Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Lilly."

I attempted to move towards Lilly, but she raised her hand to halt me.

"I cant hold out much longer. I may be able to barricade the entrance a bit more, but the spiders from the Black Spider Legion will soon break through."

"....."

"Our time is running out. Hurry."

While holding off scores of black spiders with her delicate back, Lilly offered a brave smile.

"Do not let our deaths be for nothing."

Clenching my teeth, I rose and hollered.

"What are you doing, artillery!"

The artillerymen were still struggling to recover from the shock of the fall. Regardless, I scolded them harshly.

"Load the final shell!"

"But, Your Highness."

The artillery captain, who had taken a fall and likely sprained his ankle, made his report in a grating voice. He was unable to stand or walk properly.

"As I informed you earlier, the cannon has already exceeded its durability limit."

"..."

"The magic core is also at its limit. If we fire, the cannon will explode."

"Were all going to die anyway, impaled by the spiders fangs."

I moved towards the mana cannon lying toppled on the ground.

The stand was fragmented, but luckily, the body of the cannon was whole.

"Isnt it better to go down fighting? Even if we perish in the flames, we should at least roll the dice."

"..."

The silent artillery captain looked up at me.

"How will you aim?"

I also looked up.

The cannon was decimated to the first floor, with the rubble forming walls around us.

It felt like being trapped in a well. We could see the circular sky above the walls, but we couldnt even catch a glimpse of the Black Spider Queens location.

"We cant see. We dont even have a firing angle for the queen. The stand is destroyed."

"Hold the cannon with your hands."

If we had no teeth, we had to chew with our gums.

"We dont need to aim. Just let Damien pull the trigger."

I wasnt entirely certain how the far-sight trait functioned, but if Damien, who possessed it, pulled the trigger, there would be adjustments.

I had no choice but to trust that.

"Load the final shell. Thats an order."

"...Understood."

The artillery captain ceased arguing and dutifully began loading the last shell into the cannon.

I walked over to Damien. Damien was sitting on the ground, breathing thinly.

"Damien."

"..."

Damien, eyes closed, turned his head towards me.

Blood seeped from beneath his eyes, and his pallor was terrible. He gasped for breath in pain.

"This is the last time. You just have to fire one more time."

"..."

"Just one more time. Gather your strength one more time."

"...Your Highness."

Damien dropped his head feebly.

"Whats the purpose of all this? Regardless of what I do... nothing changes."

"One more shot, and that beast is done for."

"No, thats not what Im getting at."

-Cough! Cough!

Damien, who was now coughing harshly, muttered in a vacant tone.

"Lets suppose I pull the trigger one more time. Lets suppose I take down that spider queen. What will change?"

A look of hopelessness stretched across Damiens gaunt lips.

"I finally understand. Half of my comrades are already gone. No amount of retribution I seek will bring them back."

"..."

"Its always like this. No matter how hard I toil, how much I battle, the world just takes from me. Nothing changes."

"Damien."

"Ive had enough. I dont want to live like this anymore. I want to be with my friends..."

"Damien!"

I interrupted him, and posed a question.

"Do you think this world is unjust?"

Stunned momentarily, Damien nodded.

"Yes."

"Do you feel that life remains painful even after surmounting a challenging hurdle?"

"...Yes."

In reply to Damien, I smirked and retorted,

"Quit spouting such glaringly obvious drivel, you idiot!"

I managed to steady my voice.

"Its fine."

"..."

Damien lightly bit his pale lips.

I clasped the barrel of the mana cannon with both hands.

-Whoosh!

In an instant, my gloves were incinerated, and my palms began to sizzle underneath.

"Uh, uh..."

The scent of scorched flesh wafted amidst the stench of burning cloth.

But I gritted through it.

Because, at present, this was the only thing within my capability.

"Ugh-ahhhhh!"

I shrieked, hauling the barrel over my shoulder.

My shoulder was on fire.

Under the horrendous heat and enormous weight, my body was on the brink of collapse. I felt as if I could disintegrate into a pile of ashes at any second.

Then.

"Assist His Highness!"

The remaining artillerymen dashed over and seized the barrel from my side.

The aroma of burning flesh also emanated from the hands of the artillerymen gripping the barrel. United in our cries, we managed to point the muzzle skyward.

-Boom! Boom!

Immediately following that, the Black Spider Legions Siege Soldier breached the wall en masse.

Hundreds of spiders surged toward us over the wreckage of the wall.

I pivoted on my heel, bellowing at the top of my voice.

"Damien!"

In that instant, Damiens eyes snapped open.

Within his wide, brown eyes that were riveted on the sky, a dazzling white light pulsed.

"Fire-!"

Mustering all his strength, Damien yanked the trigger.

-Click!

The mana from the rogue magic core ascended through the cannon, sparking like a live wire.

Despite the monumental mana piercing my entire body, I somehow remained on my feet.

In the very next moment...

-Boom-!

With an earth-shattering blast, the final shot was discharged.

Find your mark.

My gaze traced the sky-blue mana bullet rocketing towards the heavens, amidst the onslaught of spiders closing in from all directions...

Please hit...

Consciousness slipped from my grasp.

***

The bullet soared.

The final discharge from the crumbling front-line base ascended like a firework, puncturing the sky.

Then, it commenced its descent.

Drawing a sharp parabolic path, it plummeted like a falling star.

-Screeeaach-!

As the Black Spider Queen detected the incoming magic bullet, she let out a piercing shriek, and the Black Spiders guarding her began to mound atop one another, erecting a wall.

It was a futile endeavor from the onset.

A bullet discharged from the heart of the decimated artillery site, aimed at an unseen adversary.

With no precise aim, and even if the mana cannon was operating at its maximum capacity, it had no hope of surmounting that distance and height differential.

-Squeeaach-!

Yet, against all odds,

The bullet struck the Spider Queen with surgical precision.

Height difference.

Dismissed.

Distance.

Dismissed.

The hundreds, thousands of beasts that obstructed its path.

Dismissed.

The sky-blue bullet, tracing a trajectory that defied the laws of this world, shattered the layered defenses.

It pierced through all barriers and reached the queen.

As if merely acting out a predetermined outcome.

-Screeeeeech-!

Whether out of fury or fear, the screaming Spider Queen was hit squarely in the forehead by the bullet,

-Thud-!

Without a hairs breadth of deviation.

-Boom-!

The bullet obliterated the monstrous queens head in a clean sweep.