The Insect King's Last Stand (7)

Time passes. No matter how viscous, slow, or painful it may be, time moves forward with absolute certainty. With every second that slipped by, my victory drew undeniably closer.

The poison flooding in through Blood Qi Absorption was being steadily neutralized, and I somehow endured the relentless pressure from that overwhelming mass of bugs using Regeneration and absorption. After burning through that brutal back-and-forth, nearly twenty minutes had passed before I realized it. I'd already held out for half the required time.

"Urgh!"

Valcan clicked his tongue in clear frustration. I suppose if something looked like it was about to break but refused to shatter, even I would get irritated.

"You damn bastard! Just die already! Die!!"

"...What's wrong? Starting to feel scared? The saintess is gathering holy power behind me, yet you still can't get through?"

Even as my entire body crumbled, I let out a low chuckle. My mind felt half-gone. Every inch of me screamed in agony, yet laughter kept spilling out. This was the first time I'd seen him so visibly shaken.

It looked like he had truly run out of breathing room. The shadow of death closing in was now the same for him.

"Damn you!"

Of course, he wasn't done fighting back entirely. Valcan pointed at me and opened the gourd hanging at his waist. He'd burned through most of his bugs, but it seemed he hadn't exhausted the ones stored inside.

From the opened gap, tens of thousands of locusts poured out in a swarm. The disgusting horde immediately latched onto my body and began devouring me.

The bastard. Since poison didn't work, he was trying to overwhelm me with sheer numbers instead.

An itchy, stinging sensation spread across my entire body. Thanks to my enhanced durability, my skin wasn't being pierced much. I smirked at him.

"Ha, did you really think this would get through me?"

No—this was actually perfect. It gave me a good chance to test a new skill.

My body was already drenched ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in blood. That meant the effective range for my magic had expanded dramatically. Blood carries mana. Which meant it could be used to cast spells as well.

Hiiiiiss!

The locusts clinging to me began melting away. The sticky, disgusting sensation of them turning to liquid washed over me, but it was far better than the stinging.

Blood Power Substitution. A technique that fused with my existing skills to turn blood itself into a magic circle. I couldn't use it alone, but it dramatically boosted both the efficiency and range of my spells—a truly excellent ability.

On top of that, I decided to use another skill.

"If I take a hit, I ought to return it."

After enduring this much, the stack should be full by now.

Boom—!

Once again, a physical force on par with his own erupted.

"Krrraaagh!"

The Insect King screamed. I laughed like a madman.

Boom!Bang!Crunch—!

A legend was unfolding before their eyes. A single man standing alone against the monster that had wiped out a major city in a single day. Blocking a colossal body the size of a castle with nothing but a sword was nothing short of a heroic feat.

The sight resembled the epic battles of heroes found only in history books. Any child who dreamed of becoming a hero, or any honor-bound knight, would have watched with a racing heart.

But the sole spectator of this battle—the saintess—felt only a sharp pain in her chest.

'Hero...'

The hero fighting desperately to protect her. It was magnificent, of course. Even accounting for every curse weighing him down, the scene deserved nothing but respect.

Yet it was far too brutal.

'Did you really have to suffer this much...?'

Blood sprayed. Bones shattered. Flesh was crushed, and he occasionally coughed up blood as if his organs had been damaged. The cycle repeated over and over.

Even so, he never fell to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his knees. The pain he endured must have been beyond imagination, yet his ruby-red eyes still burned with unyielding will.

Rather than faltering, he even used the dark magic he'd learned before to pressure his foe. Watching him, Yulise ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could only feel helpless.

'What am I even doing...?'

While he struggled so fiercely in front, she could offer no support at all. It was so pathetic she nearly sighed.

The more she felt that way, the harder she steeled her resolve. In moments like these, there was only one thing she could do: pray. She wished with all her heart that her prayer would reach the heavens.

'Merciful Mother who dwells in the heavens.'

Her holy power gradually swelled. She prayed to the goddess with more desperate sincerity than ever before.

'Please bestow your mercy upon us...'

Boom—!

Another massive impact rang out. Luke had used magic to crush the Gluttonous Preta's flank. Unlike him, the Preta lacked strong regenerative abilities, so its wounds kept piling up.

"I sacrifice my left hand to empower the next spell."

Squelch!

Luke's left hand was obliterated. Blood poured from the stump. Without bothering to staunch the flow, he directed it straight at Valcan. The Insect King, perched atop the Preta's head, was instantly drenched.

"Blood cannon, you son of a bitch..."

In that state, Luke chanted the next spell.

Whoosh!

The blood ignited like oil. The intense heat created shimmering haze in the air. Through it, the screaming Insect King was visible.

After what felt like an eternity, dawn finally began to break. It drove away the dark night sky as sunlight illuminated the horizon. That sunlight was the goddess's mercy given form. The holy power Yulise had gathered surged violently and shot toward the heavens.

People often misunderstood the saintess, thinking she could only provide buffs and healing. They were wrong. At least in Luke's experience, few opponents were as troublesome as a saintess turned enemy.

Shoooo—

A portion of her holy power suddenly flew toward the Insect King, and a strange pattern appeared above him.

The sky where dawn had risen began to open. The clear heavens revealed what lay beyond. A fragment of the goddess. More precisely, it was her attack.

A skill that called down divine judgment through fervent prayer.

A colossal pillar of light descended from the sky toward the Gluttonous Preta and the Insect King.

Flash—!!

The world was dyed pure white.

Beeeeep— A ringing filled my ears.

The light that descended from above was both warm and slightly hot. Even though Yulise was the goddess's own kin, such overwhelming power inevitably took its toll.

"...Hero!"

The moment her vision returned, Yulise immediately searched for Luke. The Gluttonous Preta and the Insect King? She wasn't worried about them. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was their charred corpses.

The hero mattered far more. She was fine because she was his follower. The rest of the party had been far enough away to avoid injury. But the hero had been at ground zero with the enemy. He must have been caught in the blast. Although the Mark of Sin had designated the targets, the goddess's destructive power wasn't merciful enough to spare everything else.

Sure enough, she found him unconscious nearby, his body covered in burns. His chest still rose and fell—he was breathing. His respiration was unsteady, perhaps because his lungs had been scorched as well.

"Hero!!"

She ran to him at once. The stench of burnt flesh assaulted her nose the closer she got. His recovery was slow. The Regeneration skill was still active, but its efficiency seemed to have dropped after being pushed so hard.

Alarmed, she began healing immediately. She purged the remaining poison with purification and used holy power to mend his body. Having used so much holy power in one day, her head throbbed. Even her vast, ocean-like reserves of holy power were finally reaching their limit.

Dizziness swept over her each time she drew forth light, and her organs twisted painfully. Still, she continued treating him without pause. This level of discomfort was nothing compared to what he had endured.

"Thank you for saving me..."

It had been an indescribably brutal fight. Her own contribution was significant, but if anyone deserved first place, it was undoubtedly him. He had devised the plan, created the environment for growth, and endured while sacrificing even his lifespan for that final blow.

Without him, no one here would still be breathing. Once again, she had received a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid.

"So please... wake up..."

The saintess remained seated beside him, healing without rest. Of course, Regeneration would eventually handle it on its own. But that didn't matter. Right now, she simply wanted to ease even a fraction of his pain.

Whether her efforts helped or not, his breathing gradually stabilized. The smell of charred flesh faded, and the soot on his skin disappeared. At the very least, he had passed the critical stage.

"Haa... Thank goodness...!"

Relieved, she pulled him into her arms. It wasn't a conscious decision—it was pure instinct. When people feel overwhelming joy, don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they want to embrace something?

Even now, getting close to him brought back the sensation of bugs crawling across her skin. She ignored it. There were no insects left.

Even now, touching him summoned memories of the Insect King's repulsive hide and voice. She ignored that too. The Insect King had died a warrior's death.

She simply... wanted to rest peacefully beside him.

Feeling Luke's faint warmth, Yulise lost consciousness.