“I’m sorry, brother.”
“I can feel it.”
Focusing my third eye and magical senses on the “aura of water,” I could distinctly sense its presence ahead. It was an intense feeling, almost overwhelming.
My hunch was right. The moment I heard “range,” I suspected a spirit summoner might be nearby, and they were closer than I had anticipated.
Whether they were here to capture me or support the giant, one thing was clear: the likelihood of an assassination attempt had skyrocketed.
The direction was almost directly ahead. The distance was roughly 100 meters… maybe a bit more. But now that I had a sense of their presence, all that was left was to reach them as quickly as possible.
“Under normal circumstances, I could break through in no time…”
But there were too many enemies in sight to run recklessly. My heart began to pound harder. I bit my lip and pushed myself to run even faster.
As I sprinted with all my might, my brother’s words suddenly pierced my heart like a sharp blade.
“Does this look like your playground?”
“Who do you think you are, a hero?”
“Why do you have to do this?”
”…”
I knew. I knew this behavior might seem irrational.
Yet, the reason I chose to step forward wasn’t because I wanted to play the hero or act without reason.
It was for my brother. Ultimately, it was for “me.”
If I were the broken person I was in the first timeline, I would have run away the moment I regained my senses. I wouldn’t have participated in the war at all. And if I had maintained that mindset into the second timeline, I might have made the extreme choice to drag my brother away to escape, even if he wouldn’t have agreed.
But now, I couldn’t do that.
Or rather, I didn’t.
My brother and I were no longer alone. We were the leaders of the Mercenary and Hamill clans, responsible for the users within our respective groups. The Hamill clan members who lost their lives because of me in the first timeline, and the Mercenary clan members who followed me in the second, were no longer unrelated to me.
The grand premise of the whole plane.
It’s a world where you can’t do anything alone.
Under this premise, I thought of many and made my decision. I expanded the meaning from the singular “brother” to the plural “them.”
But, of course, saving all of them was nearly impossible. I understood that better than anyone, yet I chose the path that would save as many as possible, even considering everything.
…Perhaps that’s why I feel even more sorry.
The burden of the path I chose fell squarely on my brother and Vivian.
“Not that I’m any less of a burden myself.”
The thought amused me, and I let out a small laugh before raising my head.
As soon as I left the previous spot, I found myself face-to-face with the enemy, who had closed in on me. The open field was filled with foes charging toward me, their weapons brandished as if to repay all the sieges they had suffered in one fell swoop.
It seemed they had spotted me too. Their eyes, filled with ferocious intent like excited guard dogs, briefly showed a flicker of confusion.
But that quickly turned into a clear sneer.
“Khahahahahahahaha!”
The axe-wielding warrior who first caught my eye twisted his face into a grin and laughed heartily. I must have looked like a moth flying into the flame.
Seeing them, I was reminded of emotions from long before I started the second timeline… back when I lived for battle. A complex mix of feelings surged within me, but what stood out was a blind madness disguised as murderous intent.
From now on, I had to cut through the countless enemies before me and assassinate the “spirit summoner.”
I calmed myself, clearing my mind of my brother’s words and replacing them with calculations for the battle. Finally, I gripped the swords in my hands tightly, infusing them with explosive magic.
I said I had to do it…
“Hoo.”
If I didn’t believe I could, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.
Vroooom!
Kiyaaaaaa!
The “Glory of Victoria” and “Caligo Abraxas,” filled with magic, roared wildly, emitting contrasting colors of light and darkness.
Pew pew pew pew pew!
Just then, the sound of bowstrings releasing filled the air, and a barrage of arrows rained down. I had intended to unleash a sword strike first, so I clicked my tongue in frustration and quickly dodged. As I veered off course, I heard the sharp whistle of arrows slicing through the air and the thud of arrowheads hitting the ground. In that moment, I let out a battle cry and leaped high into the air.
Whoosh!
The wind whipped past my face, making my hair flutter. The distance between me and the enemies closed in an instant. No, I was already among the vanguard. As I glanced down, I saw the enemies looking up at me, their eyes wide with surprise, not expecting such a leap.
I spotted an empty space and descended gracefully. As I landed softly, I found myself surrounded by users from the Western Continent and a few scattered vagrants. Right next to me stood an American man, his lips slightly parted, staring at me in a daze.
“Hi.”
I greeted him simply and responded by driving my sword into his neck. Then I kicked him hard in the chest.
From here on, there could be no hesitation in my movements.
Agility stat 98. Shape-shifting. Bow-body bullet shadow. Orosros boots, and more.
My user information was optimized for speed. It was a level that ordinary users’ eyesight couldn’t keep up with. I couldn’t give the enemies even a moment to track me. So, I moved into the space I had secured. To unleash the ability that had been blocked earlier, I crossed the swords in my hands and swung them horizontally in a long arc.
For a moment, the energy on the swords seemed to pause. But then it surged explosively, and a stream of holy light and dark energy flowed from the sword tips. The energy followed the trajectory of the swing, leaving a long, curved afterimage in the air.
In less than a second, the image drawn in the air transformed into undulating waves, each imbued with different energy. As I released them, they shot forward without hesitation toward the advancing enemies.
Slash slash slash!
“Whoops!”
“Noooooooo!”
The two waves devoured the enemies blocking their path. The white wave sliced cleanly, while the dark wave tore and shredded voraciously. Users caught in the magical tide screamed dully as parts of their bodies were severed. The red blood sprayed into the air shattered like fallen leaves upon touching the lingering afterimage.
I wanted to watch the bloody spectacle of the waves, but there was no time. I immediately activated the bow-body bullet shadow ability and leaped into the space created by the waves.
Thump, with a feeling of my navel being pulled, a blonde American woman appeared right in front of me. Her face looked quite pitiful, not knowing what to do, but I didn’t hesitate and thrust my sword upward.
Thud!
Caligo Abraxas pierced her throat smoothly. Her eyes widened in shock, unable to react. As I twisted the sword to pull it out, I sensed a faint shout approaching, drowned out by the chaos behind me. Without looking, I swung “Glory of Victoria” as I withdrew the sword.
“Catherine…! Keuak!”
Crunch!
I felt the blade tear through something roughly. Glancing back, I saw a man wearing thick armor. His breastplate was torn from left to right.
In that fleeting moment, I locked eyes with the man I had just cut down. His eyes were filled with disbelief, and his mouth moved silently. Perhaps he had a special connection with the woman who had just died. It seemed he had tried to avenge her by attacking me from behind. I let out a small breath.
I finally managed to catch my breath. But only for a moment, as I quickly turned my head. The initial chaos I had created was short-lived. Soon, the prickling sensation of murderous intent from all directions made my skin tingle. To use the shape-shifting ability, I needed to find an empty space within range, so I swiftly scanned the battlefield.
Even a small gap would do. Of course, there was one condition limited to this battlefield: I had to align my path as closely as possible with the spirit summoner I was targeting.
I couldn’t face each enemy individually. The goal was assassination (though calling it that now seemed a bit off), and I had to kill swiftly and escape. The longer I stayed, the harder it would be to get out.
“Once, twice, three times.”
And fortunately, the moment I found an empty space, I didn’t hesitate to unleash my magic.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
I activated my ability three times in quick succession. Each time I blinked, the scene before me shifted.
Just as I was about to use my ability again to find a new space, I instinctively jerked my head back. A chilling sound accompanied a spear that narrowly missed my nose.
Whoosh!
Simultaneously, the sound of multiple arrows filled the air.
“Crazy bastards.”
I cursed under my breath, swiftly deflecting the spear, and then ducked low.
Sure, my noble mithril shirt could withstand a few hits, but I hadn’t expected arrows to fly in this chaotic melee. A part of me hoped that maybe, just maybe, the arrows would clear a path through the enemy ranks. But that was wishful thinking.
The arrows slid over my back, and I quickly straightened up, only to find my hopes dashed. The arrows hadn’t pierced through the enemy lines. Instead, they hesitated, then circled back, targeting me again. It seemed they were imbued with some kind of homing ability.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue in annoyance and tossed my sword, Caligo Abraxas, high into the air. Stretching out my right arm, I grabbed the neck of the man who had attacked me with the spear.
As the arrows closed in, I pulled him in front of me as a shield.
Thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud!
Each arrow that struck him sent a shudder through his body. He wasn’t dead yet, as I could feel a faint tremor, but I couldn’t afford to waste any more time. The enemies were closing in.
I crushed his neck with a swift motion and hurled him forward. My hand then found the hilt of Caligo Abraxas as it fell back into my grasp.
There was still no clear escape route. I could leap into the air and land on a different plane, but with the enemies now alert, it was too risky. In the air, I’d be an easy target for ranged attacks, and if I couldn’t find a foothold, I’d be in serious trouble.
‘No choice.’
In a split second, I made my decision. I still had energy to spare—more than enough, in fact. Rather than gamble everything now, it seemed wiser to carve a path forward.
I had intended to conserve my strength until reaching the spirit summoner, but…
I thrust Victoria’s Glory forward and charged, activating the sword’s latent ability, “Sword Light.”
Vroom!
Victoria’s Glory emitted a brilliant light.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Nine beams of light, shaped like swords, rang out with a clear, resonant sound.
The sword light pierced precisely and deeply into the necks of the nine enemies blocking my path.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
As I mentioned in the last update, I’ve moved next week’s Wednesday update to Sunday at midnight.
I’m glad I could keep my promise. Haha.
I’ll be taking a break from Monday to Friday next week due to midterms.
Daily updates will resume on Saturday, October 19th. :)
Wishing all my readers a wonderful week! See you on Saturday! |ㅇ3ㅇ/