My hand twitched nonstop—maybe from the pain, or maybe from something else.
I paused in thought, then took out a small, translucent white bottle I was familiar with. I pulled out three pills and spoke to the two still struggling behind me.
"Take them. No need to thank me."
Promet took one, hesitated for a moment, then tucked it into his pocket. Hadelus followed suit, storing his away with deliberate care.
The pills were the kind I usually used. For them, they could temporarily restore some strength. Still, given their suspicious natures, their caution was understandable.
Creak.
I pushed open the large door. Outside was a night sky full of stars—hanging above a half-destroyed city.
"What the hell?!"
"Ahh—"
All three of us raised our hands to shield our eyes, straining to look at the sky suddenly blazing with light.
Something wrapped in crimson fire—long and slender—flew across the sky like an eastern dragon.
"What is that?? A dragon?"
TOOT—TOOT.
"What is that?! Run!!!"
We froze, then realized that strange thing was plummeting toward the city at an impossible speed.
The outskirts—no, entire blocks—were swept away. Hundreds of houses and chunks of land were obliterated and consumed in flames.
"WAHH—"
"Someone—!"
The screams rose, only to be silenced instantly, like the last cry of a desperate animal pierced by a bullet.
"Promet! Calm down!"
"Damn it—are you going to let them die?!!"
Promet panicked, ready to charge toward the flames in the distance, but Hadelus held him back.Even someone as used to death as Promet couldn't stand watching people die without doing anything.
I looked at the destruction before us. My expression stayed calm, but inside I was spiraling with panic.Sweat ran down my face. I stayed still, closed my eyes, and said,
"…Calm down. Are you sure they're even on our side?"
Promet stared at me in disbelief, shaken by my forced composure.He didn't understand how I could be this indifferent. His eyes widened, teeth grinding, as if he were looking at a lunatic.
"Listen… At this hour, anyone still outside the city center is either a terrorist… or a hostage like us."
"So you're going to let kidnapped people die like that?!"
"If they were kidnapped like we were, think back—do you honestly think hostages would still be alive in this situation?"
"You—!"
Promet's anger flared, but he had no argument. He slumped down and held his head in his hands.Hadelus sat beside him with a weary sigh.
I could only hold my forehead, take out another pill and swallow it, hoping it would help—but even that felt far too extravagant.
Rumble—RUMBLE!!
That fire-wrapped monstrosity suddenly stopped. It shifted direction and tore through several buildings that looked expensive.
"What the—"
I narrowed my eyes toward the noise—and realized something.
"Get the hell up. It's heading this way!!"
I shouted at the two sitting down, tossing aside an unwrapped chocolate bar I'd been holding.
TOOT—TOOT!
A blazing train tore through building after building.At the head of the train was a face contorted in agony, molten tears streaming down its cheeks.Each carriage was formed from severed entrails; the rails were fingers lashed together.
"What the hell kind of demon is that?!"
"A hellfiend? A fire demon?"
"Don't just stand there—run!!"
I grabbed the two of them and dragged them along as the train smashed through the building we'd just exited.The face at the front twisted with hunger and despair.
"This isn't over—run!!"
I yelled, then glanced back. The other two forced themselves to flee, their legs trembling in pain.
"What are you do—"
"There are people there. Looks like they're fighting."
They slowed and turned. Two figures were charging through the flames, wielding weapons, clearly dragged into the chaos.
"Marcus!"
I shouted, drawing his attention for a moment before he turned back to the battle.
Beside him was another figure, also white-haired beneath a white cloak stained black with soot and ash.
"A teacher?" I wasn't sure. But if they were here with Marcus, they had to be strong enough to hold the demon off for a while.
Marcus invoked mana-language, golden lights circling the spear in his hand. Strange runes were carved along the shaft.
He thrust the spear into the joints between the train cars, while the cloaked figure held a lantern, gathering all the surrounding flames into it.
Marcus used mana-language to shield himself and his weapon from the unbearable heat, and at the point of impact—
BOOM.
The spear exploded instantly, freezing dozens of meters around it.
The train, with its bone-wheel carriages, was frozen in place. At the same time, the cloaked figure extinguished the flames around him as if erasing them from existence.
He dropped the lantern onto the train, making it explode as every flame from the demon vanished.
Marcus finally turned to us, confused—he seemed to shout something, probably "Why are you still here? Run!"
I looked at the stalled train and smiled strangely, picking up the chocolate bar I'd discarded earlier.
I leapt beside Marcus. Before he could say a word, I drove a mana-infused wooden shard straight through his heart.
The last thing he saw… was pitch black.