Chapter 191
Chapter 191
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Meaning of Life 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My heart sank, and a chilling chill spread through my body as if frost had settled along my spine.
A demand to draft a 'contract' in this situation of all times.
I wasn't so ignorant of the world that I didn't know what kind of contract that was.
There was only one contract the Saintess had relentlessly demanded from me until my ears rang.
'Is it... the contract I think it is?'
'...'
The Saintess's demeanor was different from usual.
She had always pulled strange tricks whenever she had a chance, nagging me to sign the contract, but that was mostly jokes or teasing—not in a situation this serious.
But now, it was gravely serious.
Whether she helped right now or not would decide Dang Ayoung's life and mine.
'Come on, this is a joke, right? You're not usually like this, Saintess. If you don't help, Dang Ayoung will die...'
A shiver ran down my spine, intensifying the chill already gripping my body.
I might have misunderstood her all this time.
The reason I thought the Saintess had a good personality stemmed from her blind obsession with me and my safety.
To her, the safety of anyone besides me wasn't even on her radar.
Not even if that person was my lover.
'But why...'
'...'
...The Saintess said that and transmitted the contract's contents directly into my mind.
Given the urgency, the terms were short and concise.
I had to purchase a 'summon' to her world as soon as I gathered 10,000 points; otherwise, my soul would belong to the other party... that is, the Saintess.
In exchange, Saintess Erdel Saintress would descend to me immediately and protect me and Dang Ayoung to the best of her ability until time ran out.
'...What does it mean for my soul to belong to you?'
'...No.'
I couldn't know the exact meaning, but I could guess enough not to ask.
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
'...Is this your true colors, Saintess?'
I gritted my teeth.
She'd watched over me from Earth and could even read my thoughts.
She might know me better than I knew myself.
As such, she knew I had no choice but to accept this offer.
Threatening my life was pointless.
She'd never let me die, so she couldn't raise the stakes with my life on the line.
That left the life of the person closest to me as the next best leverage.
A raindrop from the now-passed shower trickled down my face.
...Fine.
My fate was to go to that world anyway.
I'd just been kidnapped midway without knowing why and taken a brief respite in this world.
'...How long will I have to live once I go there?'
I didn't think it'd end with a mere human lifespan of a hundred years.
With magic or whatever means, she'd extend it, and extend it again.
Hundreds of years...? A thousand...? Ten thousand...? Maybe even longer.
She'd often said summoning someone from another dimension was akin to a miracle.
So...
'...I accept.'
Abandoning Dang Ayoung was never an option for me.
Even if I sacrificed her here, would nothing like this happen again?
What about the Sword Empress? Ye Socheon? Master?
No matter how unlikely it seemed for them to be in danger, that didn't make them invincible.
Someday, I'd face a similar offer in a similar crisis.
That thought crossed my mind, but...
I glanced sideways.
"Guh... Ack..."
How could I betray a woman who looked my way with such worried eyes even in that state?
'My luck with women is ridiculously good.'
Except for one person.
The moment I voiced my agreement, it felt like a lock clicked shut on my soul.
I didn't feel my soul being claimed right then, but instinct told me breaking it would make it so.
'No time, so hurry...'
My head felt like it was struck by something massive, consciousness fading as I tried to urge her on.
"Huh? Kid, why'd you suddenly collap—"
A blinding white pillar descended from the heavens amid the burning village thick with smoke, visible even from afar.
Steam hissed violently!
"Kya啊啊啊啊啊!!!!!!"
The vampire woman clutched her burning hand from the holy power, screaming in agony.
She had no choice but to.
Holy power was the natural bane of all undead, including vampires, and she hadn't felt it once since arriving in this world. The searing pain hit her all the harder after so long.
But before she could recover, another blow followed.
Thud.
"Oh my~ Long time no see. Remember me?"
The pillar of holy power had slammed into the kid she'd been toying with moments ago. Now, he radiated such intense holy power that just looking at him made her tremble.
It defied her common sense; she couldn't comprehend what had happened.
Yet, from his slightly altered appearance, an old nightmare from ages past overlapped with the scene before her eyes.
His obsidian-black eyes had turned the color of ash left after everything burned away.
"Ah... Ah..."
Her body shuddered uncontrollably.
How could she forget?
The undead slayer who had ground assassins and legions alike to dust with near-infinite holy power.
Even among the Life Alliance forces, she shone peerlessly, uniquely mad.
"How about it... Did the eyes I gouged out for you last time reattach nicely? The spear was too short back then; couldn't pierce your brain..."
"Hii, hiik!"
"Well, nice to see a familiar face after so long, but maintaining this state burns through interference capacity fast. Better finish you off quick before the dimensional barrier notices the bypass."
Snap!
He flicked his fingers, and white magic circles instantly formed beside the vampire and her minions. Spears erupted, skewering them.
They convulsed.
Sizzle!
"Guh... Ack..."
It looked simple, but she knew how vicious this magic was.
It analyzed each target's blind spots in an instant, summoning unavoidable holy spears—a slaughter spell.
Only two spears now for two targets, but back on the battlefield, the Saintess had once created an entire thicket of thorns in a blink. Famous legend.
"Any last words? You came all the way to another world just to flail around pathetically."
"S-Spare... me..."
"Can't do that."
He flashed a smile and swung his hand.
The vampire and her minions were enveloped in holy power, screaming as they vanished in an instant.
Gulp.
Dang Ayoung watched him, collapsed and trembling, as his aura shifted dramatically.
Flinch!
Before Sintu Castle, where vampires and humans clashed fiercely.
Barshutain, who had only parried Ye Socheon's attacks while fleeing without intent to fight properly, suddenly froze as goosebumps prickled his skin.
"...Erdel?"
Forgetting he was in battle, he glanced afar.
Ye Socheon wasn't fool enough to miss the opening.
Crunch!
"Kuh!"
Aimed for the neck again, but he'd snapped back in time, twisting so the sword embedded in his shoulder.
Ye Socheon poured internal energy into the blade to sever an arm, but Barshutain dissolved into mist and escaped faster.
"Got some leisure time, huh? You just kept scampering away, and now you even get distracted mid-fight."
"...No time to fall for your provocations now. Can't you feel this body's displeasure?"
"You look irritated, sure, but who knows why? Maybe from the shoulder slash just now."
"Hah. Saintesses are all the same..."
Barshutain pondered the familiar sensation he'd just felt.
He'd planned to drag it out, let soldiers die off maximally, and whittle down this saintess slowly...
'...Guess I need to check.'
He hoped it was a mistake, but even dulled as he was, he wouldn't misfeel that.
To confirm...
"Fine. If you're dissatisfied with me just running, I'll grant your wish, little saintess."
To fight seriously, he reverted his fan-shaped demon sword to its original form, spread his wings, and thinly spread demonic power over his body.
"If you think I earned the rank of Third Legion Commander of the Undying Legion through command and strategy alone, let me correct that delusion."
Ye Socheon raised her sword defensively, wary of his changed demeanor.
This time, Barshutain charged her, reigniting the battle.
And at the same time,
From Mount Hua near the village, the white pillar was starkly visible.
"...Why is holy power of that magnitude in this world...?"
Vampires shuddered, questioning the sudden appearance of holy power—nonexistent even in specks in this world.
"...Yuseong-ah?"
No one noticed one among them gazing there with entirely different eyes.