〈6. Proof of Existence (44)〉
Light and heat dance.
The incandescent world did not permit sound. Only a sharp tinnitus filled the deafened hearing.
Occasionally bursting flashes covered the retina. The acrid burning smell pierced the nose and rushed up to the mind.
It was a space where vision, hearing, and smell were meaningless.
Even the prickling heat made the sense of touch not function properly. Nevertheless, three people including me were traversing this bleached world.
Because warriors who had achieved realms did not follow common sense.
They were the ones who noticed footsteps in places where even vision couldn’t reach, just from the vibrations shaking the ground. Intuition beyond the five senses was arbitrarily driving my body.
The Great Mage who showed his true intentions was indeed formidable.
The offensive continued without cease. The storm of lightning pouring down without giving even a moment’s gap had already half-destroyed the interior.
However, the opponent was a monster no less than that.
“Foolish…….”
Grit, grit.
In time with the sound of the girl grinding her teeth, the blood-red whip danced.
The blood-red that had been wriggling like a snake became a straight beam of light and swept the area.
Then, dozens of lightning spheres exploded simultaneously. Spears of lightning that had been filling the air one by one were shot next, but as the blood-red whip once again cut the world horizontally, the result was the same.
The unfathomable mana that simply shattered the highly condensed mana.
It could only be explained as the power of an evil god. It was violence hard to imagine with my current self.
Perhaps if I reached the realm of ‘High Expert.’
While I held my breath and waited for an opening, the girl chanted with even deeper anger.
“Foolish, foolish, foolish… I told you, there is no such thing as salvation!”
With a scream, the blood-red sun floating in the air began to wail.
Uuuuuuu!
And the blood-red tentacles rising centered on the sun, the fleshy masses numbering easily in the hundreds were showing bizarre movements.
Even at a glance, it was a suspicious omen.
Naturally, I wasn’t the only one who sensed this.
“Nephew-in-law!”
I immediately attempted a leap in response to Mr. Reynolds’ call. The blood-red tentacles had already divided into countless thin threads.
The silver aura that had been condensed like a solid crystal was released.
The silver boundary spread like mist immediately burrowed into the blood-red threads. Pop, pop, countless threads couldn’t withstand their own tension and snapped.
Nevertheless, it was the limit.
Processing all the threads was impossible from the start. Even when my body was normal, didn’t I barely fend them off after two aura explosions?
Sensing the limit, a warning burst from my lips.
“Mr. Reynolds, be careful… Urk!”
However, before my words could even finish, a bundle of blood-red threads struck my side.
There was no way my body floating in the air had the strength left to repel them.
I was immediately slammed into the wall with a thud and slid down slowly. It was an impact intense enough to shake my consciousness for a moment.
It hurts terribly.
I almost let out a scream unconsciously.
I didn’t know what the girl had done to my body, but my nerves throughout were still on edge. Thanks to that, while I could closely observe the situation in the room, my sense of pain was also heightened.
It was pain multiplied by at least several times.
Normally, I should have lost consciousness, but my brain, awakened by the excitement of battle, didn’t easily lose awareness. That was why I had to endure pain I was feeling for the first time in my life.
My hands trembled uncontrollably regardless of my will.
Because I feared the pain. It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
I thought I had passed this stage long ago.
Of course, Mr. Reynolds wasn’t unscathed either.
Bang, bang, bang!
Explosions rang out in succession. The blood-red threads extended in all directions and burrowed into the condensing mana spheres, soon beginning to dye the magic blood-red.
The explosion occurred right after that.
It was clear that Mr. Reynolds hadn’t intended this. Because he too was rolling on the ground, desperately trying to escape the explosion’s radius.
But it was such a widespread explosion. No one could be completely free from its aftermath.
With a short groan, the middle-aged man’s body collided with the wall. Since it was a spot adjacent to me, I staggered to my feet and quickly joined Mr. Reynolds’ side.
Swish, the blood-red threads that had already filled the surroundings spread like curtains on both sides.
In the center stood the girl with pitch-black hair. Using the blood-red sun as lighting, she was quietly regulating her breathing with her eyes closed.
One hand forward, the other hand behind her back.
The two arms forming a strange cross and the two feet slightly staggered looked like a preparatory pose for dance. The moment the girl opened her eyes again, the blood-red sun began vibrating once more.
Along with the buzzing tremor, the girl chanted with her golden eyes wide open fiercely.
“How much more despair do you need to understand……? How much more collapse do you need to understand?!”
Mr. Reynolds let out a groan and patted his lower back.
Even a Great Mage couldn’t deceive time, as fatigue was evident.
“Is this okay for the Thunder God of the Battlefield?”
“Thunder God my ass… It’s just a pretentious nickname to get good commissions.”
Although he bantered as if it was nothing, both of our foreheads were already drenched in cold sweat.
Because we were keenly realizing that the opponent was no easy foe.
The girl’s chanting continued.
“If you really wish for it, fine… You foolish ones!”
That cry was like a long song.
In tune with the exceedingly high melody, the blood-red sun emitted an even larger resonant sound. And soon, the blood-red threads shooting out like arrows.
They were aiming for the crowns of the pitch-black charred monsters. The faceless monsters pierced by the blood-red threads opened their narrow slit eyes wide and spewed eerie glares.
Kreuk, kek, kruk!
As if in agony, the faceless monsters clutching their necks rose one by one.
Hideous screams burst out all at once.
Kieeeeeeek!
And the screams that began to subside gradually started to form a lively rhythm.
Aaaak! Kreuk! Kreuuuk!
Thump, thump. The horrific danse macabre performed by the cries in time with the merry drumbeats.
Only then did the girl wear a satisfied smile and close her eyes.
The way she even nodded her head suggested that this hideous melody was quite to her liking.
Mr. Reynolds’ impression upon seeing this was plain.
“Just in case, but… Did your sister perhaps have mental issues?”
“That woman is not my sister. No, she is my sister, but…….”
Haa, I let out a sigh and shook my head.
There was no time to explain the details.
“Anyway, think of her as a core executive of the Dark Church.”
“What about Elsie and the others’ safety?”
At that question, my eyes naturally turned to the rear of the girl. There, three women were still hanging with their hands and feet bound.
I had directly heard the reasons not to touch Celine or Ria, and by the ‘contract,’ Senior Elsie should also be safe for now.
“It’s guaranteed.”
“Good, then…….”
Having cast off a major worry, Mr. Reynolds’ gaze became serious. Crackle, electricity sparked around his eyes for a moment.
It was an astonishing realm even seeing it again.
The process of substituting mana existing in nature was so natural. As if the wind blows and water flows, it seemed to claim that this too was a natural part of reason.
Mr. Reynolds himself didn’t seem to care whether I was admiring or not. He was merely observing the surroundings and watching for an opportunity.
“……We need to think of a way to guarantee our safety.”
“Is there a way?”
“If only given time.”
It was an all too obvious statement.
Mages were even more sensitive to time than knights. Because the longer the incantation, the more precise the spell, and through that, the maximum firepower could be projected.
But right now, Mr. Reynolds couldn’t earn time for incantation.
The opponent wasn’t a fool either. There would be no desire at all to face the full power of someone titled ‘Great Mage.’
Our party didn’t have the strength to overcome the girl’s checks.
Strictly speaking, my strength was too lacking.
Even now, my arms were trembling from the remnants of pain. If my body were normal, perhaps, but right now, the role I could perform was at best occasional checks.
As my expression darkened, a thick hand patted my back tap tap.
“There are still moves left… First, I’ll buy time.”
“What?”
It was a story completely opposite to the usual strategy.
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