Chapter 98: Resolution (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: Resolution (1)
Elio's large eyes grew even wider.
'What... what the hell is that monster?!'
Rumors of Kang Geomma's strength had already spread far and wide. The peerless genius who had recently defeated the Star of the Continent in a subspace sparring match.
People called him this: the Sashimi Sword Saint.
Though the title carried a hint of a joke, Kang Geomma's exceptional talent was the real deal.
That was why she had calculated various variables and studied how to deal with him upon encounter. Yet, all her painstaking efforts burst like bubbles in an instant. The strength drained from her legs, leaving her knees trembling violently.
Paul, the one directly involved, hadn't noticed, but Elio, who had been watching the fierce battle from the sidelines, was utterly horrified.
A strength that defied all expectations. Furthermore, the sheer pressure radiating from Kang Geomma extinguished even the will to fight.
How could he be like that? And at only seventeen, with peach fuzz still on his face. Age aside, was it even possible for such a human to exist in the first place?
A being whose true depth of power couldn't even be fathomed.
A monster, no...
"A demon."
The word she had only intended to mutter in her head slipped out. At that, his dark eyes locked onto her.
Step— One step.
Kang Geomma's feet turned toward Elio. His cold, empty eyes remained fixed on her.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
Elio shrieked shrilly. The hair all over her body stood on end.
But Kang Geomma's feet kept moving.
"Stay back, you demon!"
Choi Seol-ah scoffed at those words. For a villain to spout such nonsense was utterly ridiculous. Shrugging her shoulders, Choi Seol-ah shook her head as if in pity.
Step— Another step.
Elio's face turned deathly pale.
A chaotic mess of emotions scrambled her mind.
'I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die.'
Finally, Elio grit her teeth to rouse her paralyzed mind.
No matter how pathetic it looked, she had to avoid death.
She had to survive first, and only then could she plot her revenge for the future. Clinging to a thread of composure, Elio desperately racked her brain.
Run away like this?
She had just witnessed Kang Geomma's absurd sword speed; there was no way she could escape.
Then, unleash a barrage of magic and flee?
But for some reason, she couldn't feel any mana. Elio shifted her gaze to Paul, who had been sliced in half.
'...Did he drain the mana...?'
Come to think of it, that bastard Paul had been preparing to cast without even being able to activate it. He had even bragged about wearing Geomma down, only to show his utter incompetence by getting his body cleaved in a single strike.
No matter how dense the mana was, the total pool wasn't infinite. If you squandered it, it would eventually run dry.
Even so, it was bizarre. The mana Paul used before dying wasn't that vast, so why? It was a fleeting question, but Elio quickly realized the answer.
Elio slowly turned her head. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She fixed her eyes on the sashimi knife.
A ferocious murderous intent was radiating from the blade, pushing away all the mana in the vicinity. It seemed impossible, but it was reality.
"..."
Even now, that crazy monster was drawing closer. There was no time to waste.
She quickly grabbed the unconscious Saki by her hair and yanked her up.
"Take one more step and I'll slit this bitch's throat!"
In an instant, Elio shaped the earth into a sharp blade and pressed it against Saki's jawline. At that, Kang Geomma's footsteps stopped.
Yes, there was no method more reliable than a hostage. Using Saki as a shield, Elio crept toward the stairs.
Just as Elio almost reached the stairs, a sudden sense of incongruity washed over her.
Her gaze suddenly swept over Saki. The dagger that had clearly been embedded in her collarbone was gone. Only blood was flowing from the stab wound on her chest.
"W-What is this...?"
Just as Elio's pupils dilated to their limits, Saki's lips parted.
"It hurts. Let go of me already."
"...!?"
Before the words could even finish, Saki pulled out a sword hidden in her clothes. Reversing her grip on the hilt, she thrust it backward with all her might.
Squelch!
"Kegh...!"
The wavy blade pierced through her navel and tore through her intestines. Instantly, the poison coated on the metal surged through her veins like a torrent.
"Aaaaargh!"
Elio screamed in agony for a long moment before her knees finally slammed into the ground.
Saki, her own legs giving out, stumbled and leaned against the wall. Elio, collapsed forward, barely managed to lift her head to ask.
"How... how did you...?"
Saki squeezed out a faint smile. Her sky-blue hair draped over her cheeks. Exhaling a ragged breath, she muttered.
"Haa, haa... You were acting earlier, so why couldn't I? Besides, the Archery Saint Family has built up a tolerance to poison for generations... Coating arrowheads with poison to target enemies is one of an archer's tricks, after all."
Saki tried to steady her erratic breathing. It didn't quite calm down, but if she didn't do this, she felt like she would truly stop breathing.
"...Crazy bitch."
Elio spat out a curse in a distorted voice. The poison had already spread to her neck, causing purple veins to bulge. Only her facial muscles twitched; most of her bodily organs were completely paralyzed.
Saki also looked completely exhausted. Yet, she forced her back straight and added.
"I didn't block the poison's spread with a blessing, haa, haa... I just slowed down my heartbeat. But if my timing had been off by even a second, I really would have crossed the River Styx..."
Elio clutched her lower abdomen and glared fiercely. However, the life was rapidly draining from her face. The toxicity had spread to her brain, and her bodily functions were slowly shutting down.
"...Ah, ah."
Her eyelids closed. A pitch-black darkness rapidly shrouded her vision.
A short groan—that was Elio's final testament. Immediately after, her life signs faded completely.
"Haa, haa."
Saki also let her head drop, completely drained of energy. Just as her body slowly tilted forward—
Grab.
A firm touch met Saki's cheek. She barely managed to lift her eyes.
On the boundary between life and death, the face she had yearned for so desperately was looking down at her.
"I'm the one who's half-dead, so why are you making that kind of face? Still, thanks for saving me just in time."
"..."
"And about that favor you promised to grant me a few days ago."
Saki smiled faintly and buried her face back into his chest.
"Let me stay like this just a little longer."
* * *
Ryozo leaned against my chest. Her face was so pale it had lost all color, and her breathing was ragged. But even that sound of breathing was fading like a candle in the wind.
"Ryozo!"
"..."
Even when I called her name loudly, Ryozo only parted her lips a few times before suddenly coughing.
"Cough, cough."
As her coughing continued, blood welled up from her wound and mouth. I hurriedly checked Ryozo's condition.
A jagged sword wound had torn into her chest. It seemed to have narrowly missed her vitals, but it was undoubtedly a fatal injury. Perhaps due to the damp, gloomy air inside the tower, the bleeding wouldn't stop.
I shifted my gaze slightly. Ryozo was in bad shape, but Leon, who was sprawled out about ten paces away, was in an even worse state.
It was a miracle he was even alive. His flank was gouged out, and one of his arms was shredded like a rag.
I had to take action immediately. If I delayed, both of their lives would be lost together. Biting my lower lip, I soon let out a sigh.
'In times like this, I need to stay calm.'
In an urgent situation, panic is the least helpful emotion. I scanned their conditions and quickly made a decision.
'First, stop the bleeding.'
I took off my school uniform jacket. Then, slicing the hem with my sashimi knife, I ripped it apart with my bare hands.
"...What are you doing?"
Choi Seol-ah tilted her head with a puzzled look.
She watched with curiosity despite the urgency of the situation. Seeing her face, completely devoid of sympathy or compassion even when people were dying, made me feel a brief flash of anger.
But what could I do? She probably only had the remnants of emotions left. It was a waste of time to scold her.
'Besides, she did help resolve the situation by handing over the sashimi knife.'
In truth, reaching out to Choi Seol-ah for an armament had been a gamble in its own right. If she hadn't given me the sashimi knife, I would have been finished right then and there. But for some reason, Choi Seol-ah had abandoned her fellow villain and chosen me, even adding that she would serve me as her lord.
Whether it was because of the Mark of the Thrall or because she had grown fond of me in some twisted way, I couldn't say. But there was no denying that I had benefited from it.
Just then, Rachel and Senior Hana also entered the fifth floor. Rachel, looking haggard, was shocked when she saw the scene. She immediately asked me.
"...W-What happened here...?"
"I'll explain later. Rachel, Senior Hana, please bring Leon over here."
The two of them looked dumbfounded but nodded in agreement for now. Choi Seol-ah also rolled up her sleeves to help them.
'She seems clueless, yet she has her moments.'
If she had just kept staring blankly, I would have been genuinely pissed off. But she moved quickly before I even had to give her a look.
Approaching Leon, Rachel's eyebrows furrowed. He was completely covered in blood, barely breathing. Since she interacted with Leon often, it was only natural for her expression to darken.
Rachel asked Senior Hana and Choi Seol-ah for help. Normally, she would have toughly slung him over her shoulder, but if she applied too much force now, Leon's bones might shift further.
The three of them carefully dragged Leon over and laid him down in front of me. Up close, Leon's condition was even worse than I had anticipated.
A broken bone protruded through his elbow, and the bleeding from his flank was worse than Ryozo's. This wasn't a matter of first aid; he needed surgery.
"...Is Leon going to die like this?"
Rachel muttered with a grim face. I shook my head and replied.
"No, he won't die."
"...Huh?"
"I'll save him."
When I spoke in a low tone, Rachel soon nodded. She asked me.
"What should I do?"
"First, we need to set Leon's bones before treating him. In this state, he might really be in deep trouble in just a few minutes."
"Y-Yeah."
Rachel swallowed hard. I shifted my gaze to Senior Hana and continued.
"Senior, you and Rachel hold Leon tightly so his posture doesn't shift. I'll handle the rest."
"Okay, got it."
I offered a faint smile of gratitude to Senior Hana, who answered calmly despite the tense atmosphere. Sensing my unspoken thoughts, she smiled back.
"What should I do...?"
As I was giving out instructions one by one, Choi Seol-ah approached hesitantly and asked. Throwing the cloth I had just ripped to her, as she stared with wide, expectant eyes like a dog waiting for a frisbee, I said.
"You... no, Instructor Kim, use this to stop the bleeding from Ryozo's wound."
Choi Seol-ah nodded in understanding. Moving her hands quickly, she wrapped the cloth tightly around Ryozo's upper arm to apply pressure.
Rachel and Senior Hana also knelt down and firmly held Leon's forearms.
"Whew."
I let out a short breath. I had to calm my mind as much as possible.
I had to push the bone that had torn through the flesh back in and piece it together. I'd only ever cut fish bones before; to think I'd be setting a human bone...
I used my index finger to lift Leon's eyelid. His eyes were unfocused, having lost their strength.
Was this what they called a comatose state? It felt like a single slip of my hand would send him into shock and kill him instantly.
But if I left him like this, he would die anyway. So, I had no choice but to try something.
The plan was as follows.
Use the [Blessing of Transfer] to channel the [Blessing of Painlessness] into Leon's body to anesthetize him, then quickly set the broken bones. Immediately after, inject the [Blessing of Regeneration] to multiply the bone and flesh cells. The plan itself was flawless.
Some might ask: could I, who wasn't even a doctor, really pull all this off?
On Earth, it would have been an impossibly reckless gamble. But in this world, things were different.
'Blessing of the Sword God.'
Once the blessing was activated, my mind would cool down like magic, and my senses would sharpen to a razor's edge. Those two factors would drastically increase the precision of my movements.
However, if I didn't use the Blessing of Painlessness on myself, excruciating pain would assault me. Saving someone else while enduring pain that made me want to vomit blood...
I wasn't some saint, so I wondered why I had to go that far. But if he died, who would stop the Demon King? There was no way to defeat the Demon King other than Leon's unique blessing, the [Miracle Blessing]. Because the system had blocked any other way.
'Sigh, fuck.'
On top of that, the time limit for Painlessness was only about seven seconds. If it exceeded seven seconds, Leon's anesthesia would wear off. I had to finish everything within that window. Cold sweat trickled down my cheek.
'...A raw fish restaurant owner in my past life... and a surgeon in this world?'
Swallowing the sigh that naturally rose, I bit down on Murasame. Since I needed both hands free to treat Leon, I had to resort to this. I flicked my chin, shaking off the scabbard.
[Your quick wit has elevated your Mental Rank.]
[Using the Counterforce, adjustment to fit the user begins.]
Whirrrr—
[The Blessing of the Sword God — Excellence is manifested.]
I immediately reached out toward Leon.
* * *
A few seconds later, thanks to the swift treatment, Ryozo and Leon's complexions visibly improved.
Their bones were roughly set, and the bleeding had slowed to a trickle.
"Cough!"
However, a long stream of blood trickled from my nose, running down my philtrum to the tip of my chin.
"Geomma!"
I collapsed weakly into Rachel's arms. She felt warm.
"...Haha, fuck."
It felt as if my entire body was being chewed to pieces. Yet, a laugh escaped my lips. I had fully benefited from the level 2.5 pain reduction rate.