Chapter 123: The Fall Of A Hero (1)
Struggling to keep his sleep-laden mind alert, Ray dodged the monsters attacks.
Blood spilled from his mouth again.
But he had no time to pay attention to that, as the monsters were intent on killing Ray, the obstacle in their path.
The monsters, charging with incredible speed and elasticity, were not easy to handle.
Under normal circumstances, Ray could have annihilated them in seconds, but now he couldnt afford to use mana for that purpose.
He couldnt even use Heal due to the burden on his mana road.
The forces of monsters, seemingly numbering in the thousands, swarmed toward Ray.
Kwaang-!
An ogre swung its club at Rays head.
With a slight twist of his body, Ray easily dodged and immediately bisected the ogre.
Kraaa!
But killing one monster didnt change the situation; there were thousands more.
How could such an enormous number of monsters be in the academy area?
The only plausible way to summon so many at once was through a teleport gate, cast by the magic circle.
Ray hastily parried the relentless onslaught with his sword.
Since being slightly consumed by the mana of the magic circle, his body felt unbearably heavy.
The intense drowsiness was overwhelming, and his mana road felt like it was burning.
Was this what it felt like to have ones blood vessels on fire? His mouth dried out, and his whole body stung with each movement.
However, he couldnt afford to stop.
The monsters kept coming relentlessly.
It seemed he might fall asleep without killing many if this continued.
If that happened, the refugees would be slaughtered by the monsters.
While Airas Silien might be safe, Gehel would turn into a fiery hell.
Ray sighed softly.
There was no other way.
By killing these monsters, at least the refugees might have a chance to survive.
Ray began to gather a tremendous amount of mana.
Kuuuugh
The agony in the mana road was severe.
Not just from his mouth, but blood started to flow from his eyes as well.
But he couldnt stop.
Ray channeled the gathered mana into his sword.
Woong-woong-woong-
The mana density was so high that it created a resonance.
Although filled with copious amounts of mana, the sword did not grow larger; it shrank, becoming more compact.
Suddenly, an arrow headed straight for Rays back.
Swhaaak-!
A kobold had shot the arrow.
Yet, if Rays concentration faltered for even a moment, the mana would disperse chaotically.
Determined, Ray chose to withstand the impact with his own body.
Chaaak-!
The arrowhead buried itself in his stomach, causing unbearable pain.
But he clenched his teeth, suppressing the urge to scream.
Ray positioned the mana-charged sword at his waist, firmly gripping the hilt.
This stance was optimal for releasing all the mana in a single burst.
Consuming a tremendous amount of mana, Ray bit down as if his teeth might crack.
His sword described a parabola, cutting through the air at a staggering velocity.
As he swung, an aura exploded outward.
Kraaaak!
Kwoooh!
Kieeek!
Kwaang!
The aura sliced cleanly through the bodies of the monsters.
From the larger creatures in the front to the smaller ones in the rear.
The undiminished aura continued, severing the buildings behind them before eventually fading away.
The horde, once in the thousands, had been decimated to mere hundreds.
These were the survivors who had narrowly escaped the lethal aura.
The remaining monsters gazed at Ray, panting as though on the brink of death.
Ray had hoped his final strike would have eradicated them all, but despair washed over him as hundreds still stood.
His physical condition was indescribable.
An arrowhead protruded from his abdomen, and his mana circuit felt as though it could explode at any second.
Blood clouded his vision, making it difficult to see, while an overpowering fatigue engulfed him.
Cough!
Ray coughed up blood.
He had clearly pushed himself too hard.
Even now, the magic circle eroded him slightly due to his use of mana.
The fruity scent that Ray emitted grew stronger.
The monsters, as if entranced by the scent, rushed toward him.
Blocking the hefty blows from the large monsters while countering was no easy feat.
Yet, merely enduring offered no help in this situation.
Even the Holy Kingdom would struggle to face these hundreds of monsters.
Ray reversed his grip on the sword and swiftly slashed at a troll in front of him.
With a clean motion, he decapitated the troll, which couldnt even put up a fight.
Then, a sword flew in from the side.
Before he could react, the sword slashed his arm.
Uaaah!
He felt severe pain in his arm.
Thud
The sword, with all its force, completely severed Rays arm.
The one who cut off his arm was merely an orc.
The irony almost made him laugh.
Ray swept his sword, cutting off the breath of the orc and the frontline monsters.
But he knew it, too.
If this war of attrition continued, he would lose.
He desperately wanted to flee right then.
His original plan had been to learn the medicine he wanted and return.
But unexpectedly, he had grown attached to the Holy Kingdom.
He had made precious friends and was cherished by the people.
There were memories of being baptized in Selonia, of biting into apples at the market stalls and laughing, of playing with students at the academy, and of days spent idly staring at the sky.
Those treasured memories were all in the Holy Kingdom.
He couldnt bear to see its people ravaged by monsters.
Ray began to gather mana again.
Huff Huff No matter what I must protect
He gasped for air, pressing the sword to his waist.
Mana, weaving through the air, responded to Ray and began to gather at his call.
Once again, his sword was launched.
Swhaeek!
A cutting aura, tearing through the air with a sonic boom, precisely sliced the monsters.
Kueeeek.
Their screams filled the air as the hundreds of monsters dwindled to just a few.
However, these were only the smaller monsters.
Terrified, they looked at Ray and scattered in all directions.
Huff Huff
Ray, lacking the strength even to hold his sword, gasped for breath where he stood.
It seemed he could no longer push back the mana from the magic circle.
As his counteracting mana began to dissipate, the mana from the magic circle surged towards him eagerly.
Ray couldnt even think of blocking the mana that invaded his body.
His right arm had been severed, lying on the ground, with an arrow lodged in his abdomen.
The last sword strike had ripped his mana road apart.
Blood filled his eyes, blinding him. He couldnt move his fingers, much less escape the magic circle.
Thus, he couldnt fend off the incoming mana.
Ray was content that he had at least stopped the monsters.
The mana from the magic circle started to invade his body.
Kwagwagwagwa-
Massive amounts of mana enveloped him completely.
Ray tried to endure, but his exhausted body couldnt hold out.
Eventually, he collapsed to the ground.
Aira, who had been protecting the refugees from the sky and killing monsters one by one, descended to the ground after the refugees reached Silien safely.
Now, her duty was to protect the remaining refugees in Silien.
Since Iriel was handling support materials and troops, those efforts would already be in motion.
Having completed the task Ray had entrusted to her, Aira immediately set about drawing a magic circle.
Swoosh- Swoosh-
She chanted rapidly, her hands moving through the air.
Teleport Gate.
Wooong-
A small rift formed from the swirling mana.
As Aira stepped through it, she was met with a desolate landscape.
Buildings lay in ruins, and a blanket of dust had settled over time.
The area was strewn with the corpses of monsters.
Surrounded by the blood of monsters, the scene resembled a vision of hell.
What exactly had transpired here?
Before long, Airas gaze settled on a particular corpse.
White hair caked with dust, an arrow protruding from its back, a severed hand nearby, and a face smeared with congealed blood.
Airas heart sank as she looked at the body.
It bore a resemblance to someone she knew all too well.
Her mark responded to him.
A faint trace of mana confirmed her suspicions.
The human you seek lies before you.
Ah Aaah
Aira collapsed on the spot.
Just half a day earlier, they had been laughing and talking together.
But now, that was no longer possible.
As she saw him lying there, worse than a corpse, tears flooded her eyes uncontrollably.
Why hadnt he fled?
What had driven him to fight to such a point of destruction?
The Ray she knew should have managed to escape such circumstances.
Then why had he recklessly faced it head-on?
Was it the activation of the magic circle? She pondered whether there was magic powerful enough to push him to these limits.
Suddenly, a sweet fruit scent tantalized her nose.
This fragrance was indelible to Aira.
She had been surrounded by this scent for twenty years.
How could she ever forget it? It was the signature of the curse.
The scent wafted from Ray.
That alone led her to deduce the purpose of the magic circle.
Aira realized the mark she had placed on Ray continued to react.
It signified he was still alive.
Frantically, she placed her hands on Rays body.
She extracted the arrow and attempted to position his severed right hand.
As Airas long hair fell over Rays chest, she directed mana to conjure magic.
Heal!
Whaaak-!
Mana, a shade of blue matching Rays, engulfed them, initiating the healing of his body.
The wound from the arrow sealed itself cleanly. His bloodstained face also showed signs of healing.
But the severed hand remained detached.
That was to be expected; healing magic wasnt a panacea.
Divine magic was better suited for such restorations.
Witnessing his dire condition and his resistance to awakening, tears streamed down her face.
Despite her petite stature, Aira lifted Ray and hastily sketched a magic circle in the air.
She knew she lacked the power to reattach the severed arm herself.
Thus, she required someone with the utmost expertise in that field.
Recalling Iriels presence, Aira teleported to where she was.
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