Flamm lost her sense of time.
She didn’t know how long has she been looking down at the floor unblinking.
It felt like a forever, but in reality, it might have only been several hours.
The hallway where she slumped was still dark, for dawn has yet to break.
Her body seeks fluid intake, yet she hadn’t even the strength to stand and head for the kitchen.
Clatter,
By then, the door behind her shook.
The doorknob clattered as it twists, and the door itself hits the girl on the back several times.
“Huh? The door isn’t opening…but why? It shouldn’t be locked though…?”
She could hear Ink’s voice from inside the room.
Flamm’s body twitched.
Should she step away from the door?
However…what’s next?
There’s only one answer.
Ink is, without a doubt, something similar to that monster she saw in the research facility.
Then…Then—
“Wah, it opens…huh? Is someone there?”
Flamm stepped away from the door, and while still crouching on one knee, she took out her Soul Eater.
She pointed the edge of the black blade towards the girl.
“Haa…haa…haa…”
“I could only hear breathing…Is it you, Flamm? Hey, please say something.”
Her face was—Ink’s normal face.
Is there a requirement for her to show this face? Or did she change it intentionally?
She doesn’t know…but she can no longer believe anything.
The one thing she can be sure is the sight she saw earlier…the nightmarish sight where her face turned into a vortex spewing eyeballs.
Sarah had disappeared.
Milkit and Eterna did not return.
Countless other people had also died.
All of that was because of her.
Flamm stood up.
She put strength on both hands that gripped the hilt of her sword.
She just needs to swing it down.
If she does……would it be enough to kill her?
No, if she is truly similar to that thing, her open wounds would turn into another vortex. She would not die until her core has been destroyed.
Where would her core be? Would it be in her heart? Or could it possibly be somewhere else?
Flamm would need to confirm its location, so she would need to cut her up……she’d need to…cut her…!
“You’re there, right? Welcome back, Flamm. I’m sorry, looks like I fell asleep last night. Maybe I sleepwalked, because when I woke up I was already on the second floor. It happens a lot in the past, you know? That’s why everyone used to scold me saying “your sleeping habits are so bad!””
“…kh…fuh…”
“Oh Flamm, are you pulling a prank on me? My ears are great so I could hear just fine, you know? Even if you’re this quiet, I can hear the sound of your heartbeat.”
Ink talked to Flamm as she always does.
Does she kill her?
Can she even kill this girl?
Could it be that what she saw was someone who is not Ink?
Yes, she was taken over.
That thing emerged when she was asleep, intentionally showing itself to frighten Flamm.
It all makes sense when she puts it like that.
It makes sense—but what would it mean?
“Ink…”
In the end, Flamm called out her name.
A relieved expression floats up to her face, though the next instant, her cheeks puffed with anger.
“You finally replied. I would’ve been worried if it wasn’t you, you know?” she said, showing an expression that befits a human of her age.
She’s a person.
Rather, what would she be if she’s not a person?
It could stay as a monster, yet why did it turn back into a human?
It must have been to corner Flamm, or to throw her off her guard.
Though if that is its objective, it could just kill her directly when they spent their time living together.
So why did it not do that?
Why? Why? Why?
Flamm didn’t know anything. No matter how long she thought about it, the answer wouldn’t come up, and thus, she couldn’t accept it.
“Judging by how you are, I guess you didn’t find the other two. It’s unfortunate, but they might come back when it gets brighter tomorrow—”
“Hey, Ink…did you not remember?”
And thus, she asked.
From the pits of despair, she reached her hands out.
Ink tilts her head.
“Remember what?”
With her parched throat, Flamm replied; “That you…turned…into a monster…that spews eyeballs…”
“…What? If you’re joking, that’s too far, Flamm!”
“No! I’m not joking, and that wasn’t an illusion either! Until just now, you really turned into a monster in front of me! I saw it!”
Flamm’s griefs echoed in the house where none other than the two are present.
That voice of her faintly leaked outside.
“F-Flamm…That’s not…”
“It is possible! I didn’t mistake anything. I heard it, I smelled it, and I even remembered the temperature! You clearly weren’t human back then! You were a monster that spits out eyeballs! Hey, tell me the truth. What are you, Ink? Where did you come from!?”
Ink probably could tell from the tone of voice that Flamm was telling the truth.
Countless times has Ink whispered “that’s not it…that’s not it…” as she shook her head.
Placing her hand on the wall to grasp her position, she stepped away from Flamm.
“I’m a human!”
“No, you’re not!”
Her words were met with an instant denial.
Neither of the two are lying to each other. The two were confronting each other precisely because they both believed that they weren’t lying.
“I’m a humaann…”
“Those eyeballs were the one who chased after Sarah.”
“N-No…I didn’t do it…!”
“A lot of other people had fallen victims to it.”
Flamm kept spouting her thoughts with anger, while its target, Ink, could only be baffled by the sudden abhorrence from the person she believed in.
Yet…the girl did not think that this hatred is irrational.
She had a sliver of thought that perhaps she’s right, which only made Flamm’s words hurt more.
“I don’t know! I don’t know!”
“And now Milkit and Eterna is not coming back!”
“No! You’re wrong! You’re wrong! Why won’t you believe mee!?”
“Obviously because I saw it! Are you telling me to believe you after showing me that!?”
Flamm didn’t even want to say this if she doesn’t have to.
She would believe in the girl as long as she could.
She thought that this could be a place Ink could belong to, just like how Flamm and Milkit found a place they belong after their encounter with each other.
However…everything…completely crumbled.
“I’m…I’m not a monster…I’m not a monster…!”, said Ink, and she turned to climb down the stairs.
As she did, she tripped over and tumbled all the way to the first floor, and as her entire body throbs with pain, tears spilled from her sewn eyes.
She quickly wipes her tears away with her shirt…the shirt that had a sweet scent of Flamm, the person who lent it to her.
The memories of the past several days floods back to her that only made her even more sorrowful.
That sorrow got her up to her feet and pushed her to run down the hallway, and despite staggering as her shoulders glanced off walls, she passed the entrance and dashed outside barefooted.
The chill of the night feels like it’s telling her…that she’s in solitude.
Flamm didn’t even try to stop the girl.
Her Soul Eater dropped to the ground with a loud thud as she dropped to her knees.
She shut her eyes and raised her face, and just like Ink, Flamm cried.
The girl herself didn’t know for what reason does her tears spill.
The combination of various laments materializes in the form of those teardrops.
“Kh…AAAAAAAAHHHH!! AAHH…AAAHH…AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!”
Her feelings that couldn’t go anywhere turned into a yell, and Flamm roared as if she has lost her mind.
She held her head with both hands and placed her forehead on the floor, before once again, she screamed.
The girl smashed her forehead on the floor repeatedly until she bleeds, punishing herself with the pain it brought…and with her withering voice…she screamed once more.
As Ink was about to leave, she inadvertently stopped on her tracks as she heard the voice from inside the house.
She was not the only one lamenting.
She was not the only one suffering.
The feeling behind that scream was neither a lie nor transient; that feeling was truly based on something she experienced.
In other words, Flamm was telling the truth.
It was not a dream.
Ink was convinced…that Flamm had truly saw her turn into a monster.
“Fu…guh…uh…uu……”
Ink bit her lip, and she weeps as her shoulders tremble.
She wanted to believe that it was not possible.
Yet at the same time, she understood that the facility she was raised in was not normal.
The girl didn’t know what they have done with her or for what reason had she been raised there.
All because she was an ostracized, good-for-nothing.
Though if she knew that this would happen, she wouldn’t have ran away.
She would continue to live like a clueless livestock in a small garden.
She wouldn’t have gotten the chance of obtaining the happiness of an ordinary person, but at the very least, she wouldn’t have to go through this suffering.
“Fla—MMPH!?”
Just when she was about to take the first step back into the house, someone bound her hands behind her back and covered her mouth.
Judging by the size of the hand and the strength of the person, it was likely to be a man.
Despite her struggle and resistance, it doesn’t look like she could break free, though when the hand that covers her mouth loosened, the girl screamed desperately.
Flamm heard Ink’s scream as she lay dazed with her forehead on the floor.
Her scream was immediately interrupted, but it was definitely her scream.
Is she perhaps being attacked by someone?
I have to save her, she thought on reflex and immediately stood up.
However, she stopped herself.
“Haa…ah…what..what would I do after saving her…?”
What would she do after she had driven the girl out as if she’s a monster?
“…aah,”
The fake “justice” in her heart lifts her head.
That’s the type of person she is.
“Still…”
What is she doing, playing hero even when Milkit is not around?
Flamm, too, didn’t understand herself.
However, she doesn’t seem to be able to hold herself back.
“I still…have to save her…even though I know I’ll regret it…!” she thought, leaving behind her reasons.
This means she must not think of what happens after.
She just needs to think about it when she gets there.
For now, she needs to save Ink so that she can have a future where she can choose whether to let her live or kill her.
Flamm descends the stairs as her Soul Eater disperses into thin air and returned to being a seal on her palm.
The moment she reached the hallway on the first floor, she ran straight outside as fast as she could.
As she took a leap outside, light particles converged on her feet, and the Epic leather boots equips itself,
She landed sliding, and immediately, she looked around her.
Ink was—there, with her arms bound on her back by a man with a large build.
“INK!”
“Whoops, there she comes, huh.”
“Dain…! What are you doing here!?”
“What? Isn’t it obvious that I’m here to find this runaway guinea pig? I felt that she might be here and turns out I’m right. Smart, aren’t I?” Dain said.
He tightens his grip on Ink who suffers as she writhed.
“Let go of Ink!”
“Shit, I’ve got my own shit to deal with too y’know? ‘sides, this runt came out running herself. Did’ya have a fight or somethin’? Can’t say I don’t feel ya. I heard ya’ sayin “YOU MONSTER” and shit. Poor runt. It’s true though, HYAHAHAHAHA!”
“You…YOU BASTARDD!!”
“Ooh, scary. Sorry that I spit facts.”
Despite what he said, Dain still looks as easygoing as ever.
“Ey, Flamm, do you know why this brat is called a useless failiure?”
“No, and I don’t want to know!”
“Welp, just listen for a tick, will ya. This girl doesn’t know as much as you do that she’s a murderous monster. You know why?”
“Mmmm…!!”
Murderous monster.
Hearing those words, Ink responded as she faced down.
She must not have wanted to know.
Yet Dain didn’t pay any attention to her…no, he rather looked like he’s enjoying himself as he started telling the truth.
“It’s because the Origin’s power can only manifest itself if she’s in a state of “deep sleep”. Origin’s power can only control over her body if she’s unconscious. Even when she’s livin’ with ya, those gentle eyeballs they call automatic defense function spat out by that disgustin’ face only functions when every one of ya was sleepin’. Funny ain’t it? The one creating the things that corners yer friend and even that slave yer protecting is right under yer nose the entire time! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
“You…you knew about Milkit and Eterna!?”
“Knew? I was the one who tricked them to have the eyes on their tail. They’ve probably turned into those disgusting pile of meat right about now!”
“—kh! I’ll kill you…I’LL DEFINITELY KILL YOUUUU!”
Flamm took out her sword and charged at Dain.
“Whoa there, I have a duty to send this runaway monster back. I’ll leave the distractions to these guys.”
Right as Dain said his mark, several of his men hiding nearby revealed themselves.
Their eyes are all dead.
It’s likely that the church had done something to them.
How pitiful.
Even though they were Dain’s allies that had believed in him for such a long time, their consciousness had been taken away as they waited for church service, and now they’re left being treated as a tool.
“The employer said to not kill Flamm Apricot…welp, no matter, I myself want to kill you, but let me give you a warning.”
“…warning?”
“Yeap, I’m just being kind to ya. Anyways, don’t you lay your hands on those guys. Run, and don’t even think of going after me. Those guys are officially church members.”
“Are you trying to beg for your life!?”
“Hahahah! Of course not! I’m saying this with you in mind, ya’ know? I could control myself as long as I see those eyes of yours. Welp, do your best surviving!”
“Mmmpphh!!”
Leaving those words behind, Dain took Ink and ran away.
The girl in question stretched her hand out towards Flamm as if she’s begging to be saved.
“IINNNKKK!!!!!”
Flamm yelled the girl’s name and stepped forward, but Dain’s subordinates stood in her way.
About 10 men surrounded Flamm, each holding various close-combat weapons like shortswords, spears and blunt weapons.
There are even some men wielding bows, bowguns and slings standing further away and on the rooftops.
One could consider it overkill considering their opponent is a lone girl.
Flamm scanned one of the man nearby to confirm their abilities.
——————————————————————————
Gauguin Torres
Attribute: Fire
Strength: 611
Intelligence: 422
Endurance: 580
Agility: 412
Intuition: 457
——————————————————————————
His total number is 2,482, a strong C-rank.
He’s a quite capable adventurer; perhaps he’s the leading figure of the group.
Just to be safe, she decided to scan another man.
——————————————————————————
Gauguin Torres
Attribute: Fire
Strength: 611
Intelligence: 422
Endurance: 580
Agility: 412
Intuition: 457
——————————————————————————
“It’s…the exact same!?”
Is that even possible?
The same given and family name aside, is it possible that they have the same value on their statuses?
She tried scanning the person next to him, and—
——————————————————————————
Gauguin Torres
Attribute: Fire
Strength: 611
Intelligence: 422
Endurance: 580
Agility: 412
Intuition: 457
——————————————————————————
It also shows the same result.
This means that despite their difference in appearances, Dain’s subordinates that surround her all had the same strength.
Seeing this blatant show, Flamm is not even surprised.
“This must have also been the church’s doing.”
This iis definitely the power of those “cores”.
Dain sold his friends so he could be one of the church members.
She could tell by looking that these guys have probably lost their minds.
As if there are people who wishes to be like this.
Flam gnashed her teeth.
She wouldn’t say that these people are innocent.
However, these guys all look up to Dain in one way or another.
And he betrayed them to save himself…
“Everything about him…is unforgivable…”
She empowered herself with her anger and leaped forward to charge at the men.
This is the first time for her to fight a large number of people.
Her opponents are adventurers that had slightly lower status than hers, and if she considers their number, there’s no way she could win.
She had to use all of her advantages to see a chance of victory, be it her regenerative power or her Reverse spell.
As a start, she needs to whittle down the enemies to take away their superior number.
Fwish!
Flamm swung her Soul Eater horizontally, but the men who were in range of her blade avoided by leaping away.
The moment Flamm swung her sword, she could hear a whistling sound coming from above.
She saw an arrow on the edge of her field of vision, aimed at her feet.
She charged her mana, and when she was hit with a sharp pain,
“Reversal!”
She casted her spell.
As a result, the arrow changed its direction and shoots back towards its owner, but the man twists his body and evaded.
Flamm clicked her tongue instinctively.
She could’ve finished one off just like that, but it didn’t happen.
She had known that the men would attack her like this, that’s why she could cast her Reversal spell.
If that was a surprise attack, she wouldn’t have managed to pull it off.
She steeled herself again immediately afterwards.
The moment the man she slashed at retreated, another man wielding a spear in front of him thrusts his weapon towards her body.
With a stab, Flamm purposely took on the hit.
There’s only one way for her to overcome his advantage of the long reach of his weapon, so she grit her teeth and forcibly pushed forward.
The sharp end of the spear buries itself into her shoulder.
Her blood spews, and the heated feel from the stabbing brought her severe pain.
The girl showed a pained expression for a split second, but then she exhaled and suppressed her feelings.
To make sure that the man won’t take the spear back easily, she held onto the spearhandle and robbed the man of his weapon.
She confirmed that the man had released the spear, she pulled it out from her shoulder and threw it on the ground.
At the same time, two men wielding a sword each charged in from both sides, and another man wielding a spear is closing in from behind.
She had no choice but to go forward.
Flamm struggled through the flurry of blades attacking her and swung her sword towards the unarmed man.
Flamm thought that her rush was imperfect, so the man must be able to dodge this strike—but,
“Fu…!”
The man charged in, and with a twist of his fist, he hit Flamm on her abdomen.
“Ga…ha…!?”
The impact shook her internal organs, expelling all the air she had in her lungs.
His movement is too skillful…so his primary weapon wasn’t a spear?
No, his movement when using the spear wasn’t one you could call amateurish either.
He’s good at using the spear and his fists…would a man that skilled be content by being Dain’s underling?
A single possibility appears on Flamm’s mind.
Is it possible that these guys also shared not only their abilities but their skills as well?
As she staggered, Flamm was impaled from behind.
The man quickly pulled out the spear and unleashed another attack immediately.
“A…guh…”
At the same time, the man on her right charged in, aiming for an attack to her neck.
Flamm defended herself with her right arm, but that ended up with her right arm being cut off instead.
“I…giiiiihhh…!”
Furthermore, an arrow whistled in from her front, burying itself into her shoulders.
A fireball was shot from the roof to her left, and as it explodes on her left leg, it gouged her flesh and caused her to tumble to the right.
“U……gu…aah…!”
Every parts of her body is hurting and it robbed her of her freedom of movement.
The difference of strength between them is too overwhelming.
Fighting this many people in such an open space is reckless, and it was near impossible for her to make her way to an alleyway.
Prioritizing ease of movement, the collapsed girl removed her Soul Eater.
With her power, she made a cartwheel and rolled behind the man wielding a sword.
“AAAAHH!!”
Afterwards, she swung her hand as she instantly rematerialize her Soul Eater, aiming to cut the man’s neck.
Fwish!
However, even without looking back, the man ducked down and evaded that strike.
—No way.
Flamm’s eyes widened.
Did he have eyes on the back of his head? She could’ve had him.
…maybe there’s another thing that the men shared.
Perhaps not only that they shared their skills and abilities…they also shared their five senses.
Otherwise, there were no other way the man could’ve evaded that attack.
In the moment of her surprise, more blades, spears, arrows and spells assaulted her.
Even if she rolls away to evade the attacks, the intensity of their attacks persist.
She remembered what Dain told her, which pissed her off further.
She didn’t want to admit that she had to follow his warning.
However, she had no choice but to run away.
Pitching forward as if she’s falling over, she rushed to the entrance of the nearest alleyway.
She still felt pain despite her injuries being healed already, but it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t move.
The men chased after her.
However, the men would have difficulties chasing after her, and the narrow alleyway can make a situation where they would have to fight Flamm one-on-one.
Despite stumbling over and over, Flamm desperately ran.
Just a bit more…just a bit more and she’ll get there.
That’s…what she thought.
Two fireballs grazed her on both sides, hitting the outer walls of the houses and exploded.
The walls collapse and the rubble blocked her way.
She probably could climb over the rubble, but with this many people chasing after her, they would definitely not let her do so unscathed.
Flamm impatiently turned around, but that instant, arrows pierced her stomach and her thighs.
“Ha…AAAAAHHH!!”
She immediately pulled them out.
“Hah…hah…hah…”
Her eyes widened from the pain, and her breathing turned rugged.
More arrows and spell bolts were fired at her without delay, and a man wielding a one-handed mace approached her as he dodged the incoming projectiles.
Flamm desperately swings her Soul Eater.
Her strikes were dodged without question, and the man closed his distance and raised the lump of metal at her.
If she were to counterattack in an obvious way, all the men would know about it due to their shared senses and they would make a move to avoid it.
There’s no other choice but to take on their attacks.
However, Flamm smiled.
She focuses her mana to her feet and sent it to the stone pavement that spans several dozens of centimeters around her through the tip of her toes.
“Reversal!”
The moment she cast her spell, the pavement turned inside-out.
As he heard a dull sound, the legs of the man in front of her turned into an angle it’s not supposed to go as they got caught under the stone.
Losing his balance, his body lurched forward.
With this, there’s no way for him to dodge no matter how many angles he could see himself in.
“SOORYAAA!”
She landed a strike with her all as she raised a shout, cleaving the defenseless man from his right shoulder down to his left flank, and that instant, the cross section froze immediately.
“That’s one!”
There’s still a clear difference in numbers between her and her enemies, but a kill is a kill, and the intensity of the enemy’s attack would be reduced regardless.
Despite seeing their ally slain, the rest of the men didn’t react.
They truly has lost their mind.
They had consolidated their consciousness, turning into something that couldn’t be called human.
They’re nothing but dolls that can only serve Dain’s command.
Though, perhaps because of that, Flamm didn’t feel the guilt of killing a human.
Flamm avoided a spell bolt aimed at her leg and pointed the tip of her blade at the men.
Now that she had used her trick, it would be difficult for them to fall for another one.
As she thought about how to deal with the second enemy, she heard the sound of something dropping.
Glancing to the side where she heard the sound, she saw…eyeballs dropping.
“…huh?”
It would be fine if there was only one of them…but following that, countless spheres kept dropping like a squall.
Not only were they coming from above, the eyeballs are flooding in from the gutters, from behind her and even from where the men are charging at her.
“Is that…what he meant…!?”
This is what Dain was warning her about.
Flamm finally understood what he meant when he said “don’t lay your hands on these men. Run.”
Ink is not aware that she kills people.
She’s not aware that she is a monster.
This means that everything has nothing to do with will; the power she has are activated spontaneously.
It’s an automated defense.
It attacks those who are involved with the church…no, considering that Sarah and the knights are involved, that was not it.
It’s likely an uncontrollable defense system that tried to protect the confidential information regarding the experiments. That was the true nature of those disgusting eyeballs that Ink produces.
Flamm finally saw the last thing those poor people saw at the end of their life.
She instinctively jumped away to distance herself, yet she was too late. The eyeballs that had glued itself to her boots invaded her body.
There were no pain—only disgust.
“HII…!!”
Flamm’s body froze.
The eyeballs crawled up into her shin, and after it went into her leg, her boot swells as another foot grew out from her shin.
“T-this…guh…disgusting…!”
Perhaps feeling as if the two feet are stacked on top of each other, Flamm couldn’t properly manage the strength of her leg and maintain a steady footing.
At that moment, a man wielding a short sword charged in on her, aiming straight for her heart.
Flamm promptly took the hit with her hand.
“Ack…guh…”
The blade pierced through her palm.
The man was about to pull his sword back to unleash another attack, but Flamm grabbed the sword by its hilt and prevented him from doing so.
The physical strength of the two are about even, so considering Flamm’s injury, she might have been in a disadvantage, but Flamm kicked the man’s leg and ruined his posture, causing him to fall over to the sea of eyeballs.
Like a bunch of spiders, the eyeballs scattered to avoid the falling man.
It seems like it had the function to not injure its allies.
However, those that had no time to avoid the man ended up touching him, and that instant, the eyeballs entered his body, and the man grew another arm and leg.
Perhaps because his internal organs also multiplied, his body part that touched the ground swells in a warp shape.
The man writhed as he tried to get up, but unable to properly use his limbs, he ended up only wriggling on the ground like a maggot.
“That’s…two!” she declared to encourage herself.
However, there are still a lot of enemies she had to face.
Her movement speed dropped because she had another foot, but she could still avoid the arrows and spells coming her way by a hair’s breadth.
She turned some of them back with Reversal, but because of the enemy’s shared senses, she couldn’t hit them back.
Because of the eyeballs, her plan of fighting the enemy little by little has been thrown out the window.
Are there any place that could be advantageous for her?
Flamm turned away from the men and ran to look for advantages, but because of her other foot, she couldn’t run as fast as she usually could.
With this much people she had to go against, it definitely would be a fight of attrition.
The growth of her foot is not considered an “injury”, which means that the Soul Eater is not going to regenerate it.
That’s why…the girl stabbed the Soul Eater to the ground and sent a kick towards it.
“Kkh…GAAAAAHHH…!!”
Slice.
Along with Flamm’s voice of anguish, she cut her foot off.
Losing her foot, Flamm advanced forward using her sword as a cane.
If she stops, she’ll fall victim to those eyeballs.
She could only advance this slowly until she regenerates her foot back, but it’s still better than having to drag another foot with her.
She finally regenerated to full health before the men could catch up on her.
Due to the increased agility from her boots, Flamm could run away from the men.
By then, she saw some knights in front of her.
There were 5 of them.
Dain’s subordinates aside, she couldn’t let them get swallowed up by those eyeballs, thus Flamm ran up to the plate armor-clad men to warn them.
“Hey, this place is dangerous…so…you should…”
However, the knights suddenly drew their swords all at the same time, the well-polished golden blade reflects the streetlight.
Flamm scans the men, and she found that although they were different than Dain’s underlings, all five of them had the exact same status as well.
“No way…from both sides!?”
The church were thorough.
It was unclear if they’re going to capture her or kill her; what is clear is that they are not going to run away from Flamm.
Gripping on her Soul Eater, Flamm looked to all sides where the enemies surround her.
Adventurers, Knights, Eyeballs.
There were too many of them. How could she cut her way through them all?
Her hand trembles, and the tip of her blade wavered.
The feeling of solitude emphasized her fear.
She had always fought by thinking she could support Milkit, but the girl is nowhere to be found.
At that moment, there were no one she has to protect, nor there is anyone waiting for her to return.
Her heart cracks, her feet froze.
Her end…is approaching.
“I don’t want to die…I…I don’t want to die…!!”
She only had whatever’s left of her courage; the backwards-thinking willpower of not wanting to accept death.
In other words, if either of her enemies would stop in their tracks by just one step, she would have the chance to run away.
There are less knights than there are adventurers, so Flamm pointed her blade at the knights and lifts it high.
She concentrated, consuming the power circulating in her body and transforming them to Prana.
She transfers the energy dwelling within her like water to her arms and sent them straight into her sword.
The Prana Slash.
Not the Imitation, but the real one.
If she could unleash that…no, even if she could unleash that, she still wouldn’t be able to take down all of the knights.
Could she unleash it in several succession? No, she’s not that skillful to be able to do such feat.
In the first place, she wasn’t even sure if she could unleash one properly.
Her palm sweats, and her Prana fades along with her determination.
No, don’t be pessimistic…don’t give up…you won’t know until you try…! Flamm told herself.
That would probably the last thing she could tell herself.
She’s running out of time; the adventurers would catch up to her soon, and the eyeballs will probably surround her in no time.
If the Knights properly joins the fray, there would be no way for her to even pull through their attacks.
Thus, despite knowing its futility, she believed in a miracle and wagered her life in this one attack…!
“Flamm! Slam your Prana to the ground!”
However, the voice of a brave hero echoed in the capital filled with despair.
“HAAAAAAAAAHH!!”
Flamm raised her voice and slammed her Soul Eater to the ground.
That moment, the Prana violently explodes.
The power of the explosion created a shockwave filled with countless blades that assaults the knights.
The men defended themselves with their shields, yet the power went through the cracks of their armor, tearing them to pieces.
Cavalier Arts—Prana Storm.
Instead of unleashing the refined Prana as a blade, this technique shoots them to her front, creating an extensive destructive power.
It was something that requires more Prana than the Prana Slash, but the cornered girl had already reached a level where she could unleash it.
The source of the voice jumped down from a nearby rooftop to Flamm’s side.
As he landed, the man wearing a jet black heavy armor crushed the stone pavement under him.
He stood up as he drew his greatsword and swung it towards the adventurers and eyeballs that approached from behind Flamm.
“Hmph!!”
He unleashed colossal amount of Prana, shaving away not only the ground, but also the walls of nearby buildings, while all that lives within range were obliterated.
More eyeballs keep appearing from other places, but the adventurers took caution and stopped.
“Gadio-san…!”
Flamm called to the man with her voice wavering.
“Heads up, Flamm. They’re still coming.”
His hoarse voice was impactful but there was a kind tone to it, and that voice was enough to lift up Flamm’s spirit who was sinking in solitude.
As he said, the fight is not over yet.
Flamm was happy for their reunion, but she could save that for later.
“…yes!”
Flamm wipes her tears away and looked directly ahead towards some more knights that just appeared.
The two gripped their greatswords, and with their backs against each other,
“OOOOOHHH!!!”
“HAAAAAAAAAA!!”
The dashed forward
Flamm lost her sense of time.
She didn’t know how long has she been looking down at the floor unblinking.
It felt like a forever, but in reality, it might have only been several hours.
The hallway where she slumped was still dark, for dawn has yet to break.
Her body seeks fluid intake, yet she hadn’t even the strength to stand and head for the kitchen.
Clatter,
By then, the door behind her shook.
The doorknob clattered as it twists, and the door itself hits the girl on the back several times.
“Huh? The door isn’t opening…but why? It shouldn’t be locked though…?”
She could hear Ink’s voice from inside the room.
Flamm’s body twitched.
Should she step away from the door?
However…what’s next?
There’s only one answer.
Ink is, without a doubt, something similar to that monster she saw in the research facility.
Then…Then—
“Wah, it opens…huh? Is someone there?”
Flamm stepped away from the door, and while still crouching on one knee, she took out her Soul Eater.
She pointed the edge of the black blade towards the girl.
“Haa…haa…haa…”
“I could only hear breathing…Is it you, Flamm? Hey, please say something.”
Her face was—Ink’s normal face.
Is there a requirement for her to show this face? Or did she change it intentionally?
She doesn’t know…but she can no longer believe anything.
The one thing she can be sure is the sight she saw earlier…the nightmarish sight where her face turned into a vortex spewing eyeballs.
Sarah had disappeared.
Milkit and Eterna did not return.
Countless other people had also died.
All of that was because of her.
Flamm stood up.
She put strength on both hands that gripped the hilt of her sword.
She just needs to swing it down.
If she does……would it be enough to kill her?
No, if she is truly similar to that thing, her open wounds would turn into another vortex. She would not die until her core has been destroyed.
Where would her core be? Would it be in her heart? Or could it possibly be somewhere else?
Flamm would need to confirm its location, so she would need to cut her up……she’d need to…cut her…!
“You’re there, right? Welcome back, Flamm. I’m sorry, looks like I fell asleep last night. Maybe I sleepwalked, because when I woke up I was already on the second floor. It happens a lot in the past, you know? That’s why everyone used to scold me saying “your sleeping habits are so bad!””
“…kh…fuh…”
“Oh Flamm, are you pulling a prank on me? My ears are great so I could hear just fine, you know? Even if you’re this quiet, I can hear the sound of your heartbeat.”
Ink talked to Flamm as she always does.
Does she kill her?
Can she even kill this girl?
Could it be that what she saw was someone who is not Ink?
Yes, she was taken over.
That thing emerged when she was asleep, intentionally showing itself to frighten Flamm.
It all makes sense when she puts it like that.
It makes sense—but what would it mean?
“Ink…”
In the end, Flamm called out her name.
A relieved expression floats up to her face, though the next instant, her cheeks puffed with anger.
“You finally replied. I would’ve been worried if it wasn’t you, you know?” she said, showing an expression that befits a human of her age.
She’s a person.
Rather, what would she be if she’s not a person?
It could stay as a monster, yet why did it turn back into a human?
It must have been to corner Flamm, or to throw her off her guard.
Though if that is its objective, it could just kill her directly when they spent their time living together.
So why did it not do that?
Why? Why? Why?
Flamm didn’t know anything. No matter how long she thought about it, the answer wouldn’t come up, and thus, she couldn’t accept it.
“Judging by how you are, I guess you didn’t find the other two. It’s unfortunate, but they might come back when it gets brighter tomorrow—”
“Hey, Ink…did you not remember?”
And thus, she asked.
From the pits of despair, she reached her hands out.
Ink tilts her head.
“Remember what?”
With her parched throat, Flamm replied; “That you…turned…into a monster…that spews eyeballs…”
“…What? If you’re joking, that’s too far, Flamm!”
“No! I’m not joking, and that wasn’t an illusion either! Until just now, you really turned into a monster in front of me! I saw it!”
Flamm’s griefs echoed in the house where none other than the two are present.
That voice of her faintly leaked outside.
“F-Flamm…That’s not…”
“It is possible! I didn’t mistake anything. I heard it, I smelled it, and I even remembered the temperature! You clearly weren’t human back then! You were a monster that spits out eyeballs! Hey, tell me the truth. What are you, Ink? Where did you come from!?”
Ink probably could tell from the tone of voice that Flamm was telling the truth.
Countless times has Ink whispered “that’s not it…that’s not it…” as she shook her head.
Placing her hand on the wall to grasp her position, she stepped away from Flamm.
“I’m a human!”
“No, you’re not!”
Her words were met with an instant denial.
Neither of the two are lying to each other. The two were confronting each other precisely because they both believed that they weren’t lying.
“I’m a humaann…”
“Those eyeballs were the one who chased after Sarah.”
“N-No…I didn’t do it…!”
“A lot of other people had fallen victims to it.”
Flamm kept spouting her thoughts with anger, while its target, Ink, could only be baffled by the sudden abhorrence from the person she believed in.
Yet…the girl did not think that this hatred is irrational.
She had a sliver of thought that perhaps she’s right, which only made Flamm’s words hurt more.
“I don’t know! I don’t know!”
“And now Milkit and Eterna is not coming back!”
“No! You’re wrong! You’re wrong! Why won’t you believe mee!?”
“Obviously because I saw it! Are you telling me to believe you after showing me that!?”
Flamm didn’t even want to say this if she doesn’t have to.
She would believe in the girl as long as she could.
She thought that this could be a place Ink could belong to, just like how Flamm and Milkit found a place they belong after their encounter with each other.
However…everything…completely crumbled.
“I’m…I’m not a monster…I’m not a monster…!”, said Ink, and she turned to climb down the stairs.
As she did, she tripped over and tumbled all the way to the first floor, and as her entire body throbs with pain, tears spilled from her sewn eyes.
She quickly wipes her tears away with her shirt…the shirt that had a sweet scent of Flamm, the person who lent it to her.
The memories of the past several days floods back to her that only made her even more sorrowful.
That sorrow got her up to her feet and pushed her to run down the hallway, and despite staggering as her shoulders glanced off walls, she passed the entrance and dashed outside barefooted.
The chill of the night feels like it’s telling her…that she’s in solitude.
Flamm didn’t even try to stop the girl.
Her Soul Eater dropped to the ground with a loud thud as she dropped to her knees.
She shut her eyes and raised her face, and just like Ink, Flamm cried.
The girl herself didn’t know for what reason does her tears spill.
The combination of various laments materializes in the form of those teardrops.
“Kh…AAAAAAAAHHHH!! AAHH…AAAHH…AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!”
Her feelings that couldn’t go anywhere turned into a yell, and Flamm roared as if she has lost her mind.
She held her head with both hands and placed her forehead on the floor, before once again, she screamed.
The girl smashed her forehead on the floor repeatedly until she bleeds, punishing herself with the pain it brought…and with her withering voice…she screamed once more.
As Ink was about to leave, she inadvertently stopped on her tracks as she heard the voice from inside the house.
She was not the only one lamenting.
She was not the only one suffering.
The feeling behind that scream was neither a lie nor transient; that feeling was truly based on something she experienced.
In other words, Flamm was telling the truth.
It was not a dream.
Ink was convinced…that Flamm had truly saw her turn into a monster.
“Fu…guh…uh…uu……”
Ink bit her lip, and she weeps as her shoulders tremble.
She wanted to believe that it was not possible.
Yet at the same time, she understood that the facility she was raised in was not normal.
The girl didn’t know what they have done with her or for what reason had she been raised there.
All because she was an ostracized, good-for-nothing.
Though if she knew that this would happen, she wouldn’t have ran away.
She would continue to live like a clueless livestock in a small garden.
She wouldn’t have gotten the chance of obtaining the happiness of an ordinary person, but at the very least, she wouldn’t have to go through this suffering.
“Fla—MMPH!?”
Just when she was about to take the first step back into the house, someone bound her hands behind her back and covered her mouth.
Judging by the size of the hand and the strength of the person, it was likely to be a man.
Despite her struggle and resistance, it doesn’t look like she could break free, though when the hand that covers her mouth loosened, the girl screamed desperately.
Flamm heard Ink’s scream as she lay dazed with her forehead on the floor.
Her scream was immediately interrupted, but it was definitely her scream.
Is she perhaps being attacked by someone?
I have to save her, she thought on reflex and immediately stood up.
However, she stopped herself.
“Haa…ah…what..what would I do after saving her…?”
What would she do after she had driven the girl out as if she’s a monster?
“…aah,”
The fake “justice” in her heart lifts her head.
That’s the type of person she is.
“Still…”
What is she doing, playing hero even when Milkit is not around?
Flamm, too, didn’t understand herself.
However, she doesn’t seem to be able to hold herself back.
“I still…have to save her…even though I know I’ll regret it…!” she thought, leaving behind her reasons.
This means she must not think of what happens after.
She just needs to think about it when she gets there.
For now, she needs to save Ink so that she can have a future where she can choose whether to let her live or kill her.
Flamm descends the stairs as her Soul Eater disperses into thin air and returned to being a seal on her palm.
The moment she reached the hallway on the first floor, she ran straight outside as fast as she could.
As she took a leap outside, light particles converged on her feet, and the Epic leather boots equips itself,
She landed sliding, and immediately, she looked around her.
Ink was—there, with her arms bound on her back by a man with a large build.
“INK!”
“Whoops, there she comes, huh.”
“Dain…! What are you doing here!?”
“What? Isn’t it obvious that I’m here to find this runaway guinea pig? I felt that she might be here and turns out I’m right. Smart, aren’t I?” Dain said.
He tightens his grip on Ink who suffers as she writhed.
“Let go of Ink!”
“Shit, I’ve got my own shit to deal with too y’know? ‘sides, this runt came out running herself. Did’ya have a fight or somethin’? Can’t say I don’t feel ya. I heard ya’ sayin “YOU MONSTER” and shit. Poor runt. It’s true though, HYAHAHAHAHA!”
“You…YOU BASTARDD!!”
“Ooh, scary. Sorry that I spit facts.”
Despite what he said, Dain still looks as easygoing as ever.
“Ey, Flamm, do you know why this brat is called a useless failiure?”
“No, and I don’t want to know!”
“Welp, just listen for a tick, will ya. This girl doesn’t know as much as you do that she’s a murderous monster. You know why?”
“Mmmm…!!”
Murderous monster.
Hearing those words, Ink responded as she faced down.
She must not have wanted to know.
Yet Dain didn’t pay any attention to her…no, he rather looked like he’s enjoying himself as he started telling the truth.
“It’s because the Origin’s power can only manifest itself if she’s in a state of “deep sleep”. Origin’s power can only control over her body if she’s unconscious. Even when she’s livin’ with ya, those gentle eyeballs they call automatic defense function spat out by that disgustin’ face only functions when every one of ya was sleepin’. Funny ain’t it? The one creating the things that corners yer friend and even that slave yer protecting is right under yer nose the entire time! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
“You…you knew about Milkit and Eterna!?”
“Knew? I was the one who tricked them to have the eyes on their tail. They’ve probably turned into those disgusting pile of meat right about now!”
“—kh! I’ll kill you…I’LL DEFINITELY KILL YOUUUU!”
Flamm took out her sword and charged at Dain.
“Whoa there, I have a duty to send this runaway monster back. I’ll leave the distractions to these guys.”
Right as Dain said his mark, several of his men hiding nearby revealed themselves.
Their eyes are all dead.
It’s likely that the church had done something to them.
How pitiful.
Even though they were Dain’s allies that had believed in him for such a long time, their consciousness had been taken away as they waited for church service, and now they’re left being treated as a tool.
“The employer said to not kill Flamm Apricot…welp, no matter, I myself want to kill you, but let me give you a warning.”
“…warning?”
“Yeap, I’m just being kind to ya. Anyways, don’t you lay your hands on those guys. Run, and don’t even think of going after me. Those guys are officially church members.”
“Are you trying to beg for your life!?”
“Hahahah! Of course not! I’m saying this with you in mind, ya’ know? I could control myself as long as I see those eyes of yours. Welp, do your best surviving!”
“Mmmpphh!!”
Leaving those words behind, Dain took Ink and ran away.
The girl in question stretched her hand out towards Flamm as if she’s begging to be saved.
“IINNNKKK!!!!!”
Flamm yelled the girl’s name and stepped forward, but Dain’s subordinates stood in her way.
About 10 men surrounded Flamm, each holding various close-combat weapons like shortswords, spears and blunt weapons.
There are even some men wielding bows, bowguns and slings standing further away and on the rooftops.
One could consider it overkill considering their opponent is a lone girl.
Flamm scanned one of the man nearby to confirm their abilities.
——————————————————————————
Gauguin Torres
Attribute: Fire
Strength: 611
Intelligence: 422
Endurance: 580
Agility: 412
Intuition: 457
——————————————————————————
His total number is 2,482, a strong C-rank.
He’s a quite capable adventurer; perhaps he’s the leading figure of the group.
Just to be safe, she decided to scan another man.
——————————————————————————
Gauguin Torres
Attribute: Fire
Strength: 611
Intelligence: 422
Endurance: 580
Agility: 412
Intuition: 457
——————————————————————————
“It’s…the exact same!?”
Is that even possible?
The same given and family name aside, is it possible that they have the same value on their statuses?
She tried scanning the person next to him, and—
——————————————————————————
Gauguin Torres
Attribute: Fire
Strength: 611
Intelligence: 422
Endurance: 580
Agility: 412
Intuition: 457
——————————————————————————
It also shows the same result.
This means that despite their difference in appearances, Dain’s subordinates that surround her all had the same strength.
Seeing this blatant show, Flamm is not even surprised.
“This must have also been the church’s doing.”
This iis definitely the power of those “cores”.
Dain sold his friends so he could be one of the church members.
She could tell by looking that these guys have probably lost their minds.
As if there are people who wishes to be like this.
Flam gnashed her teeth.
She wouldn’t say that these people are innocent.
However, these guys all look up to Dain in one way or another.
And he betrayed them to save himself…
“Everything about him…is unforgivable…”
She empowered herself with her anger and leaped forward to charge at the men.
This is the first time for her to fight a large number of people.
Her opponents are adventurers that had slightly lower status than hers, and if she considers their number, there’s no way she could win.
She had to use all of her advantages to see a chance of victory, be it her regenerative power or her Reverse spell.
As a start, she needs to whittle down the enemies to take away their superior number.
Fwish!
Flamm swung her Soul Eater horizontally, but the men who were in range of her blade avoided by leaping away.
The moment Flamm swung her sword, she could hear a whistling sound coming from above.
She saw an arrow on the edge of her field of vision, aimed at her feet.
She charged her mana, and when she was hit with a sharp pain,
“Reversal!”
She casted her spell.
As a result, the arrow changed its direction and shoots back towards its owner, but the man twists his body and evaded.
Flamm clicked her tongue instinctively.
She could’ve finished one off just like that, but it didn’t happen.
She had known that the men would attack her like this, that’s why she could cast her Reversal spell.
If that was a surprise attack, she wouldn’t have managed to pull it off.
She steeled herself again immediately afterwards.
The moment the man she slashed at retreated, another man wielding a spear in front of him thrusts his weapon towards her body.
With a stab, Flamm purposely took on the hit.
There’s only one way for her to overcome his advantage of the long reach of his weapon, so she grit her teeth and forcibly pushed forward.
The sharp end of the spear buries itself into her shoulder.
Her blood spews, and the heated feel from the stabbing brought her severe pain.
The girl showed a pained expression for a split second, but then she exhaled and suppressed her feelings.
To make sure that the man won’t take the spear back easily, she held onto the spearhandle and robbed the man of his weapon.
She confirmed that the man had released the spear, she pulled it out from her shoulder and threw it on the ground.
At the same time, two men wielding a sword each charged in from both sides, and another man wielding a spear is closing in from behind.
She had no choice but to go forward.
Flamm struggled through the flurry of blades attacking her and swung her sword towards the unarmed man.
Flamm thought that her rush was imperfect, so the man must be able to dodge this strike—but,
“Fu…!”
The man charged in, and with a twist of his fist, he hit Flamm on her abdomen.
“Ga…ha…!?”
The impact shook her internal organs, expelling all the air she had in her lungs.
His movement is too skillful…so his primary weapon wasn’t a spear?
No, his movement when using the spear wasn’t one you could call amateurish either.
He’s good at using the spear and his fists…would a man that skilled be content by being Dain’s underling?
A single possibility appears on Flamm’s mind.
Is it possible that these guys also shared not only their abilities but their skills as well?
As she staggered, Flamm was impaled from behind.
The man quickly pulled out the spear and unleashed another attack immediately.
“A…guh…”
At the same time, the man on her right charged in, aiming for an attack to her neck.
Flamm defended herself with her right arm, but that ended up with her right arm being cut off instead.
“I…giiiiihhh…!”
Furthermore, an arrow whistled in from her front, burying itself into her shoulders.
A fireball was shot from the roof to her left, and as it explodes on her left leg, it gouged her flesh and caused her to tumble to the right.
“U……gu…aah…!”
Every parts of her body is hurting and it robbed her of her freedom of movement.
The difference of strength between them is too overwhelming.
Fighting this many people in such an open space is reckless, and it was near impossible for her to make her way to an alleyway.
Prioritizing ease of movement, the collapsed girl removed her Soul Eater.
With her power, she made a cartwheel and rolled behind the man wielding a sword.
“AAAAHH!!”
Afterwards, she swung her hand as she instantly rematerialize her Soul Eater, aiming to cut the man’s neck.
Fwish!
However, even without looking back, the man ducked down and evaded that strike.
—No way.
Flamm’s eyes widened.
Did he have eyes on the back of his head? She could’ve had him.
…maybe there’s another thing that the men shared.
Perhaps not only that they shared their skills and abilities…they also shared their five senses.
Otherwise, there were no other way the man could’ve evaded that attack.
In the moment of her surprise, more blades, spears, arrows and spells assaulted her.
Even if she rolls away to evade the attacks, the intensity of their attacks persist.
She remembered what Dain told her, which pissed her off further.
She didn’t want to admit that she had to follow his warning.
However, she had no choice but to run away.
Pitching forward as if she’s falling over, she rushed to the entrance of the nearest alleyway.
She still felt pain despite her injuries being healed already, but it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t move.
The men chased after her.
However, the men would have difficulties chasing after her, and the narrow alleyway can make a situation where they would have to fight Flamm one-on-one.
Despite stumbling over and over, Flamm desperately ran.
Just a bit more…just a bit more and she’ll get there.
That’s…what she thought.
Two fireballs grazed her on both sides, hitting the outer walls of the houses and exploded.
The walls collapse and the rubble blocked her way.
She probably could climb over the rubble, but with this many people chasing after her, they would definitely not let her do so unscathed.
Flamm impatiently turned around, but that instant, arrows pierced her stomach and her thighs.
“Ha…AAAAAHHH!!”
She immediately pulled them out.
“Hah…hah…hah…”
Her eyes widened from the pain, and her breathing turned rugged.
More arrows and spell bolts were fired at her without delay, and a man wielding a one-handed mace approached her as he dodged the incoming projectiles.
Flamm desperately swings her Soul Eater.
Her strikes were dodged without question, and the man closed his distance and raised the lump of metal at her.
If she were to counterattack in an obvious way, all the men would know about it due to their shared senses and they would make a move to avoid it.
There’s no other choice but to take on their attacks.
However, Flamm smiled.
She focuses her mana to her feet and sent it to the stone pavement that spans several dozens of centimeters around her through the tip of her toes.
“Reversal!”
The moment she cast her spell, the pavement turned inside-out.
As he heard a dull sound, the legs of the man in front of her turned into an angle it’s not supposed to go as they got caught under the stone.
Losing his balance, his body lurched forward.
With this, there’s no way for him to dodge no matter how many angles he could see himself in.
“SOORYAAA!”
She landed a strike with her all as she raised a shout, cleaving the defenseless man from his right shoulder down to his left flank, and that instant, the cross section froze immediately.
“That’s one!”
There’s still a clear difference in numbers between her and her enemies, but a kill is a kill, and the intensity of the enemy’s attack would be reduced regardless.
Despite seeing their ally slain, the rest of the men didn’t react.
They truly has lost their mind.
They had consolidated their consciousness, turning into something that couldn’t be called human.
They’re nothing but dolls that can only serve Dain’s command.
Though, perhaps because of that, Flamm didn’t feel the guilt of killing a human.
Flamm avoided a spell bolt aimed at her leg and pointed the tip of her blade at the men.
Now that she had used her trick, it would be difficult for them to fall for another one.
As she thought about how to deal with the second enemy, she heard the sound of something dropping.
Glancing to the side where she heard the sound, she saw…eyeballs dropping.
“…huh?”
It would be fine if there was only one of them…but following that, countless spheres kept dropping like a squall.
Not only were they coming from above, the eyeballs are flooding in from the gutters, from behind her and even from where the men are charging at her.
“Is that…what he meant…!?”
This is what Dain was warning her about.
Flamm finally understood what he meant when he said “don’t lay your hands on these men. Run.”
Ink is not aware that she kills people.
She’s not aware that she is a monster.
This means that everything has nothing to do with will; the power she has are activated spontaneously.
It’s an automated defense.
It attacks those who are involved with the church…no, considering that Sarah and the knights are involved, that was not it.
It’s likely an uncontrollable defense system that tried to protect the confidential information regarding the experiments. That was the true nature of those disgusting eyeballs that Ink produces.
Flamm finally saw the last thing those poor people saw at the end of their life.
She instinctively jumped away to distance herself, yet she was too late. The eyeballs that had glued itself to her boots invaded her body.
There were no pain—only disgust.
“HII…!!”
Flamm’s body froze.
The eyeballs crawled up into her shin, and after it went into her leg, her boot swells as another foot grew out from her shin.
“T-this…guh…disgusting…!”
Perhaps feeling as if the two feet are stacked on top of each other, Flamm couldn’t properly manage the strength of her leg and maintain a steady footing.
At that moment, a man wielding a short sword charged in on her, aiming straight for her heart.
Flamm promptly took the hit with her hand.
“Ack…guh…”
The blade pierced through her palm.
The man was about to pull his sword back to unleash another attack, but Flamm grabbed the sword by its hilt and prevented him from doing so.
The physical strength of the two are about even, so considering Flamm’s injury, she might have been in a disadvantage, but Flamm kicked the man’s leg and ruined his posture, causing him to fall over to the sea of eyeballs.
Like a bunch of spiders, the eyeballs scattered to avoid the falling man.
It seems like it had the function to not injure its allies.
However, those that had no time to avoid the man ended up touching him, and that instant, the eyeballs entered his body, and the man grew another arm and leg.
Perhaps because his internal organs also multiplied, his body part that touched the ground swells in a warp shape.
The man writhed as he tried to get up, but unable to properly use his limbs, he ended up only wriggling on the ground like a maggot.
“That’s…two!” she declared to encourage herself.
However, there are still a lot of enemies she had to face.
Her movement speed dropped because she had another foot, but she could still avoid the arrows and spells coming her way by a hair’s breadth.
She turned some of them back with Reversal, but because of the enemy’s shared senses, she couldn’t hit them back.
Because of the eyeballs, her plan of fighting the enemy little by little has been thrown out the window.
Are there any place that could be advantageous for her?
Flamm turned away from the men and ran to look for advantages, but because of her other foot, she couldn’t run as fast as she usually could.
With this much people she had to go against, it definitely would be a fight of attrition.
The growth of her foot is not considered an “injury”, which means that the Soul Eater is not going to regenerate it.
That’s why…the girl stabbed the Soul Eater to the ground and sent a kick towards it.
“Kkh…GAAAAAHHH…!!”
Slice.
Along with Flamm’s voice of anguish, she cut her foot off.
Losing her foot, Flamm advanced forward using her sword as a cane.
If she stops, she’ll fall victim to those eyeballs.
She could only advance this slowly until she regenerates her foot back, but it’s still better than having to drag another foot with her.
She finally regenerated to full health before the men could catch up on her.
Due to the increased agility from her boots, Flamm could run away from the men.
By then, she saw some knights in front of her.
There were 5 of them.
Dain’s subordinates aside, she couldn’t let them get swallowed up by those eyeballs, thus Flamm ran up to the plate armor-clad men to warn them.
“Hey, this place is dangerous…so…you should…”
However, the knights suddenly drew their swords all at the same time, the well-polished golden blade reflects the streetlight.
Flamm scans the men, and she found that although they were different than Dain’s underlings, all five of them had the exact same status as well.
“No way…from both sides!?”
The church were thorough.
It was unclear if they’re going to capture her or kill her; what is clear is that they are not going to run away from Flamm.
Gripping on her Soul Eater, Flamm looked to all sides where the enemies surround her.
Adventurers, Knights, Eyeballs.
There were too many of them. How could she cut her way through them all?
Her hand trembles, and the tip of her blade wavered.
The feeling of solitude emphasized her fear.
She had always fought by thinking she could support Milkit, but the girl is nowhere to be found.
At that moment, there were no one she has to protect, nor there is anyone waiting for her to return.
Her heart cracks, her feet froze.
Her end…is approaching.
“I don’t want to die…I…I don’t want to die…!!”
She only had whatever’s left of her courage; the backwards-thinking willpower of not wanting to accept death.
In other words, if either of her enemies would stop in their tracks by just one step, she would have the chance to run away.
There are less knights than there are adventurers, so Flamm pointed her blade at the knights and lifts it high.
She concentrated, consuming the power circulating in her body and transforming them to Prana.
She transfers the energy dwelling within her like water to her arms and sent them straight into her sword.
The Prana Slash.
Not the Imitation, but the real one.
If she could unleash that…no, even if she could unleash that, she still wouldn’t be able to take down all of the knights.
Could she unleash it in several succession? No, she’s not that skillful to be able to do such feat.
In the first place, she wasn’t even sure if she could unleash one properly.
Her palm sweats, and her Prana fades along with her determination.
No, don’t be pessimistic…don’t give up…you won’t know until you try…! Flamm told herself.
That would probably the last thing she could tell herself.
She’s running out of time; the adventurers would catch up to her soon, and the eyeballs will probably surround her in no time.
If the Knights properly joins the fray, there would be no way for her to even pull through their attacks.
Thus, despite knowing its futility, she believed in a miracle and wagered her life in this one attack…!
“Flamm! Slam your Prana to the ground!”
However, the voice of a brave hero echoed in the capital filled with despair.
“HAAAAAAAAAHH!!”
Flamm raised her voice and slammed her Soul Eater to the ground.
That moment, the Prana violently explodes.
The power of the explosion created a shockwave filled with countless blades that assaults the knights.
The men defended themselves with their shields, yet the power went through the cracks of their armor, tearing them to pieces.
Cavalier Arts—Prana Storm.
Instead of unleashing the refined Prana as a blade, this technique shoots them to her front, creating an extensive destructive power.
It was something that requires more Prana than the Prana Slash, but the cornered girl had already reached a level where she could unleash it.
The source of the voice jumped down from a nearby rooftop to Flamm’s side.
As he landed, the man wearing a jet black heavy armor crushed the stone pavement under him.
He stood up as he drew his greatsword and swung it towards the adventurers and eyeballs that approached from behind Flamm.
“Hmph!!”
He unleashed colossal amount of Prana, shaving away not only the ground, but also the walls of nearby buildings, while all that lives within range were obliterated.
More eyeballs keep appearing from other places, but the adventurers took caution and stopped.
“Gadio-san…!”
Flamm called to the man with her voice wavering.
“Heads up, Flamm. They’re still coming.”
His hoarse voice was impactful but there was a kind tone to it, and that voice was enough to lift up Flamm’s spirit who was sinking in solitude.
As he said, the fight is not over yet.
Flamm was happy for their reunion, but she could save that for later.
“…yes!”
Flamm wipes her tears away and looked directly ahead towards some more knights that just appeared.
The two gripped their greatswords, and with their backs against each other,
“OOOOOHHH!!!”
“HAAAAAAAAAA!!”
The dashed forward
