Chapter 769

Chapter 769

My World Is… (4)

Kyle also arrived at the Dwarf residential area he had been assigned to.

But the Dwarf settlement was quite vast. He waited, trying to anticipate where the enemy would break in, but it was hard to pinpoint the exact location.

Unfortunately, there was a slight gap between where he was waiting and where the enemies actually appeared.

Dark, who had been sent ahead to scout, came rushing back and shouted.

"Damn it! Those bastards came in from a weird angle! They’re already fighting with the Dwarves!"

"Ah, this is going to be troublesome."

Kyle furrowed his brows.

He had to persuade the Dwarves to retreat as quickly as possible. But if they were already fighting, it wouldn’t be easy.

Just as he feared, the Dwarves were already clashing with the enemy, their faces full of fierce determination.

"You bastards! Do you have any idea where you are?"

"Push them all out right now!"

"Don’t be afraid! We can win this!"

The Dwarves roared as they charged into the enemy ranks again and again.

Their momentum seemed to pierce the sky, and the bold spirit of warriors glimmered on their faces.

But seeing them only made Kyle’s expression harden.

No matter how he looked at it, there was no way they could win against such overwhelming force.

And yet the Dwarves clung to their weapons, swinging them as if they had a chance.

"Waaaaaaaah!"

"We must not fall back here!"

"Get the children out of here first!"

Kyle quickly understood why they were fighting with their lives on the line.

Looking to the other side, he saw Dwarves fleeing in desperation.

"Damn it… So, this was that place."

Countless Dwarf children were running away as fast as they could.

Like the Elves, the Dwarves had a communal childcare system. Adult Dwarves were always busy with the duties of warriors and blacksmiths.

In Valskrum, there were certain parts of the settlement where parents with young children lived together. It was to better educate and raise them.

And it was usually the aged warriors or retired blacksmiths who took care of the children.

Kyle had at least heard that much. And now he realized this was one of those places.

"Don’t fall back!"

"If we retreat, the children won’t be able to escape!"

"Hold your ground and fight to the end!"

It was only natural that the Dwarves were hurling themselves into the enemy without hesitation.

Not only the parents but even those with no blood ties to the children were the same. They were throwing away their lives to protect the future of Valskrum.

‘Why did the area I was assigned have to be here?’

Feeling like he was going mad, Kyle pointed his metal staff at the gigantic Sandworm.

"Ghislain!"

Kwaaaaaaang!

It was a little late, but the magic pouring out of the staff was enough to draw all eyes to Kyle.

While everyone was frozen in shock at the sudden magic, he shouted in a booming voice.

“Hurry and run! We have to regroup at the royal capital! Everyone is gathering there to fight!”

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!

Kyle scattered magic in every direction, shouting the same words over and over.

But the Dwarves didn’t listen. No, they couldn’t follow his orders even if they wanted to.

Graaaaah!

The Dwarves were already tangled up in a chaotic melee with the swarming monsters. Even if they wanted to pull back, there was no way to break free.

Kyle also couldn’t use my metal staff where the Dwarves and monsters were mixed together.

All he could do was strike the monsters that broke through the Dwarves’ lines.

Kwaang! Kwaaang! Kwaang!

He spared no magic as he tried to save even one more Dwarf. The more he did so, the faster his metal staff broke down.

“Hurry! Give me another one!”

The mercenaries beside him passed him the metal staffs they were carrying.

Kyle kept using them without rest, enduring the recoil of the magic with his entire body.

This wasn’t the plan at all. Originally, he had intended to use the metal staffs to buy time and keep the enemies at bay while the Dwarves retreated.

But given how things turned out, there was no way he could hold back.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!

Everywhere the enemies surged forward, he thrust the metal staff and fired magic indiscriminately.

It would have been nice if he could keep doing it, but unfortunately, there was a limit to how many staffs he had.

Because Kyle used them faster and more often than his comrades in other directions, they eventually all ran out.

“Damn it!”

Thanks to Ghislain’s powerful magic, most of the enemies at the front were almost completely wiped out.

Especially the gigantic Sandworm, which couldn’t endure after taking several blasts and was finally destroyed.

But in the rear, monsters kept pouring in, one after another.

‘What should I do?’

Kyle looked around. The situation was hopeless.

The Dwarves who had been fighting up front were already close to being wiped out. And still, they did not retreat.

The fleeing children couldn’t possibly move fast enough. The aged Dwarves carrying newborns were the same.

“No…”

Kyle had only bought a little time, but like this, the approaching enemies would catch up in no time.

The biggest problem was the Priests of the Salvation Church and the Black Mages standing back and observing the situation.

They had been startled by the sudden magic and had withdrawn for the moment, but the instant they realized Kyle couldn’t cast any more spells, they would move again.

“Sir! You have to retreat now!”

“There are no more metal staff left!”

“Deputy Commander! If we delay any longer, the enemy will be right on top of us!”

The mercenaries urged Kyle to leave. There was nothing more he could do here.

Kyle ground his lips over and over. The truth was, they were right.

Now there were hardly any Dwarves left fighting. Even they had only managed to survive thanks to him.

But they couldn’t run away, no matter how much they wanted to. If they fled, the children would be caught.

One Dwarf raised his weapon again and shouted.

“Hold on no matter what! We have to buy even a little more time!”

“That’s right! If we die, we die here!”

“We must save the children who are fleeing!”

They shouted as they charged toward the enemies surging in again.

Kyle couldn’t bring himself to stop them.

All the magic he’d fired had ended up being in vain, but he didn’t blame them.

The Dwarves were simply doing what they had to do.

“Sir! Let’s go now!”

One of the mercenaries grabbed his arm.

It was time to run.

This was the only window to escape, while the Dwarves bought even a little time.

If they delayed any longer, they wouldn’t be able to get away either.

Kyle bit his lip.

He knew.

Running away from here was the right choice.

Ghislain had told him clearly to do what he could and then fall back.

Even so, his legs wouldn’t move.

Leaving the dying Dwarves and the fleeing children behind just to save himself was too much to bear.

As Kyle stood frozen, a Dwarf covered in blood spoke to him.

“I don’t know who you are, but thank you for helping. You should get out of here too.”

With a face soaked in blood, the Dwarf grinned and added.

“A Dwarf’s business should be settled by Dwarves. I don’t want a human who has nothing to do with this to die.”

…

“What you’ve done so far is enough. Just go. We’ll do what we must.”

Finishing those words, the Dwarf gripped his weapon again and charged forward.

The sight of him limping ahead wouldn’t leave Kyle’s eyes.

Seeing the dwarf determined to fight even in that state lodged itself deep in his chest.

Dark, who had been watching from the sky, descended urgently and shouted.

“This place is finished! The operation’s a failure! We have to retreat!”

Kyle didn’t say anything.

He kept staring at the Dwarves collapsing up ahead. After a moment, he finally spoke.

“You all go help the children escape.”

“Sir! I’m telling you; the enemies are swarming! Even if we help, they’ll catch up soon!”

“Go! Carry the children who are falling behind if you have to!”

“What about you, sir?!”

“I’ll hold them off here. Just go. Don’t make this any more complicated.”

At that, Dark screamed in disbelief.

“Hey! Are you insane? Are you out of your damn mind? Do you think you’re the boss? You can’t fight worth a damn!”

“Hurry up and go! Go help the children escape!”

At Kyle’s urgent shouting, the mercenaries had no choice but to withdraw.

The truth was, with so few of them, there wasn’t much they could do to help the children. It would have almost been better for them to die fighting here.

But Kyle was sending them away so they could survive.

If he somehow held back the enemies and bought time here, maybe everyone could make it out alive.

Of course, Dark was completely losing his mind over that reckless plan.

“You stupid bastard! How the hell do you think you’re going to stop all those enemies!”

“…I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I said I don’t know!”

“You crazy son of a bitch! What the hell are you thinking?!”

“Either way, we have to buy time for the children to escape!”

“I’m telling you; you can’t do it with your skills! You’ll die here! Don’t you get that you’re not allowed to die?”

“…”

“You thick-headed idiot! Do you really not understand how important your life is? You’re a comrade of the Hero and the Saintess who will save the world! If you’re alive, you can help win the war against the Demonic Abyss and save everything!”

“…”

“If you die, no one knows how the future will change! That’s why you have to run! That’s why the master told you to run! So, things will keep flowing along the original history!”

“…”

Kyle just listened as Dark poured out words in a rush.

Like Julien, Kyle didn’t really believe all that talk about him saving the world.

And even if it was true… he couldn’t follow Dark’s orders right now.

Kyle slowly opened my mouth.

“You said… I’m supposed to save the world, right?”

“Yeah! You’re much more important than you think!”

“I know I’m impressive. There aren’t many as amazing as me. I’m stronger than Julien.”

“Then just run! You can figure everything out after you survive!”

Instead of answering, Kyle tossed his scabbard to the ground with a thud.

Throwing away the scabbard meant he was ready to fight to the death.

Dark knew what that meant, and his eyes widened fiercely.

“You… you really plan to throw your life away here?”

Kyle looked at Dark, who was raging, and spoke.

“Saving the world… it’s an amazing, precious thing. If that’s really true, I’d want to do it too.”

A small smile spread across his lips.

“But… there are plenty of people besides me who can save the world.”

“What?”

“There’s Julien, Deneb, Astion. There’s Ereneth and Lionel, too. Ghislain… though I don’t know if he’ll still be around by then.”

“You… what the hell are you saying…”

Kyle looked back over his shoulder and gave a short laugh.

“But… right now, the only one who can save those children is me.”

“You…”

“I’ll leave saving the world to those friends. For now, I’ll save the people I can.”

Rip!

Kyle tore his clothes. Then, with the torn fabric, he bound his hand tightly to his sword.

It was his resolve that he wouldn’t let go of the blade unless his wrist itself was severed.

Hooo…

With a determined look, he took a deep breath and surveyed the battlefield. In his gaze, there was not even a flicker of hesitation left.

Even as the Dwarves ahead of him fell, he didn’t move.

Helping them now would be pointless.

It was better to leave them there to buy even a little more time.

From this moment on, he had to fight, guided not by emotion but by cold calculation and judgment.

Only by doing so could he save the fleeing children.

One by one, the last remaining Dwarves began to scream and collapse.

“Aaaaargh!”

“You cursed bastards! Our king will never forgive you!”

“Let’s keep fighting even in hell!”

The Dwarves screamed as they somehow swung their weapons one last time.

Kyle took in the sight of their final stand.

At the same time, he studied the movements of the monsters and started to plan how he would fight.

Dark, who had been watching him with an exasperated expression, soon let out a short laugh.

“You’re kind of like Kaor and Alfoi, but also different.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re an idiot, but a cool idiot.”

“I’ve always been kind of cool.”

“Fine. Even if you’re determined to die, I can’t just let you die so easily. I’ll help you fight.”

“How?”

“If you try to cover this whole battlefield alone, it’ll take too much effort. I’ll transform into a horse, so ride me.”

Dark had fought alongside Ghislain in countless battles. After so much experience, he knew exactly how to fight most effectively.

Kyle looked at him with a curious expression.

“You’re not planning to just run away with me once I’m on, are you? Don’t try to trick me.”

“Well, if things get really bad, I might. But for now, no, so don’t worry.”

Dark’s sparrow body swelled larger and larger until he transformed into a magnificent horse made of blue energy.

Kyle was a little surprised at the sight.

“I knew you could transform, but I didn’t realize you could look this impressive.”

“This is the form of a horse that Aiden used to ride. Its name is Kkoko. Alfoi rides it now.”

“The name’s not very impressive.”

“Just get on. Let’s move quickly.”

As Kyle started to climb onto Dark’s back, he paused and asked.

“Can you transform into something else?”

“I can. Why?”

“Then turn into a huge, magnificent wolf.”

“A wolf?”

“Yeah. That’s cool, isn’t it? Every man has dreamed about riding something like that at least once.”

Dark let out a small laugh.

“You… you’ve got some romance in you.”

Dark immediately transformed into a massive wolf. Naturally, he even made a saddle and reins connected to his body so Kyle could ride comfortably.

Kyle’s eyes gleamed when I saw it.

He was so pleased that a broad grin spread across his face.

“Alright!”

He climbed onto Dark’s back and adjusted his posture, bouncing a few times.

“Perfect. This is really comfortable. Shall we get started?”

“Of course, bro. Let’s show them what we can do.”

Gwoooooooo!

All the Dwarves who had been fighting ahead finally fell.

Now the swarm of monsters began charging straight toward the direction the children were escaping.

And then…

Dark and Kyle charged boldly to meet them.