Chapter 425: Proof of Existence (13)
Chapter 425: Proof of Existence (13)
Scenery holds no meaning in the midst of a sprint.
The world is reduced to a blur of compressed lines. Amidst the roar of the wind, the only thing stimulating my five senses is the heavy thud of my feet striking the earth.
I was running with every ounce of my strength.
I had no luxury to look around. As I drew closer to my destination, my vision was gradually consumed by clouds of dust.
The faint scent of blood brushed against the tip of my nose. Screams carried over on the wind. The sharp clang of clashing steel filled the air, and soon, my mind was occupied by a single person.
Ria Percus—my younger sister was over there.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Hellholes were incessantly vomiting acidic fluid. Holy Knights drenched in the dark green liquid shrieked in agony. The sight of humans melting away was gruesome, to say the least.
I had been gone for only a few hours, yet the military camp had turned into a scene from a nightmare.
I skidded to a halt at the edge of the battlefield, gasping for breath. Only then did the man I was carrying on my back lightly touch the ground.
It was Mr. Reynold.
A mage cannot run faster than a swordsman. While they can increase their speed with flight magic or similar spells, it is incomparable to the full-speed dash of a skilled knight. Thus, Mr. Reynold had to endure the indignity of being carried on my back.
In a large-scale melee, the presence of a capable mage is irreplaceable.
Perhaps reading my frantic state, he spoke in a calm voice.
"Go on. Go find your sister."
"But..."
I wanted to do exactly that. However, the words to leave wouldn't come out of my mouth.
The battle had already devolved into a chaotic free-for-all. I could see wounded Holy Knights retreating right before my eyes. How could I prioritize my own selfishness in front of those facing death?
Despite the situation, not a single ripple of agitation crossed Mr. Reynold’s face.
"I will take responsibility for this area."
As I hesitated, Mr. Reynold raised his index finger and gave it a slight flick. Along the trajectory of his movement, lines of brilliant blue electricity began to align.
And a few seconds later.
The atmosphere shrieked as bolts of lightning rained down. Explosions erupted, gouging out the surface of the earth. The Hellholes writhed and screamed as they were struck.
"A mage! A mage has come to support us!"
"Counterattack! Counterattack! Protect the wounded!"
He hadn't even properly chanted. With nothing more than a few movements of his fingers, the results Mr. Reynold’s gestures brought about were truly terrifying.
It was a level of power rivaling Elsie Senior’s 'Gale and Thunderbolt.'
I found myself reflecting on Mr. Reynold’s title once again.
'Archmage.' His skill was indeed on a different level. I finally understood why Elsie Senior feared him so much.
He urged me once more.
"Go."
I nodded without a word. He had gone as far as using force to put my mind at ease; I couldn't argue with that.
With a much lighter heart, I resumed my sprint.
As I had feared, the chaos of the battlefield had spread into the heart of the camp. Priests were hurrying about to tend to the influx of wounded, while merchants and non-combat personnel were frantically packing their belongings.
A low groan escaped my lips as I watched the scene.
Carcasses of Hellholes were scattered everywhere. It seemed they had tunneled underground to launch a surprise attack. It was no wonder everyone was terrified and trying to flee.
My heart felt like it was parching. All I wanted was to find Ria. But no matter where I looked, she was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, I spotted someone. A man I was at least somewhat acquainted with.
The two Holy Knights who had volunteered to escort me.
They were fighting desperately, struggling to suppress their groans of pain. After a moment's hesitation, I drew my hand axe.
The risk of blindly searching for Ria’s tracks was too great. It was better to find someone who might know where she had gone.
Those two were the most likely candidates.
They were the ones ordered to escort me and Mr. Reynold. Naturally, there was a high probability they had also been tasked with looking after Ria, who was part of our group.
Besides, there was no way I could just leave them behind. The vibrations echoing from beneath the earth were already triggering my intuition.
A silver flash shot from my hand.
"Get down!"
My words were too short to even be polite. The situation was just that urgent.
Though they looked bewildered, the Holy Knights quickly threw themselves to the side. A split second later, a hand axe tore through the air with a sonic boom and slammed into the ground.
A fountain of blood erupted from the earth.
Kieeeeeeeeeek!
With a shriek, a wrinkled, cylindrical body surged upward. Blood poured from the maw that had been filled with soil just moments ago. Dark green acidic venom dripped down, mingling with the gore.
The hand axe was buried halfway into the upper part of the monster's mouth.
I instinctively clicked my tongue. I had intended to end it in one blow, but since it was surging up from underground, it was difficult to gauge its exact position.
Of course, that was only by my standards.
The Holy Knights, who hadn't even noticed the Hellhole's presence, looked utterly stunned. Their eyes frantically scanned my face. It was the look of people seeing a stranger for the first time.
My eyes clouded with suspicion for a moment, but I soon realized the truth. In the heat of battle, the hood that had been covering my face had fallen back.
The Holy Knights didn't know my identity. Naturally, they would look at me as if I were a stranger.
However, the presence of the hand axe I had thrown seemed to be greater than I imagined.
"By any chance... are you Sir Ian?"
The eyes of the younger of the two Holy Knights sparkled. It was a gaze filled with unmistakable admiration.
When I had seen him a few hours ago, he had looked frustrated.
I had no choice but to nod, even as I forced an awkward smile.
"Yes, that's right."
The one who showed an even more dramatic reaction was the middle-aged Holy Knight.
The man, whose arm I had once twisted, had been wearing a face full of worry. But the moment he heard my words, the dark clouds hanging over his face vanished instantly.
Instead, he cried out in pure ecstasy.
"Sir Ian Percus is here! He has come to save us!"
It was a thunderous shout, infused with mana.
The surroundings fell into a sudden silence, and I was so startled by the abrupt announcement that I moved to stop him.
That was when cheers erupted from all directions.
"The Hero of Humanity is here!"
"Monsters are no match for us!"
"If you want honor, swing your swords!"
In the end, all I could do was let out a hollow laugh.
They didn't even bother to verify the truth—whether I was actually Ian Percus or someone impersonating him. Despite that, everyone was cheering.
It was because they wanted to believe.
An army of demonic beasts had suddenly invaded. Objectively, the situation was hopeless, and no path to victory was in sight. In that moment, I was the first glimmer of hope to appear.
It could be called a form of self-hypnosis.
The only difference was that I had the duty to turn that hypnosis into reality. I immediately threw the hand axe that had returned to me and plunged my sword deep into the ground.
Rumble. The earth trembled.
Following the sounds reaching my ears, I poured all my strength into the hand gripping the sword. As mana flooded into it, the blade vibrated and shrieked. A pure, white aura began to cleave through the strata.
Snap, snap. The sound of something breaking echoed from below.
Whether it was blood vessels or tendons, I didn't know.
The veins in my eyes bulged as I gritted my teeth. Finally, as I exhausted my mana, a strained groan escaped my lips.
Please, let it end with this.
The moment that wish ended, the world was dyed in light.
Boom! With a violent explosion, the ground burst upward. The screams of Hellholes rose along with the mounds of earth. Cracks spread across the ground, centering on the spot where I had plunged my sword.
And from those spiderweb-like fissures, blood sprayed upward.
Staggering, the weakened Hellholes managed to poke their heads out of the ground before collapsing, their strength spent. Their entire bodies were mangled, the result of being shredded by the aura that had permeated the earth.
The vibrations from beneath the ground ceased. As soon as I confirmed this, I rushed over to the middle-aged Holy Knight.
"Where is Ria?"
"You... you really are Sir Ian..."
The middle-aged knight still looked dazed. I gave a weary smile at the faint disbelief in his eyes.
"Who else would I be? More importantly, my sister..."
"She is in the tent at the very rear."
The answer came from the younger Holy Knight. I looked at him with surprised eyes.
"We evacuated her there as soon as the attack began. Since she is a VIP..."
"Thank you."
Leaving only a brief word of thanks, I kicked off the ground. After running for a while in the direction the younger knight had pointed, a tent that looked luxurious even at a glance came into view.
That's the place.
Just as I was about to feel relieved, a scream erupted from inside the tent.
"He-help me... Brother!"
It was unmistakably my sister's voice.
My mind went completely blank.
And then, unfamiliar memories began to surface behind my retinas.