Chapter 36: Stauros

The haziness vanished, adrenaline rushing and pumping through my veins once again; I could feel my body dramatically healing itself. Or what should I say, in an instant, all the wounds in my body are now fully healed.

Blinking my eyes a few times, I saw the arm of the specter incoming at me, so I fend it off easily with the back of my hand.

I made a closing hand gesture toward it. Small magic circles materialize around the specter, and the specter got bombard by chains from the magic circles piercing through its thick-hardened skin. It wails in pain, base on the super high-pitch white noise.

“It finally works, huh?”

I lock my gaze away from the building, teleporting myself on the street once again. After teleporting myself, I stretch out my limbs. Cracking my bones, I saw Stephanie looking at me, dumbfounded, with tears falling from her face.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Eh—?”

“Go, your friend isn’t even in here anymore. Go. Shoo-shoo. Your mother will scold me if you die here, and I don’t want my future girlfriend to die here, so shoo-shoo.”

I said with a smile, humoring Stephanie to ease her. She has the guts to fight the specter despite the obvious disadvantage. I'm flattered by her bravery and the fact that she won't leave me dying.

Stephanie was not moving at all, probably dumbfounded by what I just said. Then I saw the specter trying to break off the chain, enrage as its neck bent backward and its red eye directly looking at me, fuming in anger. Because of that, I lift Stephanie into my arms and use [Shifting Point] to teleport somewhere safe.

“W-What?” Stephanie exclaimed.

I spread my spatial awareness, searching the place where Lily evacuated the others. 

[Shifting Point]

After using it, we instantly arrived at the evacuated area, a lot of civilians in here are terrified. They’re all surprised by my sudden appearance. Ignoring them, I drop Stephanie down with her friends, who are looking at me, confused.

Shifting Point was a skill that can teleport me anywhere I want, as long I can perceive with my eyes. Like, a 3rd-dimensional plane of lines and points surrounding me, a cube-like surrounding—A spatial perception. And by perceiving it with my eyes, I can teleport myself in a specific location of coordinate, teleporting myself from point to point with a string-like vibration coming out of my body to the other point coordinates.

Since I use [Arcana], I can perceive everything within a specific zone around me, unlocking spatial awareness of everything around me. Using spatial awareness needs a deep understanding of the relations and objects of my surrounding which Diana can.

From my understanding of how [Shifting Point] works, it's like the 4th dimension a place you can travel to by going in a direction perpendicular to the third dimension. I've no prior knowledge about it, so I tried understanding the concept of it from Master Irene's library and Claude's memories; however, it's hard to fully grasp the basic principle behind it. 

Well, Diana did explain a little of it, but she does it more instinctively.

I saw an enormous glass which reflected my appearance: broken mask, dirty tattered cloak, and completely different hair that’s the same color as Diana, also a conspicuously small halo hovering on the top of my head shaped like a liquified blood crown.

“Hey, who are you?!”

I glance in the direction of the voice and saw a fully equipped guy with a badge on his chest that signifies his guild, but I have no clue about the name of his guild, so I don’t give a single shit about it. His hands are trembling while holding the handle of his battleax behind his back.

“Nah, don’t worry about me, I’m a disciple of the Sword Blade Saint.” I showed him the necklace that Master Irene gave to me, just like the one Lily showed earlier. A mouthful of gasp resounded throughout the closed-space room.

I continued speaking. “What happened to reinforcements?”

“...” He didn’t say a word.

“Haah...” 'Looks like he doesn't have any idea.'

After a disappointing sigh, I teleport beside Lily who’s fending off the specter all by herself with her ice magic alongside Anya her Fenrir.

“Yow.” I greeted her.

“Oh Claude, you’re here. What a great time to pop up. Just where the hell did you go! I’m having a hard time on this one! There are so many of them throughout the city! Where did you wander off?! You suddenly vanished when I came back!”

“Really? I thought there’s only one. And for your information, I went to save someone, excuse me.”

“No! They’re everywhere! Five guilds are fighting six of these creatures.”

“Fuck, six, seriously?! Where’s Master Irene?!"

“First of all, I do not know where’s Master Irene is. Second, it’s fucking following you, you shithead! It's going right after you when you went to evacuate someone.”

“Whoa, language princess. I almost died earlier, thanks for worrying, as always. Plus, I already know it wanted my ass. You're keen on smell is really something.”

“Stop using humor to escape reality, Claude," Lily said coldly.

“Sorry..."

(Hehehe... Be quick, you only got a few minutes.) Diana giggled.

“Solais”

Reappearing on my right hand was my sword. I dash forward to the specter who has been hunting me from earlier and saw it locking on me, wanting to crush me still angry at last time. Swinging my sword diagonally and a cleave of flames shut out of my sword, directly hitting the specter. 

[Walpurgis Hollow]

While at it, I slice its arms into pieces.

Unlike last time, it became effective as it squirms around removing the flames without its arms, going left and right, destroying buildings along the way. After landing on the ground, I shove my sword on the ground.

[Condemnation Chain]

A magic formation appears below the specter and chains shut out from it, piercing through its skin and wrapping around its body while pulling its entire body to the ground. Subsequently, a glacial mass emerges around the specter; completely rooting it into the broken concrete.

“Li— We... re...”

Breathing in the air into my lungs; I chant these words. “Remnants of arbitrament shall condemn you for eternity. May the all-knowing forgive you.”

[Stauros]

The sky trembles in fear as it darkens itself, leaving no traces of light; slowly, the cries and screams of the terrified, and the wounded, echoed. As the specter was having difficulties breaking free out of the chain it shrieks in agony, completely deafening my ears.

From the sky, a beam of light shines brightly; directly toward the specter, burning it alive; and lastly, a gigantic spear materializes in the beam of light with a broad blade. The stars fall in resignation at the very glint of its tip, coming from the sky to bring its judgment. The spear shot right down, striking the chest of the specter. Soon after, the specter's head was lying on the ground pleading for help while disintegrating into ashes.

“He-lp—! Ple... Help... Sa—ve... me.”

"*Cough* *Cough*" I'm couching up blood again.

Watching it disintegrate in front of me and listening to its cries, a sense of grief emerges on my chest which worries me because I’m getting the vibe of something wrong. During that, I felt a sharp pain in my head.

Lily went to my side while emitting an ominous aura around her.

“Are you angry, by any chance?” I asked.

“Yeah—”

At that moment, I felt two presence coming in our direction at a frightening speed. So, I yelled. “Run! There are more!"

However, it’s all too late two shadows disfigured humanoid creatures that differ from the last one, appearing in front of us. Knitting my eyebrows, I pull my sword on the ground and dash forward to the two. Lily creates a tremendous ice wall separating the other one.

While running with my sword on my side, I evade its attacks with ease and cut every limb into pieces. Unlike the last one, it's much slower; however, it's more persistent than the last one because they’re trying all sorts of stuff just to bring me down and it's just mindlessly doing the same attack repeatedly.

Furthermore, I realize that it has the same voice just like the last one.

After cutting its head, the body began regenerating another one, which alarmed me, so I glance at the old specter that I fought and saw it disintegrate completely; thus, I plan on burning alive it like the last one. I leap to its back. On my palm, a magic circle was hovering in front of it, and on that magic circle, chains burst out wrapping around the specter. It went berserk in an attempt to throw me out of its back.

"Whoa!"

"Kraaah—! Asc... Li...."

[Fire of Tartaros]

From the chains, tiny magic circles manifest from thin air, shrouding the specter's body with tiny magic circles. Instantaneously, the specter's body combusts into flame burning it alive; while at it, I thrust my sword on its back and swing it upward, slicing the specter in half.

Then I teleport myself out and helped Lily, who’s having a hard time fighting against the specter. After taking out the last one, I teleport the two of us out of the scene. Now, we seem to be at a park of some sort.

Shortly after, my body finally collapsed from the intensive backlash of using [Arcana]. Luckily, Lily caught me and carried me by putting my right arm around her shoulder.

Afterward, a wet sensation had come out of my nose, ears, and eyes, which I presumably its blood because of the sensation of numbness on my entire body. It has always been like whenever I use [Arcana] which is an ascension form of myself or transforming myself into another form of being. Basically, a version of Diana and me together in one body. It's a bit different from a normal spirit fusion of spirits. They are called [Ramnient] which is entirely different from mine.

The rebound of it was the only thing I can’t handle because I won’t be able to move a single inch of my body for a week or so, depends on how much I stressed my body out by using it—This is because Diana’s soul and mine have not fully merged yet, or my body can't handle it yet. 

That’s why I don’t want to use it in the beginning because of the dreadful aftermath effect of it, but it’s so powerful. On that form, I have a spatial awareness that reaches few kilometers away that’s why I could use [Shifting Point] without using my peripheral vision.

On the first try of using it, it felt good a few times, but it only lasted 10 seconds and after that, I became paralyzed from the neck down below for a week because of that; however, that was shortened by Clara and Master Irene as they helped me recovered quick, but in the most arousing way possible.

“Let’s go before anything happens,” I said to Lily.

“Yeah.”

Lily is supporting me all the way back to the mansion. While going back home, I’m conversing with Lily to least divert her train of thoughts to ease the anger inside her.

“Lily, what do you think are those creatures?”

“No idea. It’s my first time seeing them.”

“Don’t they look like a specter?”

“Specter? What’s that?”

“It’s a creature that always haunts you. Basically, what happened to me earlier? It haunts you. Anyway, thanks for saving my ass earlier. You’re a great help earlier.”

“Of course, I’m just doing what a friend should do, plus you’re the only friend I have and I don’t want to lose you.”

“Aww~ How sweet of you. Now, that you mentioned it, why are you okay with me even though I’m male and a human?”

“No clue. Perhaps because you look like a girl, and your beauty is even comparable to mine. That's probably the reason."

“Oi—! I’m still growing up and I’m a certified man. You can even check every part of me if you wanted.”

“No, thanks.”

While walking back, the ground started shaking violently coming in front of us, and we saw a maid with pink twintails and an eyepatch, killing a specter by herself with a disturbing smile on her face, stomping it on the face while it’s lying on the ground lifeless with four more lying beside it.

The fire on their head is extinguished, unlike earlier where I cut off the head, there's still a noticeable fire on the top of their head. 

Watching it, I gulped nervously, sending shivers down my spine.

“Lily...”

“Y-Yeah...?”

Listening to Lily's faltering voice, that goes without thinking that she has the same thought as mine regarding the person in front of us.

"Can you swear to protect me for a few weeks while I recover?"

"F-From what?"

"T-That one."

"O-okay? I-I'll try my best?"

“T-Thanks, I owe you one. I’m so glad that I have you.” almost tearing up, recalling Master Irene's and Clara’s crazy tendencies once they're overtaken by lust.

Xeoz

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