My World ...….(6)
Dark was a being composed purely of energy.
Even if he wanted to endure through willpower or determination, he couldn't maintain his form once his energy was depleted.
Dark didn't try to evade—he threw himself in front of Kyle, doing whatever he could to protect him.
"Dark...."
Kyle stared at the spot where Dark had been, eyes wide in disbelief.
A moment ago, someone had been there with him.
They had run together, fought together, moved as one through the chaos of the battlefield.
But now, not even a trace of that blue energy remained where he looked.
'…You did well.'
Dark was a being that wouldn't die as long as Ghislain existed.
He hadn't truly perished, so there was no need to worry.
And yet… being left alone on this battlefield brought on a crushing loneliness he couldn't avoid.
'…Is this the end?'
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he'd survived until now thanks to Dark.
If Dark hadn't helped, he would've had to expend far more mana just to stay alive.
And now, without Dark, there was no way he could escape in his current, weakened state.
GRAAAHHH!
The monsters began to swarm toward Kyle once more.
And at last, two dark mages in dark robes revealed themselves.
"The spirit's gone? Tch, I wasted so much magic on that weird thing for nothing."
"That guy's probably drained too. Let's finish this."
The two dark mages looked slightly irritated.
They had used a significant amount of magic to launch a surprise attack, but Dark had ruined everything.
Dark energy began to condense once again at their fingertips.
Kyle, watching with exhausted eyes, gripped his sword tightly.
'In a way, this works out.'
He couldn't retreat easily because of them.
If he killed these two, there would be no one left to control the monsters.
Then even the slowest of the children could escape safely.
Even if he couldn't kill them—it didn't matter. As long as he bought time.
Even if the price was his own life.
"…Huu."
With a tense expression, Kyle raised his sword.
His arms were heavy, and his breath came ragged and fast.
Even so, his eyes still blazed with fire.
KWAHHHH!
The dark mage's magic surged toward Kyle.
At the same time, Kyle clenched his teeth and swung his sword.
KWA-BOOOOM!
An explosion erupted, flinging the surrounding monsters away.
But Kyle didn't stop despite the impact.
Reading the enemies' movements, he charged forward even more boldly.
CRACKLE!
Kyle's sword shattered a dark mage's shield and cut into his body.
"Guh!"
One dark mage stumbled back in shock, bleeding from his chest.
Kyle tried to follow up, but the other dark mage took the opening and struck.
FWOOSH!
Swirling black flames surged toward Kyle.
He rolled across the ground, barely dodging the flames, but now, bone fragments shot up from the earth and slashed into his side.
TEAR!
His flesh tore, and blood spurted out. Still, Kyle had no time to tend to the wound.
He spun instinctively, swinging his sword.
SLASH!
The face of a chimera lunging from behind split in two.
In that brief moment, the dark mage, who had regained his stance, launched a blast of magic at Kyle's back.
BOOOM!
"Urgh!"
Kyle coughed up blood from the shock that twisted through his entire body.
Even so, he didn't lose consciousness—he rolled away to avoid the follow-up strike.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The dark mages' spells were shattering everything around them.
Kyle barely dodged the magical assaults, slashing at the monsters charging toward him.
Even then, he kept his senses sharp, searching for an opening.
'They're about 5th Circle.'
If it were one-on-one, he could win.
But the situation was grim. His body was worn out, and his mana was nearly gone.
On top of that, he was surrounded by monsters. Holding out against a coordinated assault from two 5th Circle mages in these conditions was nearly impossible.
KWA-BOOOM!
Another spell struck, sending Kyle's body crashing to the ground.
This time the blow was serious—his left arm hung limp.
His chestplate had cracked, his skin was scorched, and his mana was completely depleted.
THUD! THUD!
A massive chimera approached—its crushed face, twisted arms, and rotting flesh made it look like a mutant fused with an undead.
Kyle clenched his teeth and forced his collapsing legs to hold him up.
Then, with a sudden burst, he rushed forward and slashed the creature's neck.
SLASH!
Its head hit the ground. But Kyle, too, was bitten in the shoulder by another charging monster.
CRUNCH!
He yanked his shoulder free—blood burst out as flesh was torn away.
Kyle drove his sword into the monster's forehead—and then the dark mages' spells came crashing down again.
KWA-BOOOM!
"Gah!"
Kyle coughed up more blood as he was blasted away again. The magic was so powerful it even blew apart the monsters charging him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Every time Kyle stood up, the dark mages cast their spells again. The surrounding monsters were caught in the blasts and exploded.
But Kyle didn't die. He kept getting back up.
Even as he stumbled, he continued to slash at the monsters swarming him.
The dark mages' expressions hardened.
"What the hell is this guy?"
"Why won't he die?"
No matter how strong he was, he should've died by now. He'd already been hit with multiple spells in an exhausted state.
And yet, the man stood with sword in hand, refusing to fall. It made no sense.
And that kind of incomprehensible existence inspired fear.
To escape that fear, they had to erase its source.
Killing intent—more intense than ever—rose in their eyes.
"This time, we make sure he dies."
"Yeah, with every last drop of mana we have—"
WHIRRRRRL!
Two massive black spears formed at their fingertips.
As their energy surged, darkness spread across the field, and cursed whispers rode the wind.
Kyle raised his sword with effort, drawing out what little mana he had left.
Soon, the black spears pierced the air, flying straight at him.
KWA-BOOOOOOOM!
A huge explosion erupted with black smoke.
It was the combined full-power spell of two 5th Circle dark mages. They were certain the enemy must have died this time.
But…
"Cough…"
Kyle was still alive.
He was on his knees, blood streaming down his entire body—but he was alive.
Drip… drip…
Black blood ran down his clenched fist.
Even though the sleeve binding his sword hand was torn to shreds, Kyle still hadn't let go of his weapon.
But his consciousness now hung by the barest thread.
Shapes blurred before his eyes, and sounds echoed in his ears as though underwater. His legs could no longer feel anything.
The dark mages gasped for breath, unable to believe he was still alive.
"It's fine. He's dying."
"One more attack will finish it."
They drew up their mana once more.
They had little left, having used it all to control this massive monster army. But it didn't take much to kill a man already on the verge of death.
WHIRRRRRR...
Black energy began to gather once more in front of them.
It would soon bring a definitive end to Kyle's life.
Kyle slowly lifted his head. But his gaze wasn't fixed on the dark mages.
He looked farther.
Toward the direction the children had fled.
'…They should be safe now, right?'
If his body had been intact, he might have seen far into the distance. But now, with his blurred vision, he could no longer spot the children.
Still, he had bought them a lot of time. Even the slowest among them should have escaped far by now.
Yeah. So now… it's okay.
'…They'll be okay.'
Even as his consciousness faded, Kyle kept repeating that one phrase to himself.
Beep.....
His vision darkened. A ringing filled his ears.
Thunk.
Suddenly, his mind was swallowed in silence.
The pain faded, and so did all sensation.
Just as he thought it was all over, someone asked him in a quiet voice.
—Why did you fight?
So Kyle paused to think.
'Why was I fighting?'
Was it to survive?
To be praised by someone?
Because it was necessary to save the world?
No...….
It wasn't for any of those reasons.
'Just... because there was no one else to do it. Because someone had to.'
That was Kyle's answer.
And that was all.
It wasn't because he was destined to save the world, or because of some grand purpose.
It was simply because the moment demanded someone to step forward, and he did.
'If not me, then who?'
That simple thought.
That heavy feeling.
It was enough to drive him to move, even prepared to die.
Within it was a quiet acceptance to bear all the weight, and a resolve to protect, no matter what.
And paradoxically, that's what allowed Kyle to be free.
The Yulien Mercenary Corps' mission, the duty to save the world, the desire to run away and cling to life—
He cast all of it aside and chose the path he truly wanted. And he gave it everything he had.
The moment he realized that, Kyle smiled faintly.
'…This is enough. I did all I could.'
At the same time, a quiet voice echoed from somewhere.
—It's okay now.
There was weight in those few words.
The battles he'd fought, the pain, the blood and cries—
They were all over now.
Beep.....
The ringing continued endlessly. Kyle was slowly letting go of the thread of life.
Then, someone asked again.
—Why aren't you moving anymore?
'…I don't have the strength to move.'
—So that's it? It's over?
'…I guess so?'
—No, you can still move.
'…How?'
—Open your eyes.
Kyle forced his heavy eyelids to lift.
His vision was still blurry. In the end, he had no choice but to close his eyes again.
Even so, the voice kept urging him.
—Get up. Hurry, open your eyes and rise.
Kyle trembled as he tried to get up. His legs had no strength, but he tried anyway.
But his body was far too heavy. Getting up felt impossible.
'I can't stand. I must've run out of strength. My body's too heavy.'
—It's not that you've lost strength.
'Then what?'
—You're trapped behind a wall.
'…Trapped?'
—But that wall is already gone. You just don't realize it.
'The wall… is gone?'
—Yes. You already gave everything up, emptied yourself, for what you wanted to protect. The wall disappeared then. You just didn't know it.
Kyle felt like the voice in his head was his own.
And that voice continued, resolute.
—So open your eyes. Open them, and see the world again.
'The world…'
—Because it's your world.
Kyle slowly opened his eyes.
The voice was gone. But he could feel that the world had changed.
KWAHHHHHH!
Massive black magic surged toward him from the dark mages.
Strangely, it looked slow.
'My world...'
Kyle realized everything around him had changed.
He planted his feet firmly on the ground and stood.
Then, he calmly raised his sword once more.
And as the incoming magic approached, he slowly brought his sword down.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!
A massive explosion erupted, as if the heavens and earth flipped over.
The blast swallowed Kyle whole.
The dark mages stepped back in surprise.
"W-what was that?"
"Were we always that strong?"
Sure, they had poured a lot of magic into the attack to end things. But it wasn't enough to create a blast of that magnitude.
The last time they'd seen their enemy, he was on his knees, dying. They couldn't understand how such a huge explosion happened.
"S-still, he must be dead, right?"
"He couldn't possibly survive that. He was already beyond his limits."
The dark mages relaxed a bit. No one could have survived that blast in such a weakened state.
But then...…
KWAANG!
Before the smoke cleared, Kyle burst forth from the blast zone.
Drenched in blood, he appeared and swung his sword with terrifying eyes.
SLASH!
One dark mage was cleaved diagonally across his body before he could react and collapsed.
The other dark mage reached out in shock.
SWOOSH!
But Kyle vanished from his sight.
Before the dark mage could turn around, Kyle's sword pierced through his chest from behind.
SHUNK!
"Urgh..."
The dark mage crumpled, his heart pierced.
Kyle looked over his shoulder for a moment.
It was the escape path he had opened. As long as they kept going, the children would be safe.
The monsters couldn't catch them now—they were too far behind.
But there was one being who could chase them down in an instant.
FWOOOOOSH!
A black vortex erupted among the monsters, sucking them in and tearing them apart.
Seeing that, Kyle summoned the last of his strength.
"…One more time."
THUD.
He took a step forward toward the vortex.
That one step.
Could save someone's life.
Lowering his stance, Kyle raised his sword once more.
In this battlefield, filled with darkness—
Only his sword shone with a radiant brilliance so dazzling, it pierced through the gloom.
[You can buy paid chapters or support me on any platform below:
For latest Updates Visit Official Website: https://revengernovel.com/
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/punisher87
💎 Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/reaper87
🔥 Patreon: patreon.com/Punisher87translation
📘 Payhip Store: payhip.com/revengerscans
Choose the platform that works best for your region. Thank you for your support!]