Chapter 87

Not long after the witch disappeared, I heard Sylvia’s shout from a distance.

“Scarlet!!!”

“Sylvia! Over here!!!”

As I ignited my arm and waved it, I saw Sylvia, riding something that looked like a cluster of stars, rapidly approaching my direction.

Looks like she’s got a high-speed movement spell.

I remembered she didn’t learn that until much later in the original story, but somehow, here she was.

Just as I was impressed by her abilities, Sylvia grabbed me and shouted.

“What happened?! Are you okay?! I saw the flames and came rushing over!”

“I’m fine! But over there, surrounded by those people, there’s something that looks like a cocoon! If we break it, we might be able to stop the controlled people, but I can’t figure out how to breach it alone!”

Upon my shout, Sylvia looked at the cocoon tangled with the controlled people.

“There’s a way to stop the controlled people… then we need to separate them first.”

Murmuring that, Sylvia closed her eyes, and a brilliant light flowed from her body.

As the light enveloped the people, I saw strength draining from their bodies, making them loosen their grip on each other.

As the strength drained away, the people, who had been huddled together, began to drop off one by one.

It was astonishing how tightly they had been holding on, and when we finally separated them, we revealed the glimmering cocoon hidden within.

“If we can just break this…”

Finally, we could put an end to this horrifying situation.

My fist enveloped in flames slammed into the cocoon.

It broke apart as if it were shockingly simple, burning away.

“Is it over… now?” Sylvia asked.

And I murmured, feeling a strange sensation in my hand.

“Something’s… off…”

Even after breaking the cocoon, I felt nothing in my hand.

When I first witnessed it, the cocoon had been pulsating.

If it were empty, that wouldn’t make sense at all.

But now, the broken cocoon felt as if it were nothing more than an empty shell.

What did the witch say again?

Definitely, somewhere inside…

All the hairs on my body stood on end.

Quickly checking the floor where the cocoon had been, I noticed a hole as if something had escaped.

“Damn it! It got away!”

“What… what’s happening all of a sudden?”

“A monster! There was a monster inside that cocoon! If we don’t find it quickly—!”

As I shouted and searched for where the monster had escaped, I heard Sylvia’s voice.

“Scarlet! Over there!”

Turning to where Sylvia pointed, I saw a large, insect-like monster flapping its wings and flying high in the sky.

Upon checking its altitude, it was just a bit lower than the flames I had shot earlier.

I quickly made a judgment and manipulated my prosthetic arm, gathering the flames as I shouted.

“We have to take it down!”

“Got it!”

While Sylvia began chanting her spell and my flames gathered, I kept my eyes fixed on the monster’s movements.

If it had flown erratically, hitting it would have been difficult, but the monster was flying straight, as if on a direct path.

But could I hit a target that high?

—Alf Ad Astra!!

“I’m ready!” Sylvia shouted, finishing her incantation.

When I checked my prosthetic arm, the gem in the center of my palm glowed a fiery red.

I extended my hand toward the monster.

My arm was trembling.

The metal arm shouldn’t tremble, so I realized it was my whole body shaking.

Nervousness caused my breath to quicken; I couldn’t afford to miss.

At that moment, Sylvia, who was standing to my right, gently leaned against me and whispered.

“I’ll hit it for sure, so you can relax.”

“…You’re so full of yourself.”

Even saying that, I didn’t think Sylvia would miss.

After all, she was the main heroine of the original work.

I probably believed in her more than she believed in herself.

And looking into my eyes, she said,

“I’m sure you’ll hit it. I believe in you just as much as I believe in myself.”

At her words, my trembling miraculously ceased.

“…Thank you.”

As I mumbled that,

“Finally, a thank you,” Sylvia replied.

Despite this urgent moment, I couldn’t help but smile.

I watched the monster soaring in the sky.

I lifted my left hand while Sylvia raised her right, both aiming at the monster.

Something transmitted through our shoulders told me when to fire, even without words.

Counting silently in my head.

One,

Two,

And three.

“Hit it!!!”

As our shouts burst out simultaneously, flames and starlight flew up into the sky.

Shooting straight at the monster, in a straight line.@@novelbin@@

The flames and starlight struck, tearing away the left wing and half of the monster’s body.

“Got it!!!!”

“We did it!!”

Seeing this, we cheered joyfully.

“…Huh?”

But it took less than a second for our cheers to fade.

The monster was still flying.

Even after losing its left wing and half of its body, it acted as if nothing had happened.

How could that be? I quickly realized.

The insect-like monster seemed to shudder for a moment, then dispersed into a hazy cloud.

That cloud was made up of countless tiny monsters.

“From the beginning, there wasn’t just one…”

Was it a trick or mockery to gather a swarm of monsters and have it fly around looking like a big insect?

Even after blowing away half of them, their numbers still felt overwhelming.

Numerous monsters flew in the sky.

Higher, even higher.

Now they were out of reach of my and Sylvia’s attacks.

Screams echoed from a distance.

Even after half the monsters disappeared from the onslaught, the screams continued unabated.

Suddenly, I felt like I understood why there were so many of these monsters.

If the monsters were paired with the beasts that invaded the minds of the people…

That would mean there were still just as many controlled people left in the city.

At that moment, the monsters regrouped high in the sky, slowly beginning to disperse throughout the city as if challenging us to come and catch them.

I slumped down in despair and stared numbly at the scattering monsters in the sky.

How many more victims would there be before we could catch all those monsters?

Could the city still function until then?

My mind was already painting a dark future.

A future as dark as the stormy sky.

Rain streaked across my face, mixing with the despair that flowed through my eyes.

I lowered my head, feeling like giving up.

And then,

“Getting soaked in the rain isn’t good for your health.”

As someone’s voice echoed, the sensation of raindrops hitting my body vanished.

Slowly lifting my head, I saw Yoon Si-woo blocking the rain with the shield of the Holy Sword.

“Sorry, I took some time getting back after going far to help people.”

“…You could have come back just a little faster.”

Even Yoon Si-woo couldn’t find a way to catch the monsters scattered in the sky.

I muttered to him in utter defeat.

Yoon Si-woo looked at me, then turned his gaze to the sky.

After silently looking at the scattered monsters for a while, he spoke.

“You don’t look good. This is all because of those things, isn’t it?”

Despite appearing calm from the back, his voice was filled with anger.

“…Yeah. But now, there’s nothing we can do.”

I replied helplessly to his question.

But then, without a word, Yoon Si-woo drew his sword from the air.

A radiant, golden-glowing sword.

The Holy Sword of Radiance, which prevents its wielder from falling into illusions and enchantments.

While firmly gripping the sword with both hands, Yoon Si-woo silently looked up at the sky.

…It can’t be.

I thought this while watching him.

No matter how much of a genius Yoon Si-woo was, and even if he managed to form a new contract with Lucia faster than in the original work, the timing was still impossible.

Just as I was thinking this,

Yoon Si-woo quietly murmured.

“A beam of light that can pierce even the deepest darkness.”

Hearing this familiar phrase made me catch my breath.

There are many famous and magical swords in the world, but only a few are special enough to be called Holy Swords.

The reason they are called Holy Swords is that their power is too immense to be considered just a regular sword.

Thus, a wielder without the skill and capability to withstand that power cannot be recognized by the Holy Sword and cannot use its true power.

Even Yoon Si-woo in the original work only managed to use it much later, requiring immense effort and revelation.

Yet now, what Yoon Si-woo was saying was a kind of ritual to summon that true power.

“Holy Sword—”

The Holy Sword of Radiance in Yoon Si-woo’s hand sparkled brightly,

“Release.”

In the next moment, a brilliant light flooded the surroundings.

The sword blade that had been glowing softly disappeared,

Leaving only the light that illuminated the world.

The Holy Sword of Radiance revealed its true form, shining brilliantly in Yoon Si-woo’s hands.

I captured the light with my eyes.

Some might call it a blessing,

Others might call it a miracle.

And right now, that light was our hope.

The hand of Yoon Si-woo, holding hope, slowly swung toward the sky.

Originally, light descends from the heavens to illuminate the earth.

But contrary to that principle, the light starting from the ground shot up swiftly toward the sky.

The light from the earth illuminated everything in the sky evenly.

The raindrops pouring down from the heavens.

The monsters soaring in the sky.

Even the dark clouds filling the sky.

Each of them being swallowed by the light felt like it was driving away the darkness that had shrouded the world.

Sylvia and I held our breath as we watched this magnificent sight.

The light, which seemed like it would never end, gradually began to fade.

But even if the light that started on the ground faded, the world was no longer dark.

There was no more despair or dark clouds in the sky where light had shone.

And then the boy slowly turned around and said,

“It’s not too late.”

The boy, with the clear sky behind him, shone brightly.

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

Reflecting in his eyes that met mine,

“So please, don’t cry.”

I no longer cried.

I lifted my head and looked at the sky.

As if to say that even in a world filled with despair, hope exists.

The sun, once hidden behind the dark clouds, now shone brightly.

The rain, which I had so despised, finally ceased.