Chapter 146

Chapter 146

As Eden raised his demonic energy, I saw the mana wall that had blocked my holy sword turn a dark, murky color as demonic energy seeped into it.

Whether it was thanks to that, or because the holy power contained within my holy sword repelled it, causing cracks in the mana wall, I was barely able to pull myself free.

As soon as I pulled myself free, Eden’s spider legs plunged into the spot where I had been standing. If I had been even a moment slower, I would have been hit by Eden’s attack, or at the very least, had to abandon the holy sword I was holding.

Swish!

However, even though I had created distance and hidden myself within the black mist, Eden’s spider legs precisely targeted me and lunged.

Clang!

I quickly raised my holy sword and narrowly deflected Eden’s attack. A metallic sound, unimaginable for the scraping of a creature’s leg against a sword, echoed. I tried to shake off the spider legs and hide in the mist, thinking it might be a coincidence, but his legs once again precisely targeted me. It seemed the dense demonic energy spread around was observing my position.

Even while dodging the spider legs, flames made of black fire would occasionally descend upon me as if to devour me. Dodging the spider legs and flames that attacked simultaneously while rolling on the ground, I quickly got back on my feet.

“Are you hurt?”

“It would be fortunate if it ended with just a few injuries in this situation… but for now?”

Since hiding was meaningless, I approached Celian while Eden briefly retracted his spider legs. Perhaps trying to maintain some composure amidst the tense situation, Celian spoke to me with a mix of concern and jest.

“Do you happen to have a brilliant plan to resolve the current situation?”

“Hmm… How about a plan called ‘give it our all until we die’?”

“That’s what we’re doing right now, though.”

As expected of a hero… no, a former hero candidate, that was a textbook answer.

Even while we were exchanging jokes like this, Eden’s attacks continued. Fortunately, it was easier to block Eden’s attacks, which were converging on us as a single point, when the two of us were together than when we were separated.

Normally, being so close that our shoulders were touching would hinder our sword swings, but Celian and I moved as if we knew how the other would move, naturally swinging our swords and blocking Eden’s attacks.

I naturally blocked attacks aimed at Celian’s blind spots, and Celian naturally blocked attacks aimed at mine. Though we were two, we moved more dynamically and efficiently than when we were alone.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve sparred with Celian so much. It was as if we had been coordinating for a long time, and my body moved naturally without me even trying to figure out how Celian would move.

But that was short-lived. The longer the battle went on, the less my body could keep up with my thoughts.

In my mind, I clearly knew how Celian would move and how I should move, but perhaps because my skills lagged behind Celian’s, my movements were a beat behind.

Thwack!

The damage from that fell entirely on Celian. In the end, Celian, who had not allowed a single attack until then, couldn’t dodge a widely swung spider leg that I should have blocked, and rolled far away on the ground.

Not only was I receiving help, but I was also causing damage. I felt utterly pathetic.

Damn it, what kind of hero am I?

As soon as Celian and I were separated, Eden raised two pairs of spider legs high into the air and began to draw a magic circle, far larger than anything he had made with his human arms.

The movement of mana felt dangerous just by looking at it.

There was no way Celian and I would just stand by and watch, so we both rushed towards Eden from different directions. However, Eden seemed to have changed his strategy, and instead of actively attacking us as before, he focused solely on defense.

Although two pairs of spider legs were removed from combat compared to before, with the remaining two pairs of spider legs and one pair of human arms focused on defense, Celian and I were not strong enough to break through.

The more I felt the magic nearing completion, the more desperate I became, but there was no fortunate event like suddenly gaining enlightenment and becoming stronger.

No, there is one way.

I gritted my teeth, gripped my holy sword tightly, and once again gathered my strength. A little faster. A little stronger.

Recalling the memory of when I first awakened as a hero, I suppressed the strain on my entire body and forced myself to squeeze out the hero’s power.

Enduring the pain as if my whole body was creaking, I focused solely on swinging my sword faster and stronger. Even if my entire body were to burst into flames, such pain could not stop me.

The frequency of my sword clashing with Eden’s spider legs became shorter, and a louder impact sound began to echo.

“Kuh…”

However, it was still not enough to break through Eden’s defense. I can go a little faster. Just like when I first awakened as a hero, I brought forth the future level I would reach.

More, more, more…!

Crack

A sound like something cracking echoed in my head, and a burning pain in my lower abdomen. But I quickly dismissed it. If I had the time to dwell on such things, I should focus on drawing out more of the hero’s power.

Perhaps if I had a little more time, I could fully draw out my future level, just like when I first awakened the hero’s power.

But… because I am slow, because I am weak, because I am pathetic.

My sword ultimately failed to reach Eden.

“It was somewhat fun. Let’s stop now.”

Eden, who had pushed us away with a wide swing of his defensive spider legs, declared the end.

From the magic circle drawn high in the sky above Eden’s head, which had finally been completed, appeared a very small flame, the size of a glass bead.

As Celian and I tensed at the immense mana felt from within the small flame, the small flame shot directly towards Celian and fell.

Perhaps he judged that if he could defeat Celian, a Sword Master, dealing with me alone would be easy.

I felt pathetic for not even being able to serve as bait.

As the small flame approached the ground, its size grew larger and larger, and by the time it reached Celian’s front in an instant, it had become a giant flame larger than any ordinary building.

I saw Celian biting her lip and gripping her sword tightly. However, her eyes were not yet defeated.

As if time was flowing slowly for her alone, even as the flame was about to engulf her, she assumed the ready stance she always took when sparring with me.

And a deep breath.

The downward slash she swung every day, honest and true like her, was not the secret sword technique of her family, the Deretia family, but just a plain, ordinary downward slash.

Her sword traced a trajectory. Like a brush painting on a canvas, her sword left a line as if drawing a picture in the air. Even in this urgent situation, it was a clean and beautiful trajectory that resembled her, one that I couldn’t help but stare at blankly.

Even though her swung sword was already pointing towards the ground, the line she left in the air seemed to remain, cleaving the giant flame in two.

The split flame fell to the ground and exploded, but it was merely a flashy explosion. It was not an explosion accompanied by mana, as if the flow constituting the magic itself had been severed.

However, an explosion is an explosion, and the dust and smoke from the flames further obscured the already limited visibility of the battlefield.

Still, it’s a relief that Celian is safe…

Whoosh!

Through the smoke of the explosion, I saw all of Eden’s spider legs shooting towards Celian.

However, Celian seemed to have used all her strength in the previous strike and didn’t notice the approaching danger beyond the smoke.

As soon as I noticed Eden’s attack, I immediately ran towards Celian, but I was too slow to catch up with the spider legs that were moving closer, faster, and before me.

As if the world was flowing slowly, I could see all of Eden’s spider legs moving towards Celian. Each spider leg was targeting Celian’s head, heart, arms, legs, stomach, everywhere.

Just ten steps. With ten steps left, Eden’s spider legs were right in front of Celian.

Only then did Celian notice Eden’s attack, her expression filled with surprise.

However, instead of raising her sword to block the attack, Celian turned her head away from the spider legs shooting towards her and looked at me.

On her face, as she looked at me… there was a smile.

As if she had resigned herself and accepted death.

She… is going to die.

…Don’t be ridiculous. Die? Who says so?

I promised myself that I would protect Celian, even if it meant my own death.

Celie, didn’t you say that not even death could separate us? No, you are not allowed to die.

As long as I am alive, you cannot die even if you want to. I will make sure of it.

Just like back then, I will protect you. For that is the only atonement I can offer for all the unforgivable sins I have committed against you.