Chapter 33
AAAAAAHHHHHH─!!! A scream unfitting for such a delicate face rings out, and the black-haired beauty beside me watches the scene with pity.
"Shouldn't we help soon?"
"Yeah. What should we do."
Honestly, I pushed her without thinking. I was just so angry in that moment. Let's be more careful next time. But I'm not wrong. Who told her to summon a Reaper and cause trouble? It's all Raphael's fault. I'm not wrong.
Kim Taehyun, who was our only hope, got blown away. Ishia's magic is mostly area-of-effect so it would endanger Raphael too...
Oh? That doesn't really matter, does it? Good. Let's go with magic.
If she can't survive, then that was Raphael's limit. This world is survival of the fittest. It's a world so kind it's easy to understand.
"Let's blast it away with magic."
"Are you crazy?"
"Don't underestimate Raphael. She has a body tough enough to withstand even your 10-line magic chants."
"10-lines?! I can't use such powerful magic..."
No. Your future self can. Keep fighting. You're someone who can do it if you try. Overcome it with guts.
"And that wraith. It wasn't affected at all by my magic."
What? Then using magic would only hurt Raphael? That's not bad eith─
[Don't think unnecessary thoughts, meow.]
"Yes."
Enough with the nonsense. How to save her? Raphael seems to be getting out of breath, starting to pant. Since it might be dangerous, I should save her quickly.
"Lachesis."
[Meow.]
At my call, Lachesis jumps from my shoulder and
Poof!!
With an explosion sound, white smoke appears. Where the smoke clears stands a silver-haired cat-eared girl.
When she licks the back of her hand and looks this way with ruby eyes, I pat her head once. Cats are cute. Yeah.
"Eh? Wha-what? That person from then!!"
She points at our cat with an accusatory finger. With an expression like 'What kind of person is this?' It's troublesome to explain...
Last time she was with us from the start, but it's annoying to explain when she suddenly appears like this. Ah. This should work.
"Maid No. 3."
[Who decided that?!]
I did.
"M-maid?! Did you get another one already? Ah. If that person is a maid then also... no, more importantly, how did you get another─"
Seeing her start muttering to herself, seems she's accepted it. What kind of image of me exists in that one's head that she understands the situation with just one word? I don't know.
I really don't know.
"Anyway, go save her. Can you do it?"
[We'll find out when we try, meow.]
After saying that, Lachesis ran toward Raphael. I spoke to the one still muttering things like 'Ah, no. Even though I'm here, another maid?!' 'Even so, No. 3 is─'
"When the silver-hair saves Raphael, be ready to use magic immediately."
"What?"
"What do you mean 'what'? Hey, just do what I say. The magic chant... hmm. Yeah. 5-line 'Grasp of the Abyss' should do. Just need to bind its feet."
"I can use it but how did you─"
So talkative. Ignoring the muttering one, I looked at Lachesis as chanting sounds came from beside me.
5 lines will take quite a while, but Lachesis can do it. She's a cat after all. Agility MAX, right? Evasion level max, right?
As if proving my words, Lachesis who ran to Raphael dodged the Reaper's scythe by a paper-thin margin and held Raphael in her arms.
The held Raphael made a sound like 'Oh my?!' creating a strange scene, but the person herself doesn't seem to care.
After that, as if buying time for Ishia's chanting, she dodges here and there while holding Raphael, and when the angry Reaper raises its scythe.
"It's ready!!"
With that shout, hands rise from beneath the Reaper. The hands bind the Reaper like restraints, and Lachesis runs this way while holding Raphael─
"Wait. Lachesis!! Turn right!!"
"Too late!!!"
I got hit by an angry headbutt. The damn blonde's stone head collides with my solar plexus. It hurts like hell. Why didn't you dodge, Lachesis?
When I look at her, she whistles while looking at the sky. Are you two a fraud duo? This definitely seems planned?
"Huff. I'll let you off with this much. Know that if you do it again, you're really finished."
It hurts. It hurts so much. I got up while rubbing my solar plexus that got hit by Raphael's stone head.
Though I want to bring divine punishment upon this one, the situation before us is more urgent, so let's endure for now.
"Raphael."
"What."
"Use magic. You know, like that 'Angel's Blessing' you used before. Quick. My waist hurts."
"What do you want me to use? That's all I have?"
"What?"
I asked back in shock for a moment, but this one, having eaten her sense of awareness with rice, opened her mouth proudly with hands on her hips without even grasping the situation.
"I told you, right? Because my wings are sealed, I can't do anything. That one buff is it. Besides that~ You know without me saying, right?"
Hehe. Raphael scratches the back of her head.
Yeah. I understand well. That you're completely useless.
That you weren't worth Lachesis risking her life to save you, Ishia squeezing out her magic power to save you.
I understand very well.
Raphael scratching the back of her head while smiling. I smiled too.
Like that for 3 seconds. After smiling at each other for about 3 seconds.
"Go run until you learn some magic!!"
I pushed Raphael toward the Reaper.
"[Wow.]"
The people beside me looked at me with eyes viewing trash, but this can't be helped. This is karma, right?
"AAAAAHHH!! LEE SEONGHOON!!! LEE SEONGHOOOOON!!!"
I can't hear screams worse than before?
***
In the forest where nothing can be seen, Kim Taehyun opened his eyes while leaning against a tree.
'How long was I unconscious?'
He didn't know. He just went in for a moment and got hit by a simple swing, but flew to where the wraith couldn't be seen and passed out.
"I need to go back quickly."
The blonde woman was being chased. Besides that, there were more people there. Because they weren't trustworthy people, he needed to return quickly.
Moreover, that blonde woman was constantly being targeted. Kim Taehyun stood up. Though an inexplicable intense pain covered his body, he ignored it and ran.
How long did he run? As he ran relying just on instinct, his vision changed and a blue window appeared.
[Conditions met, unique magic "Path of Victory" activates.]
Why suddenly? He couldn't understand. Though it was a unique magic he'd been with for a long time, he really didn't know.
"Path of Victory" is the reason Kim Taehyun can be here.
An ability that always leads him to victory. If there's even a 1% chance of winning in an unfavorable situation, it's the best partner that visualizes that path.
Of course it's a good sign. That wraith was so strong he couldn't win no matter what he did, but why now?
He's not even fighting the wraith now. He was just looking for the way, but while tilting his head at the activated unique magic
Kim Taehyun followed the path it showed exactly.
What he saw then was─
"You thought I wouldn't come back? You're dead!!"
"W-wait a minute. Let's be calm. Let's resolve this through dialogue. We're 21st-century civilized people. Intellectuals. Calm. Yeah! Be calm!!"
"Calm? Caaaaalm?? Is that a word that should come from your mouth?!"
Two people fighting without grasping the situation and two people watching that.
And a wraith with bound feet.
"What."
Kim Taehyun who took in the scene at a glance is confused. It wasn't about the two fighting even in this urgent situation, or about the person who bound that strong wraith with magic even though it's almost broken, or about the newly appeared person.
It was because of what "Path of Victory" was pointing to.
Usually "Path of Victory" shows the way forward. It tells him enemy weaknesses, where to attack during fights, or variables to use.
This is the first time like this. The path extends only toward the black-haired man and blonde woman.
'Is it telling me to protect them?'
He didn't know. Though it had been with him from the moment he was born until now, he couldn't understand its meaning.
But he had to do it. If he misunderstands the meaning, it will show the path again.
Kim Taehyun ran in front of the dark hands that were being torn apart. Then, he stood blocking between them and the wraith, holding his knives.
'Last time I got hit because I was trying to attack too.'
If just defense, no, if just evasion. He can definitely do it.
Let's buy time. Whatever they do, they'll need time. Kim Taehyun didn't doubt his unique magic.
"REPENTAAAANCE!!"
He dodges the scythe swung as if annoyed at the interference, deflects hands with his knives, and attacks when it tries to ignore him and advance.
He occasionally nullifies unavoidable attacks with magic while dodging. Only dodge, dodge, dodge, and if not possible, defend.
Sometimes dark magic blasts helped with evasion.
However, there was a limit to what worked. The wraith raised its scythe.
The scythe raised as if annoyed rotates in the air.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Each time the scythe draws an arc in the air, wind pressure that could blow away even people generates, uprooting even the surrounding trees.
No one here can withstand this. But.
"Watch carefully!! The great Raphael's activity!!"
"Shut up!! Hurry up!!"
Only the blonde's laughter could be heard clearly.
***
I can't breathe. Is this what dying feels like? They say drowning is the third most painful death in the world.
Am I experiencing third place─ While thinking such thoughts, I came to my senses.
"Let's talk this out!! Please!!"
"You should have talked earlier!!"
Yes. I'm currently being strangled by Raphael to great acclaim. How did this happen? Well, you know. It's the result of actions taken without even knowing the Reaper's feet were still bound. Ishia's magic was unexpectedly high-performance. She said it didn't work. She said it didn't work!
The Raphael I pushed did a roll and came back. I've seen this before. This is that famous scene from The Simpsons.
"We're in a really dangerous situation right now? We don't have time for this?!"
[Words don't work on idiots, meow.]
Right. This is a really dangerous situation right now. In multiple ways. My life is in danger from either the Reaper or the angel!
"Do you know what karma means?? Seonghoon?!"
I know. I know well. It's what I was just saying. This must be retribution.
"Today I'll kill Seonghoon and go to heaven!!"
"That's just going back home─!!"
And usually it's hell. I was about to say that but somehow felt like killing me would definitely guarantee heaven so I held back.
It hurts when you actually hear such things.
While wrestling with Raphael's arms like that for a while, a blue window appeared before my eyes.
[Threat detected, unique magic "Magic Eye" activates.]
"Huh?"
Along with the blue window, crack, crack. The sound of something breaking is heard. Raphael also got goosebumps and released her strength to look back.
A skull is glaring at us. How can it glare when it has no expression? I don't know. It just feels that way.
"AAAHHHH!! Seonghoon!! That thing got free? What do we do? What do we do? How do we handle this?!"
At Raphael's words, Ishia and Lachesis also looked at me. Seems like they're expecting something from me. My mind is blank right now.
This damn expectation is too burdensome. While wracking my brains about what to do, something appeared in my sight.
Blue-tinged black hair, a handsome man running this way with cool determination.
He stood as if blocking between the Reaper and us. Finally all arms fall off and the Reaper breaks free and roars.
"That person's alive? I definitely heard an explosion sound?!"
Of course he's alive. Rather, dying would make no sense.
Kim Taehyun has returned. Good. While he buys time, what I should do is─
"Should we run away?"
"".....""
Joke. It's a joke. I wish you wouldn't look at me with those eyes.
While letting 'Really run away?' 'Seonghoon I agree' 'Don't say nonsense meow' go in one ear and out the other, I looked at the Reaper.
Even that Kim Taehyun is barely fighting with just defense and evasion without even attacking.
There's no one stronger than Kim Taehyun among this group.
Type advantage attacks impossible, suppression impossible. When there's nothing we can do─
"If I just had my wings this would be one shot. Too bad. When I was in the celestial realm my nickname was Moving Destruction Tank─ Why are you looking at me like that?"
Found it.
Someone stronger than the current Kim Taehyun.