Chapter 38: The Cry from the Depths (5)
The disappeared Ronan reappeared between the two.
Thump!
The man’s left arm fell on the ground. Soon, a burning pain engulfed the man.
“Kr-Kraaak!”
A scream echoed through the tunnel. The man clutched his arm and collapsed. Red blood gushed out from the bone-revealing wound.
Most wizards would be incapacitated by pain alone, but Ronan had no intention of giving an opening.
Swish!
Three swift sword strikes flew, severing the man’s ankles and tongue.
“Ugh, aghh!”
“Edwon!”
“The lady should come too.”
The man referred to as Edwon groaned. Ronan immediately swung his Lamancha towards the woman. He could sense something tick-ticking against the blade, as if it was hitting a mana shield.
Judging by the sensation, it was a significant shield, but unfortunately, Ronan was the opponent.
Slash!
A red line appeared where the woman’s thigh was, and blood sprayed forth.
“Urk! Th- The shield?!”
“Oh, it was shallow.”
Ronan clicked his tongue. He didn’t feel the bone cutting. The woman didn’t move her legs as if someone was pulling her from behind. She shouted sharply.
“Serysma!”
“What kind of magic is that?”
At that moment, Ronan’s body floated in the air. It felt entirely different from Aselle’s telekinesis. Ronan gritted his teeth against the immense force that enveloped his entire body.
“Ugh!”
“Swallow him whole!”
The woman shouted. Then, the shape of a massive serpent gradually appeared. Beyond the serpent’s body that held Ronan captive, a panoramic view of the aerial landscape was visible.
“A spirit, perhaps…!”
The woman poured a potion from somewhere onto her wounds. The serpent spirit named Serysma pushed its round head forward. Its large mouth opened wide.
-Shaaa…
“You fool, is it a trend for women to raise snakes these days?”
A suppressed ribcage pressed against his lungs. His entire body was compressed, making it impossible to swing his sword at the right angle. Ronan grabbed the lamanca buried in the soil.
Just as the serpent’s tongue almost touched his cheek, Ronan pulled out the lamanca and stabbed it into the serpent’s eye. The translucent tip penetrated deep into the serpent spirit’s eye.
-Shaaargh!
The body that held Ronan was released as if it were thrown back. Taking advantage of this, Ronan stomped on the serpent and charged towards the woman. The woman was muttering something quickly, but the lamanca was already approaching her.
“Th- This!”
This time, he won’t miss. The crescent moon drawn by the lamanca was about to pierce the woman’s ankle. From behind, a familiar low-pitched sound reached his ears.
“Explosion.”
Instantly, a shiver ran down his spine. Looking down, Ronan saw a massive magic circle flashing under his feet. In an instant, numerous possibilities flashed through his mind.
“Too late to dodge. Can’t block it. Attacking is dangerous too.”
He didn’t take long to make a decision. After dispelling the mana shield, Ronan charged towards the woman.
Kwaaaang!
An explosion swallowed the two. A massive column of fire erupted from the center of the aerial square, illuminating the surroundings like daylight.
Before long, the flashes subsided. As the smoke cleared, the figures of the three individuals became visible.
Ronan’s judgment was correct. A deep and wide pit had been dug where Ronan had been, but there wasn’t a scratch on his body. Seeing Edwon’s appearance, Ronan let out a bitter laugh.
“I thought you were an idiot.”
“Let her go.”
Edwon glared at Ronan and growled. His pronunciation of the growl was fluent. His severed left arm and tongue were attached once again.
However, it was a bit questionable whether they should be called “attached.” If one were to be precise, it would be more accurate to say they had grown back. Ronan furrowed his brow.
“Damn, I’ll probably think of this for three days every time I eat. Are you even human?”
The newly grown left arm of Edwon wasn’t humanlike. Dozens of tentacles twisted and wriggled, barely imitating a human hand.
The same applied to his tongue and ankles. The wriggling tentacles in place of tendons were repulsive.
The tentacles that pried and slithered out through clenched lips gave the impression that they were holding a living amphibian inside his mouth.
The woman was breathing heavily. She looked at the transformed Edwon and opened her mouth.
“Ed… Edwon…”
“Shut up, lady. My sword can’t recognize a human face.”
The blade of Lamancha was a paper’s width away from her neck. With each of her breaths, her snow-white neck would touch the blade, creating a delicate spectacle.
Edwon spoke.
“I’ll accept your demands. I’ll tell you everything I know. So release her.”
The few drops of blood that flowed were being absorbed by the sword’s blade. Ronan chuckled as if he found it amusing.
“Acting all sentimental about a subject you’ve stripped of such magic.”
“She had a mana shield strong enough to withstand my magic. I didn’t know you could exploit it, though.”
“Usually, the brain works quickly in urgent situations.”
Ronan laughed heartily. Just as the explosion was about to trigger, Ronan used a sword strike to slightly breach the mana shield and then attacked the woman.
As expected, the quickly regenerated mana shield blocked the explosion. Ronan frowned, unexpectedly.
“But… why is your tone like that? Can’t you assess the situation?”
Lamancha was a hand span away from Ramanca’s neck. Its red lines had appeared on both sides of her ankles. As the tendons snapped, blood gushed out.
“Kyaaah!”
“Cyril!”
The woman called Cyril collapsed as if her legs had given away. Her hood fell, revealing her face that had been hidden all along. Shiny blonde hair, distinctly elongated ears unlike those of humans, caught his eye.
Ronan stepped on Cyril’s fallen back and growled.
“Just as I thought, you weren’t human. I’ve known since I smelt the sulfur or whatever.”
“Cough!”
She appeared to be an elf or a half-elf. Due to the characteristics of her race, she resembled a doll, but that wasn’t something to be noted. Ronan chuckled while aiming the tip of his sword at Cyril’s neck.
“Decide. Will you obediently follow me? Or do you want to be dragged along like a limbless larva after all your limbs are cut off? I won’t ask twice.”
“Damn it…”
Edwon clenched his fist.
Crunch!
It was the sound of his teeth breaking coming from his mouth. Edwon, who had been trembling all over, finally lowered his head.
“….I’ll go.”
“Good choice. If I carelessly cut them off and you guys end up dying, that’d be problematic. Well then…”
Suddenly, Ronan halted his words. He felt an indescribable unease. Edwon’s eyes were slightly curved.
‘Is he smiling?’
Suddenly, a breeze blew in from the right. Sensing a dreadful premonition, Ronan turned his head. A giant fist covered in golden crystals was approaching right in front of him.
“You…!”
Ronan put Lamancha sideways and assumed a defensive stance.
Kwaaang!
The giant’s strike erupted, causing dirt and dust to explode.
The crystal giant that sent Ronan flying grabbed Cyril, who was hanging by his other hand.
“Graaaah…”
The giant placed her on his shoulder. Cyril, who had donned her hood again, opened her mouth.
“Wow… Thank you for buying me time, Edwon.”
“How did he notice? I casted interference and silent magic for sure.”
“Because you’re a warrior who relies on intuition like that guy… Oh, you’re like a monster!”
Cyril breathed heavily. The spell she had been casting before the explosion was a spell to control the crystal giant.
Blood was still flowing from her ankles. Unlike Edwon, her body wasn’t regenerating on its own. Edwon said with a shocked expression.
“Well, I was in danger too. Crazy kid, not hesitating even with a knife.”
“Right, I’m glad you killed him now…”
She had never imagined that the little bastard who suddenly appeared would pose a threat to her life. Edwon shook his head.
“If I had encountered him a bit more grown… I’d have been done for without a chance.”
But in the end, battle experience determined the outcome. He probably couldn’t have imagined using a similar technique to Explosion again. Edwon whistled as he looked up at the crystal giant.
“By the way, it’s incredible. He’s massive, fit for a king. Couldn’t we have just used this giant in the first place?”
“He’s practically just a shell… you know it can only last a few minutes.”
“True, you’re right.”
As she fumbled through her belongings, she pulled out a sealed scroll.
“First… Oh, I’ll be going back to check. Please take care of the aftermath.”
“Sure. As soon as we get to the sect, make sure you get treated.”
Cyril untied the string that bound the scroll. Geometric runes wriggled on the black paper. A blue light cluster appeared behind her.
Edwon moved his footsteps to confirm Ronan’s death. Thick dirt and dust obstructed his view. The crystal giant, freed from Cyril’s control, was still pressing his right arm into the ground.
He must have turned into a virtually unidentifiable lump. Edwon muttered in frustration.
“What a waste…”
Thunk!
In an instant, amidst the rising dust, a circular void appeared, and a single shadow darted out.
“Huh?”
In a split second, Edwon, who met Ronan’s gaze, opened his mouth wide. An incomprehensibly fast thrust sliced through his limbs.
Swoosh!
Both his arms and legs were severed from his body simultaneously. Beyond the threshold of pain, Edwon’s consciousness was severed. Seeing this scene, Cyril screamed.
“H-How!”
“I told you I’d catch you, didn’t I?”
Ronan’s guess was spot on. Dust stuck to the blood on his body. The blood flowing from his forehead was gathering at the tip of his chin.
“Wait.”
With his sword’s tip, Ronan aimed at Cyril. He began his charge. With each of the crystal giant’s arms he pierced, the gap narrowed at a terrifying speed.
“No, it can’t be!”
It was the moment when Cyril desperately tried to throw herself into the portal. Ronan threw the Lamancha he was holding. The sword flew in a straight line and struck Cyril’s knee.
“aaagh!”
Lamancha pierced through her knee and lodged into the giant’s body. Cyril fiercely struggled and severed her own leg. Seeing this sight, Ronan spat on the ground.
“Damn it. What a stubborn woman.”
“Th-his can’t happen… This is unbelievable!”
Struggling and crawling, Cyril finally reached the portal. With tear-soaked eyes, she looked back at Ronan and muttered.
“I’ll never… never forget what happened today. I’ll find you wherever you are and kill you.”
“Stop!”
Cyril’s arm gradually disappeared into the portal. It was an unreachable distance.
There was nothing more to throw. Obsession. Anger. Despair. These three emotions stormed through Ronan’s mind like a tempest.
Just as Cyril’s head was about to enter the portal, the world turned black.
Both Ronan and Cyril’s bodies stopped at the same time.
“What…?”
Cyril couldn’t comprehend the current situation. The portal that had been running out of time was flickering in front of her. She had to jump in right away, but her body wouldn’t move as if it were a stone.
Swooosh!
After a few seconds, the portal disappeared. Despite that, Cyril couldn’t even let out a scream of despair. A familiar voice came from behind Ronan.
“Are you okay, Ronan?”
“Seriously… What fantastic timing.”
A familiar voice. A familiar paralysis. Even experiencing it again, it felt like a bitter sensation.
Still, he was better than the first time. Ronan turned his head with a groan.
A massive snake, much larger than the snake spirit Serysma, was glaring at Cyril. The sword of the First Sword of the Vanguard, Mansa, was in its slightly open mouth.
From the slightly parted jaws of Mansa, the voice of Navirose flowed out.
“I heard the general outline. You did a great job.”
“Wow… Who thought the professor would compliment me?”
“I do when it’s called for. Anyway… you’re injured, Ronan.”
Navirose, looking at Ronan, who was a complete mess, muttered quietly. At the same time, the scales of Mansa, unlike Serysma, began to rise like waves.
“You have to listen to my lessons in this condition.”
“Ah… Aaaaah…”
Cyril’s face turned pale. In a world where all her senses were paralyzed, she stared at the massive snake approaching her. Just as despair began to engulf her, a familiar voice echoed behind Ronan.
“Did you touch my disciple?”
The snake’s jaws closed. Cyril’s consciousness faded away. Finally, Navirose, who had harvested Mansa, hugged her.
Ronan descended from the giant’s body and sat on the ground, feeling a wave of accumulated fatigue rushing over him.
“Oh… I’m exhausted.”
Ronan lifted his head. The luminescence from the moss-covered walls was scattering light like stars. The screams that had been reverberating from underground were no longer audible.
“Professor Navirose!”
Soon, soldiers holding torches entered. Navirose, throwing Cyril beside Edwon who had turned into an otter, gave an order.
“Restrain these two.”
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