109. the way they walked (3)

Maxim supported the unconscious Adeline. The moment Maxim slammed the capital into her neck, there was no resistance. It must have been that he would believe in his own words. Maxim retrieved Adeline’s sword and hugged her. His shoulders and right arm were trembling little by little, but Maxim tried to ignore the sensation and turned his head to the side.

“Stop watching and come out. I don’t know how long you’ve been around.”

A red-haired man appeared at the entrance of an alleyway with his hands raised like a man in surrender. It was a person who did not feel any special characteristics, but Maxim could confirm the lily-patterned badge on the chest. He was the vice-captain of the escort knights. The name must have been Aaron. Judging from the fact that Maxim hadn’t been able to detect the presence properly, it was clear that he was a person with skills suitable for the position.

“Since when? From the beginning, I came to secretly support you by following His Majesty’s orders.”

“… Please help me in the fight, then.”

Aaron shrugged his shoulders shamelessly.

“Well, judging from the content of the conversation between you and the lady you were dealing with, it didn’t seem like something I would do recklessly. I was going to intervene when it was really dangerous, but I never did.”

Aaron’s words weren’t particularly wrong, but Maxim stopped grumbling.

“Well, as a result, I ended up in a situation where I had to deal with things like this. Damn it. Even His Majesty is indifferent.”

Aaron groaned and crossed his arms and looked at him. And after confirming the person on Maxim’s arm, he frowned.

“So, His Majesty just gave the order to follow you and support you, but judging from the current situation, it seems I have something else to do.”

Maxim nodded. Aaron didn’t seem to be complaining sincerely, even though he was in a position to do a favor for a distant junior.

“Could you please take this person to a safe place in the palace?”

“Is the request to His Majesty related to this article of Benning?”

Maxim nodded, and exhaled, saying Aaron seemed interested. Even if he was curious about the situation, he didn’t seem to bother digging into it.

“Okay. If it’s a request that His Majesty is determined to listen to. I won’t bother asking more. Of course, if your request threatens the well-being of the royal family and His Majesty… .”

Aaron’s eyebrows twitched as if to say, ‘I don’t have to say more. Maxim nodded and handed the Adeline he was holding to Aaron. Aaron took Adeline and looked closely at Maxim. Maxim turned his gaze back to Aaron with a questionable expression on his face.

“Yes, you said you had other business to do. I know from Your Majesty. Originally, what I was supposed to help with seems to be what you’re trying to do from now on. Did you say you were looking for a colleague?”

Maxim nodded heavily.

“Yes. The road to the mage’s dungeon follows the sewers and you’ll find it. I want to rescue my comrades who are caught in the depths.”

“… Right.”

Aaron’s gaze moved to Maxim’s shoulder. His right arm, which was still trembling slightly, looked as though the joints had already been strained and the muscles torn. Maybe the bone has been damaged.

“When you dealt with this knight, you forced yourself to stop attacking at the end.”

Maxim neither affirmed nor denied. A final stab at Adeline. In order not to carry on the swordsmanship of the flow that the elf had taught him, the arm that had been forced to brake was half-broken from the inside. If you try to force yourself to use it, you won’t be able to use it, but there was a bunch of pretending to continue the battle properly.

“Your right arm must have been damaged then. There must have been some shock to the inside of the body.”

I didn’t even have to pretend I was okay. A person at the level of the vice-captain of the escort knights couldn’t be fooled just because he was lying.

“Do you really think you can rescue your comrades from a warlock’s dungeon with that imperfect body?”

To Aaron’s question, Maxim answered in a calm voice.

“It’s what I chose. If you can do it, it will prove that you can do it.”

“You are full of greed. It makes me feel arrogant. If you were my successor who came in normally, you would have fixed your mind even by beating me right here.”

Aaron looked at Maxim with a displeased look. The dark eyes that Maxim showed were those of someone who had already been broken once. Aaron let out a long sigh. The will, once broken and reestablished, was not something that could be broken by anyone else.

“sorry.”

“yes. Even if His Majesty hadn’t given an order to help you so that you wouldn’t die. I would have just ignored it and passed by.”

Aaron untied the sword from his waist and threw it at Maxim. Maxim took Aaron’s sword and looked at Aaron as if he was surprised.

“Your sword has almost reached the end of its useful life in a battle. As a temporary measure, I will lend you mine.”

“… thank you.”

“Don’t die down there. I’ll come back to help, so don’t overdo it. His Majesty’s order was to spare your life, so you shouldn’t risk it recklessly.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Maxim smiled awkwardly for the last time at Aaron, who glared at him as if he didn’t believe him. Aaron shook his head and quickly took Adeline out of the alley.

Maxim looked at the place where Aaron had disappeared for a moment. Okay. The trembling right arm had to be avoided when not in a combat situation. Maxim wrapped his arms around the sword Aaron had lent him. The sword used by the 1st escort, the vice-captain of the escort knights, also felt different from the moment it was held. Cycles mana. Maxim, who spread mana evenly from his heart to the extremities of his body, looked at the pit.

“let’s go.”

Maxim urged himself like that and threw himself into the sewer. As Maxim’s body fell completely into the sewer, the air surrounding him changed. A stench that you can’t get used to no matter how much you smell it. Maxim walked along the sewer path without a frown.

Kreuk. Kreuk.

It sounded like the breathing of a wolf covered in phlegm. As soon as Maxim felt their presence, he pulled out the sword Aaron had lent him and held it. Maxim walked away, staring straight ahead with sunken eyes. And at the scenery he faced, Maxim inevitably grinded his teeth.

Geez, these crazy bastards.

Three werewolves, created as a by-product of black magic, were eating something that looked human. It must have been an unlucky tramp wandering through the sewers, judging by the ragged clothes getting caught in his teeth. When Maxim showed his presence, the wolves stopped preying on them. The ignorant eyes that looked back caught Maxim.

‘Did they release the monsters here too?’

Maxim took the jockey ceremony. It was left-handed, not right-handed. At the momentum of the sharp scattering, werewolves let out a menacing cry. Fearless, one of them contracted all the muscles in its body as if it were about to leap forward. A small wind blew around Maxim. The momentum that was built up exploded at the same time as the werewolf jumped out of his seat.

The werewolf’s mouth opened. You can see the teeth that are jammed with human flesh, and the bright red tongue flicks. Maxim drew a sword between his gaping jaws. The werewolf who attacked first died with the upper and lower jaws separated like that.

Kreureung-!

Was it anger at the death of a colleague? The remaining werewolves made a low growl and attacked at once. There was no time to delay. Maxim continued his next move as smoothly as a sailboat on a fair wind.

Avoid the claws flying overhead by bending down. At the same time as the evasion was made, Maxim’s sword shot flew towards the lower body, which was weaker than the upper body. Similar to the trajectory drawn by Adeline’s sword, Maxim’s sword drew a line. One of the werewolves fell forward with cuts in the hamstrings.

“next.”

teeth are visible Maxim kicked off the wall and spun backwards, freeing himself from the werewolf’s mouth. Those lights that are clearly visible. Maxim held the sword in reverse with his left hand, and covered the tip of the hilt with his right hand. As Maxim slashed the sword, the blade pierced the werewolf’s cervical vertebrae.

aww

With the sound of bones crunching, the werewolf’s body was drained of strength. Maxim swung his sword and turned the werewolf into pieces of meat. After taking care of the one who couldn’t wake up with a cut in the hamstring, Maxim frowned and opened and closed his right hand repeatedly.

are you okay.

Maxim continued on his way. The smell of sewage was masked by the foul smell of corpses. Maxim headed towards the place where the smell of the corpse was getting stronger. One wall of the sewer that I remembered. As Maxim remembered, there was a huge hole in it.

There was no hesitation. Maxim immediately stretched his foot into the hole. The green ooze casts a dull, disgusting light in the light. Maxim moved to the limbs that had returned to his feet after two days. After passing the long hallway of the laboratory, I climbed the stairs again.

There was no interruption. Maxim walked through a dungeon that seemed to have opened a path for him. Climbing the stairs of the laboratory, I reached the pupil with three rooms. The pupil’s taste was too strong. The fragments of synthetic monsters scattered around were rotting. The more strongly he recognizes death, the deeper Maxim’s consciousness sinks.

To the right of the pupil, at the entrance of the stairs leading to the deepest part of the dungeon, Maxim exhaled. It was as if he was trying to empty everything inside him. I forgot the feeling in my right arm. I forgot what other monsters might be lurking down there. The only thing that came to mind in that ceremony was the smile of one person.

Maxim stepped straight down the stairs. arrows flew Maxim waved his hand and deflected the arrow. I took another step, and the steps beneath my feet lit up and gave off a shrill alarm. The atmosphere in the dungeon became even more formidable. Maxim shook off the trap set on the stairs and walked, looking only at the end.

It was much deeper than the stairs leading to the lab. After walking for some time, Maxim was able to notice that the dim light appeared right in front of his eyes.

That’s right.

The sound of something exhaling. It wasn’t just three this time. As you go down the stairs, the sound becomes clearer.

up Grrr. Kreung.

The stench from all kinds of animals rubbing their bodies, the rotting smell of corpses. Maxim looked at the shadows cast on the walls of the stairs. Unrecognizable shapes wriggled in the flickering light. Maxim immediately turned his head to face the enemy.

The werewolves, the locust-like things with the hellhound’s head attached to them, and that… Would it be right to just call it a ‘flesh’?

Monsters filled the floor, the walls, and a space as wide as a small playground. Maxim suddenly remembered the time when he and Theodora had fallen to the bottom of the no-man’s land. He remembered the time when he tried to kill himself and Theodora by transforming into one of the world’s greatest killing weapons.

I thought I would never want to plunge into that kind of hell again, but I walked in on my own feet.

Aaron’s sword drooped from Maxim’s left hand. The monsters, noticing that Maxim’s momentum wasn’t that strong, slowly narrowed the encirclement. The eyes of the skin-piercing monsters and the inorganic intent to kill slashed Maxim. Saliva was dripping from the monsters’ mouths.

‘Vice-captain… ! No, I have to call it differently now.’

‘Senior, isn’t it boring just swinging a sword like that?’

Laughter escaped from Maxim’s mouth as he looked up at the ceiling, as if he had lost his mind. It wasn’t a madman’s laugh. It wasn’t even the smile of a person who gave up. Maxim was laughing all the time because this situation was really funny. Maxim laughed heartily and calmed the corners of his lips.

“I’m going to save you with such a hard time.”

Kruck. That’s right. hard.

The spirits of the monsters soared even more. Maxim was still raising his head.

“So, please.”

Blurring the end, Maxim muttered as if talking to her.

“Just stay alive.”

The mouths of the monsters opened all at once. Maxim gripped the sword with his left hand. Break through with full force from the start. The heart pulsated and circulated mana. The locust monster that stretched out its snout for the first time disintegrated and flew through the air.

Kreung.

The werewolf can’t stand the bird and crashes Maxim from underneath. Maxim parried the attack with his sword and rose into the air. Maxim’s eyes could not see the end of the square. All I could see was hell, where monsters were sticking their flesh.

The left hand alone will not suffice.

Before the descent began, Maxim raised his right hand. The pain didn’t matter too much. The only thing that mattered was that I was still able to function. Both hands rested on the hilt of the sword, and Maxim became the wind.

I drew a sword path with the tip of my sword. My feet following the path drawn by the sword felt slow. The sound of the monster gets farther and farther away. At the same time, the sound of the sword crushing their flesh became distant. The loudest thing I could hear was none other than Maxim’s own breathing and heartbeat. On the cold ground, entrails are scattered and warm steam rises.

back.

The Witchbeast, who thought he was dead, turned into two Witchbeasts with his upper body and lower body separated and attacked Maxim. Remove the Hexpede that climbs on your back as it is. In that momentary gap, an attack of something brushed past Maxim. Starting with him, the wounds began to increase one by one on Maxim’s body.

‘Salvation is so easy.’

That’s what Naira said.

‘Having lived for a long time, I know how empty the word salvation is.’

swung the sword Another demon beast was cut off by the blade of the sword. The wounds on Maxim’s body increased. The right arm is getting more and more broken.

‘Salvation is not real. It’s just an illusion. Do you really think you can be saved by saving others?’

Master, I think you asked the wrong question.

Maxim was the first to deny his master’s words. Naira had a smile on her lips as if she was glad to see such a disciple’s attitude.

‘then?’

Rather than asking if I can be saved by saving others, isn’t it right to ask whether I can really save others?

The master finally burst into laughter. It was the joy of the student’s growth, and it was also the laughter of relief that confirmed the fact that the student was not going the wrong way.

‘Then, are you asking me that because you think you can’t save them?’

… It’s not like that.

Maxim shook his head.

Even if it is, I must.

The weight of the beast rested on his shoulders. Dozens of monsters oppress a person. Maxim’s knees did not bend. The sword, tightly gripped with both hands, groaned lowly.

whirlwind.

Maxim’s mouth whispered the words in a small voice. It started with a small breeze. The wind wrapped around Maxim and increased its size. It ate one of the monsters, and its size gradually increased. The sound of metal tearing through the space resonated in the pupils, and the cloth of the monsters that attacked Maxim was torn and scattered.

Then why are you hesitating any more?

Wow-!

A lump of flesh appeared. In what could be seen from that mouth, there were a bunch of teeth that I don’t know what kind of beast it was. Maxim could be sure that beyond the place they blocked was the place where Christine was sleeping.

Ugh.

Maxim’s feet stepped forward. The ground cracked with the tip of his foot stepping on the advance. Mana was showing the bottom. The master’s breath was reducing the consumption of mana as much as possible, but the ensuing battle was revealing the floor.

what does that mean

Tentacles of flesh pierced his body. Blood gushed out. Muscles are torn, organs are destroyed. Even so, Maxim’s sword did not stop.

‘Vice-captain!’

Come to think of it, Christine was a very versatile person. And Maxim himself, standing in front of her, was able to make various facial expressions together. Most of them were smiling faces. Sometimes the sad expression he showed whenever he tended to his wounds, sometimes it contained so much sadness and guilt that he wondered, but Maxim did not ask about it.

‘senior… .’

And it was only when he was seen dying in his arms that he finally revealed the truth he had been hiding. Even though it didn’t matter to Maxim already, she couldn’t hide her sorry until the end.

‘you… .’

“yes.”

Maxim answered the inaudible call. Of course, no answer came, but Maxim could see Christine responding in a playful voice.

lowered the sword Crossing sword strikes cut through the front. The chunks of flesh could not block Maxim more and collapsed along the sword path, destroying the form.

A road appeared. It was the stairs going down again. Maxim went down the stairs again. A bustling presence was felt at the bottom of the stairs.

“This crazy… !”

“You said you would never come… ! What a bastard!”

“Stop for now. I have to catch the one coming down first.”

A space resembling a laboratory appeared in front of Maxim’s swaying vision. I saw wizards wearing hoods. Seeing Maxim covered in numerous wounds and covered in blood, the wizards let out a moan.

“That toxic bastard… how to get here… !”

“For now, it’s not normal. Everyone attacks… !”

Move.

Maxim said that with his mouth. There was no way the wizards could hear it, so the magic of the wizards was already flying towards Maxim. Again, Maxim’s new model disappears. The wizard’s throat was blown off. The wizards who couldn’t catch Maxim fluttered their magic into the air in a hurry. The wizard was completely dismembered from the waist down.

“Hey, Sal, save me… !”

Killing a mage was much easier than defeating a monster. Maxim decapitated the last remaining wizard and moved forward. Maxim’s sword danced whenever the hidden wizards appeared on the way. The hallway was stained with the blood of the sorcerer and Maxim.

continued down the hallway. My footsteps started to stumble little by little. The corridors of the dungeon and laboratory building were tangled like a maze, but Maxim did not hesitate and headed towards the deepest part.

The light flickered in front of my eyes.

Maxim came to his senses and raised his head. A pale glass coffin was in front. In the clear liquid, a person was floating with his eyes closed.

“Head… It was long.”

Her blonde hair, which had reached her waist, had grown longer and reached her lower body. I closed my eyes, so I couldn’t see those verdant green eyes. On his pure white chest, the scar that had been pierced at that time had healed and remained as a scar.

“I’m here to save you.”

Through the cold glass wall, the wizard and the knight finally met again.