An Unwanted Savior
In the distance, a thick cherry blossom tree snapped like a dry stalk of sorghum. A utility pole exploded, instantly silencing the speaker that had been blaring a continuous siren. With a deafening boom, a cloud of dust erupted into the air. The cherry blossom trees that had stood there for decades collapsed one after another like dominoes, scattering pink petals in a chaotic flurry. When the branches used to sway gently in the breeze, the falling petals had been so beautiful—but now, the sight was merely tragic.
Citizens fled in utter panic. People trampled over those who tripped, shoving each other out of the way. Everything was in absolute chaos.
"Kikek, kieeeeeeek!"
Small green imps chased after the crowd. They brandished rusted daggers and clubs stained with dried blood. Standing barely over a meter tall with scrawny builds, they didn't look particularly formidable. Yet, even these weak monsters were a lethal threat to ordinary citizens. Even putting aside the effects of Mental Pollution, it took only two or three of these creatures to easily bring down a healthy adult male. And they weren't bare-handed; they were armed.
Their judgment clouded by Mental Pollution, the citizens descended into a blind panic as the horde of green imps swarmed toward them.
"Frey!"
"I know, okay?!"
The petite girl used my shoulder as a springboard, leaping high into the air. Gliding over the fleeing crowd, Frey landed and immediately flashed a fierce red light from her eyes. A silent heat ray scorched the atmosphere. In an instant, the crimson beam pierced through the imps. Over twenty of the green creatures were engulfed by the intense heat, their skin melting and their flesh and muscle incinerating.
BOOM!
Soon, they evaporated, leaving not even bones behind. The heat ray gouged the earth, leaving a deep trench and erasing everything in its path.
Letting out a snort, Frey turned back to me, her red eyes still shimmering with residual heat. "This is a piece of cake. What are you standing around for? Let's move!"
I nodded in agreement, but before following her, I turned to the dazed crowd. "The heroes of Cheonmyeongdae are on their way! We'll protect you until they arrive, so please, evacuate calmly!"
And please don't trample people who fall like you just did. Would it kill you to help them up? Seriously, look at that. He's covered in bruises from being stepped on. Didn't you all get evacuation training in school? Stay calm, don't panic, watch your surroundings, and move to the shelter. That should be basic common sense in this world.
Still, I couldn't entirely blame them. The Mental Pollution emitted by monsters, even low-ranking ones, was enough to inflict a splitting headache on ordinary humans. Losing one's judgment and composure was actually a mild reaction.
I approached a fallen young man, took his hand, and pulled him up. I brushed the dirt and footprints off his clothes, offering him my warmest, most reassuring smile. "Are you alright? Are you badly hurt?"
"N-No... I mean, well..."
"That's a relief. You can walk, right? Make sure you don't fall again. And if you do, you have to get right back up, okay?"
Because if you fall again, you'll literally be flattened into a pancake. Dying from being trampled by fleeing crowds instead of being killed by a monster would be so pathetic and unfair, wouldn't it? I swallowed those last words and patted the young man on the back. His face, which had been pale with terror, flushed slightly.
Leaving the young man and the other citizens behind, I turned around. I had to move fast. I couldn't afford to linger in one place for too long.
The Rift in Space had opened at the center of the park. Normally, monsters would only emerge from the center of the gate, but this time, it was at least a Level 5 Rift. Monsters rained down at random from the massive tear in the sky.
Since Frey could handle long-range combat by blasting her heat rays from afar, there was rarely any need for me to step in. Aside from occasionally stabbing a clever monster that tried to ambush us from hiding, I barely had to lift a finger. Perhaps because they were low-ranking monsters, they weren't difficult to deal with. Channeling the same precision I used when carving my own flesh, I cleanly slit their throats.
"Tsk, the smell of blood..." Frey clicked her tongue.
An all-too-familiar scent was mixed into the burning smell carried by the wind. Since seeing blood was a daily occurrence for me, I knew exactly what that metallic tang was. Shaking my head to dispel the sticky, clinging scent of blood, I quickened my pace.
When fighting monsters and evacuating civilians, you inevitably witness moments where you were just too late. Effort alone cannot save everyone. I had to look upon cold, lifeless corpses over and over again.
...I'm sorry.
I offered a brief, silent apology and passed by, pretending not to notice. I felt pity, and I felt guilt. But I had absolutely no intention of letting myself be swallowed by those emotions. After all, I had done my best.
If only I had stopped Murmur, everyone would be safe. Today would have remained just another happy, ordinary day. No one would have had to experience the terror of being hunted by monsters, and no one would have lost their lives.
It was a bitter pill to swallow. Guilt weighed heavily on my chest. But then again, it wasn't like I was the one who did anything wrong, was I?
How on earth was I supposed to deal with a Main, an entity that required multiple peak-level humans just to barely hold their own against? I hadn't even awakened yet. Sure, I was near the top of the Academy's first-year class, but at the end of the day, I was still just a student. The fact that I had managed to buy time against a Main was practically a miracle.
Above all, Murmur was the cause of their deaths, not me. It would be ridiculous to blame myself when the actual culprit was someone else. Therefore, my path was clear. Instead of crying tears of useless self-pity, I needed to focus on preventing the situation from getting any worse.
At least Yujin is here. Thank goodness.
I looked up at the sky. A crimson flame was blazing like the sun. True to his status as the protagonist, he was putting on an incredible show. Swirling vortexes of fire rained down, leaving streaks of light in their wake. It looked like a torrential downpour, erupting volcanic bombs, and a meteor shower all at once.
It was thanks to Yujin that the casualties weren't far worse. He targeted only the monsters with pinpoint accuracy, incinerating them instantly and buying precious time for the citizens to escape. As expected of a future hero, his potential was obvious from the start.
But if he wastes his power like that, he's going to run out of steam in no time.
Yujin was pushing himself far too hard. Even at a glance, those were high-level techniques—undoubtedly a variation of his Sun Sword. It was his ultimate technique. The destructive power was undeniable, but it drained his physical and mental stamina at an alarming rate. If he kept spamming his power like this, he would collapse from exhaustion before long.
Fortunately, Cheonmyeongdae was highly experienced with these sudden emergencies. They would finish their deployment preparations and mobilize in no time. We only needed to hold out for a little while. The problem, however, was that even a "little while" was incredibly dangerous.
This was a park right in the middle of the city. Even a fleeting moment of chaos could result in unspeakable devastation. Furthermore, even if the heroes arrived quickly, Astaroth was still looming over us. She was merely spectating for now, but there was no telling when she might suddenly change her mind.
If only we had at least one Division Captain here... Even if a Captain couldn't defeat Astaroth, they could at least stall her until her "active time" ran out. But Captains were notoriously slow to move, rarely showing themselves unless absolutely necessary... Oh, wait.
...Actually, they might come.
Now that I thought about it, a Rift in Space of this scale had opened right in the middle of the city. This was the 4th District, which wasn't far from the capital, the 1st District. This was a massive disaster that absolutely warranted a Division Captain's personal intervention. In fact, it would be stranger if they didn't show up.
Once my thoughts reached that conclusion, a glimmer of hope finally appeared. A way to handle Astaroth, our greatest obstacle, had presented itself. Alright, then. I just needed to focus on what I could do right now. I shook my head to clear my worries, turned to Frey, and spoke. "Frey, I hear a weird noise over there. I think there are monsters—"
A series of screeching sounds, likely from monsters, followed by consecutive popping explosions echoed from that direction. Sensing that something was definitely going on, I had intended to suggest we go check it out.
"...!"
But I couldn't finish my sentence. Off to my front right, perched on a branch of a towering cherry blossom tree, was a single green imp. It had a bow drawn taut. A yellowed, rusted arrowhead gleamed ominously under the sunlight.
It wasn't aiming at me. It was targeting Frey, who had been incinerating the other monsters down to their very bones with her heat rays. Surely Frey wouldn't be taken down by an arrow from a stubby little goblin like that. Supernatural ability users could survive being shot by guns. An arrow from a low-ranking monster should be... No, wait.
Those imps were actually quite intelligent. They knew how to hide and ambush, and they knew to run away when outmatched. Would a creature like that launch a completely pointless attack? If it failed, it wouldn't even have bones left. And I didn't mean that metaphorically—Frey would literally vaporize it.
It must have targeted Frey, who was blasting heat rays left and right, because it was confident the attack would work. Unless it was absolutely sure it could deal damage... But a blunt arrow like that was far from enough to end a supernatural user's life. Ah. I see. That arrow... is it coated in poison?
...Poison.
It was just a guess. In reality, the imp might just be stupider than I thought, or it could simply be a desperate last stand. But I had learned about this at the Academy. Monsters that were weak but possessed high intelligence were notoriously cunning. Angelica had taught us that they would disguise themselves as humans, play dead, or coat their weapons in lethal toxins, warning us never to let our guard down.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my body was already moving on reflex. Frey was strong. I was certain an arrow like that couldn't possibly hurt her. But you never knew what could happen... and besides, letting your guard down is never a good idea, right? Even the mighty Mains in novels were defeated because of their carelessness. There is no mistake more fatal than pride and arrogance. Underestimating an opponent just because you're stronger is a surefire way to end up bleeding.
Anyway, I decided to take action for Frey's sake. Recalling the agonizing memory of the poison mushroom that still lingered in my mind, I lunged. "Frey!"
"Huh...?"
My push and the release of the bowstring happened almost simultaneously. Frey, knocked onto her backside, glared at me with irritation before her expression quickly turned to shock. It seemed she had finally spotted the monster perched on the branch.
But the arrow had already been loosed. I watched its trajectory with a pounding, excited—no, terrified—heart. The arrow flew toward me, swift as a lightning bolt. To ensure it hit me as effectively as possible, I thrust my chest forward. At this angle, it would undoubtedly pierce my chest or my neck.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind blew. A blurry afterimage snatched the arrow out of midair. *Thud!* The ground gouged as a large boy materialized. But he accelerated again instantly. Spinning his body, he hurled the arrow in his hand back at the imp like a throwing dagger.
"Kieeeeeeek?!"
The arrow pierced straight through the monster's throat. It seemed my suspicion about the poison was correct. The imp trembled violently, coughing up a dark, viscous pool of blood. Or maybe it was just reacting to having its throat punctured? Either way, judging by the bizarre color of its blood, it was definitely poisoned.
"Leo...?"
Why are you here?
"That was close. You'd better thank me," Leo said, flashing a confident, cocky grin.
I stared at him with a completely blank, dumbfounded expression, slowly nodding my head.
My arrow...