Chapter 26

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Chapter 26

“Is she… not my daughter? Who are you?”

“Do you see it? This is the smile of the citizens protected by Wooin. It’s something only Wooin can do.”

Capital Raize, now turned into a sea of flames, walks. The elegant buildings Devourered by the inferno paint streaks across the purple sky like an illusion. The sight of everything humans have built over the years turning into ashes was not only devastating but also strangely beautiful—if only the smoke hadn’t choked the breath, one might have lost themselves gazing at it.

A passage from a book came to mind. Everything is like a star, even in its end, it shines brightest and most beautifully. Be it people, things made by people, or things not made by people.

While everyone else was running away from Capital Raize, only the girl walked into the center of the flames. Although some people glanced at her as they passed, no one stopped her. Despite the screams coming from all directions, there was no hesitation in Wooin’s steps.

She walked, stumbling occasionally, and dropped her staff, falling forward. She touched her reddened knee and got back up, the pain somewhat subsiding, seemingly thanks to Garrote’s magic. Walking again, leaving behind the thirst, she was recovering relatively quickly, aside from that.

The word “monster”—a term used countless times by those who had mocked her in the past—came to mind. Monster. Like a monster. At times like this, there’s nothing better than a body like a monster.

She continued to walk. Walked and walked. Occasionally swaying, but she didn’t fall anymore.

How long had she been walking? When she reached the place emitting the most fragrant smell, the girl raised her head slightly and looked at the ground. The screams that had gradually diminished as she entered the center were now no longer audible. There was only the sound of the remaining building debris clattering.

There were no fleeing people, but there were people not moving. All of them were missing parts of their bodies—mostly missing heads or lying in abnormal postures.

Judging by their equipment and attire, most of them were members of the expeditionary force. Many of them seemed to be elites of the highest order. The number of weapons scattered around exceeded the number of fallen bodies. Some might have escaped, or perhaps they vanished without a trace. Or both.

This time, she raised her head a bit higher. In the flames, she saw buildings collapsing, creating a sea of fire. A hill with burning streets came into view. At the top of that hill stood someone she had met for the first time today but would never forget.

She clenched both fists.

“Did you come here to die?” Devourer asked.

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“Did you come to die?”

A tone devoid of pitch, an endlessly surreal voice echoed in Wooin’s mind. The voice was ice-cold, but in Devourer’s expression, there was a sense of indulgence.

To die, huh…

So quietly that no one could hear, Wooin whispered to herself. There was no need to hide her emotions, so she snorted openly. She didn’t come to die, but there seemed to be no other choice.

“Well…”

Wooin continued to walk.

There was no fear in the girl’s expression. She just showed determined eyes and continued walking towards Devourer. The sky-blue hair of the girl, contrasting with the burning flames, was stained with a reddish hue as if burned.

The monster in front of her, as Garrote described, was undoubtedly male in form, but how to express it?

He was pristine. Even his right hand, which had taken a direct hit, remained unscathed. There seemed to have been a fierce battle just before Wooin arrived, but there was not a single trace on his body.

‘Probably regenerated.’

Different from ‘monster-like’ here, he was a ‘real monster.’

It wasn’t until she had distanced herself about 20 meters that Wooin stopped. She stiffened her neck as if putting her spirit into it and took a deep breath. She scanned her surroundings as if making a final check. There were no signs of life nearby. Only traces of humans were burning vigorously.

What kind of powerful fire magic could do this? At least, the advanced fire magic Wooin had seen so far didn’t have such a wide range. With this level, it might be comparable to expressions like [Dragon Breath] or [Roar of an Angry Dragon]. Nevertheless, it wasn’t just physical strength; his magic seemed to be beyond standard as well.

That’s why, even more so.

“…I have to stop it.”

Capital Raize is already beyond salvation.

Now there is nothing more to destroy, and most likely, the citizens have mostly completed evacuation. The problem is what comes after that. If there is nothing left to destroy in Capital Raize, where will Devourer head to next?

How much more will he turn the Empire into a sea of flames, and how many more piles of corpses will he create before he is satisfied?

She clenched her fist. Looking at Devourer, who had been yawning, Wooin declared.

“I am Wooin Historia.”

“Good determination. But you can’t beat me.”

Whether Devourer sensed Wooin’s intention or not, she responded nonchalantly.

She doesn’t deny it. It’s not a false statement. Wooin doesn’t think she can win against Devourer. She thought about it dozens of times while walking through the flames. She knew better than anyone that this was a battle where she could illustrate the outcome without necessarily fighting.

Even so.

“…I am Wooin Historia.”

Wooin Historia is a warrior.

Right after finishing her words, Wooin slammed the ground. In an instant, she covered the minimal distance she had kept for acceleration. Having swiftly reached Devourer, Wooin, with her full weight, swung her fist.

Crush—

It was a bare fist without even wearing gauntlets. A tremendous force-filled blow aimed at Devourer’s heart. Devourer braced herself against Wooin’s attack. As Devourer leisurely avoided the attack and prepared to counter, Wooin, who had lightly landed with the tip of her toe, swiftly turned her body.

Loading her strength, once again, she delivered a punch.

Bam!

A shockwave rippled through, and that was it. Wooin’s attack was easily blocked by Devourer’s outstretched hand. The shockwave couldn’t even penetrate Devourer’s palm. Unlike the first strike in the auction house, Devourer’s skin remained intact. Instead, it was Wooin who was pushed back.

“What are you doing?”

With a dry response, Devourer tripped Wooin with his foot.

Wooin’s body lost its balance and floated in the air. In an unprotected posture, she landed on the ground. Wooin, who expressed pain, touched the ground and stood up again. Before properly adjusting her posture, she swung her fist. Once again, Devourer simply reached out his hand. The fist was blocked once more.

This time, Devourer stepped on Wooin’s left foot. The sound of bones crunching was audible. Devourer kicked the screaming Wooin with his foot. Thud, a dull sound. Although it didn’t carry much force, Wooin’s slender body staggered for a few meters.

“Kuh… Ugh…”

Dust mixed with ashes swirled around. Wooin, covered in dust, staggered and stood up again. After groaning in pain, spitting out blood, she rushed towards Devourer again.

She swung her fist once more. Whoosh, the air only parted, blocked by Devourer again. Immediately, she swung her left fist—before reaching Devourer, a similar kick sent her tumbling several meters.

This time, she lay there as if dead for a while before barely getting up. Trembling all over, she walked slowly, and with weakened strength, she again swung a feeble fist towards Devourer.

Thud.

Not even a ripple formed. There was no pain.

Wooin, offering a weak punch as if claiming an attack, this time, Devourer used his forearm to shove Wooin’s back. With a ‘thud’ sound, Wooin fell to the ground.

Even in that situation, she tried to grab Devourer’s ankle.

Blood gushed out. The body was restless, and the heart pounded faster than ever. It screamed that she would die, that she should not move, that it was already the limit, that instinct spoke.

─Now, it’s really the limit.

How many times did she attack? How many seconds passed? It hadn’t even been a minute since she provoked, right? This is the limit. Nothing changes by provoking more. It’s meaningless. So, just end it with this. It’s okay to be comfortable now. You’ve done enough. It’s already honorable enough.

Sinful thoughts entangle her mind.

With a dying voice, Wooin muttered, “Imperial citizens…”

Wooin Historia is a hero.

“Innocent people…”

Because she’s a hero, she shouldn’t fall yet.

─Move.

It’s not over yet. It’s not the limit. The words shouted by instinct are all lies. You haven’t reached the limit yet. There’s still a bit of strength left. You have to squeeze out everything. Even if there’s only the minimum energy needed to survive, you have to squeeze it out.

It’s okay not to move forever. So, move for now.

It’s okay to die. If you’re going to die, move until the moment of death.

Move.

“Res… cue…”

One minute? One second? It doesn’t matter if it’s a really short time. No one knows what changes that brief time can bring. Right now, the best action ‘Hero Wooin’ can take is to stop time. Time, time.

“Can’t go…”

She pressed her hands to the ground. It seemed precarious, as if she might collapse at any moment.

To protect the Imperial citizens, to defend the Empire, she mustn’t pass through until all the Empire’s forces are gathered. She can’t pass through until all of them are assembled, just a bit more. Just a bit more.

“Aaah…”

Just a bit more.

“Haaaaa!”

She screamed in a roar. It was her final resistance, the last few drops of strength truly stuck to the bottom. Madness surpassing will, slowly raised her petite body. Wooin’s body swayed as if being manipulated by someone.

She rolled her shoulders back. All Wooin knows is how to overthrow authority. It’s what she’s most confident in, what she does best. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

To wager even a bit of injury. To stall for just a bit more time.

─The final strike pierces Devourer’s heart.

Thud.

It only lightly touched his chest.

They stood like that for a while. Blood flowing from her head dripped down her lips onto the floor. The bruised body was a darker shade of blue than Wooin’s hair.

Wooin Historia slumped down.

Her swollen lips trembled. Wooin, with blood-stained tears on her face, whispered with the last bit of strength,

“Imperial citizens…”

She collapsed to the ground, silent.

Devourer clicked his tongue.

He could have killed her instantly if he wanted. He had no intention of toying with her. He was just curious. Curious about how far a person with determination can go.

Well, the conclusion was quite satisfactory.

“Congratulations, it’s not a total defeat.”

Devourer said to the fallen Wooin. There were no other living humans around here. Yet, Wooin chased Devourer. Probably to stall for time, there was no other interpretation.

If the goal was to stop time, she held on quite long.

“Your name is Wooin, right? I’ll remember at least that much. I don’t know for how long tho.”

Devourer raised his left foot. The shadow of his left foot covered Wooin’s sky-blue hair, thick with congealed blood. It would easily shatter with a simple press of force.

It might seem brutal, but ending it with a swift blow to the head is a blessing for ending it without any pain. It was at least a minimum acknowledgment of Wooin’s perseverance.

Just before Devourer could exert force to smash Wooin’s head, he felt a few signs of presence.

Wondering if they are humans again, Devourer, annoyed, turned his gaze to where the signs were. Firstly, a few in the front. The numbers are annoying to count, but not significantly many.

─And one in the back.

Thud!

Something heavy struck the back of Devourer’s head. There was no damage, but the unexpected force caused a slight disturbance in Devourer’s vision. Devourer, who was already balancing on one leg, swayed as his body’s center of gravity shifted. In the midst of his staggering, the person behind quickly pushed the fallen Wooin aside. Ignoring the rolling Wooin as if she were an object, the person behind Devourer promptly retreated.

“You guys, what’s the sausage party? You’re all coming one by one instead of all at once?”

Expressing his irritation openly, Devourer asked. The once-hidden expression on his face seemed to have stopped hiding.

“Firstly, we had to use drastic methods to save Lady Wooin. Please forgive our rude actions.”

Among the humans who revealed themselves in front of Devourer, the man with long hair at the forefront answered. Among the humans, the black-haired one, which is almost unprecedented. He was dressed like the leader of the human group, and even though he was quite tall, he was smaller than Devourer in his polymorphed state. In his speech and actions, there was a sense of elegance. If Melju showed awkward elegance, this one seemed to possess a more refined and genuine sense of it.

“…Do you think apologizing after hitting me on the back of the head will make me forgive you?”

“Better late than never. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ar Edelbreas Garr Livistem, a knight of the Edelbreas Black Wolf Knights order, presenting myself to the mighty Devourer.”

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