Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Cecil appeared like a ghost and swung her dagger. Her hand moved so fast that even I missed it for a moment.

The sharply edged dagger flew toward the neck of the red-haired man.

Just before it touched his skin, the red-haired man stopped his attack on me and evaded Cecil's strike with a reaction speed that defied belief.

‘Crazy. He really is a monster. Is it even possible to stop and dodge like that at such a moment?’

Despite the absurd movement, I noticed blood trickling from his neck. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t completely avoid the attack.

I didn’t miss the opening and swung my sword repeatedly toward his chest.

Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!

Cecil and Lin Winterbell also joined in the assault, and as time passed, more and more wounds appeared on the man’s body.

‘To think this is all we can manage with three people attacking him. We’re running out of time. We have to end this faster.’

I exchanged glances with Cecil. It was a signal to finish this for good. Cecil gave a nod.

The red-haired man’s body was already poisoned, thanks to the toxin smeared on Cecil’s blade. But because his level was so high, he was resisting and enduring the poison invading his system.

“Aaaaagh!!! Die already, you bastard!!”

Right on cue, Lin Winterbell, in a frenzy, unleashed a sword dance. I learned for the first time today that such fast attacks were possible with a giant sword. I had always known she possessed immense strength, but now it seemed she had grown even stronger than before.

Everyone was exhausted.

To end this stalemate, we needed a decisive blow. With the attacks we’d used so far, it was impossible to kill this monster of a man.

‘For that… there’s no choice but to use Makina.’

The red-haired man’s face twisted like a demon’s as he roared.

“Gaaahhhh!!! How long do you plan to torment me… Winterbeeeell!!”

He looked completely consumed by madness.

Just then, Lin Winterbell was mid-swing with her greatsword.

The red-haired man grabbed her sword, and in the next instant, with incredible speed, he sliced off one of her arms.

Slice!

Fssshhhhhh!

A fountain of blood sprayed from Lin Winterbell’s severed arm.

“You son of a bitch…”

Despite losing an arm, she remained remarkably calm. She immediately twisted her body and tried to attack with her legs. But even that was meaningless.

At this point, anyone else would have collapsed from exhaustion, yet the red-haired man burned through the last of his life force as if determined to end it all, and with ferocious momentum, he kicked Lin Winterbell in the abdomen.

Boom!

With a sound like a bomb going off, Lin Winterbell’s body vanished into the air. She flew so fast that I couldn’t even follow her with my eyes.

‘At that speed… she might really be dead…’

I steeled myself. Now wasn’t the time to be worrying about whether she was alive or dead. One misstep here and not only I, but even Cecil would die.

“Cecil!”

Before the words were even fully out of my mouth, the red-haired man charged at Cecil.

Even if she was once the heir of the “King of Slaughter” from the Hero’s party, now she was nothing more than a servant attending to the youngest master of the Winterbell family. It meant she was far from having the power she once did.

"I'm fine."

Even so, Cecil evaded the red-haired man's onslaught with ghost-like agility.

But due to the clear difference in level, she couldn't completely avoid all of his attacks. She could only redirect or deflect the ones that didn’t target her vital points.

"……."

I focused all of my mental strength in one place.

I drew upon the divine power that only Deus could sense, and took a deep breath.

"Hoo."

There was only one target.

I’d practiced this enough times—I could do it.

I could do it.

Already, I felt like my brain was burning. But I knew better than anyone that I couldn’t stop here.

‘More. More. More.’

Hotter.

Stronger.

Fiercer.

More precise.

A searing pain surged from the pupils marked with a cross-shaped engraving. Were they glowing? Burning? I didn’t know.

I couldn’t see my own eyes, after all.

But I could feel it—just like that.

I pictured the shape I wanted to manifest in my mind.

What I was forming was... a sword?

No.

It was a spear.

A long, thick, sharp spear that could pierce that bastard’s heart in one strike. A spear of Ether that only I could forge in this world.

Kiiiiiiing!

Makina activated.

A spiraling spear of condensed Ether shot toward the red-haired man’s heart.

Chwaaaaak!

The formless spear pierced straight through his heart, killing him instantly.

A rather anticlimactic end, considering how wildly he had fought up until now.

But the recoil from pushing Makina to its limit made me collapse to the ground in spasms. And then, I vomited blood.

“Kegh!”

Dark red blood gushed out endlessly. Bits of what looked like pieces of my organs were mixed in. Agonizing pain gripped my entire body. Cecil rushed over and supported me.

"Young Master, are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"But just now… that was…"

"I'll explain later. Let's deal with the situation first."

Cecil nodded.

"Understood."

I had intended to reveal it someday anyway.

It just happened a little sooner than planned.

I poured an entire healing potion into my mouth from my pocket. Then I stood up and picked up Lin Winterbell’s severed arm from the ground. Just in case it could be reattached—I figured I should keep it.

I didn’t exactly like her as a sister, but still, letting her lose an arm here left a bad taste in my mouth.

In the distance, I saw Lin Winterbell slowly walking toward us. As tenacious as ever—despite everything she took, she wasn’t dead. Judging by her expression, her body seemed to be intact too.

“Sis, here’s your arm.”

I tossed Lin Winterbell her arm. She caught it and grimaced.

"What the hell? How’d you kill him?"

"We got lucky."

"Don’t tell me you killed him?"

"Cecil and I took him down together."

"……."

Lin Winterbell looked like she couldn’t believe a word of it. Understandably so—having fought that monster herself, she couldn’t comprehend how a maid and someone like me managed to kill him without her.

“You’re telling me you two really killed him?”

"Then who else do you think did it?"

"This doesn't make sense. You're hiding something, aren’t you?"

"There’s plenty I’m hiding. But isn’t it the same for you, Sister? Anyway, instead of wasting time talking, I’d better go help Grandfather. As for you, figure out what to do with that arm."

Lin Winterbell looked displeased, but perhaps because she had nothing to say in return, she gave a small nod for now.

"This arm... Is there a priest nearby?"

"There wouldn’t be."

"Shit. Am I really going to end up living with one arm?"

"There are plenty of strong one-armed people. If it comes to that, it can’t be helped."

"You bastard, talking like it’s someone else’s problem."

"Don’t worry. I’m sure it can be fixed."

With those words, I headed toward where Grandfather was. He looked utterly exhausted, but fortunately, clutched in his hand was the severed head of the man who’d been playing the flute.

"Grandfather! Are you okay?"

"Yes... I must be getting old. To think I had such a hard time dealing with a worm like this."

"That’s just what happens with age. Besides, you were already injured before the fight even started."

"That’s true... Did you take care of the other one?"

"Yes. Somehow, we managed to kill him."

He reacted the same way Lin Winterbell had.

"That wasn’t someone you kids should’ve been able to handle... What did you do?"

I hesitated, thinking about how to explain it, but in the end, I just told him.

"I gave it everything I had. We got lucky. He also had a grudge against the Winterbell family. I used that to provoke him emotionally. It gave us an edge. If not for that, we’d be the ones lying dead right now."

Though my explanation was clearly an excuse, he looked like he couldn’t believe it. But there was no reason to press the issue further—the fight was over. And in the end, we had helped save the village.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, we managed to minimize the damage."

"Grandfather... My aunt..."

I was going to say I killed her.

But he spoke first.

"Yes. I know."

He muttered with a bitter expression.

"This happened because of my shortcomings. It’s all my fault. The village turning out like this, your mother and aunt ending up that way—it’s all on me."

"……"

"I should’ve done it with my own hands… but I let you suffer instead. I can’t face you. I’ve never done anything for you as kin, and yet I made you stain your hands with blood…"

"Don’t you resent me? She was still your daughter."

"It pains me that my daughter died. Of course it does. But that’s separate from the fact that she brought disaster to this village. If she was the cause, then her death was justified. As the village chief, I failed to stop her, and I have no excuse—no matter how many times I say it."

His eyes turned toward the village.

"Because of a useless chief like me, so many people died."

"It might not be my place to say this, but... my aunt was already mad. And it wasn’t the same kind of madness passed down through the Halla Clan. It was something else entirely."

"……As her father, I have no words. It’s all my fault."

I turned my eyes as well.

The village was in ruins.

Bodies were strewn everywhere, and the stench of blood was overwhelming. Most of the warriors consumed by madness had been dealt with, but far too many people had died.

And all of this had happened in just one night.

I thought of the red-haired man.

He was the strongest opponent I had faced so far.

He claimed to be a collateral of the Winterbell family, and said that this world would soon be ruled by Pandemonium.

The red-haired man, the flute-playing man.

And even the Sword Demon and the Witch I encountered before—

It felt like they were all part of the same organization. That place called Pandemonium.

‘Just what... are they moving for? What’s their goal?’

[Ran Winterbell.]

Why are you calling me all of a sudden?

[I can feel a trace of my soul from over there.]

‘Over where?’

Behemoth appeared from the sword and spoke.

[Follow me.]

The white whale led the way. He was heading toward the corpse of the flute-playing man.

‘This corpse?’

Behemoth shook his head.

[Do you really think a mere corpse would contain my soul?]

‘Then where exactly is it?’

[In this flute. A portion of my soul is sealed within this flute.]

‘The flute? Wait—why the hell is your soul sealed in a flute? And if it was sealed, you could’ve told me earlier.’

[It was only after that bastard died that I could feel its presence. Ran Winterbell, quickly! Feed on it now!]