Chapter 123: The Tales of Cinder [17]
The swords clashed without end. The ground trembled under the impact of those adventurers’ power, cracking into small lines that spread like webs beneath their feet. Each collision made the air vibrate, as if the world itself were being struck again and again.
Constant flashes of sparks and shockwaves filled the battlefield with distant sounds that grew in crescendo. The metallic clang blended with the cracking of crystal and the roar of wind compressed by the violence of their movements, creating a chaotic symphony of battle.
Arrows flew, painting the air with blurred streaks of red blood, leaving liquid trails that broke into particles before fading away. They struck the princess’s head, causing small explosions of ash and crystalline fragments that were sent flying.
She stepped back a few centimeters. Her swords collided with Marco’s and Mitsuki’s at the same time, generating a shockwave that pushed dust and ash in all directions. Her golden eyes turned toward the source, but she quickly had to return her focus to the two adventurers, as their strength kept increasing with every passing second.
Her expression of effort made Mitsuki realize something.
’It’s still not enough! We can still win!’
Suddenly, struggling as he pressed his sword and shotgun against Cinderella’s two lateral blades, Mitsuki shouted. He stomped hard against the ground, sinking his foot slightly into the cracked crystal, and used every ounce of strength he had left to push her backward. His muscles burned, but he didn’t stop.
Inspired by that, Marco tightened his grip on his sword with all his strength and mirrored Mitsuki. His arms trembled violently under the strain, and his legs creaked beneath the pressure. He knew his body wouldn’t last long against the princess’s overwhelming power—but it didn’t matter when there was even the slightest chance of victory.
Together, they pushed—and surprisingly, for the first time since they had arrived in this cursed place, the crystal swords of the princess known as Guinevere Cinderella were knocked back with a sharp sound, forcing her to retreat, nearly knocking her to the ground. Her feet scraped across the surface, leaving bright trails behind.
That small opening was enough for both of them to explode with killing intent. They charged at her with everything they had, kicking up fragments of the ground in their wake—but Cinderella immediately regained her footing and raised one of her swords, whipping the air with brutal force.
Sparks of crystal burst from the ground, and suddenly, massive shining spikes of crystal erupted from the surface with a deafening crack, threatening to impale Mitsuki and the others from multiple angles.
Marco raised his sword to guard and stepped back, deflecting one of the spikes that grazed his armor. Mitsuki tried to do the same, but he failed by a fraction of a second, forcing him to turn intangible to rejoin the fight once more. His body dissolved into ash just as a spike pierced through where his torso had been.
The ash cloud that was Mitsuki surged toward the princess, weaving between the suspended fragments in the air. She retreated with a great leap, propelling herself with unnatural elegance, landing atop one of the highest nearby ruins—the castle.
From up there, she was planning something. Her silhouette stood against the gray sky, wrapped in flame and ash.
But no one here was going to allow it.
A dozen blood arrows cut through the sky like a rain of death, whistling violently and leaving red streaks distorted by their speed.
Cinderella saw it coming, so she didn’t even try to dodge. With her four swords, she struck the air.
A massive blade of wind generated by the blow rose toward the clouds and—
The sky split in two, erasing the arrows.
The clouds tore open violently, revealing a visible rift through which a dim, sickly light filtered. The air spiraled downward, as if the world itself had been cut apart.
But that was only a distraction.
Mitsuki was already in front of her, both shells loaded into his shotgun barrels. The ash around him vibrated intensely.
He pulled the trigger the instant he saw the opening and fired point-blank.
The massive blue blaze that erupted took on the properties of a gigantic laser, its relentless stream of fire extending like a burning pillar toward the castle ruins. The impact illuminated the entire surroundings, casting violent shadows.
The heat evaporated the moisture in the air in an instant.
In the next moment, the princess remained there, standing atop a small broken pillar, covering her face with her swords. Around her was a massive scorched crater stretching into the ruins behind her, its edges blackened and fragments still glowing.
Cinderella looked at him.
"Limit Break... Is this all you can do?"
Mitsuki clicked his tongue.
’Don’t underestimate me.’
Marco appeared behind the princess, moving through the debris with surprising speed. He swung his sword in his tornado motion, raising a current of wind around him—but she blocked it with one of her crystal blades with absolute precision.
Mitsuki didn’t waste time, appearing behind the princess to continue the assault. The ash condensed back into his form.
The swords clashed once more.
Powerful gusts were expelled toward the ruins, making unstable structures tremble as if on the verge of collapse. Metallic cracks filled the battlefield, and the group vanished into a blur of motion, moving at speeds barely traceable.
At the worst possible moment, a small drop of water fell onto Azel’s shoulder.
Then another.
And another.
The rain had begun.
Azel fired two more arrows, steadying his breathing despite his extreme exhaustion. Unfortunately, the princess blocked them with minimal effort, almost casually.
This frustrated Azel, as this was the only thing he could do—even if just to buy a few fleeting moments of confusion for the enemy.
Even if it was his last blood arrow...
It didn’t matter, as long as he was useful to the group.
Meanwhile, Monar placed his one healthy hand against the ground. The surface trembled beneath his touch.
Crimson flashes of energy flickered around him like residual lightning, turning on and off as they orbited him erratically, like furious fireflies.
At that moment, the demon spoke.
"Young elf... Life has been hard on you, hasn’t it? Don’t you think it’s time to give up? How long will you keep deceiving yourself into thinking you’re like the others?"
Monar ignored him. His breathing was heavy, but his expression remained firm.
The demon continued.
"Tell me, young elf—aren’t you superior to most creatures in this world? Why lower yourself to these beings of little intelligence and magical power?"
Once again, the dark elf ignored him.
"You weren’t even loved by your own people. So why continue down the same path?"
Monar clenched his fist. His nails dug into his skin.
"I won’t fall for your manipulations, primordial demon. Remember that I was once a child who hated everyone—but turned that hatred into something good, just as you were once an angel who soared through paradise alongside the supreme creator of all gods before betraying him."
The demon laughed.
"You are very wise, young elf. I hope you never fall beneath your own words."
"The day I fall will be like this moment—fighting alongside my friends until the end. Because that’s what I am—a warrior, but more than that, I am an adventurer. You cannot tell me to lock myself in the past, in pain and loneliness, when I’ve already become a free being who no longer needs those things to feel validated."
Monar smiled. He summoned his magical staff and drove it into the ground with force, sending a wave of energy spreading beneath his feet.
"That’s why you can’t control me. That’s why you can’t possess my body to return to the present world. That is your sad truth."
A powerful clash of swords erupted before his unseen eyes. Marco and Mitsuki were still giving everything for survival, moving like shadows through the rain that now fell more intensely.
"Just think about how, because of your rebellion, you lost your place in a realm a thousand times better than this one. If you hadn’t blindly followed that older brother of yours, you’d still be beautiful and radiant in the cosmos."
The demon fell silent.
Monar had struck a nerve.
He tightened his grip on his staff and absorbed as much of the demon’s power as possible, channeling it—purified—toward his friends. The energy flowed like a warm current.
This strengthened Marco and Mitsuki’s aura, allowing them to endure a few more seconds. Their bodies felt lighter, stronger.
As one, they moved across the battlefield, dodging and blocking the princess’s swords while counterattacking in turn.
When Marco became the attacker, Mitsuki became the defense.
When Mitsuki fired, Marco shielded him, deflecting impossible blows.
The battlefield became an extension of their bodies, functioning more and more like a driving force. Each movement flowed into the next with near-instinctive precision.
The princess retreated.
She leapt and positioned herself atop one of the broken pillars.
From above, she summoned a massive wave of sharp crystals that burst from the ground violently, shattering everything in their path with the sole purpose of impaling the two adventurers.
When that failed as Mitsuki appeared before her, she began slashing the air, firing massive blazing blades that even cut through the falling rain.
The rain intensified suddenly, like a bad omen for what was to come. The droplets struck the ground with force, turning to vapor upon contact with the heat of the battle.
The princess’s flames seemed to burn brighter under the storm.
Mitsuki fired.
The princess shielded herself with her swords.
Marco attacked from behind, but she evaded him with a fluid spin and leapt onto another rooftop, moving like a living flame through the ruins.
The battle moved beyond the arena.