The End of a Long Night (2)
The moment he drew his first breath, pain lanced through him as if a thousand sharp thorns were sprouting inside his body.
"Ah… ngh…!!"
It was agony so fierce he could not even scream. Clinging desperately to a mind that threatened to slip into darkness, he forced out a ragged breath.
Mana had gathered to some degree, yet it fell far short of what he had hoped. With so little, he could not unleash a proper breath attack.
He had no choice. Steadying himself for a moment, he drew in a second breath.
"Gyaaaaaah…!!"
This time it felt as though boiling water had been poured over him. He nearly blacked out, but the thought of what would happen if he collapsed here kept him clinging to consciousness.
Before long the pain began to ebb again. He let out a short, shaky sigh. In proportion to the torment that had gnawed at every inch of him, a considerable amount of mana had collected—yet even this could not be called enough.
At this rate he would never gather what he needed.
Realizing that, Schwarz began to wrestle with the greatest dilemma of his life.
Can I endure it?
If he fainted from the pain, every effort would be wasted—and the worst possible outcome would be waiting for him. Would it not be wiser to try with the mana he had already gathered?
Doubt after doubt crowded his mind until his thoughts were a tangled mess.
"Haaaaah!!"
Then a familiar voice reached his ears. He lifted his head and saw Milia, covered in blood, drawing the monster’s attention.
Her clothes were torn in places, stained crimson by the blood that had run from her wounds. Her breathing was ragged, so fragile it seemed it might stop at any moment.
Yet she did not stop.
Because she trusted the one behind her, she could not stop.
"…"
How pathetic am I? Schwarz thought as he watched her.
The master he had sworn to protect even at the cost of his own life was risking everything on faith in him—while he wasted time on useless fretting. That realization hardened his resolve.
Slowly he closed his eyes and drew a deep, steadying breath.
At the same time he began to pull in the mana around him…
And pain beyond description crashed over his body.
"Hah… hah…"
Gasping for air, Milia stared at the monster before her.
[Gyaaaaaaah-!!]
The wounds on its body had long since regenerated. Letting out a hideous shriek, the creature raised one massive pincer high above her.
In the next instant the pincer came crashing down—
"Uwaaaaaah-!!"
With a desperate battle cry Milia swung her halberd and knocked the pincer aside.
At that very moment—
—Clang!!
A sharp metallic crack rang out as her halberd shattered into pieces.
She stared at the wreckage, expression blank with shock. But she could not stop. Changing her grip, she seized the broken shaft like a spear and charged the monster once more.
The legs along its back lashed out at her. She parried only the strikes aimed at vital points and deliberately took the rest, never slowing her advance. She knew that if she halted here, everything would be over.
Dodging the stabbing limbs, she slipped into the creature’s reach and leapt.
"Uwaaaaaah-!!"
With a shout she drove the broken halberd into the monster’s face, where grotesque eyes writhed and twitched.
[Kyaaaaaaaaah-!!]
A blood-curdling scream tore from the beast as it thrashed in agony.
And in that instant—
"Ahk…!!"
One of the flailing pincers smashed into Milia. A short cry escaped her as her body went flying. The world spun; she tumbled across the ground nearly ten times before she finally came to a stop.
"Cough…!!"
A metallic taste of blood filled her mouth with the cough. Her head reeled, yet she bit her lip and forced herself upright.
How much time had passed? A minute? Ten? Perhaps longer.
Her body was covered in wounds large and small. Blood from a gash on her forehead streamed down, covering her left eye. She had reached her limit; no matter how hard she tried, her limbs would no longer obey.
Through that haze she saw the monster drawing closer. That she could not clearly make out its hideous form was, if anything, a mercy. The thought drew a faint, bitter laugh from her.
[Graaaaaah…]
With a spine-chilling sound the creature approached and slowly raised its pincer.
Milia watched in silence. Her body would not move. There was no word for this but the end.
"Schwarz… I’m sorry…"
Sensing her fate, she murmured the words with a faint smile. At the same moment the exhaustion she had been ignoring crashed over her all at once. The overwhelming sensation left no room even for resistance; she let her head droop in resignation.
And then—
Heat bloomed against her back. With great effort she opened her eyes.
What she saw was a pair of amber eyes gleaming amid dark-blue flames.
"You’re… late…"
As her consciousness faded, the last thing Milia beheld was a strangely gentle, warm black fire filling her vision completely.
With that sight she slipped into darkness.
At the same moment, chaos had erupted throughout the Count’s territory.
Masses of living flesh had burst from the citadel and overrun Kelebor Fortress, leaving Bernus no choice but to lead the surviving soldiers out of the stronghold. Reinforcements had arrived from other fortresses upon hearing the news, yet faced with a situation none of them had ever seen, there was little they could do.
And something far more important weighed on him.
"Milia!! Milia!!"
Bernus strode through the camp, calling her name in desperation. Nowhere was she to be found. Half out of his mind, he wandered the lines.
The other high officers of the Count’s house, Carl among them, could only watch their lord in silence, confronted by a reality too terrible to accept.
Then—
—Rumble-rumble-rumble!!
"Earthquake! Stay alert—no one knows what may happen!!"
The ground shook once more. Knights shouted warnings to the soldiers. Several tents collapsed under the tremor; men staggered in panic.
"Look over there!!"
At a soldier’s cry every eye in the camp turned toward the flesh-engulfed Kelebor Fortress. From the pustules between the masses of meat, countless monsters came pouring forth.
"All hands, prepare for battle! This is no drill! Battle stations!!"
Carl and the other officers sprang into motion. Soldiers seized their weapons and raced to their assigned posts.
"My lord! Your orders—!!"
"Milia… Schwarz…!!"
As the men formed ranks, Carl called urgently to Bernus, but the Count only murmured the two names, his face still vacant.
"Snap out of it!!"
"…"
Only then did light return to Bernus’s eyes.
"This is no time for that! The Count’s territory is in danger!"
"…"
Bernus turned and looked at Kelebor Fortress, from which monsters continued to spill without end. If those creatures were loosed upon the land, the consequences were all too clear.
"We cannot simply let them rampage through the territory!!"
"Haa…"
At Carl’s shout Bernus exhaled a short breath and surveyed his soldiers. His earlier state had clearly unsettled them; a taut, grim tension hung over the ranks.
The duty of House Valentine was to protect the Count’s lands no matter the sacrifice. After a moment Bernus turned back to Carl.
"Forgive me. Forget what you just saw."
"Understood."
Watching Carl bow his head in relief, Bernus drew his sword. He leveled the blade toward the flesh-choked fortress and roared,
"All forces! Prepare for battle!"
—Waaaaaaaah!!
As if the earlier despair had never been, the soldiers answered with a thunderous cheer. Officers moved among them, stoking their courage. Meanwhile the monsters pouring from Kelebor Fortress wheeled and charged straight toward the Count’s camp.
"Trust the comrade beside you! Trust yourselves! The Count’s lands will stand firm!!"
Facing the horde that made the very earth tremble, Bernus shouted the words. Soldiers raised spears and shields, bracing for the clash.
The monsters were almost upon them. Bernus tightened his grip on his sword—
—when a colossal roar split the air.
—KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!
From the very heart of the flesh-engulfed Kelebor Fortress, dark-blue flames erupted. In an instant the fire raced across the entire stronghold, burning away the living meat as though purifying it. At the same moment the forms of the monsters charging the camp simply crumbled into nothing.
As if none of it had ever happened, an empty silence settled over the plain.
"What in the world…"
Bernus could only murmur, speechless at the sight.
And far beyond the plains, the sun began to rise.