Chapter 117: Spreading Blood on Sand (8)
“All right, let’s finish this.”
Teranill’s arms fell to the ground. Swoosh! Hot arterial blood gushed from the severed limbs. Ronan, who had aimed for his neck, raised an eyebrow.
“You managed to dodge it, huh?”
“Keuk…!”
Teranill’s face turned pale. His intuition based on instinct saved his life. If he hadn’t assumed a defensive stance before the voice reached him, his head would undoubtedly have flown off.
However, losing his arms was far from a minor setback. The right arm was severed below the elbow, and the left one extended just below the shoulder, rendering them numb.
The belated pain struck his entire body. Teranill’s mouth erupted into a desperate scream.
“Kraaaaah!!”
His eyes, which had been closed, snapped open. Blood flowed down his cheeks.
Even if he wanted to wipe his face, it was impossible without his arms. Teranill, having regained control of his breath, gathered mana from his body into his eyeballs.
“Huuu… huuuuuaack…!”
The wounds on his corneas gradually began to heal. As soon as he regained his sight, a sword aimed at his neck caught his eye.
“Ugh!”
Teranil hastily bent his waist. Whoosh! Lamancha flew sideways and passed by the top of his head. Ronan tilted his head.
“What’s this? Can you see again?”
“What… what kind of trick did you use?”
Teranill shouted, stumbling and groping. Due to losing too much blood, his head was spinning. The partially restored vision only showed the contours of Ronan’s figure.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Now, hold on!”
Ronan responded with a sly smile and swung his sword. The sharp blade poured down like a waterfall. Shiiik! Terranil, who narrowly avoided having his ear blown off by just a leaf, bit his lips.
“Damn it…!”
Losing his arms made it difficult to maintain balance. Teranill had to dodge Ronan’s attacks even more precariously than before. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t completely evade the relentless strikes, leaving him with various cuts and scratches all over his body.
‘This is pathetic. I never thought I’d make such a mistake.’
The tide of the battle had completely turned. It was like being turned into prey while chasing a mouse. Teranill bit his lower lip in frustration. He had temporarily refrained from restoring his vision to enjoy the battle with Ronan, and it had backfired horribly.
‘How the hell did he do that? Making his presence disappear completely…!’
He couldn’t understand the principle behind it. Even now, Ronan’s mana was repeatedly disappearing and reappearing. Teranill frowned in confusion.
‘I’m at a disadvantage. I need to retreat.’
Despite the heat coming off the wounds, his head was chillingly cold. He couldn’t keep going like this indefinitely. No matter how much he regretted it, the severed arms wouldn’t come back.
Avoiding the situation was the priority. Teranill, seeking an opportunity, gathered his breath and roared.
“Get away!”
His authority was activated. The translucent wings spread wide, unleashing a gust of wind that swept through the entire room. Teranill’s eyes widened.
“Kuuuugh!”
“Wh-what the hell?!”
Unbelievable events unfolded. Ronan did not get blown away. He stood firm, holding the two swords deeply embedded in the ground.
That wasn’t all. Unexpectedly, roots of mana sprouted, entwining around Ronan’s body, anchoring him to the ground.
The unpleasant-looking root kept growing every time it broke, preventing Ronan from flying away. Eventually, the wind subsided. Teranill’s face contorted in disbelief.
“This can’t be happening!”
“I won’t fall for the same trick three times.”
With a sly grin, Ronan swung both his swords. Teranill, hastily trying to evade, was a little too late. Splurt! A red line in the shape of a cross appeared above his chest. Following the blade’s path, blood spurted, painting Ronan’s face.
“Keuk!”
Blood spurted from Teranill’s mouth. The word “death” briefly flashed through his mind. This wound was not good. The blade, tearing through flesh and penetrating to the organs, was keenly felt.
“Bi-bishop?!”
Yuria, who had been engaged with Shullifen, finally turned her head. Until a moment ago, Teranill was perfectly fine, but now he was bleeding profusely with both arms severed. She screamed in horror.
“Y-your arms…?! How did this happen?”
“Yuria! Ugh, retreat… Scroll…!”
“You can’t leave!”
Ronan, turning the blade once it was held firmly, swung it again. Focused on the fight, Teranill seized the opportunity to leap up and kick the ground. Bang! A violent shockwave erupted, covering Ronan.
“Uuugh!”
It was a direct hit. Although he managed to grab the roots, they were torn away in an instant. Thud! Rolling five times, Ronan finally came to a stop after colliding with a pillar.
“…Damn it.”
No matter how many times he experienced it, he still couldn’t get used to it. Ronan spit out his saliva, and crimson clots splattered.
In truth, Ronan’s condition was far from good. The shockwave had jolted his body, which was already screaming in pain. Despite grasping the reins for a moment, the damage he received until now had still accumulated in his body.
“Keuk… Stand… Damn it.”
However, he could not afford to miss. Ronan, groaning, got up and started running. Teranill, in the meantime, had already gone within the range of Yuria’s Protection of the Stars.
“Ugh… Come out, you son of a bitch! Are you even a Bishop?”
Ronan shouted. The distance was too far for the sword energy to reach. Teranill naturally pretended not to hear. Yuria, patting her leopard, spoke.
“Shoot him with everything.”
“Grrrrr…”
Then, the leopard, previously shooting the metal shards at Shullifen, turned to look at Ronan. A loud roar bursted from the leopard’s mouth as it inflated its body to its fullest extent.
“Graaaaah!”
Simultaneously, various parts of the leopard’s body split open, and metal shards were sent flying. Clink! Clang! Every time Ronan swung his sword, sparks flew fiercely.
“Fuck this again…”
The firing interval was so narrow that it was impossible to move forward. Yuria was holding a teleportation scroll. Teranill, leaning on her, glared at Ronan and opened his mouth.
“From now on… Keuk, you are our target. Lycopos will… Cough… he will chase you… to the ends of the earth.”
“Shut up… stay there…!”
Ronan gritted his teeth. If things continued like this, there would be no way out. The distance for the sword energy to reach was too far, and Shullifen’s attacks couldn’t penetrate the Protection of the Stars. Moreover, Vijra’s core was also running out of energy in the process.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing? Snap out of it!”
Ronan shouted, turning to Shullifen. After ending his battle against Yuria, he was staring blankly into space as he was possessed by something. His body, which had endured the onslaught, was covered in various large and small wounds.
‘Why is he like that? Did he get hit in the head?’
Ronan twisted his lips. Swoosh! At that moment, the scroll unfolded, and a bright blue portal appeared. Yuria looked at the boys and spoke.
“Well, it’s a shame, gentlemen. I’ll definitely kill you next time, so see you then.”
“This… you bastards…!”
“Hold on a bit, Bishop. Alivrihe will make you a cool prosthetic arm…”
-Baaaaaaaaang!!
Yuria was about to guide Teranill into the portal first. Suddenly, a deafening noise, as if the world were about to shatter, echoed from behind. She was so shocked that she flinched back.
“Kyaaaah?!”
Simultaneously, an intense mana wave engulfed the four. The mana flowing through her body at will felt different from any energy she had ever experienced.
“Ugh!”
Ronan was disgusted. The mana that entered their bodies recklessly felt like pouring all the mana potions in existence down their throats. The air became unbearably dry and suffocating.
And it seemed that the others felt the same. The powerful mana was affecting even Yuria and Teranill who were within the range of the Protection of the Stars.
“Kuek! Uueeek!”
“Ughhhh!”
The two were vomiting, unable to even enter the portal. Only Schlieffen maintained his posture, staring into space as if he was possessed. Feeling the change in his body, Ronan raised his head.
‘This…!’
Gradually, his breathing stabilized. Despite the repulsiveness, he could feel mana replenishing. The two nearly depleted power sources were pulsating rapidly.
Ronan turned his head. The dazzling light emanated from the magic stone in the middle of the ruins. An immense amount of mana was gushing out from the magic stone.
Whiiiiiing…
The distorted background, shaped by mana, was gradually expanding. The dim ceiling lights, weakened by successive battles, were becoming so bright that it was hard to keep one’s eyes open. At that moment, a woman’s voice echoed throughout the space.
[Security System activated]
[Security System activated]
“Security system…?”
The artificially produced voice was chilling. Ronan furrowed his brow, not understanding the unfamiliar words. With a series of unexplained events happening since earlier, he couldn’t grasp what was going on.
“Uuuh… huh?”
But right now, that wasn’t what mattered. Yuria and Teranill, recovering from their vomiting, were regaining their composure. Wiping her mouth, Yuria let out an exclamation.
“…Doesn’t it feel like our power is surging somehow? Shall we just kill them now?”
“No, Yuria. Hurry…”
Teranill hurried Yuria. His injuries were not something that could be healed with mana.
“Yes, yes.”
Yuria, pouting, took out another teleportation scroll. The previous portal had disappeared without a trace. Turning to Ronan, who was looking at them, she waved her hand.
“Well then, goodbye for real.”
Just as Yuria began to unfold the scroll, Ronan held Ymir tightly. The two power sources were pulsating as if ready to explode at any moment.
‘This is my last chance.’
It seemed possible now. Although he had never tried it before, he felt an intuition that it would succeed. Suddenly, a golden energy creeped up Ronan’s arm. It was Varen’s aura that amplified his power.
“Huuuu…”
Ronan took a deep breath. Whoosh! The moment Yuria’s scroll unfolded and a portal appeared. Ronan swung his arm, aiming the tip of his sword at Teranil.
Ymir, imbued with sparkling mana, shot out with its white tail trailing behind. Bang! A belated sonic boom echoed.
Teranill was about to step into the portal. Swoosh! Ymir came flying through the air, pierced through the Protection of the Stars and stabbed into his side.
“Kuek!”
“Bishop!”
Teranill fell with a loud sound, as if he was hit by a flying kick. Ymir, forcefully launched by Ronan and burdened with the weight of the dagger, made the impact more severe.
“N-no. No, this can’t be happening…”
Ymir’s blade was embedded into Teranil’s side all the way to the handle. Teranill, determined with superhuman tenacity, began crawling toward the portal.
Ronan stomped his right foot on the ground. Whoosh! Roots sprouted from the spot where Ymir was and wrapped around the two.
“Wh-what is this?!”
Yuria exclaimed in confusion. No matter how she struggled to free her arms and legs, she couldn’t escape easily. The roots, reinforced with an unknown mana, were thicker and more lush.
Ronan kept his gaze fixed on them and spoke.
“I told you.”
Suddenly, Ymir, stuck on Teranill’s side, began to emit light. Yuria’s eyes widened. The energy emanating from the dagger was undoubtedly Teranill’s aura.
“This… is Bishop’s…?”
Teranill, face turned white as his future became predictable. Ronan, gathering all the remaining mana, muttered lowly.
“I can’t let you go.”
“Aaahhh! Stop!!”
A bone-chilling scream echoed as Ronan clenched his fist. Baaaaang! Simultaneously, a shockwave erupted within Teranill’s body.
“Aaaah!”
His torn body scattered in all directions. Yuria screamed as her eye was pierced by a bone fragment.
The sparkling roots tore apart, and the Protection of the Stars was lifted. Blood and organs radiated on the cold metal floor, creating a red flower. Teranill’s upper body vanished without a trace.
“How dare you!!”
Yuria, possessed by rage, brandished her whip. Twack! Violent mana, reminiscent of a wildfire, surged over her shoulders. Ronan smiled bitterly at her and cursed.
“Shit.”
“I’ll tear it into a thousand pieces!”
Ronan had no strength left to face such a thing. Just as she was about to leap forward, Shullifen, who had been staring into space all along, pulled out his sword.
-Swish.
Looking at Yuria, he swung his sword. The slashing strike, descending diagonally, cut through the air.
Contrary to expectations, the sword did not fly out. There was no sound. Only a cold wind passed by Yuria’s neck.
“What?”
Only belatedly realizing Shullifen’s presence, Yuria turned her head. At that moment, the space where the wind had passed by split open and the world she was looking at turned upside down.
“…Uh?”
Thud.
Yuria’s head fell to the ground. The headless body slowly tilted.
That was her end.
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