Chapter 166

Before I could fully collect my thoughts, Ria was already up from her seat. She prepared for battle with such speed that by the time I stood up, she was already armored and brandishing a knife.

Ria grabbed my arm and pulled me toward her.

Then she kicked the door open.

With the glint of her sword, she swept away the nearest monsters, just as Siyoon burst in from the open door, slicing through the creatures behind him in one swift strike.

When Ria glanced at Mari, she nodded and immediately headed into the building. She probably intended to get Anna.

I felt a bit confused. It wasn’t just because I was still groggy or tired from sleep. I couldn’t shake the thought that our arrival in this world might have disturbed the peace Mari had enjoyed.

I shook my head vigorously, trying to dispel that thought.

As I stood up, I strapped on the ammo bandolier I brought along and drew my gun.

The chambers were loaded with bullets. Thankfully, the ammunition from this world fit my gun… although since I’d never fired it before, I had no idea if it would work properly.

Just before the next wave of monsters attacked, all the other comrades charged outside.

Mari was carrying Anna on her back.

The once-revered saintess still lay drifting between realms, a faint glow still wrapped around her. Mari’s arms dangled limply over her shoulders.

“Here.”

“No, don’t give it all to me; share it around. I have my own strength. You guys need to use yours sparingly when it counts.”

Of course, that didn’t mean I was neglecting my own supply. After all, I was in a position to be protected and supported in here, so I only took enough for self-defense.

Ria and Siyoon didn’t bother carrying any. Both had their ways of using Saint Power. Siyoon handled his directly, while Ria wielded the sword I had forged.

“…Still, let’s decide on a direction first.”

Mari spoke with a heavy voice.

It was impossible to bring all the baggage from inside in this situation. We weren’t even planning to search for a new refuge.

Mari and Anna had no choice but to follow us. Mari acknowledged that. Staying in this world meant that we had no future other than waiting for the slow approach of destruction.

One hope.

And that hope hinged on a plan we had pieced together, one that remained uncertain in its likelihood of success.

…At least, I just hoped that once we reached a place where the sky opened up, we would be able to hear some voices. As long as we could stabilize the surrounding situation—

Ria and I locked eyes.

I looked at Ria instinctively, and she seemed to instinctively seek out my face as well.

I was the first to look away.

I caught a glimpse of Ria’s expression faltering in my peripheral vision, but there was no time for emotional battles in the current circumstances.

From a distance, I heard the sound of beasts charging toward us.

“Alright. Let’s go. I know the way.”

Though the gigantic black storm was visible even from afar, the path leading there wouldn’t be easy. The road we’d traveled was already ruined long ago, with buildings collapsing here and there and some areas filled with magical pits.

“Alright, let’s give it a shot.”

Yuri gripped her staff tightly and Glaria nodded. Davi merely stood quietly behind Glaria.

Siyoon and Ria nodded, and we began to run.

*

It was dawn. Though still dark, I thought perhaps by the time we reached the storm, the sun might be fully risen.

Since reincarnating in this body, I’d probably never run as hard as I was now.

Ria’s words echoed in my mind. She had said I wasn’t lacking in talent.

While running, I had fired quite a lot and taken down numerous monsters. I hadn’t needed to use any Saint Power or prepared artifacts yet.

It wasn’t that the others were matching my pace; I was simply able to keep up with them.

There was no time to look around properly.

I just focused on the red hair fluttering ahead. With a shining sword in hand, it scorched the monsters blocking our way without a trace.

Sometimes, Ria would glance back, and when she saw I was following, she would return her gaze forward with a sense of relief.

That felt a bit strange.

Normally, it would be the person behind who looked at the person ahead for reassurance.

…It meant she wanted to protect me that much.

The other kids were fighting hard too. I heard the sounds of something flying, explosions, and spells being cast.

But those sounds gradually faded into the background, overshadowed by my own heavy breathing.

The storm that had once been distant grew closer. Now, I couldn’t see its end unless I looked upward. The storm touched the sky, like a giant stake driven into the world.

Click.

Seeing winged creatures descending from the sky, I instinctively raised my gun and fired. I felt the recoil through my fingertips, and several fell. From the kids who shifted their gazes at the gunshot, blades and magic shot into the heavens. With the storm completely filling my view as a backdrop, the colorful lights flying through the air were beautiful.

“Ria.”

I called out to Ria in front of me, panting. She seemed unfazed by my voice, which was hardly audible over the chaos. The others likely didn’t hear it at all.

Seeing her head tilt slightly towards me, I spoke.

“I need to take the lead.”

“…….”

Right.

The most assured way to counter magic was with Saint Power. It wasn’t that I couldn’t respond with magic, but naturally, the countering magic had to be far greater than that of the enemy’s.

Even if I poured all the magic from everyone here, and even if Davi risked her life to provide magic to Glaria, we wouldn’t be able to unleash magic stronger than that storm itself.

Ria ran for a while without answering and then slightly shifted her body sideways. Simultaneously, her pace slowed.

I tried to slip past her, but— I couldn’t.

No matter how fast I moved, Ria was running right next to me. She was determined not to let me go ahead alone, running alongside me.

“…….”

The racing of my heart was surely not just from the effort of running.

I gritted my teeth.

Then I took a handful of stones from the ammo bandolier I’d stored.

My hair whipped about in the wind. I could no longer hear anyone shouting anything.

Would it really be okay? Would going in there be fine—

While lost in those thoughts, Ria took my hand.

Without needing to look back, I could sense that Ria was watching me.

I threw the stones with all my might.

Seeing me throw, the kids who had stones as well tossed in the rest. The stones drawn into the black storm all reacted, bursting into white as they created a massive bubble of air within.

Even if something like that appeared in the storm, it would only last a fleeting moment, hardly visible to the naked eye, but the magic-laden storm was not so transient.

The hole expanded and distorted, slowly.

I enveloped myself in Saint Power. My hands trembled slightly. Together, Ria and I made the leap into it, followed in quick succession by the others.

Ria extended her ungripped hand up high. I wondered if my strength could hold up against this towering dark pillar.

“…….”

Surely, others must have thought along those lines too. The saintess from my world, Ria’s mother. Anna from this world as well.

But everyone did their part.

The saintess protected the world, and so did Ria’s mother.

Anna from this world had at least managed to keep her knight safe.

A drop of blood fell from my face. Blood trickled from my hands. The white saintly robe gradually stained red.

The wounds on the backs of my hands slowly opened, like melting ice cracking apart.

Magic surged in. The space we entered stabilized.

Ria released my hand and hugged my waist with one arm.

“Run!”

Ria shouted, and everyone yelled in response as they dashed forward. I tried to move my feet forcefully, but Ria was running so fast, it wasn’t easy to keep up.

Well, at least, there wouldn’t be any monsters popping out of the storm.

It hurt. My hands ached, and my head throbbed a bit. Tears streamed from my eyes.

But one thing was certain.

The deeper we went into the storm, the lighter my body felt. My head still hurt, and my hands ached, but without a doubt, the power coming to me was gradually strengthening.

“We’re almost there!”

Ria shouted.

And then, the surroundings lit up for a moment.

As we burst out, I nearly fell forward, but Ria caught me. I could see the blue sky. It was clear with not a cloud in sight.

For just a brief moment, there were cheers from behind.

Just a moment.

Soon, I froze in place at the sight of a distant, dark gargantuan figure.

From afar, there was something watching us, hiding within the storm.

In the darkness, only its yellow eyes bore into us.

Slowly, from the storm, a hand like a branch emerged.

No, it just looked that way from a distance; in reality, it didn’t have a thickness sufficient to be called that.

The base of a tree. It wouldn’t be surprising to say that. If it swung down on us from above, we’d likely be crushed before even making a sound.

Everyone was exhausted. We had exerted too much energy to get this far. I had run out of bullets.

But—

—Anna.

I found myself smiling unconsciously.

Tears streamed down my face, and blood flowed from my hands.

We didn’t know if we could return.

But at the very least, we would fight.