A strange square came into view.
Moments later, the sight of flames engulfing the surroundings appeared. The flames that engulfed the city like waves were now taking people’s lives as well.
Dark smoke filled the sky, blocking the sunlight like dark clouds. Under the darkened sky, the bright flames swept through various places, and cries could be heard.
When I turned my head, the only thing that caught my eye was a lone statue. The statue on the altar inscribed with complex wording in the imperial language.
It seemed to have been broken by someone already; only the bottom half remained grotesquely intact. Strangely enough, a woman was sitting beside it.
Could she be the one who broke the statue?
I walked toward her as if drawn by some unseen force, feeling it was something I had to do.
As I approached, her previously faint face finally came into clear view.
“Is that… me?”
Hair black as midnight flowed down to her waist, her scarlet eyes glinted ominously. Her pupils were shaped like those of a reptile, and her delicate, pale skin completed the resemblance.
Though she appeared slightly more mature, this was undoubtedly the figure of Adelle. But why was she sitting there next to that statue?
As I came closer, the area around her came into view, littered with bodies, their chests or heads pierced.
Each face was eerily familiar. The High Mage, the Crown Prince, and even the Emperor.
Amid the scene of cruelty that resembled hell, it was me, no, Adelle who was smiling brightly.
Casually shaking the sticky blood off her arms and roughly wiping her blood-smeared face with the sleeve of her crimson dress.
That sight sent shivers down my spine, and unknowingly, I brushed my arms.
Beneath the murky, smoke-filled black sky, Adelle stood, then began to approach me.
Paralyzed with fear, I could do nothing but stare as she came closer.
The closer she got, the wilder my heart beat. With a chilling appearance, she came right up to my nose, then smirked.
“Don’t be too afraid.”
That same voice I had heard back then.
Could it be that the owner of the voice that had helped me before was the real owner of this body—Adelle?
Before I could continue my thoughts, she grabbed my chin and stared intensely into my eyes.
Muttering something in a language I couldn’t understand, she smiled again.
Just as the incomprehensible meaning of that smile began to induce fear, Adelle spoke.
“It’s not yet time for you to come here.”
“Huh?”
With those words, she roughly shoved me away.
Before I could even ponder the situation, my body fell backward. Soon after, my ears became muffled, and my vision began to darken.
The sensation was akin to slowly drowning in the depths of the ocean as I forcibly exhaled. No matter how I reached out and tried to move, my body wouldn’t budge.
After struggling for what felt like an eternity, the blackness of my vision began to fade into white, and a bright flash appeared.
“Cough… cough… ah…!”
Gasping as if expelling held breath, I opened my eyes.
Struggling to steady my rapid breathing with deep breaths, I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes.
[Contractor, are you alright?!]
“…No. Not at all.”
It was so tiring that I didn’t even feel like pretending to be okay.
Throughout all the time I have experienced these regressions, had there been moments like this? I had never once seen the real Adelle.
Honestly, I’m not even sure why I’m suddenly facing the real her now.
Judging from the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like she had any dissatisfaction with having her body taken over. Taking a deep breath, I instinctively asked Sibley.
“Where’s Kartra?”
The moment the question left my lips, I quickly shut my mouth. Of course, through the regression, the time had reset and Sibley wouldn’t know about it.
However, he answered calmly without any signs of confusion.
[He collapsed.]
“Huh?”
Confused by Sibley’s words, I repeated them. He pointed to one direction with his finger.
There, Kartra was seen kneeling, unconscious. At the sight, my mind froze momentarily. What could have possibly happened?
When I sent an inquiring gaze, Sibley shrugged.
[Not sure. It’s too long to explain right now.]
With one hand, he pointed toward Yurph and continued.
[First, we need to save Yurph.]
“Oh, right.”
Trying to get up quickly, my muscle aches prevented me from doing so. Was this related to whatever happened while I was unconscious?
“There’s no time to stand around now.”
Gritting my teeth, I managed to push myself up. My limbs shook uncontrollably, making it difficult to even take a step.
Watching my struggle, Sibley extended his hand.
[Blessing of Wind.]
As a blue wind wrapped around my arms and legs, my body felt lighter. When I turned my head, I saw Sibley with his arms crossed.
[Duration remains the same – 5 minutes.]
“Thanks, Sibley.”
As I thanked him, he turned away as if embarrassed and bluntly responded.
[Yeah, yeah. Let’s just go quickly.]
“Right.”
Carefully lifting Yurph and stealing a glance at the entrance I came through, I realized it was farther away than I thought.
Taking a deep breath, I propelled myself forward with force, ignoring the sensation of slipping and continuing to run.
[That way.]
Following Sibley’s words, a gust of green wind swiftly moved in the direction I needed to go.
With that guidance, I increased my running speed to keep up.
I had been worried it’d take time to figure out the direction, but since Sibley showed me, it was a relief.
Of course, that didn’t mean we had time to spare.
‘I don’t even know how long I was unconscious.’
All I could do now was escape this place as fast as possible.
Whoosh…
As if recognizing my movement, holes began to appear, releasing mist.
I swiftly passed through the spreading mist without inhaling.
Sibley clicked his tongue.
[Avoid as much as possible! I don’t have the luxury to block your breathing too!]
“Got it.”
In response to Sibley’s urgent words, I nodded and avoided the mist as much as I could while running.
It would be better to escape this place quickly, even if I had to risk inhaling some of the mist. Clutching Yurph tightly, I started breaking through the interior.
My breathing grew heavy, but I couldn’t stop running.
I couldn’t afford to waste any more time. It was fine to rush since inhaling small amounts shouldn’t hurt me.
After running for some time, the whale’s mouth I entered through came into view.
Stopping on the pink tongue, I noticed the sparsely spread fangs near the entrance.
‘So that’s the mouth.’
To escape this place, I would need to open the Leviathan’s mouth first. Carefully placing Yurph aside, I picked up my rapier.
[Will you be okay?]
“We need to escape first.”
Responding to Sibley’s worried tone, I loaded the rapier with wind. With a hum, a gust of green wind enveloped the blade.
Not as powerful as when I faced Kartra, but it still carried considerable strength. This should be enough to force the beast’s mouth open.
With that thought, I sent the wind blade flying.
Swish!
As the blade struck the palate, a gush of red blood spurted everywhere.
Aargh!
The pain-filled shriek reverberated through my ears as it emerged from the throat.
With Yurph securely in my arms, I narrowly dodged the wildly moving tongue.
Sibley’s strength was starting to wane, making it increasingly harder to keep dodging. Somehow enduring and holding on as the beast’s mouth opened.
Grrk.
Unable to bear the pain from the slashed palate, the wide-open mouth let out a gurgling sound as I threw myself through the widening gap.
Simultaneously, the spirit’s strength faded, leaving me drained of energy. My muscles protested every movement.
The moment I escaped the Leviathan’s mouth, a vast grassland stretched before me.
A strong wind blew, causing my white hair to flutter across my vision.
‘What the hell.’
I hadn’t realized the Leviathan was floating in mid-air. Regret flooded me for rushing out without considering this.
Could it be that Sibley’s worried voice earlier was about this?
Had I thought about alternate ways to escape if I knew this might happen?
‘Save point, hopefully somewhere nearby.’
As the grassland rapidly approached, I tightly closed my eyes and held Yurph close, bracing for the impact of falling.
However, the harsh winds suddenly disappeared, replaced by the sensation of being caught by someone.
When I opened my tightly closed eyes, I saw Abel’s gentle smile.
“Still quite clumsy in the end, aren’t you?”
“Haha, awkward laughter.”
Avoiding his amused gaze, I sheepishly looked away. Indeed, as Abel said, I managed to save Yurph from within but failed to prepare for the fall at the end.
Without a doubt, this was my foolish mistake.
“Ah, what about Yurph?”
At my question, Abel sighed and slowly descended to the ground.
“Maybe you should worry about others after taking care of yourself first?”
Pointing with his finger, I saw Yurph lying gracefully on a white magic circle in the meadow.
Seeing this, a sigh of relief escaped me.
“I… managed to save someone else for the first time.”
Back then, I was so weak that no one could protect me, and I had to rely on someone like Evan or Abel for protection.
As if responding to my words, he smirked.
“Yeah. Looks like you’ve become quite strong, haven’t you?”
