Chapter 129: The Lord is With Us (50)
Chapter 129: The Lord is With Us (50)
A thin silver line cut through the air.
A brilliant cluster of light left a scar upon the world. Blood from a demonic beast gushed out, pouring down in thick streams.
As if trying to grab its missing head, the monkey-like demonic beast’s hands fumbled around its neck. But no matter how much it searched, its head had long since fallen to the ground.
With a dull thud, the beast collapsed. It was an opponent I had already struck down countless times.
Without much thought, I flicked the blood off my blade. Looking around, it seemed the forest had been mostly cleared.
Beside Senior Delphine, the corpses of five or six monkey beasts lay scattered. A pungent smell of burning flesh wafted from the vertical sword wounds carved into them.
She had drawn multiple sword paths in a single breath, wiping out the beasts that had lunged at her all at once.
It was the Golden Silk Sword. Originally, the Golden Silk Sword mixed true strikes and feints, but as one’s mastery increased, the proportion of true strikes grew.
For example, Seria could draw three sword paths simultaneously, two of which were true strikes. With more practice, she would eventually be able to draw paths consisting only of true strikes, without any feints.
And with even more mastery, one could handle five sword paths.
That was the level Senior Delphine had reached. When she unleashed the Golden Silk Sword, five paths were drawn at once, three of which were the real deal.
As proof, the corpses of the monkey beasts sprawled before her each bore a single sword wound. They had lunged at her simultaneously and were suppressed in an instant.
On the other hand, the beasts fallen before Seria were collapsed in pairs. This was because she only commanded two true strikes with her Golden Silk Sword.
Watching Senior Delphine and Seria catch their breath, I clenched and unclenched my hand.
Though I didn't understand the principle, I too could use the Golden Silk Sword. My proficiency was higher than Seria’s, though lower than Senior Delphine’s.
Three sword paths and three true strikes.
That was my level.
Even so, I was merely relying on memories that had been engraved into my body at some point.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't understand. How had the 'me' from the future mastered the secret techniques of the Yurdina family? He had even mastered the secret grappling arts of the Holy Kingdom and the secrets of the Sword Circle.
Since thinking about it wouldn't provide an answer right now, I shook my head and dismissed the thought.
My eyes turned toward the depths of the forest. The cave was right in front of us.
"If you're finished cleaning up, let's move. Flesh Seeds might appear near the cave, so watch out for ambushes."
As I prepared to step forward again, I suddenly looked at Celine.
She looked incredibly tense. Her arms and legs were trembling, and her face was so pale I wondered if she could even continue fighting.
Then again, today was essentially Celine’s first real combat experience.
And yet, she had faced monkey beasts, mythical monsters, and was now heading to destroy a nest where the Dark Cult was conducting secret experiments.
It was only natural to be afraid. I silently placed a hand on Celine’s shoulder.
Startled, Celine stiffened, but as soon as she saw it was me, she let out a sigh of relief.
Her amber eyes were sunken and listless.
"…Ian-oppa."
"Are you scared?"
At my blunt question, Celine’s eyes trembled slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, she weakly shook her head.
"…No."
Hearing that, I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. It was obvious to anyone, but it seemed she wanted to maintain some shred of pride.
"If you're scared, you can stay back."
"B-but…"
"However, there will be many more times in the future where you'll have to put your life on the line. I'm not entirely sure why, but that's especially true if you're by my side."
Celine’s hesitant mouth clamped shut. She looked up at me with sorrowful eyes.
She looked like a puppy caught in the rain. I gave a faint smile and stroked Celine’s hair.
As I gently pressed down on her head, Celine let out a small groan and glared at me. Even so, she didn't reject my touch.
"Celine, once you've picked up the sword, there are no other options… It’s either kill or be killed. You have to get used to it."
"…Okay."
Celine answered dejectedly. In the end, I could only give a bitter smile and turn my back again.
This was a problem Celine had to find the answer to herself. My words wouldn't bring her instant realization.
But wait, who was I to be giving Celine advice?
I rubbed my chin. Thinking about it, my own actual combat experience was quite meager. Strictly speaking, Senior Delphine or Senior Elsie probably had more experience than I did.
But my musings didn't last long. Suddenly, a tuft of brown hair thrust itself in front of me.
A small frame—it was Senior Elsie.
She had been hovering around, hesitantly watching me for a while. When I looked at her with a questioning gaze, Senior Elsie squeezed her eyes shut as if she had made up her mind and shouted.
"I—I did well too!"
I stared at Senior Elsie blankly for a moment, then, realizing her intention, I smiled again.
It seemed she had mistaken my stroking Celine’s hair as a reward. She was apparently so jealous that she was staging a protest.
Of course, it was just a one-sided misunderstanding on Senior Elsie’s part. Out of everyone I knew, Senior Elsie was the only one who considered having her head stroked a reward.
The way she peeked at me with expectant eyes was quite adorable, so I had no choice but to stroke Senior Elsie’s head as well.
Immediately, her face relaxed with an "ehehe," and her mouth curled into a silly grin.
"Ian-nim, hehe… I love you…."
Like a puppy expressing affection, Senior Elsie clung to my arm and rubbed her cheek against it.
It was a shocking sight, but by now, even Celine and Seria didn't pay it any mind. They had already grown used to it.
That was how proactive Senior Elsie’s expressions of affection were. I was starting to worry about what I would do once we returned to the Academy.
Nevertheless, it didn't feel bad.
Senior Elsie had trusted me and followed me. Even though her life was on the line. As someone who usually didn't care about commoners, it must have been hard for her to agree with my cause.
And it wasn't just Senior Elsie.
Celine, Seria, and Senior Delphine were the same.
Before I knew it, I had so many comrades by my side. In other words, the number of people I had to protect had increased by that much.
I silently calmed my heart, sharpening my resolve more than ever.
My eyes grew deep and still. I recalled the murmur of the man I had seen one day.
'I will never regret again.'
Those words echoed heavily in my chest.
The cave was now right before our eyes.
The inside of the cave was still damp and cool.
It hadn't been long since we left, so the climate couldn't have changed. It was just that the late afternoon air brought a more eerie chill.
It would be night soon.
When the time of the Evil God Omeros arrived, her subordinates would become even stronger and more ferocious. The Flesh Seeds would likely be no exception.
We had to end this quickly. This was why I had hurried our pace despite the party’s fatigue from the long battle.
We moved as cautiously as possible, but there had been no ambush from the Flesh Seeds yet. After passing through a long tunnel, we reached the pit.
I glanced back. Representing the group, Senior Delphine nodded.
We slowly entered the cavern where the pit was located.
There, Flesh Seeds were walking around, making grotesque noises. When I first saw them, many had been asleep, but not anymore.
Dozens of monsters were writhing and running around the pit. Some were letting out screams of unknown origin.
And the Flesh Nest located in the center was writhing as it spat out more Flesh Seeds.
A membrane that hung like fruit was torn open, and a newborn Flesh Seed staggered to its feet. A terrified voice was mixed into its screeching cry.
It was likely the voice of the human used as raw material.
It was a sight that evoked instinctive revulsion. The party’s expressions had long since soured, and I felt a faint, burning rage.
They must not be allowed to live.
I realized once again that my judgment had been correct. I whispered to Senior Elsie.
"Senior Elsie, start chanting immediately. Senior Delphine and I will lead the entry—"
It was then that a strange presence entered my senses.
My eyes slowly drifted toward the ceiling. There, a single Flesh Seed was crouched, glaring down at Senior Elsie. It was the signal right before a pounce.
I cursed inwardly. Come to think of it, the Flesh Seeds could use those claws to move along the walls. It wasn't strange for them to be ambushing us from the ceiling.
I immediately pushed Senior Elsie aside, and the sword I had already drawn slashed down toward the lower left.
Then, three vertical lines were carved into the air as if surging upward.
Kieeeeeeeek!
The Flesh Seed that passed through the silver bars was sliced into four pieces and rolled across the ground. Soon, a "pssh" sound followed as blood sprayed from the cut line that ran from its crown down the middle.
One Flesh Seed stopped moving.
But that was only one.
My eyes frantically scanned the ceiling. There, hanging like bats, were more Flesh Seeds glaring at us with blood-red pupils.
The moment bewilderment clouded the party's eyes, I shouted.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
It was time for the blood-soaked myth to be reenacted.