Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Through the torn space, an enormous demonic beast was visible.
An instinctive fear gripped me – if that demonic beast crossed over, everyone here, no, everyone in this area would die.
However, for some reason it didn’t move, and instead the mansion was invaded by spider-like demonic beasts that crawled on four legs.
This much was still manageable.
Although these demonic beasts were tearing people apart and killing them, at least Cassis could handle them alone, and Seiren could face them by herself too.
So I thought that perhaps protecting the world from destruction might not be so difficult.
However, what Jane told us about the situation outside the mansion was different.
“Outside… I don’t know. There’s someone unidentifiable. They’re incredibly… incredibly huge. Giant-like, with a face so distorted you can’t make out its features.”
She said she had safely escaped the mansion with the escort of House Hellis’s knights, but upon encountering this unidentified person, she had to return to the mansion.
“Where are all the knights?”
At Isiel’s question, Jane’s face contorted with pallor.
“Th-they’re all dead.”
“…By ‘that thing’ outside?”
“Yes.”
Jane nodded.
I wasn’t sure how strong Seiren or Cassis were.
But if they could easily handle these demonic beasts, the ducal knights should have been able to deal with them as well.
The news that House Hellis’s knights had been killed was shocking.
I couldn’t even imagine how powerful the demonic beast outside must be.
Seeing Isiel’s face harden, I knew I wasn’t the only one thinking this.
“Rather than going outside, we should find Cassis first.”
“He’s still inside, right?”
“I-I didn’t see him outside.”
Then there was a high chance he was still inside the mansion.
“What should we do?”
“We’re doomed!”
“No, Seiren. We’re not doomed yet. Just hold on a bit longer, and our family will send help!”
Isiel tried to comfort Seiren, who was clutching her head in despair.
But, Seiren shook her head and pointed down the corridor.
A demonic beast had spotted us and was charging furiously.
The floor trembled terrifyingly with each step as it approached.
Jane’s hand gripping my arm trembled.
“I can handle one of them.”
“No, look over there too.”
Seiren moved her finger to point at the opposite corridor.
There was another demonic beast approaching slowly, but crouched low, as if ready to attack at any moment.
Isiel looked back and forth between the two demonic beasts and said,
“We’re doomed.”
“What do we do? Brother, don’t you have any defense magic?”
“Seiren, you don’t know your brother well. The best defense is offense.”
I couldn’t believe how these siblings could have such a ridiculous conversation even in this crisis.
“We could each take one, but we also need someone to protect the two civilians.”
In short, the situation was more complicated because of Jane and me.
After all, there was no one to protect us both.
But before we could discuss further, Seiren and Isiel rushed forward to face the two demonic beasts charging at us.
Light flashed from both directions – beautiful, magnificent divine power and magic circles composed of numerous formulas.
As Seiren unleashed her massive divine power, I heard a ‘beep beep beep’ sound.
“Could it be?”
And miraculously, the System window suddenly filled my vision.
[SYSTEM | Rebooting, dhk28 o ㅏ3*( complete )]
[SYSTEM | error co de ㄱ ㅏ 489 de monic beast detect ed *$(1 ) ]
The System was still full of broken text, like it had errors just before disappearing.
‘Why?’
[SYSTEM | tltmxpa 38 *(rec overy imp ossible, gkq29*$ek.)]
[SYSTEM | System rec overy imp ossible]
[SYSTEM | System recovery is impossible.]
My heart sank.
Why?
But the System continued to flow rapidly.
Among the broken text, there were occasionally readable messages:
[Irina, can you hear me?]
[Can’t you hear?]
[Don’t know! Just say something quickly. Something might get through.]
I quickly scanned the System window.
[Irina, list 8en^#well. Divine powerㅇㅣ keeps scatt38ering.]
[The situation is similar to Sian Tere8(@@!zia’s time)]
Reading this brought both relief and new confusion.
So the divine power is scattering because of the demonic beasts’ appearance, and that’s why the System can’t be recovered?
Then, once this situation is resolved, the System should recover quickly too.
But if it’s similar to Sian Terezia’s time, doesn’t that mean these demonic beasts share the same origin as Sian?
“…!”
This thought sent chills down my spine.
But such thoughts were quickly interrupted.
“Sister! This isn’t the time for other thoughts!”
Because Seiren’s voice, almost a scream, was calling me.
When I looked up, I saw Seiren had fallen to the ground.
And the demonic beast had bypassed her and was now staring directly at me.
Its pupils were clouded, as if covered by a layer of film.
Beneath that white membrane, a red energy seemed to swirl.
Grrrrrr.
The low growl was an eerie sound that no living being should make.
The air vibrated with it.
Ah.
What do I do?
Am I really going to die here like this?
But I’m a player.
What about Cassis if I die?
The game?
The world’s destruction?
Surely they won’t let me die here.
Right?
Not just my body, but my mind had frozen too.
All I could see was the grotesque spider-like demonic beast right in front of me.
“U-um, sister. I’ll try using magic…”
Jane’s trembling voice beside me.
My tightly gripped arm felt empty, and the child hiding behind me took half a step forward.
‘What am I doing right now?’
My mind suddenly cleared as if doused with ice water.
At the same time, my thoughts began racing at an unbelievable speed.
How can I survive, how can I avoid this moment right now…
“Ah, that hat.”
And my racing thoughts stopped at the ‘hat’ sleeping quietly in my inventory.
<Here. Its name is Elizabeth.>
<What Elizabeth! Just give me my robe back.>
<This is better, I’m telling you. It has warming magic, attack evasion magic, and most importantly…!>
Instead of my robe, I had a magic hat Isiel had given me.
It was a tall-pointed hat embroidered with the Lemiere family crest.
A hat with attack evasion magic.
The hat’s most important feature was:
<It has one-time teleportation magic.>
I immediately called up the System window.
Though it was full of red error messages and broken text, it seemed to be functioning somehow.
I called the ‘pointed hat’ from my inventory.
After a moment of buffering, the hat appeared in my hand.
Isiel, who was fighting behind me, spotted it and exclaimed “Ah!”
“Irina! Just put it on and say the location!”
I immediately put the hat on Jane’s head.
“N-no, I’m a magician, sister should wear this…!”
“Jane, don’t make me repeat myself.”
The urgent situation made my words short.
It was both absurd and unsettling that this child not even twenty years old was trying to protect me, claiming to be a magician.
I felt relief, seeing the Lemiere hat sitting on her dishevelled hair.
“It’s fortunate you’re a magician, Jane.”
“Sister.”
Even during our brief argument, the demonic beast approached us, its growling breath close enough to feel on our skin.
I gritted my teeth and grabbed Jane.
“Run away quickly. Go get help. You can do that much, right?”
“Yes…”
Jane nodded with tears in her eyes, and then vanished before my eyes.
Having sent one child away, my mind was somewhat at ease.
When I turned my head with slightly calmer thoughts, there was the demonic beast, unbelievably close.
Oh dear.
I’m going to die here now.
I don’t know.
The debt?
Our Cassis, you can do it.
I’m going.
Ijin, sister’s going first.
Try to do well with Seike wine.
If the world looks like it’s going to end, just run away early and live comfortably, then accept the destruction when it comes.
[dlflskㅇㅑ. No!]
[Stop! s t o p! St8@#&**op!!]
It seems our gods were watching this situation.
‘Goodbye. I’m leaving this mortal world for the embrace of the gods.’
Come to think of it, that’s right.
When I die, I’ll go to the gods now.
Gods… being with our System might not be so bad.
[No. You can’t come to us…]
[Yeah. You… belong to a different dimension, so you will go somewhere else.]
What?
I can’t go?!
[Oh! It’s not breaking! Looks like it’s going well!]
[Yeah, you can’t come. You have to go to your gods.]
[But there’s hell there. Our Irina… isn’t good enough for heaven, so she’ll probably go to hell.]
I blinked several times.
Oh…
Well, can’t be helped.
If it’s hell, then hell it is.
‘Goodbye, gods. It was short, but I was happy.’
[Nooooo stop!]
[Wait Irina just hold on a bit!]
[We’re- we’re coming]
Who’s coming?
Who could possibly save me?
As I was preparing to leave this world with these thoughts, something like wind quickly passed right in front of my nose.
Whoosh.
It sounded like wind being cut by a long staff.
What I heard next was the painful cry of the demonic beast, and only after blinking several times did I realize I had fallen to the ground, and that space had opened up between me and the demonic beast.
And that demonic beast was lying dismembered on the floor.
A black smoke-like substance continuously leaked from its severed parts.
‘Am I alive?’
The man standing before it thrust his ringing sword into the struggling demonic beast.
“Lord Cassis?”
The demonic beast stopped moving without even making a proper sound.
Only after confirming the demonic beast was completely dead did the man turn around.
He walked steadily toward me where I had fallen.
He knelt down in front of me and examined me.
“Are you hurt…”
He couldn’t finish his words.
