Chapter 43 - Last Bastion [1]
"Hey… I know it's a good time and all..." I sat down cross-legged, resting my arm under my chin.
After waking up from a vague dream that I couldn't fully remember—except for the raw malice that chilled me to the core—I found myself here again.
I'm a patient person, but doing nothing for an unknown period of time in a world where entertainment is limitless is torture, you know?
"But isn't this pattern becoming a bit repetitive?” I sighed.
The uncanny yet oddly familiar white space extended as far as the eye could see.
Hmm, I suppose I’ll just call it White Space from now on, despite having already referred to it by that name.
I've been in this White Space for... uh, five times, maybe?
I lost count because every time I find myself here, it has always been during critical moments.
As I was about to let the cold embrace of emptiness take over me, I wondered if the number of times I've been here had finally made a difference...
And then, a voice responded to my concerns.
「It's… the only time I can… speak to you.」
"...What? Did you just speak to me?" My eyes widened.
I was surprised that she was talking to me normally.
At first, it had been a garble of words, but now the voice could form coherent sentences.
「Yes.」
The voice replied immediately, which had never happened before.
"I see..." I lay down on the floor, somewhat unsurprised, as my thoughts drifted back to what had happened in reality.
I'm certain that I'm alive, but with my injuries... I wouldn't be waking up any time soon.
I had used Ichor's ability, [Copy], as a trump card, which consumed so much mana that it began to draw on my life force to a dangerous extent.
My limbs wilted in real time, and because of Ichor, my body was reconstructed by this golden liquid, transforming into something I didn't fully understand.
Just like how my leg had regenerated a gaping hole, this principle had assisted me in desperate situations.
It was an ability that could save me in tough situations. But my gut feeling was screaming at me, telling me... to avoid exploiting such power.
"Uuu… stupid." I placed my hands on my cheeks and curled into a ball, covering my face and ankles.
If I had known that Camila had acquired the teleportation rune just minutes earlier, we could have escaped safely instead of barely making it out alive.
—Flop
Overcome with a whirlwind of emotions, I plonked onto the ground and gazed up at the vast white sky.
"…Hey," I lay flat on the ground, "Who are you really?” I asked the voice, hoping for a straightforward answer.
「…」
"Not going to answer? I'm guessing it's because I'm not ready for it—or perhaps that's just how it usually goes." I chuckled, thinking about the clichés often found in stories like this.
Maybe it was because I had abandoned common sense long ago. In this world, everything that seems too crazy is most likely the truth.
"Then, can you at least tell me what I'm supposed to do?" I asked another rather foolish question.
Interestingly, I don't have a proper plan to save this world. Where should I begin? What is my ultimate goal? Will it all work out?
I also have questions for myself: Why did I turn into a girl? Why was I transmigrated? Why did the Ichor host my body, something that didn't happen in the novel?
What I do know is that to seal Xelthatl, I need to collect the Exitium stones scattered throughout the world, which could serve as my end goal.
Sounds simple enough, right? I wish it were, but six years have passed, which is a year after the main story.
I wouldn't be surprised if they have all been taken and are just one step away from bringing about our demise.
From this point onward, I need to account for unknown variables that are far more dangerous than those in the original material.
The Pylon that harboured the concept of [Erudition], from which Camila and I escaped, was one of those variables.
It wasn’t supposed to leech onto Arcadia when it descended, as it was destroyed early on. But here we are.
Instead, the Pylon completely assimilated with Arcadia, transforming it into a fearsome fortress with the intention of nurturing something monstrous.
This monster shattered my resolve, a true force of nature that must not be confronted.
“That feeling I had back then…” I thought. The despair still lingered within me.
That disgusting, murky sensation, as if I were pierced in the stomach by a blade that twisted with every struggle.
That was the moment I knew I had to run as far away as possible.
“Ugh…” I grasped my chest in pain.
In the end, I'm still weak. My inexperience in real combat is a significant disadvantage.
While my firepower is enough to defeat fearsome Eldians, I still lack in other areas.
Speed, dexterity, and strength—I could barely last a couple of minutes in actual combat.
I can start by simply working out, but learning [Mana Strengthening] would greatly enhance my capabilities.
—Voom…
「The Exitium Stones.」
The voice spoke to me, as if it were finally time for me to go.
“Hmm…?” I was lying down when I noticed a pair of white hands.
These were the same hands that had appeared during our first encounter. Thinking back on it, they are pretty creepy...
Curious about what they were trying to do, I sat up on the floor and let them proceed.
This being that kept talking to me was unknown, but with everything that had happened until now... I think I should trust it.
What I didn't realize was that they had taken hold of my left hand, right where the tattoo was visible.
—Ving…!
“Whoa…! What are you—”
A tremendous amount of mana surged into my left hand, and a complex magic circle formed around it, embedding something onto my arm.
When they finished, the white hands vanished into thin air, and I checked what they had done to my arm.
"Um, cool?" I scratched my head, unsure whether I should be grateful.
My left hand remained unscathed, but the markings on my arm had changed.
The tattoo that once looked eerily eldritch transformed into a strange but comprehensible pattern.
It took the form of a tree branch, swirling around and around.
On my wrist, there were 11 circles in total. One of them was marked by an unfamiliar sigil in the center, which gleamed gold.
It took me some time to put things together, but once I did, it all clicked into place.
—Rumble Rumble…!
「Find them.」
The mysterious voice began to crackle, and the space around me started to crumble. It seemed we had run out of time.
“I see… so that's what you want me to do, huh?” I moved my arm, trying to figure out how to keep this tattoo a bit more discreetly.
I’ve been through so much that this situation didn’t make me panic.
In fact, the darkness that used to swallow me whole was gone.
In this new life filled with adversaries and obstacles, there was only one goal in my mind:
To find a place to belong.
"Whoever you are, whatever you are…” I stood up and smiled brightly.
Because the smile I made as a girl definitely has some charm, I find myself smiling more often.
“Thank you, for back then.” I said, giving them a big thumbs up.
Their constant meddling has saved me multiple times; it felt as if fate itself was working in my favour.
—Vroom…! Crumble…!
My vision faded, and I lost my footing in this white space.
From this moment on, my story has just begun.
From trying to live a life for myself to facing the consequences of my actions.
There are many unanswered questions that, if I were to list them now, I’d be here for hours exploring them.
But I'll set these aside for now.
For now, with all the information the mysterious voice has given me, it’s clear what I need to do.
—Crack…!
To find the stones and—
「—End this story.」
“Shit… I knew this would happen.”
Good morning, sunshine! It’s been a while since I tasted freedom!
It’s a lovely feeling, and I'm glad to be alive... ha, haha...!
—Crack...!
"Ah, I think something broke."
...It was just that I'm in severe pain right now, my body so fragile that I think I might crumble away if I’m not careful.
I survived through what you can literally define as being chased by the doors of hell and suffered serious injuries—the result?
My body was so sore that I thought it might be better to knock myself unconscious just to ease the pain.
“Ugh… it hurts a little too much.” I tried to move my arms, but even a slight motion felt like countless needles prickling my skin.
I also tried moving my legs, and the same sensation hit me.
This is dreadful.
“Hell, this place reeks. How could it possibly get worse?” The smell of smoke saturated the air. I couldn't even cover my nose if I wanted to.
Who even smokes while someone is dying? What is wrong with them?
“—You’re awake.” That someone said.
Startled, I tilted my head to look at her—the only body part I could move—and to my surprise, she was human.
And she was smoking a cigarette.
The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, wearing decorative clothes with dark green hair and glasses.
In a way, she looked like someone who belonged to a research group that chugs energy drinks all the time.
“What are you looking at?” She questioned, clearly annoyed that I wasn’t saying anything.
—Hey, that’s supposed to be my role, you damn quack doctor.
“It’s nothing. I’m just wondering how you have the nerve to smoke in here.” We both stared at each other in silence after that.
I didn’t know what to say, and she seemed like someone who had faced the harsh realities of life for at least five years.
Not that I cared, though. Take that cigarette out of your mouth.
“Ah, this? Don’t mind it.” Unintentionally, she blew smoke directly into my face.
“I don’t think that’s nothing—ack!” I tried to cover my nose with my hand, but I forgot about my wounds and moved too quickly, causing myself more pain.
It hurts so much that I think I'm about to cry like a little girl again, which I want to avoid at all costs.
I'm still a guy inside, after all, and I'll do whatever it takes to maintain my masculinity, even if it kills me.
“Don’t move around too much; you’re going to reopen your wounds, you rascal.” She stood up from the chair and grabbed something.
Even this person was belittling me just because I looked like this. I might actually cry, damn it.
“Here, drink this. It’ll help reduce the pain.” She approached me and gently opened my mouth with her hands.
"A-Alright..." I nodded my head and opened my mouth.
She still reeked of smoke, but she carefully placed a pill in my mouth and offered me some water.
"Gulp... gulp... gulp..." I swallowed smoothly with her assistance.
For something people consume every day, this was the best thing I have ever drunk in my entire life.
“Huh… so you are here to take care of me after all,” I remarked, taken aback that she really did come here to do her job.
"Why do you think I'm here?" She told me, as if it was obvious why she was here.
"To make fun of me and smoke in a patient's room."
"To nurse you and make sure you feel better."
"..."
Do you have to be somewhat broken in the head to survive in this world?
If I had control of my limbs, I would have taught her a lesson.
I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that I was experiencing years' worth of pain just by breathing.
There was a reason why people never, and I mean never, would use up all their mana.
“Alright, if you need anything else, just call me whenever.” She stood up after staring at me for quite some time.
It wasn't obvious, but it seemed like she was content with something.
—Shing…!
‘Hey, wait, at least tell me your…"
—Click!
Without hearing what I had to say, she left the room, leaving me alone in this bed.
“Ah.” I couldn’t call her back and was left in silence.
“…I’m tired,” I uttered in resignation.
For what seemed to be a grand awakening, I was greeted by a woman who entered my room, gave me medicine, refused to elaborate, and left.
...
...
...
Uhh, hold on, let me try something to spice things up.
Ahem...!
Yes, finally! After a prolonged slumber following a glorious battle, I have awoken!
Through heaven and hell, I have survived a treacherous journey across countless worlds, slain monsters, and achieved power beyond my dreams. My story has just begun!
From here on out, it's going to be a new world where the unknown lingers! A reality in which everything has been derailed, and the world is in a state of peril!
What will happen next? That—I don’t know!
...
...
...
…Was that good? N-No… probably not.
Yeah, I’m just… I’m just exhausted, huh.
