CHAPTER 66— Rune island final(1)
The massive Chimera barricade suddenly came alive.
The grotesque wall of flesh and bone unraveled in an instant.
Dozens—
No.
Hundreds of Chimeras burst forward simultaneously.
Like a tidal wave made of claws, fangs, scales, and twisted flesh.
KRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!
Their collective roar shook the entire cave.
The ground trembled violently beneath their charge.
Dust rained from the ceiling. Broken bones scattered across the stone floor as the horde rushed forward without hesitation.
For half a second—
The students froze.
But Only half a second.
Then—
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"
Ashwin's voice thundered across the cave.
Everyone reacted instantly.
Years of training took over before panic could.
Wands rose.
Staffs were raised.
Mana surged.
The battlefield that had only just gone quiet
Erupted into chaos once more.
"Winds, reinforce the left!"
"Water wall!"
"Earth users, support the front!"
Layers of elemental barriers rose almost simultaneously.
Walls of fire ignited.
Sheets of rushing water crashed together.
Compressed currents of wind intertwined with stone barriers.
The first wave of Chimeras smashed directly into them.
BOOM!
The barriers shook violently.
One Chimera.
Then another.
Then ten more.
The creatures hurled themselves against the defenses with complete disregard for their own lives.
Like starving beasts.
Like maddened zombies.
Like they knew nothing except charging forward.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
The barriers flickered under the relentless assault.
Most of the students maintaining them had already exhausted themselves during the battle outside.
Sweat streamed down their faces.
Their breathing grew heavier.
Their mana reserves were running dangerously low.
"...Whose idea was it to bring exhausted students in here?" Ashwin asked.
Kaizen, who was still supporting Ashwin by the shoulder, awkwardly scratched his cheek and smiled sheepishly..
"I thought the more the better."
"You idiot!"
Kaizen immediately looked away.
Before either could continue—
Ashwin suddenly frowned, Suddenly he started feeling sweat tickling down his forehead unnaturally all of a sudden. He could feel an intense heat from behind.
His silver-gray eyes slowly shifted behind him.
The other students too looked sweating unnaturally too much.
The surrounding students noticed it too,their throats suddenly felt dry, the air itself had become hotter.
Much hotter.
Several students slowly turned around then every single one of them froze.
Seraphine stood calmly behind the defensive formation, one arm resting on her hip and the other arm raised up.
An enormous sphere of crimson fire floated above her palm.
No—
Calling it a sphere would be underselling it.
It was the size of a boulder.
Molten flames swirled endlessly around it.
The surrounding air distorted from the sheer temperature.
Tiny sparks drifted across the cave like crimson snow.
Ashwin's eye twitched.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting rid of the ugly monsters. I'm gonna burn those things."
"You are gonna burn everyone here."
"Hm?"
"You are literally standing in the middle of everyone."
"..."
"If you launch that thing..."
He looked at the students surrounding her.
"...everyone else will die first."
Seraphine blinked.
She looked around.
The students looked back.
Nobody felt reassured.
Unfortunately—
Judging from her expression...
She still seemed perfectly willing to throw it.
The students immediately panicked.
"Move!"
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
"This is insane!"
"I'M GOING GET BURN FIRST!"
"Scatter!"
The defensive formation immediately began collapsing.
Not because of the Chimeras.
But because of Seraphine.
Students abandoned their positions and hurried away from the giant fireball.
The barriers instantly weakened.
The Chimeras slammed into them even harder.
THUD!
CRACK!
The front line staggered.
But even after all that the blouder like sphere above her palm didn't had any sign of shrinking back. No, it only seem to grow even bigger.
The students immediately started scattering the defensive formation was slowly breaking apart.
"Hey stop!"
"What the"
"Get out of my way!"
"Run! Run!"
The students muttered among themselves as they started scattering.
Ashwin pinched the bridge of his nose.
Then finally shouted—
"Everyone stop this bitch first."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
Absolute silence spread across the area.
The students who were running away froze like statues.
Even the Chimeras seemed less noticeable.
Seraphine froze too.
Her serious expression completely disappeared.
Her eyes became perfectly round.
Her jaw slowly dropped.
The gigantic fireball above her hand vanished with a soft poof.
Her raised arm slowly lowered to her side.
"..."
Kaizen stared at the scene.
He looked at Ashwin.
"Wow, good job."
Kaizen said nodding in admiration.
Seraphine who didn't stop hearing the students panick cry, was Stopped by a single sentence of Ashwin.
For one glorious second—
Everything became quiet.
Then—
The Heat returned. Much stronger than before.
Seraphine lifted her head her eyes were fixed on Ashwin, everyone could see the flame dancing within her magma like eyes.
The fire around her feet began spreading across the stone floor.
Her fingers trembled.
Not from fear.
But From rage.
She smiled.
It wasn't a pleasant smile.
"Did you..."
Her voice was frighteningly calm.
"...just call me a bitch?"
Everyone instinctively swallowed.
Ashwin looked at her with the same expressionless face.
"Nah, you heard it wrong. It was a W not B."
"Don't play with me, I heard you saying it."
"Hah... Treat your ears, you have got to have a little hearing problem."
The fire around Seraphine exploded upward, her patience was wearing thin.
The flame danced around her, fire rose from her hands.
"Damn the dark mage."
Seraphine pointed directly at Ashwin.
"I'm gonna burn you first."
Her Crimson Club immediately sprang into action.
"Miss Seraphine!"
Two students grabbed her arms.
Another hugged her waist.
A fourth desperately held onto her shoulder.
Her group members quickly grabbed her from all sides trying to stop her, though it looked like they were crying themselves.
"Miss Seraphine stop."
"Let me go"
"Miss, please clam down."
"Miss you shouldn't he is the—"
"LET ME GO!"
She continued struggling.
"I'll only burn him only a little!"
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Please reconsider!"
Meanwhile—
Ashwin had already stopped paying attention.He calmly turned toward Kaizen.
"Tell every exhausted student to leave the cave. Only those who are capable of fighting should stay."
Ashwin said looking back towards the students. His eyes remained fixed on the weakening defensive line.
Kaizen blinked as he kept staring at Ashwin.
"...?"
"Umm..."
Ashwin glanced sideways.
"What?"
Kaizen scratched his cheek.
"No, I mean if you are telling the exhausted students to leave the cave then..."
He pointed directly at Ashwin.
"Shouldn't you be the one to leave the cave first."
"..."
"..."
A berife silence streched between the two. Ashwin quickly turned his head towards the battlefield.
"You should leave, your shoulder is injured."
"Hey don't change the topic now."
While all of this was happening the defensive formation was weaking the students maintain the barrier stumbled backward.
Their arms trembled violently.
Their mana was nearly exhausted.
The defensive formation was collapsing.
Sigh...
Ashwin let out a slow breath.
His shoulders rose and fell as he tilted his head from side to side, trying to peer beyond the endless wall of writhing Chimeras.
Then he raised his voice.
"Hey! What are you doing? Kill him quickly!"
His shout echoed through the cave, directed toward someone who was beyond the living barricade.
---
Seris remained where he stood.
Or rather...
He could no longer move.
His legs had become as heavy as stone.
His arms remained stretched forward, fingers trembling violently as dark-purple mana continued to seep from his palms.
His breathing was ragged.
Every breath scraped against his lungs.
Fresh blood coated his lips, slowly running down the corner of his mouth before dripping onto the rocky floor.
His arms remained extended forward, the dark mana was still visible there.
His skin had become frighteningly pale.
The constant burning of his mana core had drained nearly all warmth from his body.
His senses were not very good now. He doesn't seemt to feel much of what's happening in his surroundings.
His vision blurred.
Sounds became distant.
Even the pain no longer felt real.
It was simply...
There.
Like an old companion that refused to leave.
Thud!
A body collapsed nearby.
That single sound finally pulled his fading attention away from the distant battle.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
He turned his head.
The Chimera he had summoned to stall Rowan lay split cleanly in half.
The Chimera layed lifeless on the ground near him.
Rowan was sanding before it—
Still gripping his axe.
Still breathing heavily.
Seris's tired gaze drifted toward the weapon.
He had witnessed Rowan casting spells with that strange axe several times now.
Despite everything—
A weak chuckle escaped him.
"...Hah..."
His voice sounded rough.
"...You have quite an amusing way of casting spells."
Rowan stared silently.
The dark mage looked as though a single gust of wind could make him collapse.
His body trembled.
His hand bled endlessly.
His breathing had become frighteningly shallow.
But still there was something that Rowan had to ask him.
"Hey— um..."
Rowan hesitated for a bit,His heartbeat pounded inside his chest. It felt like he can finally get some clue about his brother.
Perhaps...
Perhaps this person knew something.
Something about his brother.
He swallowed.
"Umm... Do you—"
"What are you doing?! Kill him!"
Ashwin's voice suddenly exploded across the cave.
Rowan instinctively turned.
Beyond the barrage of Chimeras—
He could barely make out the students.
Elemental barriers flickered violently as countless monsters smashed themselves against them.
"Fuck! Kill him!"
"What is he even doing?"
"Come on! Finish him! Quickly!"
The other students also started shouting.
Ashwin shouted again.
"Kill him!"
Rowan froze.
His fingers tightened around the handle of
his axe. His thoughts stopped.
'What do you mean—'
'...Kill?'
---
Seris heard them too.
Every shout.
Every order.
Every desperate cry.
Slowly...
He turned his exhausted gaze back toward Rowan.
This was no longer a conversation.
No longer an exchange between strangers.
For seris, it was a battle of life and death and Rowan too was his enemy in this moment.
With trembling fingers, Seris slowly raised one hand.
Dark-purple mana gathered across his palm.
Small violet flames flickered into existence.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Elemental Erosion..."
The flames thickened.
"...Primal Flames."
The purple fire drifted toward Rowan.
Rowan glanced back and saw the purple flames coming towards him. His eyes widened for a second.
Rowan's instincts reacted before his mind could.
His body moved on its own.
He quickly swung his axe out of reflex.
"Fire Chop!"
The cresent arc of fire chop roared and collided with the primal flame, it cut through it like a blade cutting through a paper and soon the fire chop reached Seris.
BOOM!
Smoke swallowed the area where seris was standing.
Rowan stared at the area with wide eyes and disbelief.
'I hit him out of reflex.'
The smoke slowly cleared.
Seris was...
Still standing.
But the sight before Rowan froze the blood in his veins.
The slash had carved through Seris's shoulder.
Seris was still standing but the place where Rowan's fire chop had hit was cut and burned away.
His arm was still intact but the flesh around his shoulder was gone, Rowan could clearly see the bone beneath charred muscle of his shoulder, The edges of the wound still glowed orange from the lingering heat.
The blood surrounding the exposed bone had dried instantly from the temperature.
Rowan instinctively covered his mouth.Cold sweat poured down his face. His hands began shaking uncontrollably
'I didn't mean to... I just—'
"What are you doing?!"
Before Rowan could think much Ashwin's voice was heard again.
"Kill him quickly!"
Following his voice, other voices of the students were heard too. Encouraging Rowan to kill Seris.
"KILL HIM!"
"Quickly! YOU FUCK! KILL him quickly.",
"What are you waiting for?! KILL him already!"
The barriers continued breaking apart.
Students fought desperately against the Chimeras to survive and all those desperate students were shouting at Rowan
Even while fighting.
Their desperate voices continued reaching Rowan.
"KILL HIM!"
"KILL HIM!"
"KILL HIM!"
"KILL!"
"KILL!"
"KILL!"
"KILL!"
The words repeated again.
And again.
And again.
Like hammers striking against his mind.
Rowan slowly lowered the hand covering his mouth.
His grip tightened around his axe.
Without realizing it...
His body had already begun obeying.
A single tear slid from the corner of his eye.
He shut his eyes tightly.
He bit the corner of his lip hardly as he swung his axe again.
The fire chop roared forward.
The blazing cresent closed the distance and hit Seris directly on this chest.
A diagonal wound tore across his chest.
His clothes split apart.His ribs became visible beneath glowing scorched flesh.
The impact forced Seris to finally cough out the blood he had been holding back all this time.
"Cough..."
A crimson spray splattered across the stone floor.
His knees trembled violently, he could feel his legs growing weaker.
His body that had already reached his limit long ago was now leaving his side too.
And Yet—
Despite being in this ocean of pain, A quiet laugh escaped him.
"...Heh..."
The stubborn smile still refused to leave his face.
"Migl."
And so, for one last time he Summoned his spirit.
The little flame bat slowly appeared infront of him floating right infront of his face while flapping it's tiny feathers.
It's body flickered weakly, it's flames had become dim.
It looked just as exhausted as it's master.
Surely. Afterall, it too. Had been fighting a long time alongside it's master.
Seris looked at his spirit, the spirit too looked at him.
Its tiny eyes met Seris's.
They immediately curved downward with sorrow.
Even a spirit could understand.
This was the end.
In his last moments when seris body was refusing to listen. His trembling fingers slowly reached toward the old locket hanging around his neck
His hand was trembling even moving his hand was painful now. Still his grasped the chain
Snap!
The necklace broke free.
With shaking hands, he held it toward Migl.
"Take it,"
His breathing hitched, blood dripped down his chin. But despite all that his smile only grew brighter.
"And when you meet my friends. Tell them... Tell them that I fought till the end."
Cough.
His eyes remained unwavering as a weak chuckle escaped him.
"I died... But I never lost."
Migl gently caught the chain between its tiny fangs.
For a long moment—
It simply stared at its master for one last time.
His face was covered in sweat, the blood was coming out of his mouth and ticking down his jaw.
But still, in the spirit's eyes—
Seris did not look defeated.
He looked like an unyielding flame that had burned until it had nothing left to give.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Standing only through sheer will.
Yet smiling as proudly as ever.
Migl let out a sorrowful cry.
Then—
It shot upward.
Flying over the battlefield.
Several students with Aether Sight briefly noticed the little spirit streaking above them.
But none of them paid it any attention.
They were too busy fighting the Chimeras.
The spirit escaped the cave.
It soared into the brilliant orange evening sky.
The locket swung gently beneath its mouth.
A single glowing ember-like tear rolled down it's transparent face.
The spirit never looked back.
Inside the cave—
Seris watched his spirit go, he doesn't know how much time has passed since he has been fighting but seeing Migl going, taking his locket with him. Seris felt a deep relief in his heart and then after Migl left with his locket.
Relief slowly washed across his face too.
His final responsibility...
Had been fulfilled.
Only then...
Did he allow himself to stop fighting.
His knees gave away.
Thud.
He collapsed onto the cold stone floor.
His chest rose.
Then fell.
Again.
And again.
Each breath weaker than the last.
His eyes drifted toward the massive stone slab blocking the cave ceiling.
The slab that had sealed his escape.
The slab that had separated him from his friends.
The slab that had become his grave.
'My friends.'
In his last moments the images of his friends flooded his mind, the time when he first met them. The time of their first team mission, the time of them occasionally getting into fights. The time they sometimes get involved in some stupid stuff.
Each memory warmed his heart far more than his failing body ever could.
A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
'I wish I could have been a part of our journey for some more time.'
His eyelids grew heavier.
'but still, even after me, you guys will continue your journey.'
His vision blurred and his breathing was getting slower each second.
'I hope that you remember me till the end of your journey.'
With their thoughts Seris's breathing stopped, the final particles of air slowly left his lungs.
The smile remained on his face.
But the light, quietly disappeared from his eyes.
---
CHAPTER ENDS