Episode 20: The Price of Protection

“Uwaaaaaaah?! What, what is it?!”

“The rock, the rock is split…?!”

As expected, the children were in a state of panic.

Well, it was no wonder—their missing friend had suddenly appeared, and just when they wondered what would happen, the giant rock behind them was destroyed.

…That was close, really close.

If I’d been one second late, it wouldn’t have been the rock that was split in two but everyone here.

The boys, Eleanore, everyone…

Thinking about it made my spine freeze.

But I couldn’t relax yet.

That thing was still there, after all.

“Everyone run from this place!! Anyway, get as far away as you can!!”

I raised my voice with enough volume to match their panicked clamor.

The monster was already trying to get up.

There was no time to spare.

I readied my sword and charged toward it.

“W-what’s going on…”

“H-hey. What’s wrong with him?!”

However, the boys also had no capacity to accept reality.

They wore bewildered expressions and couldn’t move from where they stood.

“[Gran Blaze]”

Guiding them to flee seemed impossible.

I had no time to spur them on, no time to answer questions.

I let flames rage on my sword and slashed at the monster trying to rise.

But of course, it wouldn’t just take it without resistance.

The hands of the child before me warped into an amorphous shape and transformed into something like a black-stained blade.

That clashed with my flame slash.

I ground my back teeth and dodged the slash from one of its hands with a sidestep.

This thing can freely manipulate even the body it possessed…

Then the original owner of the body probably wasn’t alive anymore.

Of course, even if they were alive, I couldn’t afford the consideration of not injuring the body out of concern.

“—”

The opponent acted first.

Both hands turned into blades and pointed at me as it approached in a posture so low it scraped the ground.

Dimensional acceleration. I couldn’t dodge it.

I received it head-on with my burning sword.

(Heavy…!)

An intense shock propagated from my hands through my entire body.

The flames and jet-black blade repelled each other, causing a small-scale explosion.

“Guh…”

This small body couldn’t withstand it, and I was blown backward by the recoil.

If I was thrown into the air, it would be fatal, so I somehow killed the momentum while gouging the ground with my feet.

But that thing didn’t end there either.

Remaining there as if there was no recoil, it kicked up with enough force to form a crater in the ground and closed in on me.

“Tch, [Smash]!”

My right hand gripping the sword, which had taken the impact, couldn’t make it in time.

With my left hand, I formed a magic bullet and fired it off at maximum speed.

The opponent’s left shoulder, struck directly, was torn off.

Blood gushed out profusely, but still, its momentum didn’t stop at all.

The slash from its other hand, swung down, sliced through my body.

It easily penetrated my armor, and fresh blood spurted out.

It wasn’t a fatal wound somehow, but that was all.

While grimacing in pain, I twisted my body and dodged to the side.

“Arcs!!!”

At the same time, Eleanore let out a voice close to a wail.

I knew it, but she was still here.

Somehow, couldn’t I at least let Eleanore escape?

“[Gran Blaze]”

I raised the firepower to prevent the opponent’s follow-up attack.

Still unable to fully receive it, the black blade sliced my cheek.

I was completely on the defensive.

Even trying to let her escape, I had no leeway.

What should I do.

I didn’t seem able to defeat this thing. But I couldn’t run away either.

If I did that, I knew full well that Eleanore and the others would be the next targets.

However, continuing to fight like this, I would clearly be the first to fall.

What happens if I fall?

…Probably, this was the graveyard of Eleanore’s childhood friend in the main story.

It was about whether they could survive here.

And now, I was about to follow that exact same fate.

I would die, and the world would move according to the main story’s scenario.

In the end, was it impossible?

Couldn’t I change it?

Was everything up until now pointless after all, and would I die without being able to protect her?

I bit my lower lip.

I felt like crying, but I couldn’t afford to have my vision stolen by that.

But perhaps I had my consciousness stolen a bit too much by such thoughts and dealing with attacks.

“?!”

In the midst of exchanging sword strikes, the opponent’s expression twisted.

A smile.

Despite being in a child’s body, an endlessly evil smile was plastered there, not a trace of charm to be felt.

I struggled to grasp its intention.

And by the time I finally understood, it was already too late.

“Agh”

An impact struck my stomach.

I’d been kicked.

While expelling the air from my lungs, I crashed into a large tree.

My entire body tingled and I couldn’t move.

(Damn, I let my guard down…)

I was too hasty, I needed to calm my thoughts.

While reflecting like that, I tried to recover my posture.

That’s when I finally noticed.

Its right hand blurred.

The motion of firing a sword flash.

But it wasn’t aimed at me.

Then where it was heading was—

“Eleanore!!”

The black sword flash flew toward the children, and toward Eleanore.

I thrust out my left hand to cast magic… no good, I won’t make it in time.

Bad, this is bad!!

“[Rapid Smash]—”

Even so, I tried to unleash the fastest magic I could cast, betting on a slim hope.

That’s when it happened.

The colors of the world inverted.

Like a negative inversion, you might say. Everything was dyed black.

At the same time, I noticed something entwined around my left hand that I’d thrust out to cast magic.

Magical power like a black tentacle.

“[———————————]”

A high-pitched sound that pierced the ears.

It was both like a metallic sound and like a girl’s scream.

(Ah, this is)

Before I could comprehend everything, my thoughts were dyed pure white.

***

“Hah… hah”

The girl breathed heavily through her shoulders.

She had been desperate.

Simply, with the single-minded thought that she had to save Arcs.

She thought this was the only place to release this detestable power of hers.

The surroundings were dyed pitch black.

Her tentacle-like magical power was spread throughout.

The Celestia unique magic called the Black of the Evil God.

Grass and trees, the earth.

Swallowing up the boys and girls who had participated in the ritual, the Sacred Rock, the boy who had become a monster.

And him as well, without exception.

***

“Gah… hah”

I couldn’t breathe.

I clawed at the ground as if struggling and writhed about.

Even when I tried to inhale, only strange sounds leaked out and air wouldn’t enter my lungs.

“Uu, i, ui… [Wind]…”

I forcibly sent in oxygen with wind-generating magic.

I coughed violently and it didn’t seem to have much meaning, but I continued doing it anyway before holding my breath.

While failing several times, I stood up on trembling legs.

In the process, while shaking off the tentacles entwined around my entire body.

…This was Eleanore’s magic.

Taking it head-on reminded me, but it was the magic used in the final boss battle in the game.

Though not quite her signature move, it was well-known for its distinctive presentation and effects.

Along with a presentation that inverted the screen to black, black tentacles would lash out and attack the entire party.

And its power was extraordinary—without any countermeasures or party buffs, it would blow you away in almost one hit.

…For some reason, I survived though.

I looked around.

Everything was filled with black tentacles.

If the color were different, it would look like earthworms crawling through the world.

In the midst of such pitch-black earthworms, I caught sight of a girl collapsed alone.

(Eleanore…)

With unsteady steps, I headed toward her.

However, probably due to the bad footing, my posture collapsed with a lurch.

“Arcs…”

But I didn’t crash to the ground.

I was caught and supported by her, by Eleanore.

“Eleanore-sama…”

“Arcs… I… I…”

Her voice trembled as if holding back tears.

The reason for her tears—surely there were many.

Just as I tried to embrace her back.

Behind her, a shadow swayed.

(What—)

I let out a voice of shock in my heart.

That thing had started moving.

While shaking off the entwined black tentacles annoyedly, the monster was standing up.

That thing, it was still alive…!

No, given that I survived, should I have realized it wasn’t displaying the power it had in the game…?

Though even if I’d realized it, it’s questionable what I could have done…

However, this is bad…!

Eleanore hadn’t noticed the presence behind her.

Even trying to call out to her… my voice wouldn’t come out.

I could only let out gasping breaths, unable to make sound.

In the meantime, its arm blurred at high speed.

Ah damn, as expected. Of course it would attack.

This is bad, what should I do.

Should I intercept with magic? …No, my consciousness is scattered, I can’t cast that quickly.

Then even if I tried to dodge, I was in this battered state.

I didn’t have the strength to jump to the side while holding her.

…There’s no choice anymore.

I forcefully pulled the girl before me and covered her.

“Guh… aah”

As a result, of course, the slash deeply cut open my back.

I tensed up involuntarily from the intense pain, and Eleanore, grabbed by me, showed a slightly anguished expression.

However, she still didn’t seem to understand what was happening.

“Arcs…? Hey, Arcs?!”

When my body lost the strength to support itself and I collapsed as if clinging to her.

Perhaps understanding the situation, she screamed in a confused state.

“Why, why. That’s…”

She gripped my collapsed hand tightly, now almost like a prayer.

“Please don’t cry… not that much”

“But. All this… blood…”

Eleanore’s tears dripped down onto my cheek.

Her hands reflected in my vision were stained with a sticky red.

All my blood, is that much coming out? Amazing.

Somehow, it felt like someone else’s problem.

“It’s my fault… it’s my… fault…”

“That’s not true. It’s not… your fault”

“No…! It’s all my fault!! Because I used this magic… because I have this power… because I couldn’t do anything and was in a daze… Arcs…”

“…Don’t say such things”

It wasn’t just consolation, I truly thought so.

I looked behind her.

The monster was still blocked by the black tentacles.

Not with that mask-like or smiling expression, but with an anguished one.

Ah, really.

Hasn’t everything been thanks to her from the start?

Honestly, I think continuing to fight like that would have been a losing battle. It was she who cut into that situation.

And after this, I would end up borrowing Eleanore’s power anyway.

…Really, while saying I’d protect her and not let it become a bad end, how pathetic.

“Don’t blame yourself… so much. Didn’t I tell you? The other… day”

I slowly got up and stood while gripping her hand.

The dizziness was severe and I swayed unsteadily like a weathervane, but I somehow managed to stand.

“I won’t let go… of this hand. So now… here, I have no intention… of dying, and I won’t push you away… hah. I won’t deny your power either”

I spun out words while gasping for breath.

My feet stomping the ground had no stability, wobbling.

However, my gaze alone firmly met hers, her pupils wet with tears.

“Rather, your power isn’t bad at all… you know”

I firmly intertwined our fingers.

Strongly, surely, so they wouldn’t come undone.

“But… if it weren’t for my magic. Arcs too… and everyone else wouldn’t have been hurt…”

“We don’t know that. If we’d kept dragging out that fight, I probably would have lost. Then it wouldn’t just be a matter of everyone getting hurt”

I looked around.

Indeed, the children were also submerged in the sea of black tentacles.

…Honestly, I didn’t know if they were alive or dead.

But if I, exhausted, was alive, and that monster had similarly survived, I couldn’t definitively say they were dead.

So she didn’t need to bear responsibility.

“Besides, if I had defeated it, this wouldn’t have happened. Rather, it’s all… my fault”

“No… that’s not…!”

“It is. If I were stronger, when I should have become stronger”

I reflected on what I’d done since three years ago, when I resolved to save Eleanore.

Couldn’t I have done more?

If I’d tried to become strong from the beginning, I shouldn’t be on the verge of death like this now.

I was the one who was complacent.

“Hah… —. Sorry. For being weak”

I cleared my throat.

The back of my throat smelled of iron. Had I injured some internal organ?

I picked up the sword that was nearby.

I almost collapsed right there, but somehow managed to hold on.

“A-are you still… going to fight…?!”

“…Yeah. I won’t push unpleasant roles onto you anymore. But… just lend me your strength a little”

I strengthened my grip on her hand.

So I wouldn’t let go of the warmth.

“[———]”

I chanted the spell.

Not just any magic.

My Celestia unique magic.

In an instant, the world shone brilliantly and was simultaneously painted black.

Honestly, I hadn’t really wanted to use it.

But I’d made up my mind now.

I stared at the monster before me.

Swallowed by the radiance, it looked like it didn’t understand what was happening.

Just like that. It should be swallowed again.

From beneath my feet, black shadows like tentacles began to writhe.