Ch.111The Edge of the World, the Outer Continent (5)

Witch, a race born from mystery.

Though they appear no different from ordinary humans, there was a reason they were classified as the special species called witches. Though they resembled humans, witches were fundamentally different. However, they weren’t always called witches.

-A race beloved by magic.

-Born from mystery, mystery itself.

-A species granted the right to perform miracles by the world.

These were phrases used to describe them before the witch with the mystery of the end appeared. Recalling words Merlin had once muttered, Najin looked up at the sky.

There was a witch there.

Red hair reminiscent of flames. Red eyes. Snow-white skin with traces of soot. The woman who evoked flames was floating in the sky, sitting on a staff. Her expression was blank as she emotionlessly burned people.

The heat created by the flames.

The haze wavering from the heat.

The humans turning to ash and scattering.

All of it felt like part of the witch herself. Would this be what it looked like if flames took human form? Such thoughts crossed Najin’s mind.

-Run away.

A chilling voice. Merlin’s cold voice echoed in Najin’s ear. Looking to the side, Merlin was staring up at the sky with a rigid expression.

-That’s not an enemy you can handle. Run. Run without looking back. Hurry.

Some people become colder and calmer as they grow more urgent. Merlin was such a person, and right now her voice carried the lowest temperature Najin had ever heard from her.

-Witch of Glimmer, Ermina.

-A witch who reached the 8th circle, the realm of archmage, a thousand years ago. I’m sure I destroyed all her circles and stars, but…

Merlin clicked her tongue.

-Seems those magic-loved freaks found a way. This is the worst. Run quickly. There should be time before the next spell comes.

Najin nodded slowly.

He knew well that Merlin wasn’t someone who would react this way without reason. Najin trusted Merlin, and with that trust, he made a quick decision.

Tap.

Najin immediately turned his head and pivoted. He prepared to flee with the retreating soldiers. Just as he was about to take a step, Najin glanced to his side.

“……”

There stood Gillette in silence. Gillette remained in place without moving a step, looking up at the sky.

“Sir Gillette.”

“Hey, rookie.”

“Aren’t you going? The order to retreat…”

“I’d like to go.”

Gillette smiled bitterly.

“But someone has to stay behind to buy time, right?”

“……”

“At this rate, we’ll be annihilated. That high-and-mighty witch will wipe out platoons with a flick of her finger. Running away with our tails between our legs won’t mean much. I know well. I’ve experienced it several times.”

Gillette Reginpert.

As a soldier who had lived on battlefields for many years, he knew exactly what he needed to do now. He had experienced such situations often and had seen how his superiors and seniors acted each time.

‘Now it’s my turn, huh.’

Just as his seniors and superiors had done.

Now it was his turn. That’s all there was to it. Damn it. Looks like I’m about to retire now. Gillette sighed and roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“Listen up.”

Gillette shouted.

He wasn’t telling Najin to listen. It was a call to the Wyvern Hunting Unit that followed his orders. He unfurled his chain with a rattling sound.

“From now on, our unit will draw the attention of the Witch of Glimmer, Ermina. Don’t approach. Abandon any thoughts of interception. Thoroughly draw her attention and buy time.”

This was an opponent they couldn’t possibly defeat.

So at the very least, buy time. Hold onto that witch’s hem until allies retreat and reinforcements arrive.

“Our unit will hold that witch until Sir Kirhov arrives on the battlefield.”

The enemy had deployed asymmetric forces.

If so, someone needed to buy time until our own asymmetric forces arrived on the battlefield. Gillette announced that our unit would take on that role.

The soldiers following his orders. The soldiers of the Wyvern Hunting Unit stood firmly beside Gillette with resolute expressions. With rattling sounds, the soldiers unfurled the chain stakes they prided themselves on.

“Hey, rookie.”

Gillette rolled a cigarette.

There was no need to light it. Just bringing the end of the cigarette to the ash floating around was enough to light it. He looked at Najin while smoking.

“Get going. Thanks for your hard work this past week.”

He smiled wryly.

Najin was just a mercenary who came to provide support; he had no obligation or responsibility to risk his life on this battlefield. So Gillette waved his hand, telling Najin to flee quickly.

“……”

Najin remained silent.

-Hurry.

Merlin’s urging. The blazing flames.

And the soldiers led by Gillette who were prepared to die. Opposite them, fleeing soldiers. Echoing screams and voices constantly shouting retreat.

“Retreat, retreat!”

“Hurry!”

“Run away!”

Najin was pushed by that flow. Najin had not yet reached the realm of transcendence, and on the battlefield, he was just an individual swept up in the great current.

Unlike the witch in the sky. The current Najin couldn’t dominate the battlefield like that witch, nor did he possess the overwhelming presence that could bend the flow. The youngest Sword Seeker. A great achievement, but on the battlefield, Najin was nothing more than an exceptional soldier.

That was the difference between a Sword Seeker and.

Masters who had reached transcendence.

‘I know.’

With a thud, Najin took a step.

Among the soldiers shouting retreat and withdrawing, Najin maintained his balance. He kept his footing on the ground without being swept away by the flow.

‘I know that running away is right, that she’s out of my league, that this is a fight without any chance of winning.’

But knowing that.

If asked whether he would run away because of it, Najin couldn’t easily answer that question. Should he always flee when facing a strong enemy? Should he retreat and run away when there’s no chance of winning? Until he reaches the realm of Sword Master?

No, that’s not it.

That would be meaningless. Who in the world would call such a person a hero? The great hero Arthur never fled from any battlefield. Arthur always struggled to the best of his ability, resisted, and despite being terribly broken, ultimately achieved victory.

That’s why Arthur was called a great hero.

What Najin wanted to become was such a great hero, not an ordinary human who desperately survives by running away.

-……

Merlin no longer urged Najin to run away. She had heard Najin’s monologue, his emotions. As she remained silent, Najin spoke inwardly.

‘Merlin.’

-Speak.

‘If I charge in with the premise of buying time, what then?’

He knew he couldn’t defeat that witch.

But this was war, not a duel. It meant that defeating the opponent wasn’t the only way to win.

-Haah……

Merlin let out a long sigh.

-Honestly, I don’t recommend it. It’s too dangerous. You’re likely to die. Do you understand? The opponent is a witch. A witch (魔女) who has lived since the era when I was active.

‘I know.’

-And you still want to fight despite knowing that?

Najin affirmed with his silence.

Merlin ran her hand through her hair as if she was going crazy. As if this situation was somehow familiar.

-You and Arthur are the same, not knowing how precious your lives are. Well, I guess that’s why……

She didn’t finish her sentence.

As if that much lamentation was enough, she took a breath and looked at Najin. Looking at him with calm, settled eyes, she said:

-The choice is yours.

-Whatever you choose, finding the best path according to that choice is my role.

-Go ahead and do as you please.

Merlin smiled wryly.

-I’ll help you not die.

‘Thank you.’

-If you’re grateful, do well, will you?

Though grumbling, Merlin began to share how to deal with witches. Advice from the archmage who had shattered countless witches’ circles and crushed their mysteries. Listening to her voice, Najin lifted the foot he had set down.

The flow created by retreating soldiers.

Against that flow, Najin took a step toward where the witch was. As if to say that while he wasn’t yet strong enough to reverse the flow, he was at least capable of going against it.

2.

Gillette Reginpert.

A soldier who had survived decades on the battlefield and a strong individual who had reached the level of Sword Seeker. He knew that the commanders of the “Wyvern Hunting Unit,” the chain unit he belonged to, had met rather unfortunate ends.

Well, that was inevitable.

The chain unit was a place where exceptional soldiers gathered and was used as a guerrilla force. And as guerrilla forces typically do, the chain unit was often tasked with responding immediately when variables occurred.

Just like now.

Gillette frowned as he smoked his cigarette.

‘Never gets old, really.’

A Sword Seeker is undoubtedly strong. But when you stay in this damn Outer Continent, you learn, whether you like it or not, that being a Sword Seeker isn’t as impressive as it seems.

Heroes of the old generation.

Monsters who have lived for hundreds of years.

Stars that dominate.

And powerhouses that seem to belong in mythical times.

Such beings swarmed and frequently appeared in this Outer Continent. Just look at the witch floating in the sky. Before such enormous existences, a Sword Seeker is merely a tiny being.

But even as a small existence.

Whoosh.

It’s still possible to draw the attention of those impressive monsters. Gillette knew this fact.

“Now.”

Just as the Witch of Glimmer, Ermina, was about to unleash a new spell. The chain unit led by Gillette hurled chains toward the sky. They embedded chains into the walls of the battlefield and began leaping into the air.

The witch frowned and lightly waved her hand.

Flames rippled following the tip of her hand. The massive fire melted the chains and engulfed the soldiers who had leaped into the air. Some fell as black ashes, but a few managed to successfully jump into the air.

She wasted one gesture.

Considering that each time the witch made a gesture, anywhere from dozens to hundreds of soldiers were swept away, this was not a bad exchange ratio. That’s how Gillette had to think. Such thinking was necessary to endure on the battlefield.

Gillette also swung his chain in a circle.

He had no intention of demanding sacrifice only from his subordinates. He too had already prepared for death. Soldiers who hooked chains onto cliffs, moved at high speed, drew the witch’s attention, and induced her gestures. Gillette joined among them.

One mistake means death.

Even without making mistakes, death comes.

If so, he would at least struggle.

A massive flame swept across the cliff. The wall melted and became soft like heated mud. Gillette, who narrowly avoided the flames, let out a hollow laugh. What a monstrous magician indeed.

‘Only a monster can face another monster.’

If Sir Kirhov comes.

If that monstrous man arrives on the battlefield, the flow will change again. Until then, I’ll struggle. Thinking this, Gillette kicked off the cliff and ran.

Whoosh!

Each time the scorching heat swept through the area, soldiers who had been running through the battlefield with him crumbled into ashes one by one. To hold the witch for a few seconds, a life had to be sacrificed.

Gillette kicked the wall. Kicked it again and again.

But an end came for him too.

As Gillette was running with his chain hooked, he suddenly met the witch’s gaze. The witch was looking at him. The moment he met those ominous red eyes, Gillette sensed death.

5th Circle Spell, Scorching Ray.

Red flames rose around the witch.

Compressed heat rays shot from the condensed flames. The rays weren’t just one. For a witch, the number of circles meant the number of spells she could cast simultaneously.

Keeeeeeeng!

Seven heat rays were fired at Gillette. He couldn’t avoid them. Evasion was impossible. As the rays approached, splitting the moment, Gillette sensed his death.

Bang.

Gillette heard something exploding behind him. No, it wasn’t an explosion. It was the sound of someone kicking off the wall and approaching. Something approached from behind. At a speed slightly faster than the approaching Scorching Rays.

Then, flash.

Gillette saw a light passing before his eyes. It was a constellation of white and gold. Why was a constellation that should be in the sky right before his eyes? Belatedly, Gillette realized it was someone’s sword energy, that someone had grabbed him by the nape and swung a sword.

Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng!

The sword energy and heat rays collided. Sparks flew and fragments of sword energy scattered in all directions. Gillette, who was thrown backward by the grip on his nape, could now see who the owner of the sword energy was.

The youngest Sword Seeker, Najin.

The boy who should have fled, mixed among the retreating army, had set foot on the battlefield again. Najin gritted his teeth and swung his sword widely. After managing to deflect three of the seven heat rays, Najin vacated his position.

Cheeeeeeek!

The remaining four heat rays pierced through where Najin had been standing. As the wall melted and a huge hole was created, Najin landed on the ground with a slide.

“You……”

Gillette, who had been thrown by Najin, also landed on the ground and looked at him. Before he could reflexively ask why Najin had returned, Najin spoke first.

“This person called Kirhov.”

A name he had heard in passing just now.

A powerhouse who could overturn this battle situation.

Based on the context, an ally reinforcement named ‘Kirhov’. Najin asked while mentioning this name.

“When will he arrive? I think I need to know how long we need to buy time.”

“…About fifteen minutes at most.”

“Fifteen minutes, I see.”

Najin exhaled deeply.

He raised his head to look at the witch. Meeting the witch’s gaze, Najin smiled wryly.

“Well, let’s give it a try.”

The moment Najin shouted this, the witch’s fingertips pointed at him.

Seven circles simultaneously shone, dyeing the sky red. Either way, there was no time for lengthy conversation. Gillette and Najin dispersed.