Book 2 Chapter 25

**Chapter 49**

“Me, you say…?”

In the end, I found myself mumbling foolishly and blankly, without even realizing it.

Is this possible?

Rin never left any descendants, or is this what a doppelganger is? But how could it be exactly the same, not just similar?

“Listen, I absolutely loathe fighting strong enemies. It’s not fun. It’s just exhausting.”

“…?”

“Crushing those weaker than me is the most fun.”

Was being lost in confusion, with my breathing quickening, the cause of defeat?

Into the chill born of chaos, *snap*, the sharp sound of a joint breaking pierced through.

Libeni bent her left pinky finger in a grotesque direction, and at that moment, Rain’s body automatically switched to combat stance, concentrating magic power.

‘Flesh Sacrifice…!’

Black magic is characterized by greatly amplifying its power by offering physical pain as a sacrifice to the Abyss. In short, it uses self-harm to draw out supernatural power.

A chilling, negative aura rapidly converged in her grasp.

First, reading the runes with Bell Sidious, perfectly deflecting them, then opening his mental imagery… just then, Libeni smiled ominously.

“Wizards who pretend to be cool like you are the easiest to kill this way.”

And the direction Libeni extended her hand was… My hair stood on end from the chill.

It wasn’t me.

It was Hirfien’s group, who were retreating from the battlefield. Simultaneously, the Yin energy that had condensed in her hand burst forth with black currents, rushing towards the target in the form of a giant snake.

‘Damn it…’

I had forgotten. How vile black mages were.

In an instant, the eyes beyond the retinal membrane flashed crimson, and a light that interpreted the principles of the world with mathematics completely painted his mental imagery.

┏ 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 ┓

ㆍ The magic circle of the spell consists of three pentagons.

ㆍ The rune symbols used are a combination of Chant-type Altigma and Taboo-type Orbios, in a 3:7 ratio.

ㆍ Size 521 axel, range 337 gimite.

┗ 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 ┛

The power is that strong?

A way to block that… In a moment that felt like eternity, countless thoughts crossed his mind as if debating.

The most certain way would be to erase it with Bell Cyrillus, but doing so risked his brain being eroded by dark poison.

‘But magic powerful enough to block that starts from 4-star magic…’

No matter how fast I cast it now, the speed would be approximately 2 to 3 seconds too slow. It would be better to open my mental imagery now and kill this guy for sure.

– This is an investment in connections.

As if tearing through his thoughts, that voice deeply penetrated his mind. And another familiar voice too.

– Rin, helping someone is never a one-way street.

The star of death, scattering silver-white light in his eyes, reconfigured into a seven-pointed star. Ripples spread through the realm of principles.

– Someday.

Bell Cyrillus, an irrational power that severs the very arrangement of principles that constitute this world—matter, phenomena, and supernatural abilities—rendering them meaningless, interfered with the world line.

– The day will come when you receive back what Rin has given.

The ultimate power distorted the form of the poisonous aura. As if sucked into an invisible dimension, the poisonous aura seemed to be pulled in all directions, then scattered into countless particles the next moment.

“Ugh, ughhh…!”

He had no memory. Of how he had reverse-calculated and verified that without being engulfed by the Abyss.

When he came to his senses, blood flowed from both his eyes, and the ball of breath hanging beneath his chin violently burst out.

“My sorcery… Oh, my?”

Libeni, who had been staring in bewilderment at the unprecedented phenomenon, did not miss the opening and kicked off the ground, closing the distance.

She deflected the fireball Rain initially hurled with black magic, then split the staff he hastily raised in two with her scythe, and immediately extended the blade to deeply slash him from his side to his collarbone.

“Look at this, you leave yourself so open trying to protect someone. How easy is this?”

Rain was thrown back, spraying blood.

An indescribable coldness, which could only be called pain, spread from the incision throughout his body, choking him.

I need to breathe, I need to breathe… In the intense pain, as if countless insects were writhing through his veins and airways, his vision turned bluish-green.

‘I’ve been struck by dark poison…’

It was a familiar sensation of death.

Thoughts couldn't form into thoughts, and even the simple act of trying to get up felt clumsy and slow, as if in a dream.

Libeni sat by Rain’s head, grinning, seemingly pleased with the sight of him writhing on the ground in pain.

“How does it feel? The feeling of dying within 5 minutes? Is it thrilling? Unfair? What does it feel like for everything you’ve painstakingly built up to completely collapse in a few minutes?”

Now, if I could complete the Juyeosogyaedaeban magic square without delay, even now… would there be enough magic power? Could I calculate the mathematical formula?

He racked his brain desperately, but suddenly, he felt utterly fed up. What’s the point of coming back to life, what’s the point of being reborn as someone new in another future?

There would be nothing there. He would be alone again, with nothing. Just as he was about to give up everything, a memory flashed before his eyes.

– Rin, wait, Frida said. Pipi waited.

In an instant, he violently coughed up blood, desperately trying to raise his upper body with the last bit of strength in his fist.

If I give up here and now, Pipi will be alone… That fool who never gave up on me and kept waiting…

Libeni, looking down at Rain desperately resisting death, narrowed her eyes as if displeased.

‘Watching strong guys beg for their lives as they die is quite an amusing spectacle.’

This one is really no fun. I should just kill him immediately. Yeah, that would feel better… It was at that moment she raised her scythe.

*Whoosh—!*

A sharp whistling sound ripped through the air as a flash of light, crossing space, suddenly changed its trajectory to one spot.

If Libeni hadn’t thrown herself aside, five flaming arrows would have pierced her body where she stood.

“Hmm, fire magic power, huh…?”

To be able to imbue arrows with such magic power, no, elemental magic power, was proof of a top-tier archer.

The moment she guarded the direction the arrows came from, *CRASH*, the outer wall behind them shattered into pieces, sending debris flying wildly in all directions.

Then, from within the dust of the collapse, a figure in black steel suddenly stomped out.

“What the?!”

As Libeni raised her scythe with annoyance, another volley of flaming arrows poured down on her.

Such firing speed and accuracy… an undeniable master archer.

In that gap, the mysterious figure hoisted the fallen Rain onto his shoulder and began to flee, breaking through the opposite wall.

“Those bastards… Millec, what are you doing?!”

Then, the darkness clinging to the outer wall seemed to boil, and a man in a dark blue robe stepped out.

He was holding a blood-dripping head in his left hand and shook it as proof before Libeni could erupt in annoyance.

“I was dealing with the Obungyeong as ordered. I killed two. This woman is the one I just killed.”

Despite being immensely powerful, Libeni did not enjoy fighting other strong individuals. Her pleasure was in slaughtering the weak.

Therefore, while Libeni engaged in massacres against the weak, dealing with the strong was always Millec’s role.

“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! Because Millec isn’t doing his job properly, those Obungyeong or whatever mouse-like things are interfering with my hunt!”

As Libeni whined, repeatedly hitting Millec’s chest with her fist, Millec sighed and shook his head.

“Mouse-like things, you say?”

At that moment, a shadow swirled like a storm on the southwest roof, then coalesced into a single form.

And then another, and another.

All were masters whose movements made not a single sound, and their entire bodies were armed with countless daggers. They were the Obungyeong of the Thieves’ Guild.

“What are these small fry?”

“‘Jill’ and ‘Rung’ were defeated by these things?”

Then, the girlish appearance Millec saw vanished abruptly, and Libeni, looking up at them with cold eyes, raised an eyebrow.

“There are three. Did Millec really kill two of them all by himself?”

“Why would I lie about something like this?”

“That’s odd. Then what were those just now?”

* * *

‘The world, the world is shaking… What is it…?’

In the shaking that felt like his head would shatter, Rain barely managed to lift his eyelids.

His eye level was quite high.

The sensation of the material touching the wound on his abdomen was cold iron. It was black iron that ominously absorbed all light.

Someone else was being carried on the opposite side of that black iron, and when Rain’s gaze met theirs, they waved cheerfully.

“It’s me, Brother Rain!”

A plump face with a gentle smile… The moment that voice was heard, why did his eyes suddenly well up with tears?

“If you ask why I’m being carried like this, it’s because my running is very slow, *ahem*. As you can see, I waddle because of my belly fat.”

Following that, the archer, skillfully running across the rooftops, landed gracefully beside the mysterious figure, then reacted dramatically upon seeing Rain.

“No, who is this?! I found some dying idiot and saved him out of pity, but isn’t it that crazy kid who seeks natural encounters in a labyrinth?!”

As Rain stared blankly, Rem the archer gave a victorious V-sign with his right hand.

“Rem, Sammy…?”

“Yeah, I’ll let it slide since you recognized me. It’s Lord Rem, the world’s greatest archer.”

“You, you all, why…?”

Soon, the mysterious figure carrying Rain, Bart of the Black Iron, spoke.

“I promised then. That no matter when, I would definitely help you when you needed it.”

“…!”

“I felt that now was that moment, so I stepped forward. It wasn’t an unnecessary interference, was it?”

When he heard those warm words, why, a tear welled up and trembled.

It wasn't due to the relief of escaping the threshold of death. It must have been because of a similar memory from his Hero Party days that flashed vividly in his mind for a moment.

Rain turned his head away from Rem to hide his tears and muttered.

“It was unnecessary interference… I was just about to finish it off.”

“Hey, hey, what are you trying to pull? Heaven knows, earth knows, even James from next door knows you were standing at the gates of the underworld, you idiot!”

“…I was just pretending to be dead?”

This kid, being bashful… Rem chuckled mischievously, and Sammy chimed in.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Brother! You’re just receiving your rightful reward. Actually, we followed you from <Golden Rose> just in case something like this happened.”

“Hey, you moron, why would you tell him that?!”

That’s right. The guild receptionist had told the three of them that Rain had taken the <Ledacable> quest…

Because dangerous rumors about the <Ledacable> black market had been circulating.

Rain felt speechless for a moment. So, these guys, they followed me all this way because they were worried something might happen to me…?

“Bart, that way looks good.”

Bart put Rain down in a spot Rem judged safe. Sammy immediately examined Rain’s wound.

“What a terrible stench, this is the dark poison I’ve only heard about…”

As Sammy pinched his nose and frowned, Rem, keeping watch, asked.

“Sammy-Sammy, can you do it?”

“Of course I learned the cleansing spell. I’ll give it a try.”

Sammy rolled up his sleeves, opened the holy book, and began to recite the story of Tercia.

Dark poison, which erodes not only the body but even the soul, can only be healed by a cleric. Strictly speaking, it should be called atonement rather than healing.

Dark poison cannot be completely purified in an instant. Clerics transferred the dark poison into their own bodies and gradually neutralized it.

It was a fragment of the miracle left on this earth by the goddess Tercia, who atoned for all the abysses that had engulfed the world within her own body, opening the Age of Light.

The only miracle humanity could use was this gift of Tercia’s atonement.

“Mother of Radiance, by the light of mercy you bestowed upon us before creation, soothe this pain.”

The warmth of light flowed from the holy book, beginning to supply warmth to Rain’s body, which had been growing cold from the dark poison’s erosion.

– The day will come when you receive back what Rin has given.

In the past, Frida had healed his dark poison, and Rista and Kies had stayed by his side… To feel such warmth again, a day like this has come.

“Phew, they’re already chasing us. What kind of monsters are they anyway?”

“We’ll buy as much time as we can.”

“I’ll hurry too.”

As Rem and Bart gravely gripped their weapons, a stifled, grumbling voice escaped Rain, who had bowed his head, concealing his expression.

“Bart, Rem, Sammy…”

“?”

“Just… thank you.”

It was the boy’s heartfelt sincerity, barely squeezed out, the deep voice that the Great Mage, who had been unable to be honest with himself or others, finally managed to bring forth.

Bart’s group wasn't foolish enough not to recognize such sincerity from the boy.

Bart exchanged a smile with Rem, then clanked forward in his armor and placed a hand on Rain’s head.

“No need to say that. We’re comrades. Comrades help each other out, that’s just how it is.”

“Yeah, you idiot. Stop acting out of character. As the sassy little kid you are, you should be teasing us about why we’re so late at a time like this.”

Rain wiped away a few stray tears and nodded vigorously. Then he forced a smile.

“Why are you so late… you slowpokes.”

Rem and Bart chuckled, and a smile spread across Sammy’s pale face, as he was communing with the heavens.

The joy of reunion was brief. Rain raised his index finger to Rem and Bart, who were about to leave to face the killing intent drawing near.

“Ten minutes, just ten minutes, hold them off…”

“Ten minutes?”

“Then I’ll finish them for sure. Just ten minutes…”

At that, Rem scoffed.

“We can hold them off for an hour. Stop bragging and just get well quickly. Before you end up seeking a natural encounter in the underworld.”