"Ha,, ha,,".
With a bated breath. Soma, who feels the tension and pressure from the fight, desperately runs while gasping in between, forcing his tired body to distance himself from the battlefield.
His heavy feet keep dragging his exhausted body forward. He tried to look back and saw the night sky lit up. The towering flame began to show its might brightening the night sky. He turned his attention again toward his front, but his feet stumbled upon something and his tired body lost its balance, dropping down kissing the hard cold asphalt.
"Ouch".
With a ragged breath. Soma pulled up his upper body to look at the thing that his foot kicked. It was a chunk of some broken building wall that was destroyed because of the battle. Soma took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Then raised his body, and began to work his mind.
".Is this okay for me to let the two of them be killed here?". Soma muttered.
Knowing the tragedy that will befall them and the cause it will give to Akabane Hina made him hesitate to leave them to their death doors.
Soma is pretty sure that the event happening before him was the moment when Akabane Hina lost both of her parents, killed by the demon. Which made her resent the demon's existence.
Sure it was a generic plot for the main character to have some resentment toward his or her arc enemies, but in the series he read. That resentment she holds will lead her to her downfall in the middle phase of the story.
Soma was pondering what should he do? should he save the two of them, by offering the relics in his hand? or leave them behind and let the story progress as it should be?
In those swirling thoughts. His mind began to clouded and his vision narrowed. Soma's gritting his teeth when.
[Mental enhancement skill proficiency rise up]
The emotionless voice inside his head cleared all of the swirling thoughts that clouded his mind. He regained his thinking, his vision was clear and could see his surroundings. Sighing Soma began to take the spatial ring that Hisako gave trying to make sure of something. He looked at the small ring on his finger.
"..If I remember it correctly the ring will respond if it's injected with mana, but how did I do it?".
In the series he read. The way to activate the spatial ring in his hands is to infuse it using the mana inside your body and let your consciousness connect to the ring.
"Well, nothing happens if I just look at it. Let's just try something first".
Soma began to close his eyes and try to do something, he remembered from the series. First, he tried to imagine the flow of magic inside his body. He slowed his breath and began to dive deep inside his consciousness trying to feel the existence of Mana. Albeit slightly Soma could feel the warm feeling from all over his body flowing through his veins that begin from the heart.
"..Woah, Is this thing, Mana? For real? Haha, I did it. Ah..".
With the sudden excitement that creeped in his mind, after discovering something new. It made his concentration break and he lost control over it.
"Shit, I messed up. Focus me! One more time".
Soma is also shocked that this half-assed method that he learned from reading the novel bore some fruit, but the result is all that matters in this situation. Again Soma closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
Once again Soma began to feel the warm feeling inside his body. Then he began to try to guide the flowing mana from his fingertips that were holding the ring trying to connect it. Slowly but surely the mana inside Soma moves steadily until it touches the ring surface. Then a sudden electricity began to assault his veins and it made his mana flow in reverse.
Soma's body jolted. He coughed out some blood, and blood also began to drip from his nose. A sudden injury caused his body to be paralyzed for a bit.
"Damn! What the hell is that?"
Not only paralyzed his body. His body temperature took a sudden rise, and he felt all of his blood vessels boiling hot. As if his blood turned into magma flowing inside his veins.
[The user receives a fatal injury from the inverse flow of Mana]
[Skill Adapt is activating]
[Calibrating the frequency of magic 1% ..20%..]
[Calibrating complete 100%]
A sudden flow of messages appeared before his eyes obstructing his view. Soma opened his eyes wide upon seeing this but soon squinted his eyes after reading it.
Soma looked toward the ring and hesitated to begin another connection. He looked toward the system window before him and back toward the ring. With no other way around, he clicked his tongue and began to connect his Mana again with the ring.
Different from earlier, the process ended smoothly and he began to feel the connection from the ring through his consciousness. Then he uses the command to take out all the items inside the ring.
"Fuu, I am safe because of the skill I have". He muttered.
The ring begins to show a faint glow and then two Items appear before Soma. One of them is a stone inscription with an unknown language, and the other is a round small container glass that contains red-blood colored fluid inside.
As soon as the item appeared before him. Soma knitted his brows because his prediction proved accurate.
"As I thought the item was the Inscription that the Martial Saint left behind and the Devil's tears. That sick bastard is already on the move huh..".
The two of them were no ordinary items. It was a relic. It was an item from ancient times or even comes from an age of myth. That contains a mysterious and dangerous power or even a powerful and unbreakable weapon.
The stone was an inscription that the Martial Saint left behind in his reign in ancient times. Like some said, a pen is mightier than a sword, and in this inscription, there is a letter that was written by the mighty Martial Saint himself.
It was a powerful letter that whoever could read it. They will receive enlightenment and a breakthrough in their pursuit of martial arts. Whether it was from a sword path, spear, or many others.
However, no one knows the language that the martial saint wrote. So no one could solve it unless his descendants. The inscription also could be used as a key to enter the Martial Saint's tombs, etc.
As for the other relic, it was the blood essence of the true Devil. A higher being that inhabits hell. This was probably what the demon was after, and as for the inscription she was going to deliver it to that man who gave her this commission.
"..Tch, What a mess".
Soma clicked his tongue with a frown on his bloody face. Pondering what he should do with these two relics in his hand.
Once again Soma looked toward the towering flame from the distance that began to dwindle. Showing that the fight probably ended or even entered a new stage. After witnessing the flame disappearing a gust of violent wind assaulted him and made the glass from the building around him shatter.
Soma's body shuddered in fear. He could feel the ominous Mana that flowed in the atmosphere was filled with hatred, and the desire to kill. It made the air turn solemn and heavy for Soma to bear.
"This ominous Mana. I am sure it was from the Demon. Did the fire fail to kill it?".
Glancing at the two relics before him then to the place where the battle is unfolded. Soma thinks he should run from the battleground, and keep the promise he made with Hisako. Shooking his head to the side, Soma, trying to put the two relics back inside the ring, then stopped in his tracks.
"..Sorry, I will leave everything in your hands". Those lines suddenly poped out in his mind. As if to remind his feelings back then. Helpless, anger, hatred and also sadness that his favorite heroine died miserably in the hands of her arc enemies.
Akabane Hina couldn't have what she deserves as the main character in the story. Her life was not the greatest. She chose to set her path to becoming an avenger instead of pursuing her happiness. In the moment when she is showing the change in her heart. She was lured into a trap and got herself killed, dying in a lonely battle she was shouldering herself. She was the unfortunate heroine.
Soma Remembered that scene, knitted his brows, and clenched his fist so hard that it left a blood trail to the ground. Then all of the pieces began to assemble together inside his mind. The timing of his transfer into another world, the incident that robs the heroine's smile, and the message that the Author sends to him begin to linger in his mind.
"..I will give you a chance to save that favorite heroine of yours, yourself. The decision is yours to make". All of these events are probably what the author planned from the start.
"Damn! That Author played me well".
He feels like he is dancing in the palm of that Author's hand, and that irks him to the bone. He wants to shout out all of the frustration that builds up in his stomach, but instead, he chooses to slap his cheeks so hard, it leaves red marks.
[Mental enhancement skill proficiency rise up]
"Fuu, This is ridiculously stupid. …Fine, I will do it then. Fuck with following the story. I will survive here, save her and do whatever I want even if it's hindering the protagonist's growth".
Soma looked toward the two relics before him. He began to form a plan inside his mind and looked at his surroundings. Only to find that everything he needed already gathered near him.
From there he acts fast. First, he entered the convenience store bringing the two relics with him and searching for a small container for the blood. He searched around the place and found the pencil mechanic filling. He threw all of the contents, opened the glass container and carefully let the Devil's blood change its place for a while.
Then using the blood from his wounded hand. He filled the glass container using it. After finishing his business he stored the Devil's bloods inside his left pocket and put the rest inside the ring.
After he finished what he needed. He hurriedly left the store and approached one of the motorcycles that lay in the middle of the road. With its key still intact.
"I am sorry, but I will borrow it".
He lifted the bike. Then climb on it and begin to press the start button. The motorcycle trembles as the engine begins to start. Luckily Soma had experience riding a motorcycle before he came to this world. So he sees no problem in using it in this world. Soma revved the engine and he began to operate the gear system before he drifted off approaching the battlefield.
Not long after he could see the battlefield, and see the two awakeners were defeated and Hisako was in a more crisis state. He pulls the brake and shouts to gain the demon's attention.
"HEY!".
The demon stopped her hand and turned her gaze toward him. Seeing her gaze alone was enough to make his body tremble because of fear. Her aura was so threatening to him. But Soma gritted his teeth, then raised his left hand that held the ring up and opened his mouth.
"I have the thing you want in my possession. So, let the two of them go!".