The Exquisite Timing of Pain
In short, timing was everything. Too early was no good, but too late would be its own disaster. I had to step in at the exact moment the high-tier monster shed its skin and resurrected. But I didn't know the future. I only had the knowledge I'd gained from reading the novel; my Supernatural Ability wasn't future sight. I knew the monster would resurrect, but I didn't know exactly when. So, I had to leave it to luck.
I sprinted with everything I had. I had no intention of clumsily dragging things out just to get the timing perfect. If I messed up, Yujin or Siul might actually die, and we couldn't have that.
The surrounding scenery blurred past. Soon, my breath hitched in my throat. I hadn't really paced myself, but wasn't I getting exhausted a bit too quickly? Well, I suppose it couldn't be helped. I did just get decapitated and had my brain turned into Swiss cheese.
Other injuries aside, head-related trauma took a massive toll on my regeneration. Back then, just getting choked would make me pass out, but this time, I managed to stay conscious even after getting my head chopped off. Since this wasn't like when I was self-harming alone in my dorm, the sheer panic of I can't pass out right now forced me to push my Super Regeneration to its absolute limit, desperately clinging to consciousness.
He-he, I'm so glad I kept choking myself regularly. See? Hard work really does make your abilities grow! Still, if I'd been left like that for any longer, I probably would've lost consciousness and ended up as nothing more than a living soccer ball.
Although the distance had been quite substantial, I closed the gap in no time. I'd been getting beaten up so much lately that I'd forgotten, but Lucia was still a proud member of the Golden Generation. Despite her fragile appearance, she was very much a superhuman.
Now, from here on out, it was up to fate. I had run blindly without keeping track of the time. My plan was to immediately point out that the high-tier monster's corpse looked weird the moment I arrived. Then Yujin would notice the anomaly and react. Sure, that meant I wouldn't get to show off my internal organs, but it would prevent any tragic accidents. The world is all about love and peace, after all. I couldn't let someone get hurt just to satisfy my personal desires, right?
But what if... what if I was just a little too late? What if I couldn't warn them in time? What if Yujin only noticed the monster's resurrection when it was already too late? Well, then... it would be time for a fun, delightful organ recital!
"Huff... pant..." As I ran, gasping for air, I saw people running from the opposite direction. Ah, it was Arin and Leo. Heh, I figured as much. Arin must have sensed the danger with her Supernatural Ability—even if she didn't know the monster was resurrecting, she would have sensed the 'crisis' itself.
Yujin, exhausted from the previous battle, was slow to react. He was just casually waving his hand. A short distance away, Siul was sprawled out on the ground. Both of them had completely let their guard down, paying no attention to the high-tier monster's corpse. That was why they didn't notice it. They didn't see the rigor mortis-like twitching shuddering through the monster's body.
Ah, looks like I was too late after all. Hey, I really tried, okay? I didn't let my selfish desires get the better of me, and I ran with all my might to warn them of the danger. If I was still too late despite that... well, then it couldn't be helped, right? Right?
The skin shed. No, it didn't just shed—it tore apart and exploded. Like a bomb detonating inside the beast, it shattered into pieces, spraying bodily fluids in every direction. The newly emerged high-tier monster's target was clear. Ignoring the collapsed Siul, it lunged like a shot arrow straight toward the sitting Yujin.
Yujin's misfortune was that the monster he had just defeated possessed a resurrection ability. Who could have guessed it would come back to life after being decapitated? Lucia might not die from that, but other monsters certainly did—normally, a severed head meant certain death. So, it was only natural that he had let his guard down. He realized what was happening a beat too late, but it was already too late. Exhausted from pushing himself to the limit, Yujin's reaction speed was far slower than usual.
Fortunately, in the wake of such terrible misfortune, a stroke of good luck arrived. They say life is full of ups and downs—a blessing in disguise, right? Ah, is that not the right expression for this? Anyway, when misfortune strikes, good fortune is bound to follow. And that good fortune is none other than me, Lucia!
"Watch out!" Yah! I shoved Yujin with all my might. Since I threw the full momentum of my sprint into the push, it was probably going to hurt a bit. But hey, it's better than getting a hole blown through your chest, right? I might have been late to warn them, but I wasn't too late for this. Yes, thank goodness—
Squelch! With a violent jolt, my body was thrust forward. The strength drained from my legs. My knees buckled, but the massive claw impaling my chest held me upright, keeping me from falling. My spine was crushed. My ribs shattered, pulverizing the lungs and heart they were meant to protect. Bloody foam surged up my esophagus, choking off my breath.
"Ah... aagh..." No scream came out. Only a sound like air escaping a deflating balloon leaked from my lips, muffled by the bloody froth. Gurgle. Hot, gelatinous clumps of blood drenched my lips. A massive torrent of blood poured from my nose as well.
He... he-he... eu-he-he... I weakly grabbed the claw that had pierced through my back and burst out of my chest. Blood gushed out in torrents, and shards of bone tore through my flesh. Drip, drip. As my consciousness began to fade, stars started twinkling in the sky. Huh...? But it's daytime? And the sky is completely covered in dark clouds? He-het, so pretty... Twinkle. Twinkle. Twinkle. The sky is full of shooting stars!
"Kyaa... ah... ugh..." My body was lifted. As the claw raised, I was hoisted up along with it, still skewered like a piece of meat. My flesh tore further, making the already catastrophic bleeding even worse. Starting from my chest, the blood ran down my stomach, soaking my legs completely. More. Just a little more. No... much more. Tear me apart even more. Everyone is watching. Yujin, Siul, Leo, Arin. Are the other students watching from afar too? He-he, I don't know. But I want everyone to look. Being watched makes it so much more exciting. Compared to self-harming alone, this is several... no, dozens of times better! Ahaha, everyone's face looks so weird. Why are you making those faces? I feel absolutely amazing right now.
Thud. I was tossed to the ground like a piece of trash. I landed neck-first, snapping my cervical vertebrae. My head bent at an angle it definitely shouldn't have. Roll, roll, roll. I'm really rolling around a lot today. My vision blurred. Dust got into my eyes, and tears streamed down my bloodshot eyes. I blinked to clear the debris. As my vision slowly returned, my eyes met Yujin's, who was staring right at me.
Whoa... what's with that face? Anyone would think the sky had just collapsed. I only got my chest pierced, my neck snapped, and shed a little bloody tear... isn't his reaction a bit much? Or is it? Is that normal? I don't have enough blood in my brain to think straight. One thing's for sure, though—I feel absolutely fantastic right now. I'm so happy... though it's a bit of a shame. I wish it had torn me apart just a little more... Ah... for some reason, I'm getting sleepy. It's too early to go to sleep... Twinkle, twinkle, little stars in the sky. Since the stars are out, I guess it's not actually that early. Good children go to bed early. Goodnight.
"Uaaaaaaaargh—!!!" It was closer to a scream than a battle cry. Yujin swung his sword frantically. Every second counted. He didn't have time to be held back by this high-tier monster. Over there, Lucia's body was rapidly growing cold.
It's fine. She'll be fine...! He desperately tried to soothe his anxiety. The more he panicked, the duller his blade would become. If he was truly worried about her, he had to calm down right now. To quiet his raging heart, Yujin forced himself to remember Lucia's Supernatural Ability. Her ability was Super Regeneration. She had been fine even after being decapitated. She would be fine this time too. Her chest had been horribly torn open, but... with her ability, surely...
But what if she wasn't? What if she had exhausted too much stamina recovering from her previous injuries, and couldn't regenerate this time? Then, Lucia would...? Her lifeless eyes were burned into his mind. A bone had pierced through the back of her neck. With her neck snapped, red blood ran down her cheeks like tears. Just like a corpse.
It's my fault... Because he had foolishly assumed it was over and let his guard down, she had ended up like that. She had taken the blow in his stead to protect him. If only he had been more composed. If only he hadn't let his guard down. If only he had reacted properly. If he had... just maybe...!
...No. There was no point in playing with "what-ifs" now. Time could not be turned back. He had already realized that painful truth five years ago. So right now, he had to defeat the monster in front of him. He had to treat her as quickly as possible. He had to. He had to, but...
"Huff...!" His chest felt tight. His lungs felt like they were burning. Hurry. I have to swing my sword even a fraction of a second faster. Move. Make my legs move faster. Hurry. There's no time. Faster, faster! His body was incredibly heavy. It felt as if thick chains were binding his entire body. He had exhausted his stamina to the absolute limit in the previous battle. He didn't have the strength left for consecutive fights.
The red glow of his red sword was too faint. The sparks it produced were like a match in the wind compared to before. In contrast, the high-tier monster showed no signs of fatigue. As if newly reborn after shedding its skin, it had become even faster and far sturdier. It thrashed around wildly. As if furious at having been decapitated, the high-tier monster went on a mad rampage.
"Dammit—!" Leo, struck by the high-tier monster's tail, coughed up blood and crashed into the ground. He had lunged forward to help, but his attacks didn't even leave a scratch. A casual, annoyed flick of the monster's tail was enough to break his arm. And that was only because Siul's ability had cushioned the impact. Otherwise, his arm wouldn't have just broken—it would have been torn clean off.
I really don't have anything left... Siul tried to hide her trembling legs, but her body wouldn't listen. She had overused her ability. With her current stamina, she could barely manage a small-scale space distortion. Angelica's golems kept the high-tier monster in check, but Siul's expression only grew darker. Knowing Angelica's personality, she would have jumped into the fray herself instead of relying on golems. The fact that she only sent golems meant she was in a state where she could only fight through them.
Ah, seriously... it got even stronger! Its sheer aura is completely different! In my current state, there's no way... Siul was just as anxious as Yujin. A student had been skewered. Right in front of her eyes, no less. It was a distance where she could have stopped it if she had just reached out and used her ability. The girl had thrown herself in harm's way to protect her classmate. She had been brutally impaled, and now her very survival was uncertain.
The high-tier monster roared. As it slammed the ground violently, the resulting shockwave pushed the golems back. The wounds Siul had barely managed to close reopened. She stumbled, clutching her side.
"I'm here. I'll help." A silver-haired girl dashed past Siul toward the monster. She wasn't alone. Multiple identical girls ran alongside her—all of them Anastasia's clones. However, there weren't many. Nine at most. Even if she wanted to create more, her physical and mental stamina couldn't keep up. When a clone vanished, the feedback returned to the original body. In other words, the current Anastasia was carrying the memories of the deaths of hundreds of clones that had perished in the battle against the monsters. It was a miracle she could even make nine. Yet, even this was not enough to draw the high-tier monster's attention. With a single sweep of its tail, the clones were completely wiped out.
"Why is she doing this too..." A heat ray gouged the earth, burning the side of the high-tier monster. It was Frey's Supernatural Ability. Staring blankly at Lucia's rapidly cooling body, Frey grit her teeth and fired heat rays in rapid succession. However, the result was not much different from Anastasia's. The rays couldn't even pierce the scales, merely scorching the outer surface.
"Fall back...! This isn't something you guys can handle!" "But even you can barely fight anymore, Ms. Siul!" Siul couldn't find the words to refute Arin's shout. Still, she couldn't just let these inexperienced students fight a high-tier monster. The only student who could even stand a chance was Yujin, who had been growing at an explosive rate, but even he was completely exhausted and had no strength left to fight properly.
What... what do I do now...? The monster did not wait for Siul to find an answer. Although the high-tier monster had previously ignored everyone except Siul and Yujin—the ones who had decapitated it—the constant interference finally made it switch targets. It crushed one of the clones under its forepaw, popping it instantly, and shattered a golem with its absurd bite force. It bent its legs and raised its head. With an explosion that shattered the ground, it leaped into the air. The sheer shockwave sent tremors through everyone's bodies. Soaring as if it had wings, the high-tier monster raised its forepaws, slick with wet blood, like twin blades.
"...Aris!" Siul screamed, realizing the monster's target. Frey unleashed an even more powerful heat ray, but the monster, despite having no foothold in midair, wasn't pushed back at all and plummeted even faster. Evading was... impossible. Even if she dodged, she would be caught by the follow-up attack. But just taking the hit was foolish. She hadn't wanted to use this method while others were watching. Just as Frey crouched, preparing to pull out her hidden trump card—
"Haaah!" Yujin threw himself between them. The red glow of his red sword was still faint. His exhausted arms felt as heavy as iron bars. His legs throbbed with bone-shattering pain—the result of forcing his body to move by using his flames as propulsion. They might have actually broken.
"Sun Sword!!" Once. He could use it just once right now. Even if he couldn't, he had to! Yujin let out a hoarse battle cry. Veins bulged on the back of his hands. The muscles in his legs swelled abnormally. An excruciating pain, as if his nerves were snapping, bound his entire body. His pounding heart felt like it was about to burst. Pouring every ounce of his remaining strength into the blade, Yujin swung his red sword toward the high-tier monster falling like a meteor.
"That's enough. Using such a technique in your condition is dangerous. Do you wish to destroy yourself?" A hand suddenly appeared and caught the red sword. It didn't grab Yujin's arm. It grabbed the very blade that was mid-swing. Yet, the hand holding the red sword didn't have a single scratch on it. Only yellow static electricity crackled around it.
"What...?!" Yujin's eyes darted to the person holding his sword. With a high-tier monster attacking, turning his gaze away was a pathetically dangerous move. Yet, for some reason, his inner instincts told him that there was absolutely no danger. It was a man he had never seen before. He had messy, untamed yellow hair and eyes that looked like carved diamonds. A white coat was draped over his shoulders, contrasting sharply with his black military uniform. The man, who had casually caught Yujin's sword and stopped the technique, pointed a finger at the high-tier monster.
With a blinding flash, thunder struck. The high-tier monster, which had easily ignored Frey's heat ray, let out a grotesque shriek and crashed to the ground. Having shot down the high-tier monster with a mere gesture, the man furrowed his thick eyebrows and spoke. "A high-tier monster. I had a bad feeling ever since the request for backup came in... I'm glad I rushed over just in case."
"Who are you...?" "If you're an academy student, you should at least recognize this uniform." Answering Yujin's question, the man let go of the red sword. Just as he said, Yujin knew what the uniform the man was wearing represented. It was the combat uniform issued to Heroes. But that wasn't what Yujin really wanted to ask. He wanted to know the identity of this powerhouse who had effortlessly stopped his ultimate technique and blown away a high-tier monster with a single gesture.
"Ah..." Siul's legs gave out, and she slumped to the ground. She let out a hollow, relieved chuckle. "W-we're saved..." She collapsed right there. It wasn't a very dignified sight to show in front of her students, but she had long since thrown decorum out the window. She hadn't expected him to come... though, actually, it made sense for him to move personally. After all, his daughter was in Class A. Whatever the reason, it was over now. The situation was as good as resolved.
"You all did well." Speaking in a flat, mechanical tone, he scanned the surrounding students. His gaze paused for a moment on a girl wearing glasses, whose eyes were brimming with tears as she looked at him. He gave a small nod. He seemed slightly relieved. "I will handle the rest." The man's name was Karlad. Captain of the 2nd Division.