The village was already in chaos.
The townspeople screamed at the sudden fall of a mass of flesh. Some had lost an arm or a leg, bleeding profusely.
I was fortunate to have arrived early.
Even though Perkus Manor was the center, its population density was not high. Because of that, only a few had been affected by the mass of flesh that fell from the sky.
Yes, it had been that way until now.
Watching those reaching out with agony on their faces, I had to grit my teeth.
Must I truly abandon them?
It would have been acceptable if they were living in the center.
My greater concern was for the residents living in the outskirts. There was no proper way to lead an evacuation convoy, nor were there suitable individuals for the task.
Ceria had decided to gradually lead the evacuation from the rear.
However, I could not know how long that would take.
The delay caused by the rampage of the test subjects was critical.
I had not expected that the retinue of the Heavenly Deity would descend without any forewarnings.
The atmosphere trembled with a deep sound, shaking the earth.
Thud, thud; the footsteps of the giant, shedding shadows, held tremendous power.
The ground was crushed, and trees fell like straw.
Before long, the dimness of dawn illuminated the horrific form of the monster.
A giant made of corpses.
That was the only expression I could think of.
Hundreds, if not thousands, or perhaps tens of thousands of corpses were huddled together.
The corpses making up its feet could not withstand the weight and spewed bl**d. Each time bl**d-red footsteps followed, a mournful d*ath cry echoed.
The head of the corpse giant was made up of the faces of countless people.
Their eyes roamed, dispersing their gazes. It took a while before their pupils collectively focused on a specific point.
The giant looked down at me.
No, it could be the village I was standing in.
It possessed such a broad field of vision. It might even have countless faces on the back of its head, rendering it impossible to have any blind spots.
Hundreds of mouths screamed simultaneously.
Wooooo!
The booming roar made the masses of flesh tremble and added to the noise. It was a scene that could not be believed as part of the human world.
The faces of the villagers turned pale.
“Ch, Heavenly Deity…”
It was a voice that flowed from someone’s mouth.
Only after hearing that voice, which represented everyone’s feelings, did I snap back to reality.
The atmosphere turned instantly into one of sheer terror at the appearance of the transcendent enemy.
I had to look up so far that my neck ached in order to see its head.
Before it, how pitiful and miserable humans appeared.
The despair of a mantis against a cart was reflected in everyone.
I instinctively understood.
Why they said to run.
And why they said I must abandon them.
The difference in class was painfully obvious at a glance.
Celia was foolish.
When would we face that monster, and how would we find the core?
One punch, one kick of that beast equated to a natural disaster, a monster from myth.
I could not envision confronting it alone.
It was a role suited only to the heroes found in myths.
I bit my lip and tightened the hand I had brought to my waist.
Just then, I noticed a mass of flesh approaching a middle-aged woman.
“Sa, save me…!”
The middle-aged woman, choked with fear, could barely speak.
So I decided to eliminate the cause.
The silver trajectory cut through the void.
The axe blade tore through the air and smashed into the mass of flesh’s front. The mass staggered back but that was its end.
I put strength into the thrown hand axe once again.
With a crunch, as I crushed bones, the mass of flesh spilled bl**d.
My hand, driven by my leap, snatched the axe back.
Next came a kick.
As my foot embedded into the plump mass of flesh, it screeched mournfully and flew away.
Its trembling gaze met mine.
I sighed and extended my hand.
“… Aunt Yona, please evacuate to the manor.”
“B-but, young master… what about those monsters…?”
“I will handle it.”
It was a reply devoid of hesitation.
Nevertheless, Aunt Yona showed a somewhat anxious expression.
Even she seemed to feel that the corpse giant was a monster humans could not face.
But it was not something she could refuse to believe, so she took my hand and unsteadily rose. Then she hurriedly turned and began to flee.
The villagers, sensing my presence, showed faint expectations in their eyes.
I needed to respond to that expectation.
As I threw my hand axe, another mass of flesh erupted in bl**d. I struggled to remove the axe, but it had sunk deeper and crushed one of the faces of the mass.
Kieeeek!
One angered mass of flesh, sensing danger, charged at me.
Perhaps in the past it would have been threatening, but now it was not.
My sword sliced horizontally.
Following that silver line, bl**d burst out in succession. I dropped my sword down to the left.
Then came the three claw marks.
No matter how strong its regeneration, if it was torn into eight pieces, resurrection would be impossible.
Now just a mere piece of flesh, the mass of corpses fell to the ground.
Before long, everyone was staring at me blankly.
They had grown up with me since childhood, but it was the first time they had seen me fighting.
There was bound to be a disconnect between my kind, gentle demeanor and this.
Even now, my hair was soaked in bl**d and sticky.
Without even thinking to wipe the dripping bl**d off, I said.
“Leave for the manor immediately… now!”
“B-but, we haven’t packed our belongings yet…”
The urgent shout I let out met with a hesitant question in return.
I cast a sidelong glance at the man who had spoken those words.
His body trembled at the sight of my bl**d-soaked gaze.
A vague smile came to my lips.
“If you don’t leave right now, you’ll d*e.”
In moments like this, my noble status proved useful.
Everyone immediately began to flee without asking questions.
Finally, I exhaled, placing a hand on my forehead.
I was still inebriated and had been injured.
My abdomen throbbed, and my mind was fuzzy. My bl**d-soaked brain was pleading for rest.
My condition was at its worst.
I felt like I could fall unconscious any moment.
As I staggered, I thrust my sword into a mass of flesh that had approached me.
Kieeeek!
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice you sneaking up on me?”
Of course, there was no reply.
I had pushed the blade deep from my body, applying strength.
The bisected mass of flesh staggered. Not missing the chance, I kicked it in the lower half.
The physical prowess of an expert swordsman was beyond imagination.
No matter how heavy the mass of flesh was, it had no choice but to fly away from that strike.
I dealt with the remaining half directly by plunging my sword down into it.
The mass of flesh convulsed once before drooping limply.
I continued to move, repeating this slashing process.
As I headed toward the outskirts of the village, the number of fallen people and masses of flesh increased.
Having fallen flesh raised concerns about something going wrong, and before long, the village was ablaze.
The masses of flesh seemed unable to withstand the flames.
They screamed only as they watched their bodies slowly cooking.
As I plunged my blade into a mass of flesh ablaze, I looked down at my tattered clothing with sadness.
The only thing that could enhance my magical power was my body.
My uniform was already torn, riddled with burns. It was soaked in bl**d and obviously would have to be discarded after the battle.
Still, my appearance was in relatively good shape.
Many were fleeing, screaming without getting even basic belongings. They were the very people I had saved.
There were even corpses lying on the ground that couldn’t even close their eyes.
Every time that happened, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Though we may not have had a deep connection, we recognized each other when we passed by.
Let alone they were my territory’s citizens.
I muttered under my breath repeatedly.
What must be discarded must be discarded.
Yes, what must be discarded must be discarded.
Though it was the only life and opportunity for them, it was hard to accept that it was a life that could be arbitrarily thrown away by someone.
I had to forcibly comprehend and move on.
I closed my eyes amid the burning scenery.
My consciousness became fuzzy.
The boundary between unconsciousness and reality grew thin.
Suddenly, I felt like this was not the first time I had stood in the middle of roaring flames.
Staggering, I took steps forward.
With my sword and axe splattering flesh and bl**d onto my body, I walked.
The acrid smoke made me thirsty.
Probably due to the lack of oxygen, my breath became ragged. My mind was drifting further away from reality.
In truth, there were no enemies that could hurt me.
What finally snapped me back to my muddled mind was the voice of someone grabbing me and shouting.
“Children! There are still children left!”
My gaze shifted slightly to the one who addressed me.
It was a woman still showing youthful qualities.
Suddenly, my field of vision shook, and I experienced a change in the surrounding scenery.
Unintentionally, an unfamiliar term slipped from my lips.
“… Apprentice?”
But in the next moment, looking at the woman’s tear-streaked face.
I realized that I had been hallucinating.
It was a girl with cute freckles.
Had she just turned into an adult?
“Wha-what? Young master… what are you talking about? Th-there are still children inside…!”
I swept my hazy gaze toward the point the girl was pointing at.
It was a path I was somewhat familiar with.
Gradually, my brain, which had been murky, started to freeze up.
It was because I understood whose house the woman was indicating.
“… d*mn it.”
I immediately kicked the ground and dashed forward.
As the masses of flesh lunged at me, I crushed their skulls with my hand axe as I advanced.
There was no time to finish them off completely.
After running for a while, I suddenly stopped at the sight of someone.
It was a boy.
He was coughing up bl**d, his abdomen pierced.
Stunned, I shook my head and muttered.
“Ned…”
Then, I staggered closer to Ned.
Beside him, a mass of flesh that had been sliced with a sword was wriggling.
Ned had been fighting this monster.
I bit my lip and tossed my hand axe.
With a splatter, bl**d erupted.
Kieeeek!
With that final blow, the mass of flesh that had been contending with Ned lost its life.
To think he could contend with this dreadful monster.
Ned’s words about not slacking off on training every day were not a lie.
He could be a decent soldier, if not a knight.
If he survived.
I collapsed to my knees.
His vacant eyes roamed over Ned’s wounds.
I fumbled through my pockets. Healing potions might still save him.
But before that, a strong hand grasped my wrist.
The boy was grinning, bl**d dripping down.
“Teacher.”
Seeing that smile, I became numb.
Memories surged like a tide.
Strength gradually filled the hand of mine that held the sword.
