Chapter 281: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (74)

With a resounding boom, the shockwave scattered the blood-soaked snow everywhere.

I drove my sword into the ground, bracing against the raging wind. My body was still a wreck and I could taste the metallic flavour of blood every time I gasped.

Somehow, my body was gradually beginning to regain its long lost vitality. It was, however, only a temporary surge.

It was thanks to my mana efficiency that briefly skyrocketed. If all my remaining mana were to be exhausted, my life would end right there.

The only fortunate thing was that the 'Corpse Giant' had been weakened significantly.

The reason was unknown.

Judging by the residual warmth around, I could only guess that the Saintess must have done something.

I was genuinely grateful.

Even so, the Corpse Giant while still retaining its original power was a formidable opponent. This was true even though I had a bit of understanding of the concepts of Shackle and Liberation.

Because it was weakened, I could continue fighting even with my battered body.

This was my chance.

I had to take down the Corpse Giant now.

But others seemed to have different ideas.

Before I knew it, a woman came running up next to me, panting. She had her black hair tied back, her name was Celine.

She sighed in relief as if incredibly fortunate, and grabbed my arm without warning.

“Th-Thank goodness... Now, let's go, Oppa!”

“...Where to?”

I asked, still not taking my eyes off the Corpse Giant.

Having been struck by me once, the Corpse Giant was more cautious now.

Judging by the way it was creeping and gauging the distance between us, it seemed to recognize me as a worthy opponent.

What an obnoxious bastard.

Nevertheless, I couldn't let my guard down.

Though its strength had weakened due to its reduced size, it seemed to have gained speed instead.

The interval between its punches became extremely short.

And above all, its regenerative ability.

Though significantly slower than before, it was still regenerating.

Even the arm I scattered was gradually regaining its form. Unless I could smash the Corpse Giant at a rate faster than its recovery, victory was far off.

A thunderstorm was raging in the sky.

Lightning flashed and struck the battlefield. The thunderous noises were deafening.

The corpse giant flinched and trembled each time lightning struck.

While the hits were not effective, they seemed to be a disturbance.

The Rinella family's mage corps was likely providing support.

Unlike me, who was closely monitoring the battle situation, Celine was just beating her chest in frustration.

“We need to return to the evacuation procession, of course! Right now, including you, Oppa, all the key forces have withdrawn and are on standby! We can't continue the evacuation without the escort troops!"

“...Tell them to go ahead.”

With those words, I pushed off the ground again.

As I sprinted across the battlefield, the Corpse Giant showed obvious signs of wariness. And at the moment I leaped, it swung its fist again.

The result, of course, was no different from before.

Through my blurred vision, a certain scene overlapped.

It was of the burning Great Forest.

Amidst the smoldering debris, a man trudged forward.

Caressing his cheek, a woman spoke.

With black hair and light green eyes, she was a beautiful woman with a mature appearance that felt strangely unfamiliar.

She spoke.

"......First disciple."

“I-I'm sor... I'm so sorry, Master.”

Stammering, he took her hand with both of his own.

No, it wasn't him, but me?

My eyes, red from crying, throbbed with pain.

"I'm too late... my Junior Sister, and now Master too..."

It would be strange if my heart didn’t ache.

It was then that I suddenly felt a presence.

The woman who had been lying motionless began to stir and struggle to her feet.

It was the 'Vampire'.

"Not, Not yet..."

Her gasping voice carried a faint scent of blood.

At first glance, she appeared as delicate as a flower, but I knew instinctively.

This woman was dangerous.

Though her eyes were half-unfocused, the intense murderous intent within them made my skin crawl.

Blood continued to endlessly flow from her body.

It was an amount that would have caused a normal human to die from blood loss. Despite this, her complexion remained unchanged.

That was to be expected.

She wasn’t human.

The vampire spoke with a bewitching smile.

"Sister, it's been hundreds of years... Our reunion can't be this short, can it?"

My master sighed deeply with a weary expression.

"Really, you don't even give me time to bid farewell to my disciple..."

As I was hesitating, wondering if we needed to flee again.

My master spoke.

"...Watch closely."

Along with the exhaled smoke from the pipe, her index finger moved.

Following that motion, mana began to gather in the air.

It wasn't visible to the eye, but a sense beyond the five senses testified to its presence.

As the concentrated mana increased in density, the atmosphere vibrated with a resonant hum.

"Because this will only happen once."

It was then that my view changed completely.

I was suddenly no longer in the Great Forest but face to face with the Corpse Giant.

No, more precisely, with the Corpse Giant's fist.

I slashed my sword wildly through the Corpse Giant's fist as it shattered in an explosion of light.

Then came the gushing blood and the pouring of corpses.

They were the remnants that made up its fist until just moments ago.

Although the counterattack happened before it could close in on me, the Corpse Giant was not as dumb as it looked.

Another fist flew towards me in quick succession.

There was no time to attempt a counterattack.

So I raised my sword and gathered mana.

The man in my memory called this 'Shackle.'

Standing alone amid the countless flows that make up the world.

It wasn't just the air that circulated.

Time, space and power, including mana, each have their own flow.

If one could read those, they could distinguish between fierce and gentle currents.

Shackle was the technique to split those gentle currents.

Like placing a stone to part a stream.

The only problem was that I had yet to master them.

Boom, a fierce shockwave tore through the air.

It meant that I wasn't being completely overpowered.

However, the Corpse Giant was firmly planted on the ground, while I didn't even have a foothold. Ultimately, I was the one who couldn't withstand the collision and got flung away.

I cursed inwardly.

Just a little more, if I could see just a little more, I think it might all work out.