a meaningful remark.
"How long do you plan to keep enduring like that? Are you fine with Kain Klaus dying?"
Kain was indeed in a dangerous fight, but he hadn't sustained a fatal wound. They were still locked in a tense stalemate, yet Ethan's words carried absolute certainty. Those blue eyes were convinced that a crisis would befall Kain in this battle.
Facing the anxiety I'd always kept buried in my heart, I poured more strength into my fists and asked,
"Was it you? The possessor in the Dark Church?"
I was half certain, yet I hoped it wasn't true. If the possessor was truly Ethan Gloucester, there could be no worse outcome. Unfortunately, Ethan nodded with genuine delight.
"That's right. I am the Dark Church's possessor."
"...Damn it."
The one who had corrupted the Sabel Tiger with demonic energy, attacked the academy during the end-of-semester evaluation, and forcibly activated the Illusion Labyrinth Barrier after infiltrating the depths. That person was Ethan Gloucester.
As I bit my lip hard against the rising sense of helplessness, he spoke with an excited expression.
"Then let me ask a question this time. Are you... really Hyun?"
"What?"
"The Korean gamer. I asked if you're Hyun. Do you remember Phantom?"
It was a completely out-of-place question. In the middle of a life-or-death struggle happening all around us, he was dragging in matters from Earth....
'Phantom?'
Was the one possessing Ethan Gloucester Phantom? The fact that the guy famous for being number one on the speedrun rankings had taken over that bastard's body made curses rise to my throat.
I deliberately pretended not to know so I wouldn't get caught up in his pace.
"Phantom? Who's that? Never heard the name before."
I put on my best acting, wearing a puzzled expression, and the smile on Ethan's face vanished as if washed away.
"...You don't know? You don't know me? You don't know the number one ranked Phantom? You don't remember me at all, the one you competed against?"
His eyes emitted a blue glow. Feeling the pressure pressing against my skin, I stayed on guard while maintaining a nonchalant expression.
"Number one? Ah, is that what you meant?"
"'That'... huh? Ahahaha! I see, I was mistaken. To you, someone like me was never worth noticing. How dare you... how dare you humiliate me like this?"
As if betrayed by a loved one, Ethan Gloucester flew into a rage. For some reason, goosebumps rose all over my body.
'What the fuck is wrong with him?'
A man throwing a fit just because someone didn't remember him made no sense whatsoever. It wasn't like he was gay or anything.
While I stood flustered by his overly emotional reaction, Ethan raised his hand and pointed at me.
"Die!!"
At the same time, the spatial wall that had been blocking his front shattered everything in its path and rushed forward in an instant. Realizing I couldn't block it, I quickly threw myself aside.
Kwaaaaang!
A delayed shockwave slammed into my entire body along with a thunderous roar. When I turned my head, I saw a long trench carved into the ground and a dent in the cavern wall. If I hadn't dodged, I would've been flattened like jerky.
"It's all over now. This damned world can just go to hell!"
Unsatisfied, Ethan began manipulating space at random while spouting incomprehensible words. He released hundreds of spatial orbs, pushing and pulling at the spatial walls, shaking my domain and unleashing indiscriminate bombardment.
I desperately defended while waiting for an opening.
'There are plenty of gaps.'
So agitated was he that Ethan had even deployed the spatial walls he'd been using for defense to attack instead. If I could just get close enough, I'd land a decisive blow.
Patiently enduring, I seized the moment the spatial walls were all released at once and leapt straight into Ethan's embrace. However, his casting speed exceeded imagination.
"Something like that won't work!"
A haze rose from Ethan's hand and rapidly seized the space itself. Just before the magic completed, I moved my lips.
"Phantom. I remember you."
"What... huh?"
For an instant, Ethan's movements faltered and his casting speed slowed, destabilizing the magic's structure. The viciously twisted expression lost its venom, and clarity returned to eyes that had been filled with rage.
Meeting that gaze, I drove my fist forward.
Crack-crack-crack!
"Kuhak!"
Fracture easily shattered the incomplete spatial wall and buried itself in Ethan's abdomen. He vomited blood with his mouth wide open in pain and was sent flying pathetically, rolling across the ground. His magic circuits were damaged, so he wouldn't be able to use magic for a while.
I slowly approached him. When I finally reached right in front of him, Ethan lifted his head and said something unexpected.
"Is it true? You... remember me?"
"...What?"
"You just said it. Cough! That you remember Phantom. Is it true?"
There was no resentment toward me in his eyes. Even while vomiting blood from being tricked, he only sought a single answer. Faced with that bizarre obsession, I felt an unprecedented terror and raised my fist.
'I have to kill him.'
And just as I was about to bring it down—
Thud!
A pitch-black sword extending from Ethan's shadow pierced near my heart.
"Huh...?"
A burning heat spread from the penetrated area. With every beat of my heart, pain traveled through my blood vessels and my entire body screamed. I moved my trembling hand to grasp the sword.
'If it comes out, I'm dead.'
If the sword was pulled out, the wound would tear open and blood would pour out, leading to death by excessive bleeding. My desperate struggle to stay alive was rendered meaningless by a single gesture from the Death Knight that had emerged from the shadow.
Slash!
The pitch-black sword tore from my heart all the way to my side and came out. Blood gushed, my organs spilled out, and all strength drained from my body.
"Kuk! Krrgh..."
I flailed my hands trying to stuff my organs back in, but only clawed at empty air before finally collapsing to the ground.
"Ah, nooooo!!"
I could faintly hear Ethan's scream.
'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'
Thinking about it now, maybe Ethan really was gay. I chuckled and, watching the blood flow from my torn-open side, began slowly counting in my head.
'1. 2. 3... Ah, fuck. This won't work.'
If I could hold on for one minute, I could bloom the Phoenix Egg, but with my heart split open and most of my organs gone, that was impossible. If it were possible, I wouldn't have needed the Phoenix Egg in the first place—I could've just shrugged off this level of injury.
While having such pointless thoughts, I felt the warmth in my body gradually fading. The sensation of my soul freezing. This powerlessness that stole even my will to resist. It was a feeling I'd experienced before and never wanted to feel again.
My vision grew dimmer and dimmer.
'I don't want to die.'
It was a calm statement, yet it expressed my feelings better than anything else. However, time was merciless. It seemed it had no intention of prolonging the life of a human whose vital organs had all stopped functioning. Just before I completely lost consciousness—
Fwoosh!
From my ruptured heart, a seed of flame purer and more pristine than anything else began to bloom.
*
Bang-bang-bang!
Facing the intangible barrage pouring down like rain, Yuliana looked ready to collapse at any moment. Just as the strain was finally reaching her heart, Kain gathered his concentration to finish things once and for all.
"Huuu..."
He expelled all the air from his lungs and simultaneously drew out every bit of mana to fill his entire body. With a stronger sense of unity with his mana than ever before, Kain vividly recalled his mental image and activated his ultimate technique.
Kain Style. Ultimate Technique. Infinite Flash Shadow.
No sound, no color, no movement—nothing. Only the result remained, without cause. The moment Kain's will reached his mental image, Infinite Flash Shadow had already struck Yuliana.
Crack!
His fist pierced through her chest.
"......"
"Yuliana. I'll see you later. It won't take long."
Every moment we spent together was happiness. Kain gave his silent farewell to Yuliana, who was looking down at her chest. Forcing away his lingering attachment, he crushed the seed of domination Huscular had planted in her heart.
'It's finally over.'
Having put an end to ten years of work, Kain fell into sentiment for a brief moment. That was a mistake. Huscular, who had been focusing all his attention on Gion Cruise until then, turned his gaze toward Kain.
"I never expected you to fall so easily. An unforeseen situation."
With those words, Yuliana—who had been hunched over as if about to collapse after having the seed destroyed—grabbed Kain's arm. The seed of domination planted in her heart had been only one among many.
Vwoooom—
Immediately after, green mana burst from Yuliana's entire body like a flash of light.
"Yuliana!"
Though Kain knew he should dodge, he couldn't move easily. Because he knew what final fate awaited Yuliana next. With this, he would have to part with her forever. Just as he gritted his teeth against the surging sorrow—
"Huscular!!"
Ethan, who had been sitting in despair, approached and unleashed his rage. His spatial magic struck the defenseless Huscular, and that minor interference created the tiniest opening in his mana construction. Though the time was extremely short, it was enough for Kain to exploit.
Kwaaaang!
At the same time, the mana poison exploded. The mana poison that erupted with tremendous force melted everything within a twenty-meter radius. A massive swamp formed at the center.
Before the mist of mana poison had even settled, Kain appeared at a spot slightly away from it.
"Krrgh...!"
He glanced at his right shoulder. Though he'd pulled his body away as quickly as possible, he hadn't completely avoided the damage—his right arm had completely vanished from the shoulder down. It was better than dying, but the pain was severe as the mana poison continued trying to invade.
Kain quickly blocked his sense of pain.
"...A shame. Because of the interferer, I couldn't finish it."
Looking toward the voice, he saw Huscular standing completely unharmed and Ethan pinned beneath his feet, struggling. Ethan's attack hadn't dealt Huscular even the slightest damage.
'Can I win?'
While furious, Kain raised his composure so his rationality wouldn't be completely consumed. He wanted to tear Huscular apart right now for killing and defiling Yuliana, but charging in blindly offered no chance of victory. Accomplishing something difficult even in peak condition was nearly impossible with one arm lost. Even if Huscular's power was focused on Gion Cruise, just as Kain steeled his desperate resolve, he sensed a strange presence.
A heavy pressure that was both sacred and instinctively terrifying. Its origin was the mysterious masked figure who had suddenly appeared and collapsed dead.
Fwoooooosh!
What stood there was an incarnation of fire. A doll enveloped in both sacred crimson flames and destructive scarlet flames floated in the air. An enormous amount of mana that could only be observed from divine beasts or ancient dragons emanated from it.
"This is dangerous."
Having grasped the nature of that power, Huscular immediately sent a portion of the undead legion that had been focused on Gion Cruise. Hundreds of Death Knights and over a thousand skeletons charged toward a single target.
Just before their claws reached the doll—
Flutter!
Wings sprouted from the doll's back. The wings were different colors: the crimson wings were as delicate and beautiful as those of the phoenix said to have existed in ancient times, while the scarlet wings were as sharp and threatening as a red dragon's. The moment both wings swung, a massive storm of flames descended upon the cavern.
The undead were erased without a trace, not even leaving ashes, under that overwhelming firepower.
When the aftershock settled, what remained was a single doll still surrounded by endless flames whose momentum showed no sign of weakening.
"What the hell is that guy?"
Kain's shocked murmur expressed the feelings of everyone present.