It was a hellish scene.
Droplets of blood splattered in all directions, and pools of red were scattered everywhere.
The sight of people collapsing helplessly with each swing of a blade was impossible to unsee. Even with desperate attempts to look away, the haunting images lingered.
The figures masked in black continued their rampage.
They were nothing more than killing machines created solely for slaughter, moving with the sole intent of taking as many lives as possible.
“Get out of the way!”
Evan bellowed with an unusually loud voice. His blade, glowing with blue aura, effortlessly decapitated the foes, their heads separating from their bodies as if slicing through tofu, making for a nauseating sight.
“H-hnk…”
Lily, whose stomach was weak, had already fainted long ago.
Even for someone who had witnessed dozens of deaths, this was difficult to endure. It was only natural that she would fall unconscious in such a scene.
Holding Lily on his back, the unnamed male barely managed to follow Evan, who was hacking at the enemies’ legs to carve a path forward.
“I’m clearing the way! Follow me!”
A coarse voice accompanied flying blue sword strikes. Watching bodies being sliced in half, he tightly shut his eyes.
Then, gripping Lily’s arm, he ran as if possessed.
Though he had long since abandoned modern ethics, this was beyond what anyone could endure.
In fact, even someone from the medieval era might vomit at the sight of this inferno. Even Evan was showing signs of nausea with dry heaves.
Truthfully, there was no one capable of getting accustomed to a spectacle like this.
“An obstruction!”
Teeth clenched, he swung his sword. With each step, the squelching sound was unmistakable.
He instinctively avoided looking down, knowing that catching sight of what lay beneath his feet could cause him to collapse on the spot.
Surely, this was the kind of moment referred to by the phrase ‘rivers of blood and a sea of corpses.’
“Hnk…”
Disgust filled his thoughts, overtaking everything else. As they moved through the train cars, scenes grew worse with each passing moment.
His sense of smell had long since numbed, likely overwhelmed by the intensity of the stench.
He swallowed hard.
Every time Evan swung his sword, blood splattered in all directions. He roughly wiped the streaks off his cheeks.
He then swung his blade to cleanly bisect an attacker from behind.
“Damn!”
Their breakthrough was slowing significantly. It seemed endless reinforcements were flooding in, perhaps through portals.
With mere numbers overwhelming their defenses, they hardly even needed to swing their swords anymore.
Seeing this, Evan slightly stepped back, realizing his own ineffectiveness.
“Stay close behind me, miss.”
“…Yes.”
Blue aura flared as Evan’s deep blue eyes flashed with a cold light.
With a sharp cry, Evan’s form blurred from sight. Traces of his blade appeared, followed instantly by flames engulfing their enemies.
Instantly, at least ten foes fell. Heaving for breath, Evan tightened his grip on his sword.
“They never end.”
Sighing, Evan compared the endless attackers to a horde of zombies.
“Miss, please proceed ahead.”
“Evan, but—”
“Lord Abel will be here soon.”
Saying this, Evan flashed a smile. In his expression, a firm trust in Abel was clearly visible.
Seeing this, the girl nodded, bowing her head, and turned around. The sound of burning flames and an accompanying cry reached her ears.
‘Exit, the exit is…’
The emergency exit was drawing near.
With Lily on his back, he reached the front, noticing a dark figure amidst the scenery. It was one of the emperor’s agents hidden among the bodies.
“Aah.”
A dagger thrown by the enemy was mere inches from his face.
Involuntarily, eyes squeezed shut by the overwhelming feeling of death approaching. However, the expected pain didn’t come.
Gently opening his eyes, he saw the dagger stopped in front of him.
“How pathetic…”
Abel stood there.
At that sight, his legs gave way, involuntarily causing him to collapse. The fear and anxiety vanished, replaced by a sigh of relief.
“Are you alright?”
As Abel extended his hand, the girl shook her head, clasping his offered hand tightly.
“No, I’m not alright.”
“Looks that way.”
With a faint smile, Abel helped her stand, turning his head slightly. He then raised his right hand and muttered a simple incantation.
“Engage.”
A brilliant white magic circle appeared and spread out around them. The expansive magic circle enveloped the entire train before glowing brightly.
“Sever.”
Numerous spears soared through the air.
In the next car, the enemies surrounding Evan were instantly pierced by the spears launched from the spell. What had been a complex situation was resolved with a single gesture.
Once again, the power of Abel’s magic became evident.
Looking at Abel, his slightly weary expression was visible.
“Are you alright, Abel?”
“I’m fine.”
Abel lightly landed, answering with apparent weariness but showing no visible injuries, much to everyone’s relief.
“Miss, are you well?”
Evan, covered in blood, approached. His formidable figure intimidated her, despite her conscious effort.
A burly man covered in blood was threatening in many ways.
With a flick of Abel’s finger, the blood covering Evan vanished completely.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Thankfully.”
Evan appeared exhausted, leaning slightly against a chair. After slaying countless enemies in such a short time, his weariness was understandable.
“Damn… such chaos.”
Abel scanned his surroundings with a mutter, then peered outside the shattered train window.
After gazing at the scenery for a while, he sighed deeply.
“We have a long way to go.”
“How much further?”
“About half.”
Halfway. Of course, the attack happening mid-journey didn’t help. At least earlier, they might’ve been able to turn back.
While deep in thought, a thought occurred to her.
“Couldn’t Abel use space magic to teleport us?”
Abel shook his head at her question.
“It’s not that simple.”
Space magic was originally developed for personal teleportation, making it highly unstable for others.
You might end up on some forsaken island if it goes wrong.
“But that man—”
Thinking of the red-haired man, she asked doubtfully. Abel gave a simple response.
“Does it matter against an enemy?”
Listening to Abel’s answer, she nodded.
“…That’s true.”
With the situation settled, she finally noticed the surroundings.
The blood-spattered windows and heaps of corpses scattered everywhere made her head spin.
It was her who had insisted on coming along with Abel when he had planned to go to Ark alone.
Had she not suggested it, he likely would’ve used teleportation to get there without needing the train.
In that case, the emperor’s lackeys likely wouldn’t have attacked this train, and the passengers wouldn’t have died in such a miserable manner.
The moment such a negative thought entered her mind, it began to torment her continuously.
“Perhaps, if only I hadn’t suggested—”
Wouldn’t the people on this train have avoided such a fate? They certainly wouldn’t have wished for such an end.
Rather…
Once started, her negative thoughts spiraled.
She knew continuously ruminating was meaningless but couldn’t stop.
If it hadn’t been for her, none of this would have happened. That much was indisputable.
“Adelle.”
Her head lifted to see Abel gripping her arm, confused by his wrinkled expression.
Soon, she noticed her roughly chewed thumbnail.
“Ah…”
“Snap out of it.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Hadn’t she outgrown this habit?
Even in her previous life, she would bite her nails whenever she had such negative thoughts. She did it to relieve the overwhelming anxiety.
Apparently, this old habit was harder to shake than she’d assumed.
Abel sighed at the sight of her.
“It’s not your fault, Adelle.”
“…E-excuse me?”
Did she hear that correctly?
Lifting her head, she saw his expression – as stern as always.
“The way this turned out is not your fault.”
Abel pointed at the corpses with his finger.
Surprisingly so.
She hadn’t expected him to offer comfort in such a situation.
Regardless of whether he was aware of her thoughts, he continued unperturbed.
“You still have a tender heart.”
“Tender heart,”
It was the first time she’d ever heard that in this world. As a notorious villainess, insults had been far more common.
Well, technically, this was the second time – Abel had said it to her during their re-contracting.
Was her heart actually still tender, as he said?
‘Not sure.’
In her youth, she had indeed often been told as such. But after growing into adulthood, she’d never heard it again.
Perhaps she had thought she was now an adult, but maybe she wasn’t.
Her complicated thoughts made her head throb. Seeing this, Abel approached her slowly.
“The emperor is to blame, not you.”
“…Is that so?”
In response to her question, he nodded and gently patted her head.
“Letting your mind dwell on what isn’t your fault will only destroy you one day.”
With his usual expressionless face, Abel’s words carried a trace of worry that she picked up on. Uncomfortable with the sensation, she bowed her head slightly.
“Take some rest.”
As Abel slowly patted her head and turned away, his silhouette, which would typically seem cold, now felt strangely warm.
