Step after step, footfalls echoed, shattering the oppressive silence of the night.
Charles ran with all his might, his hand clutching Melania's tightly by his side.
A searing pain coursed through him, every wound still a torment. Yet, he bit his lip, trying to ignore it, continuing his relentless sprint.
Rocks, arrows, bullets. A barrage of projectile attacks rained down upon them from afar.
Fortunately, none of those projectiles struck them. The attacks merely grazed by, whistling past their heads, leaving carved trails in the earth they tread.
Not daring to glance back, Charles focused his eyes forward. His hand dragged the gasping Melania beside him.
Truthfully, Charles himself was uncertain where his feet should carry them. He didn't know the way to the city!
So they were essentially running aimlessly.
This was because the cage was situated in an area completely unfamiliar to him, preventing him from relying on memory.
Sweat drenched his face, Charles' breaths coming in ragged gasps. He was utterly exhausted. Especially with his body already pushed to the brink. Yet, his legs moved of their own accord, running tirelessly.
Whether his heart or mind had taken over, he was unsure.
At this moment, Melania's steps began to falter, her body swaying to the side, as if about to collapse. She had lost the strength to run any further!
Noticing this, Charles immediately slowed his pace. Soon after, he wrapped his arm around Melania's waist to support her weight.
Melania's face was deathly pale, sweat pouring down her temples and soaking her long hair. Her breaths came in short, wheezing gasps, occasionally punctuated by harsh coughs.
At this moment, Charles suddenly froze, staring at Melania.
With her last cough, a spray of fresh blood spurted from her blue-tinged lips.
Charles gazed at her with a mixture of worry and confusion in his eyes.
What was truly happening to her?
At this moment, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from afar. The sound drew nearer, rapidly heading their way.
Charles' head snapped forward, his eyes alert. He summoned a sword from his Inventory, gripping it tightly, ready for any potential attack from ahead.
Soon after, a shadowy figure emerged amidst the dim moonlight. Its silhouette looked familiar to Charles.
Alex!
His gaze initially scanned Charles, then slowly drifted towards Melania. His stare was intimidating.
Then, he raised his sword. Its blade... glinted under the moonlight, pointed straight at them.
Charles swallowed hard. His left hand still supported Melania to keep her from collapsing.
Truthfully, he was confident he could defeat Alex. However, the question was... would he be able to retain his humanity afterward?!
As he pondered this question, his right hand gripped the sword's hilt tightly.
The tension in the air grew increasingly stifling.
"Can you stand on your own, Melania?" he whispered softly.
Charles glanced at Melania. Carefully, he gradually released his arm supporting her body. He gazed at the pale girl's face for a moment.
Processing Charles' question, Melania fell silent for a moment. Then her head nodded weakly.
Observing Melania's still feeble state, Charles decided not to let her stand.
Slowly, his hand guided her, helping Melania sit back down on a large rock with a rough surface.
After ensuring Melania was comfortable in her seated position, Charles refocused his attention on Alex, standing not far ahead.
Charles' sword pointed straight at the man, gleaming under the moonlight as well.
Alex himself remained motionless, silently regarding Charles without a word. His jaw was set, his gaze piercing.
Suddenly, his mouth opened slowly.
"I still don't understand."
The man's feet began to move, slowly pacing in a circular pattern around Charles.
Seeing this, Charles followed suit, turning to face Alex, their eyes locked on each other.
"I still don't understand! Why were you blessed with a Vision while I wasn't?!" Alex finally shouted in frustration, his voice rising several pitches. His sword swung lightly in the air, threatening.
Charles narrowed his eyes briefly. He assumed that Alex had been the one who saw him in the misty forest. Because up until now, he had never used his Vision in front of the Treasure Hoarders!
Of course, he didn't rule out the possibility that one of the loose-lipped Treasure Hoarders had informed anyone about Charles possessing a Vision.
Soon after, Charles slowly raised his shoulders. A condescending sneer appeared, tugged from the corner of his bruised lips.
"You lack faith," he retorted in a mocking tone, deliberately making it insulting.
How satisfying it felt to provoke him!
At this moment, Alex's face flushed red, his hands clenched tightly around his sword's hilt. His breaths came in rapid bursts, his chest heaving.
Alex seemed utterly enraged to the core!
Without warning, Alex stepped forward, swinging his sword wildly at Charles. The blade's edge glinted. A low growl rumbled from his choked throat.
Charles curved his lips. And in an instant, his figure vanished from where he stood, leaving behind flickering traces of Electro.
Not even a second later, Charles reappeared right in front of Alex!
His body spun nimbly, sword thrust forward. The blade's edge aimed low. Clearly, he wasn't aiming to kill, but enough to wound.
It all happened in a split second. One swift swing of Charles' sword, met by Alex's delayed, parrying slash.
Charles' sword struck true on Alex's upper arm, tearing through flesh and skin, drawing a gush of fresh blood.
Alex staggered back with a muffled groan. His eyes widened, staring at his own bleeding wound. Several times, his brow furrowed as he gritted his teeth hard against the stabbing pain.
On the other side, Charles stood with a light, confident posture. He grinned broadly, then chuckled softly, witnessing Alex's decisive defeat in that brief incident.
I was certain of my superiority over him... why should I be afraid?
"See? You're wounded by something you hate about me?" Charles' voice rang out mockingly. "You really love Visions, don't you? Congratulations! By fighting me now, you get to mate with it every time my sword strikes you. You should thank me, okay?"
A contemptuous sneer spread wider across Charles' lips.
He truly savored the humiliating ordeal that had just befallen Alex.
Truly, wasn't it beautiful to see a man tormented by something he both loved and despised?
The atmosphere grew tense and suffocating. Alex stood with a slightly hunched posture, his left hand clutching the gash on his arm that still oozed fresh blood. His breaths came in wheezes, his eyes narrowed, glaring at Charles with pure hatred.
Seeing Alex's reaction, as if provoked by emotion, Charles was about to open his mouth to mock him further.
But at this moment, a loud cough rang out.
It came from Melania!
Charles turned, his attention immediately diverted. He found Melania coughing violently. She seemed to be shivering intensely. Her hand clutched her mouth tightly. From the gaps between her fingers, trickles of fresh blood began to seep out. Not only that, a thick, red-colored fluid also spurted from her nose, ears, even both eyes!
This... what was actually happening?!
Charles instantly froze, horror etched on his face.
Melania's body trembled more and more violently as her coughing worsened. She seemed to be in excruciating pain, with all the blood pouring from every orifice of her body.
At this moment, a booming laughter echoed. Charles turned, squinting towards the source of that raucous laughter.
It came from Alex!
The man roared with laughter, as if witnessing the world's most hilarious spectacle.
His laughter subsided, replaced by a cold sneer, like before. His eyes narrowed once more as he regarded Charles with a mocking gaze.
"Why aren't you affected?" Alex's voice rang out low, threatening.
Charles fell silent, his head bowed. His hand gripped his sword's hilt tightly, his knuckles whitening.
From Alex's words, he understood three things: Alex, Alex, and Alex!
Alex was the one who made Melania like this. He was the culprit.
Previously, back in the ... at that earlier moment, in the cage, Alex had appeared with his companion, carrying two bundles of food. Clearly, for the prisoners to consume.
Back then, Alex had handed the food to Melania, while his companion had handed over, or rather, flung Charles' portion at him.
Since he had no appetite, Charles had stored that food in his inventory, so he hadn't eaten any of it. Whereas Melania... she had eaten it until it was gone!
The cause could be deduced - that food!
It was poisoned!
From his words too, Charles suspected the motive was jealousy towards him. Alex desperately wanted to kill him because of the Vision Charles possessed!
Of course, there was a possibility it was on the boss's orders. However, his heart firmly believed in the former reason.
At this moment, Charles' humanity was instantly eroded, reigniting his fury.
In one swift motion, like lightning, Charles vanished, then reappeared right in front of Alex with his sword thrust forward. He didn't give Alex a chance to move or dodge even an inch.
He grabbed the food that the Treasure Hoarders had handed over in the cage, tearing it open. Then, his hand swiftly shoved the food into Alex's mouth.
Alex, taken by surprise, swallowed it without a moment's hesitation.
Soon after, the sharp edge of Charles' sword lashed out quickly, slicing through Alex's neck, severing the connection from his body, rolling onto the ground.
A thick spray of blood gushed profusely from the gaping wound where his neck used to be.
Alex's body slowly collapsed in a pool of blood, his severed head already some distance from where it lay.
Charles swung his sword to clean the remaining blood from its blade. Splatters of thick, red blood sprayed from the sword, staining the air and ground around him.
With a blank expression, Charles looked down and gazed at Alex's now lifeless corpse.
Charles immediately sheathed his sword back into his inventory. He stepped carefully towards Melania.
Upon reaching her, his mouth opened, but no sound came out, as if choked by the pitiful sight before him.
He knew one thing - Melania would not be saved.
Charles averted his gaze with a heavy heart.
"Please kill me."
Turning slowly, Charles' eyes widened in shock. He was taken aback. Melania's earnest gaze... so different from the usual vacancy that emanated from her. Her eyes, usually dull, now shone with hopeful light.
Charles recoiled, slowly stepping back, one step after another, as fear enveloped him.
Yet, suddenly, Melania's hand stopped him, and she offered a faint smile.
"Shoot me." She paused for a moment, her voice hoarse.
"As a sinner."
"You still have it, don't you? My revolver? I beg you..." Melania coughed repeatedly, her blood spattering everywhere.
"I... didn't actually want to die. I wanted to meet my father, mother, and younger sister too. I love them so much.
"But... it's so hard for me to get out of here, you know. I definitely won't have a chance to see them, maybe... maybe I've already resigned myself to this...
"But you, you've given me that light."
Melania coughed again, as if her coughs gave voice to an unspoken suffering.
"I thought about living with you." Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, something so unusual at this moment.
"Creating a romantic relationship like the stories I used to hear from my mother. My friend had experiences like that too. They always told me their beautiful tales.
"Just listening to them made my heart flutter."
"So I beg you." Melania closed her eyes. "Let me awaken from this nightmare."
Charles bit his lip. His hands trembled. Yet, he forced his hand to retrieve an object from his inventory. A revolver.
And at this moment, the revolver's muzzle pressed squarely against Melania's forehead.
He wasn't particularly close to Melania. Compared to William, his bond with Melania was clearly minimal. However, it was undeniable that she had once saved him when he lost his humanity.
That alone made her incredibly special to him.
I want... her to keep living.
Tears began streaming down his cheeks, revealing an unspoken anguish.
"If saving you is a sin."
Allow me...
"Then I'll gladly become a sinner."
To awaken you from this nightmare.
BANG!!!
***
In a dark forest, a girl sat gracefully atop a large rock. Her appearance was like a captivating living painting, with long black hair flowing beautifully.
Her eyes reflected the flickering light from afar, forming tiny shimmers like scurrying fireflies, as if chasing something unseen.
Suddenly, she looked up, curving her lips.
CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING THE QUEST
[ SACRIFICE ]
YOUR REWARD IS NOW STORED IN YOUR INVENTORY
Suddenly, the girl rose to her feet with a gentle motion. Her hands clasped behind her back.
At this moment, her formerly black hair began to glow faintly. Slowly, it transformed into a pristine white, as pure as snow.
The girl continued walking, leaving behind glowing blue footprints of ice crystals in her wake. Like frozen water crystallizing into ice, shimmering blue, like lanterns.
...
A/N: If you want to read the 7 advanced chapters with a faster update frequency than the webnovel, you can read it on my patreon whose link is below:
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