Chapter 19: Eryndor Under Attack

The streets of Eryndor had descended into chaos.

Explosions echoed between the buildings.

People ran through the streets as strange enemies appeared throughout the city.

The Mist-powered machines that normally filled Eryndor with movement had been abandoned.

Smoke rose into the sky.

And somewhere in the middle of it all...

Mina was searching for her friends.

“Yumiko!”

No answer.

“Nemi!”

Still nothing.

“Nyxhen?!”

Another explosion answered her instead.

BOOOOOOM!

Mina stopped.

She looked toward the rising smoke.

“What is happening...?”

She tightened her grip.

She had only arrived in Eryndor recently.

Yesterday, the city had seemed fascinating.

Today...

It was a battlefield.

Mina continued running.

Then—

Drip.

Something landed on the ground in front of her.

Mina stopped.

She looked down.

A single droplet of blood rested on the stone road.

“...Blood?”

The droplet suddenly floated upward.

Mina's eyes widened.

“Huh?”

It moved toward her.

Fast.

“Wait—”

BOOOOOOOOM!

The blood detonated.

Mina immediately jumped sideways.

The explosion struck the road where she had been standing.

BOOM!

Dust and smoke spread through the street.

Mina landed hard.

“What the heck?!”

She quickly looked ahead.

Someone stood in the smoke.

Red hair.

A strange antenna-like strand of hair sticking upward.

And mismatched glowing eyes.

One blue.

One crimson.

It was Iris Gwisper.

Mina recognized her immediately.

“Iris?!”

Iris stared at her.

There was no smile this time.

Her expression was cold and serious.

“You.”

Mina blinked.

“Me?”

“You're interfering.”

Mina looked around.

“With what?”

Iris raised her hand.

Blood gathered around her fingers.

“With something that doesn't concern you.”

Mina's expression changed.

“So you're the one attacking everyone?”

Iris didn't answer.

Instead—

She flicked her finger.

A droplet of blood flew directly toward Mina.

Mina's eyes widened.

“Again?!”

She jumped.

The droplet passed beside her.

BOOOOOOM!

Mina landed behind a nearby building entrance.

She breathed heavily.

“Okay...”

She peeked around the doorway.

“That's definitely not normal Blood Magic.”

Another droplet flew toward her hiding place.

Mina immediately ducked.

BOOOOOOM!

The building entrance exploded apart.

Mina was thrown backward.

She rolled across the floor and quickly stood.

She stared at the destroyed doorway.

“...It follows me?!”

Iris stepped through the smoke.

“You're still standing.”

Mina looked at the droplets floating around Iris.

Then she remembered what had happened.

The tiny droplets weren't ordinary attacks.

They didn't need to hit her directly.

They exploded when Iris wanted them to.

Mina narrowed her eyes.

“Those blood droplets...”

She watched one float beside Iris.

“...They're basically blood grenades.”

Iris stared at her.

“That is one way to describe them.”

Mina clenched her fist.

“So I can't get close carelessly.”

Iris raised her hand.

“And you can't run forever.”

Another droplet appeared.

Mina immediately moved.

BOOM!

The explosion struck behind her.

This text was taken from NovelPhoenix. Help the author by reading the original version there.

She jumped over another.

BOOM!

Then another.

BOOM!

Mina ran between buildings.

Explosions followed her.

She couldn't fight from a distance.

She couldn't use her Blood Shot.

Kusuri had stolen it.

For years, Blood Shot had been Mina's most reliable ranged attack.

Now...

Nothing came from her hand when she tried to summon it.

Mina looked at her empty palm.

“...Blood Shot still won't come out.”

Her expression darkened.

She couldn't rely on the ability she had trained with for years.

She needed something else.

Mina quickly looked around.

Then she saw it.

A sturdy wooden broom leaning against the wall of a nearby house.

Mina's eyes widened.

“...That'll work.”

She grabbed it.

Iris looked at her from across the street.

“A broom?”

Mina held it like a weapon.

“Don't underestimate the broom.”

Iris raised an eyebrow.

Mina covered the wooden handle with blood.

The blood spread around it.

It hardened.

The wooden handle became surrounded by a sharp crimson blade.

SHING!

Mina smiled.

“Crimson Blood Blade.”

Iris's expression changed slightly.

“So that's your ability.”

Mina lowered her stance.

“It's enough.”

She rushed forward.

Blood Blade vs. Blood Dagger

Mina sprinted across the street.

Iris immediately raised her hand.

Blood gathered around her palm.

Instead of creating another explosive droplet...

She shaped it into a dagger.

Mina's eyes widened.

“She can make weapons too?!”

Iris stepped forward.

Mina swung.

CLANG!

Their weapons collided.

Mina pushed forward.

Iris blocked.

Mina swung again.

CLANG!

Iris ducked beneath the blade.

Mina quickly turned.

Iris attacked.

SWISH!

Mina moved her head aside.

The blood dagger passed beside her.

Mina swung horizontally.

Iris blocked.

The force pushed both of them apart.

Mina slid backward.

Iris remained standing.

“You're faster than I expected.”

Mina tightened her grip.

“You're stronger than you look.”

Iris immediately rushed forward.

Mina raised her blade.

CLANG!

The blood dagger struck the Crimson Blood Blade.

Iris attacked again.

CLANG!

Mina blocked.

Again.

CLANG!

Mina stepped backward.

Iris continued pressing forward.

Mina couldn't simply overpower her.

Iris wasn't only using explosive blood.

She could fight with it directly.

Mina suddenly noticed something.

The ground beneath them was covered with tiny drops of blood.

Mina smiled.

“Got you.”

Iris's eyes narrowed.

Mina stepped backward.

Then she raised her hand.

The blood on the ground moved.

It spread across the street.

Iris looked down.

“What...?”

Mina clenched her fist.

“Bloodthorn Floor!”

Crimson spikes suddenly rose from the ground.

Iris jumped backward.

“!”

The Bloodthorn Floor forced her away from Mina.

Mina rushed forward.

Iris landed several meters away.

Mina followed.

Iris threw another blood droplet.

Mina sliced it apart with her Blood Blade.

SWISH!

But Iris immediately detonated the remaining blood.

BOOM!

Mina was pushed backward.

She recovered her balance.

“She's using the explosions to control my movement...”

Iris smiled slightly.

“And you're learning quickly.”

Mina frowned.

“I'm not complimenting you.”

“I wasn't complimenting you either.”

Mina stared.

“...Right.”

She charged again.

The two clashed once more.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

Blood Blade against Blood Dagger.

Explosions around them.

Bloodthorn Floor forcing movement.

The battle continued through the streets of Eryndor.

Neither girl was willing to back down.

Nyxhen and Zerav vs. the Gravemaw Behemoth

Several streets away...

Nyxhen and Zerav were facing something far larger.

The Gravemaw Behemoth.

The creature stood between the buildings, roaring as pieces of stone floated around its body.

Nyxhen stared.

“Wait...”

He looked at the nearby buildings.

Then at the Behemoth.

“Those stones...”

The creature's armor was growing.

Stone from the buildings was being pulled toward its body.

It attached itself to the Behemoth like additional armor.

Nyxhen's eye widened.

“The records never mentioned it doing that so quickly.”

Zerav looked at him.

“What's happening?”

“It's absorbing the stone.”

The Behemoth's armor became thicker.

Stone plates covered its shoulders.

Its arms became heavier.

Zerav grinned.

“So it can use the city as armor.”

Nyxhen's expression became serious.

“Exactly.”

The Behemoth suddenly raised its head.

Its mouth opened.

Then—

ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!

A massive roar exploded through the streets.

Nyxhen froze.

His entire body became stiff.

Zerav's eyes widened.

“Don't listen!”

But it was too late.

The roar wasn't ordinary.

It shook the air itself.

Nyxhen's body stopped responding properly.

“What...?”

His knees almost gave out.

Zerav also struggled to stand.

“It's... paralyzing us...”

The Behemoth roared again.

ROOOOOOOAR!

Zerav realized something.

Nyxhen was closer to the monster.

If the roar continued...

Neither of them would be able to move.

Zerav suddenly grabbed Nyxhen.

Nyxhen looked at him.

“What are you—”

Zerav threw him.

“HEY!”

Nyxhen flew upward.

Higher.

And higher.

Zerav had thrown him so far into the air that the roar became weaker.

Nyxhen looked down.

“YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME!”

Zerav tried to answer.

But the roar reached him again.

ROOOOOOOAR!

Zerav's body froze.

His eyes widened.

The sound was painfully intense.

He covered his ears.

His balance disappeared.

He fell to one knee.

“...Can't... hear properly...”

His hearing rang.

He tried to stand.

His legs refused to cooperate.

Zerav collapsed onto the ground.

He was still conscious.

But the roar had left him stunned and unable to fight.

Above the city...

Nyxhen finally escaped the worst of the sound.

He looked down.

“Zerav!”

He saw him lying on the street.

Nyxhen immediately descended.

He landed beside him.

“Are you okay?”

Zerav tried to answer.

“...My ears...”

Nyxhen understood.

“Don't move.”

He helped Zerav toward the side of a building.

“Stay here.”

Zerav looked at him.

“You're fighting it alone?”

Nyxhen stood.

“Yes.”

Zerav gave a weak grin.

“Good luck.”

Nyxhen looked toward the Behemoth.

Noctesgrave rested in his hand.

“I'll handle it.”

He turned.

The Behemoth stared down at him.

Nyxhen raised his weapon.

“Come on.”

Nemi Runs Out of Thread

Meanwhile...

Nemi's battle against the ice wielder continued.

Her thread spider legs moved rapidly across the street.

SHHHK!

An icicle flew toward her.

Nemi moved.

Another came.

She moved again.

Then—

CRACK!

One of her thread legs was destroyed.

Nemi's eyes widened.

“One is gone.”

Another icicle struck.

SNAP!

A second leg shattered.

Nemi landed awkwardly.

“Two.”

The enemy launched another barrage.

Nemi created more threads.

She tried to form another spider leg.

But the threads were becoming thinner.

Her dress was running out of usable material.

Nemi looked down.

More of the outer fabric had unraveled.

“I'm almost out.”

She quickly ran through the market.

The enemy followed.

Icicles rained behind her.

CRASH!

CRASH!

CRASH!

Nemi turned a corner.

Then stopped.

A large clothing store stood ahead.

Her yellow eyes widened.

“Clothes.”

She looked behind herself.

The enemy was approaching.

Nemi looked at the store again.

Then at her nearly exhausted threads.

“...Perfect.”

She rushed inside.

The shop was empty.

Nemi grabbed the first complete outfit she could find that fit her.

She quickly moved behind a changing screen.

Outside—

CRASH!

An icicle struck the building.

Nemi quickly changed into the new outfit.

She stepped out.

Her old dress was almost completely out of thread.

But her new outfit was intact.

Nemi looked at herself.

“Much better.”

She picked up her remaining thread.

Then smiled.

“Now I can fight properly.”

She stepped outside.

The enemy immediately launched an icicle barrage.

Nemi raised both hands.

Threads spun around her.

They formed a circular barrier.

SHHHHHH!

The incoming icicles struck the spinning threads.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

Nemi blocked them one after another.

Her new outfit moved with her as she stepped forward.

“Thread Charge"

The threads suddenly shot outward.

The enemy created an ice shield.

Nemi smiled.

“Let's finish this.”

Yumiko's Dual-Blade Battle

Elsewhere...

Yumiko was still being pressured by the armored knight and the gunslinger.

The knight attacked from the front.

The gunslinger fired from behind.

Yumiko was constantly forced to switch between the two.

She looked at her enormous scissor-claymore.

Then she remembered something.

“Maybe...”

Yumiko pulled the two handles apart.

CLANK!

The giant scissor-claymore separated into two blades.

Yumiko now held one blade in each hand.

She smiled.

“That's better.”

Her wings spread.

She suddenly accelerated.

WHOOSH!

The armored knight swung its gigantic hammer.

Yumiko moved around it.

She struck once.

CLANG!

The knight blocked.

Yumiko spun.

She struck again.

CLANG!

Then she flew upward.

The gunslinger fired.

BANG!

Yumiko twisted sideways.

The bullet passed beside her.

She accelerated again.

The gunslinger fired another shot.

BANG!

This time—

The bullet struck Yumiko's arm.

Yumiko gasped.

She dropped one of her blades.

The weapon hit the ground.

Yumiko grabbed her arm.

The gunslinger immediately aimed again.

Yumiko looked at the blade lying on the ground.

Then at the gunslinger.

She tightened her grip around her remaining weapon.

“This pain won't stop me.”

She flew forward.

The armored knight suddenly appeared beneath her.

Its gigantic hammer swung upward.

Yumiko's eyes widened.

“Whoa!”

She quickly twisted her body.

The hammer passed beside her.

She barely avoided it.

Yumiko landed on a nearby rooftop.

She was breathing heavily.

The knight turned toward her.

The gunslinger repositioned behind her.

Yumiko looked between them.

“One close-range fighter...”

She glanced toward the knight.

“And one long-range fighter.”

She tightened her grip.

“They're covering each other's weaknesses.”

The knight raised its gigantic hammer.

The gunslinger aimed.

Yumiko swallowed.

“This is going to be difficult.”

Beneath Eryndor

Far below the streets...

The situation was even more dangerous.

Deep beneath the city was an ancient underground chamber.

The walls were covered in strange symbols.

At the center of the chamber stood a massive sealed structure.

The seal of the Death God.

But someone was fighting beside it.

A young man with brown hair.

Green eyes.

A white cloak.

He held a weapon in one hand and a dagger in the other.

It was Yuuiki Keitou.

He moved through the underground chamber, fighting several strange enemies.

One rushed toward him.

Yuuiki blocked.

Another attacked from behind.

Yuuiki turned and struck back.

“Get away from the seal!”

The enemies continued surrounding him.

Yuuiki breathed heavily.

He glanced toward the enormous seal.

It was beginning to crack.

“No...”

He rushed toward it.

“I can't let you break it!”

One of the enemies suddenly raised its hand.

Golden light appeared.

Yuuiki's eyes widened.

“...What?”

CLANK!

Golden chains suddenly shot from the ground.

They wrapped around his arms.

Then his legs.

Then his body.

Yuuiki struggled.

“Ghh...!”

The golden chains tightened.

He tried to move.

Nothing.

He couldn't even raise his dagger.

The enemy walked toward the seal.

Yuuiki stared.

“Stop!”

The stranger ignored him.

The seal began glowing.

A crack appeared across its surface.

Yuuiki's expression changed.

“Don't you dare...”

The enemy raised its hand.

The Death God's seal trembled.

Yuuiki pulled against the golden chains with everything he had.

But he couldn't move.

He was completely restrained.

And then...

A voice echoed through the chamber.

“The seal is almost broken.”

Yuuiki looked toward the stranger.

His green eyes narrowed.

“So that's what this attack was about...”

The enemy stood directly before the ancient seal.

Above them, Eryndor continued falling into chaos.

Mina was fighting Iris.

Nyxhen was fighting the Gravemaw Behemoth.

Yumiko was trapped between a hammer-wielding knight and a gunslinger.

Nemi had been forced to abandon her old dress just to continue fighting.

But beneath the city...

Yuuiki was fighting a battle that could affect all of them.

The Death God's seal was beginning to break.

And Yuuiki...

was running out of time.