The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 8

Chapter 8: Mire of Regret, Chaotic Armor (??? Side)

In that dungeon, sinking alongside countless regrets and magic, it reflected upon the living gathered before its tomb and sent forth its thoughts.

—For the sake of faith, fought in vain; for the sake of righteousness, branded a murderer. The pride sworn with the sword was trampled upon by the prideless.

Even as it fell into the depths of dim darkness, this regret persisted. This sentiment, fused with the soul, would never fade. The thoughts of those who were trodden upon, like mud, accumulated, mixed, and transformed into a chaotic swamp. And at last, we arrived at the long-awaited moment.

Now is the time to rise from the mire of regret, to stand upon the land once more clad in the chaos of souls. We are saints who devoted ourselves to faith, knights who pledged loyalty to our lord…

As crusaders who fought for righteousness, we will reclaim what was taken from us.

―――――

“Take that!!”

I swung my longsword horizontally, cleaving through three black-armored creatures resembling soldiers that I had been fond of. Their bodies crumbled like they were melting into water.

“That’s the eighth one…”

Holding my longsword ready, I gazed deeper into the area. There stood a significantly larger and more formidable armor-clad creature, appearing like a commander, protected by the black soldiers.

“This one’s too strong for Living Mail… It’s different from Dullahan too… Let’s just call it Boss Mail to keep it simple.”

A cold sweat trickled down my face as I faced a creature unlike any I remembered. Its appearance and aura were extraordinary. Yet, this indicated that there was a high chance this creature might be my target.

“If I defeat it, I can…”

My sacrifice was not in vain. With that thought in mind, I readied myself to engage. However, the Boss Mail swung its arm. Suddenly, the surrounding soldiers vanished, and it drew its sword from its waist and pointed it toward me.

“Huh? What was that just now…”

Before I could ponder the unexpected action, the Boss Mail closed the distance at an astonishing speed, swinging its sword downward from above.

“Heavy…!”

Though caught off guard, I caught the descending blade. But that wasn’t the end of it; the force pushed me back, causing me to falter and almost lose my balance. The sword swung again, this time with a sharp flash, forcing me to intercept each strike as sparks flew with every block.

The relentless onslaught of sword strikes coming from all angles made my spine shiver. A single wrong move, a slight delay in reaction, and I understood from the core of my being that its blade could instantly claim my life.

“I… Invoke: ‘Blazing Flash Blade, Burnthrust’!!”

Charging my sword with flame magic, I intercepted the approaching blade. Creating an opening as I deflected its sword, I aimed a full-force strike at its torso. However…

“What…!?”

The ground underfoot turned into a swamp-like substance, and my stance faltered. Immediately after the unbalancing strike, the black gauntlet of the Boss Mail impaled my lower back.

Then, from the transformed black swamp at my feet, multiple swords burst forth and attacked. While being thrown off, I realized that if my armor weren’t so battered at this moment, I would have been killed.

“Ouch…”

The attack I just experienced was likely the magic that had taken down Galan. At that time, I didn’t realize until it was too late. Now, feeling it firsthand, I understood.

(My injuries are severe, my strength is waning…)

With the sound of metal armor approaching nearby, I looked up to see a helmet embedded with darkness gazing down at me. The Boss Mail raised its sword, and the pointed edge was directed towards my heart. In that moment, I reflected on my past.

(Ah… so this is the moment of reckoning.)

Though trying to avert my eyes from the impending fear of death, my last thought was…

“…Sorry, I couldn’t keep my promise.”

Then, a small axe flew from the side, colliding with the Boss Mail’s sword and producing a metallic clang. The wind blew, and someone intervened, swinging a small sword they held in their hand. The Boss Mail recoiled considerably.

“Just made it in time, huh?”

The man who caught the axe, looking at me, said those words…