EP.77 Side Story, Apostate (5)
The warrior, Kyle Torben, looked ahead.
A disaster leading a demonic beast approaches. Every time she took a step, Kyle took a step back from her.
‘How to.’
We must find a way to hunt disaster.
Kyle looked around. Sarah and Remia were caught in Kyle’s sight. They are no different from themselves. I am trembling with fear.
“·····.”
They weren’t what Kyle was looking for.
I turned my head a little more. In this situation, there was someone else who came up with an answer at every desperate moment.
Kyle turns his head and his eyes land on Raniel.
He is walking unsteadily. Dragging one foot as if his leg might break, he is heading towards the edge of the cliff.
widely.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, he kneels and places his hands on the floor. His broken arm falls to the floor and his good arm extends towards Kyle.
Smash.
Shock waves shake the ground.
The edge of the cliff where Raniel is standing cannot withstand the shock and collapses. Falling into the black plains, Raniel unleashes the spell once again.
Chain.
Restriction.
A chain ejects from Raniel’s outstretched hand.
Chains wrap around Remia, Sara, and Kyle. Raniel violently swung his chained arm.
Clap la la la rock!
They are wrapped in chains and dragged towards Raniel. That speed is not enough. Kyle immediately made his decision, got off his feet, and ran.
“Remia!”
At Kyle’s shout, Remia hugs Sarah. Kyle kicked the ground, caught them, and leaped over the cliff following Raniel.
Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!
A crustacean bites the spot where Kyle was standing just a moment ago. It went out of range by a narrow margin. There is no time to be surprised by that fact.
widely!
Kyle landed next to Raniel.
The falling speed is unusual. It won’t be long before the bottom approaches. Kyle screamed as he watched the floor getting closer.
“Raniel!”
“I know even if you don’t call me that.”
Raniel raises his broken arm and claps. A spell resides in the pile of stones he knocked down together.
Deceleration.
The speed of the rubble pile decreases.
Falling at a slow pace, they looked up at the sky. Dust rose from the cliff where I had been standing just a moment ago.
Boom, boom!
The cliff is shaking.
The watchtower of Rodimel Fortress falls to pieces. Along with the collapsing fortress, cracks appear on the cliff.
Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!
Like an earth dragon digging through the ground, a crustacean burst out, eating its way out of the cliff. Looking at that scene, Kyle broke into a cold sweat.
‘···Cut that thing?’
If you ask me to cut down one, I can cut it down.
However, when asked to deal with five at the same time, I had no choice but to answer that it was impossible.
It went beyond common sense.
Just like when I first encountered the ancient lich Skevall and the Black Storm Belial, fear overtook me. Kyle slowly turned his head.
“·····.”
Raniel is there.
He is holding his broken arm and glaring at the sky. He sees an apostate standing on a collapsing cliff.
There is no fear in those eyes.
As always, it is the eyes of a wizard seeking answers.
“···Raniel.”
Kyle asked.
“Can you deal with that?”
Raniel answered that question.
“I have to look for it. “Somehow.”
2.
The ground shook.
You can hear the sound of something collapsing. The unique stench emanating from the demonic beast stings the tip of my nose.
The knights gathered in the barracks feel something strange.
Puuuuuuu!
The sound of the horn echoes throughout the garrison.
The knights who sensed something strange came out of the barracks one by one. And then they face each other.
“···What is that.”
The cliff where Rodimel Fortress is located is collapsing. A huge demon is running rampant between the falling piles of stones. The fog that covered the fortress descends onto the plain.
It’s a magic beast.
An innumerable number of demonic beasts fill the plain. The knights blink as they look at the waves of magical beasts spreading along the horizon.
I want to believe it’s a lie.
However, the stench of the demonic beast that stings the tip of my nose reminds me that this is reality.
——————
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Snap.
As they step on the rain-soaked grassland, someone approaches the knights. The knights look at them. There are people walking with their backs to the rising sun.
The warrior and his companions.
They stood in front of the knights, covered in dirt. Looking at that and the appearance of Rodimel Fortress… the answer comes quickly.
‘The operation was a failure.’
The knights’ complexions darken.
* * *
There is still time before Gletus, who led the demonic beasts, arrives. Using the short time given, Raniel treated his injuries.
‘The scars are ridiculous.’
Sarah frowned.
As a saint, she knows how many strengthening spells Raniel usually casts.
Even though a sufficient number of strengthening spells were cast, Raniel’s arm was completely twisted.
‘I only blocked one shot.’
There are five magicians like that.
I didn’t think I would win. Sarah’s complexion darkened.
“···Raniel.”
Sarah, who was restoring Raniel’s arm, opened her mouth.
“I mean us.”
“uh.”
Her fingers trembled.
“Why don’t you just run away?”
At those words, Raniel’s head slowly turned. He asked back with his eyebrows furrowed.
“What did you say?”
“Let’s run away. “Can you see outside now?”
Sarah pointed outside the tent. The knights are in line. Although they are trembling with fear, they are preparing for battle by trimming the fence and dragging a large crossbow.
“Us, we’re heroes, right?”
She continued.
“If we have Kyle, we can catch that disaster someday. But, that doesn’t have to be the case now.”
Sarah was afraid. So far, I have met many strong enemies on the battlefield. We faced two of the four disasters. However, nothing was as dangerous as this.
The ancient lich, Scevaldo.
Black Storm, Black Dragon Belialdo.
He was no more dangerous than the apostate Gletus. The ancient Lich’s plans were shattered by Raniel time and time again. The black dragon did not come out aggressively as it was protecting the hatchling.
But apostates are different.
The disaster I faced felt like madness. Sarah was frightened in front of him, whose very existence was blasphemy.
“Yes, Sarah is right.”
Remia, who had been quietly listening to Sara, opened her mouth. She too was scared.
“That’s not… “Why don’t we try next?”
“Okay, next. You can do it next time. Just like during the Black Dragon, we prepared sufficiently and gathered enough people…”
Sarah continued as if pleading.
I hold onto Raniel’s arm and look up at him.
“Let go.”
With a thud, Raniel shook off the hand.
“Do you guys know what you’re talking about?”
Raniel stretched out his still healed hand and grabbed Sara by the collar. He lifted up. Raniel’s blue eyes sparkled in front of Sarah’s nose.
“The knights out there are holding on, hoping that we will do something. They are different from us. “Even if disaster strikes just one finger, you die.”
He said.
“Let’s abandon all those knights and run away from this battlefield? “By sacrificing all that number?”
“Well, we are heroes.”
“Isn’t it more important for the hero to survive?”
“Oh, it’s important. “It’s important, though.”
That voice is cold.
“The reason why heroes are important is because they have to deal with disaster. “Because it has to be a symbol of victory.”
A warrior is like that.
A warrior must not back down.
It should always be a symbol of victory.
“In the first place, even if we sacrifice the knights, we can’t go smoothly here. The wire itself will collapse. “If we can’t stop it here, it’ll be hard to resist the chase, right?”
To escape, someone has to buy time.
Raniel asked while muttering that.
“Knights aren’t enough. Then who will get that time?”
“·····.”
“We have to earn it. “As you said, in order to save an important hero, we all sacrificed ourselves except for him.”
“···that.”
“You don’t like that, do you?”
Raniel sneered.
“Then you have to catch it, damn it.”
With a tap, he let go of Sarah’s collar.
While Sarah was smoothing the back of her neck, Raniel staggered and approached Kyle.
“Hey, Kyle.”
“···I’m listening.”
He held out his arm.
“As you can see, my arms are shaped like this, so I won’t be able to run after you this time.”
“·····.”
“Instead, I think I’ll use a different method.”
He spread out both fingers.
“15 seconds.”
He said, pretending to break his fingers.
“It will stop Gletus from moving for exactly 15 seconds.”
Raniel asked.
“Can you cut it?”
“···Five crustaceans are guarding it. Putting aside the fog, it is impossible to kill all the crustaceans and even cut down Gletus in 15 seconds.”
“How many are possible?”
“Two is the limit.”
“Okay, that’s enough.”
He nodded and went out of the tent.
“···Where are you going, Raniel?”
“To find someone to take care of the remaining three.”
Raniel takes a step forward.
To the barracks where Sword Master Kuntel is.
3.
Sword Master Kuntel glanced at Raniel, who had suddenly come to the barracks.
‘···You’re a complete mess.’
The condition is not good. The saint’s blessings surround her body, but recovery is slow. Her arm, which seemed to have all its bones shattered, did not look like it would recover anytime soon.
Kuntel asked, taking his eyes off the injury.
“What’s going on, Raniel?”
“Uncle Kuntel, I have a favor to ask you.”
Raniel said as he sat down on a chair in the barracks. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he pointed outside the tent.
“I can see the demonic beasts coming in now.”
“okay. To be honest, I think it will be difficult to stop it… but I prepared the knights anyway.”
“Thank you for that.”
“Don’t tell me in advance, Raniel.”
Kuntel said clearly.
“I am prepared to give up my life. Still, I don’t think I can save you from that horde of demonic beasts.”
He knows his skills well.
Even if you jump in with the readiness to sacrifice your life, you cannot defeat Gletus. It is unclear whether it will even be possible to cut down a single crustacean surrounding the disaster.
‘···It’s hopeless.’
Although I devoted my life to the sword, there is little I can do.
As I was looking at Raniel with mixed eyes, Raniel sighed and smiled.
“I had no intention of running away in the first place.”
“···What does that mean?”
“Uncle Kuntel, do you know what? “No matter how much he seems to have no common sense, he is surprisingly bound by rules.”
Raniel lifted his broken arm.
He waved his arm and said.
“There is a delay for summoned animals. Since we are drawing familiars from the other world, we need to open the door to the other world.”
By the way.
Raniel mumbled and continued.
“Not Gletus. That crazy bitch had one of her arms completely submerged in the other world. “I don’t know how they did it…”
Raniel touched his eye.
“Looking at the circuit, the familiar is not connected to Gletus’ mana. She was connected to that arm. “If you just cut off that arm… all the familiars will be thrown to the other world.”
“···That means.”
“huh. I’m going to get Kyle closer somehow and have him cut off his arm. Then, we win.”
“······.”
“So, Uncle Kuntel.”
He looked at Kuntel with mixed eyes.
“Can you take care of the three crustaceans?”
“···Knights and all?”
“uh. Together with the saint and the shrine. And I’ll draw the circuit myself. “Just get the attention of the three crustaceans.”
The success rate is low.
Even if it attracts attention, many knights will die. Even Kuntel’s own life cannot be guaranteed.
Risk your life and become bait.
That’s what Raniel was saying.
“Anyway.”
Kuntel smiled bitterly and smoothed the hilt of his sword.
“You’re asking too much.”
“Sorry. “The only person I can entrust to you is Uncle Kuntel.”
I know it’s an unreasonable request.
Raniel bowed his head. Kuntel sighed as he looked at his student who had once learned martial arts from him.
“Still, it’s better than everyone dying.”
And then he chuckled and laughed.
“Rather than dying fighting a horde of demonic beasts, it would be a better way to die.”
Kuntel, the swordsman, goes out of the barracks holding his sword. As he sensed his own end.
A word from the author (author review)
Sorry for the length of the story ㅠㅠ.
As I wrote, there was so much I wanted to show… stop.
There’s a scene I really want to show you, so please wait until tomorrow… ! I think I’ll probably be doing some training tomorrow… !
*I think we’ll move on to the main story again starting Monday.
