Chapter 46

Faced with that ominous momentum, the ease on Regis' face vanished.

As he waved one hand and simultaneously raised his staff, a purple barrier formed layer upon layer in front of him, and the void writhed as another monstrosity crawled out.

Zing! Zing!

Just as Mev was about to surge forward, shattering the two layers of barriers, a long tear appeared vertically in the space before Regis, and a long leg, reminiscent of an insect or arthropod, suddenly shot out.

The claw at the end of the leg, sharp like a blade, lunged at Mev.

Mev tilted her sword.

Clang!

The sword deflected the claw, sending red sparks flying.

As the sword slid along the joint of the leg, Mev's grip tightened.

Squish!

The leg was severed, and the space closed in an instant.

Regis, revealed beyond it, finally launched himself.

The footsteps of the void hounds rushing towards her grew more urgent.

A sword, resembling a lump of divine power, fell vertically.

Regis created a maximum barrier almost simultaneously.

Crack!

The red trajectory and the barrier collided.

The divine sword, now nearly two meters long, burned like a saw blade, breaking the barriers one by one.

But it was clearly losing momentum.

The void hounds, with their invisible teeth and claws, pounced on Mev immediately after.

Crack!

Her shoulder and chest armor crumpled, and blood spurted again.

Mev was held back from being flung away by the sword, which was still in contact with the barrier.

The gravitational pull created by the opposing forces was pulling them together.

Mev clenched her teeth and pulled back her chin.

Her entire body tensed.

The bones in her hand, gripping the hilt, creaked, and the divine power bound to the sword burned even brighter.

“...!”

As Regis' face, which was regaining composure, turned to shock.

“Gah... Aaaaah!”

Mev let out a scream close to a roar and struck down with her sword.

The last barrier shattered, and the red trajectory sliced through Regis' body diagonally.

“O- Oooooh!”

With a scream, Regis' upper body split open.

The sword, now stained with blood and severed tentacles, swung around as Mev landed, piercing the void hound hanging from her back.

She finally touched the ground.

“Y- You... damn... woman...!”

A grinding roar erupted from Regis' mouth, which seemed about to split in two.

Tar-like mucus oozed from his wound, and dark red muscle fibers tried to hold together his upper and lower body.

Bent, he barely managed to stitch himself back together, and his pineal gland twitched convulsively.

“Wandering the void eternally... I will make you suffer...! Look...!”

His tentacles glowed purple and writhed.

Regis raised his hand, now fused with his staff, and drew it through the air.

Crack!

Space split as if breaking, revealing a purple expanse beyond.

The overlap of reality and the void, the gap between them, opened.

“The true god will judge you...!”

Regis' scream echoed.

Mev, who had just managed to stand up, took in the curtain of the void and the countless legs pushing through it.

The thin, long legs, like those she had cut.

Countless legs, like those of a spider, pushed out the space.

A gaze was felt from beyond the curtain.

Eyes, dense and malevolent, like compound eyes.

Mev's face, sensing her impending end, became strangely calm.

Though she couldn't kill him, she felt her divine power gnawing at Regis' inner being.

Eian would surely complete the revenge.

That was enough.

The legs spread wide, ready to tear her apart.

Just as Mev closed her eyes humbly.

“I haven't given any answer yet.”

A sudden voice pulled her back to reality.

Eian, who had wrapped his arms around her waist, stood in front of her.

Mev's eyes widened.

Eian looked down at her.

Eyes she had never seen before, shimmering with a piercing blue.

“The contract must be accepted by me to be valid. It's not a notification.”

Crack!

A massive ice wall formed around him.

On the opposite side, countless icicles sprouted like stalactites.

Crack!

The legs dug into the ice wall.

But the ice wall remained unbroken, perfectly protecting Eian and Mev inside.

The blue magic, Frost Shield, a protective spell amplified by essence and manifested by chaos power, formed an unbreakable barrier, even for the void entities.

Boom!

In the next moment, the shield exploded, sending fragments flying in all directions.

The legs were pushed back, and fragments flew into the gap in space.

At that moment, Eian's eyes glowed purple, then turned red.

Eian pushed Mev away.

“I reject your contract. Take care of your surroundings yourself.”

With that, he turned.

Crack, Crack!

In the center of his palm, essence, with cracks on its surface, flickered yellow.

Boom!

A white flame shot out in a straight line, piercing the gap in space.

The legs convulsed.

Screams, like nails on a chalkboard, erupted from beyond the void curtain.

The eyes beyond the curtain burst and popped.

Eian, struggling, took a step forward, continuing to emit the flame.

The legs, writhing in pain, retreated into the gap in space.

The broken space reassembled, returning to its original form.

The flame subsided.

“...”

Regis, his body bent to the side, stood in a daze.

Drawing his sword from his waist, Eian murmured.

“Your apostle almost died. Are you just going to watch?”

It was a taunt.

But a faint divine power spread through the sword of judgment.

Regis hastily extended his hand.

“Wait...”

Eian lifted his sword without hesitation.

Crack!

The remaining part of Regis' waist, barely connected, was severed.

Eian didn't stop there and struck down with his sword.

Crack! Crack!

Regis' arms were severed.

Finally, Eian pressed down on the creature's neck and leaned in.

“Let me tell you something.”

He whispered.

“The one you served isn't a true ancient god. It's a pet raised by a god.”

“Wh- What...?”

Squish!

Eian's sword cut through the pineal gland.

“Gah- Aaaah!”

A scream erupted from Regis' mouth.

Crack! He stomped on the creature's face and stood up, shaking his head to clear his vision and turned back.

Mev, barely standing, holding her sword like a staff.

Eian said.

“This is something you should do.”

Despite her pale, bloodless face, Mev smiled.

“Willingly.”

Approaching, Mev swung her sword with all her might, chopping off Regis' head.

The blood vessels on the severed head, like a heart, throbbed and then subsided.

“Cough...”

Eian, holding back the blood, spat it out and sat on the ground.

Mev, swaying, leaned against him.

Eian looked beyond the broken throne, at the window Regis had stood in front of.

Dawn had already broken.

The night of madness was over.

Without even checking the quest completion window that appeared before his eyes, Eian smirked.

“Still, it was quite a noble last word, my lord.”

“...”

Though it was meant to tease, there was no response.

Turning his head, Eian saw Mev's shoulders, leaning against his back, trembling and let out a hollow laugh.

“...How can you fall asleep so quickly?”

Or did she faint?

There was no way to tell.

A few seconds later, he, too, lost consciousness, leaning against Mev.

***

Eian and Mev were transported to the Liurel family's mansion under the escort of the royal guard and soldiers.

Eian opened his eyes a day and a half later.

Looking down at the bandages covering his body, he clutched his aching body and left the room.

Miguel, who was cleaning the garden, looked up.

“Brother! I thought you might never wake up!”

“What about her?”

“She woke up about half a day ago. She's sleeping again now. She won't be able to use her sword for a while, but her life is not in danger. The same goes for you.”

“That's a relief.”

Eian sat down in a corner of the garden.

His whole body ached, and he felt weak.

His stomach was also queasy. Typical symptoms of magic exhaustion. The fragment of chaos within him was more than half empty.

He didn't want to think about how to refill the chaos power inside him just yet.

Miguel, who had quickly fetched water, said.

“The city is almost cleaned up. More people died than expected, but the soldiers have cremated the bodies of the victims.”

“What about the hounds?”

“They left no trace. No one knows where they went. Still, thanks to you, the lord's reputation is cleared. The damn duke, or rather, the corrupt one's body, is hanging on the city walls. Three pieces, just right.”

Eian nodded, drinking the water.

The battle with Regis flashed through his mind.

The strongest enemy he had faced since falling into this world.

Of course, it was only half of what he might face in the future.

But it was undeniably threatening.

“Damn...”

“Hmm? Are you getting angry again? Should I not have said that?”

“No. Keep going.”

“We're planning to hold a meeting in two to four days. You can do what you originally planned to do then. It was supposed to be held immediately, but you and the lady couldn't be absent. I'll go tell them you've woken up soon.”

“...”

“Right, and I heard an interesting rumor...”

Just as Miguel's voice was about to become subtle.

“Lord! Lord...!”

Philip, spotting Eian, tumbled down the stairs.

“I'm so relieved! So relieved...!”

He knelt before Eian, his face almost in tears.

I thought you were a mercenary.

You still have a long way to go.

“You did well, too.”

Eian nodded.

Philip added.

“The lady just woke up again. I was about to get her something to eat. Should I bring it for you too?”

“You serve two lords. Of course.”

Miguel answered for him.

Eian, smirking, stood up.

“Is she in the bedroom?”

“Yes.”

Eian, moving his creaking legs, climbed the stairs.

His stamina was still not fully recovered.

Judging from his stats, he must have had several broken bones or fractures.

An empty corridor.

Now, there were fewer than ten people left in this mansion.

He suddenly understood why Mev had wanted to give up on life.

Being left alone in a place once filled with loved ones might be a pain greater than death.

The door at the end of the corridor opened, and Lucia peeked out.

“...?”

Just as Eian tilted his head.

Lucia, running across the corridor, suddenly hugged him.

Eian stiffened, feeling pain and confusion.

“...Thank you, mercenary.”

Lucia's whisper continued.

Eian, frowning, awkwardly stroked her head.

Lucia suddenly stepped back.

“...That doesn't mean I like you, mercenary.”

She said expressionlessly and turned, running back to her room.

“Who said what...”

Was it because of that curse?

Eian, muttering, shook his head and moved on.

He opened Mev's door.

Mev, sitting alone on the bed, turned to look at him.

Her once empty green eyes, like a flower blooming, regained their vitality.

“You're awake. I've been waiting.”

Her tone was matter-of-fact, despite her smile.

Smirking, Eian entered her room.

“It's only a half-day difference, after all.”