Chapter 139: Prophecy (5)

Chapter 139: Prophecy (5)

The moment Carlyn turned his body in response to Death Avoidance’s warning, the world began to flow slowly.

It was the same experience as the terrorist incident at the ceremony before.

He could see each raindrop falling from the sky.

Among the hundreds and thousands of raindrops, he even saw Pelia’s back as he turned and ran away.

‘What is it?’

It was an instantaneous evasion. No time was given to even conjure up thoughts of a magic bomb. He couldn’t fathom it at all.

Carlyn instinctively protected his body. He operated the Winds at full power.

And then.

Kwaaang–! An enormous shockwave rushed in from behind accompanied by a thunderous roar. Carlyn realized then. It was a magic bomb.

‘Crazy...’

This was the second time he had faced the threat of a magic bomb. The last time, he had endured it for Erendil’s safety until he passed out.

The difference from the past was that Carlyn had fully protected his body with Winds this time.

In the past, he had not protected herself. But it was not completely safe either.

Even if the bomb was smaller than before, it had detonated at an extremely close range.

‘Can I withstand it?’

Simultaneous with Carlyn’s concern, flames and shockwaves enveloped Carlyn’s body. And the flow of time returned to normal.

Kwaaang–!

Tremendous pressure swept over Carlyn. The view of the airborne Carlyn spun around.

The overcast sky, wet ground, trees, and flames. His vision was dizzying. Despite enveloping his body in Winds, it was an overwhelming force he could not resist.

At least the flames did not touch his body, which was fortunate.

Within the spinning view, Carlyn spotted a tree right in front of him, but he could not avoid it.

The best he could do was curl up his body with all his might.

“Ugh!”

His left shoulder collided with the tree. Pak! Carlyn’s body shattered the tree as he flew away.

And then he slammed his head into a second tree.

Koong–! This time, the tree did not break. Carlyn’s head absorbed all the impact.

Carlyn felt his vision momentarily go dark. For an instant, he lost control of his body. The Winds enveloping him disappeared.

Kung– Kung– Kung–

Carlyn’s twisted body repeatedly struck trees as he plummeted to the ground. Upon hitting the ground, Carlyn slid for about 10 meters while lying down.

That inertia only came to a complete stop when Carlyn’s waist crashed into the base of a tree.

Tudududuk– From that impact, the large raindrops collected on the leaves fell down.

‘...I’m alive, at least.’

The coldness of the raindrops revived Carlyn’s consciousness. The bomb’s shockwave was violently shaking the trees in the forest.

Ssaaaaah. Mixed with the sound of the rain, the noise of millions of leaves colliding echoed throughout the forest.

Here and there, large droplets descended, blending with the rain. Carlyn realized that the protective barrier of the Winds had disappeared from the droplets touching his body.

His senses were hazy and his vision was blurred. Carlyn frowned, trying to regain his composure.

‘Was this what Ines’s prophecy meant?’

As his senses gradually returned, the first thing he felt was the dampness all over his body.

Having lost control of the Winds and rolled on the ground, his entire body was covered in muddy water.

The mud had even seeped inside his clothes, grating against his skin.

Carlyn felt more discomfort than pain.

For someone with mysophobia, it was only natural. He had undergone training to endure mysophobia under the Brusek Chief of Intelligence.

That’s why he had been able to carry out missions normally.

However, his threshold had dropped significantly since utilizing the Winds and recently obtaining purification.

In other words, there were rarely occasions for his body to get dirty.

It had been a long time since mud had penetrated all the way inside his body like this. Carlyn felt an indescribable rage.

Although his head was dizzy, that anger was helping Carlyn regain his senses.

‘These crazy bastards. Did they hide a magic bomb in their body?’

Even if it was possible, he never imagined they would commit suicide without the slightest hesitation.

Carlyn got up from where he was.

In the process, he used the Winds to remove the mud that had gotten inside his body and brushed off what was stuck to his clothes.

He did not block the rain. He was using it to wash his body instead.

Carlyn knew this was an unnecessary waste of energy. But his mind, still not fully coherent, had made it a priority.

It seemed like his head would roll away if he did not get rid of that immediate discomfort, even a little bit.

It was for defense until he could use the Winds to create an opening.

Clang–! Clang–!

Amidst the relentless assault of the dual daggers, a chaotic metallic ringing resounded. Carlyn focused on fending them off.

Like adjusting distance in fencing, he regulated his steps, advancing and retreating.

In the process, he chose the battlefield again.

‘I need to align the direction.’

Due to the bomb’s aftermath, he had been flung quite a distance. Even if he could not reach the prepared battlefield, he had to adjust his position to utilize the short swords.

Enveloping the short swords with the Winds, Carlyn retreated without arousing suspicion.

The warmth from the left side of his head was soaking his shoulder through his neck. Carlyn felt a subtle daze.

Time was not on his side.

Through his unfocused vision, the dual daggers sliced in sharply. He tried to block them but could not.

They were faster than what his eyes could see. The dagger that slipped between his swords aimed for Carlyn’s face. Carlyn twisted his neck.

Shaak– Clang–!

The dagger grazed the edge of Carlyn’s cheek. If he had not blocked it with his sword a beat late, his face would have been stabbed.

‘Now!’

But that crisis was another opportunity for Carlyn. The Winds instantaneously enveloped Pelia’s body.

Pelia, who was conscious of it, immediately resisted.

Carlyn momentarily released the Winds’ pressure, then exerted different directional pressures on Pelia’s left and right arms and legs.

It was not as intricate as when fighting Rudehrn, but Pelia’s center of gravity was disrupted by the momentary technique.

Carlyn slashed his sword diagonally from left to right. Even as he lost balance, Pelia maintained his concentration.

His dagger barely deflected Carlyn’s sword.

“Kkeuk!”

And then the short swords came flying in from the four directions behind him, targeting Pelia.

And with a full spin, Carlyn pulled the cord inside his left sleeve. His tattered cape coat fluttered upward.

Pelia abandoned trying to regain his center of gravity. Instead, he repelled the Winds with mana as he rolled on the ground.

And through his rolling vision, he confirmed the short swords flying at him from behind.

‘Damn...’

It was not that he was unaware. But soundless short swords were not something one could see just by keeping them in mind.

In that fleeting moment, Pelia made a quick decision.

Most skilled warriors conceal one of their techniques to attempt to turn the situation around.

Even though Carlyn’s condition did not appear good, Pelia judged that without Mori present, he could not seize the advantage as things stood.

He abandoned fleeing.

He resolved to go down together with Carlyn here. The short swords were right before his eyes.

“Father of the darkest place!”

As Pelia cried out while rolling on the ground, an ominous black figure rose and rippled above his body.

A dark aura inevitably swirled around the mana of devil worshippers, but this was different.

Pelia’s entire body was enveloped by the black figure. Only his two eyes glowed red within it.

The darkness, extending like amorphous tentacles, engulfed the incoming short swords.

Carlyn did not falter at the untimely transformation.

He was already aware that chosen devil worshippers could use devilization.

‘This one has also given up on living.’

However, using that would render one’s body half-crippled. The countermeasure was simply to endure until that power ended...

But it was usually impossible. That power lasted more than a day. And fleeing was not an option either.

Only a Sword Master’s Sword Energy could easily pierce that darkness. The named sword was only meant to confront it.

However, Carlyn had another method. He had killed that before using it.

‘Hm?’

But then,

Through his Winds, Carlyn sensed someone approaching this location at a moderate pace. One person.

‘Who is it?’

Not his companions. He had repeatedly warned them not to come, even telling them that he could die because of them.

An undiscovered observer?

If so, that was a blunder... Carlyn felt a twinge of anxiety, but this fight took priority first. Carlyn kicked off the ground.

Author's Thoughts

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