Past and Future V / What Lies in This Life

Unfortunately, one victory would not be enough to turn the tide of battle.

My body ached all over, yet I had no choice but to hope none of my bones were fractured as I charged back into the fray. If nothing else, the adrenaline coursing through my veins was numbing the pain to bearable levels.

There!

Identifying the most urgent target in a fraction of a second, I swerved in front of Fleur to intercept a Fragment swooping down, its jaw opening wide. It fluttered back the moment my blade scraped against its fangs, opting to retreat rather than risk taking a hit to its vulnerable inner flesh.

Despite the close call on her end, Fleur paid neither me nor the attacker any mind, her focus placed entirely on something in the distance: three Fragments locked into an intense battle with none other than the illusionist herself.

I recalled how easy it had been to distract these creatures in our first fight, so I had to admit her ploy was clever. The mirage zipped and contorted around the strikes of its assailants like a world-class acrobat, receiving not so much as a graze from any of them. As long as they never touched the fragile illusion, it would remain intact, and their attention would be diverted from the rest of us.

The precision and speed with which she manipulated the phantasm surpassed what any ordinary illusion mage would be capable of; just as my physical capabilities were amplified by the blessing of Aeresi, so too were the magical powers of mages like Fleur and Shina. Even though her greatest talent wasn’t particularly suited for battle against non-human opponents, she was still doing what she could to help fight alongside us.

I redirected my entire focus onto the enemy before me, which was circling back to pounce. Rather than let it close in on its own terms, I blasted forward and swung diagonally upward into its flank. Caught off guard, it twisted its body in an attempt to evade, but my slash was too fast. Although I failed to land a direct hit, my sword dug into its shell and became lodged between two layers of scales.

Adjusting my grip, I used both hands to push the hilt in one direction, using the blade as a wedge to pry open its armor from the inside. At first, it refused to budge, but as I increased the pressure, the scales began to pop and crack until, finally, an entire cluster snapped free.

“Ablis pelyosves!”

No more than a second later, a spear of ice drilled into the beast’s exposed body.

“Thanks for the backup.”

“Don’t mention it.” Shina gave me a weak smile between shallow breaths, her magical and physical energies both on the brink of drying up.

“Are you o—”

Another Fragment entered my view, curving around behind her and sweeping in for a deadly strike. Before I had a chance to react, however, another figure slipped in to interpose himself between the two, blocking its assault with his body-sized shield.

“Everett, help Akio! I can cover things here for now!” Kerne shouted an order without facing me, his gaze refusing to leave his new opponent.

I hesitated for a moment, but a confident nod from Shina left me with no other choice. Even if we weren’t well acquainted, I had no reason to lack trust in Kerne’s judgement, especially not if she was willing to back it up.

I turned my head in the direction I had last seen Akio, and it didn’t take long to spot him. He was still dueling against two opponents, trying to keep out of their attack range using the extended reach of his polearm. Despite his efforts, it was clear this was a losing battle; his footing was unsteady, and his strikes lacked the force needed to bring the Fragments any trouble. With each second that passed, his desperation grew more palpable and his mistakes more severe. It almost felt like they were toying with him.

I sprinted toward him and squeezed my sword handle, focusing on the tactile sensation in hopes of staving off the shroud of pain and exhaustion wrapping around me. Before I could even cover half the distance, however, the pair of monsters moved to strike in tandem, splitting up to approach from two angles at once. If he tried to dodge one and deflect the other with his halberd, he should be able to hold them off until I arrived.

And yet, Akio did not raise his weapon. He was gasping for air, an act of desperation for both his body and mind. He must’ve heard my approach, because he looked away from the Fragments and turned his head to gaze backward. His arms slumped down in defeat, and a look of resignation was plastered over his face.

… Akio?

He opened his mouth to say something, but I couldn’t make out his words from this distance. I was running as fast as I could, but the Fragments would undoubtedly get there first.

What the hell are you doing!? Fight back, dammit!

Time felt like it slowed down further and further with each step I took, but all that served to do was reaffirm the reality of the matter.

“… not fair.”

I managed to make out the last two words he spoke. The last two words he would ever speak.

I didn’t know Akio that well, but at least among the Inheritors, he always seemed to be the happiest and most carefree. He seemed like the kind of person whose mood could never dip for long, the kind of person who’d be unable to bottle up his feelings, regardless of what they were.

Yet I knew the pain in his voice as intimately as if it were my own. The pain of someone suppressing their suffering. The voice of someone being consumed from the inside out by their despair. It wasn’t the Anomaly Beasts that would kill him; in essence, he was already dead.

Since the first day we met, I’d felt like there was some sort of irreconcilable gap between us. But I knew this exact pain. I still felt it, even now. I didn’t know from where his anguish stemmed, but it didn’t matter.

No one deserves to die twice.

My sword clattered to the ground as I leapt forward, arms outstretched. It would be impossible to reach him in time, but I refused to give in to my limits and barreled onward anyway.

“Akio!” A scream.

Thwoomp! An arrow.

“Pelyos!” A spell.

The wills of three individuals coalesced in that moment to manifest a miracle.

Something dug deep into my back as I collided with Akio and grabbed onto him, dragging him forward with me. We carried the momentum of my previous stride, but the way I’d practically tackled him sent us hurtling to the ground.

My body made a nasty squelching sound as it hit the dirt, and I could feel a sticky wetness spreading across the backside of my shirt, gluing it to my skin.

… But I’m alive. We’re alive.

I rose from the ground as quickly as my body would allow. The support from Mara and Shina had saved our lives, with both of their projectiles striking the Fragments at the perfect moment, but it offered only a moment of reprieve.

“Ak—” I surge of pain cut off my first set of words. “R-run…”

I had thrown my sword in order to have both hands available to grab Akio, so I stood unarmed against the two monsters as they rose from the floor with bloodlust in their eyes.

If I was more skilled with conjuration magic, I could’ve magically stored my weapon in that split second instead of tossing it; that way, I would’ve been able to conjure it again now.

But I knew there was no point in regretting my actions. The past was the past. I couldn’t change it.

Damn, I really don’t want to die.

I stretched out my arms to shield Akio. I was far too injured to fight properly, so this was all I could do. I wanted him to live, to overcome his pain.

There are still things I want to do. I only just arrived in this world, after all.

Akio was rising to his feet. That was good. He could still make it.

But if I have to die now, that’s okay. I think I’ve smiled more over the past few weeks than I ever have before in my life.

Sorry to be so selfish, Shina. I won’t be able to fulfill my promises to you. But still, thank you. For everything.

I closed my eyes.

…

“I’M AN ISEKAI PROTAGONIST, GODDAMNIT! TAKE ME ON, ASSHOLES!”

A screaming body brushed past me with remarkable speed, and an incredible blast of wind jolted my eyes back open. The gales were born not from magic but from the sheer physical might of a weapon’s slash.

The head of a halberd dug into the flesh of the Fragment to my right, whose scales had yet to fully regenerate from Mara’s arrow. The attack did not cease there, however.

Despite the huge mass stuck to the end of the shaft, Akio swung it effortlessly straight toward the other monster, using the first’s body as a weapon itself. Both the living and dead were launched several yards, flung by the absurd, inhuman strength of the Inheritor to my flank.

“C’mon, buddy. We gotta get you out of here!”

I wasn’t sure what had inspired Akio to act, but his demeanor had completely shifted. Between that and the increasing pain of my wound, I felt like I was going into shock.

“Everett!” Shina was sprinting toward us, tears in her eyes.

“I-I’m okay,” I said, only kind of lying. “Don’t worry about me; you still need to figh—”

“No need for that anymore.” Mara, her voice cool as ever, also approached, albeit at a more casual pace.

A loud splattering sound erupted to the side. It wasn’t simply the sound of flesh being pierced but of a body being utterly pulverized.

“Damn. Should’ve shown up today, I guess. Why do you bastards always get to have all the fun?”

A giant hammer in one hand and a long spear in the other, Vandan stood over a pile of disgusting, violet sludge. He glanced over our way.

“And they almost killed the Foreigner too? Shit. Should’ve taken my sweet time.” He let out a guffaw before scanning the rest of the battlefield.

Several grotesque pools of liquid were splashed across the arena already.

He couldn’t have arrived here more than 20 seconds ago. How did he…?

His eyes shot toward the trio of Fragments distracted by Fleur’s illusion, and he smiled. With speed matching my own, he blasted toward them and leapt several feet into the air. Holding the spear above his head, he thrust it down into the group with a force that surpassed even the most powerful attack I’d witnessed from Mara.

A cloud of dirt washed over the training yard, and as it dissipated, I could make out the writhing, naked frames of the Anomaly Beasts, every scale on their bodies stripped away from the single strike. They were alive, but only technically.

He smashed his hammer down as he landed, vaporizing two at once. Then, he stretched out his now-empty spear arm and conjured a sword, beheading the final creature with a new weapon as a twisted form of fun. Or, at least, that was my best guess as to his motive.

But…

This man made me sick for a number of reasons.

… he did save us. We’re saved.

I collapsed, unable to support my weight any longer. My entire back felt wet and syrupy.

“Everett!” Multiple voices called that name. Despite the circumstances, it made me happy.

Thanks, Akio. I owe you one. I owe all of you. Thank you.

Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to voice my thoughts, I let them remain in my head as I drifted out of consciousness.