< [The Poisoned Oath] >
< “Yet I failed to pull the trigger.” >
A massive, 2-meter-long crossbow bolt made of brambles came zipping past her. It barely grazed her cheek. Had she not turned to face Snow, then she would have lost her head.
Tch… Is it because I’m going to kill Mister Huntsman…?
Red didn’t think for a second that Snow was concerned about her life. If she died, then would it change anything for Snow?
She didn’t think so. As close as she was to Snow, she knew that the Healer…
… Ah… Could that be why she didn’t warn me about the Sweet Thorn…? Do I still need to prove to her that she can trust me?
There was only one way to do this.
Red slapped her cheeks, convinced that this was all true. Then, she let out a deafening roar:
“GRRR! Agate! Is there a way to save him!?”
< Unknown >
“AGAAAAATE!”
“No…” Snow whimpered. “There’s no such thing as coming back from the Corruption!”
Red, whose emotions climbed even further, dashed headfirst towards the thorn-stripped Huntsman.
< [Sorrowful Plough] >
< [Cut Them Down!] >
“BUT I DID!” Red exclaimed. “I wished upon a star to become human!”
Her blade cut through his torso, inflicting severe damage. [Huntress’ Slash II] had the ability to allow her to deal Critical Strikes. 770 should have been dealing 7,700 instead so long as she followed the bloody trail.
But that had not manifested since they encountered the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns. Otherwise, the Bitter Thorns’ roots would not have stood a chance against her blade.
This was because she was not striking weak points. The bloody trail knew the optimal paths to strike, but that was only ever in accordance with what she knew.
Now that she was aware of the weak points of The Huntsman –
– A single slash was enough to instantly remove his head.
The Huntsman | HP: 21,130
Thorns of the Huntsman | HP: 5,900
False Golden Apple | HP: 0
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“Huh…?”
“YOU HEARD ME RIGHT!”
She cried, lunging towards the Huntsman again as she slashed away at his body. Corrupted did not have organs to exploit, so dealing Critical Strikes was impossible.
However, when she followed the bloody trail and plunged her blade into The Huntsman’s heart, she dealt 7,700 Damage in a single strike.
The Huntsman | HP : 8,830
Thorns of the Huntsman | HP : 1,300
False Golden Apple | HP : 0
“I AM A CORRUPTED TOO!” Red revealed. She was swept away by her emotions.
If she meant nothing to Snow… then did it matter whether she knew what she was or not?
The self-destructive thought caused Red to pause momentarily.
“… One more strike, and he’s dead. Snow… I… used to be a Corrupted. But I want to be the best human that ever was! If it means that I have to let Mister Huntsman live –!”
“RED!?”
< [The Poisoned Oath] >
< “But I will not fail this time.” >
A sharp pain radiated from Red’s chest. She looked down and found that a twisted rod had pierced through her sternum.
“Gaghk… I didn’t even see it… reload…?”
Red was confused.
How was it able to shoot without reloading its weapon?
No… How was it able to pierce through my DEF? 800 ATT is its maximum, right… So how… did it just ignore it…?
She looked back at The Huntsman, only to find that a third arm had grown from his back. He had used the gap between his front arms to fire a concealed bolt at her. Corrupted did not typically employ such deceptive tactics. Especially not one as straight forward as this one.
Her limbs could no longer function. The Paralysis immediately caused her to slump forward, the rod keeping her upright.
“Agh… Tch…”
“Red… not you too… Please…!”
“… did I make a mistake…?” Red whispered.
“Huh…?”
< [Cut Them Down!] >
< “My target is in clear sight of me again.” >
< “I must hack away my feelings of remorse.” >
< “Only then will I be able to fulfil my promise.” >
“Ah… Don’t tell me… that this is how I die…” She refused to accept this. With no way to move, then it was only a matter of time before she’d succumb. “Because of… I also… I also don’t want my friends to die! Am I stupid for thinking that we can save him!? Because I was able to come back!? Idiot… dumb Red…”
She was naive to believe that there was a way to bring him back. The circumstances were different. She wished upon a star.
What was there for The Huntsman to wish upon?
Snow, in her peripheries, rose to her feet in terror as the axe came crashing down upon Red.
HP : 16,180
“RED!”
The axe rose and fell like a guillotine.
HP : 15,380
Her body bounced up and down like a ragdoll. The paralysis was absurdly potent. The next set of swings hammered the rod into her body. She was treated no differently from an insect.
*Smash*
*Crush*
*Crack*
“No… I’m… what you want… I’m… Still here!” Snow tried to get his attention, but The Huntsman was intent on removing Red for good. Her bones shattered. A part of her skull cracked. One of her eyes left its socket.
But she was still alive and well.
HP : 8,200
It hurts. I thought having more HP was a good thing. Are those my fingers…? I can’t tell anymore. Am I going to die…? For good this time?
Her vision waned. Her fingers were bent at irregular angles. But beyond them, she saw Snow running up to her.
“Get… away… from… here…”
Tears tumbled down her face. It was a miracle that she could even move so quickly. Her blood loss and utter exhaustion would have rendered any regular human out of commission for good.
She collapsed on top of what was left of Red, defending her with her own body as she tried to drag her away.
The axe rose regardless of her presence.
“You’re going to…”
“But I have to! I can’t… lose another one!”
“You didn’t hate me?”
“Never! I… *Hic* Never did. How can you think that!?”
“… I just thought that you…”
That she what?
Red couldn’t find the words to tell her in her final moments.
The emotions brimming in Snow’s eyes were enough to tell her everything she needed to know.
Snow was afraid.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
That one, singular, raw form of emotion roused an untapped power from deep within Red’s core. The axe flung down as Red tried to reach into her Dimensional Storage.
But it was too late.
* * *
*Ding~!*
A metal twang deafened them as a giant shadow loomed above. The dark, smooth underside of a giant eight-legged creature blocked out their world.
“A Rock Bug?” Snow wondered.
“Rock… ie…?” Red whispered.
Indeed. The underside of the creature wiggled with delight upon hearing its name.
“Brr~!”
Rockie Grey had arrived just in time to save them.