Chapter 308

Chapter 308

They werent the only ones?

Cadel swallowed hard, dry heaving in Vans arms. Outside the shop. The streets, which had been devoid of even a single rat, were lined with countless of the little demons theyd seen in the warehouse.

They filled the roofs of buildings, the shelves of stalls, and the crevices of narrow alleys, shrieking in unison as if they were cheering.

It was like being a gladiator in a small towns arena. Van was equally dumbfounded, his expression tinged with defeat as he watched the demons surround him in such a dense formation.

Ill run, Commander.

What? Youre going to run through them?

There are too many of them to deal with one by one, and even if a handful manage to cling on, its best to get out of here first

We dont know how far theyve spread, and if theyre all over the village, well have to fight them anyway, even if we can get out of this street. Drop me off.

What are you going to do with that body now?

Cadel was struggling just to keep the barrier up. If he unleashed his magic against all those demons, it would only be a matter of time before he collapsed. Van didnt want to put Cadel down, but Cadel resolutely shoved him off his shoulder.

The same goes for your condition, Van. If we drag on like this, only we will be at a disadvantage.

Despite being himself, Van was in a bad condition, and rightfully so. Hed been on a rampage for what seemed like an eternity, fighting uncontrollably, and there was no way he could have been unharmed for that long.

Van hesitated but finally let Cadel down when Cadel insisted. The demons movements were erratic. Their screams were slowly dying down, and they were slowly closing in on the surroundings.

Their movements were haphazard, cautious, and coordinated. A moments lapse in attention would be a moments devouring.

Ill prepare the magic spell, just keep an eye on them.

Steadying himself with his legs, Cadel regenerated the barrier hed briefly lifted. Adjusting his greatsword, Van narrowed his eyes at the wind that surrounded him.

Dont we have the Scarlet Dragons armor? If you keep the barrier up, Commanders mana will be. Yôur favorite novels at n/o(v)el/bin(.)com

Oh, that. It was briefly confiscated.

What?

We cant use it now.

Cadel couldnt help but look at him incredulously. As Kunras finalization work was coming to a close, he declared that since Cadel wasnt going to use it now, he would return the power to speed things up. Cadel didnt think much of it at the time, but if he had known this would happen, he should have resisted.

Smiling bitterly, Cadel readied his AoE [Ignition Bullets]. It was a gamble to deploy [Ignition Bullets] in this condition. If he couldnt focus his consciousness until the end, the spell would fail. He could feel in his gut that he was going to break down in the middle of it. But as with any magic, there was nothing he could do about it.

One chance. Cadel knew he only had one chance left, and he was determined to fill it with his ultimate.

Its all or nothing. If I fail and collapse, Ill have to leave everything to Van.

Van couldnt be satisfied with the same sacrificial relationship anymore. Yeohwan had to know that.

Damn.

They traveled for a while, but there was no new village in sight. The plain ended, and Van could see mountains in the distance. He wondered if he had to cross that mountain to find a village.

If only I could have contacted the others.

In his desperation, he couldnt think of a way to call for help. At least if he had been able to use his magic, he could have gotten him to the village somehow. All Van had was a damned aura that ate some of its masters life force, and it was useless.

The helplessness continued as he trudged up the mountain, carrying Cadel on his back. He huffed and puffed his way up the mountain, but the slope was steeper than hed expected, so he didnt get very far. After fighting demons for what seemed like an eternity, his stamina was wearing thin, and the sound of Cadels fading breathing was eating away at his sanity.

Im just going to wait until the sun comes up, so please hang in there.

Van didnt stop climbing until it was completely dark and the visibility was poor. Unable to find a suitable campsite, he spread a cloth under a thick tree and laid Cadel down.

Sweat dripped from Cadels bloodless face and shivering body. Van picked out a clean piece of clothing, tore it off, and wiped Cadels face with water from his water bottle. There was an occasional grunt of pain. For now, even that sound was a relief.

Cadel kept shivering, probably from the drop in temperature. Still, there was nothing to cover him. Van increased the flames of the barely lit campfire, but the shivering showed no sign of abating. Hesitantly, Van soon lay down beside Cadel and hugged him tightly. He rubbed his arms, hoping to get a little warmer, and concentrated on his ragged breathing.

For hours, they lay awake, waiting for daylight. Slowly, the darkness lifted, letting in the damp air of dawn. Sharpened eyes scanned the deep blue sky.

This should be enough to get me moving.

It was enough to get a clear view of the ground. Not wanting to waste any time, Van hesitantly pulled himself up. Cadels face looked more relaxed than before, thanks to the shared body heat, but it was far from reassuring.

With a hasty touch, Van lifted the untied bag. The potion inside tumbled out with a splash.

?

It hadnt fallen through the opening, it had fallen through the bottom. When he looked at the bottom of the bag, he saw a hole the size of his palm.

When is there a hole?

At least not in the village, because if it had, everything in the bag would have been lost on the way here, and that would have been true on the mountain as well. Vans expression turned grim as he checked the contents of the bag.

The item is intact. Theres no way I could have dropped anything with a hole this big.

That would mean the hole was created within the first few hours of camping here. His senses were on high alert, but there was no sign of anything approaching.

An unpleasant tension creept up his spine. He had a bad feeling, and it was soon to be proven true.

Hyaat!

A scream he never wanted to hear again rang in his ears. At the end of his reflexive glance, Van saw a sight that made him doubt his eyes.

A small demon that had managed to survive the endless bombardment of fire. The tenacious creature was spawning.