kscans

Chapter 261 - The Siege of Miglutt and Sameim's Lament

The fog dissolved in the sunlight, and the damp buildings and cobblestones reflected the light. The morning was filled with a radiant glow. And yet, the people gathered in the plaza were panting for tragedy. As the Crimson Brigade poured into the square, the hidden nomads began to rain down arrows on them. A few soldiers fell, but they quickly raised large shields over their heads and continued their advance. There were too many of them. If this turned into a full-scale battle, it seemed we would be overwhelmed by their numbers.

"You're later than I expected, Kaima." The man Yuuki addressed was without a doubt the man who had been with Irisarie yesterday morning. Irisarie had introduced him as a hero from another world. But the man was short, and his dark eyes were a far cry from the word 'hero'.

"Kaima…" I whispered his name, committing it to memory.

"I was held up. It's your fault for underestimating the enemy's strength. If we pull out, the Air-Ally army can't beat the One-Land family. The coup will fail." Despite his words to Yuuki, Kaima's face remained impassive, as if he had no interest in the outcome of this battle.

"It's fine as long as we can temporarily seize control of this Crystal Garden. There are three groups of heroes summoned by the goddess. We've also confirmed there's another group outside the city. As long as we can take care of this one, there's no problem."

"I see." Kaima nodded, still seeming uninterested, but Yuuki turned to me with a triumphant look on his face.

"There's no escape for you." It was a twisted smile. But my gaze was fixed on Kaima. The man turned his back on us and went back to commanding the Crimson Brigade.

"Why is a transmigrator commanding a mercenary group?"

"You know Kaima is a transmigrator?" Yuuki's eyebrows twitched in slight surprise.

"When? Just how long has that man been with the Crimson Brigade?"

"Five years. Why do you ask?" Ignoring Yuuki's mocking laugh, I glared at Kaima's back.

"Are you the leader of the Crimson Brigade?!" I screamed, but Kaima only glanced in my direction once before turning back to his soldiers and starting to issue orders to eliminate the nomads and complete our encirclement.

"I'm going to kill every last one of you!" I was about to raise my hand to call Laciel when Aira stopped me.

"Mash, calm down and defeat the enemy in front of you! We have to break the barrier of the caster hiding in the back, right?!" Goddess Summon was my trump card for breaking through Oi's magic defense. But right now, I didn't care about any of that.

"Shut up! These are the bastards who attacked the village Famu lived in, enslaved her, and put her up for sale! She was thrown in a cell and told she was going to die the next day! How could I forgive that?! And it's not just her. Sameim, too, and the other villagers! I've been traveling to kill these guys. I don't give a damn about anything else. I don't give a damn about this world! I'll kill them! I'll kill every last one of them!"

"I know! But that feeling alone won't get us through this. For now, calm down!" Aira yelled. But her words passed right through me, leaving nothing behind. Just kill the Crimson Brigade. Annihilate them. As I was about to raise my hand for Goddess Summon again, Sameim, who was being held by Famu, slipped from her grasp and started running.

"Sam!" Famu began to chase after her. Sameim picked up a short sword lying on the cobblestones and slashed at Famu as she tried to catch up.

"Agh!" Famu cried out and leaped back, but her haori was sliced and fluttered in the wind. Sameim pointed the tip of her sword at Famu. Famu, in turn, readied her kunai.

"Stay away!" Sameim's face contorted. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Sam…"

"Famu… you've always been loved by everyone. I have no one. There's no one left. You don't know how I feel, being all alone. I was right, we really can't understand each other anymore!" For a moment, I thought Sameim looked at me. She turned and began to run again.

"Sam!" Famu didn't chase Sameim. No, Yuuki had stepped in her path after Sameim ran past, and she couldn't. Famu forgot about fighting, her arms hanging limply at her sides as she stared blankly at Sameim's retreating figure. Sameim didn't stop running. And then, she ran past Kaima. Her steps suddenly halted. She quickly spun around, switching her grip on the short sword from one hand to two. She held it at her waist, tilted the blade slightly downward, and gripped it even tighter. She tucked in her elbows, dropped her shoulders, and took a low stance. The next moment, she kicked off the cobblestones and charged straight at Kaima.

"Kaima! I was bought by Zeno, and ever since I saw you in that mansion, I've been waiting for this moment! I've lived for this moment! For everyone in the village, for my mother and father, and for Nick—this is my revenge!" Their bodies collided, and not a moment later, fresh blood dripped from between them. Her actions were unexpected even to Clovis and Yuuki; they just stared at the scene in a daze. After a moment, Sameim's body swayed, and she slowly collapsed. The man was clutching the blade of the short sword, blood dripping from his hand. In his other hand, he held a spear, its tip smeared with Sameim's blood.

"Sam!" Famu's scream echoed across the plaza.

"Myra, Aira! Get Sameim!" I shouted, but Myra was engaged with an enemy. Aira, too, wouldn't leave my side. Instead, Famu was the one who ran. She moved swiftly, darting past Yuuki. Then, she twisted her body, coiling her entire frame like a spring, and threw a kunai. Kaima casually knocked it aside with a single swing of his spear. Famu switched to her katana and closed in further, unleashing a horizontal slash. The man leaned back and dodged the blow. He tried to switch to a two-handed grip on his spear, but his hand, deeply cut by the short sword's blade, couldn't hold it. He clicked his tongue in frustration.

"How dare you attack our village… how dare you do this to Sam!" Famu took another strong step forward and brought her raised katana down.

"Tch!" The man raised his arm to block the blade. It sank deep, but it couldn't cut all the way through and stopped midway. As Famu tried to pull the blade free, Kaima's eyes glowed a dark red.

"Famu, he's about to use his special skill! It's the one that destroyed the kitchen in Mo's mansion!"

"I know!" Famu replied to my warning. I started to run to her aid, but Yuuki blocked my path.

"Get out of my way!"

"Just watch. The dog-ear is going to die." I swung my katana, but he easily parried it with his greatsword. Just as I was about to attack Yuuki again, Kaima's shout echoed.

"Special Skill, [Axe of Destruction]!"

A giant battle-axe materialized in the air above. Then, its ten-meter-long blade came crashing down toward Famu. Famu held out a hand in its direction.

"Special Skill, [Yata no Kagami]!"

A glowing circular disc appeared between Famu and the battle-axe. It deflected Kaima's special skill.

"This bitch… she can use a special skill?!" Kaima's expression tightened. It was the first real emotion I had seen from him. Famu pulled her katana free from the man's arm. Then she raised it high overhead.

"W-wait!" Famu ignored Kaima's plea and swung her katana down. Kaima tried to block it with the shaft of his spear, but the blade sliced the shaft in two and then cut into his shoulder.

"Gah…" Kaima's body swayed. Famu's blow had been shallow. Its force had been dampened by cutting through the spear shaft. The special skills they had both unleashed had already vanished. Famu raised her katana again to deliver the finishing blow. The blade glinted brightly in the sunlight. Kaima's arm shot up, and something was thrown at Famu. It was the kunai she had thrown at him. Famu deflected it with her katana. In that split second, Kaima turned his back and ran.

"Wait!" Famu started to give chase, but her path was blocked by mercenaries from the Crimson Brigade. They thrust their spears at her, trying to run her through. Famu retreated to dodge them. But behind her, Clovis was closing in.

"Famu!" Mo's scream echoed. At the same time, a deafening roar and a flash of lightning erupted around Famu. Several mercenaries caught in her lightning strike fell, but Clovis was unharmed. Famu failed to dodge his sword completely, and her left arm was slashed.

"Die." Clovis's cold voice rang out.

Clovis had his sword pointed at Famu. The rage I had felt toward the Crimson Brigade had mostly subsided when Famu charged in. Looking at the scene, I knew I was at my limit. The only way to get through this was with Goddess Summon. There was no time to hold back. If I wanted to defeat the Crimson Brigade surrounding us, I could use her rain of arrows. But that wouldn't break through Oi's magic barrier, and in the end, we would have no way to fight Messiah. They had Yuuki's and Oi's special skills. I had no choice but to have her wipe out all the enemies in the plaza with her spear. If I did that, Laciel wouldn't be able to hold back either. If I killed Yuuki, Mizuki might hate me for the rest of her life. But Kaima was wounded. He might escape from the plaza. I couldn't let him get away. I had to capture him and make him pay for his crimes. And not just him. The Crimson Brigade had to be destroyed here and now. As I thought about all this, I laughed weakly. We were the ones being cornered. And yet, here I was, thinking about how to hold back. If we held back, we would be the ones to die. I had to protect Levante, New World, and the nomads. It was my responsibility for dragging them into this. I steeled my resolve. Just then, my eyes met Yuuki's.

"You're planning to use your trump card."

"So what if I am?" Yuuki gave a fearless smile at my reply.

"Have you forgotten? That I can use Goddess Summon too?"

"You'd better not. You haven't tried it, have you?"

"Idiot… I know how to summon her and how to use her. I'm taking your trump card." Yuuki raised his arm.

"Special Skill, [Goddess Summon]!"

Yuuki's voice echoed across the plaza.