Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers - Chapter 71



70 – A Tiny Bit of Love (1)

Rachel, gripped by panic, breathed like a madwoman.

“Huh, huh.”

She didn’t know what was what.

She’d stabbed her petrified comrades. They exploded. She’d watched the flames erupt right in front of her. Thought she was going to die right then and there.

But, she was perfectly fine. Alive.

From noble mtl dot com

The spear had long slipped from her hand. She didn’t have any strength left. Rachel slowly lifted her closed eyelids.

“Haa, haa.”

Her hurried breathing gradually slowed.

Because she was relieved. Rachel was in Erich’s arms. He was holding her tight, absolutely refusing to let her go.

“Ha, ha.”

“…Hey, you alright?”

That single word, “alright.”

She was so glad she’d bothered to learn the language of the Magic Kingdom.

“Y-yeah.”

“Good enough. Pick up your spear, quick.”

Even as she picked up the spear from the ground, she felt something was off. Normally, when something this disastrous happened, it was hard to keep it together mentally. If Rachel had been alone here, she would have crumbled right there.

“Hey, your hand….”

“Another burn. Goddamn it.”

Erich opened his canteen and poured water on her right hand. There were black scorch marks. A few blisters were forming too.

Rachel’s body was relatively clean. He swore he wouldn’t let a single spark touch her… Just like the mage promised.

“Mage! Major! Are you okay?”

“Cough, cough! Thought I was a goner!”

Tiria and Riyo were fine too.

The biggest problem here was the golems. David and Kalon had lost half their power from the scorpion golems’ attacks. The scorpion golems themselves were heavily damaged from the self-destruction and freezing.

Rachel’s hand tightened around her spear.

“Ha.”

She felt like crying. Like she was about to crumble any second. Two things were holding her up. Erich Ronstein and revenge.

“Piece of shit.”

Rachel and Erich ran together. Their destination was Ledoff, who’d been blasted away by Erich’s magic. They would kill him, no matter what.

[“Gah.”]

Ledoff, already hit once by Erich, was out cold.

Of all places, he got hit in the face. Erich hadn’t just shot Ice Flower Stone. Right after, with good reflexes, he’d slammed Azure Stone into him, blowing away half his head.

That wouldn’t kill a demon.

But the next slash would mean he couldn’t guarantee his survival. And that was because…

“Goddess of Battle.”

“Goddess of Healing!”

“Goddess of Creation.”

[“Heavens.”]

Rachel, Tiria, Riyo and Miyo too.

And even Erich.

“””Forgive this recklessness.”””

[“Take everything I have and wield it.”]

Because they charged in, not caring about mana or Sephiron depletion.

It was insane. At this rate, we could all die. Extreme exhaustion would hit right after the attack. Ledoff just couldn’t comprehend the human way of thinking.

No matter how angry they were, there was no reason for them to act like this. At least one of them could lose their will and run!

Ah, that’s it.

He didn’t understand it, but he figured it out.

They weren’t just acting recklessly. They were showing their resolve. If they lived, they would all live together, and if they died, they would all die together.

It was an earth-shattering thing.

Why, how on earth did the mages and those Holy Spirit Church b*stards become allies? And so tightly bound together…!

Ledoff gritted his teeth and raised both hands.

[“Lightning—!”]

Before he could weave a new golem, a cluster of light pierced through Ledoff’s heart.

*

The Saintess blocks a demon’s standard attack with Holy Power. At the same time, she delivers a devastating divine punishment to his soul.

Riyo’s Holy Power immobilizes him, eliminating the possibility of the attack missing, and Valkyrie’s Holy Power and my magic focus on firepower.

My mana was running low, but then Miyo brushed my back. I received a mana boost. Weak, but pure. This will somehow be enough.

The result of pouring out all our power like that.

[“Keh, hurrrk……”]

Managed to cleave the demon in two.

The aftermath was bleak, having burned through all my magic and divine power. We collapsed, almost at the same time. Barely supporting each other, clinging to shoulders.

My throat was parched. Limbs numb, head felt like it was being seared with fire. If I lost focus even for a second, I’d just fall asleep right there.

We gasped for breath, trying to get our bearings. The demon still clung to life.

[“You… you insane b*stards.”]

[“…Talk. What are you plotting here?”]

[“You think I’ll talk just because you tell me to? Cough!”]

[“All the info will be in the ancient texts here anyway. Might as well tell us before we squeeze it out.”]

[“Heh, heh heh, heh heh heh.”]

The demon chuckled creepily.

[“Alright, I’ll tell you something interesting. This tower is designed to collapse when I die.”]

[“…What?”]

[“Five minutes. All the records will be ash, wiped clean. Even if you get out of here in one piece, you won’t get the data. Got it!”]

His voice grew clearer. Was this his last, desperate act before death?

[“You should be worrying about your own hides first. Escape this tower in that condition? No chance! Give it your best shot if you think you can!”]

The demon giggled maniacally, then his head slumped. His flesh was ruined by me and Valkyrie. His soul was torn to shreds by the Saintess’s divine punishment. He was dead.

Kugugugung.

The stone tower started to shake.

“…Could it be, he wasn’t lying?”

“We have to get out. Ngh…!”

“I… I have no strength left. Ughhh…”

I managed to kill the demon by pouring everything I had into it. I just didn’t account for this. We slumped down together, hugging each other tight.

The tremors were getting worse.

Damn it, isn’t there any way out?

[“Miyo!”]

[“That magic I used was all of it! It’ll take over 20 minutes to gather it again!”]

[“We still gotta try!”]

[“I am trying!”]

Miyo and I both started channeling.

It’s not working. Already 3 minutes have passed and not even half is gathered. At this rate, we can’t use the transfer stone. A violent explosion echoed from the floor below. Pillars are collapsing.

“Ugh…”

Valkyrie crawled awkwardly towards the area where the Scorpion Golems were collapsed. It was dangerous, but I didn’t stop her. Her companions, the ones she desperately searched for, were there.

“Guys… I, I’m here. Where are you? Please… it’s my fault. Just tell me where you are, just make a sound. Huh…? Please. Just let me hear your voice one last time before I die…!”

Valkyrie cried pathetically, face down on the ground. A few pebbles fell on my head.

The Saint and Riyo hugged me tightly.

“Erich.”

The Saint started, her voice choked with tears. Her eyes, of course… of course?

Why are they yellow instead of blue? Is she about to die?

“Even though it was a short time, I’m glad I met you. You gave me a new perspective. I realized I was wrong. I wish I had met you sooner…”

“What… what are you trying to say?”

“I like you.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not good with words. So I’ll say it like this. I like you. I love you. I was interested in you. Three months was a short time, but…”

“…Kasten.”

“You were a kind person, Erich.”

The Saintess closed her eyes and leaned against my shoulder. A single tear traced a path down her cheek. I couldn’t say anything.

“Dying is scary, isn’t it?”

A detached composure. The Saintess had let everything go.

In this situation, the only ones still Mir-kiling to the very end were me and Miyyo.

Was it lingering attachment to life, or a will to live?

“Even if it doesn’t work, Riyyo and your sister will stick by your side till the end. We have a heavy connection. Even if we could run on healthy legs, we’d never abandon you in danger.”

Of course, judging by the speed at which mana was gathering, it was clear this was useless.

Really, is this the end?

“Ah, you guys, where are you…?”

Valkyrie was still slumped over, crying toward the Scorpion Golems. She’ll catch a cold if she keeps that up.

But that’s when it happened.

“The core of the Golem is, as you can see, on its back.”

“After unraveling the magic circle like this, like this, just obliterate it and it’ll open right up.”

“…?”

Two Golems with their heads blown off dragged their feet, extracting the Scorpion Golem’s core. It was David and Calon.

I was surprised. After getting hit by the scorpions’ sting attack, I thought they’d either fainted or vanished since they weren’t moving. That’s what I thought, so I was furious.

But they were alive?

“Dying is my specialty.”

“I specialize in pretending to die.”

“Isn’t that a total cushy job?”

My head went blank for a moment.

“As long as the core’s alive, the body can keep moving. It’s not a problem for magicians like us.”

“Erich-senpai, isn’t having to consider even situations like this what makes a true magician? Since we have bodies, we stockpiled mana beforehand. Just trust us.”

David and Calon moved with perfect coordination. They pulled the magic stones from their Valkyrie comrades, put them in their mouths, and came to me to transfer mana.

Transferring it from a golem to a human means the efficiency isn’t great. But even this was enough.

Okay. Mana recharged.

“H-Hey? What is this?”

The Saintess opened her eyes in a fluster. There wasn’t even time to react. I felt like less than thirty seconds remained.

The dead demons turned to dust and scattered. I picked up the fallen magic stones and forced myself to stand. Every joint was screaming in agony.

With less than 10 seconds to go.

Just before the ceiling completely collapsed, I chanted the Whieun.

[“Let’s go.”]

The transfer stone answered that call as if it were the most natural thing in the world.