Bailonz Street 13

Surely I had only deflected once, so why did I hear the sound twice?

Then I realised what I had missed.

It wasn’t one blade. It was a pair. Cleverly concealed and moving at similar speeds to appear as one, but in reality, two blades were targeting their prey.

Like a boomerang, it flew directly at my shoulder and neck. If I protected my neck, I’d lose my arm. If I protected my arm…

“This is cheating!”

I shouted frantically and deflected the one aimed at my neck. I tried to move quickly, but the other one sliced deep into my shoulder as it passed. Blood dripped steadily from the gaping wound.

“Ugh,”

I swallowed the rising groan while clutching my shoulder. Tears welled up reflexively.

‘This hurts more than before.’

I must have damaged a ligament. I couldn’t muster any strength from my right shoulder to my fingertips. My arm hung so limply I had to check if it was still attached. The sensation was dull. I tried to bend my fingers, but they wouldn’t respond to my will at all. I had no choice but to switch the sword to my left hand.

Suddenly, I felt indignant. Did I sell out my country in a past life? How did I end up in this mess?

I use the railing as a foothold to gain momentum.

I could see the transparent glass sword becoming increasingly sharp. Until now, it had been rough and unrefined like holding an icicle, but not anymore. While it might not be able to pierce that king’s heart, it had become sharp enough to at least graze a strand of hair or the edge of his clothes.

He seemed to notice my transformation too. He had been smiling when I first awkwardly wielded the sword with my left hand, but now he was observing my movements while gripping his crescent-shaped blade.

“Bloody hell! I’m a detective’s assistant, not an action game protagonist!”

If I wanted to play something brutal, with raids taking over ten hours and that sort of dreadful difficulty, I would have chosen that. Why would I pick a horror game? Don’t break the genre. This isn’t that kind of game.

I felt like crying, but tears would blur my vision, so I held them back. Why did the lyrics “don’t cry, just smile” suddenly pop into my head?

I gripped the sword tightly. As I stepped on thin air, my magical power moved to create a foothold. The power that I’d learned to control through thought after countless attempts was now guiding me towards him.

“I was just a normal education student!”

I deflected and shattered the sharp thorns that sprouted from the ground. The sword passed through them as easily as cutting tofu, with black sand glittering in its wake. My arms and legs were getting cut here and there, but I barely felt the pain.

Just once. If I could land just one hit, I could change the tide.

“Just leave me alone, for heaven’s sake!”

A metallic taste rose in my throat, probably from overexerting myself in this overloaded state. But during that time, the distance between the king and me had narrowed considerably. If someone saw me now, they’d probably exclaim, “Blimey, is that even human?”

Seeing me charging relentlessly with my tattered body, he revealed his white teeth in a smile. Black blood pooled in his mouth, dripping onto the marble floor and leaving scorch marks. His attitude was benevolent, like a master pleased with their disciple’s growth.

Simultaneously, numerous thorns began to entangle me. With just one step remaining.

“Well done.”

“What are you on about?”

If it weren’t for this bloke, my life would have been peaceful. I wouldn’t have fallen into this world, wouldn’t have had to investigate decapitated corpses and take down cult leaders in Old Paradise. Wouldn’t have become a repeated kidnapping victim.

But those experiences made me grow. Yes, I’m grateful for that much. However, my growth wasn’t thanks to this Crawling Chaos or whatever divine being they claim to be. It was thanks to Liam Moore.

“It’s a massive mistake to think you can manipulate me as you please.”

Through the densely spread thorn spears, my arm was already extended. Though I held the sword clumsily, it had made contact.

The sword tip pierced the king’s Adam’s apple. A drop of black blood trickled down from there. The king remained expressionless, but his eyes widened slightly. As if he hadn’t expected me to get this close.

My skin was burning. I must have moved far too much. How high was my fever? All I could remember was that it’s dangerous for humans when their body temperature rises abnormally. White steam rose in the cold night air.

“God? What god? Listen here. In our world, we have Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism… Want me to list them all? You should know this. Your gods don’t even exist. What rubbish. Cults? I don’t care about that. I’ve only seen nutters who grab you when you’re busy, asking if you know about their way!”

I coughed once or twice while catching my breath. A blood clot that had been stuck in my throat came up, and I spat it out with saliva. If my mum, Mrs. Choi Eunsook, saw me like this, she’d be horrified, seeing her daughter spitting on the street.

“Live your life however you want. Why drag someone living a normal life into this nightmare? Who asked for this? Fighting monsters, becoming a hero, saving the world – who wants to live that kind of life?”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Was it because the crack was growing? Gradually, memories of my ‘real’ self were emerging rather than those of Jane Osmond. The king probably saw it too. I continued speaking, panting. Tears welled up. It was me. I was coming back.

“Just eat well and live well on your own, you cult god! Stop this madness of killing people and bringing them back!”

I raised my sword, cutting through the black sand spears constricting me. I had a strong feeling that I could cut him now. Maybe not kill him, but cut him.

Simultaneously, a golden beam of light shot up somewhere across the Thames. It was so bright that the dark sky became as bright as midday.

What was that? What had happened?

Crack.

Like glass cracking, a fissure appeared on the king’s cheek. He hurriedly looked toward where the light had originated and growled.

“How dare they.”

＊ ＊ ＊

Liam Moore, who had been intercepting magical power throughout London, paused.

The atmosphere felt like the sky just before lightning strikes. There was a metallic smell of ozone in the air. He could feel every hair on his body standing on end. Such was the magnitude of that being’s anger.

The cause was likely the light shooting up from south of the Thames. Judging by its golden colour, it had to be Owen. He must have destroyed the catalyst.

Liam reflexively reached for his sword but stopped. No, this shouldn’t be taken. The sword should remain planted here. Pulling it out would reopen the crack he’d worked so hard to seal. He had no choice but to leave it and vacate the area.

“Just to be safe…”

He pulled out a handful of small stones from his pocket. They were rough, dark green stones with very irregular shapes. When he scattered them around the sword, the surrounding area rippled briefly.

Perception interference. Unless one was a fairly skilled magician, they wouldn’t be able to see through this. Besides, such people would be in London as Greenwich residents now, and if they were from Greenwich, they would certainly recognise this sword, so it was fine.

The king must be hesitating now. At this moment, he needed to go to Jane.

Nothing should be too difficult.

＊ ＊ ＊

Slash!

My sword cut across the Black King’s chest. Though he retreated at the last moment, preventing a deep cut, a long scar remained in the centre of his chest. His black clothes tore and fluttered in the air. It looked just like fallout.

“How dare they!”

I could feel his tsunami-like rage.

However, it wasn’t directed at me who had wounded him. This was the same person who had been pushing me back until just now. Until I reached a certain state, tempering me repeatedly. Then that beam of light must be what had enraged the king.

The spears surrounding me gradually lost their strength and crumbled. I retreated a few steps away. Though my body was in tatters, my spirits were soaring. I flicked the blood off my sword and aimed at the king again with my functioning left arm.

“…Liam Moore, Greenwich, until the end…”

Cracks were spreading from the king’s neck to his cheek, and even to his chest where I had cut him. Like a completely shattered glass vessel barely held together.

Just as he took a step towards me, releasing a beast-like growl…

“You’d better stop there.”

It was the voice I’d been waiting for. Simultaneously, it was the voice the king absolutely despised.

Liam Moore, looking somewhat worse for wear, was watching us.