Chapter 101
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Chapter 101
* * *
The battle with the Monster that began in broad daylight showed no signs of ending even as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Worse still, Enoch and Kaiden found themselves surrounded with the River at their backs, leaving no room to retreat. Wounds scattered across their bodies had dulled their fighting spirit.
Kaiden glanced at Enoch, who was drenched in blood, and bit his lower lip with an anxious expression.
"Are you alright, Your Majesty?"
Enoch understood immediately what Kaiden meant by that question. It was a concern—a worry that he might suffer a seizure and lose control.
"I'm fine."
Enoch wiped away the blood splattered on his jaw with the back of his hand as he answered.
"I can maintain control."
I can. Or rather, I must.
Margaret's fate remained uncertain—the situation was dire.
Besides, what had happened the last time I deliberately lost control to exterminate the Monsters? Hadn't she nearly been hurt? So until I confirmed Margaret was safe, I could not afford to lose my reason.
I had to overcome this. Drowning in self-loathing and abandoning my senses would solve nothing.
He tightened his grip on the sword. The strain caused veins to bulge across the back of his trembling hand.
The Monsters surrounding them bore grotesque forms unlike any he had seen before. They were far more formidable than those encountered on South Island.
One of them broke through its ranks and rushed forward with terrifying speed. It was a bizarre Monster—a fish-like creature with legs.
Screech!
It lunged at Kaiden, its massive jaws gaping wide.
Seeing the sharp, densely-packed teeth, Kaiden pivoted and passed the attack to Enoch, who stood back-to-back with him. Enoch immediately drove his longsword upward from beneath the creature's snout.
Following the fish Monster's assault, the other creatures that had been watching began to swarm toward them once more.
Roar!
Shriek!
As twilight faded into deep night, the battle showed no sign of ending. The Monsters continued to pour in relentlessly, keeping them pinned in their encirclement.
"Damn it all—I know it's shameful, but wouldn't it be better to just flee?"
Kaiden spoke between ragged, labored breaths.
Enoch, covered in blood and holding his sword toward the Monsters, exhaled heavily. Then he surveyed the creatures calmly, his brow furrowing.
"That would be ideal."
But the number of Monsters surrounding them was considerable. Finding an opening to escape seemed nearly impossible. The situation continued to spiral beyond their control.
In that moment, Enoch could not help but despair. If this continued, he might truly die. Without ever finding Margaret.
"Cursed wretches! I can't see any way out!"
Kaiden's voice rang out, thick with frustration. Enoch, his expression eerily blank, cleanly cut down another charging Monster before looking toward Kaiden.
Then, in a single instant, his composure shattered. In that moment, Enoch's vision caught Kaiden wiping blood from his forehead. Enoch descended into seizure.
"Damn it! Maybe if we just break through one side to carve a path... Your Majesty?!"
Kaiden's shout grew distant and muffled.
All that filled Enoch's ears was the thunderous pounding of his own heart and the roar of his burning breath.
Haah, hiss, haah.
His vision flooded crimson. Enoch could see nothing but that blood-red haze, as if drowning in an illusion.
The turbulent emotions gradually subsided into a terrible calm. He felt his sense of control slipping away with each passing moment.
As he surrendered helplessly to the unconscious, his very identity fading into obscurity, he sank beneath the surface of awareness.
'Don't worry about protecting the Cabin. Worry about yourself first. You won't last a single day on this Island without me.'
'Stop apologizing. This isn't your fault.'
A clear, refreshing woman's voice echoed in his ears.
'Enoch. I want to live. I hope you survive too. I mean it.'
It was Margaret's voice.
The moment I recalled her face, my vision—which had been drenched entirely in crimson—slowly began to return to its natural colors.
I had to maintain control.
If I lost myself to rampage, I might slaughter every Monster, but I would drift further from truly overcoming my trauma.
If that happened, I could survive the immediate danger, but someday Margaret might be endangered because of it.
That could never happen.
I would rather be torn apart by a Monster while retaining my sanity, thinking of Margaret until my last breath.
My vision sharpened, and my muddled mind returned to clarity.
I could feel it. Now I could control the rampage. Perfectly.
The moment Enoch regained full consciousness, he spotted two Monsters driving Kaiden to the edge of the River Bank, charging toward him.
Enoch rushed toward him at once. He swiftly cut down one of the charging Monsters with his blade and roughly shoved Kaiden aside.
At that moment, another Monster lunging at Kaiden sank its teeth into Enoch's shoulder.
"Damn it! Your Majesty!"
With Kaiden's final scream, Enoch tumbled into the River along with the Monster.
He plunged deep into the water with the creature, but refused to yield—he seized the Monster's throat and drove his blade into its body.
Enoch cast the dead Monster aside and swam upward toward the surface. Beyond the rippling water, he saw fierce flames roaring down.
Gasp.
The moment his face broke the surface, a massive inferno erupted across the darkened sky.
Roooaaarrr—
The towering flames swept across the Monsters surrounding Kaiden at the River Bank.
Screeeech!
The agonized shrieks of the writhing Monsters filled the air. At the ear-splitting noise, Kaiden covered his ears briefly and scanned his surroundings.
In the meantime, Enoch emerged from the River Bank, blood dripping steadily from a massive wound on his shoulder.
"Your Majesty, you're safe. I suspected as much, but sometimes you seem even more terrifying than those Monsters."
Kaiden, spotting him, clutched his chest and spoke.
Enoch shook the moisture from his blade, then nodded toward Kaiden. The flames had created a gap between the Monsters.
"Rodban, this way."
As Kaiden and Enoch slipped through the gap, a silver serpent spewing flames appeared in the distance.
"I knew it was you. Hey, Silver Earthworm."
When Kaiden called out, the serpent—somehow understanding its name—glanced at them sideways.
The sideways glance was because the task of burning the Monsters to ash wasn't yet complete.
Screech!
But there were so many Monsters that Silver Earthworm alone couldn't kill them all.
Enoch and Kaiden rushed toward Silver Earthworm. Looking up at the two men who had run to me, Silver Earthworm closed its mouth and tilted its head. The flames ceased.
Kaiden scooped up the bewildered Silver Earthworm into his arms, and together with Enoch, they ran.
Screeeech! Screeeech!
Behind them, the Monsters shrieked and their footsteps thundered in pursuit.
Kaiden ran with Silver Earthworm cradled in his arms, casting a quick glance down at the creature.
"Where did you go?"
Silver Earthworm merely blinked at his question, nestled against him with an expression of complete bewilderment.
Watching that innocent face, Kaiden clicked his tongue. Without Margaret, there was no way to understand what the creature wanted anyway, so he'd abandoned the attempt at communication quickly enough.
"Rodban, wait."
While Enoch was still running hard, gasping for breath, he suddenly blocked Kaiden's path.
It was a dead end. The Monsters' shrieks behind them were growing steadily closer.
"Damn it."
As Kaiden muttered a curse, Silver Earthworm slipped down his wrist and dropped to the ground with a soft thud.
"What? Hey!"
Kaiden reached out in surprise. Silver Earthworm paid no attention and wriggled away into the darkness, then turned back to face them. Enoch, who had been watching the creature intently, spoke.
"It seems to be telling us to follow."
Only then did Kaiden remember that Silver Earthworm had imprinted on Margaret.
"Ah, that's right. That creature had been following Margaret even before it hatched."
It had tracked her relentlessly even as an egg, so even if they were far apart now, it would surely know where she was.
Enoch glanced at the approaching Monsters, then nodded to Kaiden again.
"Go."
At Enoch's word, Kaiden adjusted his grip on the dagger he was holding and nodded.
"Let's move."
They followed Silver Earthworm as it led the way.
* * *
I had no idea what kind of Monster was coiled around my waist.
It had a long trunk like an elephant's, but its eyes were invisible—only its razor-sharp teeth filled my vision.
Suspended upside down from the Third Floor window, I couldn't move an inch. Jenath, leaning out from the Third Floor window, spoke to me.
"By the way, there's a Holy Maiden among your group."
"What the—"
"You curse well."
Jenath burst into laughter. Was this funny?
"Watch carefully."
"Explain yourself! And get me down from here!"
"I'm only borrowing the Monsters' eyes, not controlling them. They simply like you."
Jenath shrugged as he spoke. The Monster didn't move. Still suspended upside down by the creature, I shouted at him.
"Why do the Monsters like me?"
"You must smell delicious to them. Different from other people."
So they think I'm a delicacy! I grabbed my head in frustration. Damn it all.
Jenath leaned against the window frame with an expression suggesting he had nothing more to explain, simply watching me dangle.
"What do you mean, watch the Holy Maiden carefully?"
"Just... that Holy Maiden seems to know something."
"Know what?"
"Ask him directly. I'm curious too."
Damn it!
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