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107
Thanks to the increase in allies, the attacks were dispersed, but given the nature of the opponent, the fact that this was a battlefield where lives hung in the balance remained unchanged. It was not an appropriate place for a reunion with long-lost acquaintances.
Every time holy power swept through the area, dozens of tentacles were severed, and the skeletons imbued with spectral power collapsed in place, unable to advance further.
While taking in this dazzling sight, Rohan absentmindedly fiddled with his hand. He could feel the ring that he had been wearing almost as if it were a part of him.
“Just in case, this…”
It’s unclear why, of all things, the ring came to mind at that moment. Perhaps it was a divine prank.
He removed the ring from his finger and placed it on the tip of the sword. It was a protective artifact he had received from Dionel before leaving the temple. Although it seemed to barely fit at first, perhaps because it was an artifact, it soon adjusted to the perfect size.
<Thank you.>
A sword wearing a ring was a very unusual combination, but neither of them paid it any mind. If anything, there was a subtle hint of excitement in Arpel’s voice, even though he was already wearing a similar ring.
Rohan smiled lightly and gently gripped the sword. He thickly wrapped magic around himself to protect against the faintly spreading holy power, and with that, he kicked off the ground.
“You rat bastards! I’ll make you regret setting foot here on your own!”
With a grinding sound of gritting teeth, the attacks became even fiercer. If he had been alone, even taking a single step would have been difficult, or he would have long since been injured by the attacks.
But now, Rohan was not alone. Although there weren’t many familiar faces, everyone here had come to help him, hadn’t they?
With each step, a storm of magic and holy power swirled. The tentacles that had been plunging down with sharp noises were caught in it and torn to shreds, and the blue-tinged bones shattered into pieces.
As Rohan charged forward at high speed, several tentacles once again targeted his back. However, they all disappeared with a single sword strike from Leriana, who was wielding a large holy sword.
Soon, a faint golden light enveloped Leriana’s fingertips. The energy that rose from there briefly seeped into her body, and the speed of her sword thrusts began to increase. She took a deep breath and thrust her sword.
“Hup!”
Bang, Kwang—!
An intense sound followed, so fierce it was hard to believe it came from such delicate wrists.
‘If we keep this up…’
It would be over soon. Thinking this, she was about to open her mouth to boost the morale of the priests.
Creak. Creak creak.
Along with a strange noise, something massive approached at a speed that couldn’t be ignored. Casia, who had been cutting down tentacles beside her, stiffened her face and shouted loudly.
“It’s the ground! Watch your feet!”
An irregular vibration transmitted from the soles of their feet on the ground. What had initially felt faint became increasingly clear, and the earth let out a great groan as if something was about to burst forth.
Finally, when the tentacles buried underground sprang up.
The ground shook violently, but no one lost their balance or staggered. They just stared blankly at what was held at the ends of the tentacles.
“That’s…”
A shaky voice leaked out from someone. Their eyes were filled with terrible disbelief, and no one dared to move. The shock from the scene unfolding before their eyes was indescribably great.
The things that had risen from the ground wriggled high in the sky as if showing off, with none other than people tightly bound at their ends.
The bodies, covered in dirt from being dragged through the ground and in a mess from various injuries, were all limp.
“What have you done to them?!” Casia shouted angrily. The immediate problem was that they were unconscious, but the more serious issue was that a terrible spectral energy was leaking from them. The malice eating away at their bodies moment by moment vibrated in the air.
“Kihik. What good is having strong power if you’re this weak?”
The sword strikes that had been cutting down the relentlessly attacking tentacles subsided, and even the priests who had been charging in recklessly stopped moving. Perhaps because of this, the severed tentacles stubbornly regrew.
Yes, they were all hostages.
The tentacles binding the people had penetrated the ground and were capable of injuring bodies protected by magic. Tearing apart the bodies of those who couldn’t even resist properly due to unconsciousness would be nothing to these creatures.
“…Damn it.”
Rohan gritted his teeth and muttered a curse.
Among those taken hostage were a few familiar faces. Among them, a face he could never forget flickered in the distance. A man in a much worse state than the others – it was Maisen.
He knew from the start that perfect protection was impossible. After all, they had just moved the unconscious people to the outskirts of the village to keep them away from the impact of the battle.
<You did your best.>
The tangled emotions unraveled like a lie at that brief statement. The tone was no different from usual.
It was as if he was saying, I saw everything, so you didn’t do anything wrong… Amusingly, Rohan found great comfort in those words.
Self-blame and guilt. Arpel, receiving these emotions pouring towards him, thought:
‘Unnecessary emotions.’
If it were about Rohan, it would be different, but when it came to ‘those things,’ these were emotions he didn’t need to have. The very fact that Rohan felt guilty towards them was irritating to the point of making his teeth clench.
Weren’t these the people who had only hindered him and Rohan during their entire time in the village? Therefore, they weren’t even worth protecting.
But… Rohan wanted to save them. They needed a way for everyone to survive here while ensuring Rohan wouldn’t get hurt.
“Let me tell you an interesting fact.”
The creature’s face twisted grotesquely as if breaking into a wide smile. As if delighted by the current situation, each word was tinged with thick laughter.
“From now on, I’m going to use their life force to recover my body. The quality isn’t great, so it won’t be perfect, but it’s somewhat tasty in its own way.”
“What do you mean…!”
“It means the more you attack me, the more these worms will die.”
A chilling silence fell. It was a quietness created by everyone’s inability to speak, as if they couldn’t believe the story conveyed by such a light voice.
But Arpel could tell.
<It’s true.>
That there wasn’t a shred of lie mixed in his words.
From the moment this whole situation began, a curse that slowly ate away at life force had taken root in the bodies of the villagers. The constantly pulsating spectral power emitted a faint presence, connected like a spider’s web.
What was certain was that, although the exact principle was unknown, the curse was functioning as the official had described.
Having heard Arpel’s confirmation, Rohan nodded with a hardened face towards Casia, who was looking back at him.
“Blame yourselves for fearlessly setting foot in hell.”
The conversation ended there.
“Defend!”
Dozens, hundreds of tentacles began to rain down fierce attacks again. It was a ferocious momentum that seemed like it would tear them apart at the slightest opening. But no one could counterattack.
They couldn’t cut them down, nor could they dodge. All they could do was stand still and block.
“Kuhahaha!”
Blocking the attacks that came down so heavily that his fingertips ached, Rohan ignored the loud mockery ringing like tinnitus. Although blocking wasn’t particularly difficult now, at this rate, there would be no end to it.
Just as the impatience stemming from this realization was rising to his throat, he suddenly felt someone’s gaze.
As soon as he turned his head, he saw clear pink eyes. Eyes that sparkled as if asking him to trust her, and a head nodding so quickly it seemed like you could hear a swish sound if you got close.
‘I can break the curse.’
She even mouthed these words.
Rather than wondering how, a laugh escaped first. Even the impatience that had been building up dissipated with a whoosh. Her gesture of drawing her thumb across her throat as if telling him to go and strangle someone right away was quite explicit.
<She’s grown a lot.>
“Indeed.”
Arpel uttered a brief comment upon seeing her. Judging by how the other priests were trying to cover for her actions with awkward expressions but not stopping her, it seemed Leriana had become someone trusted enough to support her actions even in such a dangerous moment.
Her fingers spread out three. They folded one by one to two, then to one, and finally, all three fingers were folded.
The holy sword lightly tapped the ground, emitting a great light. It was a kind of signal, a light signifying the beginning of the final act.
“You intend to disregard these worms’ lives? Fine! You’re finally showing your despicable true colors!”
The creature’s sneering voice, as if finding it ridiculous, was of no concern.
As the light burst forth, a faint ripple appeared at Rohan’s feet. It was a subtle undulation, like a small pebble thrown into a lake. As layers of magic accumulated and the waves gradually intensified—
Piiiiing—!
A sharp ringing that was hard to believe came from a person kicking off the ground tore through the air as the magic gathered at his feet propelled his body.
At that moment, the light bursting from Leriana also subsided. It was then that the grotesque creature’s laughter faded, and its bizarrely twisted pupils slowly rolled, assessing the situation.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
