— IV —
The moment I stepped out of the cathedral, endless ruin surrounded me, drowned in the sea of snow to be left and forgotten. The icy wind howled like a banshee, slicing through my skin and making me gasp for breath. The cold was unbearable, yet I found something strange. When the snow touched my fingertips, it burnt.
"...This is Superadical," I mumbled.
Superadical is a dangerous and volatile substance, capable of causing irreparable damage to a magician's body. It was the byproduct of a magical reaction inside the magic circuits. When exposed to high concentrations, Superadical can denature the body's proteins, leading to uncontrolled mutations that spread like cancer, gradually consuming the magician. For this reason, gods in the past sealed magic from common folk, to save them from paying the price for magic, yet the truth was that decision cemented gods dominion over humanity.
But I thought Superadical could not exist outside the body, especially this massive! What was going on here?
Suddenly Kiara approached me, "Only when the world reaches its crisis that the Hero and the Devil are born among the faithful sheep," she muttered while touching the snow with her leather gloves,
"In the hands of those dark souls, the ark of life will be at stake. If the hero wins then the world will be saved. If the Devil wins, the world will be destroyed…" she continued.
"It's that verses from the bulls… uh, a holy scripture?" I asked.
Kiara nodded, "Yup, and that's what I wanted to believe too. Someday, a hero will come and save us all. However, a handful of Heroes were born, yet still no sign of The Devil. It's as if the Gods had forsaken this world. Maybe they thought this world is too broken to be fixed," she said innocently, "So I changed my prayer. I wished that The Devil should come out and destroy this shithole already."
Huh? That was weird, I always descended every time a Hero matured. Did someone deliberately alter the history? Perhaps through religion?
"I take it, you're not a believer?."
Kiara grinned widely, "Well, it's a cruel world, my Heroine. I believe it's up to the people of this world to save its arse by themself. Summoning you is my role to save my own life."
"Well, you do have a risky life, stealing things from powerful people."
Kiara just laughed, but before she could remark we heard a shouting,
"A-Aaakhhhh!! Help!!"
A scream? I quickly grabbed Kiara's hand and pull her, "Quick, follow me," I shouted to Kiara.
We ran away from the voice into the woods, panting in desperation. Suddenly, a roar could be heard near us. A swarm of shadowy monsters crawled out from the woods, making us turn back to the voice.
"Holy shite! So many! How did they get here?" Kiara gasped.
Clinging to each other desperately, we ran into an open space. There we stumbled upon a caravan surrounded by giant spider monsters in a vast field of snow. The spider's dark aura covered its rotting flesh, its fangs sticking out long and continuously flowing disgusting red liquid. It looked ferocious and could not wait to tear the man's limb apart. The swarm that followed us quickly regroup with the monster, adding the number of enemies to the mercenaries.
"I knew it, it's Silkstriker swarm! I didn't know that this is their lair. No, could it be the Order breed them?" Kiara bite her finger, "Dammit, this can't be good. That caravan doesn't stand a chance against Anima swarm," she continued.
"Anima? What is that?" I asked.
"It's a monster born from The Order's failed experiment. They injected a cell from a god's corpse into people, hoping one of them gained a godlike power. Yet almost all of them become dark monsters that thrust for a living being. We called them Anima," Kiara explained.
Oh my, what a monstrous organization. How could someone have that foolish idea? When I tried to make sense of all of this, someone jumped into the fray.
"Do not be afraid! Mahamagi Megistus is with us," he shouted with a magic book in his hand, commanding the army of mercenaries there.
"Wait, that voice. It's Artie!" Kiara said and jumped out from behind the tree, "If he's here, we're safe!"
But I grab her back into my embrace, "N-No, don't go there yet. It's still dangerous!" I warned Kiara, who struggled against me.
"B-But—"
TRING!!
The sound of clashing swords and screams of suffering filled the air as mercenaries fought for their lives against the Anima. They were overpowered and surrounded, with no way out. In the chaos, one mercenary stumbled and panicked. The Anima pounced on the opportunity, trying to sink its fangs into the helpless man. But then a red light shot from the sky, with a flash of sword slashed through the spider's head and shot at another monster. The strike saved the mercenary life.
"C-Captain Arthur, I'm sorry," said the mercenary.
Arthur, the name of the man in blackjacked and mask, shook his head, "Focus. Have you forgotten that your wife's children are waiting for you at home?"
Arthur then helped the man to stand up before calling 7 spears of light into his back. However, Due to his leadership, the mercenaries' morale increased dramatically. Tenacious and unyielding, the warriors rebuked the Anima, forcing the monster to crawl back to their nest.
"Haargh, this is the end! Holy lance!" Arthur shouted, shooting a spear of light right through Anima's heart, ending the deadly battle.
Arthur removed his mask as the wind played with his silky black hair. His beautiful jade eyes shone among the snow, complementing his charming gaze. He was so handsome and charismatic that my eyes were glued to him. Seeing Arhur, a nostalgic feeling arose from my chest. He kind of reminded me of someone, but as always I couldn't remember.
"Is everyone alright?" I could hear Arthur's voice.
Fatigue overcame all members, they could only answer their leader with a thumbs up. Even so, relief was evident on Arthur's face. It's rare for a magician to care about other people's fates like him. He was a good leader.
Suddenly Arthur gazed at us in the bush, "Who's there? " he shot a red blade toward me. It almost kissed my neck. W-wow, that was close!
"Show your face, Cultist!" Arthur shouted pointing the seven spears of light at me.
Having no other choice, we came out from our hiding place. While holding Kiara, I said,
"C-Calm down, we came with peace—"
"You damned Cultist, release Princess Kiara!" Arthur interrupted in panic and immediately ordered, "Men, Hwacha Formation!"
What?
"No, Artie, please listen!" Kiara shouted.
The mercenaries closed ranks, forming a giant tortoise-like formation with their magic shields. Sensing mana flow from the formation, I quickly pushed Kiara away. Just before Kiara could get away, from the gaps in their defenses, a barrage of light spears shot at me.
"W-Wait, wait, I'm not an enemy," I shouted, barely dodging all the spears.
Ugh, humans and their stubbornness. They only listened when their butt kicked. I ran toward them and then slammed my foot to the ground. A shockwave of Superadikal Snow followed, providing the perfect cover for me to clench my fist, charging my power to one strike.
"Raven style 02: Dragon Jaw!" I shouted and then unleashed a massive blow that broke through their formation. However, the moment the magic shield shattered, the mercenaries pounced on me like a pack of hungry wolves, ready to tear me apart.
One mercenary jumped up and swung his sword at me, but his sword dance was so full of gaps that I easily caught his hand and slammed him to the ground. Another followed but I evaded and used his attack to harm their ranks. Then with a solid kick, I slammed the two of them into the trees.
"This power? She must be one of the Lector. W-We can't beat here," shouted a frightened mercenary.
"No, no, no! I'm not here to teach you a lesson. I'm just... A wandering swordmaster!"I said waving my hand frantically.
"Swordmaster fighting with a fist, she's lying," one mercenary said.
The other mercenaries hesitated, unsure of how to handle this mysterious stranger who seemed to possess superhuman strength and agility. I saw the fear in their eyes and knew I had to act quickly to defuse the situation.
"Well, I-I was just mugged by bandits, so I--"
"Solar Blades!" shouted Arthur while shooting a sword of flame into me. I immediately ducked and leaned on the ground to launch a counterstrike, but before I could reach the man, something chained my leg. I fell to the ground, trying to release myself. But like a snake, the chain wrapped around my body, completely sealing my movement.
"Hephaestus Torment..." Arthur said then panting in exhaustion. He pulled his sword and pointed it at my neck, "Don't move. You're under arrest, Cultist."
"F-forgive me, I lied! I-I'm just a simple woman that passed by," I said, fearing for my life.
"A simple woman did this to the greyhound?" Arthur panted in disbelief, probably exhausted himself, "… Blue Iris... sharp fangs, pale skin… pale golden hair… A vampire. Wait a minute, this characteristic..." he said matching the painting on the parchment he took from his bag.
"You're a spitting image of that Witch. Hollow Ataraxia," continued Arthur.
"…Uhh, that's a cool name," I answered.
Arthur stroked his chin suspiciously, "Hmmm… but she should be dead ten years ago. Suspicious," said Arthur and immediately ordered his troops, "Bring that Daemon. She could be one of the Cultists. And someone, please retrieve Doctor Kiara safely. She might be brainwashed by that Order."
"Ready, Captain Arthur!" said the soldiers who immediately picked me up.
Kiara grabbed Arthur's coat and said, "No, wait, Artie. She's my heroine, she saved my life!"
But Arthur shook his head, "Sorry, Kiara. Until we examine you properly, I can't believe anything you say right now."
They threw me into the iron cage in their caravan, along with a bunch of lunatics that met the same fate as me, bound helplessly by the Hephaestus Torment. At least they were unconscious with their share of beatings.
"Could you at least give me a blanket? It's cold out here!" I begged.
TANG!! A soldier hit the bars of the cage with his spear, sending me flying in terror.
'"S-Sorry, sorry, don't hurt me!" I prostrate myself.
Dammit, I knew it, saving that girl brought no good for me. Hah, there is no point crying over spilled milk. I huddled in on myself, shivering as the bitter cold seeped into my bones. My eyes gazed upon the dark sky above, with no sign of stars or moon. It was completely covered with a raging sea of superficial. The only source of light came from a few sparse trees in the distance, barely enough to chase away the shadows.
The world was plagued by a toxic storm that consumed everything in its path. Humanity was forced to live under a false sky, casting an eerie and artificial glow over the land. And lurking in the darkness was the Anima, waiting to prey on the weak and unsuspecting. Yikes, how was the green and lustful world turned into this desolate and hostile place?
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing thoughts. There were so many questions I needed answers to. But amidst the confusion and uncertainty, one thought stood out above all else: why had Milli asked me to stop her from destroying the world? Did she cause all of this?
I shook my head, gripping my determination tightly, "I have to find Milli, quickly."