Chapter 298. Something More Important Than Pride (2)
“Haa… Haa… Haa…”
Irregular, gasping breaths.
Alice’s trembling fingers indicated that she had already exhausted all her stamina and magic.
With great difficulty, she lifted the last remaining spear.
“A…monster…”
“What kind of strength is this? Damn it. Will it ever die?”
“Only twenty of us are left…”
The Levishita clan members shook their heads in disbelief.
Over three hundred clan members had already been replenished from the shadows.
But with each one that emerged, they died just as quickly, and eventually, their numbers dwindled to this.
Now, only about twenty remained standing.
And that was because Abigail had joined the fray. If she had stayed behind with her arms crossed, they would have been completely annihilated.
“To think Amulam was foolish. But now, it seems understandable.”
Abigail sighed softly.
She had thought it was just a wingless tiger after the Sacred Spear was sealed…
It seemed they had underestimated them.
However, this long and arduous battle was finally coming to an end.
Only one step remained.
“You truly were remarkable. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call you the strongest head of the household in history.”
[The Sacred Spear ‘Scythe of the Spectral Tree’ awakens.]
Kieeeeek!
The enormous eye on the scythe started to wail fiercely.
Even without a mouth, the deafening roar echoed throughout the entire city.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Abigail’s body turned into smoke and vanished.
A movement akin to Blink.
In an instant, Abigail was behind Alice, raising the scythe high.
…Fast.
Alice instinctively swung her spear.
Even if she couldn’t completely counter it… at least she could alter its trajectory.
Crack!
The spear shattered in a single strike.
Abigail wielded the scythe with unbelievable speed, forgetting it was a long weapon.
“Ahhhh!”
Red blood spurted from Alice’s body.
The Sacred Spear, with its extreme cutting power, easily overpowered the spear made from ‘Blood Road.’
Alice barely managed to steady her trembling legs.
She had to move.
As long as she kept moving, she could hold on a bit longer.
“Running away now? No, you’re trying to buy time. Huhu. How foolish of you, even until the end.”
Abigail’s lips curled upwards.
With her back turned, the victory was secured.
An injured beast is said to be the most dangerous, but that’s only when it has the strength to fight back.
A completely exhausted beast will only flail pathetically before being pulled down from its throne.
Swish!
Slick!
Every time the scythe moved, red blood spurted out.
Alice’s tattered clothes could no longer be called clothes.
“Ah… Haa… Haa…”
Alice’s breathing grew more ragged.
She forced her blurred vision and unresponsive legs to move.
But her body, having lost its sense of direction, continued to stumble.
“Why, giving up already? Run a bit more. Struggle to survive like a worm!”
Abigail’s taunts continued.
But why?
She felt no anger.
‘I must have resigned myself more than I thought…’
She had never imagined she would face the end so calmly.
There was only one regret…
Just once more…
She wanted to see the face of her contractor.
That was the only lingering attachment.
Thud…
Alice’s knees hit the ground.
“Finally!”
“Kill her!”
“The enemy of our kin! The disgrace of our clan!”
“Waaaah!”
Fierce cheers erupted.
Like the audience demanding the execution of a defeated gladiator, they craved blood.
“Don’t worry. I’ll sever your head so swiftly you won’t feel any pain.”
Abigail pressed the scythe against Alice’s neck.
The cold touch trailed from her nape to her cheek.
With this, the short journey was over.
“…”
Alice quietly closed her eyes.
Swoosh!
The sound of the scythe slicing through the air could be heard.
But at that moment…
Wooooong!
A strange gate appeared before everyone.
At the same time, unfamiliar runes surrounded Alice.
Clang!
The scythe was blocked.
Time seemed to freeze.
＊＊＊
Tap…!
In less than a second, Abigail created distance.
“A barrier that can block my scythe?”
Impossible.
Such a thing couldn’t exist.
But she couldn’t keep denying the reality unfolding before her.
Just then…
Wooooong!
A surface with a green glow rippled.
A gate adorned with unfamiliar runes fully opened, and a man in a black long coat appeared.
In one hand, a saber.
In the other, a silver pistol.
It was Jinhyuk.
“…!?”
Alice slowly raised her head.
Life returned to her dimming eyes.
“You… shouldn’t have come here. It’s dangerous… Why did you come? Why did you come!?”
She had given up her life and abandoned her beliefs to save him.
Why. Why did the person she sacrificed everything for come here!
Her voice trembled.
The emotions she had been suppressing surged violently.
Yet, at the same time, she was incredibly grateful that Jinhyuk was here at this moment.
Silently, Jinhyuk draped his coat over Alice’s shoulders.
Then, he slowly walked forward.
Step.
His footsteps… were cold.
Even the sound of his walking was serene and calm.
“Did you make our little vampire cry?”
He asked.
Who was responsible for all this.
Abigail, meeting his gaze, smirked.
“And what if I did?”
“Then you die.”
Swish…
The saber’s blade extended.
Click!
The magazine loaded with rune-inscribed elemental bullets.
“A mere human dares speak so boldly in front of me. Lord, let me handle this one!”
A vampire with a rapier leaped forward.
Fast and precise.
He perfectly aimed for Jinhyuk’s blind spot, thrusting his sword.
“It’s over!”
But.
Splatter!
The vampire, who had been smiling triumphantly, was suddenly cleaved in two.
It happened so quickly, there was no time to react.
Drip, drip…
The saber splattered blood onto the ground.
“Next is you.”
“You think you can handle a head of the clan? You’re making a big mistake if you think a mere human with a special barrier can defeat me.”
“You overestimate yourself. If I couldn’t handle you, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
“I look forward to seeing if you can say that while dying.”
Abigail tilted her head to the side.
The remaining vampires prepared to attack.
“Has he lost his mind…”
“A human interfering in a vampire battle? He’s completely insane.”
“He’s decent with a sword.”
“It’s fine. He’s just one person. Three of us can easily prevent him from swinging that strange sword.”
“We’ll show you the difference in skill, brat.”
The vampires, who couldn’t move against Alice, stepped forward confidently.
Accompanying them were enormous gray wolves the size of bulls.
The ‘Phesod Wolves,’ familiars of the vampires.
Known for their vicious nature and difficulty in taming, once unleashed, they would relentlessly pursue their prey until it was dead.
“Grrrr…”
“Bark! Bark! Bark!”
The Levishita clan and the numerous Phesod Wolves bared their fangs at Jinhyuk.
It was laughable.
How their attitudes changed just because he was a human.
“I don’t have time to deal with each of you.”
More importantly, there was no need.
“Come forth.”
Jinhyuk activated the ‘Threads of Belief.’
A dimensional rift opened wide on either side.
From there, Belus and Ophelia emerged.
“Damn bastards… What have you done to Lady Alice!”
“…This time, it’s Abigail. Truly, our master always stirs up huge trouble wherever he goes.”
And then…
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
New footsteps echoed through the connected threads.
Soon after, a loud roar followed.
“Roar!”
“Oooh!”
“Prepare for battle!”
The ‘Trolls’ from the tower, with whom Jinhyuk had formed a bond at the freshwater lake, appeared.
Leading them was Karakal, who greeted Jinhyuk at the forefront.
It had been quite a while since they last met, and honestly, Jinhyuk was a bit worried.
But as expected, the troll hero had grown immensely in strength.
Much stronger than when they had last met.
Of course, individually, they still couldn’t compare to the vampires. But they had ten times the numbers of the vampires.
It was time to show that no one could stand against sheer numbers.
“Human. I have come to honor our promise. Tell us what we must do.”
Karakal rested a long spear on his shoulder.
“Take care of the small fry.”
“And you?”
“I’ll handle the head.”
Among them, only Jinhyuk could defeat Abigail.
“Very well. We shall follow your command.”
Karakal gestured to his soldiers.
“Kalam. Prepare a three-man squad to assault from the left. We will systematically dismantle them, limiting the Phesod Wolves’ mobility.”
“Understood. I’ll organize the formation immediately.”
The troll commanders moved swiftly, positioning their troops.
In the blink of an eye.
The formation spread across the city.
Boom!
Boom!
Armored monsters charged, causing massive impacts.
“Graaah!”
“Roar!”
Blood and flesh flew as a massive battle erupted.
＊＊＊
“What, what’s happening right now…!”
Abigail looked dazed, her expression vacant as one event after another unfolded.
She knew it was dangerous if she didn’t respond immediately, but she had no idea where to start.
‘I need to contact Exencion first. He’s not far; if I ask for help, he’ll come right away.’
No matter the variables, if Exencion and the Ataraxia clan came to their aid, they could crush any obstacle.
But then…
“Now’s not the time to be distracted, is it?”
Jinhyuk’s voice came from behind her.
Boom!
“Argh!”
With a heavy impact, Abigail was flung sideways.
The Spectral Tree’s scythe cut through the air erratically.
But Jinhyuk had already created distance.
“Damn! You can’t do anything unless you’re ambushing…huh?”
A chilling sensation ran down Abigail’s spine.
She saw the runes forming layers, constructing a shape.
“Here it comes.”
A strange, otherworldly magic gathered around Jinhyuk.
With the lost language and…
Through the copied ‘Ancient Barrier’ from Beltor…
He manifested the ultimate barrier.
[The 11-Star Barrier ‘Zodiac Sanctuary’ is unfolding!]
From the twilight sky, starlight traced a single line.
The stars reacted to the new magic, forming a constellation.
[The 12th month’s ‘Sagittarius’ awakens!]