I sweated profusely and counted the blue lumps of life force disappearing into me one by one. My hands and feet were cold, and my eyes were dizzy, but I tried hard to keep my spirit up until the end.
A perfectly white world.
It seemed that everything, including myself, was flowing very slowly. Operating magical power was a very elaborate task. It was like pulling thin strands with tweezers, or picking up and moving scattered rice grains one by one; it felt like my mental strength and concentration were eating away at me every second.
Fortunately, only about 10% of the demons that had been surging in like a huge tidal wave seemed to be left. Not only the ogres that were advancing on the walls, but also the cores of the flying demons who filled the sky were shattered one after another.
'I think it's almost all sorted out…'
However, the number of remaining creatures should have been reduced even more. A mutant demon was difficult to deal with even with five trained knights. If even one was missed and the territory was attacked, the damage would increase significantly.
However, contrary to my motivation, my body couldn't hold on.
"Heh…."
In an instant, my pulse loosened, and my cloudy breath burst out. I clutched my heart and coughed. At the same time, I was instantly ejected from the white world where there was nothing. My nose and throat felt as if I had just been rescued from the depths of the sea. When I fumbled with my face, I found hot blood dripping from my nose.
[(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)]
I left behind the restless system and quickly looked at the situation. Most of the demons whose power I had absorbed fell like dolls with broken threads. And the Blake Knights, who were waiting below, were seizing the opportunity, decisively cutting off the life of the fallen demons. Their sword-wielding faces were more determined than ever. Everyone was united in their resolve to protect their home.
"Then, now…"
We had to deal with the remaining demons. I had just pulled out my bow and arrow from my inventory when a familiar voice came from behind me.
"Ms. Shu."
It was James Russell, the leader of the Blake Knights. Several knights, led by him, were looking straight at me.
"Don't stay here, move to a safe place."
"…Yes? No, there are still so many demons left, why would I go to a safe place!"
I didn't cover my nose, but instead stretched out my index finger as if I were holding a bow. As I stomped and prepared to leap, James said in a calm voice, "I have already defeated most demons with your power, Ms. Shu. So, please let our Blake Knights handle the remaining demonic beasts."
"…."
It was a polite yet stubborn voice. I tilted my head and looked beyond the castle tower, roughly wiping my nosebleed. The mutant demonic beasts stepped on the corpses of their own kind and advanced. And the Blake knights were desperately dealing with them. These were also people from Blake Estate. People who loved the North more than anyone else and fought for the North.
As I was about to watch the scene, enchanted, James called my name. Turning my head to his voice, James said, "Thank you very much." It was too early to say it during the war. However, with his head bowed, he looked very serious and sincere.
"There was a time when I doubted your identity, but now I know that no one loves this place as much as you do."
"I…"
"I will prove it. It's true that Your Highness has protected us, but we're also part of Blake. I don't want to just be let go and protected."
I shook my head. "Okay."
This was their land. I couldn't take responsibility for everything by myself, and I shouldn't be the only one fighting. I glanced at the view spread out under the castle tower. While everything seemed small, I could still see a pure white man looking up at me.
Knox.
I still needed my strength to deal with him.
"I also want to retreat to a safe place, but there is still only one thing left to do."
"Yes?"
"That mage. I have the best chance of dealing with that child."
My body might not be obeying me perfectly, but at least as long as I had an abnormal interference rate, I was the only one who could truly confront Knox.
"I can hold on a little longer."
The nosebleeds had almost stopped. I casually wiped my face with my sleeve and went down. Before I knew it, I was looking as determined as the people of this land.
"Hello."
He was a person who resembled pure white eyes. It was white and ominous, as if it were made from the unmelted ice of the north. As if it were the very cold that made this land barren. It was the same feeling as when I first met him. A fear similar to that time seemed to run cold through my skin.
"What do you mean, 'hello'?"
However, I did not back down. I would be lying if I wasn't afraid, but at least I had no intention of running away because of that.
"Yes. You're right, kid. It was a bad thing. Because my heart was taken away right in front of me."
Knox's voice became infinitely lower. His blue eyes swept around him, as he scanned the mutant demons who had fallen and died without a pulse.
"I didn't have great abilities, so I gave him some favors."
"Even a trusted axe can be stamped on the top of your foot, so isn't it natural for a hamster that doesn't trust you to bite your heel?"
He must have been caught off guard because he believed it was not a big deal. No, he thought that he could go beyond that and play with me in moderation, so he even teased me as if it were a favor. Then he was hit in the back of the head, which would be unpleasant and hurt his pride.
"Rather than karma, you bastard."
I took out the 'Free Pull Stick' I bought at the Lovey-Love section from my inventory and flicked it with my other hand.
"Rush. I have nothing to say to someone who invaded other people's land without permission."
His smile was distorted. Now that the 'Heart of Winter' had been taken away, he would try to reclaim all the life of the North to fill it anew. There would be no compromise. We would fight until one person died.
Without any signal, we clashed. Knox immediately summoned a pure white beast, and I interfered with his magic. With the help of the system, all five were released and fell to the ground. When I stepped on the construct made of ice with force, it shattered powerlessly with a pajak and a sound.
I swung the stick like a club. Although I had received training with the drivers, it had only been a few months. There was no cool appearance unique to those who learned swordsmanship, but it was okay.
"You have to be prepared to kill."
If I didn't kill him, I would only die. There was a way to cancel 'Bring In,' but the moment I dodged on this battlefield, the northern defense line would collapse. I aimed my weapon at Knox's neck, head, and chest. Then, when the weapon in his hand fell far away while he was trying to block the incapacitated beast, he hurriedly clenched his fists and rushed in.
After Knox realized that my magic had a high probability of not working on me, he started using his fists like me.
"Cheeky bastard!" Knox shouted. At the same time, his fist hit my chin. My eyes seemed to flash white, and my mouth burst, and I felt a fresh, metallic taste.
"…Bastard, get your hands dirty." I muttered as I spat blood onto the snow.
I staggered as if sick and agitated, and then punched Knox the moment he got closer. I hit that half-faced face so hard that my fists were tingling. Maybe it was because he was already dead, so he didn't blush. Instead, he spat out dark red blood. It was like this one was mixed in the blood.
'Hmm.'
I laughed at him inwardly. It was funny that he always pretended to be noble, pretending to be watching from one step behind, and that he was similar to me after being hit by a fortune teller or a trembling subject. What was all that academic enthusiasm?
The people he treated as ingredients were the ones Kyle wanted to protect at the risk of his life, and the land he took only what he wanted and then abandoned casually was the home of the people of this land who spent their lives working on it.
'If you want to bring other people's lives to the bottom, you must be prepared to put your life in the gutter.'
Knox strangled me. It was a hand gesture that contained a blatant murderous intent, different from before. From where his fingertips touched, a distant pain and chill spread. It was probably like when he held my arm, and he was using 'frost poisoning.'
However, I could not succumb to it. I pulled up my magic to disarm his magic and threw my fists. Blood flowed out, but I didn't care.
A raw fight ensued. I punched him, scratched him with my fingernails, and pulled his hair and rolled over the snow. It was a complete mess.
"…Whoa."
A projectile that could not be neutralized brushed my forehead. A sharp pain soon followed. Blood flowed down my eyelids, blurring my vision, but I didn't even have time to wipe it off. I grabbed the projectile that had fallen to the ground, hid it in my hands, and hunched over.
[Emergency Escape Pumpkin Seed Stick | Consumes 8% Miracle Points | Can teleport within a 10m radius.]
The snacks I ate in a hurry had an unpleasant taste mixed with dirt, ice, and blood. I forced my jaw, which had almost no sensation due to the cold and pain, and swallowed the sweets. Then, I moved straight ahead, aimed at Knox's back, and pressed my knee against his back.
At the same time, one of the spears he quickly threw pierced through my shoulder… The single blade I held in my grip severed Knox's breath.