Tap the text to show or hide reading controls.
<Blight: Discharge>.
His sword swelled with blight. Severing spears dozens of times within short bursts of violent strikes.
It was common sense that anyone whose mana system came into contact with blight—even trace amounts of it–-would curl up from the pain and die in minutes.
… So how was he still alive?
None of what I was seeing made any sense.
Even the black magicians I’ve encountered in my previous life only ever did this with intentions of suicide. And even then they would only last a few seconds before collapsing.
Just who was he?
4th-tier magic, <Cold Hearth: Ice Prison>.
Two solid walls of ice rose from both ends of the alley. Sealing off both escaping routes for the assailant. The space between us was effectively severed.
—BANG!
I felt his sword pound against the ice.
Black quickly spread along the widening cracks. Pain spread in my chest.
“We have to run.”
With one hand pressed tight against my heart, and the other pulling Reene’s hand, we ran deeper into the alley.
I couldn’t remember the exact layout of this city labyrinth, but I knew at least that there were many other exits available if we wanted to leave for the main street. Once we were there, it would be harder for him to keep chase.
—bANG!
“...!” I resisted the urge to groan.
Pain…
Up till a certain distance, any tangible magic created by the user was connected by an invisible link of mana.
And blight, possessing the property of corruption took advantage of that connection by corroding even that.
It was similar to the pain of having a spell interrupted by force, except stronger and gnawing.
This type of hurt had no named expression. And it wasn’t even something widely known until the apocalypse began.
So us survivors had simply called it this: spirit damage by blight.
This bruising pain deep inside my body…
—BOOM!
From a distance an explosion rang out. I knew then he had completely broken through.
I heaved. My spell had gone, the pain calmed.
Fortunately we had crossed enough of a distance to lose his line of sight.
<Wind Magic: Concealment>.
A draft of wind picked up, covering us both.
“Reene, stay close.” I held her, she was shivering, clinging onto me without complaint.
We kept a brisk pace, walking with footsteps which were suppressed.
I tried my best to infer his location through sound. Footstep of running or the rustling of roof tiles above.
Silence…
It was all just… eerie silence.
I felt nothing.
A few minutes had passed, we were arriving at the next exit and…
—Ping!
“...!”
A spark of light quickly expanded from the distance.
I drew a dagger from my cloak and intercepted the coming projectile—a magic missile.
“How…”
“Good attempt.” He spoke.
And here we were back to square one.
He stood blocking the new exit.
I bit my lips.
“Hah!” Reene yelled out from behind me.
<Earth Magic: Rising Earth>.
Our surroundings quaked and an earth wall swelled to put space between us.
“Reene?!” I shouted.
“Master…! Quickly.” Reene tugged at my clothes hard.
Unaware, gullible. She didn’t know about the consequence of the pain she would feel if he broke the wall with blight —
—CRACK.
“Come on…!”
Whether or not she was conscious of what she had done, it was too late now.
With the earthen wall crumbling behind us, tugging at each other’s hand, we fled again.
Beads of sweat poured down her head. She looked tired but unhurt. I didn’t see her faltering, was she not hit by spirit damage? What was going on?
“Ah!” And then she tripped over a protruding brick. “Ow…”
“...!”
She quickly got up. Wincing, limping—no longer able to run.
We were so close to the next exit yet...
Reene had reached her limit and collapsed to the ground clutching her swollen ankle.
“…” He was already somehow waiting for us there.
I look at him, glaring behind my mask. “You… just what do you want…”
“Like I said, give her to me.” He brandished his blade.
Sparing no beat, he closed the distance.
I bit my lips. Forced to leave Reene behind, I rushed to intercept with my dagger.
A heavy strike was met with a rough parry. I felt his mercy, the blade which should’ve sliced my arm only made a tear on my skirt.
… What the hell?
I pulled out another anti-magic dagger, then quickly established a dual wielding stance to parry his next strike.
Crossing my arms, I stopped a downward slash between the scissor hold of two knives in reverse grip. Then angling his slippering blade downwards, he thrusted.
A feign. The thrust quickly converted into slash.
I twisted my body and averted the blow which could’ve severed my shoulder.
I raised my boots, shooting towards his ‘jewels’. He responded immediately by retreating backwards. I missed.
The reach of the dagger was too short.
Damn it.
<Enhancement: Frostburn Blade>.
The short blades transformed into blue rose stiletto.
I stabbed one of the swords into the ground, and with the other, I parried the incoming heavy strike.
A field of thorn ice spread from the centre of the embedded sword. And in a quick burst, frost ivy shot up to restrain him.
His footing shifted to avert.
I seized the opening and I struck him diagonally upwards.
He bent his waist and twisted his body, and performed a low roundhouse kick towards my arm.
The forceful strike forced me to drop the blade, incapacitating my right hand.
I quickly pulled out the other sword on the ground and held it up against his heavy, downward strike.
Pain shot up my arm, my knees crumbled.
I barely managed to defend against his next few strikes.
<Earth Magic: Rising Earth>.
From Reene—an earth pillar rose from the ground. It caught the masked man off guard, and he retreated a few steps back.
Breathing battered, clothing torn. I felt a deep pain within my chest and the burning nicks on my skin.
I saw Reene in tears, still desperate to see me win. The sight of it stirred regret. Had I overestimated my abilities?
Indignation rose within me.
“I won’t… let you take her.” I forced myself to stand.
I raised my trembling arms, sword pointed against him and—
—Crack.
Delayed, the mask on my face split into two and fell to the ground.
—Thud.
The ceramic pieces, barely audible as it landed on the sandy ground, rang out incredibly ominously.
“Fuck.” The curse naturally flowed out of my mouth.
My identity.
“...” He stood there, unmoving.
I raised my blade in preparation for another engagement.
“I see…” He muttered.
And then he took a step.
I bit my lips.
And…
… The loud crashing sound of two blades meeting tore through the alley. Splitting the distance, the masked man was driven a few metres away in retreat.
A black shadow fell from above.
Standing between me and the black magician, I saw the wide back of the man I never thought to see here. With an air of regality, those toxic violet eyes of his ogled at me from the side.
That iconic trench coat, and that savage styled obsidian black hair—there was no doubting the identity of this man.
“Run ladies,” He spoke with that sinful smile of his. “I’ll deal with him.”
⌌✧ ⫺⪼▫◆▫⪻⫹ ✧⌍
The two men simply stood there as Astraea left with Reene.
Drew Raven, turned to the masked man. He touched the handle of the sword hanging on his waist, undrawned.
“Now, shall we make a deal?” Drew said with a smile. “How about telling me who exactly you are before I take your head?”
“...” The masked man remained silent, his gaze still lingering at the position he last saw Reene’s fleeing figure.
Drew’s smile turned to a frown, eyes callous with a murderous glint.
Drew wasn’t sure who exactly it was last time who nearly killed him with blight. For what motive did the assailant assault him, and who could be the mastermind behind this plot—all he knew was that if not for Lowe, he would’ve likely died back there in the alley.
Investigating the scene, retracing steps… the only information he knew was that the person had openly used blight. Someone who was proficient enough that it landed a hit.
Seeing this man’s sword fuming black soot, who else could Drew suspect? Even black magic practitioners were sane enough to know never to utilise blight in their own magic. The mere act of doping their magic with blight would kill the caster.
“It seems I’ve met a deaf man. Guess I’ll dispose of him.” Drew pulled his blade from the sheath. The black surface scintillated in a bleak, eerie light.
Drew closed the distance with a blur. With a flick of his wrist the sword snapped towards the masked man’s neck.
But it stopped short, the masked man had raised his short sword to parry.
Sparks flying in the air from the contact, the masked man spoke. “If someone took Astraea away from you, how would you feel?”
Drew’s expression contorted. Swords still locked. “What?”
“What would you do if she was taken away?” He changed the question, but his tone remained earnest.
Drew, hands slowly going numb from the pressure, desperately tried to figure out what he meant. Then recalling information which he had spies collect about Lowe, he recalled the name of the young duchess who was said to have bullied her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Genuinely, Drew didn’t know why the masked man brought up the duchess’ name…
Hold on, earlier… that was the young duchess, wasn’t it?
The swords clashed and parted. A distance was opened between them.
“So that’s your answer huh…” The blight contained within the sword flowed back into the masked man’s body. He raised his head to gaze at the moon.
Drew didn’t know what thoughts were going through the madman’s mind now. But regardless, ‘he’ was currently an assailant running amok on ‘his turf’. Knowing that was enough to sentence him to death.
… Kill.
Drew’s blade flickered once more. The masked man sheathed his sword.
Yet, the next thing Drew saw wasn’t splattering blood, but the open sky. He had fallen to the ground. What…?
“You did a good job protecting her.” Leaving him with a sarcastic remark, the masked man disappeared.
Drew didn’t understand what had just happened.
⌌✧ ⫺⪼▫◆▫⪻⫹ ✧⌍
Drew and I were not supposed to meet today, yet why did it happen?
I had no answer to the question, nor do I have a good feeling about this.
Still, if he hadn’t intervened, I don’t think I would’ve made it out alive.
Seriously, who the hell was that masked man? How can someone wield blight? And… would Drew be alright?
I was rattled in to confusion whenReene’s weak voice rang.
“…I’m sorry.”
“What?” Why was she apologising?
Reene and I managed to leave the labyrinth of alleys. Currently, we were sitting under one of the fountain statues in the middle of an empty plaza, an open space. Here we took a moment to catch our breaths.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything.” Reene looked at me with teary eyes.
Reene Copper, Kairen’s half-sister.
She was a girl whose fate was death.
“No.” I reached out to hug her. “You did great.”
She had no reason to feel bad for what she had done. The courage she showed back then was more than I could’ve asked for.
“But I… I didn’t do anything.” She fumbled in her words.
“No, Reene. You didn’t just do nothing.” I grabbed her shoulders. “If you hadn’t interfered back then, I would’ve become seriously injured. It’s only because of you that I’m standing here right now, do you understand?”
Her quick judgements during the confrontation of the assailant, and timing of spells had saved me a few times back then too.
What she proved to me was that she wasn’t a slave. She was a girl deserving of her own rights.
I was incredibly lucky. If I hadn’t come to today’s auction… I couldn’t imagine the hellish world this innocent girl would come to experience. I don't think I could've forgiven myself.
Her life story will take on a completely different path because of me. I will take care of her, and make sure she doesn’t suffer that same fate again.
The unease which I had been feeling out of concern for Reene had finally resolved. I can finally rest at ease…
“Excuse me, are you two alright… Lady Astraea?!” A husky voice called us out… shocked.
A team of knights had approached us, their armors showing a familiar insignia. They were the knights of the Winterfall household.
Suddenly, I became self conscious of the state I was in. The disguise mask I wore earlier broke off from the earlier fight. My clothes were torn in many places, and dried blood stains could be seen from my wounds.
“Your Grace, what happened?!” The knight, whose name I didn’t know (obviously because there were too many of them training), panicked.
“It’s nothing…” In my mind, I ran countless simulations to figure out how to best handle the situation. In the end, I thought it would be impossible to hide the fact that I snuck out of the manor. “...Just please bring us back home.”
More so when I had to bring Reene home. Perhaps it was best to just accept whatever punishment the duke and my mother would deliver.
“Us…? You mean to say that girl… ”
“Do you not hear me properly?” I’m sorry for being rude, but I had to keep up my facade to some degree at least. “Bring us back to the manor. I’ll explain this matter to the duke myself!”
Reading Settings
