140. Cecilia Saten's Revenge (4)
The floor collapses beneath us.
We, who had been on the third floor, floated in midair for a moment.
Along with Estia's screaming.
"Ah, ahhhhh!! I'm dying, Oppa!! The Saint is going to die!!"
Louder than the sound of the building collapsing.
Estia cried out, begging for her life to be saved.
I used the bricks falling from the ceiling as footholds and called out Luna's name loudly.
"Luna!"
"Yees!"
"I have to save Saten, so you save Estia!"
"I-I got it! I'll try my best!"
"...Don't try, you must save her."
"Yep!"
Luna nodded as if she understood.
Since she was interested in saving people, she would surely rescue Estia well from the collapsing building.
Before the building fell, I stepped on bricks and approached Saten, who had been showing signs of anxiety.
*The distance to the floor is... about 20 meters left.*
Fortunately, the mansion's high ceilings gave us some leeway.
I leaped toward Saten, who was curled up in midair.
"Saten! Grab my hand!"
"..."
"Damn it..."
At this distance, she should have heard my voice.
Why isn't she moving?
Saten remained still, curled up like a caterpillar in midair.
I had no choice but to pull Saten's body into my embrace.
"Saten."
"...Mister?"
"I'm glad I'm not too late."
Though not completely fortunate.
The falling bricks appeared to move slowly as text floated in the air.
[A whip flying from behind toward Saten. How will Jun-woo respond? Choose.]
[1. Attempt to dodge.]
[2. Take the hit.]
...An ambiguous choice.
Number 2 has a clear answer.
But number 1 is an 'attempt' to dodge, so what comes after isn't certain.
It means there's a possibility I could dodge perfectly, but also a possibility I could get hit while trying to dodge.
*...I have no choice but to look at number 1.*
In my slowed vision.
I answered Minerva, who would be watching from the library.
"Show me the answer for number 1, Minerva."
Then, my vision transformed and began showing me the future.
A black whip flying from behind.
I turn my body to the side to dodge.
The whip grazes past my nose and misses.
However, the whip wriggles as if it has a will of its own and returns toward Saten like a guided missile.
As a result.
I take the black whip in Saten's place and collapse.
In the end, no matter what I chose, the result of being hit by the whip was predetermined.
"...Even if it's the Demon King's power, it's completely useless like this, Minerva."
Still, there's the advantage that it hurts less if you know you're going to get hit.
Though it'll hurt just the same.
I thought such a small complaint and decided to choose my answer.
"Number 1."
Just like I saw in the future.
But in a way that maximizes the probability of dodging.
I dodged the black whip as if I had eyes in the back of my head.
*The first one is successful and...*
Then, immediately after, the whip changed direction and flew toward Saten's heart.
I could understand why there was no option to dodge—the speed.
The whip shot forward, curving sharply.
Its destination was Saten's heart.
*...Can't be helped.*
It seems difficult to change the future.
I looked at Saten cradled in my arms.
And twisted my body to protect her heart.
Along with the sound of the ceiling collapsing, I felt excruciating pain as flesh was gouged from my right shoulder.
Surely, there was a high probability my skin had been torn.
"Mister...? Are you okay...?"
"...Probably, I'm still okay for now."
Okay, my ass.
I feel like screaming right now.
I knelt down the moment I landed on the ground.
I tilted my head toward the sky to endure the pain of my torn flesh.
A large shadow from the ceiling had already reached right in front of me.
"For something called dignity, that's a filthy way to attack..."
The bricks from the collapsed ceiling came crashing down on me.
In such a situation, all I could do was lay Saten, who was in my arms, down below me.
The only method was to support the ceiling with my back alone.
"M-Mister...!"
"Mister! It's dangerous!"
As I was crushed to the floor, the last thing I heard was the Hero Party calling out to me.
And so my vision went dark in an instant.
The ceiling that collapsed from Lennon's attack.
On the moonlit floor, countless bricks were piled up, and beneath them lay the corpses of knights.
The Hero Party's efforts to spare the lives of ordinary knights, not Grimoires, were in vain.
Hare ran forward, stepping over the knights' corpses without care.
"M-Mister...!! You can't die...!!"
You were hit by the whip too.
If you're crushed under the weight of the bricks now, that absolutely can't happen...
Hare ran with worry for Mister, even when she tripped over corpses.
Her knees scraped and bled, but she ran, forgetting even the pain.
"M-Mister... I'll, I'll rescue you right away..."
You absolutely can't die.
It has to end with just injuries.
"You must have been buried around here..."
You're not under here, are you?
Hare knelt down and grabbed the bricks one by one with her hands and threw them.
The broken bricks cut her palms, blood flowed, and her skin stung.
Even so, Hare didn't stop her actions even as her nails wore down and pain shot through her fingers.
"M-Mister... Please, if you're here... please answer me..."
Hare dug through the floor with all her might.
Behind such a Hare, Luna's urgent voice was heard.
"Hare! Watch out! He's coming toward you!!"
"M-Mister... Please..."
"You idiot! Listen to me!!"
"Mister..."
"Ugh...!! Estia, you stay still here..."
"Eek."
After laying down Estia, who had briefly lost consciousness from the shock and noise, on the floor.
Luna hurriedly ran to protect Hare.
"Why are you still alive!? Your heart and neck are both abnormal!!"
How are you moving?
Lennon gradually approached Hare.
To Luna's eyes, his neck had clearly been severed and he should have been dead.
But somehow he was moving with his heart stopped.
"Is that the Demon King's power? Anyway! Hare! Look to the side!!"
"Mister..."
"What are you going to do if you panic while fighting a Demon King!!"
Drip drip—
Unable to hear Luna's voice, Hare continued digging through the floor while shedding tears.
Hare realized Lennon had arrived nearby.
When a black shadow appeared on the floor.
"You're the thief of the Hero Party."
Hare heard the voice, turned her head, and confirmed the target.
How is he alive?
Setting that aside, Hare immediately glared at Lennon and poured out her hatred.
"...You killed Mister."
"Good red eyes filled with revenge. I don't respect your dignity. But you certainly do possess something called dignity. Much better than that woman."
"...Die."
Stab—
Hare moved faster than usual.
With sincerity, she stabbed Lennon's heart.
"It's useless. My heart disappeared long ago."
"...Die. I said die."
"Even if you keep stabbing my heart like that, I'm already a dead body. Stop wasting your strength and move aside. And."
As if that man would die so easily.
Hare, who had stabbed Lennon's heart at least 20 more times, stopped moving when she heard Lennon's words.
"Mister is... alive...?"
"A man of that caliber wouldn't die so easily. You have no trust at all. I just need to accomplish my purpose, so move aside."
Thud—
Lennon pushed Hare to the side and grabbed the bricks on the floor with his hand.
Then, all the bricks floated in the air and Lee Jun-woo's body, which had been buried, was instantly visible.
"Just the ability to dominate those beneath me—the Demon King's power is more useless than I thought."
The Demon King of Pride.
The ability to dominate 'everything' he perceives as beneath him.
Pride's ability.
He used the ability symbolizing superiority to push the bricks aside.
Hare immediately approached Mister, who had been buried.
"M-Mister...!! Are, are you okay...? Your, your life is..."
"Of course it's attached, I told you. My only purpose is one thing. To kill Saten."
"Ahhh! I won't let you!!"
As soon as Lennon finished speaking.
Luna screamed and swung the Holy Sword at Lennon.
Lennon's arm immediately fell to the floor and disappeared, turning to ash.
"Wh-what, why didn't you block it."
Rather, it was Luna who was flustered.
Lennon showed no reaction at all and approached Lee Jun-woo.
"Move aside, red eyes. You don't need to be so wary. I don't want that man. I want the woman beneath him."
"...No. I won't move."
"Then let's do this. If you just hand over that woman. I won't touch that man."
"..."
Hare thought for a moment.
Mister, who had lost consciousness from the shock.
Mister, whose shoulder was wounded and bleeding.
In a situation where she didn't know when Mister would regain consciousness.
What should I do?
Lennon offered Hare, who was agonizing, a word.
"Is that man so precious to you? Even though the reason that precious man got hurt is because of the murderer hiding below?"
"H-Hare! Don't agonize! We'll just kill this Demon King!"
"I absorbed the life force of the knights. Even if I die, I'll revive and heal quickly. In the meantime, your precious person will die. Is that okay with you?"
To Lennon, the knights were similar to objects, so even their life force could be dominated.
"There's an easy path. Is there a need to go around?"
Lennon coaxing Hare.
*...When Mister might die?*
If it were someone else, Hare would have easily abandoned them.
But since she had many conversations with Saten and shared affection.
Hare checked all of Mister's wounds and made her decision.
"...You're right. Demon King."
"H-Hare?!"
"...Mister won't die easily."
Whew—
Luna let out a sigh of relief.
Hare stood up and gripped daggers in both hands.
"Mister would want... the Demon King's annihilation more... So, before Mister wakes up... you have to die..."
"Foolish."
"We'll fight and Estia will heal Mister... So..."
Get up quickly, Saten.
"I know you're awake. Don't hide. I'm telling you to fight and get your revenge. You coward."
"..."
In fact, since Lee Jun-woo had taken all the impact from the bricks.
Saten wasn't injured at all.
She came out from Lee Jun-woo's embrace, carefully gripping her staff, and came outside.
Hare approached Saten, who still had a confused expression.
And.
"Snap out of it, Saten."
Smack!!
Hard enough to leave a red handprint on her pale skin.
She struck Saten's cheek.
"You're pathetic right now. The Saten I knew wasn't such a coward. Before we kill your father first, hurry up and choose."
Will you fight with us?
Or will you stay cradled in Mister's arms sucking your thumb?
"If you can't do it without Mister. At least think about being helpful to Mister."
Leaving those words with Saten, Hare gripped her daggers in reverse and prepared for battle.
Saten, who barely maintained her sanity thanks to Mister's sacrifice.
She stared intently at the staff in her trembling hands, shaking because of Lennon.
"...I have to get my revenge..."
But.
After I finish the revenge I wanted so much.
What's at the end of that?
What will I do and how will I live?
"Since I'm scared and afraid... wouldn't it be okay to use that as an excuse and just run away instead, Mister..."
Saten's mind was in chaos.
Hoping for Mister's answer, she gripped her staff and waited for a long time.
But no answer came from Mister, who had collapsed on the floor.
Because he had sacrificed himself to protect her.
Because he was hit by the frightening whip and was wounded.
"I have to... be brave..."
Grip—
Saten gripped her staff tightly and murmured toward the collapsed Mister.
"...After I get my revenge, please help me find a reason to live."
If you do that.
I don't think I'll be afraid.
It's a promise.
"I'm sorry for choosing late, Mister."
Saten made a promise alone to the collapsed Mister.
Always, every time.
Mister kept his promises.
So she repeated to herself that he would definitely keep this promise too.