Blood obscures my vision.
My body, having run and run, was heated to the point of boiling.
The blizzard and frigid wind lashed at my skin like a whip, yet my muscles unleashed fierce strikes without any sign of retreat.
Flesh and fragments of bone flew about.
My sword pierced through the mass of flesh that had blocked my path. I fed my hand axe to the creature approaching from the side.
And if there were still more coming, I pushed my magic into the sword until it hummed.
The aura surged like a wildfire.
Brilliant silver extended a straight line into the world.
The masses of flesh touched by that aura couldn’t even resist.
Cleft body parts fell away with a thud, repeatedly twitching in an unpleasant manner.
I stepped forward, crushing the remains beneath my foot.
As I continued running, before long my breath grew ragged to its limits.
The air I gasped was chilling.
My vision blurred, and my innards screamed. My whole body creaked, demanding a rest.
An injury to my abdomen?
It had already burst and was soaked in blood for a long time.
However, I finally realized that the situation had changed.
The masses of flesh were no longer charging at me.
Instead, the earth trembled with a heavy thumping.
On my knees, I leaned over, panting, and directed my gaze upward.
Something was flying toward me beyond the looming shadow.
At first, I thought it was a meteor.
But it turned out to be a massive fist made up of countless corpses.
Among the writhing arms, one corpse extended its head, shedding tears of blood.
A suffering soul screamed.
Kyaaaaaa!
I met its gaze and let out a hollow laugh.
Seeing it charge at me unexpectedly, it was clear it could never be a noble.
That was all the better.
Because I didn’t know how to fight with grace either.
Clenching my teeth, my bloodshot eyes traced the space.
Bizarre trajectories etched themselves into my vision. I bore the pain in my eyes as I gazed at the countless lines.
Bit by bit, it was becoming clearer.
The sharper my breaths became, the more my body howled, the more every nerve ending pleaded in pain.
The boundary between reality and memory blurred more and more.
I had to peek a little more.
I tore at the spatial lines with all my might.
The lines snapped with a sound, bouncing chaotically.
And in the next moment.
Boom, a shockwave swept through the area as if an earthquake had occurred.
It seemed I heard the screams of women from far away.
But I was still safe.
The fist of the Corpse Giant veered away from me, tracing an incomprehensible trajectory.
It was a narrow miss, but it didn’t matter.
As long as I was still breathing, that was enough.
I swiftly launched my body and clung to the wrist of the Corpse Giant. I seized one of the flailing hundreds of arms and exerted force to leap again.
Having mounted the Corpse Giant’s arm, I continued to dash forward.
Of course, the Corpse Giant didn’t remain still.
Its arm was composed of thousands of corpses. Thousands of hands clamored, trying to seize me.
Each time, I severed the arms with my sword and axe.
And still, the corpses blocking my way were endless.
The arms congealed to form another monster. A distinct arm made entirely of arms. Like branches dividing.
Three or four smaller arms crossed to block my path.
It was a densely woven obstacle like a net. I couldn’t break through like this.
So I dropped my sword down to the left bottom.
More memories spilled out.
All were painful memories.
The life of someone who lived losing, being taken from, hating, and suffering.
What surged forth was not just memories.
The painful emotions of that day were conveyed as well.
I was scared and terrified.
Every time I glimpsed one of the man’s nightmares, my heart felt like it was tearing apart. I felt the urge to scream and cry out.
I would want to flee.
But for him, there was no place to escape.
Therefore, I too decided not to run away.
Simply to deny his path.
It was then that the silver-dyed blade left its mark in the void.
A full five lines.
The arms of the corpses blocking my way were ripped apart without exception, and they let out monstrous howls.
Kyaaaaaa!
It was as quick as a squirrel climbing a tree.
I had already climbed to the forearm, heading toward the shoulder.
It was the moment I finally met the gaze of the Corpse Giant.
Thousands of faces turned toward me, and soon they formed a grotesque smile.
Kikikikikik!
An overt scoff.
It was a laugh as if to say what could someone like you do to me.
I wasn’t frustrated.
That was the objective gap between me and that monster.
But I steeled my resolve.
As I had until now, I would turn that ridicule into a scream.
Perhaps I could make one of those faces scream immediately.
If something hadn’t grabbed my ankle with a sudden tug.
I could only stare down at the hand grasping my ankle with a puzzled expression.
The hands that had attempted to seize my ankle were all in the process of being severed by my sword and axe.
It was hard to believe that there were still hands remaining.
However, the wrist gripping my ankle was clearly wearing an expensive gauntlet.
“…Fuck.”
I hastily raised my sword to prepare for the ensuing shock.
Sure enough, before I knew it, a tide of corpses surged toward me.
The Corpse Giant had attempted to sweep me away with its remaining hand.
Thud, a powerful force bolted me into the air.
For an instant, my mind went blank, and I lost consciousness.
When I came to, I was tumbling and rolling across the ground multiple times.
Coughing, I spewed out a mouthful of blood.
I felt like I was going to die.
Even though I was preparing for the ensuing blow, my body wouldn’t respond.
My muscles twitched involuntarily.
My consciousness grew hazy, and the cold blizzard struck my skin.
Snow was already piling on top of me, stealing away my body heat.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been normal not to move like this.
I couldn’t even twitch a finger. My body, which had experienced death several times, longed for true rest.
But I recalled.
The memories of that burning day.
The maiden died, and the boy died.
I didn’t want to lose anymore.
That was my unhidden genuine heart.
Perhaps it was the man’s deeply hidden truth.
I crawled, inching my way up, clutching the sword with great effort.
As the silver aura shimmered from the sword, the masses of flesh displayed signs of panic.
They had come to handle the dead corpses, but were surprised to see me rising.
In that moment, I took a potion from my pocket and gulped it down.
Thud, my heart pounded roughly, forcefully revitalizing my weary body.
The muscles, frozen by the biting cold, finally felt a little looser.
I gripped the sword with both hands and said.
“…I still have a lot more playtime left, don’t I?”
Yes, until I could understand that man.
The dance of swords and blood had to continue for a long time.
I spat out blood, causing ripples.
“…We have to go right away!”
It was a request bordering on a scream.
The Lady Virgin Saint raised her voice, violently shaking off the hand of Yulen, who was gripping her shoulder.
Dew was now gathering in her pale pink eyes.
“I—I’m telling you they’ll die… No, they will definitely die! We have to rescue them right now!”
By the end, she was begging desperately enough to forget even her polite language.
The others could only watch in stunned silence, observing Ian’s struggle.
They had no choice but to stare blankly.
How could he still be moving?
It was only normal for him to have collapsed and died long ago.
His body was battered all over.
From afar, the blow dealt to the man looked horrifying.
He was battling the retinue of the foul god all by himself.
Of course, it wouldn’t have been simple. Most people doubted Ian’s sanity.
Yet, simply put, it was far too much for an act of a madman.
“…It’s tragic.”
It was Raymond’s comment.
The magic troops of the Rainelle Clan, along with the refugees, had stopped marching to gaze at the man.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes were focused on that struggle.
Still, no one dared to make a careless remark.
Dragging a body that ought to be smashed to pieces, continuing to fight endlessly.
At first, they had laughed, then grew astonished, and now were beginning to find it eerie.
Even a few magic troops, their hair standing on end, trembled with fear.
It was that much of a ghastly battle.
Amidst the crowd that had fallen silent, the next to regain their senses after the Lady Virgin Saint was Celin.
She immediately gritted her teeth and launched herself forward.
There wasn’t even a moment to stop her.
Elsi could also finally come to her senses.
Her body trembled with fear.
To be honest, it was terrifying.
It was the first time witnessing such a desperate fight.
Even in the last battle against the Flesh Nest, it hadn’t been a struggle devoid of hope like this.
It must have been tremendously painful and agonizing.
Yet how, how could the master stand strong against that monster?
Elsi found it hard to understand him.
For a brief moment, she even thought about escaping.
It was an unassailable opponent.
Moreover, Elsi wasn’t as strong as Ian.
She and he seemed to have been born into completely different fates.
The frail, human Elsi had no choice but to wag her tail behind a strong person like Ian.
A life of charming the master and earning his affection.
Wasn’t that better than being a fighting dog?
Right at that moment, the voice she had heard one day echoed in her ears.
“…I will love you.”
What if she fled?
Only then did Elsi’s mind return to her and she thought.
If I run away, what will happen to the master?
He might die.
And if he dies, I would never see him again.
That fact hit Elsi with a clearer fear than anything else.
She realized for the first time that there was a horror greater than death.
She had to save him.
He was an irreplaceable existence in Elsi’s life.
Even if it meant sacrificing her own life, he was worth saving.
Determined, the moment Elsi turned her steps around.
“…Elsi.”
As always, that imposing voice held her.
“Where are you trying to go?”
It was Raymond.
Elsi bit her lip slightly.
