LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 68
Chapter 68: The Final Farewell
“You…”
“It’s goodbye then. We won’t see each other again.”
“…”
“Don’t even try to understand all this. It’s impossible. So don’t ask.”
Romwell moved for me beyond our deal. Probably because of… Leon, the man who warned of the collapse of the rotten roots.
“Go now! Hold them off here and retreat quickly!”
Nod…
I must run.
Swoosh…
Ta-dah-!
“Halt there!”
“Did you think you could kill Neil and get away with it!”
Whoosh-!
An investigator, kicking off the trees, charging at me like a bullet.
Crack-!
Romwell caught the man’s greatsword with his gauntlet.
Swoosh-!
From the gauntlet, a claw made of five blades sprang forth.
“Just block the visible ones! The weaklings can’t kill that guy!”
Ignoring Romwell’s words, I dashed.
In Episode 5, I defeated the left-hand man of the boss, and in Episode 3, I was saved by the boss. The future becomes increasingly uncertain.
“Heave… Heave…”
Escaping the battlefield, the luxurious, refreshing air awakened my senses.
“Chase him!”
“He’s over there!”
The voice of the pursuing squad member reached me from behind. There’s still distance, but at this rate, I’ll be caught soon.
‘I’ve come more than halfway through the plan…’
I pulled out the map from my pocket and checked it once more.
The bridge was marked clearly.
Here, in the Great Forest, lies the long-abandoned civilization of humans.
The Great Forest is an uncharted demonic realm, an unconquered terrain by humans. If you ask, it’s definitely so, but it’s undeniable that traces of human civilization remain.
How did this happen? The Great Forest near Riudira is the outer layer of the forest’s center, located in the far east. In other words, the terrain is as thin as the crispy skin of a roasted duck, north to south.
Since the center of the Great Forest is to the west, crossing north or northwest doesn’t take long without moving west.
Then, what about the bridge and the traces of human civilization? This happened due to the expansion of the Great Forest.
The powerful life force flowing from the center of the Great Forest spread in all directions, initially sweeping up villages like Riudira on the outskirts of the forest.
Eventually, the citizens of the Kingdom Alliance had to abandon the village and retreat, leaving their traces in the Great Forest. The bridge was a relic of the past, allowing goods to flow between the village and the Kingdom Alliance.
In other words, the place where I and the dungeon’s familiars are heading was once the territory of the Kingdom Alliance.
‘After crossing the bridge, if I collapse it from the other side, the pursuit team will have no way to follow.’
A long exile, or only through diplomatic cooperation, could they chase me to my new sanctuary, but they’d likely give up.
‘Yes… if I can just get there…’
So…
“Cough… Ha…”
A cough mixed with blood.
“This area is certain!”
“We must find him! If we capture Scala’s disciple alive, we’ll receive a huge reward!”
“He’s exhausted!”
The adventurers had already chased me to the brink.
Romwell must have failed to stop them.
If Romwell had failed, it wouldn’t be the insufficiently skilled squad members who followed me here, but the investigation team.
‘I must shake them off here once…’
Whoo…
Using the power of the lake is too much; I must counter only with movement.
Flare up…
A mage, a hunter, and a warrior, all approaching with a round fireball floating in the air.
All three of them.
Such conspicuous preparation of magic reveals one’s lack of skill.
Yet, being able to strike immediately without preparation is a significant advantage, which is why novice mages often do so.
‘The mage first?’
No, if I’m to ambush, it should be the other guy first. If I can withstand the mage’s first strike, there will be time before the next attack.
Swoosh-
I pulled out a dagger from my pocket and picked up a stone from the ground. An ambush must be executed amidst chaos.
Growl! Growl!
The hunter’s dog barked.
“He smells blood! Here…”
Sssss-!
Thud!
The dagger buried in the hunter’s head.
“Where is he!”
Boom-!
I threw the stone loudly, hitting a tree on purpose.
“Die, die, die!”
Flare up…
Boom-!
The fireball exploded a whole tree. And this spectacle drew their excessive attention.
Thud-!
“Ah… Ahhh… When…”
In the meantime, I appeared behind the warrior and pierced through his chest from the back.
Thump…
“Wait… please save me… I…”
The mage backed away, crying.
Crackle…
Words and actions differ.
The excessive magic gathering in her hands was a clear warning of an imminent lightning strike.
Scrape-
Thump…
The woman’s head fell to the ground.
Plop…
As if it were a routine, I shook off the blood and grime clinging to the lake. To the lake, already a culmination of all evils, I added a few more drops of wickedness.
Sssss-!
Boom!
An arrow lodged in the tree right next to me.
“There! I heard something there!”
I must run.
I can’t afford any more delays in arriving.
Boom-!
My body grows heavier with each step.
The sensation in my limbs fades, and I run on sheer inertia.
Crash-!
I sense a presence behind me.
“Got you, you cursed…”
Whoosh-!
I whirl around, my blade slicing through the air.
And then, my vision blurs.
Whoosh…
The sounds keep reaching my ears.
“Aaaah…!”
Crash!
…Scrape-!
“This… this monster…”
…What’s happening?
It’s like opening my eyes after a long sleep, everything’s hazy.
More than a dozen bodies surround me.
‘How many… have I killed?’
For now, I thrust my sword into the chest of a fallen squad member before me.
Thud…
“Ugh…”
Nausea hits me.
I feel like vomiting.
“Over there! There!”
“Found him!”
So… they’re coming again?
“Ugh…”
No, I can’t keep this up… If I fight now, I’ll collapse and die. I need somewhere to hide…
A rock by the cliff, connected to a large gorge.
That’s the place.
I quickly hide my body from their sight.
‘Ugh…’
I’ve been wounded while my mind wandered. Luckily, it’s not bleeding too much.
Pop…
I pour a potion over the wound.
Hiss…
‘Ugh… Aaaah!’
I stifle a scream that tries to escape my lips.
“He must be tired… and wounded.”
“Such a fearsome creature… to have slain so many squad members…”
“Don’t let your guard down, he could be anywhere…”
I feel them passing by. Their voices fade…
‘…No.’
They pretend to pass, then silence their steps and turn back.
‘Have they spotted me? Why… Ah, I see.’
In my dazed state, I might have missed leaving a trail of blood.
Swoosh…
I reach for the lake again.
Groan…
Suddenly, a distant sound makes me turn my head involuntarily.
Roarrrrrr!
It’s an omen.
One I’ve felt before.
Boom-!
Urea has fallen.
Scala, at last, has defeated the autumn monster with the remaining investigators by his side.
All this was within my predictions.
But…
[Urea struggles in the face of death.]
[Urea uses the Overflowing Breath of Life.]
[Urea gathers the surrounding life force and releases it.]
[Those hit by the breath recover health, and any excess healing becomes life damage.]
I didn’t expect Urea’s head to turn towards me as it fell.
“Damn… Run, run!”
“It’s too late! Suc…”
Boommmmmmm-!
The last breath of the autumn monster.
A mighty gust sweeps through where the squad members stood.
Crackle…
Beep…
Their fate is unknown to me.
Crash-!
I struggle not to fall off the crumbling cliff, the only thing I can do right now.
Crack…!
My hand barely catches a tree growing precariously from the cliffside.
“Ugh…”
Thump…
I manage to climb up the cliff and look around.
“…”
No trace of the squad members’ bodies.
“Damn it.”
Urea’s last breath has cut off the path to the bridge. Now I must take a long detour.
‘Can I endure it?’
Whether my body can hold up until I reach my destination is one problem, but the biggest issue is…
‘Urea has been vanquished.’
He will come.
The one-eyed wolf, Scala.
‘Romwell must have retreated by now. From here on out…’
It’s a race to the bridge before Scala or even the investigation team catches up. I couldn’t face them even if I tried.
Boom-!
I must run.
Only ceaseless movement can free me from this nightmare.
“Heave… Heave…”
To be honest, it’s too much.
‘Can I make it?’
My vision blurs, and my breath feels like it’s tearing out of my chest.
‘I must go, I…’
If I survive, I’ll remember this day forever. Surely, such torment won’t come again.
“Ha… Ha…”
How long… have I run?
Have I lost them?
My vision is blocked by a wall.
Thud…
‘It’s not a wall… it’s the ground…’
I can’t move anymore.
‘Is this… death?’
Does it even matter if I die?
No… it can’t be.
I want to live.
I must see how the world that Seung-ah created ends.
‘I…’
So, by any means necessary, stay alive. Even if you have to crawl, make it to me.
Though my mind fades, I remember Amon’s last words to me.
Wriggle…
I must crawl to our meeting place.
Rustle…
‘…Oh no.’
An ominous presence approaches.
‘Did I miss a squad member?’
I deduce this because the sound came from the direction I was heading.
“I’ve found you.”
“You were here.”
A familiar voice.
‘…Thank goodness.’
Relieved, I finally let go of my tenuous grip on consciousness.
* * *
Groaning…
Awakened by the rhythmic swaying, I regained consciousness.
“…Bill.”
“Have you awakened?”
“What has happened?”
I was being carried on Bill’s back, moving swiftly.
“We left the formation to return. It seems we’ve witnessed an ominous scene…”
They too had seen Urea’s end.
A narrow escape, a decision made in the nick of time.
“Mori is…?”
“…Someone had to buy us time.”
“What?”
Buying time… What does that mean…
“You must conserve your strength, Faust. You’re bleeding heavily. We need to hurry…”
The wound had reopened.
I applied pressure to the injury again.
‘Ugh…’
Mori… buying time for me…
“Mori is…”
“He’s a resourceful one; he’ll find a way to survive.”
“Did you tell him our destination?”
“…”
Bill hadn’t told Mori where we were headed. He wouldn’t have wanted to know… Mori went to his death.
Without any intention of returning.
Determined not to give the enemy any information, even if captured.
Should I pity Mori?
Should I be angry at an irreversible decision?
No, now I know the best answer.
“Admirable.”
The response of a sovereign.