Meirith, her face full of tears, was watching the two sides clash, stunned. The six-armed, creepy, bird-headed creatures could not hold their ground. They were knocked down like dominos, barreled through like bowling pins and scattered about like autumn leaves. The humanoid apparitions in black armor charged into their mix without stopping and without trouble.
Their enemies’ great strength that could easily flatten armies of soldiers in their armor was nothing before them. Their ability to drain life upon contact had no effect. The ominous knights didn’t writhe in pain and their movements didn’t slow down one bit. They carved a path through the growing swarm of parasites without using their weapons and reached their objectives. Swiftly, they grabbed onto the amazons and the High Elder that were left for dead and carried them upward.
“Ah…!” [Meirith]
Meirith’s eyes widened and her heart ached at the pitiful sight. Their bodies were covered in black marks and sported varying injuries from bruises to broken limbs. Some were still breathing faintly, but others had already ceased to be. Her own father would soon move on to the next life. The reality of it nearly made her weep and scream once more. However, before she could, Ryner made his move.
All along his extended right arm, from the palm of his gloved hand to his fingertips, golden strings shot out. They moved through the air at high speed as if they had a mind of their own and wrapped themselves around the amazons and the high Elder. Then, like fish caught by a fishing pole, they were quickly reeled in and held up all around Ryner.
“Dad…! Huh…?” [Meirith]
Just as Meirith was about to reach out to Itham, the golden strings began to glow. Soon, that light spread to the people that they were holding in place.
“What, what are you…?” [Meirith]
Meirith looked at Ryner, wondering what was happening, what he was doing. The horned man that had white feathers for hair was looking at Riteinia, who was no longer breathing. Suspended in front of him by the strings like a broken puppet, her eyes were wide opened and she was glaring fiercely, letting him know that, even to the end, she never cowered and stared death in the face.
“It’s not too late.” [Ryner]
Ryner murmured softly and glanced behind him to see a blonde-haired god silently standing there.
“Their souls haven’t left their vessels yet. I do not need to tamper with the cycle of life and death to revive them.” [Ryner]
“…” [Iparus]
As the world had stopped around them for a second time, he bluntly and calmly told Iparus to which he closed his eyes and nodded.
“… The Covenant remains unbroken.” [Iparus]
The god quietly declared and vanished. The world began to move once again upon his departure. Ryner returned his focus on the Matriarch’s glowing corpse hanging in front of him. The wounds instantly healed, the black marks disappeared and as the light subsided, Riteinia’s eyes shined with life. A beat later, she gasped for breath. As if she suddenly remembered how to breathe, she coughed and greedily filled her lungs with oxygen.
Disoriented, the light green-haired woman tried to recall the recent events that she could remember and knew that she had died at the hands of the mysterious bird-headed monsters. Though unsure of what was happening, she confirmed that her body wasn’t in pain and could move how she wanted, until she realized that she was restrained by golden strings.
“Ack *cough* bastards! I’ll kill you! Damn bird fu-! The hell is this?!” [Riteinia]
Surprised, she tried to break free until her senses finally registered the massive presence that was standing in front of her. A sense of fear like nothing she had ever felt before enveloped her. Freezing in place, she slowly looked at the man that did not appear to be of any race that she knew. Perhaps he was a demon since a horn adorned his head. However, demons did not possess such a skin color and he lacked their other physical traits.
All Riteinia knew was that she could die at any moment. Hidden in the being was enough power to instantly extinguish her existence in the blink of an eye. That was what her instincts were telling her. It frightened yet fascinated her, partly due to her amazon blood that sought strength and her own spirit as a warrior. But, strangely enough, the unknown man’s face appeared familiar. When she looked closely, she recognized him.
“It’s okay, kid. I got you.” [Ryner]
“… Ryner?” [Riteinia]
Riteinia uttered. His voice had not change.
“I got you all.” [Ryner]
What happened to her was happening to everyone that was hanging around her, wrapped in strings.
“Aaarrgh…! Huh?” [Amazon]
“… I’m alive…?” [Amazon]
“Where’s the enem-hiii?!” [Amazon]
“M-monster…?!” [Amazon]
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Those on the verge of death were healed, whole and healthy. Those who had passed away were resuscitated. Bewildered, they looked around, trying to understand the situation. The amazons went on high alert and searched for the enemy, but froze when they noticed Ryner’s presence, just like their Matriarch.
Meirith, tears flowing down her face, watched it all happen with her hands covering her mouth. All of the deceased had been revived and among them was her father. Itham was surprised and in disbelief. He examined his arms and patted his torso, wondering how he was still alive. However, those concerns flew out of his head when he saw his daughter crying.
“(It’s a miracle…!)” [Meirith]
The elven maiden thought as she gazed at Ryner, part of her fear turning into awe and gratitude. He had completely flipped the despairing situation upside down and brought hope. Moreover, it wasn’t over. When Meirith gazed into the distance, following the bundle of golden strings that was stretched out, she could see where they had gathered. The Gatekeeper’s wilted, dying form was safely wrapped up and glowing faintly.
Rosaminta was being protected from the black stone beasts and was being healed. Incidentally, there was a strange emotion that Meirith was picking up from her Pulse, but she decided to ignore it for the moment. Instead, she focused on the threat that was being kept at bay, but had yet to be neutralized.
The parasites tried to rush at her location and at the immobile Gatekeeper. But, every time, the knight-shaped monsters would thwart their efforts. Moving at a speed too fast to react to, grabbing them by the head, beak, neck or limbs, the armored humanoids would toss them away like garbage. Even as the swarm of black stone beasts grew in size, they were not overwhelmed by their numbers.
Because Ryner kept creating more without pause.
Clumps of smoke shot out from his clothes like bullets and explosively expanded from which a sinister knight emerged from the black cloud. Each of them quickly joined the fray as they caught a struggling black stone beast and threw it in the air, working together to prevent them from spreading out. Soon, the screeching, six-armed creatures were being kept over a hundred meters above ground, getting constantly juggled about.
When gravity took a hold of them, they would be sent back up. When duplicates emerged from their bodies and rained down like water droplets, they would be hurled back where they came from before they could touch the ground. Ryner’s black knights silently and diligently worked to gather the parasites in one spot. Everyone watched, stunned, as the swarm turned into a sphere that was floating above their heads.
Ryner lowered his right arm that had golden strings growing out of it. The startled High Elder and the amazons were moved behind him. Only Meirith was sitting next to him. After confirming that no one was in his line of sight and that Rosaminta was at a safe distance from the black stone beasts, he raised his left arm.
“R-Ryner!” [Riteinia]
Suddenly, Riteinia, who was diagonally on his right, shouted so with some fear and hesitation. She didn’t really have a reason to call his name. It surprised her. Her voice just slipped out. However, she didn’t plan on staying quiet like some frightened child. For she was a proud amazon and the Matriarch, the strongest warrior of her people. As such, she would say something suitable to save face.
“(I’ll question you later, just kill them all!)” [Riteinia]
“Just sleep with me after this or I’ll kill you!” [Riteinia]
What she said and what she was thinking of saying were completely different, though.
Ryner glanced at her with his golden right eye. It was half-closed, cold, calm and sharp like the stilled, clear surface of a lake. Being looked at by such a gaze made Riteinia’s heart thump and her body heat up. Then, a small smile formed on his lips.
“… Good to see that you’re still one crazy lady.” [Ryner]
He said and turned his sight back on the swarm, not noticing that the light green-haired woman’s face had turned red. In his left hand, a black handgun instantly materialized. It was a high caliber, semi-automatic pistol with a long barrel. Ryner aimed it at the clustered enemies that were gathered in the cloudy, dim sky. His black knights were in his line of fire, flying around the sphere of black stone beasts, moving at high speed like blurs.
“(About this… Much.)” [Ryner]
However, he paid it no mind and pulled the trigger.
A massive beam of bluish white light was fired from the gun’s muzzle with a piercing, rumbling sound. It flew in a straight line, illuminated its surroundings and utterly engulfed the swarm. Any knight in its path disappeared into smoke before it got hit.
“““G-GUOOOOOOOONNNN!!!””” [Black stone beasts]
Every parasite that got swallowed up let out one last roar filled with pain before being erased, vaporized, leaving behind not even ash.
“““…””” [Everyone]
Everyone that saw it, from the amazons, to the elves, to the panting Gatekeeper, were left speechless. The swarm of six-armed parasites that had threatened to spread death to Hossylei Nac had been annihilated in one attack. As silence reigned, rain began to fall. Like a signal to the end of the fighting, it fell on the city of elves, on the battered combatants and on the monster in the shape of a man.
The next second, the monster quickly reverted back to an ordinary man. The golden eye, the clothes of smoke, the horn, the feathers and the golden strings, everything unnatural disappeared. There was only the faint sound of water droplets hitting the ground for a few moments until people started to break free from their stupor.
“… Huh…?” [Amazon]
“It’s… Over? [Amazon]
“That was…?” [Amazon]
Shocked, puzzled murmurs were gingerly exchanged and among them was the voice of Riteinia.
“… What. The. HEEEELLL?!!” [Riteinia]
The Matriarch’s shout broke the quiet atmosphere that had settled and she stomped her way towards Ryner.
“IF YOU COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN DO IT FROM THE START!! AND DO ME, DAMN IT!!!” [Riteinia]
She angrily demanded before throwing him away with superhuman strength. He flew like a bird and crash-landed far away. Rosaminta, who was in her human form and was lying on her back, looked at his figure fly over her head. Her giant, plant-like body from which she had emerged was wilted and breaking down into small pieces like flower petals.
“Ahhh, amazing~!” [Rosaminta]
The light green-skinned woman, panting, said rather suggestively. Her beautiful face was contorted by a lascivious expression and she was squirming in a lewd manner. Despite everything that had just happened, her mind was currently dominated by one thought.
“I’m going to need a new name…” [Rosaminta]
Meanwhile, Ryner, caked in dirt and blood, was lying on his back and quietly looking up at the cloudy, gloomy sky. The rain fell incessantly, slowly draining his body of heat, but it was just right to cool his head.
“… Now, NOW, it’s over.” [Ryner]
He said as he thought about the puppy whose soul had already left the world of the living.
“It’s over, Mi.” [Ryner]
About the puppy that had once innocently declared herself his big sister.
“Damn it, it’s just a dog, but…” [Ryner]
Water droplets splashed on Ryner’s face and rolled down his cheeks like tears.
“This really brings back bad memories…” [Ryner]
He uttered weakly, tiredly, and covered his eyes with his right forearm, letting the rain cool down his turbulent emotions.