Episode 3: Stop, I Beg of You (6)

My actions caused a butterfly effect which brought danger to her. 

I was the cause of her kidnapping.

All because of my desperate meddling.

To survive.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. 

Astraea Winterfall.

Yet again… just like Reene, something similar had happened again.

She saved me in my previous life.

And for her mercy—

‘I will save her in this one.’

Starting as a drizzle, the rain soon swelled into a downpour.

Through the darkness of the forest, the only light source was the glowing orb spell in my hands. We were forced to trudge through the thick forage in the rain. 

Following Fabian’s tail, we eventually arrived at a clearing.

There I saw a carriage.

And a cliff with a hundred metre drop. 

“Now, stand there.” Fabian said, pointing over to the ridge’s edge.

I pulled my coat over Tiffany and held her close. She shivered.

“Brother, this is where it ends, isn’t it?” Like a grand performer on stage, he spread his arms wide open.

Behind, Astraea was unconscious, tied up inside the bright carriage. 

Her cheeks rosy, snow white hair glistening wet, and arms bound together by rope. Shielded from the rain, and guarded by the high-grade assassins—she was like a prize doll on display.

“I trusted you.” Fabian’s spoke, strongly sentimental. “You and I were best buddies… we were supposed to be partners for life!”

“...”

“Look, I’m helping you here. She was the one who caused your father to die right?” His gaze, utterly intense.

“...”

“Right…?!” I said nothing. His expression contorted, turning desperate. “Why are you not answering!”

“You gain nothing from doing this.” I said. “I don’t get it. I already left, you know that—so why are you wasting your limited resources trying to convince me? Aren’t you supposed to be wiser than this?”

“It’s all because of you brother!” He cried. “Brother, I still believe in you. I want you to come back. I apologise for everything I’ve done, I’m lacking… that’s why I need you brother. Alone… this empire is nothing… I need you.” 

‘You need me huh? Bludgeoned insanity. All you want is the money I don’t have.’ 

“If I returned, what do you plan to do?” I asked, scoffing. 

“Ah, I knew you’d be there for me brother!” He ran up to me.

“W-What?!” Tiffany panicked. I grab her arm and put her behind me. 

“Hehe… I’ll tell you what to do. It’s easy.” Leaning in disgustingly close to my face, his madder red eyes glowed. “First thing, we need money, and a lot of money at that. You’re good at money right? Let’s find a way to earn money.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” I made sure to keep Tiffany away from this ass’ face. 

“Isn’t the answer right in front of your face? We’ll ask for ransom! I’m sure we’ll earn a lot from her! We’ll split it 50/50, isn’t it fair?!” He shouted, his breath stank.

The downpour deepened. 

So much that visibility shrank down to a few metres.

His broken family, broken mind, the struggle for survival. It was the cumulation of these factors that brought him to this point.

‘Lunatic.’

I never wanted to be involved with this guy again.

I hated him to death. 

Yet who knew he’d come crawling back to me?

“Fine.” I was so afraid of him—

“Brotherrr!!”

‘...Or rather, I used to be afraid of him.’

I held out my hand. He held out his.

We took each other’s hands— 

Blight gushed out to devour him. 

It rose through the contact of our palm and quickly ate into his arms. 

His expression contorted as a pig-like scream accompanied his desperate struggle. My grip was steel tight, I didn’t allow him to pull away.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” 

Then once a sufficient amount of blight had been injected into his body, I gave him a hard kick to his flank.

His flying silhouette rolled into the dirt.

<Earth Magic: Transmute, Reinforced Earthen Sword>.

“Tiffany, support me.” I pulled the hardened stone sword from the ground.

“R-Right!” She shouted.

I quickly split the currently present light orb into five and illuminated the field. Tiffany too added on two more to complete the radius.

Three shadows entered my line of sight.

All in all, I remembered that there were five or so assassins that appeared in this scenario. 

One against five—when I also had to protect Tiffany and recover Astraea as soon as possible.

<Blight: Discharge>.

Black engulfed the terran sword. The rain was ripped apart by a black line. The first assassin that charged at me was torn into two.

I turn next to the assassin coming from my right. Twisting my body, I grabbed the outstretched right arm of the second assassin. Using his momentum, I tripped him and threw him towards the other assassin—

Or so that should’ve been when he had affixed his grip on my arms. I was dragged alongside him.

With no regard for life the blade scintillated coldly. It aimed to kill by slicing through both of us. 

<Transmogrification Magic, Terran Arm>.

A dense layer of earth quickly enveloped my left arm, hand to elbow. With the spell half complete, I wedged it between myself and the blade.

It pierced through the rocky scales and embedded itself halfway into my arm. I yanked the dagger away from the assailant’s hand and slashed using my right hand.

He died with his head flying.

I quickly shifted my attention to the assassin who grabbed me, I shot my elbow into his chin. The sharp rock edge of the gauntlet pierced into his skull, killing him in one blow.

A fourth assassin slithered silently behind and slashed.

I pulled my left arm out of the dead man’s head while using my right sword to parry the incoming strike.

I felt strength leave my left arm. A numbing sensation quickly spread from the place where I was slashed by that blade.

‘Poison huh…’

Stronger poison counteracted the weaker one—with blight in my veins, I doubt the paralysis effect would last long. 

I switched to a defensive stance and we entered a stalemate, waiting for my left arm to recover.

<Fire Magic: Sparkling Flare>.

He fired a flare. 

The fire quickly went out in the rain, but it created a mini smoke screen that exploded in between us.

I started to cough.

His blade bursted out from within the smog.

<Water Magic: Blob Burst>.

“Kairen!” Tiffany threw in her magic support. 

A water bubble burst, somehow deflecting the blade just enough that I dodged in time.

It was uncalled for, but provided an unexpected opening for me.

I slashed. He parried. Blight exploded and blew up in the assassin’s face.

<Earth Magic: Shard Storm>, <Ice Magic: Ice Javelin>.

Spells from further back of their ranks.

Sharpnels made of earth, javelins made of ice.

—Pointing at Tiffany.

“...!”

<Water Magic—

I pushed Tiffany’s hand down before her spell could conjure and shielded her with my body.

I slashed down the earth and ice. Fragmented pieces pierced my skin, non hit my vital points.

Blood dripped, flowing with the rain.

Assassin number five—followed up with more spells the instant the barrage ended.

<Arcane Magic: Splinter Missiles>.

White bolts came shelling out from the magic circles formed behind him.

The light missiles fanned out like torpedoes.

<Blight: Invalidate>.

<Water Magic: Rotating Water Bolts>.

I slashed upwards, drawing a black line which nullified front-coming missiles. 

Behind, Tiffany’s water bolts struck down those which were coming from elsewhere.

I closed the distance between myself and the assassin.

Our blade clashed.

Two blows then began attacking from the direction of my flank. 

He extended his legs and tried to strike from below. I leapt back, off balance.

He flicked his wrist, a flying dagger flew at my face.

I leaned back, slipping. The dagger flew past me. 

Landing with my hands, I twisted my body and kicked up mud from the ground.

I misjudged him. He was not only good with magic, he knew close combat too. 

<Ice Magic: Blue Bolt>.

Laser-like ice bolts rushed down from above.

<Blight: Invalidate>.

I destroyed them all with one swing and then—

—!

Rain and dirt splashed into my eyes. I didn’t know when he managed to pull such a dirty trick.

I barely saw the glint of his blade within the puddle of my vision. 

I raised my sword, his blade cleaved into it. 

The force had nearly caused me to release my grip.

And while I struggled to recover my footing, he punished with a downward strike.

I swung my left fist. 

Gauntlet and sword clashed.

His blade spun into the air.

He reached into his back pocket.

Forcing my burning muscles to move, I speared with my sword.

He pulled out a dagger, and threw—

I stabbed right through him.

The dagger slipped right past my face, a wound opened on my cheeks.

Slowly his arms limped. 

He staggered, knelt—-blight fused with his flesh. 

I pulled my sword around and kicked him to the ground.

He laid there, in the acceptance of death. No movement, not a convulsion. Blood poured out from his chest—black in colour.

I laboured an inhale.

A flash of lightning from the dark skies painted the world white. The fight came to an end with the loud roar of a distant thunder.

Shaking from the pain and cold, I slowly turned to Tiffany to confirm her safety.

Shaken—appalled. Her eyes were clouded. I couldn’t tell if those were tears or just the rain. 

The battlefield littered with corpses. Blight continued to feast on flesh. It flowed with the water. 

“D-Don’t come any c-closer!!” A pig-like shriek.

I felt my heart sink.

I quickly turned to the carriage.

‘What the fuck how is he not dead…?!’

In the carriage, Fabian held a black object against Astraea’s neck.

“Y-You don’t want me to ruin our precious spoils do you!” His eyes were bloodshot. Half his body had already broken down. Black blood poured from open holes.

“Fabian… you don’t fucking…” 

I flinched. He pressed the sharp edge closer—

… I didn’t want to risk him accidentally touching her with that thing.

I shuddered.

‘What should I do?’

At this distance, I could probably use magic. But what high accuracy ranged spells do I have? 

‘What if I wait it out?’

Wth the amount I poured into him, he could die any second.

“What did I do to deserve this brother?! I only came to help! What did I ever do wrong!” He cried.

‘Should I talk to him?’

Draw out time as long as possible…

‘Or just lie.’

“It’s… a test of trust.” I wanted to cringe so bad.

“A test?! What kind of test involves killing me!!” He retorted.

“You were the one who hired all those assassins to test me, and yet you believe I wouldn’t do the same?” A dying madman like him… I’d suck up to anything to live. “You’ve seen it. I can cause blight as easily as I can remove it. I can save you if you listen.” 

I showed it to him, my left hand engulfed with the toxic-black soot of blight.

His eyes shook. I could see him struggling inside—as if seeing his final salvation.

“Will you let go of her and join me? Or will you die by my hands?” My last hope was for him to choose survival.

“Brother I…” Darkness fell over his face. 

But no.

“I FUCKING HATE YOUU!!” He shouted.

… He chose death.