Dark was a being made up of pure energy. Even if he wanted to endure with his guts or mental power, he couldn't maintain his form if his absolute energy was exhausted.
Rather than avoiding, Dark threw himself at Kyle to block him.
"Dark...."
Kyle looked at where Dark had been with him with bewildered eyes.
There had been a being with him just a moment ago. A comrade who
had run together, fought together, and moved as one body in the chaos of the battlefield.
However, there was not even a single blue energy left where he was looking.
'… … You've done well.'
Dark was a being that would not die as long as Jiselle was there. There was no need to worry since he had not truly disappeared.
However… … He could not help but feel a deep sense of loneliness as he was left alone in this battlefield.
'… … Is this it?'
It would not be an exaggeration to say that he had been able to endure so far thanks to Dark. If Dark had not helped him, he would have had to expend much more mana and move.
Without Dark, it would have been impossible to escape in this situation where he had already lost all his strength.
Grrrrrr!
Monsters began to swarm around Kyle again.
And then, two black magicians wearing black robes finally appeared.
"The spirits have disappeared. Because of that strange spirit, all my magic was wasted."
"That guy's probably almost out of strength anyway. Let's finish him off now."
The two black magicians looked a little angry. They had used a considerable amount of magic to surprise him, but it failed because of Dark.
Soon, the black magic began to condense again on the tips of their fingers.
Kyle, who was looking at it with tired eyes, gripped his sword tightly.
'It's better.'
He couldn't back down easily because of these guys. If he just killed these guys, there would be no one left to control these monsters.
Then, even the slow kids would be able to escape safely.
It didn't matter if he couldn't kill them.
He just had to buy them time. Even if the price was his own life.
"Whew…."
Kyle raised his sword with a tense expression.
His arms were heavy, and his breathing was ragged and rough.
Even so, his eyes were still burning brightly.
Kwaaaaaaa!
The black magic that the warlock unleashed flew towards Kyle.
At the same time, Kyle gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
Kwaaaaang!
An explosion occurred, swept away all the monsters around him.
However, even in the midst of the shock, Kyle did not stop. He stepped forward even more boldly after seeing the movements of his enemies.
Kwajijik!
Kyle's sword broke the black magician's shield and cut his body.
"Kuuk!"
The black magician, who had been wounded in the chest, stepped back in surprise. Kyle tried to follow up, but the other black magician attacked without missing the opportunity.
Paaaak!
The swishing black flames tried to engulf Kyle.
Kyle rolled on the ground. He narrowly avoided the flames, but this time, a piece of bone rose from the ground and tore through his side.
Crack!
His flesh was torn and blood gushed out. However, Kyle had no time to even care for his wound.
Kyle reflexively turned around and swung his sword.
Crack!
The face of the chimera that was rushing from behind was split in half.
In the meantime, the warlock who had straightened his posture poured out his magic on Kyle's back.
Kwaaang!
"Huh!"
Kyle vomited blood from the shock that seemed to twist his entire body. Nevertheless, he did not lose consciousness and rolled over to avoid the follow-up attack.
Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang!
The magic that the warlocks were spraying was destroying everything around him.
Kyle barely avoided the magic attacks and slashed the monsters that were approaching him.
Even in the midst of all this, he sharply observed the situation and looked for an opening.
'Maybe 5th circle.'
If they fought one-on-one, he could easily win.
However, the situation was not good. His body was tired and he had almost no mana left.
On top of that, the surroundings were filled with monsters. In this situation, it was not easy to withstand the combined attack of the strong men who had reached 5th circle.
Kwaaang!
In the end, Kyle's body, hit by magic again, rolled on the ground.
This time, the blow was so strong that Kyle's left arm hung limply.
The breastplate he was wearing was cracked, and his skin was burning. His mana was now running out.
Kwack! Kwack!
A giant chimera approached. A crushed face, twisted arms, and rotten flesh. It looked like a mutant that had been synthesized with the undead.
Kyle gritted his teeth and forced his collapsing legs to stand.
Then he rushed in and decapitated the monster.
Kwack!
The monster's neck fell to the floor. However, Kyle was bitten on the shoulder by another monster that ran after him.
Crunch! When
he forcibly pulled his shoulder out, blood burst out and flesh fell off.
As Kyle plunged his sword into the monster's forehead, the warlocks' magic struck Kyle again.
Kwaaaaang!
"Keuk!"
Kyle fell down, spitting blood again. The monsters that had been attacking him were also hit by the magic and exploded with the power.
Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang!
Every time Kyle got up, the warlocks continued to cast magic. The monsters around him were dragged in and exploded.
However, Kyle did not die and stood up again. Even in the meantime, he staggered and cut down the monsters that were attacking him.
The warlocks' faces hardened when they saw that.
"What is this guy?"
"Why isn't he dying?"
No matter how strong he was, he should have died at this point. How many times had he been hit by magic while exhausted?
And yet, the opponent stood up firmly, holding his sword. The warlocks could not understand the situation.
Incomprehensible entities brought fear. Only by eliminating the source could one escape fear.
Their eyes were filled with a darker murderous intent than ever.
"This time, we must die for sure."
"Yes, with all our magic power…"
Gooooooo!
Two huge black spears rose from the warlocks' fingertips.
As their energy spread, the surroundings darkened, and cursed whispers flowed in on the wind.
Kyle raised his sword with difficulty and drew in his mana.
Soon, the warlocks' black spears cut through the air and flew towards him.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
A huge explosion occurred along with black smoke.
It was magic unleashed by two 5th circle warlocks with all their might. The warlocks believed that this time, their opponents were definitely dead.
But… … .
"Cough!"
Kyle was alive.
Even though he was kneeling and bleeding all over, he was still alive.
Drop… Drop… Drop…
Black blood dripped down his fist.
Even the hem of his clothes that bound his sword and his hand were already worn and torn, but Kyle did not let go of his sword.
However, his consciousness was now only faintly like a thread.
The shapes before his eyes were blurred, and the sounds around him buzzed as if they were coming from underwater. He had already lost the feeling in his legs.
The warlocks were breathing heavily. They couldn't believe they were still alive.
"It's okay. They're all dying."
"Just attack once more."
They raised their magic again.
They didn't have much magic left to move this army of giant monsters, but it wasn't difficult to kill a human who was no different from a corpse.
Gooooooo… …
Black magic began to gather in front of the warlocks.
This would soon definitely end Kyle's life.
Kyle slowly raised his head. But his gaze wasn't directed at the warlocks.
A little further away.
It was in the direction the children had run away.
'… … Are you okay now?'
If his body was fine, he would have been able to see very far away, but his eyes were blurry right now, so he couldn't see the children.
Still, he had stalled for quite some time. Even the slow children wouldn't have run far away, right?
Yes, so it's okay now.
'… … It'll be okay.'
Kyle kept repeating those words even as his consciousness faded.
Beep… …
Kyle felt his vision darken. He heard a ringing in his ears.
Stop.
Suddenly, his head was enveloped in silence
. The pain faded away, and his senses disappeared.
When he thought it was over, someone asked him in a small voice.
– Why did you fight?
So Kyle thought for a moment.
'Why was I fighting?'
Was it to survive?
To hear someone's praise?
Because it was necessary to save the world?
No… …
It wasn't because of that.
'It's just… … Because no one else was there to do it. Someone had to do it.'
That was all
Kyle answered.
It wasn't because of some grand destiny that I had to save the world.
I just stepped forward because it was the moment when someone had to step forward.
'If not me, who will?'
That simple thought.
That heavy feeling.
He made a move, prepared to die.
There was an acceptance that he would bear all the weight, and a determination to protect himself at all costs.
Paradoxically, that was why Kyle was able to be freer.
The mission of the Yulien mercenary group, the mission to save the world, the desire to run away and save his life.
He threw all of that away and chose the path he truly wanted. And he did his best.
The moment he felt that, Kyle smiled faintly.
'… … This is enough. I've done enough.'
At the same time, a small voice flowed out from somewhere.
– It's okay now.
Those short words were full of weight.
It meant that
the battle, the pain, the blood, and the screams that had continued until now were all over.
Beep… …
The tinnitus rang endlessly. Kyle slowly let go of the thread of life.
At that moment, someone asked again.
– Why aren't you moving any more?
'… … I don't have the strength to move.'
– So is it over?
'… … Right?'
– No, you can move more.
'… … How?'
– Open your eyes.
Kyle forced his heavy eyes up.
His vision was still blurry. Eventually, Kyle had no choice but to close his eyes again.
Even so, the voice kept urging him.
– Get up. Get up and open your eyes.
Kyle tried to get up, shaking. His legs were weak, but he tried to get up somehow.
But his body was too heavy. Even getting up felt impossible.
'I can't get up. I think I've lost all my strength. My body is heavy.'
– It's not that he lost his strength.
'Then?'
– He's trapped in a wall.
'… … Trapped?'
– But that wall is already gone. You just don't know it.
'The wall… … is gone?'
– Yes. You've already abandoned everything for what you want to protect, haven't you? The wall was already gone back then. You just didn't know it.
Kyle felt as if the voice ringing in his head was his own.
The voice continued firmly.
– So open your eyes. Open your eyes and look at the world again.
'The world… … .'
― That's your world.
Kyle slowly opened his eyes.
He could no longer hear the voice. But he could feel that the world had changed.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
The huge black magic released by the warlocks was approaching.
For some reason, it seemed so slow.
'My world… … .'
Kyle realized that everything around him had changed.
He stood up, strengthening his legs. He lifted his sword straight up again.
Then he slowly lowered his sword toward the approaching magic.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa!
In an instant, an explosion occurred that seemed to turn the earth and sky upside down. The huge explosion swallowed Kyle up.
The warlocks who saw it were slightly surprised and stepped back.
"What, what?"
"Were we this strong?"
It's true that they had put in a lot of magic to cut off the air. But it was definitely not enough to cause this much destructive power.
The last opponent they saw was on their knees, dying. They couldn't understand why there had been such a huge explosion.
"T-But he would have died if it was like this?"
"He couldn't hold out any longer. He must have died for sure."
The warlocks thought so and relaxed. It was an explosion that they could never survive in their exhausted state.
But… … .
Kwaaang!
Before the aftermath of the explosion had even fully dissipated, Kyle burst through the place.
He appeared covered in blood and swung his sword with a terrifying look in his eyes.
Kk!
One of the warlocks fell down, his body cut diagonally without even reacting.
The other warlock reached out his hand in surprise, but
… Ssaaaak!
Kyle suddenly disappeared from sight.
Before the warlock could even turn around, Kyle's sword pierced the warlock's chest from behind.
Pfft!
"Keuk…"
The warlock fell down with his heart pierced.
Kyle looked back for a moment. This
was the escape route he had opened. If they kept going like this, the children would be safe.
At the speed of the monsters, they couldn't chase the children who had run away any further.
However, there was someone here who could catch up with the children who had run away in an instant.
Pfft!
Suddenly, a black vortex began to form around the monsters that were rushing in.
The vortex sucked in the surrounding monsters and tore them apart.
Kyle, watching, summoned up the last of his strength.
"...One more time."
Kwung!
He took a step forward toward the vortex.
This one step now.
Could save someone's life.
Kyle lowered his body and raised his sword again.
In this battlefield filled with darkness.
Only his sword was emitting a dazzling light.