Chapter 30: Quagmire (5)

Chapter 30: Quagmire (5)

“What the—? Why won’t they die?!”

Boom!

Giants broke through the hail of bullets and spells and struck the protective barriers. The shock echoed in their bones, and Joshua, who was maintaining the shield, groaned in pain.

“Ugh, do something! Anything!”

“D**n it! Focus on the ones that are up close first! Stronger spells, now!”

The spell-wielding giants moved in tight formations. Even among their kind, known for brute strength, these were particularly powerful. Grouped together, their combined might far exceeded that of regular giants.

Some were covered in layers of protective spells. Others boasted incredible speed or brute force. Some even charged in from the sky. Although their magic was far simpler than the humans’, limited mostly to physical enhancement, it was more than enough to pose a deadly threat. After all, these were creatures built for close combat.

Even without magic, their physical prowess dwarfed that of humans. With magic added on, their strength exceeded human capabilities many times over. Fortunately for the soldiers, their low intelligence meant that their use of magic wasn’t especially efficient.

Thud. Thud.

They were giants who, under normal circumstances, should’ve been obliterated by Ariel’s magic long before getting close. But these were different. About half the group had survived, especially those shielded by protective spells, and now they were relentlessly pounding on Joshua’s barrier: fists, feet, even magic slamming down upon it.

“Haah… hurry… please…”

Joshua gasped through gritted teeth, urging Ariel to act. He continued drawing magic circles and chanting incantations, reinforcing the shield again and again to prevent it from breaking. But his breathing had grown noticeably ragged.

Ariel was also doing her best, but it wasn’t going as smoothly as usual. The fast giants occasionally dodged her spells, and their own magic cluttered her field of vision, disrupting her attacks. The tough ones didn’t go down with a single hit, and some snuck in from unexpected angles to strike the barrier.

This was on a completely different level from fighting regular giants. She was holding up better than Joshua, but even Ariel was beginning to run out of breath. Her mana and stamina were quickly draining.

[Come on, they shouldn’t all die at once. What fun would that be? Kuhahaha!]

Meanwhile, Rayner was the only one enjoying himself.

Several minutes passed. When only a handful of giants remained—

CRASH!

A sharp sound, like shattering glass, rang out. Joshua screamed and collapsed to his knees.

“I… I can’t hold it anymore…”

The barrier shimmered, cracked, and finally shattered. The giants, who had been kept at bay by the magical wall, now stepped forward. The soldiers on the outer perimeter cursed and fell back as the giants stormed in. Their formation collapsed in an instant.

“Sh*t, stop them!”

“Ugh!”

Ariel, a mage with little physical prowess, had been positioned near the center. As the formation broke apart, she was knocked off balance and slipped, losing sight of Rayner as she fell.

“Argh!”

“D**n it, sis! Cover your head!”

Nearby, Xenon grabbed her like a sack of flour, tucking her under his arm and leaping to the side. A giant’s foot came crashing down where she had just been. Xenon had no choice but to tumble through other soldiers, knocking some over as he fired his gun.

Bang! Bang!

Two bullets struck a giant cleanly in the eyes. It staggered from the impact, but its thick hide was too tough even with its eyes pierced, it didn’t die.

“Godd**n it!”

Cursing, Xenon sprang to his feet and moved again. The other soldiers, thankfully, were already reacting in sync. It seemed the faster giants had all been taken down when the barrier was still up, leaving only the slower ones now.

The unit split into two groups. Only five giants remained. One was too injured by Xenon’s bullets to move properly, so there were really only four left.

The blinded giant stumbled and was quickly finished off by another soldier. It collapsed with a heavy thud, and more soldiers slipped through the opening it left behind.

Among them was Joshua, gasping for breath and wincing in pain. Somehow, he’d managed to grab Rayner along the way. Spotting Ariel still tucked awkwardly under Xenon’s arm, he threw the spellbook toward her. It was Xenon, with his quick reflexes, who caught it.

Just then, a giant’s foot came crashing down where Joshua stood. Ariel’s eyes widened in horror. She screamed.

“Joshua! No!”

He wasn’t agile enough to dodge. Clenching the book in his hand like a crushed piece of paper, he chanted. Drawing on every last ounce of strength, he forced the protective barrier spell into existence.

Thunk!

The giant’s foot slammed down but hit a transparent wall just above Joshua. He was spared from being crushed, but the force of casting a spell far beyond his limit ruptured something inside him. Blood gushed from his throat.

“Gah! D**n it!”

“No, no!”

“Sis, now!”

As he coughed up blood and cursed, Xenon passed Rayner to Ariel. By then, two more giants had been taken down. Only two remained.

Ariel took the book with trembling hands, her face pale. She opened to a random page in desperation. Rayner immediately pointed out the proper spell, and the two remaining giants fell to her.

Joshua, who had endured with the last of his strength, fainted the moment the danger passed.

Ariel quickly slipped out of Xenon’s grasp and ran to him. His tightly scrunched features made it clear how much pain he’d been in. Only when she confirmed he was breathing did she finally relax. She collapsed beside him.

“We’re alive…”

Xenon muttered. His voice sounded hollow.

Ariel felt much the same. For the first time, she truly understood what it meant to struggle for survival.

* * *

In that battle, four regular soldiers, including Xenon, the youngest in the squad, were injured to varying degrees while protecting the mages. They were sent to the temple for treatment.

Joshua, though not physically injured, had pushed himself too hard, spitting up blood from the exertion. He was taken to the infirmary and hooked up to an IV drip.

In contrast, Ariel’s only injuries were light abrasions from falling. Thanks to her consistent physical training, she suffered no lasting effects aside from sore muscles. Compared to her first deployment, it was a huge improvement. She was prescribed ointment, painkillers, and two days’ worth of nutritional supplements.

That afternoon, she returned to the dorm, took her medicine, and fell asleep, only to wake before dawn.

In the still silence of the early morning, Ariel felt a dull, tingling pain spreading from her bruises and aching muscles.

“Ugh…”

She groaned, pushing herself upright, only to hear a low voice echo in her mind.

[So, you’ve finally awakened.]

“Rayner?”

She answered without thinking, then quickly glanced around in surprise. Her roommates were still sound asleep. Something light brushed her knees. In the dimness, she could faintly make out the spellbook, forgotten and left out after the chaos.

[Ariel Elias.]

He called her by name. Startled by the unfamiliar tone, Ariel suddenly realized it was the first time he’d ever done so.

“Huh? Oh.”

Her name, spoken so plainly, gave her goosebumps. She answered louder than she meant to, then flinched. No one else stirred, but she realized she couldn’t risk talking out loud.

Gently, she pushed off her blankets, grabbed Rayner, and slipped out of bed. She could speak to him telepathically, but if she accidentally spoke aloud again, it could wake everyone.

The common area was still lit. A few people were lounging around, chatting quietly or sipping drinks. Ariel found an empty seat and settled in.

“You know, I really got chills earlier.”

[Why?]

“Because it was the first time you ever said my name.”

[Was it? I didn’t notice.]

“…”

He said it with his usual dry, indifferent tone, like it meant nothing. Somehow, that just made it worse. She couldn’t even tell if he was teasing her.

“So, what is it?”

Annoyed, she cut to the chase. Rayner’s tone didn’t change.

[Will you continue using me?]

“What?”

At first, she didn’t understand.

[I mean while you’re here. Do you plan to keep using me from now on?]

“Oh…”

Realizing what he meant, she was briefly speechless. She was caught off guard.  Lately, she’d been overwhelmed by too many concerns, so whenever her thoughts got too complicated, she’d made a habit of shutting them down, Rayner included. She hadn’t really considered their relationship. Now it felt sudden, even though it wasn’t.

“…Why?”

The surprise brought questions with it.

[Why? What an odd thing to ask. Didn’t I say from the start that if I liked you, I’d stay?]

“Oh… you did.”

His response was so matter-of-fact, she felt like an idiot.

“…I didn’t think you’d actually like me, though.”

She muttered the words under her breath. Honestly, she’d been sure he would leave. That’s why she hadn’t let herself dwell on it. And yet, he said he would stay.

For a moment, she hesitated, thinking back to the battle.

There were few spellbooks as powerful and precise as Rayner. The problem was that he was difficult to control. His temperament stirred her emotions in battle, something that should be avoided, making him arguably the worst choice.

But… 

“If you’ll stay, I’m grateful. What, did you enjoy the taste of blood?”

His strengths were too great to ignore because of a few flaws.

[…You’ve got the energy for jokes now, huh.]

“What joke? I just repeated exactly what you said back then.”

[Ugh. I know I said it, but it’s still terribly embarrassing.]

Rayner gave a wry chuckle.

[Well… I can’t exactly say I hated it.]

And just like that, Rayner decided to stay by her side.

…… 

T/N: Rayner is just like an unbothered person who is actually a softie inside hahaha