Ch.5252. Constellation

# Darkness in the Red Space

Darkness fell over the red space.

A sticky, tar-like liquid began to boil near my feet.

-Brrrrr!

A hand extended from there, pressed against the ground, and slowly revealed itself.

An undead with its entire body rotted and decayed.

Countless of them climbed onto the floor and approached me.

‘Can I endure this?’

Fortunately, the blackout time before the first “charge” was only 5 seconds.

Since I had crouched down as much as possible and covered my head, I should be able to avoid instant death.

“Adel.”

-Slash!

Shiro quickly approached and cut down the undead that was about to attack my back.

Since this was still the first blackout, tentacles weren’t raining down yet, so we got through without major damage.

“Let’s go once more!”

The space turned red again.

I quickly dealt with the undead and prepared for the next attack.

-Clang!

I somehow dodged and deflected the tentacles shooting out from all directions.

Shiro poured out magic, and I approached the Watcher and attacked it repeatedly.

My attacks were faster and heavier than before, gradually inflicting wounds.

I was already feeling like I’d hit a wall.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t give up.

If I gave up, I couldn’t hope for a better outcome.

[The Watcher closes its eyes.]

And so, the second blackout arrived.

Of course, this blackout wasn’t much different.

I remained bound in place while Shiro did her best to clear out the undead.

We were able to get through this duration of 6 seconds quite comfortably.

We repeated once more and delivered several attacks.

After that, we managed to endure until the third blackout.

“Haa, haa.”

Shiro’s breathing grew more labored as she moved frantically.

Nevertheless, she kept moving without pause.

So far, we had reduced the Watcher’s health by 24 percent.

Enduring trials that gradually, sometimes steeply, became more difficult, we held onto the hope that we might somehow survive.

However.

-Guuuung.

At the end of the third blackout.

An unpleasant resonance vibrated through my bones.

“…”

As if trembling at that sound, the red space was gradually returning to a pure white form.

The massive jet-black pupil floating in the sky turned white.

We could only watch as the eye transformed to a snow-white color.

“Here it comes.”

[The Watcher enters charging state.]

-Kuguuung!

White chains burst through the walls and crossed the space.

As if not meant for attack, the chains didn’t target anyone but simply embedded themselves in the opposite wall.

[The Watcher uses its third power.]

A blue message appeared before my eyes.

‘This isn’t too bad.’

While it was called charging, it felt more like a pattern addition event.

It randomly uses one of 14 powers, and the pattern currently manifesting was relatively easy.

Damage inflicted on each other is reduced by 20 percent.

Considering that HP and mana consumption remained the same, it was definitely a penalty, but it was much better than having strange patterns added.

I caught my breath while waiting for the Watcher’s charging to end.

‘Thankfully, they don’t seem to want to intervene.’

Kyle, the blue mage, and the possessed priests were all waiting quietly.

I was worried that someone like Kyle or the blue mage might make an impulsive move, but fortunately, they seemed to have good self-awareness.

Of course, that didn’t improve the situation at all.

‘I’m already struggling.’

The Watcher’s patterns increase in difficulty slightly with each blackout.

It was already brutally difficult until now, but what could I do?

Despite the despair, I had to do my best until the end.

-Ziiing.

After the charging ended, the space was breathtakingly beautiful.

White chains spread across the pure white space.

If they were simply design elements, I would have just admired them, but unfortunately, they were merely obstacles blocking our vision.

Moreover, after this pattern, the tentacles pouring down on me changed to chains, and unlike tentacles, the chains remained in the space.

This meant that if we dragged on, this place would be filled with chains.

‘Here it comes again.’

I blocked the incoming chain with my shield.

I deflected it with my sword, and sometimes it grazed my skin, causing blood to pour out.

The one fortunate thing was that Shiro had almost no injuries.

She was a speed type suitable for avoiding chains, and usually it took about 3-4 seconds before I was targeted again.

This meant I had to endure many more attacks, but I didn’t mind.

It wasn’t some noble idea of sacrificing myself for Shiro.

It was just the way to survive.

‘Here it comes.’

I repeated.

I repeated countless times.

I repeated the same battle endlessly.

Detect the energy of the chains.

Block with the shield. Deflect with the sword. Twist the body to dodge.

If the angle was impossible to avoid, sacrifice a less important body part and use the recoil to avoid a fatal wound.

I moved according to extremely basic combat logic.

Continuously.

I erased the sensation of pain.

I erased my own pain, poured countless potions, and endured.

After each blackout, my limbs were tattered, and sometimes my life was threatened.

“-Haa.”

Every time I exhaled, there was always a new wound.

Yet, I continued the battle.

-Thwack!

For a moment I felt terror as a chain pierced through my neck, but I treated my legs first.

A neck injury wouldn’t cause instant death unless it was fatal.

But if I completely lost my legs, I wouldn’t be able to dodge the next attack and would die.

It was an extremely logical battle.

“…”

I continued the battle.

At some point, my vision blurred.

Was it because I had lost too much blood?

Grateful that I hadn’t fainted, I began to entrust most of my movements to instinct.

For some reason, the speed and impact of the chains seemed to have slowed, but I didn’t pay much attention to it.

“…”

I continued the battle.

I didn’t defeat the Watcher with any special strategy or extraordinary tactics.

That’s just how I’ve lived my life.

Sometimes I was stupid, sometimes I used my brain as much as possible to survive.

If I had to classify myself, I was closer to someone who gives their best rather than an all-around veteran.

“…”

I continued the battle.

I had long lost sensation in my arms and legs.

Since my potions had run out long ago, my body was covered in wounds, and the equipment I was using was soaked red.

-Clang!

Yet my body still had strength.

Not abundant strength, nor insufficient strength.

If I moved with my best effort, I could dodge the chains precisely.

If I moved with all my might, I could block the chains with my shield.

It took exactly two sword swings to kill an undead, and if I moved with the determination to die, I could take one step forward.

“…”

I continued the battle.

‘It’s almost over.’

The Watcher’s fourth charge had already ended.

Its remaining health was 4 percent.

Giving my best, I could just barely get through this moment.

With the determination to die, I was given just enough strength not to die.

‘Die already.’

Shiro’s magic pierced the Watcher, and I made my final leap toward it.

-Kuung!

High.

It felt like my body soared dozens of meters.

I prepared for the final strike, and…

…

[The Watcher is destroyed.]

…

[The power of Polaris dwells in your heart.]

***

Kyle felt an emotion he had long forgotten.

Helplessness.

Unable to resist what was coming for him, unable to change anything.

‘Is this the end?’

It didn’t seem like the barbarian and elf, who still had some strength left, could defeat that monster emanating such powerful energy.

-Captain Kyle, since we don’t know when your divine power will return, please be ready to fight at any time. Until then, we’ll try to buy some time.

Until he heard those words, Kyle didn’t believe in him.

‘Your Highness, I’m sorry.’

He only blamed himself for failing to protect the princess who had taken him in.

-Kuung!

Even when a single attack hit him, Kyle still didn’t believe in him.

He thought it was mere coincidence that the barbarian showed such strangely confident eyes.

So he continued to regret.

His heart felt like it was being torn apart every time they were injured.

‘I’m sorry.’

He wanted to apologize to those who were sacrificed due to his powerlessness.

But.

Even after the space turned white, they never died.

Even when his arms were tattered, he didn’t fall.

Even when his leg was half-severed and his neck was pierced through.

He didn’t fall.

He stood up.

Even in moments when he seemed about to die, he ultimately stood up.

Setting aside physical limitations, it was a level of mental strength impossible for a human.

When he stood up again and again, dozens of times, continuously, repeatedly.

Kyle felt a shiver.

A will that never falls, and a strange power that transcends simple physical laws.

‘It’s familiar.’

He overlapped someone with him.

Someone with a blue radiance.

-Have you heard of Polaris?

The strongest explorer alive, the guild leader of Polaris,

And the adversary of the Imperial Family trying to reach the end of the Labyrinth.

Vena.