#084

“I will stick with Kwanu, so everyone else, please follow at a distance.”

Cutting through his stray thoughts, Cullen departed without waiting for a reply. Dodging the debris of the collapsing cityscape, he rode his horse and caught up to Kwanu.

The only fortunate thing was that Kwanu’s direction of movement was consistent. To prevent further damage, Cullen had to deal with him as quickly as possible.

Dodging the sharply protruding stones, Cullen moved under Kwanu’s leg. At that moment, Kwanu stomped his foot down. Kwang! The ringing sound made his ears go numb. Controlling his rearing horse, Cullen tried to find the weakness Kwanu had mentioned. Behind the leg, the back, above the eyes, was it?

“Kwanu! Snap out of it!”

He shouted, but Kwanu didn’t change direction. Cullen raised his chin and looked at the giant leg. Behind the tightly clenched leg, a faint sun pattern, spreading in a circular shape, was visible. Red light was seeping from there. His intuition told him it was the right spot.

He couldn’t get any closer on horseback. He quickly stopped, retrieved his sword, and dismounted. The horse immediately galloped west. In contrast to the horse fleeing the danger, Cullen charged into the jaws of death. Kwanu’s strides were large, but his speed was slow, so he could barely keep up.

With all his might, Cullen leaped into one of the collapsed buildings. Using the debris as a foothold, he climbed as high as possible.

He got close to Kwanu’s leg. Seeing him about to move again, Cullen took a deep breath. Taking a deep breath, he kicked off the wall.

His agile body, which had leaped up, landed precariously on Kwanu’s leg. He clung on, stabbing his sword into a rock, and Kwanu’s leg lifted. He almost fell and was crushed. Cold sweat trickled down his back.

Cullen reached into the gap in the cracked leg. His palm stuck to the ice-cold stone. There was only one way to climb. It seemed only swords imbued with blessings could pierce Kwanu’s body, so he had to use the sword as a support, climbing and drawing it out repeatedly.

Carefully grabbing a protruding gap, Cullen stepped firmly. He had forgotten in his haste, but he felt the injury in his shoulder. His left shoulder, stabbed by Zarkas’s dagger, ached. He spat out a short curse at his foolish mistake.

Swallowing the pain through gritted teeth, he crawled upwards towards the area with the visible pattern. Relying on his sword, he checked the gaps, then repeatedly pulled out his sword while clinging to nearby protruding rocks. If he slipped, he could die. Moving cautiously for tens of minutes, he stopped at the pattern’s location, corresponding to his calf.

Up close, the pattern shone so brightly it hurt his eyes. The sun-shaped rays of light spun, and ancient script was engraved at its center.

Cullen, balancing precariously, drew out another sword imbued with Lasano’s blessing. Taking a gasping breath, he raised the sword with all his might and plunged it into the pattern.

Unlike the time he had split Cullen’s sword in two, the sword, poured with so much divine power that it overflowed, was half-embedded within the pattern.

There was a reaction. Kwanu shook the leg Cullen was clinging to and twisted his body. He let out a Gueuuh sound, trying to shake off the bothersome thing, as he precariously stepped on the road next to the temple.

The light had significantly dimmed. However, it hadn’t completely gone out. His hair, wet with snow, fell over his forehead. Gathering his strength, he pushed the embedded sword further in. Kkuhk, a groan escaped him. His palms stung, and pain surged from his shoulder.

Just a little more, just a little more…!

The sword finally pierced all the way through, as if air had entered. Pasas, the sound of thin ice breaking echoed, and the light of the pattern went out. Whether it was feeling pain or the instinct for survival, Kwanu’s movements became significantly more violent.

Kwanu hunched over and swung his arm. A massive boulder swept across the ground like a siege weapon. Within it was the temple where people had gathered. He tried to stop it before it reached the temple, but he had inadvertently spurred it on. As his breath was choked, Cullen cried out inwardly.

Kiyen-nim…!

In his moment of crisis, Cullen thought of Kiyen as if breathing. His years of not wanting anyone’s help were in vain; now, like an imprint, the savior appeared in his mind. He, who always, always responded to his call…

‘Hold on tight.’

This time too, he hadn’t betrayed his trust.

Cullen saw a translucent light spreading around the temple. A barrier like a giant hemisphere enveloped the temple, and Kwanu’s hand struck it with a Kung! sound and bounced off. As he staggered, Cullen also swayed. He barely managed to stay alive, clinging to the sword embedded in his leg.

“There is no human as bothersome as you. It’s as if you’re inviting death wherever you go.”

Feathers fell before his eyes. Through the snowstorm, Kiyen, with wings as white as them, floated in the air. His blond hair, wrapped by his fluttering long wings, swayed neatly.

“You’ve overused your power again.”

Cullen looked at Kiyen’s appearance, which was the same as last time, yet somewhat different, and spoke. His wings and golden eyes were the same, but pale golden scales were visible above his nape.

“I had no choice if I wanted to create a shield. Your priority is the lives of these humans.”

Despite the situation, Cullen smiled. Apart from being displeased, he was happy that Kiyen knew him this well.

Does he know this too? That he became this kind of being again, all because he was by Kiyen’s side.

“…I’m sorry.”

He apologized with a small smile. Kiyen, gazing at his smiling face, furrowed his brow.

“I will lure the giant and deal with it. You stay on the ground.”

Kiyen approached Cullen and said. Cullen felt a strong temptation from the outstretched arms, as if to embrace him. However, a fact that had been bothering him came to mind.

The more Kiyen used his power, the weaker the Imperial Palace’s clone became. Now that Zarkas’s true form was somewhat grasped, the thought that Kihelene might also be in danger grew stronger. Moreover, during the battle in the snowfield, Zarkas had called him the last Larkan. Something might happen at the Imperial Palace.

He admitted it. The Imperial Palace and the Larciel Empire were not important, but Kihelene was on his mind. He didn’t know exactly what kind of feeling it was… but he didn’t want her to be in danger.

“I will put Kwanu to sleep. We promised, and only Lasano and I could do it. Kiyen-nim, you don’t have to push yourself.”

Thus, Cullen refused Kiyen’s help for the first time. Kiyen stopped without moving, watching Cullen say he would resolve it with his own strength. Only the sound of wings flapping echoed.

“…Are you serious?”

“It is my duty.”

At Cullen’s reply, Kiyen’s face hardened. In the meantime, Kwanu, who had been staggering, regained his balance and stepped on the temple, but was pushed back by the shield. His body, filled with rage, changed direction. Cullen, clinging to his sword while staggering, adjusted his direction. Instead of asking for help, he requested something else.

“If you don’t mind, could Kiyen protect the city? If you could cast a shield over the densely populated areas… I would be truly grateful.”

“That is not a matter tied to your life. If I leave you here, the probability of you dying is more than enough.”

Kiyen said so, but slowly stepped back. His hardened face was visible.

“That’s right. But haven’t you already cast a shield? That was a decision Kiyen made.”

Cullen looked up, calculating how he would ascend. To go up there, he would now have to draw his sword and use its recoil to leap upwards. Having formulated a plan, he smiled at Kiyen once more.

“Kiyen is someone who cherishes the lives of even the smallest creatures. So, I ask of you.”

His rain-soaked hair fluttered. Kiyen stared intently into the bent purple eyes revealed beneath it, then soared into the sky without a word. He ascended high enough to reach Kwanu’s face and spread his wings.

Two eyes, turned green, looked at Kiyen. Kwanu’s gaze fixed on the unexpected nuisance before him. Kiyen extended one hand and slowly began to form a fireball. A yellow and red orb, boiling like lava, spread out like the sun.

Cullen sometimes thought Kiyen was a being more suited to the sun than the moon. His fire boiled like the sun, and his color was the brilliant golden hue the sun displayed.

The fire, seemingly destined to boil eternally, erupted towards Kwanu’s face.

KWA-A-A-ANG!

The sound echoed repeatedly. Though Kwanu had said Kiyen’s power couldn’t kill him, it seemed Magic wasn’t entirely ineffective against him. Kwanu let out a pained groan, KAA-AA-AH, and rampaged.

Kiyen rapidly changed direction, continuing to cast Magic. Burning flames poured onto Kwanu’s face. Cullen quickly realized. Kiyen was personally luring Kwanu out of the Duke’s territory.

This was the opportunity he had created. Borrowing the power of his pounding heart, Cullen began to climb Kwanu’s leg.

After narrowly overcoming several moments where he almost fell, he reached the midpoint. His body was drenched from climbing a creature whose height rivaled the Imperial Palace.

His back was easier to cling to than his legs. Grasping the stone protrusions scattered here and there, Cullen reached a much larger marking. Located amidst moss-covered stones, the marking was twice the size of his leg.

Cullen readjusted his grip on the long sword he had used to climb this far. Dangling precariously with one hand, he swung his right arm with all his might and firmly drove his sword into the center of the back.

A violent reaction, incomparable to when he stabbed the leg, immediately surged.

Kwanu thrashed his upper body, scattering the condensed stones. It was a form of defense. His body, which had dispersed and then reassembled like when he first appeared, caused the stone Cullen was holding onto to disappear.

“You do all sorts of things… cough…!”

Losing his balance, Cullen swayed. He hastily grabbed the hilt with both hands. His body, dangling from the sword half-embedded in the back, swung wildly. The vibrations echoed disorientingly. While shaking back and forth, Cullen gritted his teeth and drove the sword in further.

Gradually, the sword sank deeper into the stone. Something that had been clumped together in layers shattered, and the light dimmed. The moment the second marking broke, Kwanu’s rampage reached its peak. As his head shook so hard it felt like it would split, another sword Cullen had been hanging from his back fell.

“Damn it!”

Reaching out hastily to grab the falling sword, Cullen nearly plummeted. Cold sweat trickled down his spine. Kwanu’s body, seemingly on the verge of disintegration, began to clump and scatter at an ever-increasing speed. He couldn’t see a path to his head anymore. It was impossibly far.

Cullen instinctively sought Kiyen again. While he didn’t want Kiyen to overuse his power, he found himself wishing for his appearance. But Kiyen was nowhere to be seen.

Looking down, he saw a hemisphere of energy spreading to the temple and other buildings. Kiyen must be exerting his power there.

His hands, frozen by the cold, kept losing strength. Blood had been flowing more and more from his overstrained shoulder since earlier. He was clearly not in good condition. He had to deal with Kwanu before he got any more tired.

I can do this. Cullen whispered to himself. Only Kwanu’s head remained. If he broke that, parts of the fallen Kwanu would surely fall onto the territory. Kiyen had to focus on maintaining the shield. Therefore, he wouldn’t have time to help him.

Think, Cullen. Think. How do I get to the head…

“Cullen!”

At the sudden voice, Cullen quickly looked to his left. There, clinging to Kwanu’s arm, was Ulli. More precisely, Lasano was with her. Ulli was supporting him, almost cradling him with one arm. Seeing the red markings that had climbed up her forearm, it seemed she had borrowed the power of a greatsword.

“Why are you two there! No, how did you even…?”

Cullen shouted towards them. Lasano replied with a strained face. It had been a while since he had heard his voice.

“With Ulli’s cursed sword, we couldn’t even scratch this stone! I, the weak one, had to personally embed the sword in the stone, huff, it’s damn high here!”

Seeing him curse for the first time, Lasano seemed to detest this situation immensely.

“Instead of talking, cast a blessing!”

Were they watching me from below?

A long sword hung from Ulli’s waist. Lasano, held precariously, reached for the sword. As if pouring all his divine power into it, a strong silver light flickered and flowed.

“You look like you’re having a hard time!”

Ulli shouted at Cullen, smiling. He hadn’t anticipated a situation like this, so in the midst of the urgency, Cullen hesitated for a moment. Staring blankly at her, Cullen said,

“What are you doing here! It’s dangerous, go down! Now!”

As if emphasizing the situation, Kwanu swung his arm. Seeing Lasano and Ulli sway dangerously, Cullen’s heart lurched.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You can’t do this alone! You need us!”

Ulli pointed her finger at Kwanu’s head. With her power, which he had observed before, she should be able to leap up there without much help. Cullen, as if denying something, spoke again.

“I could do it.”

“I prefer doing things alone, just like you. But…!”

Ulli held up Lasano and shouted.

“We’re all together now.”

Lasano waved his hand weakly, as if to say he was fine. The moment he saw his face smiling with the sword in hand, Cullen contorted his own. Like Kwanu’s shattered markings, the boundaries he had been denying all along were crumbling.

“So stop talking and accept help!”

So quickly, it was beyond his ability to do anything.