Chapter 48
Chapter 48
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Survival Instinct is Amazing
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“You're supposed to help, so why'd you do that?! There's a limit to being a tsundere! A person's life is on the line here─ Sorry. I'll be quiet.”
Her glare was so scary that I immediately backed down. She definitely heard the conversation. I was startled. I thought she'd gotten the wrong idea.
Wait a second.
If she didn't misunderstand, then why is she glaring like that? It's terrifying. I wish she'd stop. Could it be because of that time I told her to buy bread and then went home?
How narrow-minded can she be? I told you to forget about that.
“Move. Our Seong-hoon is waiting.”
What the hell was that? I'm not your Seong-hoon. At the words “our Seong-hoon,” Isia turned to look at me again.
I have no idea why I have to explain, but she's scary, so I shook my head frantically.
Survival instinct is amazing.
“Do you want to get flung away again? Move or not?”
“No. I won't do it anymore.”
Isia grinned. Then she raised her hand. According to Raphael, she couldn't last three minutes before getting flung away earlier, so what kind of guts does she have─
Boom─!!!
As if answering my question, a pillar of darkness appeared without any warning and engulfed Silvia.
Come to think of it, that earlier pillar of darkness was cast without any incantation either. Does this girl...?
Seemingly thinking the same thing, Silvia emerged from the pillar of darkness with a shocked expression. She couldn't even close her mouth.
“You learned Chant Cancellation in that short time?”
Isia just smiled. I was so stunned that my mouth hung open. According to the original story, Isia learns Chant Cancellation at the end of her second year. Right before advancing to third year.
That's about a year and five months from now. How is she doing it already? Did something happen before I arrived?
I have no way of knowing, but one thing's for sure─it's a huge gain.
Isia's master right now is me. A destruction tank that unleashes dark magic without warning is mine.
This should be enough to hold out.
“Isia.”
“...What.”
She turned to me with a pouty face. Eyes narrowed, lips pursed─the classic “I'm sulking” look.
Why is she acting like this? Even as I questioned the uncharacteristic behavior, I draped the robe over myself.
“I'll go get Raphael, so hold on for a bit.”
As the robe fully covered me, my vision was sucked into darkness. I heard something like “W-Wait─” but ignored it.
Right now, Isia can handle Silvia.
Which means leaving Raphael out there would just get in the way, so I'm stashing her in the robe. Of course, I'd be in the way too. Naturally.
[Straight ahead.]
I thought I heard a cat's sigh, but it must be my imagination. I pressed forward and removed the mask from my face.
[Here nya.]
“Just stretch out my arm?”
Nod nod.
As Lachesis nodded, I extended my arm, feeling a sensation of emerging outside along with something soft.
Bingo.
“Kyaa─?!”
I yanked the shrieking Raphael straight into the robe.
“I-I don't taste good!! Don't do this?! There are people outside named Lee Seong-hoon and Isia?? They're way tastier!! So much tastier!!!”
“...”
What is wrong with this girl? She was in the robe once already and now this. And she's immediately selling us out to save herself.
Snap─!!
“Ow!!”
I flicked her forehead and turned on my phone light. Raphael, clutching her head with teary eyes, brightened briefly upon seeing my face, then scowled.
“Warn me before you drag me in!! Are you trying to kill me?!”
“That hurts. Hold on. It really hurts!!”
“It's supposed to hurt!!”
I pushed away the damn blonde headbutting me like a woodpecker and explained the situation. But she wasn't listening, pounding away until her anger subsided.
“Hoo. I'm okay now. So Isia is fighting outside?”
“...Yeah.”
“And now you're going back to pick her up? We made a plan to run away?”
“We're not running.”
I started moving, ignoring her implied “Then why pick her up?” Since we're together in the robe, she had no choice but to follow.
“This robe is huge, huh. Because it was the reaper's? Could fit five people easily.”
“That's why I brought you. Keep the light on. I don't want Isia hitting me too.”
“Whoa. Are you sulking? No way?”
I'm not sulking. It just hurts a little. She learned Chant Cancellation too─she could actually kill me if she's not careful.
[Here. Stretch your arm when I signal nya. Move it on your own and your arm flies off nya.]
That's a bit scary. I swallowed dryly and prepared to extend my arm. I ignored the mutter from beside me about “Prosthetics are pretty good these days.”
[Now nya!]
Shunk─
I thrust my arm through the darkness. A different soft sensation from before.
Of course, the “Kyaa!!” was the same.
But her condition was awful. Covered in wounds, battered all over. She hadn't passed out, which was a miracle.
“You okay?”
“Ow ow... Huh? Where is this?”
“Inside the robe.”
Sorry to Isia for her confused look, but there was no time.
We have to pin Silvia down in this fog. Until “that person” arrives. Which means we can't run either.
She has to get out before the fog clears and she starts searching for us. Of course, that's Isia's job.
“You lost, right? Couldn't even fight properly?”
“H-How did you...?!”
Obvious. No way the fight with the vampire continued. Even now, Isia could fight, but she'd have been fighting blind from the Mana Eye or just staring at her feet.
No chance of winning. I tossed the mask I'd removed to Isia.
“Mask that blocks the Mana Eye. Put it on and fight. Then you can win.”
Isia, taking the mask, alternated glances between me and it before asking softly.
“Can I really win?”
What is this? Why ask that after learning Chant Cancellation? Of course you can win.
The meaning of Isia's Chant Cancellation is different from others'.
Because of her unique mana power Sea of Mana─no matter how many mid or high-tier spells she slams with Chant Cancellation, she never runs out of mana.
Who could block a barrage of high-tier Chant Cancellation spells? No wonder she's called a walking tank of destruction.
And yet that expression. She's not testing me or anything.
“Of course you'll win. Smash her to pieces.”
At my words, Isia hurriedly put on the mask. Then she flailed around, mumbling “H-How do I get out?!”
“Just go out.”
No time, so I kicked her out. Her ears looked bright red through the mask slits─is it hot in the robe?
“Raphael. Hot?”
“No? It's comfy.”
Hm. Poor circulation maybe.
“More importantly, can't we watch? I can pull out those popcorn snacks I gave you for your inventory last time.”
Is she insane? They're fighting for their lives and she wants snacks?
“Got cola too.”
I forgot to mention. Just hold out for 10 minutes. Some time's passed, so about 6 minutes left?
Anyway, if they hold that long, the one who can catch Silvia will arrive.
Until then, it's Isia's job, so mine is simple.
“Fightin' good nya.”
“Shut it.”
Stick my face out of the robe and watch the fight. If it gets dangerous, just pull it back in─so convenient. This is what live viewing is.
To others, it'd look like a floating head and be terrifying, but they're focused on fighting anyway.
Too far to hear words, but their standoff was intense. Especially Silvia─she looked pissed.
“When the hell did she even see Silvia to act like that at me? Know anything?”
“Dunno nya. Probably 'cause fools recognize fools─ Why hit me?!”
“Don't say useless crap.”
I ignored the angel clutching her head and sniffling, focusing on Isia. The magic's power was off.
Normally, Chant Cancellation skips spell construction and incantation, halving the power. But Isia's spells matched full incantations.
Even Silvia was gritting her teeth in disbelief. With mana pouring from her unique power Sea of Mana, she unleashed spells nonstop─nothing to do but take it.
No incantations, no approach, no escape against the mid-tier barrage. Couldn't summon her wolf authority, and the Mana Eye was blocked by the [Skeleton Mask] I gave her.
It was one-sided.
Undeserving of the progenitor name. Silvia seemed to be waiting for Isia's mana to run dry, but that'd take a full day of nonstop casting at least.
Not 10-verse grand magic─just 4-6 verse mid-tier spells. It'd never deplete.
“Should be arriving soon.”
And even if she wins, she can't kill her. Silvia's a progenitor. Regular vampires survive decapitation; progenitors? No need to explain.
Crush the head and it turns to fog. Crushing it is near impossible anyway. Even now, Isia's barrage only pins her movements.
So who can capture such a being?
The answer's simple. To catch a progenitor above humans, only the pinnacle of humanity.
For swordsmen, the Sword Saint─called the pinnacle and extremity of the blade.
For mages, one of the five Grand Archmages in the world.
You probably get it by now, but two such people are currently at Justitia.
Failed to meet one, actually both. But I met the key to summon them.
I calculated 3 minutes until she meets them, 10 total including travel.
“Why isn't she here yet.”
“What?”
“The deus ex machina to resolve this incident.”
“Don't know fancy words.”
“Something like that exists.”
As Raphael made a weird face asking “What─!!” it was like pulling the trigger.
Boom─!!
The fog rumbled. The two shouting and fighting froze.
But the sound didn't stop.
Boom─!!!
A bigger rumble. Cracks spread through the fog.
“Whoa. Vampire fog can crack like that?”
“Common sense doesn't apply to that person.”
Another rumble, cracking sounds, and the fog shatters beyond.
In the rushing light─
─Dad, I told you to hurry!! It's urgent!!
─I got it. We got here fast. Those kids will be fine.
─If you're wrong!!
A middle-aged man in a fedora, and a brown-haired girl.
Simply put, a doting dad and his daughter.
The master of a guild full of monsters.
A building in Justitia.
Alarms blared wildly like an emergency, red lights flashing dizzyingly.
But nothing burst out.
Simple reason.
Nothing left to burst out. The location: an isolation cell inside Justitia.
Normally used to temporarily hold captured villains or criminals from Justitia.
One man was there. Covered head to toe in blood, walking the interior.
He entered one room. The nameplate read [Park Shin-woo].
He sat naturally in the chair in front.
“What's up? Not the usual 'half-demon' tail-cutting, but a rescue op? I thought I'd been abandoned and was gonna beg the Association.”
“Situation's bad.”
The bound man, Park Shin-woo, smirked at that.
“Bad enough to borrow from vampires? I heard─'Apostle appeared, join quickly.'”
“Just aligned goals with the Night Clan. Got us here thanks to that. Need your sleep magic. HQ's nearly wiped out─no choice. Gotta borrow even fern hands.”
“Fern hands, huh. Hm. Won't I get slapped first when I return? 'Got blocked by some weird kid.'”
Might─ The man smirked and unbound Park Shin-woo's restraints. A finger snap shredded the binding suit.
Now free, Park Shin-woo bared his teeth in a grin. He stood without hesitation and walked.
No choices for him. He'd been grinding his teeth from the start. At the one who made him this way─
“Lee Seong-hoon. My condition for returning. Let me kill that bastard.”
“Later. That's for later.”
“Of course~”
Park Shin-woo whistled as he followed the man out the red corridor.