Extra in a Romance Fantasy

174 – The Core (5)

The monsters that poured from the sky filled the crater in an instant.

There were so many that it felt as if I had fallen into a sea of monsters in that moment.

Moreover, it wasn’t just their numbers; the level of each monster was also high.

The proportion of visibly dangerous entities was significantly high, and there were even a few calamity-level monsters among them.

It was no exaggeration; this was a force of monsters that could annihilate an entire nation.

And, the terrifying gaze of such a formidable army was solely directed at me and Beluid.

In a situation where one should typically feel fear or despair, my emotions were far from those.

Anxiety.

I felt an anxiety unlike any I had experienced before.

It was the words of the cult leader that caused it.

The cult leader had said.

That he had taken some measures against Mary, and that due to the side effects, if time continued to pass like this, Mary would no longer be human.

I believed those words.

I had no choice but to believe.

The undeniable evidence was emanating from Mary.

The ominous aura flowing from her was growing stronger with each passing moment.

My intuition warned me in a heavy tone.

If I didn’t do something immediately, I would deeply regret it.

It was in that moment, filled with such anxiety, that I heard Beluid’s voice.

“Wade, calm down.”

As I naturally turned my gaze toward him, I saw his serious expression as he looked ahead.

“It’s not too late yet.”

In a calm voice, Belruid continued.

“We must not be consumed by anxiety.”

In that unwavering voice, which never faltered even in such a situation.

“…Huh.”

I took a breath.

He was right.

Being anxious and uneasy in this situation would change nothing.

In fact, it would only increase the likelihood of things going awry.

So, I must remain calm.

I must be composed.

I steadied my mind.

“…Thank you.”

“Not a big deal.”

If it weren’t for Belruid, it would have taken me a bit longer to gather my thoughts.

I expressed my heartfelt gratitude to him, and Belruid accepted my thanks with a placid demeanor.

“Now then, we need to figure out what to do about these monsters.”

“…I suppose so.”

Countless monsters stood between Mary and us.

They wouldn’t simply step aside.

“……”

I gazed at Mary, faintly visible beyond the mountain of monsters.

Mary was still floating in the air, eyes closed.

The anxiety I had tried so hard to suppress began to stir again, but I shook my head and tightened my grip on the sword.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

We must clear a path.

*

Swish!

I swung the sword.

Kyaaa!

Just once, and with a light swing, dozens of monsters were swept away in an instant.

Through my battle with the sword master, I had stepped into a completely new realm.

And as a result, my martial prowess had entered an entirely new world.

I had also become capable of drawing my sword with ease, while drastically suppressing the consumption of both magical power and stamina.

At this moment, I felt confident that I could fight these monsters for three days and nights without tiring, if I so desired.

Facing such a number of monsters was no longer a burden for me.

As I swung my sword, diligently erasing the monsters one by one,

KWAANG!

An explosion erupted with a massive burst of flames.

As a result, hundreds of monsters were instantly reduced to ashes and vanished.

It was the result of Beluid’s magic.

Truly living up to the title of a grand sorcerer, Beluid was demonstrating incredible might.

Casting spells capable of annihilating hundreds of monsters in one go, he was literally erasing them from existence.

Indeed, it was no exaggeration to say that in battles against such large numbers, the power of a sorcerer was maximally displayed.

Thanks to the efforts of both Beluid and me, hundreds of monsters were dying in an instant.

However, despite this, my expression was not bright.

‘…The numbers aren’t decreasing.’

There was no sign that the number of monsters was diminishing.

It was because for every monster that fell, new ones appeared.

The rift in the air remained open, continuously pouring forth monsters.

Thus, no matter how much time passed, the path remained blocked.

“Wade, I don’t think this will work.”

Beluid suddenly spoke.

It was a somewhat abrupt statement, but

“…That seems to be the case.”

I immediately agreed.

I too had been thinking that this method would never clear the way.

This couldn’t go on.

While Beluid and I would not fall to the monsters, we also wouldn’t be able to clear a path like this.

“It seems we need to sweep them away all at once.”

“…….”

Without any response, I nodded my head.

The moment I expressed my agreement.

Suu—

The surrounding magical energy began to stir.

As violently as if an earthquake had occurred.

The cause of this commotion was none other than Beluid.

A massive amount of magical energy started to swirl around Beluid.

It was an overwhelming force, so vast that I questioned whether a mere human could wield it.

Beluid was genuinely preparing a spell.

He had effortlessly erased hundreds of magical beasts with just a light incantation.

What kind of power would a spell cast with full concentration and effort possess? Even I couldn’t easily predict it.

Feeling the tumultuous magical energy, I too began to focus my mind.

There was no doubt about the power of the spell Beluid was about to cast, but I felt it might not be enough on its own.

Wuuung—

The hero’s sword began to weep.

It was because I had infused the sword with magical energy and intent.

That weeping was deeper and more profound than any sword’s lament I had ever heard.

Since reaching this new realm, I had undergone many changes.

My physical abilities had improved, the amount of magical energy I possessed had increased, and its quality had risen as well.

One could say that was already a significant transformation.

However, I assert this.

Those are merely trivial changes.

Compared to the true transformation that had occurred within me, they are insignificant changes.

Wuuung—

The deepening vibrations of the sword began to seep outwards.

The atmosphere started to tremble in response, and the magical energy began to resonate.

And ultimately, the sky, the world began to shake.

It resembled the phenomena displayed by the sword master, but the principles were entirely different.

The sword master had forced the sky and the world to tremble with overwhelming power.

However, it was no longer a forced tremor.

The magic, the atmosphere, the sky, the world.

They were resonating willingly.

I, in response to the resonance created by my sword.

Was echoing.

To my magic, to my will.

To my intent.

And just as that tremor reached its peak.

“I’m going.”

Beluid signaled, and I swung my sword.

Then.

────────!!

An explosion occurred.

A colossal explosion, large enough to fill the entire crater.

It generated a tremendous roar, and clouds of dust billowed up, filling the air.

After some time passed in that state, and finally, when the dust settled enough to reveal the surroundings.

“…This is absurd.”

The voice of the priest, filled with undeniable astonishment, reached my ears.

“Truly, a superhuman divinity beyond mere humanity.”

With a voice full of admiration, the priest even broke into applause.

The surprise and admiration visible on the priest’s face were neither false nor a facade.

He was genuinely in awe of the spectacle before him.

And rightly so.

Most of the monstrous beings that had filled the area in an instant had evaporated.

However, I had no time to spare for the priest’s reaction.

“Wade! Now’s the time!”

Hearing Beluid’s voice, which had rarely risen in pitch.

I dashed forward.

Now that the monsters blocking my path had vanished, this was my chance.

I had to reach Mary before the monsters filled the area again.

With that single thought, I ran forward with all my might.

However.

As I sprinted in a straight line, I soon had to twist my body.

Swish!

And then, the space where my body had just been split apart.

I knew without needing to see.

That it was a phenomenon caused by Mary.

The power that was acting outside of her control was trying to stop me.

Undoubtedly, it was a force more dangerous than the monsters.

With a slight frown at that fact, I began to move my body again.

Even after that, the interruptions continued.

Invisible spaces blocked my path, and the area I was trying to enter suddenly crumpled.

Each and every one of those attacks was a brutal threat that could endanger my life with just a single entanglement.

Yet, despite that.

I did not stop.

I kept moving forward without pausing.

How long had I been racing like this?

I finally reached the place where Mary was.

Even though she was within arm’s reach, my expression remained tense.

It was because I knew.

That the final barrier still lay ahead.

Specifically, the thick distortion surrounding Mary.

I could tell just by looking.

How thick and ferocious that distortion was.

It was certainly stronger and denser than the distortion of the boundary I had seen before entering the center.

Facing that distortion, which could easily be called the hardest shield in the world, I began to concentrate.

And then, the surroundings fell silent.

Everything visible slowed down.

It wasn’t that it actually slowed down.

—

It was just that my thoughts had accelerated.

It was the result of an extreme early focus.

In that frozen moment.

I began to forge my will.

The will to cut through the distortion before me, the obstacle that stood between Mary and me.

That razor-sharp will soon became a blade, and it settled into the sword.

And I gently swung the sword imbued with my will.

Then.

Swoosh—!

The invincible shield, which seemed impossible to penetrate, cracked.

Without a moment to rejoice in that fact, I moved my body.

I reached out my arm.

“Mary…!”

As I called out Mary’s name, my outstretched hand finally touched her.

Only at that moment did my expression brighten slightly, but it soon had to darken again.

No matter how much I called Mary’s name, no matter how much I shook her body, she showed no sign of opening her eyes.

The ominous energy flowing from Mary also showed no signs of subsiding.

“Oh dear, after managing to break through the thorny path to the castle, the princess has no intention of waking up.”

The voice of the priest came, tinged with pity.

“It would be easy to simply plunge a knife into Mary Blunoir’s heart… but I suppose you wouldn’t choose that path, would you?”

At the priest’s mocking words, I gritted my teeth.

Because it was true.

If I killed Mary, the rift that spewed forth the monsters would close, and the inexplicable events happening behind the priest would also cease.

I had a premonition that it would be so.

However.

I cannot do such a thing.

I cannot kill Mary. Absolutely not.

But.

Then, what should I do?

How can I save Mary?

What saved my spinning mind was:

“We need to enter her mind.”

It was the soft voice of Beluid.

“I will cast a spell. Through that spell, you must enter her mind and awaken her.”

I looked at Beluid, who spoke calmly, with eyes that trembled slightly.

“The chances are not high. However, that is the only method left to try.”

His voice was steady, but his expression was dark.

It was because Beluid knew.

There was no way he couldn’t know.

“Indeed, you are determined not to give up until the end.”

The leader would not simply stand by and watch that.

“That unyielding will is admirable… but I cannot allow the grand endeavor to falter, so I must begin to move as well.”

With a gentle smile, the leader stepped forward.

At that moment, a foreboding yet intense pressure filled the air around us.

In an instant, I understood.

‘…He is strong.’

The leader was strong.

There was a reason Beluid had suffered a devastating defeat.

Though the types of strength differ, making objective comparison difficult, even a typical swordsman or great mage would be no match for him.

Considering the unknown power that ominous aura possessed, it would be even more troublesome.

Of course, facing the leader itself was not difficult.

In my current state, I was confident I could kill the leader without much trouble.

The problem was that I had no leisure to confront him.

The energy emanating from Mary was growing stronger.

At the same time, the cry of my intuition was becoming urgent.

There was not much time left.

Time was running out.

To save Mary, I had to enter her mind right now.

However, if I did that, I would be unable to fight.

In other words, it meant that Beluid would have to stay behind to protect me, and I could easily foresee what the outcome of that would be.

Beluid was overwhelmingly defeated by the cult leader, even in a state of full readiness.

However, the current Beluid was severely injured and had expended a considerable amount of magical and mental energy in the process of dealing with the monsters.

Even just looking at the battle, the odds were stacked against him, and the cult leader had no need to win against Beluid.

All that was required was to successfully attack me, now left defenseless.

With that, the cult leader’s victory would be assured.

Even just considering that, it was an utterly unreasonable situation, and it wasn’t even the end of it.

Crrrk—

Before I knew it, the monsters that had once filled the crater were glaring at us.

“…….”

I bit my lip absentmindedly.

A dilemma.

A situation where no answers were visible.

I couldn’t think of any strategy to break through this predicament.

Something thick and dark began to grow in my heart.

A sprout named despair.

At that moment, when the word “give up” was about to surface in my mind—

“Hmm? What’s going on here?”

A familiar voice rang out.

It was a voice tinged with a hint of confusion.

My head naturally turned in that direction.

And I saw.

“…I don’t know the details, but it’s definitely a mess.”

A familiar face, calmly surveying the surroundings with no hint of tension.

“Wade!”

“Mr. Wade!”

Familiar faces followed behind him.