episode_0019

Whoosh whoosh

“Gasp…!”

Two spears were lodged in Ropel’s leg and shoulder.

“Ro..Ropel..!”

Eligio hurriedly took out a potion from his pocket again and dripped a drop or two onto Ropel’s wounds.

Ropel’s injuries healed at a rapid pace.

“Oh~ That’s good, isn’t it? If I kill you and take that, I can enjoy it for longer later, can’t I?”

Arise showed interest in the potion Eligio had made himself.

He had already enjoyed torture using healing potions, so he knew the performance of ordinary potions well.

That’s why he could tell at a glance how great the potion Eligio had now was.

“Yes, keep healing him like that. That way, I can enjoy it for longer..!”

Arise continuously fired violet arrows, and Ropel tried to block all the attacks, but his stamina gradually decreased, and his magical power dried up.

If it weren’t for Eligio’s potion, Ropel would have collapsed long ago.

But seeing Ropel like that, Arise was a little surprised inwardly.

Little by little

Gritting his teeth, Ropel was moving towards him ever so slightly.

And he was showing such strong tenacity that blood filled his eyes.

Well, it didn’t matter to Arise anyway.

He just had to pour out even more and stronger attacks.

Just as he was thinking that, he felt a sudden pain and a cold liquid flowing on his cheek.

Along with that, the violet spears Arise was firing stopped for an instant.

Ropel knelt on the floor as if injured and breathed heavily.

What flowed from the tip of Arise’s cheek was none other than his own blood.

From the looks of it, although he had controlled his strength, Ropel had imitated the attack magic Arise was using and returned it while blocking the total attack he was firing.

Although it was only a superficial scratch and not a fatal wound due to Arise’s instinctive defense deflecting the trajectory, he was extremely displeased with this situation.

He was, after all, a being who unilaterally tormented others.

Only the blood of the victims was allowed to touch him.

Looking at Ropel with eyes full of anger, he saw Ropel giving him a faint smile with a tired face.

Impudent

Arise thought Ropel was very impudent.

As a reply, Arise vowed to cut off his limbs and make him feel every possible pain he could.

Black magic requires a price to be used.

Therefore, black magicians prepare that price in advance through sacrifice rituals before using magic.

And Arise decided to pour out all of that price now.

Although he was currently controlling a large number of puppets in real-time, this level of burden was not a problem.

A multitude of violet spears were created, far more than before.

The intensity of that magical power would be incomparable to what it had been until now.

Seeing the countless attacks flying towards him, Ropel stood up again and braced himself.

Not forgetting to reassure Eligio, who was foaming at the mouth and trembling behind him.

. . .

“…! You’re using magic! What if we get caught by their magic power detection..!”

“It’s alright if you use it this subtly.

Although I used an absurd amount of magical power in the previous fight, I intend to help as much as I can too.”

“Thank you for agreeing with my thoughts, Principal Lium Kidocal.”

“…You’re all really going to do it,”

Vice-principal Hearis Morgan whispered carefully in a low voice.

“What can we do? This young man is right.

If we just wait endlessly for rescue, we’ll either become sacrifices to black magic or victims of a collapsing building.

Rather, this way there’s a slightly higher chance of survival.

But even so, rashly rushing in like this right now is not the way.

First, we must seize an opportunity, targeting a moment when they are confused or flustered.”

The three watched the situation, pretending to still be tied up even though the ropes were released by Lium’s magic.

Then, a black magician wearing a robe with a red emblem entered their sight, accompanied by other black magicians nearby.

He had come to check if the magic circle inside was drawn correctly.

“…! That’s the one. Although I couldn’t see his face clearly, that robe with the red emblem! He must be their leader!”

Lium’s eyes flashed as he whispered quietly.

Considering the guy’s skill, Lium thought a surprise attack right now would be difficult.

Moreover, there were other black magicians nearby, even if they seemed like small fry, making success even harder.

If we could just create a small opening, even a little bit..!

It was then.

“We’ve succeeded in entering the auditorium! Everyone, attack the black magicians! Especially target their leader!”

A small number of knights wearing black steel armor, including Seraphina Serion, entered the main auditorium.

The eyes of the panicked black magicians and puppets focused on the knights for an instant.

“Now is the time!”

Principal Lium also used magic to join the knights who had entered the auditorium.

Mark Vicers picked up the sword that a fallen guard nearby was holding and rushed towards the black magician wearing the robe with the red emblem.

Although slightly dull, the blade, sharp enough to kill a person, headed towards the neck of the black magician presumed to be the leader.

. . .

“No..! Ropel..!”

I couldn’t close my mouth at the sight before my eyes.

The man in front of me had taken every single one of the countless attacks the black magician was firing with his own body.

Not only the attacks directed at him, but also the attacks directed at me, at me, a girl he had just met not long ago.

Moreover, at first, I was worried about Ropel who was attacked and healed him whenever he got injured, but the attacks became fiercer and fiercer, and I didn’t have the time to do that anymore.

In the end, I could only tremble and hide behind his back.

In other words, I was nothing but a burden to him.

Perhaps he had another way.

For example, if he hadn’t worried about me behind him and had only protected his own safety, he wouldn’t be in this state now.

But he didn’t.

“W..why…for..for someone like me…!”

From the very first meeting until now, he had been a man with nothing but strange points.

Those who approached him for his family, those who approached him for his talent,

All of them felt repulsion at her personality and actions and soon distanced themselves.

Everyone who had approached her until now had left her.

Except for one person.

Although their time together was short, instead of being displeased and frowning at her, he gave her the warmest smile anyone ever had.

Even the moment he pulled her into a hug to protect her from the black magician’s attack.

Ropel’s body was completely battered now.

His right arm was now completely broken, barely holding onto a steel pipe with only the handle part remaining.

And his left arm, which he had used for dispel, was now merely dangling, barely attached to his shoulder.

Such a Ropel was kneeling, with other black spears stuck in his entire body like a hedgehog.

But whether it was fortunate or not, it didn’t pose a significant threat to his life at the moment.

The spears lodged in Ropel’s body right now were unique magic created by the black magician before his eyes himself.

He had explained himself that it was a cruel magic whose substance did not exist but caused terrible pain just by touching.

In other words, the black spears stuck in his body right now exist only to inflict pain.

“Hoo… not enough yet… I have to take more time to enjoy this guy little by little..!”

The black magician in front of me was still breathing roughly, as if his anger hadn’t subsided.

“In that sense, you’re first. I plan to specially take that guy to the base.”

Saying that, he walked steadily towards me.

My legs were trembling so much that I couldn’t even move.

Right now, I had no physical strength or magical power to resist him.

Tears were falling from my eyes due to fear.

But why? I glared at him with wide eyes.

The emotion conveyed there was none other than vengeance.

He had approached me with goodwill and without malice, without looking at my talent, my family, or anything else.

Perhaps the first and last pure friend in my life,

That kind of friend had been turned into a terrible state by the man before my eyes.

The more I thought about it, the more anger, rather than fear, dominated my body.

I checked the amount of potion in my pocket.

What would happen if I drank all of this potion I was holding?

I had experimented with it on a bug before.

It would swell up, unable to withstand the artificially created vast amount of healing, and cause a big explosion.

An explosion large enough to take the life of the person in front of me.

With that, I closed my eyes and resolved myself.

. . .

Arise approached Eligio with leisurely steps.

Having resolved herself, she immediately took out the potion from her pocket, opened the cap, and tried to gulp it down with all her might.

But at some point, he, who had arrived right in front of her, grabbed her wrist firmly.

“No… don’t…”

“I don’t know what you were trying to do with just one potion, but I’m not planning to create any more unexpected situations, you see.”

Her eyes instantly filled with despair.

“Well, I don’t have much time left either. The magic circle will be completed soon, and there are many other prey left, you see. It’s a pity, but I have to kill you quickly right…”

Something charged at Arise.

It was Ropel, with countless black spears stuck all over his body.

Arise couldn’t help but be startled.

He knew the spears stuck in his body well, as he had made them himself.

Normally, it would be a pain that would make them unable to twitch a finger and plead for death as quickly as possible!

But he, even though those spears were stuck all over his body like a hedgehog, was moving.

And with incredible strength!

Arise tried to pull away from Ropel belatedly, but it was already too late.

Ropel tightly hugged Arise with his dangling arm.

And the countless black spears stuck in Ropel’s body were likewise embedded in Arise.

“Kuaaaak!”

Arise let out a painful scream with his mouth tearing wide sideways.

As expected, the pain was so immense that he couldn’t even lift a finger!

He was in so much pain that he even forgot to retract the black spear magic.

And Eligio Gremrina did not miss that moment.

She poured all of the potion she had into his throat, which was wide open from screaming, without leaving a single drop.

Gulp gulp gulp

Ugh!

Arise knew what he had drunk was a healing potion.

He had clearly seen the person in front of him healed instantly just now.

Yet, now that he had drunk the potion all at once himself, his intuition told him that something was wrong.

He hurriedly tried to force himself to vomit the potion back up, even gagging, but it was already too late.

Soon, his body swelled up as if it couldn’t withstand the vast healing ability of the potion, looking like it would explode any moment.

“Kuguk… Kuk… you… you…! What… what did you…!!”

Soon, his face swelled hideously, and he could only wave his hands about, unable to even speak.

Seeing this, Eligio checked Ropel’s condition.

He had collapsed as if exhausted, perhaps having squeezed out his last movement.

She hurriedly supported Ropel and fled in the opposite direction.

“O..Oh… no.. no… I… I…!”

Soon, a huge explosion occurred, shaking the building.