Chapter 322: I Should Have Known You'd Be Here! (3)
—
"Sisty!"
Neji's hand slammed on the armrest of his throne as a loud groan left his lips.
[Y-yes, Master??]
"Are you still there? In Jerusalem?"
[Ah, yes, I am—though my health was greatly depleted. I am healing with spells at the moment. Are you alright?]
Neji wasn't alright. The Wood-Clone died, and for some reason, that depleted his main body's HP just like what happened with Sisty. Then again, for a woman who had feats of attacking people in another timeline, this wasn't that big of a deal.
"Alright. Sisty. I tried teleporting, but I can't—the distance is too great for my current, suppressed Mana. So I am leaving things to your hands. Make shadow clones, wood clones, whatever."
[Done, Master.]
"Right. Now two of you stay where you are and save the new believers. Send them to the Kamui Dimension. The rest of you attack the Holy Selection. Save Salia and her son, and send them to the Kamui Dimension too. In the meantime, send some clones to go meet Ryuko."
[R-ryuko? Here?]
"You weren't watching? The Goddess Rhongomyniad Artoria… that was her. She is who Ryuko Tatsuma became in this world. Now be quick."
[I see… Alright. I will open a stream for you to watch.]
Saying so, Sisty began to make moves just according to his provided plan.
* * *
Sisty was Neji's Shadow Clone right now, so she could use all of Neji's powers. It took her just a second to make a dozen clones, all Wood ones, as they moved according to the orders Neji gave.
The people around Sisty showed shock and surprise as she multiplied, looking more surprised than what they were by the earlier explosion that came from the gate of Camelot city.
Ignoring their surprise, two of the clones swiftly pulled the new believers inside the Kamui Dimension.
The other clones of Sisty began moving toward the inner city even before the two clones were done with their job.
The gate of Camelot city was closed, but the hole in the wall made by Ryuko's attack provided them a path inside. While some clones jumped within the hole, the rest simply phased through the wall using Kamui.
By then, the other two clones joined them and landed inside the Holy City.
"-Agh!"
"P-please, let me live! Ak-"
People were dying all around her, but Sisty ignored them. Ten of her clones activated Jōgan and began searching for Salia in the crowd. Simultaneously, two clones rushed inside the platform path where Ryuko was last seen.
In just two seconds, Sisty found Salia just as Neji grunted in her ear, seeing the scene ahead through her eyes.
Salia, that gentle and kind mother, had sacrificed her life just for her son.
"Salia!"
Sisty yelled and rushed to the woman who had a sword sticking out of her back, a soldier behind her who had pushed his sword inside.
In the canon timeline, Salia was chosen by the light, but her son was not. So when the Lion King ordered everyone else to be executed, soldiers came to impale Rushd but at that moment Salia pushed herself in front of her son to take the blow in his stead.
There she died, with nobody strong enough to protect her. That must have been the same thing that happened today, too, even though Neji was there—he couldn't stop her from getting impaled.
[...No, not this time. I can't let her die this time.]
She couldn't die this time. This woman was precious. She pulled him inside the pillar of light, even though there was barely any space in there. She wanted to help him, just because he gave her some food. He couldn't let her die here, not like this.
Sisty listened to Neji's angry order and condensed an Explosion-Release Rasengan. With a shout, she pushed the ball of chakra on the iron soldier behind Salia as it exploded on his face and he flew back, turning into golden particles of light that faded away.
"Salia, are you alright?" Sisty quickly leaned down, while her clones protected her, and held Salia in her arms. "High Heal!"
[Insufficient Mana!]
"Fuck!"
Neji and Sisty growled simultaneously, while Rushd began to cry loudly on the side.
The wound wasn't shallow. The sword had gone through her chest and come out on the other side—normal healing wouldn't make any change.
[…Health Potions! Use health potions!]
Neji reminded Sisty. There were a lot of those potions saved in his inventory since Neji only used magic to heal these days.
"Agh…"
Salia was still alive somehow, which was a good thing since Neji would not be able to revive her in the state he was in if she were to die.
Sisty took out a Health Potion and opened it, about to pour it into Salia's mouth. But right before she could do so—a fiery sword passed through her torso, cutting her in half and killing this clone.
The nearby clones groaned in exasperation, realizing a Health Potion just got wasted and turned to look at the attacker with angry eyes.
Gawain, the toughest knight of the Round Table.
[…Sisty, fall back.] Neji ordered with a growl that turned his voice deeper, as he instinctively entered his hybrid form. [The clones who went after Ryuko died, killed by the Knight Tristan. There's no point behind this, they're too much stronger compared to us. We need to save Salia first.]
"You bastard!" Sisty multiplied with wood clones, turning into 30 copies of herself who all attacked Gawain. "My master will mess you up the next time he meets you!"
Then, she grabbed Rushd and Salia to slip into the Kamui Dimension—just as Sir Gawain twisted his body in a 360° manner, his fiery sword burning through the 30 clones in a smooth line.
* * *
Neji got off his throne with heavy steps, his Jogan twisting to activate Kamui.
This battle had ended.
A battle that he lost.
This was Neji's first battle lost since… well, he couldn't even remember the last time he lost, moreover this severely.
Rumi's fight didn't count since he didn't fight back, but whatever the case, this wasn't the time for lamenting.
Neji sighed and slipped into his Kamui Dimension, appearing close to a crowd of Jerusalem natives.
"Ah… that person…"
"Is he the one…?"
"…I think so?"
The people Sisty had saved at the start, the new believers, were all gathered on top of a single platform inside the Kamui Dimension. They all chattered amidst themselves at the sight of Neji. Seeing his attire that looked so royal, and his appearance that was so similar to the priestess, the prophet from earlier, they theorized he was the God she was preaching about.
"Master, here!"
Neji was on another platform entirely, though. One where only Sisty called him from. She was the only person on that platform besides Rushd and Salia. Neji approached them as he watched Sisty successfully pour a Health Potion into Salia's mouth.
Neji crouched down and watched carefully with Sisty as the older woman's eyes shook gently, her eyelids fluttering, with the wound in her chest closing visibly. Now, the huge open wound was filled with fresh and soft flesh.
"Mom!" The child, Rushd cried aloud and hugged his mother.
"Huh? Ah, Rushd!" Salia didn't care where she was at the moment. She hugged her son back and began weeping.
Neji stood up, pulling Sisty with him. At the very least, he managed to save this sweet woman. That was the only good thing that came out of this bad day.
The relief lasted a moment before Neji's expression went dark and grim, his brain processing the situation a bit too much.
Ryuko Tatsuma. Tier 25. A Dragon Goddess.
…Neji was sure that this was still his Ryukyu no matter what changes she went through, both physically and mentally.
However, being familiar with the Goddess Rhongomyniad's story... Neji didn't have a good feeling about all this, at all.
**
**
**
If you wish to read the next 20 chapters ASAP, don't forget to visit here!
Link: Patreøn.com/Master4thWall