Chapter 771

Chapter 771

My World Is... (6)

Dark was a being composed purely of energy. No matter how much willpower or grit he had, once his energy was depleted, he couldn't maintain his form.

Dark hadn’t tried to dodge; instead, he threw himself to protect Kyle.

"Dark..."

Kyle looked in the direction where Dark had been, eyes filled with shock.

There had been someone with him just a moment ago.

A comrade who ran beside him, fought beside him, moved as one with him amid the chaos of the battlefield.

But now, not even a trace of blue energy remained where he looked.

‘…You did well.’

As long as Ghislain existed, Dark was a being that could not die. He hadn’t truly vanished, so there was no need to worry.

Even so... being left alone on this battlefield, a heavy loneliness surged within Kyle.

‘…Is this the end?’

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he had endured thus far thanks to Dark. If Dark hadn’t helped, Kyle would have had to expend much more mana to move.

Without Dark, in his current state of exhaustion, escape was impossible.

GROOOOAR!

Monsters began swarming Kyle again.

And at last, two black-robed Black Mages revealed themselves.

"The spirit has been extinguished, huh? We wasted our mana on that strange thing."

"That bastard's power must be nearly drained by now. Let’s finish him."

The two Black Mages looked visibly irritated. They had invested significant magical power into their ambush, only for it to be foiled by Dark.

Soon, black energy began to condense once more at their fingertips.

Kyle, watching it with weary eyes, gripped his sword tightly.

‘This is better.’

Because of these bastards, he couldn’t retreat easily. If he killed them, there would be no one left to command these monsters.

Then even the slower kids would be able to escape safely.

Even if he couldn’t kill them, buying time would suffice.

Even if the price was his own life.

"Hoo..."

Kyle raised his sword with a tense expression.

His arms felt heavy, his breath ragged and labored.

Even so, his eyes still burned fiercely.

BOOOOOM!

Black magic surged from the Black Mage, flying toward Kyle.

At the same time, Kyle clenched his teeth and swung his sword.

KA-BOOOOM!

An explosion erupted, sending the surrounding monsters flying.

But even amidst the shockwave, Kyle didn’t stop. He watched his enemies' movements and charged forward even more boldly.

CRACK!

Kyle’s sword shattered the Black Mage’s shield and cut into his body.

"Urgh!"

The Black Mage, struck in the chest, staggered back in surprise. Kyle tried to follow up with another blow, but the other Black Mage didn't miss the opening and attacked.

FWOOOSH!

Winding black flames tried to engulf Kyle.

Kyle immediately rolled across the ground. He narrowly dodged the flames, but this time, bone fragments erupted from the earth and slashed his side.

CRACK!

Flesh was torn, and blood gushed out. But Kyle had no time to tend to his wounds.

He instinctively twisted his body and swung his sword.

SLASH!

The charging chimera’s face was split in half.

In that moment, the Black Mage, who had regained his stance, released mana into Kyle’s back.

BOOM!

"Urgh!"

The shock twisted Kyle’s entire body, and he coughed up blood. Even so, he didn’t lose consciousness and rolled to evade the follow-up attack.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The spells cast by the Black Mages blasted the surroundings to pieces.

Kyle barely dodged the magical attacks as he slashed through the approaching monsters.

Even amid the chaos, he sharply scanned the situation, searching for an opening.

‘Fifth-circle, perhaps.’

He could win in a one-on-one fight.

But the situation was dire. His body was exhausted, and he had almost no mana left.

On top of that, he was surrounded by monsters. With fifth-circle-level opponents attacking in tandem, surviving was no easy feat.

KABOOM!

Eventually, another spell hit Kyle, and his body crashed to the ground.

This time, the impact was severe—his left arm hung limp.

The breastplate he wore had split, and his flesh was charred. His mana was completely drained.

THUD. THUD.

A massive chimera approached. With a crushed face, twisted limbs, and decayed flesh, it looked like a hybrid fused with an undead.

Kyle clenched his teeth and forced his collapsing legs to stand.

Then, in a single charge, he cut the monster’s neck.

SLASH!

The monster’s head hit the ground. But immediately after, another monster lunged and bit into Kyle’s shoulder.

CRUNCH!

As he tore himself free, blood burst forth, and a chunk of flesh was ripped away.

Just as Kyle embedded his sword into the monster’s forehead, the Black Mages’ magic once again struck him.

BOOM!

"Khagh!"

Kyle spat blood once more as he was flung back. The spell was so powerful that even the monsters surrounding him were blown apart.

BOOM! BOOM! KABOOM!

Each time Kyle got back on his feet, the Black Mages continued casting spells. Even the nearby monsters were caught in the explosions and obliterated.

But Kyle refused to die. He kept standing. Even as he staggered, he continued slashing at the monsters that came at him.

The expressions of the Black Mages hardened.

"What is this guy?"

"Why won’t he die?"

No matter how strong Kyle was, he should’ve been dead by now. In his exhausted state, he had already been hit by multiple spells.

And yet, the enemy still stood firm, sword in hand. The Black Mages could not comprehend what they were seeing.

The incomprehensible often evokes fear. To escape that fear, they needed to eliminate its source.

A murderous intent more intense than ever bloomed in their eyes.

"This time, we have to make sure he dies."

"Yeah, with all of our mana..."

WHOOOOOM!

Two massive black spears rose from the Black Mages’ fingertips.

As their energy spread, the surroundings darkened, and a cursed whisper rode the wind.

Kyle struggled to raise his sword and summoned his remaining mana.

Soon, the Black Mages’ spears tore through the air toward him.

KAAA-BOOOOM!

An enormous explosion erupted alongside a plume of black smoke.

It was a spell unleashed at full strength by two fifth-circle Black Mages. They believed that, this time, he was definitely dead.

But...

"Khak!"

Kyle was still alive.

Though kneeling and bleeding from every part of his body, he was alive nonetheless.

Drip... drip...

Black blood dripped down his clenched fist.

Even the cloth tying his hand to the sword had frayed and torn, yet Kyle did not let go of his blade.

However, his consciousness now lingered only by a thread.

Shapes blurred before his eyes, and the surrounding sounds buzzed as if underwater. He had already lost all feeling in his legs.

The Black Mages panted heavily. They couldn’t believe he was still alive.

"It’s fine. He’s nearly dead."

"One more strike will finish it."

They began summoning their mana once more.

Although they had little left after commanding the massive monster horde, killing one half-dead man wouldn’t be difficult.

WHOOOOM...

Black mana started to coalesce before the Black Mages.

This would surely sever Kyle’s life.

Kyle slowly raised his head. But his gaze wasn’t directed at the Black Mages.

It was a little further off.

Toward the direction the children had fled.

‘…They should be safe now, right?’

If his body were intact, Kyle might have been able to see far into the distance. But now, with blurred vision, he couldn’t see the children.

Still, he had bought a lot of time. Even the slower kids should’ve gotten far away by now.

Yes, so it should be fine now.

‘…They’ll be alright.’

Even as his consciousness faded, Kyle kept repeating those words to himself.

Beeeep...

Kyle felt darkness closing in before his eyes. A ringing echoed in his ears.

Thump.

Suddenly, his mind was enveloped in silence.

The pain faded, and all sensation vanished.

Just when he thought it was the end, someone asked in a small voice.

— Why did you fight?

So, Kyle thought for a moment.

‘Why was I fighting?’

Was it to survive?

To earn someone’s praise?

Because it was something necessary to save the world?

No…

It wasn’t because of any of that.

‘Just… because no one else would. Because it was something someone had to do.’

That was Kyle’s answer.

That was all there was to it.

Not because of some grand destiny decreed upon him to save the world.

He had simply stepped forward because there was a moment when someone had to.

‘If not me, then who?’

That simple thought.

That heavy feeling.

It was enough to make him move, prepared to die.

Within it was an acceptance to bear all burdens, and a resolve to protect, no matter what.

Paradoxically, that was why Kyle could be free.

The mission of the Julien Mercenary Corps, the duty to save the world, the desire to preserve his life and run—

He cast it all aside and chose the path he truly desired. And he gave it his all.

The moment he realized that, Kyle smiled faintly.

‘…This is enough. I’ve done what I could.’

At the same time, a small voice whispered from somewhere.

— It’s alright now.

That short sentence carried weight.

It meant the battles, the pain, the blood, and the cries that had continued until now—were over.

Beeeep…

The ringing in his ears echoed endlessly. Kyle was slowly letting go of the thread of life.

Then, someone asked again.

— Why aren’t you moving anymore?

‘…I have no strength left to move.’

— Then is it over?

‘…I guess so?’

— No, you can still move.

‘…How?’

— Open your eyes.

Kyle forced his heavy eyelids upward.

His vision was still blurred. In the end, he had no choice but to shut his eyes again.

Even so, the voice continued to urge him.

— Get up. Hurry and open your eyes.

Kyle trembled as he tried to rise. Though his legs held no strength, he still tried with everything he had.

But his body was so heavy. It felt impossible to even lift himself.

‘I can’t get up. I must’ve run out of strength. My body is too heavy.’

— You haven’t run out of strength.

‘Then what?’

— You’re trapped by a wall.

‘…Trapped?’

— But that wall is already gone. You just don’t know it yet.

‘The wall… is gone?’

— Yes. You already gave everything and let go, for the sake of what you wanted to protect. The wall disappeared then. You just weren’t aware of it.

Kyle felt like the voice echoing in his head was his own.

That voice spoke with firm conviction.

— So, open your eyes. Open them and look upon the world once more.

‘The world…’

— Because that is your world.

Kyle slowly opened his eyes.

The voice was no longer there. But he could feel that the world had changed.

KAAAAAAAH!

The massive black mana launched by the Black Mages was bearing down on him.

Strangely, it looked incredibly slow.

‘My world…’

Kyle realized everything around him had changed.

He pushed strength into his legs and stood up. He lifted his sword straight once more.

Then, he slowly slashed his sword toward the approaching mana.

KRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKROOOM!

In an instant, it felt as though the earth and sky had flipped over. The massive explosion swallowed Kyle whole.

The Black Mages recoiled slightly in shock.

"W-What the hell?"

"Did we have that much power?"

It was true they had poured in a considerable amount of mana to finish him off. But this level of destructive power? It was beyond what they had expected.

The last thing they saw of their opponent was him kneeling, dying. They couldn’t understand why such a huge explosion had occurred.

"Still… he’s gotta be dead, right?"

"There’s no way he could’ve survived that. He was at his limit."

They convinced themselves and let their guards down. The explosion was something no one could survive in such a weakened state.

But then…

BOOOOM!

Before the blast had even fully settled, Kyle burst out from within it.

Drenched in blood, he appeared and swung his sword with terrifying eyes.

SLASH!

One Black Mage couldn’t even react before his body was cleaved diagonally and collapsed.

The other Black Mage, startled, stretched out his hand.

WHOOSH!

Kyle suddenly vanished from sight.

Before the mage could even turn around, Kyle’s sword pierced through his chest from behind.

SQUELCH!

"Urgh…"

The Black Mage fell with his heart pierced clean through.

Kyle looked back for a moment.

It was the escape path he had secured. As long as nothing changed, the children would be safe.

At the monsters’ current speed, they couldn’t catch up to the children anymore.

But there was someone here who could reach the fleeing children in an instant.

FWOOOOOSH!

A black vortex suddenly formed at the center of the approaching monsters.

The vortex sucked in and tore apart even the nearby monsters.

Seeing this, Kyle summoned the last of his strength.

"…One more time."

THUD!

He took a step toward the vortex.

This one step…

Could protect someone’s life.

Kyle lowered his body and raised his sword once more.

In this battlefield filled with darkness…

Only his sword radiated a light so brilliant, it was blinding.