Ch.117Awakening (9)

# Translation

As I had been told beforehand, the vampire tried to manipulate the blood flow of my companions and me. A terrifying killing intent swept over the Valkyrie, the Holy Maiden, and the fox sisters in succession.

I deflected all of that killing intent.

Even as I did so, I was surprised. Normally, I should be groaning from mana depletion by now… but I didn’t feel tired at all.

Eventually, the cornered vampire fled beyond the blood wall.

[“Well done, my disciple.”]

[“She was hit by the White Phosphorus Stone, so she won’t last long.”]

White Phosphorus Stone.

Once a stone that gave the Valkyrie trauma, but now a stone essential to protecting her.

The moment one is hit by that magic stone, their body will burn until their last breath. Having come this far, we should consider this a victory—that is, if the vampire doesn’t use ‘that method.’

[“…Forbidden Spell.”]

I knew this would happen.

The creature began its final desperate struggle.

[“I beseech the demon, send down a torrent to sweep away these insects. I desire certainty. If necessary, take my life here and now!”]

This is no ordinary Forbidden Spell.

A major Forbidden Spell that doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice one’s life.

It’s said that demons offer greater rewards when the sacrifice’s life is more valuable. Only the parties involved in the transaction would know how precious the life thread of a vampire who has lived for hundreds of years might be.

“…Everything is for the Master.”

Splash!

Crimson blood gushed from the vampire’s mouth. Her body staggered back and forth, propelled by the blood’s recoil. It was a final spell that used life itself as fuel.

“Oh no.”

The National Security soldiers beyond the blood wall were retreating.

“Seal the gate! We’ll rendezvous with The Eight Shadows at the altar!”

“What about those people?”

“Abandon them.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Do you not know what a Forbidden Spell is? If we don’t counter it with stronger power, we’ll be swept away—that’s the nature of Forbidden Spells and sacrifices. If we don’t close the door, we’ll all die! Instead of listening to your conscience, save your own lives!”

“Ah, yes!”

The vines leading to the altar closed rapidly.

“Sir! Are you abandoning us?!”

I shouted.

“Didn’t you say you considered me, all your soldiers, like sons! Why are you abandoning your children?!”

There was no answer.

“…Ha.”

“Erich, we don’t have time for this! The blood is already up to our knees!”

We have to do something.

[“My disciple, as you know, to block this Forbidden Spell, you need mana manipulation skills far superior to the demon’s power that made the deal with the caster.”]

“Everyone, focus on breaking the blood wall! My master and I will handle the vampire’s main body!”

Everyone nodded at my words.

The four female soldiers stepped forward and thrust their weapons into the blood wall. As divine power was injected, the blood wall, essentially a mass of mana, began to writhe. They created holes in the wall to drain as much water as possible.

Meanwhile, Salvira and I cut through the water current and approached the vampire’s main body.

The sinister mana felt like it was piercing my skin. All of it was energy flowing from the vampire.

“How…”

The vampire had lost her sanity long ago. She had been reduced to a machine spewing blood. She was still breathing, but that was all. It was clear that after we drowned, the demon would take her life too.

Perhaps because she had received power from a demon, gaining the upper hand in mana manipulation was not as easy as before.

No, it was nearly impossible.

[“Bepisya… did you really want to resurrect the Master, even if it meant your death?”]

[“Master!”]

[“I’ll do my best!”]

Salvira and I concentrated with all our might. The water level had risen to our chins. We truly had no time left.

But then, in the next moment.

[‘Senior, be careful!’]

[“Beep! Beeeep!”]

A stream of blood surged up and fell over Salvira and me.

***

I can’t breathe.

The vampire’s blood wasn’t just sticky and unpleasant. It carried a nauseating smell that made me want to vomit upon contact, and a chilling coldness that sent shivers down my spine.

If my mana manipulation falters even slightly here, all the blood in my body will be extracted.

In a situation where even breathing was impossible, my body began to feel the fear of death. Not wanting to face it properly, I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes.

In the pitch-black darkness, I see something.

My companions.

Rachel, Tiria, Riyo and Miyo, Adora—women who were more temporary travel companions for survival than comrades.

David, Senior Kalon, Rachel’s friends Daisy and Olivia whom I ended up killing.

And even Salvira, the spider monster who became my second mentor.

If I fail here, everyone might die.

No.

I must save them.

We must get out alive. Didn’t I promise?

After months of hardship to get here, we couldn’t die like this.

I feel defiant.

I painfully opened my eyes in the thick bloody water. Beyond the scene that looked like red paint dissolved in water, I could make out the outlines of my companions and drones floating around.

Everyone was unable to control their limbs.

Except for one person, Salvira.

Salvira seemed to be using her surgical skills to try to turn the surrounding blood into threads. It wasn’t easy. The mana hidden in the blood exceeded her abilities. Only a few strands of blood clots, tangled like noodles, were floating around.

I need to help.

But how?

I’m still just a novice who can’t even perform surgery.

I grow anxious.

Then I remembered one piece of advice.

[-My disciple, the more urgent the situation, the more you need to take a step back.]

Take a step back when things are urgent.

Salvira is a powerful being who has lived for hundreds of years. Setting aside the fact that she’s a monster, let’s think. She wouldn’t have said that for no reason.

I see, I understand now.

Taking a step back doesn’t mean taking a detour. It means you can face things head-on, but slowly, calmly, without panicking.

At that moment.

At the brink of death, unable to breathe, I felt a new perspective opening up.

The world looks different, as if I’m wearing night vision goggles. There are flows drifting around me. Something is screaming, telling me to come this way, to touch this. I soon realized it was survival instinct.

I gathered my thoughts.

And like walking a path, I moved through the water.

In a trance, not thinking of myself as separate from nature, as if I had become part of nature itself.

“Hoooo.”

I exhaled.

Yes, I breathed underwater. I breathed using mana as a medium.

Immediately after, the previously blurry principles of the world became clear to me.

Ignoring all the theories and training that had supported me until now, I moved my hand purely with the magical power and feeling spread throughout this place.

I don’t speak with Incantations.

After all, I don’t need a demon’s power to ask something of myself.

“——.”

***

Bepisya’s life will soon end. But because she made a contract with a demon, she doesn’t have to die until those people’s breath is cut off.

Look at those unsightly creatures.

Struggling in bloody water, they look just like fetuses about to be miscarried!

After drowning them, I will turn Admiral Dietz into a vampire’s guest as well. That was the extent of the contract with the demon.

It was regrettable not to see the Demon King’s revival, but the blood of the progenitor would continue anyway… so even if she died, she wouldn’t be completely dead.

Just as she was certain of victory.

“——.”

With a Divine Word of unknown origin, the space began to solidify like stone.

This was no mere blood clot.

Nor was it simply blood coagulating.

The bright red bloody water was gradually fading.

“…!”

Could it be that the iron was being separated from the blood?

That’s impossible. She had even given her life to the demon. She had obtained such presumptuous power, yet someone was pushing it back with just intuition and mana manipulation, without even using a Forbidden Spell?

Who is it? Salvira?

No.

Bepisya, who had been continuously spewing blood, saw a man. A handsome man wearing a neat Magic Kingdom military uniform newly received from Admiral Dietz.

Jeriem?

“———.”

No, not Jeriem. That guy didn’t know how to speak the language of the goddess.

Erich Lohnstein.

What kind of person are you?

“What kind of person are you to… to counter my magic…!”

In the blink of an eye, all the blood was filtered into iron ore and other components. Everything that had been liquid solidified. Bepisya, freed from the spell, coughed up one last mouthful of blood and collapsed to the floor.

At the same time, the demon’s voice was heard.

[-Since I couldn’t return as much as I received, I’ll only take half your life.]

“…Huh?”

That was the end of the connection with the demon.

[“Hey…? Hello? Are you listening to me? What do you think you’re doing?”]

No response despite calling several times.

Bepisya, with anger rising to her head, grabbed her still-burning body and burst into rage.

[“Wait, what, why are you ending this on your own? Why can’t you do your job properly?! Hey! Answer me! I said answer me——!!”]

***

At the same time, Tiria and her group, who were on the verge of losing consciousness after being swept away by the bloody water, also heard the Divine Word.

Being able to speak the language of the goddess meant being chosen by the gods.

While the vast majority were born with this power naturally, like Tiria, sometimes there were those who were born as ordinary people but polished their iron will to the point of moving the gods, allowing them to naturally use their language.

As far as Tiria knew, there was only one person here with such virtue.

A man who always prioritized others, even when he denied it himself.

“Cough, cough… Erich?”

Tiria turned her head. Erich, who had shaken off the remaining bloody water, took a step forward with a sigh.

He looked different from usual.

Why did she feel a divine aura when there was no Sephiron to be sensed?

Perhaps because he had been chosen by Leberon, the Goddess of Embrace.

***

I’m not sure what I just said.

But I did realize something.

A world different from what I had seen before was unfolding. It was as if the world was mine, or as if I was the world’s—I had reached a state of understanding that profound principle.

Everything my hands touched turned to stone.

Even without touching, I could feel and manipulate things.

Tap.

With a light stomp of my foot, the iron lumps extracted from the blood transformed freely into the shape of hands. With these hands, I first took care of my companions who had just escaped from the bloody water.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Haa, haa, I’m, fine.”

I helped Rachel to her feet.

It felt like only a few minutes had passed. No one had swallowed much water. That was fortunate amid the misfortune.

Soon, after regrouping, we approached the vampire. Of course, we remained cautious, but the vampire seemed to have used up all her power.

In the silence, even from Salvira who had been a long-time companion, I spoke first.

“It’s all over.”

The vampire smirked.

“…The worst compatibility. Not only do you have the skill to deflect all my mana, but you even learned surgery in that short moment. Are such monsters commonly appearing among humans these days?”

“Do you want to know why you lost?”

“Yes.”

“Because you’re alone, and we are many.”

“Mere insects, not even a dozen of you…”

“Do you really think it’s just a dozen?”

“What?”

“All of us received help from countless people to get here. We learned, practiced, and strived not to forget the teachings of heroes and sages.”

The renowned senior Mages who directly and indirectly taught me magic, people from all walks of life who assisted those seniors, and most recently, the female soldiers from enemy countries and even Salvira who shared life and death with me.

Because I stood on the shoulders of these giants, I could see further than those who came before.

“In other words, you didn’t lose to me.”

“What…”

“You lost to humanity.”

At my words, the vampire looked as if she had been struck on the head.