༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (43) ༻
Blood erupted like a fountain from the demonic beast’s decapitated neck, drenching the earth in a warm, red shower and enveloping the area in its piercing, metallic smell.
-Fwooosh!
The hatchet belatedly reappeared as it sliced through the air in a beautiful arc, leaving a rain of blood in its wake.
Beyond the curtain of blood, a man could be seen driving his blade into the forehead of a demonic beast when another pounced at his back.
Unfazed by the sudden ambush, the man withdrew the blade and ruthlessly thrust his sword into the scapula of the intruding demonic cat with mechanical precision.
Piercing right through the beast’s gaping mouth, the bladepoint gleamed in a silver aura as it effortlessly cleaved through its brain and peeked through the crown of the head.
Then, without a moment’s pause, the man charged towards the surrounding beasts that had their jaws agape in shock.
A silver line flashed through the air with every swing of his sword, followed by the sure death of a nearby beast. Then, raising his arm and gripping the hatchet that just returned to his grasp, the man swung down, demolishing another skull.
Blood and cerebral matter splattered as flesh and bone fragments burst out, painting a surreal scene of brutal carnage.
Young Lady Lupesia found herself captivated and blankly staring.
He was strong.
He displayed skill unimaginable for a man who was only recently in the lower-middle ranks among the third-years of the Knight Division.
His quick, decisive movements and the pure, unadulterated violence ensnared the two women.
The agonized yowls of the beasts called forth more of their kin from the distance, and as the beasts approached, they bared their fangs and growled menacingly at the man who was silently standing still while soaked in the blood of their kind.
It was at that moment that a small cat descended from the sky.
Deducing its identity from its whirling pupils, Emma urgently called out to Ian.
“Ian, be care-!”
However, her warning was interrupted by a roaring explosion.
The cat was faster.
A maelstrom of scorching light enveloped the man as a cloud of dust rose and obscured the area.
Seizing the moment, the beasts charged deep into the dust.
However, it was a fatal mistake.
A silver trajectory, imbued with the man’s aura, powerfully sliced through the air horizontally, instantly bisecting two demonic beasts.
A loud impact resounded as the beasts’ bodies split right down the middle before falling to the ground.
However, large movements driven with a lot of strength were also often accompanied by large gaps in defenses. Driven by their wild battle instincts, the other beasts lunged forward, unaware that the man had already discarded his sword.
The man singled out one of the leaping demonic cats. Using the beast’s momentum against itself, the man threw the beast overhead and slammed it against the ground. Then, after pinning it down, he drew his hatchet from his waist and ruthlessly began striking down.
-Puk! Puk! Puk!
Blood splattered with every swing of his hatchet.
The beast was soon brutalized into an unrecognizable lump of flesh from its head down to its neck.
After swiftly making a mess out of the demonic cat, the man braced himself for the beasts’ second offensive.
Forsaking all forms of footwork, he rolled a short distance across the ground and directly faced the beasts.
Then, the man threw his hatchet. Cutting through the neck of one beast, the hatchet abruptly made a sharp turn and took the life of another.
In a way, it was a more merciful ending.
Now that the man was unarmed, the last cat found itself in an unexpected barehanded brawl with the man.
Without any weapons, it was only natural for the beast to be at an advantage, yet the man seemed more feral as he charged forward.
Despite bearing traces of the explosion on his body, the man lunged at the beast.
His fist slammed into the cat’s face with such extraordinary force that the beast bounced off the ground.
What followed was an all too familiar display of one-sided brutality.
The gruesome symphony of breaking bones and battered flesh echoed out endlessly with every punch.
Even after the beast convulsed and lay motionless, the man didn’t stop.
And Lady Lupesia bore witness to it all.
Initially, her eyes sparkled with admiration, but it gradually turned to fear.
He was strong, but his cruelty overshadowed his strength.
The young lady trembled at the realization of the man’s true nature.
His heavy breathing intermingled with blood and flesh.
His golden eyes blazed with murderous intent as he continued pounding down with his fist while gritting his teeth.
The violence came to a stop only after someone gently embraced him from behind. The arms wrapping around him were so frail that he could easily break free from them whenever he wanted.
However, the man couldn’t bring himself to do so when the gentle voice flowing into his ears was so full of warmth.
“…Ian, it’s okay now.”
It was only then that the monster within him receded.
**
‘Why am I unable to protect anything?’
This piercing question drilled into his mind.
It was a strange sensation. All his senses were focused on combat, and his body moved in the most efficient way to kill his enemies.
Only his mind felt detached from reality as memories flickered through his mind.
The burning Great Forest-
He had lost his master and junior sister within the blazing flames. Since that day, his smile left his lips, never to return.
The highlands consumed by a raging blizzard-
Bodies littered the ground as far as the eye could see past the horizon. Even the Golden Lions, the strongest force of the North, had fallen to that being, marking the eradication of the noble guardian house.
The lands obscured by innumerable hordes of flesh nests and demonic beasts of unknown origins-
He was unable to be by the side of the woman he so dearly loved as she breathed her last breath.
The man’s breath turned ragged as he gasped for air.
I must kill them.
His pounding heart was crying out—that killing them all was the only way to protect them.
The voice of regret endlessly emerged like a tidal wave, threatening to submerge his entire being.
He felt suffocated as he swung his fists in a mad frenzy.
This time was no different. The man raised his bloodied hand high into the air.
His arm trembled, having sustained damage from the explosion on top of being bitten by a beast, and his hand was raw where it continually smashed against their bones, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t feel any pain, and he couldn’t suppress the erupting emotions any longer.
Gritting his teeth, he prepared to smash down on the lump of flesh and bones that was barely recognizable as a face.
But before he could bring down his fist, a sudden warmth spread from his back.
His breath halted as a woman’s soft voice brushed against his ear.
“…Ian, it’s okay now.”
The man wanted to ask what was okay.
Nothing was okay.
The destruction of the world was quickly nearing, and the people precious to him were going to die one after the other… For as long as Delphirem and her Dark Order existed.
But before the question could leave his mouth, Ian snapped back to the harsh reality.
**
“Ah.”
A sigh escaped my lips as I regained the ability to voice words.
Steadying my breath, I slowly lowered my fist as the woman’s arms tightened around my chest. There was only so much strength she could put into her frail, untrained arms, but it allowed me to feel her warmth more clearly.
Her tearful voice resonated through me.
“I… I’m fine… So Ian, you can stop now… You’re someone who saves lives.”
“Huuuu…”
I let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.
Demonic crows were still flying overhead.
This assault wasn’t going to end just by killing these beasts.
The demonic beasts numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, and considering demonic beasts usually only acted on their instincts, there had to be someone orchestrating the attack.
I needed to find and take down whoever was commanding them.
“Not someone who takes lives but saves them, huh…”
Her sorrowful voice left a bitter smile on my lips.
She was right.
I couldn’t forget my purpose, my goal.
Violence was just a means to an end, not the goal itself.
I unsteadily rose to my feet. Even so, Emma didn’t loosen her arms.
“…Emma.”
While gently freeing myself from her hug, I called out to her.
I felt her body weakly tremble, and when I turned around, I caught sight of her red hair.
My hands found their way atop her shoulders.
“You okay?”
Startled, her eyes opened wide, and perhaps realizing what she had just done, a blush gradually colored her pale face as she quickly lowered her head to avoid my gaze.
“…yeah.”
Finding her shyness endearing, I found myself chuckling softly, and her face turned even hotter as my laughter persisted for a while.
Then, without erasing my smile, I opened my mouth.
“That’s good.”
‘That’s right. I’m someone who saves lives.’
And there was still one person I needed to save.
The Fifth Imperial Princess, Cien.
Having built up my resolve once more, I silently retrieved my sword and hatchet.
Then, as I began to walk away, a voice halted me.
“…Why did you save me?”
The voice belonged to a noblewoman with golden hair and bright, blue eyes—Young Lady Lupesia.
Fear visibly lingered in her expression, but even so, she shakily stood up and faced me directly with quivering eyes.
“E-Emma’s just a commoner… and even if you saved her, you could have left me to die! It would have been less trouble for you as well…”
I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.
But looking back on it, I might have incidentally killed the beast that was getting ready to attack her while I was mowing down the beasts in a crazed frenzy.
A sigh escaped my lips.
I had no intention of saving her. It just so happened to turn out that way while trying to save Emma.
But rather than answer her, there was something else I needed to address.
“…Lady Lupesia.”
She flinched as she warily met my eyes. Her eyes contained fear of being subjected to brutal violence once more.
I inquired with a smile tinged with a bit of sadness.
“Are you okay?”
The young lady froze on the spot, her eyes spread wide open as she barely managed to eke out a sound.
“…S-Sorry?”
“I asked if you’re alright, Lady Lupesia.”
It was a question I had to ask.
She had just skirted death and was someone I might have inflicted irreparable damage on.
She looked at me incredulously as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard from my mouth.
Then, she responded, her voice shaky and stuttering.
“I-I-I… I’m… fine…?”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
I smiled. With this, everything was over.
There was still someplace I had to go.
As always, Emma gripped my arms, full of worry.
“I-Ian… where are you going?”
“To rescue someone.”
It was a short and straightforward answer.
Knowing those few words were incapable of fully easing her worry, I took out my potion pouch and reassured her with feigned composure.
“Don’t worry, I even have the potions you gave me.”
It didn’t seem to have an effect.
Her face was still wrought with worry when she saw how many I had already consumed, but there simply wasn’t any time.
After briefly bidding them farewell, I quickly left them behind.
Truth be told, my body was a complete mess. It was screaming in pain after having been caught in two explosions and a bite wound that hadn’t fully healed.
Even then, I still had to go-
To the underground tunnels of Verlata Pavilion.
The end of this story awaited me there.
**
Meanwhile, within the underground tunnels of Verlata Pavilion-
“ugh… ah- KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
The princess’ screams echoed through the tunnels.
