"Mizuki, what are you doing?"
Mizuki replied with disappointment, "I don't know! Father said this magical tool would help me in times of danger!"
Well, Verdi, you didn't have to lie to the poor girl like that. Look at the mess she made!
"[Gluttony Skulls!]"
The three crimson skulls reappeared in the air, once again chasing after me.
Man, does this warlock even know any other spells? Then again, I suppose that works in my favor.
"
The good news was that this poor warlock only had two three level spells. Also, he had only used one four level spell so far—and it wasn't even offensive, merely [Heart Devour]. Not to mention, he hadn't used any one and two level spells either.
I ran swiftly, dodging the skulls' relentless pursuit. Thanks to his repeated usage and my previous analyses combined, I'd memorized their attack patterns and could now predict their trajectories. Avoiding them had become much easier.
Unfortunately, I lacked the strength to destroy the skulls in one blow.
Sure, I could weaken them. My prior analysis had pinpointed the spell's weak points—I knew exactly where to strike to halve their power. But my mana reserves were almost depleted, and I had to conserve what little I had left.
Besides, he could just summon them again. His mana pool was leagues ahead of mine.
Exhaustion and fatigue weighed heavily on my body. Between the endless running and the injuries from earlier, I felt like collapsing. Carrying someone else only made it worse. I was on the verge of falling over.
Still, I refused to complain. Even if I died here, I'd make sure Mizuki survived, no matter what.
While running, I heard the warlock chanting a spell in an unfamiliar language.
"This is bad!" I wanted to interrupt him, but I was too preoccupied with avoiding the skulls.
Whatever he was preparing, it had to be something big!
Moments later, he finished his incantation and shouted, "[Manifest! Crimson Bloodhound!]"
I couldn't see clearly what was happening, but I knew one thing:
This was a four level spell!
"Shoo-"
Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming, icy presence closing in on me.
It was the same sensation I'd felt when I'd fallen off the cliff before.
Death!
"Arai, jump left!" Mizuki's scream jolted me awake, and I leaped left without hesitation. At the same moment, a massive crimson shadow lunged at the spot where I had been standing.
'That was close...' A cold shiver ran down my spine.
I had been a hair's breadth away from death!
"What the hell is that?" I stared at the beast in horror.
It was a massive hound, roughly 4 meters tall, with a grotesquely oversized head. Its neck arched upward slightly, and its entire form was drenched in a deep, bloody red.
"Grrr..."
It had no eyes, its fangs—though large—weren't sharp, and thick, viscous red liquid dripped continuously from its body onto the ground.
In the dimly lit room, set aglow by flickering purple flames, the hound looked like a mythical beast straight out of a nightmare.
"Crimson Bloodhound, devour them all!" the warlock commanded with malice before collapsing onto the floor.
"[Fireball!]"
I launched a fireball at the crimson hound, but it didn't even leave a mark.
A four level summon spell! This wasn't something I could handle at all.
Thinking quickly, I used one of the red droplets falling from the hound as I continued running.
[Viscous, elastic body - four level Summon - Created by sacrificing a child - Massive vitality.]
"This… is useless information!" It told me nothing I could exploit. Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of time to analyze further.
"Arai, run and leave the beast to me!" Mizuki suddenly leaped off my back, and in a flash, the bracelet on her wrist transformed into a sword.
"What? Like hell I'm doing that!" I shouted, anger rising. Had she lost her mind? I didn't know how she'd managed to wound the warlock so severely, but no way was I letting her risk herself like this!
"Arai, you're running low on mana, aren't you? Stop pretending to be strong in front of me!"
"Aren't you the one pretending—"
"ROAR!!!"
The hound charged at us with terrifying speed.
"Damn it..." Grabbing Mizuki's hand, I jumped aside, narrowly avoiding its attack. But unfortunately, it still managed to strike me.
It was far too fast—too fast to outrun.
"BOOM!"
Its claw slammed into my back with crushing force, driving both Mizuki and me into the ground.
"Ugh!"
Pain like I'd never felt before coursed through my body.
Several ribs cracked, and I was certain my left arm would be out of commission for quite a while. The only silver lining was that its claws weren't sharp; otherwise, I'd have been dead already.
This agony... I swear I'd never experienced such pain in either of my lives.
It was cold, sharp, and utterly terrifying.
I needed anesthesia—anything to dull the pain.
At least Mizuki was unharmed. I had shielded her with my body, sparing her from the brunt of the blow.
Even with the protection of 'Luya's Embrace,' it was barely enough to mitigate the impact.
The mana within the artifact was nearly depleted.
"Arai, are you okay?"
Coughing blood, I replied weakly, "Yeah... I'm fine..." My voice, paired with the blood dripping from my mouth, betrayed my words.
Wasting no time, I spoke urgently, "Mizuki, when I give the signal, run to the door and escape!"
Mizuki glared at me, furious. "Arai!! Don't belittle me just because I can't use mana! I can fight! I managed to wound—"
I cut her off, yelling back, "Mizuki! This isn't about whether you can fight or not—it's about life and death! I promised Mother, and I will keep my word!"
"When I signal, run to the door and inform the nearest Truth Court outpost and Father."
"They're surely searching for us desperately!"
I had no idea if this was true or not, but I could only hope that those guards were doing their jobs.
Curse them! How did a four rank warlock infiltrate this area? Isn't that negligence?
I added, "I can hold out until they arrive, trust me!" Of course, this was a blatant lie.
Sighing after finishing my words, I grabbed Mizuki with what strength I had left and threw her toward the door with all my might. Though Mizuki was stronger than me physically, she was caught off guard, so it went smoothly.
Then, without hesitation, I activated a spell—Blinding Bombs!
The ring on my finger glowed, enveloping my palm in radiant heat.
The magic circle expanded, preparing to detonate.
"Now, Mizuki!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
And with that, my mana reserves were completely drained.
Honestly, they should've run out a while ago, but I suppose breaking into one rank and opening the grimoire provided a slight boost.
Though slight, I could only hope that a proper rest and recovery would fully unleash the qualitative changes awaiting my mana reserves.
"Whoosh!"
Three glowing orbs shot into the air and exploded, flooding the room with a radiance as brilliant as morning sunlight.
Pain lanced through my eyes, and I instinctively covered them with my hand, shielding them from the overwhelming brightness.
'Let's hope Mizuki doesn't get too stubborn...'
I had no idea what she would do. I silently prayed that she'd escape and make a wise choice.
She's such a reckless girl.
"Arai!! Don't you dare die!!!"
Her shout echoed like a roar in the radiant room. Moments later, I heard the sound of creaking and footsteps fading into the distance.
"ROOAR!!"
The crimson hound bellowed furiously, thrashing about the room in wild, aimless strikes.
On reflection, I realized the beast had no eyes.
I couldn't but laugh, 'Haha…was this whole light show pointless then?'
No matter—it was more important to focus on staying alive. That was my top priority.
'Okay, let's assess the situation.' I needed to figure out the hound's source of power. It couldn't be the warlock; he was unconscious.
Still, just in case, I decided to finish him off.
Unfortunately, I had no sharp weapon on hand. Strangling him would likely wake him up, and using any remaining mana was out of the question—I had none left.
"This is exhausting... I swear, if Heist ever tries to make me train again, I'll kill him."
I was teetering on the edge of consciousness, holding myself together with sheer willpower.
The worst part was that even basic movement demanded precise care—one wrong twist, and I'd jab a broken rib into my organs.
I tore off my shirt and used it to secure my broken arm, gritting my teeth against the searing pain. Tears streamed down my face; the agony was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. For someone who'd spent his life immersed in books and experiments, this was a brutal wake-up call.
Perhaps the most logical solution was to wake the purple-haired boy and force him to use his previous explosive spell on the warlock.
I wasn't in the mood for negotiations. If he refused, I'd be sure to give him a good beating.
Tsk... What kind of coward clings to his father's protection when he has such an Authority?
There was also another option: I could use the shards scattered across the room from the earlier explosions—splinters of wood and jagged chunks of stone. They were sharp enough to work as weapons.
"Yes, I think I'll do that."
"BOOM!"
Suddenly, I was flung across the room, violently crashing into the floor.
The crimson hound's massive claw had swatted me away before I could act on my plan.
Coughing, I laughed bitterly. "This is absurd... utterly ridiculous."
Once again, 'Luya's Embrace' had done its job, absorbing most of the damage.
The effect of the blinding bombs had ended, and I hadn't even realized it. Lost in thought, I had let my guard down.
'Move! Move! Move! Move!'
I screamed internally, urging my body to obey. But no matter how much I commanded it, it refused. My stamina had reached its limit. The beast's strike and the subsequent impact on the ground were the final straws.
At least Mizuki had managed to escape. That was good.
'If I calculate carefully... I think the remaining energy in Luya's Embrace is enough to withstand one more hit before shattering.'
I clung to the faint hope that this trusty artifact would hold out until help arrived.
My vision blurred, and a massive crimson claw filled my sight.
Then, a golden light pierced through the haze before I blacked out.
Ah... I'm so tired.
I think I'll take a nap.