The scenery is viewed from above.
Suddenly, the field of vision descends. Below, the chaotic scene soaked in blood presents only hues of black and gold to the retina.
Though hidden by a hood, the detailed appearance remained unknown.
Even so, I could guess what lay beyond the shadows on that face. The black hair and golden eyes were symbols of a specific family, and the probability of coincidental genetic traits was low.
It likely resembled my face.
Or perhaps it might look like Liya.
From the voice escaping, the other party was a woman. Hearing her playful giggle indicated she was quite young.
As I lingered in a daze, Ceria screamed.
“……Senior Ian!”
Only then did I snap back to reality, noticing a test subject approaching me.
The flailing arms swung with considerable might. It wouldn’t compare to mine, but if the blows accumulated, I would soon find myself in trouble.
A lightning-fast sword strike burst the test subject’s skull.
Blood surged forth, announcing the death of a life. Even until then, I was still dazed, feeling the ground beneath me.
The fallen hatchet was grasped in my hand, and only then did I feel my thoughts begin to clear.
As I staggered to my feet, Miltram let out a joyful screech.
“Aha! You were surprised, Ian Percus.”
“……Who are you?”
With a sound like a hum, Miltram squinted, narrowing her eyes.
Only the golden eyes shining like lamps were visible beneath the shadowed face. The lips revealed a captivating curve.
“Who could it be? Naturally, it’s Miltram, the faithful servant of the Evil God and your friend.”
Even though she surely knew the implication behind her words, Miltram pretended to be coy, only bantering.
I couldn’t help but suppress a laugh at her mockery.
The hatchet was thrown, tracing a silver arc.
The speed was terrifying. The sound tearing through the air struck my eardrums only afterward.
Nevertheless, Miltram simply swung her arm with a relaxed demeanor.
The noise of metal colliding with flesh was hard to believe.
But it wasn’t over yet.
The spinning hatchet was held down, and with the force of a guillotine, it aimed again, and Miltram spoke in a dull voice.
“Posture of serenity…”
The woman slightly leaned back and extended her white hand.
To create contact with the direction of the hatchet’s motion.
It looked like an act of suicide.
However, the outcome brought about by that delicate hand was astonishing.
With a thud, the blade was caught by the woman’s hand.
There was no severing of limbs. Instead, as a small droplet of blood formed, Miltram exclaimed with delight.
“……Oh, a droplet of blood? Your skills have improved, Ian Percus. Of course, the posture of serenity is a splendid technique, but it seems you are still lacking in mastery. To think that only one change would suffice.”
As she grinned, the woman returned the hatchet to me.
I tucked the falling hatchet into my waist and directed a fierce glare at Miltram. Yet the woman still showed no sign of tension.
“Are you curious about my identity? This pitch-black hair, those golden eyes that shine even in the night… Ah, it’s beautiful. The Percus family truly has excellent genes.”
“Are you willing to reveal it?”
At my retort, Miltram laughed, clapping her hands.
“Puhuh! Of course… but there’s a condition.”
As if conducting an orchestra, Miltram spread her arms, and the unruly test subjects froze.
Then they reformed their ranks, glaring at me, Ceria, and the group beyond.
Only half remained, yet their momentum was even more menacing.
It appeared Miltram had something in store.
“Play with my creations for a bit… I went through all the trouble of making them, so it’d be a shame not to use them.”
Words spat by someone who had committed heinous crimes against innocents.
Brazen and disgusting.
I let out a hollow laugh and said.
“You’re not a Percus… just a simple criminal, hoping to get away with such sins?”
“Well, we shall see about that?”
Her tone remained annoyingly carefree.
I immediately directed my sword forward, inhaling deeply. Before I knew it, Ceria had come up beside me once again.
As I struggled with confusion, it seemed our group sensed the strange atmosphere.
Ceria cautiously asked me.
“Do you know her? The hair and eyes…”
“No, it’s the Dark Priest. She’s clearing away the victims and charging at us all at once.”
Ceria nodded without raising further questions.
The group behind me could hear it clearly. Celin still appeared confused, but eventually steadied herself to grasp her sword.
The Lady Virgin Saint signaled with a blessing.
“……Lord, have mercy on us!”
As the pure white radiance enveloped me, I instantly kicked off the ground and shot forward.
The lined-up test subjects charged again with their monstrous screams. I funneled the strength of my charge into a kick and sent the leading test subject flying.
The thud of the kick caused one test subject to tumble over. When two more test subjects lunged at me, my sword blazed with light.
Exploding heads burst forth like champagne, spraying blood.
Attention focused on me as I dispatched three in an instant. Though they were merely small fry, it would be a different story with Miltram present.
A black mist began to billow from the ground, gradually dyeing the test subjects’ eyes a blood-red color.
Miltram, mocking, reminded me of a forgotten fact.
“There are priests on this side too~”
Even a Dark Priest was still a priest.
It wouldn’t be strange for her to wield the power bestowed by the Evil God.
The annoying point was that even the headless corpses began to wriggle. The black mist seemed to be granting some sort of power.
Now even the test subjects I had defeated had to be counted among the enemy’s numbers.
However, if it came to a many-against-many battle, the swordsmen wouldn’t be the ones holding the key to victory.
I immediately called out a name.
“Senior Elsi!”
At my shout, Senior Elsi finished the incantation she had been preparing as always.
“……The principle of thunder connecting stars, moons, and sun! Oh light and flames that wander, come forth! The winds call for you!”
The magical energy in the atmosphere was sucked into a point.
Silence landed in the forest like a small bird. It wouldn’t take long for cracks to emerge in the calm of the storm before the tempest.
In that brief moment when the test subjects instinctively looked up at the sky.
A gust carrying dark clouds rumbled, foreshadowing disaster.
From the small girl’s lips came a resounding cry.
“God’s Swift Fury!”
It was a kind of execution sentence.
Immediately following the ominous sound of thunder.
Lightning shattered the air and poured down.
The series of explosive sounds left my ears ringing. My vision, which had been glowing crimson, soon turned pure white, obscuring everything.
The spell, prepared over a long time by Senior Elsi, was equally destructive.
In the pouring storm, the test subjects ignited, unable to let out even a scream. Even if they tried to evade, the blue electricity that covered the ground wouldn’t allow it.
The mere remnants were enough to electrocute living beings.
Under normal circumstances, it would be wise to remain prone until that devastation ceased.
No matter how precise Senior Elsi’s magical control was, there were limits. Stepping into the center of that thunderous storm would not leave one unscathed.
At least, not before I reached the level of Expert.
I kicked off the ground and dashed toward the battlefield where the lightning rained down.
By that point, the surrounding test subjects had been dealt with. A few test subjects remained, but even they would collapse from the electricity as they approached me.
Of course, I wasn’t unscathed either.
With each explosion, the ground caved in, and electric shockwaves burst in all directions. Each time I touched those blue particles, my muscles twitched slightly.
A sharp pain flooded my brain.
At least I was fortunate enough not to get hit directly by the lightning. If that level of magic were to strike me, I wouldn’t escape unharmed either.
Gritting my teeth, I slipped through the gaps in the storm, where at the end of the road, an ill fate stared at me with wide eyes.
It was a face that likely never imagined someone charging at her amidst the casting of magic.
The risk taken was worth the reward.
It was just the right moment to land a fist on that overly relaxed face.
Of course, Miltram wasn’t idly watching either.
Suddenly, arms surged up from the ground.
Stumbling, a few test subjects surrounded Miltram. Whether it was a precautionary measure, their armed status and the aura emanating from them were formidable.
However, I also wouldn’t sit still.
I immediately threw the sword stored in its sheath.
The blade, devouring the surrounding static, served as an excellent lightning rod.
Time flowed slowly as the blade danced through the air.
Miltram’s stunned eyes met the blade, signaling what was next. Soon, my vision ignited to a bright white.
With a bang, the explosion erupted and the whirlwind swept through the area.
I forcibly pushed past the shockwave. Staggering backward was the woman, now in front of me.
In that moment when Miltram looked at me in bewilderment.
My fist crashed into her face.
It was a blow packed with the full force of my charge. Miltram’s body flew through the air.
“……Gah?!”
It was surprisingly light-hearted scream.
One that didn’t seem believable coming from a demon.
Without missing a beat, I climbed onto Miltram’s sprawled body. It was too dangerous to pull out the hatchet while lightning was still crashing down.
Instead, I intended to end it with a series of punches.
As the hood slipped off naturally, that was when it happened.
And as I saw the revealed face, I had no choice but to freeze up in shock.
It was a girl with black hair and golden eyes, a near mirror image of Liya.
Her exceptionally pale skin seemed to testify to an illness from childhood. Even the slender and seductive smile resembled someone far too familiar.
I could hear my heart thudding loudly, as if it had stopped.
“……Hello, big brother.”
The girl, resembling Liya, smiled and spoke thusly.
I remained unaware until the short blade pierced into my abdomen.
Gasping, my hands fumbled over the area where I had been stabbed.
Blood soaked my hands, viscous and warm.
At the very least, it wasn’t a light injury.
“How does it feel to be stabbed by your beloved little sister?”
The girl laughed mockingly.
It was the laugh of a madwoman.
