Ch.38When Eyes Turn Red (4)

I knew from the beginning that my mana was different from others.

The Crown Prince, the original female protagonist, and even Irene when she manifested her mana—they were all described as having blue mana, though the exact expressions varied.

My pure white mana was clearly different from everyone else’s. Although it was known that mana colors varied from person to person, they were ultimately limited to shades of blue.

What connection could there be between my mana and the darkness that black mages wielded?

But that wasn’t important now.

If I were to think about my mana at this moment, the only thing that mattered was that it was effective against that darkness.

The sword in Evan’s hand emitted a brilliant light. As the flames enveloping his body cleared away the darkness embedded in the troll’s body, the troll let out a roar.

Grooooar—

The troll’s movements were swift despite its massive body. If I lost sight of it for even a moment, I’d be torn apart by those fists or that axe.

I raised my sword and sliced through the troll’s shoulder joint. The pure white mana clearly slowed its regeneration. This kind of attack would definitely be effective.

As my blade cut through the troll’s shoulder bone, severing the arm, the troll wildly swung its other arm.

Crack! The axe in its hand roughly cut through a tree.

Seeing a tree felled with a single swing, Evan’s eyes narrowed.

It was much stronger than I had thought.

I reassessed the troll’s strength. I couldn’t afford to take even a single hit.

Even if it seemed impossible, I had no chance of winning unless I achieved the impossible.

I took a deep breath. As my lungs filled with oxygen and my chest expanded,

Evan suddenly vanished from the troll’s sight.

‘…Probably one minute. I need to cut as many parts as possible.’

I could see flesh rapidly growing back from the shoulder I had just severed.

At that rate, it would soon regenerate completely. Now was my chance while it was awkward using just one arm.

Evan quickly spun around to position himself behind the troll.

Pain is quite bothersome,

and even a troll couldn’t move normally with an injury like that.

Slash! I cut at the troll’s ankle. Realizing it was too shallow, I immediately pulled back.

The skin was thicker than I expected. Even with a mana-infused sword,

cutting through to the bone was quite difficult unless I put all my strength into it.

As if enraged, the troll, having fully recovered its shoulder, raised both hands and slammed them down on the ground.

The earth trembled. To think it had the strength to shake the ground with brute force alone.

Evan let out a dry laugh as he readjusted his grip on the sword. Finding an opening wouldn’t be easy.

Taking another breath, this time he wrapped flames around his legs rather than his entire body as he stepped forward.

He was fast—perhaps too fast for an ordinary knight to even track with their eyes.

The blue sword light flashed several times in the air, and blood spurted from the troll’s body.

But the cuts were shallow. Something was missing to decisively cut down the troll. What could that something be?

As Evan gritted his teeth, the troll’s eyes flashed. They burned with rage.

Like a flame about to burst, purple souls began to flicker in the darkness.

Boom! As the troll stomped its foot, Evan’s body was lifted into the air.

Evan’s face filled with surprise.

To be lifted by a momentary vibration—what was this ridiculous strength?

Frowning, he watched the blade of the troll’s axe coming toward him.

That massive axe, covered in blood with chunks of flesh sticking to it.

He focused. On that axe coming toward him, on the troll’s hand holding it.

His fingers twitched. He saw the troll’s forearm muscles tensing tightly,

bulging as if about to burst, and raised his sword.

He heightened his senses. Sight, hearing, smell, touch.

Without taking his eyes off the axe,

he heard the sound of it cutting through the air and smelled the blood scent growing stronger.

His hand holding the sword felt slippery. Was it from blood and sweat?

Gripping the sword firmly with both hands, he swung it toward the incoming axe.

If he applied force straight on, he would be pushed back, so he twisted his waist and rotated his body.

He turned his waist, took several steps, and struck the side of the axe to redirect its force.

Crash! As the axe was deflected, his body was also thrown back, hitting a tree.

He tasted blood in his mouth and spat, seeing red.

Despite thinking he had blocked it properly, the troll’s strength was simply too overwhelming.

His waist ached. The pain from hitting the tree made him curse involuntarily,

and he grimaced as he turned his gaze back to the troll.

Perhaps unable to handle its own strength, the troll had fallen to the ground in a comical posture,

now picking up the axe it had dropped while breathing heavily.

“It would be nice if Sir Chris were here right now.”

Then perhaps he could have aimed for a passing grade.

A troll tainted by darkness was a much more formidable opponent than he had expected.

He would rather fight that black mage from the city several more times.

This might be the most difficult opponent he had ever faced.

Suddenly, the sword in his hand caught his eye.

Why was he fighting so desperately, even risking his life?

He could have run away. He could have simply reported that there was a black mage and a darkness-tainted troll here,

and the Knight Commander at the Imperial Palace would have taken care of it.

But the reason he couldn’t do that.

The reason he had come here despite knowing it would be difficult, despite knowing there was no need to do this.

It was simple, wasn’t it?

There was someone he needed to protect. Irene was down there.

He had said he was her knight, that he would be her knight from now on. How could he prioritize his own safety with such a threat looming?

It was somewhat amusing. The boy who had run away from abusive parents

was now risking his life to protect someone else.

But things were different now compared to then.

Unlike back then when he had only himself to care for, now he had someone to protect.

He couldn’t forget that smile. On that day when the first snow fell,

that smile that sparkled brighter than any snowflake.

He didn’t want to see that face contorted again, didn’t want the future tragedy to come true.

With a clank, the sword attached to the handle disappeared.

A different sensation from before—he realized when the axe and sword met

that the sword he had drawn wasn’t showing its true form.

Whoosh—

With a clean sound, the blade that reappeared was different from before.

Unlike the previous blue glow, the blade now shone with the same pure white as his mana.

Flames began to rise from his body.

Tearing through the surrounding darkness, flames that dyed the space white flickered in the air.

He steeled his resolve. Strengthened his conviction.

Thinking such words were too grandiose, he cleared his mind and looked ahead.

It wasn’t resolve or conviction. Such words didn’t suit him.

He simply wanted to protect.

Perhaps because he was her knight, or because she was the first person to acknowledge him for who he was.

The reason didn’t matter.

No reason was needed for wanting to protect someone.

That’s what he wanted to do. He didn’t want to regret anymore, didn’t want to lose someone precious again.

Like his sister, whom he had lost through a moment’s mistake. He didn’t want to regret anymore.

So he raised his sword.

His body felt light.

Much lighter than before, almost as if he were floating in the air.

Everything around him was brighter. The darkness consuming the forest was pushed back by the flames,

and the trees that had lost their vitality slowly began to regain their light.

He gazed at the handkerchief fluttering in his sleeve.

The handkerchief she had given him, telling him not to soil it—he smiled slightly at how it had somehow remained clean of blood.

Since she had said that, she would surely scold him if he dirtied it.

Tucking the handkerchief into his chest, Evan looked at the troll that had started charging toward him again. Veins bulged on his hand gripping the sword.

His heart pounded.

His bursting heart pumped blood throughout his body, and Evan gritted his teeth at the rising vitality.

He bent his knees. With his foot stretched back, he prepared to leap forward.

Boom—

The enraged troll had now approached Evan.

Mixed with the footsteps that shook the ground was clear anger.

When that foot, which trampled the rising grass and crushed the damp soil, aimed for Evan’s head.

Once again, Evan vanished from the troll’s sight. But the troll reacted.

Clearly thinking that like the previous attack, he would aim for its ankle, it quickly moved its back foot.

Slash—

But it couldn’t move. It couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

Just as it thought it had moved its foot, its body staggered, and the troll lost balance and fell forward.

What the troll’s eyes saw was pure white flame.

The darkness that had given it strength was disappearing. Light entered the once-dark forest, and it was so brilliant that the troll had to close its eyes tightly.

“My foot!”

“You can speak? That’s a bit surprising.”

The pain from its ankle extended to its knee.

There was no more strength in its bleeding leg.

The axe it swung wildly cut down several trees, but that was all. It couldn’t reach its target. Evan was seeing through all its attacks.

‘My body feels lighter.’

It was somewhat surprising that the troll could speak,

but what was more amazing was that his physical condition was even better than before.

Though still far from the Master level where one could dye the world with mana,

he felt like he had grown again within the Expert realm.

He was always surprised, but what exactly was the nature of this body?

He had trained diligently, but could that explain such a rapid growth rate?

The troll’s movements, which until just now required all his senses to track, were now astonishingly clear.

Lower right, upper left diagonal.

All the troll’s attacks appeared as multiple lines, as if the surroundings had been painted over with a brush.

There was ease in his steps.

His breathing was light, and the flames flowing through his body burned more intensely than ever.

The limping troll had not yet lost its fighting spirit.

Its predatory eyes, which still saw him as merely a weak human, continued to burn.

He ducked to avoid the axe that grazed the top of his head.

He dove into the troll’s body and thrust his sword into its exposed belly.

Rip— The skin tore and blood gushed out. He had pierced its internal organs.

The twisted, elongated intestines spilled out onto the ground, and the troll let out a scream.

It must hurt—that pain causes distraction.

As the troll pitifully wailed, trying to gather its intestines spilling from its deeply torn belly, Evan thrust his sword into its chest.

Blood splashed into his mouth, making him grimace as he spat it out.

Sticking out his tongue at the disgusting taste in his mouth, he pushed the sword deeper, feeling the hardness of the sternum.

The organs inside—lungs, stomach, and heart.

Sensing it would soon die if things continued this way, the troll began to thrash.

Each time that massive body moved, the sword moved with it, and Evan clicked his tongue as he escaped from under the troll’s huge belly.

If he stayed there, he would be crushed.

‘Thirty seconds until regeneration.’

The severed ankle was slowly growing back.

Though it was probably slower due to being cut by his sword, it was still fast enough to make him doubt his eyes.

Just once, was there something that could completely block the troll’s movements?

The troll, holding its split belly skin, picked up its axe while breathing heavily.

What showed in its eyes now was a fierce determination to kill the being before it.

It would probably kill him even if it died in the process. The corner of his mouth twisted.

Though it didn’t suit him, what Evan felt in this moment was exhilaration.

His breath pushed to the limit, his lungs wrung dry, his heart beating as if about to burst.

They say the pleasure felt when surpassing one’s limits is incomparable.

His vision blurred with the pleasure flooding his brain. But his senses remained sharp.

Even though he couldn’t see, all his other senses were clearly telling him what the troll was doing.

Thud—

He planted his foot. In this moment, he was the wind.

He gripped his sword. The pure white glowing sword shone, and the surroundings began to grow quiet.

He looked ahead. With a gaze fiercer than anything, he drew out the flames burning in his body to drive away the darkness.

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

The troll’s movements, so fast until now, seemed to freeze, as if only his time was flowing quickly in this space.

Evan’s foot moved. The wind blew. The sword that advanced, tearing through the air like a gale, drew a pure white trajectory.

His body, which had stepped on the ground, suddenly leaped into the air.

When the troll’s body came right up to his face, Evan twisted his body in an instant.

Like a lie, the axe the troll swung brushed past him.

A few strands of hair were cut, and a small wound appeared on his cheek.

Blood splattered. But Evan smiled.

Slash—

The sword drew a line, creating a flash of light in this darkness.

Like a bolt of lightning falling from the sky, the sword instantly penetrated the troll’s neck, crushing the cervical vertebrae and passing through.

Not even blood stained the sword. A clean blade without flesh or bone fragments.

Emptiness flickered in the troll’s eyes as it stared into space.

No fighting spirit, no more will to burn.

The large body staggered and began to collapse to the ground. The head, separated from its master, rolled in the opposite direction of the body.

“…Haa.”

The fallen head didn’t move at all.

Is it really dead now? After staring at the troll’s head for a moment, Evan finally let out a sigh.

The pure white blade returned to blue, then was sucked back into the handle and disappeared.

Clatter—

As he stared at the sword handle, he suddenly felt a gaze on him and looked up.

He realized that the troll’s fallen head, with eyes now black instead of purple, was looking at him, and Evan flinched.

#

“Thank you.”

“It’s a bit strange to hear such words from a troll with only a head left.”

“If it weren’t for you, I would have fallen completely and even my soul would have perished. I’m fortunate to have regained my sanity, even like this.”

I frowned at those words. A troll thanking the person who cut off its head.

I knew it wasn’t an ordinary creature, but I didn’t expect it to speak so eloquently.

Wasn’t it the same creature that stupidly shouted “My foot!” earlier?

But now I couldn’t sense the darkness that the black mage had planted in it,

so there seemed no need to be wary, and I just stared at the troll.

Perhaps noticing that I was still cautious,

the troll chuckled and spoke again.

“Indeed, it’s not easy to converse with someone you were just fighting. Are you surprised that I can speak? Well, that’s because I’m not an ordinary troll.”

“If not an ordinary troll, then…”

“I am Zhanjir, Great Chief of the Red Fang Tribe and a Troll Lord. Though now I’m just a head moving my lips, I won’t live much longer!”

A Troll Lord. So the strength far beyond that of a common troll was his innate power along with the darkness.

Seeing my slight surprise, Zhanjir continued.

“Our village was destroyed by black mages, and even I fell to them and ended up like this. Thanks to your help, at least my soul could be liberated. May the Earth Mother’s blessing be with you.”

“…Do you remember what the black mage looked like?”

“Appearance, hm. Unfortunately, there’s only one thing I can tell you. Despite my hazy memories, there’s one thing I remember clearly. The word ‘Annihilation.'”

“Annihilation.”

When I first heard the word “annihilation,” I thought it was just a coincidence, but there was clearly something to it.

Black mages and annihilation. So it wasn’t an organization that suddenly appeared a few years later.

Were they already plotting something beneath the surface? My eyes narrowed, and Zhanjir giggled and spoke again.

“You will probably navigate through this admirably. I read the determination in your eyes. You have someone to protect, don’t you?”

“……”

“Quite shy, aren’t you? I have much to tell you. For example, about the mana you possess. Or your bloodline.”

“Bloodline…?”

“But I don’t think I can tell you. I feel like my life will end after just a few more breaths. Regrettably, this is all the help I can offer you.”

There wasn’t much help to speak of, really.

After fighting intensely, all I learned from a decapitated troll was that the organization called “Annihilation” was involved again.

I nodded slightly, and the troll smiled faintly and moved its lips.

Its eyes were growing dim. The once-sparkling black eyes were gradually wavering, visibly losing their light.

The mention of bloodline bothered me. Did the troll know something about my mana?

I momentarily twitched my hand, wanting to ask more, but that was all I could do.

After staring at the completely dimmed eyes for a moment, I closed my mouth at the voice I heard.

“Don’t forget your blood. I hope that someday you will remember the wings you once lost.”

And like a doll, the troll’s head stopped moving.

The sudden coldness made our entire conversation feel like a lie.

Wings I once lost—I had no idea what that had to do with me or why he would say such a thing.

“Phew.”

But I had no intention of dwelling on it now.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I looked up at the sky again.

Light filled the forest where darkness had been completely lifted. The darkness that had hung over everything until now felt like an illusion.

The darkness that had constricted my breath and weighed on my shoulders was gone.

As clean air filled my lungs, I closed my eyes and felt the forest’s vitality throughout my body.

I was still alive. The troll had fallen, and I was the one standing and breathing.

As I took a step, my legs wobbled and I collapsed forward.

I’ll rest for a while.

In my blurry vision, I could see the winter forest with pure white light streaming in,

which somehow made my heart feel at ease. I closed my eyes. As my consciousness slowly crumbled, I fell into sleep.

Deeper than ever before.