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In the midst of intertwined magical and holy power, Rohan plunged his sword into the center of the charging executive’s chest.
“Gurk, guk. Kieeek!”
Simultaneously, a strange cry echoed. Resembling the sound of a struggling beast with its breath cut off, it clung unpleasantly to the ear, leaving a sense of discomfort.
Although the scream was filled with obvious pain, Rohan’s expression seemed somewhat unsatisfied as he pulled back the sword and retreated. He clicked his tongue after visually confirming the splattered blood.
‘Too shallow.’
He had thrust it in properly, but the problem was using an unfamiliar sword. Though it was a good quality sword, it paled in comparison to the ‘Demon Sword’.
Rohan made a big leap backward. Along with this, the ground began to turn black.
“Gurk. My feet…?!”
The ground rippled lightly. In the blink of an eye, the softened floor swallowed the creature’s feet. It struggled to maintain balance, as if trapped in a swamp.
That wasn’t all. Shadows sprung out from all directions, binding and fixing the executive’s body in place. In an instant, it was tied up, unable to move an inch.
The time the executive couldn’t move was extremely short. The shadows restraining it were already showing signs of tearing. If it weren’t for them, the creature would have easily escaped the shadow swamp with its overwhelming strength.
“Attack!”
Someone shouted.
But the priests didn’t miss this opportunity. Following the cry of an unnamed priest, attacks began to pour in simultaneously from those surrounding the area.
The rotten ground glowed with ethereal colors in response to the magical and holy power, and the forces that plunged down in parabolic arcs were like meteors. The dust kicked up by the strong wind obscured their vision.
A figure leapt through this gap. It was Leriana.
The massive holy sword in her hand emitted a dazzling light. Then Leriana swung the sword horizontally.
The vast amount of holy power accumulated on the blade shot out all at once. Creating a deep groove in the ground, it charged forward at a terrifying speed and struck the executive’s body…
“Phew, glad I hit it.”
The battle was quickly concluded.
Unable to dodge Leriana’s attack, the creature fell. Just like the end of the executives they had seen so far, the mask cracked, and she let out a sigh of relief.
“Finish checking. I’ve seen an executive survive even after its mask shattered nearby.”
“What?! There was such a creature? Wait, hold on. What about Arpel then? What happened to Arpel? Don’t tell me you left him behind?”
“…One question at a time.”
Rohan grabbed Leriana as she was about to turn away. She had nodded in surprise at the unexpected testimony, but upon seeing the unfamiliar sword in his hand, she quickly fired off a barrage of questions.
Rohan blocked Leriana with a sour expression, but he couldn’t completely hide the faint anxiety in his wavering gaze. Soon realizing this, Leriana stopped abruptly.
“…You didn’t really leave him behind, did you? Really?”
“The situation was urgent, so I had no choice. Arpel’s condition improved too. I’ll just confirm if that thing is dead and go back immediately.”
Rohan nodded towards the fallen executive. That’s when the anomaly occurred.
“…Huh!”
A rough breath burst out from somewhere. As if shocked, or as if unable to believe the situation unfolding before their eyes.
“You two, behind…!”
Casia, who had suddenly appeared, grabbed Rohan and Leriana’s hands and pulled them. Caught off guard, the two retreated greatly, led by that touch, and hurriedly turned around.
“What is this…”
Leriana exclaimed at the same time. A faint despair tinged her trembling voice. This was instinct. When faced with something insurmountable, this was a primal human instinct. Or the desire to live.
It was the same for Rohan. He silently stared straight ahead. His quivering lips were full of bewilderment and confusion.
Originally, the body of the dead executive should have turned to dust and disappeared. The cracked mask as well. Rohan had intended to confirm this to the end before turning back.
But this time was different. As if someone was slowly folding their body, the executive’s body gradually distorted and shrank.
It got smaller, and smaller, and smaller still. One priest, who had been hesitantly taking in all of this, muttered.
“A bead…?”
Yes. After repeatedly crumpling and folding many times, the executive’s body finally became a dark blue, enormous, smooth sphere. An unpleasant aura flowed from the object floating in the air.
Soon, the sphere dropped to the ground. No, it didn’t drop, it disappeared. As if it had been absorbed into the ground.
“…!”
And that feeling didn’t stop at just being a mere impression.
The color of the ground seemed to have deepened slightly. Rohan took a small breath. It became harder to breathe.
“Everyone, draw your power to protect yourselves! Right now!”
Daniel, who was guarding the rear, shouted loudly. He too seemed to have sensed the ominous change. Those who heard his urgent voice quickly began to protect themselves.
Soon, the aura of wraiths swirling around intensified further. It seemed to serve as some kind of signal. Dark blue smoke surged from the ground, stretching high into the sky.
A vast aura that seemed impossible to resist, sharp winds, a huge vortex created by the condensed aura of wraiths. Rohan stared at it with wide eyes. But only for a moment.
“L-Lord Rohan?! Where are you going! Lord Rohan!”
Rohan quickly turned his body and immediately sprang off the ground. Daniel, who had been checking on those who were coughing, unable to protect themselves in time, was surprised to see Rohan not only brush past him but disappear into the distance without looking back. He called out loudly, but Rohan didn’t turn around.
“Rohan has gone to find his companion. He’ll be back soon.”
“I-Is that so? But…”
“There’s nothing we can do right now. We can only watch that. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like it will grow any larger… It would be best to step back and assess the situation. And request support.”
By then, both Rohan and Arpel should be able to return safely. Leriana swallowed the rest of her words.
She helped Daniel, who was nodding with difficulty, to gather the fallen priests. Even if the vortex wasn’t growing anymore, it was dangerous to remain so close. She moved her body, following the relocating priests. The overwhelming presence at her back was chilling.
***
Arpel was quietly waiting at the place he had promised to meet Rohan. Judging by the occasional traces of magical power, it seemed he had dealt with some wraiths.
“Arpel!”
Rohan brightened at the figure visible not far away and approached quickly. However, it didn’t take long for the hope that had pooled on his face to shatter.
“…Arpel?”
“Huk, huh.”
A rough breathing sound was heard. Rohan, who approached Arpel in surprise, could now accurately assess his condition.
He was curled up in a ball, trembling, as if he couldn’t bear it anymore. He seemed to be in pain, or perhaps afraid of something. Without even organizing his chaotic thoughts, Rohan reached out urgently.
“Ro, han. Rohan…”
As soon as his hand touched Arpel’s shoulder, Arpel suddenly raised his head which had been deeply bowed. Their eyes met directly. The cold sweat beading on his forehead was clear.
Muttering Rohan’s name dumbly, he immediately burrowed into Rohan’s arms. He nuzzled his face against Rohan’s shoulder and panted. The faint groans that occasionally escaped sounded like sobs.
Was he unable to properly exert strength? Arpel’s body kept trying to slide down. Rohan, struggling to support him, quietly gritted his teeth.
“Arpel. Try to come to your senses, okay? What’s wrong?”
His strained voice trembled. After taking a slow deep breath, he opened his mouth again.
“I’ll listen. I’ll try to do something… Please.”
But the trembling didn’t completely subside. Rohan’s voice was still shaking pathetically.
Although he was aware of this himself, he could only repeatedly pat Arpel’s back and stroke his head with pale fingertips. Those gestures were almost desperate.
“Strange, it’s strange. Something’s wrong. I, I shouldn’t be here. I need to go back. Power keeps, power keeps coming in.”
“Power? What do you… Arpel. Arpel? Don’t close your eyes. You can’t fall asleep…!”
Arpel, clinging to Rohan’s embrace, stuttered out words. Most of it was incoherent. He didn’t seem to even be aware of what he was saying.
Rohan listened to Arpel’s words, slowly nodding his head. At least until his cracking voice suddenly cut off.
When Rohan hurriedly checked, Arpel had already closed his eyes. His labored breathing seemed particularly precarious today.
He knew. Arpel was a sword. He wasn’t a being that required breathing like humans. So, not breathing shouldn’t have been a big problem. Even though he knew this… from the moment Arpel’s breathing seemed precarious, it was as if the world had stopped. His own breathing quickened.
But the next moment.
“…!”
Rohan stared blankly at Arpel, forgetting even to breathe. A translucent black veil had fallen around Arpel’s body. At the same time, the trembling of the body he was embracing rapidly subsided.
“…Arpel.”
Rohan softly repeated Arpel’s name. As if responding to that call, Arpel’s closed eyelids slowly began to open. Only after meeting those brilliant purple eyes did Rohan let out a big breath.
“Are you…”
“…I’m fine now. What did you do?”
After moving his lips a few times, he barely managed to gather his question. Arpel, blinking his eyes slowly, immediately provided an answer. His voice was more calm than expected.
“Ha.” A short sigh escaped between Rohan’s teeth. He should have answered that he hadn’t done anything in particular, but for now, just calming his loudly beating heart was overwhelming enough. Arpel, caught off guard, began to pat Rohan’s back.
<You’re making a fuss over nothing.>
At least until a single voice pierced his mind.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
