Chapter 103: Why Damian Died
The seventh beast was no ordinary creature. Each subtle movement sent tremors through the earth, and its very breath, like its oozing bodily fluids, carried a deadly venom.
Even at a glance, it was clear this monster was a cut above the previous six.
“Skreeeee!”
With a shriek that threatened to rupture eardrums, the beast writhed, its deep purple body bulging as if bubbles were rising to the surface. Moments later, those bulges detached, transforming into smaller creatures the size of forearms.
The swarm of tiny beasts wriggled with frenzied speed, launching themselves at the subjugation team. The sight of the horde charging toward them sent ripples of panic through the ranks.
“Argh!”
“Everyone, scatter!”
Screams erupted from all directions, and the formation disintegrated in an instant.
The team hacked frantically at the wave of creatures surging toward them. In the chaos, soldiers and mages scrambled, their positions jumbling as the situation spiraled further into disarray.
“Stay calm! Don’t lose your heads—assess the situation!”
Damian’s voice boomed as he deftly sliced through a leaping beast, his blade flashing as he struck it down mid-air.
Aracila, snapping back to focus, conjured a protective barrier and shouted,
“Focus on shielding those around you! Prioritize defensive magic!”
The seventh beast’s venom was far more potent than that of the previous six.
Mages unleashed powerful defensive spells to protect the knights, forming a steadfast bulwark behind them.
“We’ll take out the spawned creatures first! Do not approach the main body recklessly!”
Taking Aracila’s lead, Damian swiftly delegated roles for attack and defense, issuing clear commands.
Thanks to their precise and decisive instructions, the team regained composure, each member focusing on their assigned tasks. Knights cut down the smaller beasts, while mages blocked their assaults. Some mages even joined the knights in attacking the creatures.
“Lady Aracila, allow me to guard you,” Isaac said, slicing through a spawned beast as he positioned himself at her side.
Aracila, hurling an attack spell at a nearby creature, shook her head.
“I’m fine. Help the others.”
“But—”
“Sir Wind, open your eyes and see who really needs your help.”
Isaac glanced between the struggling soldiers, overwhelmed by the endlessly multiplying beasts, and Aracila, who was handling both offense and defense with steady precision.
Though he was tasked with protecting her, the priority in this moment was clear. A knight’s duty was to aid those in danger.
“Call me if you need me,” he said.
“Understood.”
With a curt nod, Isaac stepped away from Aracila’s side and dove into the fray, cutting down beasts and assisting others.
The main creature relentlessly spawned smaller ones, and no matter how many were felled, they kept coming. A moment’s lapse in focus allowed the beasts to swarm, clinging and crawling onto their targets.
Isaac gritted his teeth, driving his sword into a creature latched onto one of his subordinates, prying it off.
“V-Vice Commander! Thank you!”
“Stay sharp,” Isaac replied gruffly.
As he turned, his eyes caught Sally, a beast leaping toward her from behind, poised to strike.
“Lady Sally, watch your back!”
Isaac sprinted toward her. Hearing his shout, Sally’s eyes widened as she whipped around. Just before the beast could reach her, a surge of magic burst from the tip of her staff, striking it down.
“Are you alright?” Isaac asked, rushing over and finishing off the writhing creature on the ground with a swift slash.
“Yes, thank you for the warning,” Sally replied.
“Stay back and use defensive magic. It’s too dangerous.”
Isaac’s voice was laced with concern as he looked at the petite, delicate Sally. But she met his gaze for a moment before pointing her staff at him.
A powerful magical orb shot from the gem at its tip, narrowly missing Isaac and obliterating a beast that had been creeping up behind him.
Startled, Isaac turned to look, then stared at Sally in surprise. She gave him a bright smile.
“Thank you for the concern, Sir Wind, but I’m fine. If you want to help, please look after Rudy. He’s a bit… fragile.”
Sally nodded toward Rudy, who was diligently casting defensive barriers nearby.
Maintaining multiple shields at once was no easy feat. Even for skilled mages, it was a challenge—Aracila being a rare exception with her ability to conjure vast barriers effortlessly. Rudy, though talented, lacked experience and kept dropping his own protective shield while focusing on others.
Sally had been hovering near him out of worry, but now, with Isaac nearby, she seized the chance to entrust Rudy to him and darted off to join the attack team.
Isaac, still a bit dazed, rubbed the back of his neck and surveyed the scene. The mages, whom he’d assumed were frail, were holding their own remarkably well, fighting with surprising resilience.
Shaking his head, he approached Rudy as Sally had asked.
“I’ll guard you. Focus on your defensive magic.”
“…What? Oh, thank you,” Rudy replied, startled by the unexpected offer but nodding gratefully.
Truth be told, ever since the incident with Johnny Pattinson, Rudy had found the Red Hawk Knights far more intimidating than Sally. But now wasn’t the time for petty grudges. The two fell into a rhythm, silently coordinating their efforts—Rudy casting barriers, Isaac fending off attacks.
Across the battlefield, knights and mages began forming similar partnerships, combining their strengths to combat the relentless beasts.
“Watch out!”
A knight dove to save a mage who’d left themselves vulnerable while focusing on defense.
“I’ll set up a barrier—charge forward!”
A mage aided a knight surrounded by beasts, weaving spells to protect them. In the heat of battle, old grudges were set aside, and the two groups worked in seamless tandem, their efforts harmonizing with newfound efficiency.
This unexpected unity was a silver lining born from the chaos of their ranks mingling together.
While their subordinates and younger comrades tirelessly dispatched the smaller creatures, Aracila and Damian steadily closed in on the main beast.
The others would struggle against such a top-tier monster, so the two leaders resolved to take it down themselves.
“Lady Aracila, don’t get too close,” Damian warned.
“That’s my line. Why are you so reckless when you can’t even cast defensive magic?”
Their banter carried an edge, but beneath it, each was more concerned for the other’s safety than their own.
“Damian, do you see that glint inside the beast’s mouth?”
Aracila gestured with her chin toward the creature’s maw. Damian nodded, recalling the eerie glow they’d noticed since emerging from the cave.
“Yes, I see it. That must be the beast’s core.”
“I think so too. If we destroy the core, it’ll die instantly. Let’s target it together.”
“Agreed.”
Damian tightened his grip on his sword, ready to act on her plan.
Attacking haphazardly would only prompt the beast to keep spawning more creatures without dying. They needed to strike the core decisively to end it.
As they drew closer, the venom in the beast’s breath grew more potent. Aracila reinforced her protective barrier, strengthening it against the toxic air.
The beast thrashed its jaws but kept its mouth tightly shut, likely guarding the core within.
Aracila calmly considered the most effective way to destroy it.
It’d be best if I support from behind while Damian takes the lead…
Since Damian couldn’t wield defensive magic like she could, it made sense for her to cover him. But the forward role was far more dangerous, and she hesitated to let him take it.
As if sensing her inner conflict, Damian spoke up.
“If you handle defense like you did during the hunting festival, I’ll take care of the core.”
“…Alright.”
Aracila nodded reluctantly after a moment’s hesitation. Bickering would only waste time, and the situation was growing dire.
The knights and mages battling the spawned creatures were starting to tire. They needed to eliminate the main beast quickly.
“I’ll provoke it to open its mouth, and you strike the core when it does.”
“Got it.”
Aracila unleashed a barrage of attacks at the beast’s maw, her violet-tinged magical orbs raining down like meteors.
The beast retaliated, spewing venomous fluid and thrashing wildly. Aracila stacked her barriers threefold, deflecting the onslaught while intensifying her own assault.
“Skreee!”
The beast writhed in agony, shrieking under the relentless barrage.
As it struggled, the number of spawned creatures multiplied, but Aracila didn’t let up. Instead, she poured even more power into her attacks.
“Kweeee!”
Unable to withstand the assault, the beast let out a piercing wail and finally opened its maw wide.
“Damian!”
Aracila’s urgent cry rang out, but Damian was already in motion, launching himself forward with a powerful leap.
A shimmering blue barrier enveloped him, shielding him from the venom pooling in the beast’s mouth—a testament to Aracila redirecting all her magic into defense.
Damian drove his raised blade straight into the creature’s throat.
The wet, fleshy interior gave way as the beast convulsed violently.
Damian’s body swayed briefly from the impact, but he gritted his teeth, slicing deeper through the tissue until he reached the bright yellow core.
Aura-infused energy coursed along his blade. Without hesitation, he swung at the root of the core, which clung to the beast’s throat like a tree’s roots.
“Kyaaaaa!”
The beast let out a horrific scream, thrashing wildly before collapsing with a thunderous crash, its body flipping over and lying still.
Damian emerged from the slackened jaws, gripping the core in his hand as he stepped forward steadily.
“Damian, are you okay?!”
Aracila rushed to his side, her voice laced with worry. Thanks to her barrier, he was unscathed, not a single hair out of place.
“I’m fine. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine too. You’re really not hurt anywhere?”
“Yes, so calm down,” Damian said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
Aracila, who’d been fraught with worry that he might’ve been injured, exhaled in relief.
“Thank goodness you’re safe.”
Damian gazed at her for a moment, then reached out to brush his fingers near a small scratch on her cheekbone.
“You’ll need to treat this as soon as we’re back.”
“What? Oh, this is nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Get it treated immediately.”
Unable to argue with his firm insistence, Aracila nodded.
With the main beast dead, the spawned creatures naturally perished as well.
The subjugation team scoured the area to ensure no other beasts remained. The seventh had indeed been the last; no further threats appeared.
“Did… did we really finish it?”
“Phew, it’s finally over!”
The team erupted in joy, embracing one another without distinction between knight and mage, their shared triumph forging a bond in the heat of victory.
After a long moment of celebration, they began to organize and prepare to descend the mountain.
While the mages had led the ascent, the knights took the lead on the way down.
“I’ll guide Sir Damian’s path, then,” Ken said, bowing politely before heading toward Damian.
Aracila let him go without a second thought, turning her attention to her younger comrades.
As the team descended slowly, Aracila trudged along, lost in thought.
With the beast defeated, there’s no reason for Damian to die now, right?
In her prophetic dream, Isaac had mentioned that Damian’s death occurred during a mission in the mountains.
The greatest threat to his life here had been the beast, and with it gone, the likelihood of his death seemed drastically reduced.
Her heart lightened, and she stepped forward with renewed ease.
But then, a sudden question pierced her mind.
Why… how did Damian die? Who killed him?
When she’d asked Isaac in the dream, he’d replied, “We’re still investigating the details.”
If it was the beast that killed him, he wouldn’t have answered like that, would he?
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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