Sorrow and the Undead Knights (3)
Through Margaret, Lucy and Aron were able to grasp the current situation.
The attack by the unidentified undead knights.
The death of Lucas, the senior professor who had gone missing.
The scattered party members.
And lastly... the death of Raiden Lishite.
The two, who had just heard the story from Margaret, were speechless with shock.
"...Raiden, is dead?"
"...Lucas is?"
Each uttered a single word, their voices hollow.
Their small murmurs were carried away by the autumn wind and scattered into nothingness.
The fragments wandered aimlessly through the air before returning to their mouths, leaving a bitter taste.
"N-no way... That can't be..."
"..."
Lucy's voice trembled as she denied Margaret's words.
Aron was darkly silent.
Margaret stared at them with vacant eyes.
Amidst the chaos, it was Aron who pulled himself together first.
He took a few deep breaths, roughly wiping his face, and regained his composure.
"First, let's organize the information. It seems Professor Lucas' death is certain."
The way he calmly accepted the news of his longtime colleague's death was nothing short of professional.
Aron, his gaze fixed on Margaret, continued to confirm the facts.
"The remaining party members, Golden Boy and Violet are missing... and Raiden is presumed dead. Is that correct?"
"...Yes."
"Hmm..."
Aron stroked his chin, groaning.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Lucas, the strongest among the Academy professors after the headmistress, was dead.
And three students were missing.
Aron had to make a decision.
Should he search for the remaining students?
Or should he return to base camp safely, leaving them behind?
Considering Lucy and Margaret, who were beside him, the latter seemed like the right choice.
It would be much safer to return the two students safely and then search for the others with the Academy's support.
'But... it'll take too much time.'
In this situation, time was of the essence.
Even a slight delay could mean death for those who needed rescuing.
There was also the option of sending the two students back with the escort knights and continuing the search alone, but that was too risky.
Judging from Lucas' death, the enemy was a formidable opponent.
Even if he could find the students on his own, it would be pointless if he couldn't protect them.
Ultimately, he had to choose one of the two options.
'The guaranteed safety of the students with me now, or the uncertain safety of the students in danger...'
Aron weighed the gravity of both choices and sighed, his head pounding.
He decided to give the decision to those directly involved.
"Your Highness, Student Margaret. I need your attention for a moment."
Aron's heavy voice drew their attention.
He met their gazes, one red and one blue, and explained his thoughts.
"..."
"..."
Lucy and Margaret listened to Aron's words with vacant expressions.
Seeing their unfocused eyes, Aron wondered if they were even listening, but he brushed the thought aside.
Fortunately, as he finished, Margaret, her eyes brimming with tears, spoke up.
"We have to... find the others..."
Lucy nodded in agreement.
"What if... Raiden is still alive...? We have to search..."
Aron nodded at the girls' resolute answer.
"I understand. Then let's depart immediately."
Lucy and Margaret had made their choice.
Even if it was a decision driven by a momentary sense of guilt or a sliver of hope.
Aron decided to respect their wishes.
-Wheeiiiik!
Aron whistled loudly, calling for the horses resting in the distance.
He explained the rough search route as he grabbed the reins of the approaching horses.
At that moment.
"We'll follow the canyon first, then head downstream..."
-Kwaaaaaang!!
A deafening roar shook the entire forest.
The three turned their heads in alarm towards the source of the sound.
Their eyes fell upon the edge of the forest, downstream of the Mutan River.
-Bang! Bang! Bang!
The booming continued, echoing through the air.
It sounded like something was clashing violently.
"...It seems we need to alter our route."
Aron muttered to himself as he mounted his horse.
***
-Clang, Clank...! Thud!!
I forcefully pushed back the sword that had been locked with mine in a contest of strength.
The force of the movement threw me off balance, and my step faltered for a split second.
In that instant, two sword strikes came hurtling towards me, their timing impeccable.
As if that wasn't enough, several arrows came flying from behind, aiming for my blind spot.
-Shheeeek!!
Realizing there was no escape, I reluctantly used up one of my precious Blink charges.
"Blink."
-Crackle!
My vision blacked out for a moment, and as it returned, I saw arrows peppering the spot where I had been standing.
What the hell, is that a shotgun or something?
How does he fire seven arrows with a single pull?
As I marveled at the archer's insane skill, I heard the sound of wind rushing towards me from behind.
My Extrasensory told me it was the sound of a greatsword slicing through the air.
I quickly ducked forward.
-Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!
The greatsword missed its target and slammed into the ground, pulverizing the once-solid earth.
"Holy shit...!"
Even with the 'Iron Body' effect, that thing would turn me into mincemeat if it connected.
I put some distance between myself and the greatsword-wielder, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Gah, ugh..."
These bastards had suddenly gotten serious.
To be precise, they had changed their tune after I cut down the seventh knight.
They must have finally realized I was a threat and started fighting seriously.
'This is going to be hell...'
I clicked my tongue as I deflected the attacks raining down on me from all sides.
A well-coordinated formation.
Sharp attacks piercing through my defenses.
Followed by heavy, relentless combos.
They were truly formidable opponents.
'I should have taken out as many as possible while they were still underestimating me...'
I swallowed my fleeting regret and picked up the pace.
With every step, my body accelerated, the sound of air being ripped apart echoing around me.
I became a black whirlwind, my blue aura trailing behind like afterimages.
I unleashed my momentum and swung Sorrow at the two knights charging towards me head-on.
-Clang...!!
The sound of metal clashing against metal reverberated through the air, sparks flying from the point of contact.
My ears, numb from the intense cacophony, were filled with a high-pitched ringing.
"Get off me!!"
I forcefully parried their relentless attacks and focused on pressuring one of them.
His stance began to crumble.
As I gained the upper hand, the other knights who had been lagging behind joined the fray.
-Thump, Thump...!
The heavy footsteps of the greatsword-wielder echoed behind me.
My instincts screamed that a deadly attack was imminent.
I grabbed the armor of the knight I was facing and flipped him over me.
The next moment, I threw myself to the side.
-Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!
The greatsword crashed down on the head of the knight I had just thrown, turning him into a pulp.
Bits and pieces of his body splattered across the ground, some landing on my boots.
I took a deep breath, frowning.
'I really can't afford to get hit by that.'
I pushed myself off the ground and continued my dance of death with the remaining knights.
-Crack, Kgggh...! Clang, Thud!!
Against the crimson backdrop of falling leaves, my swordsmanship became a storm, scattering the flower petals of death.
Blue lines crisscrossed the air, leaving trails of shimmering light.
My azure strikes delivered death once more to those who had already tasted it.
"Haa...!"
I lunged forward and slammed a low kick into the thigh of the greatsword-wielder, who was trying to force his way through.
The impact of my kick, as powerful as a whip, caved in his armor, the sound of bones shattering reaching my ears.
He lost his balance and stumbled.
Sorrow, seizing the opportunity, sliced clean through his neck.
-Slice!
With a single, clean cut, the giant's body crumpled to the ground, crushing the other knights behind him.
I plunged my sword into the chests of the knights who were struggling under the weight of their from a comrade.
"Haa... Haa..."
I was out of breath.
Even with the 'Iron Body' effect, my exhausted body was nearing its limit.
As much as I wanted to collapse then and there, three enemies still remained.
"Tsk..."
I clicked my tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with fragments of broken teeth.
"This is... This is fucking exhausting..."
I cursed under my breath, trying to steady my wavering vision.
The sight of the remaining undead filled me with disgust.
"What are you looking at?"
"..."
"Yeah, this is my life now... A moment of peace, and then this shit happens."
I took a deep breath.
A quick glance at my status window told me that I had about 2 minutes of Extrasensory left.
It was time to end this.
"Let's finish this, quickly."
I muttered, my voice weak, and raised my sword, pointing it at the knight who seemed to be the leader.
"I'll send you all back to hell."
With that, I chanted.
"Blink × 4."
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