Chapter 380: A Step Too Late
Chapter 380: A Step Too Late
Suddenly, my throat felt parched.
I ran a hand roughly through my hair for no particular reason. Then, I slowly turned to face the enemy, who still stood motionless.
“Noel Yurina.”
At the sound of her name, Yurina flinched.
—Me…? You know me?
Of course I did.
A flicker of panic crossed the enemy’s face. Instead of answering, I raised my sword high, then twisted my wrist slightly to turn the Victoria’s Glory vertical.
She had been mentioned several times during our meetings, and I had confirmed her identity through information from Third Eye. More importantly, she was the woman… no, the enemy… known as the ‘Villainess’ in my first life, one of Simon’s closest aides.
But the fact that I knew Yurina didn’t matter. Whether I knew her or not, she was just one of the countless enemies I had to kill.
In the end, the conclusion was the same: she had to die.
The thought and the action were one. I drew my body back like a bow.
—Who are you? How do you know me? Answer me!
In a single burst, I unleashed my magic power and shot forward with Bowstring Shadow Step, as if flung from a string.
A look of dismay flashed across Yurina’s face.
There was no time for questions. In a heartbeat, the distance between us vanished. Yurina calmly moved her hand, raising her whip.
Vwoooom!
Swish!
At the very instant the Victoria’s Glory hummed through the air, the lashing whip met the tip of my blade perfectly. Then, like a slithering snake, it coiled around the sword with astonishing speed. When it had wrapped more than halfway up the blade, a glimmer of hope appeared on her face.
Just then, without a moment’s hesitation, I let go of my sword.
—What?
Her gaze, fixed on the sword, instantly turned to one of horror. But before she could react, I had already closed the distance, my left hand shooting toward the slender part connecting her head and torso.
—Ah!
The moment I felt the soft texture in my palm, I yanked down without delay.
Whoosh!
Yurina’s upper body was forced to bend.
Following the trajectory of her lowered head, I kicked off the ground with all my might, driving my knee up to meet her falling face.
Thud!
A dull impact resonated through my knee. But it wasn’t over.
Finally, I clenched the hand that was still gripping her neck.
Rip! Crunch!
—Gack…!
With the sound of tearing flesh, I felt a handful of skin and bone. The enemy’s face, flung back, was caved in at the center. Blood gushed from her brutally torn throat.
Thump!
At last, the enemy collapsed completely. Her body twitched once or twice, a sign she was still alive, but soon went limp.
I let out a soft sigh. With this, the people I knew…
I had saved most of them.
But the war wasn’t over. And it wasn’t enough. Even after taking immediate revenge, the thirst plaguing my throat wouldn’t subside.
I stared blankly at the corpse before speaking in a low voice.
“User Ko Yeonju.”
“……”
The reply didn’t come immediately. When I glanced at her, I saw her staring at the ground with a dazed expression.
“As the Clan Lord, I command you. Take everyone here and leave the battlefield. Now.”
“Ah.”
Sensing my gaze, Ko Yeonju hastily turned and nodded.
“I-I will obey the Clan Lord’s command.”
After giving a single nod, I looked at the corpse again. The Villainess, Noel Yurina. The right hand of the Western Continent’s leader, Simon. Her presence here meant…
I briefly glanced to my left.
Has Simon already passed through?
Then I looked to my right.
Or is he still on his way?
It was then.
“Orabeoni…”
Just as I was about to move, I felt a tug on my collar and heard a plaintive voice. I calmly turned my head to see Ahn Sol looking up at me, her eyes welling with tears. Her shoulders trembled with suppressed sobs, and her lips quivered slightly.
“Are you… are you leaving?”
“Let go…”
Are you going to act childish at a time like this? The thought crossed my mind, and I was about to push her away.
But then Ahn Sol slowly raised her left arm. Her next action made me fall silent.
“Here…”
My gaze followed her arm to her fingertip, which was pointing in a specific direction. It was the exact same direction I intended to go.
“It’s this way…!”
“You…?”
“Punish… Punish them, please.”
Only then could I properly assess Ahn Sol’s state. Her voice was half-sob, half-speech, but her eyes were blazing with an intensity that defied description.
I stared at her blankly for a moment before patting her head once. Her arm dropped limply to her side. I, too, removed my hand from her head.
Then, without looking back, I started to run.
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
A metallic-smelling wind blew from the direction Ahn Sol had pointed. I didn’t know what lay ahead, or who. I just ran endlessly across the field, the scent of blood hanging in the air.
Shin Sangyong.
Suddenly, a thought of Shin Sangyong surfaced.
From our first meeting to the memories of this war.
Shin Sangyong had always been quiet, almost unnoticeable. Though his presence was faint, he was someone who always did his part without a word.
When we discovered treasure while exploring the ‘Ruined Laboratory,’ Shin Sangyong had volunteered to stand guard.
During the forced march through the ‘Cave of Screams,’ Shin Sangyong had volunteered for the night watch.
When I gave him a Magic Power Elixir as a reward, he ended up giving it to Ahn Sol instead of taking it himself.
Yes. From the very beginning, that was the kind of person Shin Sangyong was. He was exceptionally mindful of those around him. Every single one of his actions showed a clear effort not to inconvenience anyone. Watching him, I once thought he was similar to how I was in my first life.
If only I had been a little faster…
I hadn’t seen Shin Sangyong’s death. What thoughts had gone through his mind as he was dying?
Did he feel resentment? Regret?
A thousand complex thoughts rose and fell in my mind in an instant.
Through it all, I kept running in a straight line, in the direction Ahn Sol had shown me.
The wind was still blowing. But I could feel the faint scent of blood growing stronger and stronger the farther I went.
Eventually, as if crossing an invisible line, I began to sense numerous presences all at once.
Had this area already been swept through? As my feet pounded the blood-soaked field, a sticky, viscous liquid clung to them.
“The magic restriction is gone!”
—Wh-What just happened! Why are you suddenly back to full strength?
Shouts from multiple people ahead reached my ears simultaneously.
I lifted my head slightly.
Just as I thought.
Enemies slowly came into view in the distance. It seemed this was where most of them had gathered. They were so numerous they filled my entire field of vision, and I could see fierce battles raging everywhere.
It seemed the Unique Ability ‘Miracle’ of the ‘Priestess of Radiance’ hadn’t just affected me, but all our allies. Unlike the one-sided slaughter from before, the Eastern Users were now fighting back fiercely, even as they were being pushed back.
The clash of weapons rang out noisily, and screams flew from all directions. Arrows rained down everywhere. The explosions erupting here and there were likely the remnants of magic.
My thoughts of Shin Sangyong had calmed me slightly, but the moment I saw the battlefield, a fierce emotion surged within me. I felt the thirst I had briefly forgotten return.
Vwooom! Vwooooom!
Just before plunging into the picture of hell, I swung the Victoria’s Glory in a wide arc. The sword, saturated with magic, emitted a brilliant light that illuminated the blood-stained battlefield.
—It’s a surprise attack!
The moment they saw me, the enemies at the very rear turned and charged. I twisted my body slightly, dodging a thrusting spear and cutting left and right with a fluid motion of my sword.
Splurt!
Streams of crimson blood shot out, crossing in an X before me and staining my vision.
Whoosh!
—Kraaaah!
Just then, a man leaped from the front, roaring as he raised both arms high. The instant his blade glinted in the sunlight, I flicked my sword lightly, as if throwing a jab into the air.
Bang! Crack!
The wave of force that shot through the air struck the man’s head just as he was about to bring his weapon down. While his body was still airborne, fragments scattered in all directions.
The other enemies who had turned to face me froze for a second.
I’ll cut down anything that gets in my way.
I had already decided to charge straight ahead. That was the very least I could offer Shin Sangyong—my compromise with the enemy.
It was then.
“Finally found you, Mercenary Lord.”
Along with a familiar voice, my Sensing picked up someone rapidly closing in from the side. The speed was incredible. Before I could even take a breath and turn my head, the presence was already within range.
Of course, that also meant he was within my range. I readjusted my grip on the Victoria’s Glory and swiftly swung it upward diagonally, toward my right chest.
Clang!
Red sparks flew. The weapon was a spear. The tip of my sword struck the spearhead perfectly, sending it flying upward. Despite this, the enemy didn't stop his charge toward me.
?
A hand grasped my shoulder, and a low voice whispered in my ear again.
“Impressive. Truly impressive. I can see why Baek Seoyeon lost to you.”
Is it that Vagabond?
Simultaneously, the spear’s movement became erratic. As if anticipating my block, it spun in mid-air, then rotated and came thrusting back in a sharp turn. The spear, wreathed in a terrifying black gale, was aimed precisely at my blind spot.
“Let’s just poke one hole in you, then we can talk.”
If this were the past, I might have mentally praised him for launching a follow-up attack that exploited my divided attention. But not now.
An obstruction.
The single thought that he was in my way made me bite my lip. I unleashed the power latent in my heart.
Fwoosh, fwoosh!
The energy of Eternal Flame erupted from my chest. The pure flames instantly swallowed the spear and, following my will, incinerated it completely.
In the space that was revealed, there was only empty air, as if the spear had never existed.
I felt a faint, but perceptible, flinch from the hand on my shoulder.
“Get your hand off me. Piss off.”
As the words left my mouth, I thrust the Victoria’s Glory straight up.
“Keuk!”
A single scream was accompanied by the sensation of something bursting. I flicked my sword forward as if shaking something off my hand. I saw a man sprawled on the ground, his tongue hanging out.
Hyeon, was it? He was the one I had spoken to on the castle wall before the battle.
I don’t know how he defended himself, but he wasn’t dead yet. The proof was that he reached out a hand to brace himself on the ground as he tumbled. I immediately rushed him. I brought my sword down, piercing the hand on the ground, then kicked him in the stomach with a foot full of magic.
Squish!
“Aaaargh!”
The man let out a mournful scream as he rolled on the ground again.
I charged again, this time kicking his face as if it were a ball. Only after I confirmed his head had burst like a watermelon did his screams finally cease. I watched his body go limp, then took a breath and raised my head.
—……
—……
The enemies weren’t attacking. They were everywhere, and quite a few were watching me. Even though the notoriously aggressive Western Continent Users were all around, they just hesitated, their eyes darting between me and my surroundings.
In that state, I took a step forward.
The enemies took a step back.
I suddenly felt a warm liquid trickling down my hair and cheek. The realization brought with it an inexplicable, intense thirst. The dryness in my throat, which had started earlier, was getting worse.
And for some reason, I felt that if I just killed everything in front of me, I would feel relieved. Just a moment ago, when I killed the Vagabond, the burning in my throat had cooled, if only for an instant.
Right. If they won’t come to me, I’ll go to them.
Ping! Pipipip!
Just as I thought that and tensed my body, several arrows flew at me. I dodged them by lunging forward. I heard them strike the innocent ground behind me.
—Dammit!
The moment my feet, which had been flying low to the ground, touched down again, several men who had been watching cautiously charged at me in a horizontal line.
I angled my sword to deflect the first attack, and at the same time, I ducked low, letting the force of the blow carry my body forward in a slide.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Slipping between the panicked trajectories of weapons that cut through empty air, I swept my sword in a wide arc as if scooping them up. I felt a series of slicing sensations, and by the time I had passed through them all…
—Aaaargh! Aaaaaargh!
I could see them all collapsing at once.
I immediately straightened up. A man who had been standing there dumbfounded was staring at me, his mouth agape.
As I passed him, I bisected him at the waist in a single motion. Even though he wore heavy armor, my sword cut through the steel without resistance.
As he screamed and bent over, I placed a hand on his head and vaulted up. Then I kicked off his back and leaped high into the air again.
The ground receded in an instant, and the fierce battlefield below came into view.
I could see them all. The men fighting here and there. The men groaning with their ankles severed. The man I had just stabbed collapsing to the ground. And the enemies gathering to try and catch me.
My body traced a parabola through the air. My landing point was a tangled mess of allies and enemies locked in combat. There was barely any room to step.
Just before I began my descent, my eyes caught a man with a familiar face. He, too, was looking up at the sky. The moment our eyes met, his face contorted. He stretched his hand toward my landing point and shouted something with all his might.
Boom!
An explosion, like a bomb detonating, rocked the crimson earth. Black smoke billowed up in a circle, engulfing the enemies. Those hit by the smoke instantly swelled up before melting away with horrific screams.
The moment I started to fall, the smoke cleared. The space it revealed was filled with melted enemies and a newly secured clearing.
I tilted my head for a second, but it was a welcome development. I channeled magic into the Victoria’s Glory and raised it high. Then I began to spin as I fell.
The trajectory of the sword left an afterimage, and by the time I landed safely in the cleared space, it had formed a shape like a tornado.
Thud!
The moment I landed, I twisted my sword, breaking the continuous arc. Then, with my empty left hand, I punched the air.
Boom!
The magic remaining in the afterimage of the trajectory instantly became sharp blades that spread out in all directions.
Slice, slice, slice, slice! Slice, slice, slice, slice!
Like a spreading whirlwind, a storm of blades mercilessly tore apart the surrounding enemies.
Mournful screams echoed as body parts were flung violently in every direction. At the same time, a hot rain of blood, pitter-patter, drenched my body.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them.
I saw countless Users staring at me across the momentarily cleared battlefield. Among them was Kang Tae-wook, the ‘Curse Caster’ who had secured my landing zone.
I see. So that’s how they were holding on.
He must have seen me attacking from the rear and acted on his own initiative.
I slowly walked forward. One enemy was still buried in the debris, waiting for a chance to strike as I passed.
Just as I was about to lower my sword.
“Watch out!”
—Die! Gak!
The man buried in the debris was about to leap out from between the corpses when his neck snapped violently and he collapsed.
I glanced to the side and saw another familiar face.
“M-Mercenary Lord!”
The Requiem Assassin. Was his name Lee Chanhee? He retrieved his thrown dagger and immediately ran to my side.
It was then.
『The Demon’s Eye, the Evil Eye, is watching you!』
『Countering with the Third Eye. Analysis complete! User of the Evil Eye confirmed as Simon Grimes. Location is…』
At that moment, I felt a strength enter my eyes.
“Do you happen to know where the Shadow Queen is?”
I vaguely pointed in one direction. Then I pushed him aside and started running again.
“M-Mercenary Lord! Where are you…!”
I heard him call out, but I ignored him and ran.
Now I was beginning to understand why Ahn Sol had told me to go this way.
Simon Grimes.
I had joined this war to kill him.
Ahn Sol had pointed me exactly where I needed to go.
*
“Vivian? I don’t see any more enemies. Shouldn’t we start moving? I’m worried about the Clan Lord.”
“……”
“Vivian?”
At Lim Hanna’s question, Vivian snapped out of her daze and blinked. She then sighed and nodded.
“Oh, yeah. You’re right.”
“Are you sick? Maybe you’re exhausted…”
Vivian shook her head at Lim Hanna’s follow-up question.
“N-No. I’m fine. My magic suddenly recharged after that light hit us. I could even summon one more. But…”
“That’s great news…! But…?”
Vivian tilted her head for a moment and stared in one direction. Then she spoke softly.
“It’s just… something’s felt a little strange for a while now. Why do I suddenly feel so sad?”