A Warm Welcome to The New World (3)

— IV —

The cold darkness greet me when I walked out of the cathedral. Endless ruins drowned by the thick snow and forgotten. My skin burnt just by touching it. What a hostile world.

"A snow that burnt the skin... Isn't this Superadical?" I mumbled.

Superadical is a dangerous and volatile substance, capable of causing irreparable damage to a magician's body. It was the byproduct of a magical reaction inside the magic circuits. When exposed to high concentrations, Superadical can denature the body's proteins, leading to uncontrolled mutations that spread like cancer, gradually consuming the magician. This is the price one must pay to wield magic - a fate that no magician can escape.

But why is now the world covered by Superadical?

Suddenly Kiara approached me, “Only when the world reaches its crisis that the Hero and the Devil are born among the faithful sheep,” she muttered while touching the snow with her leather gloves,

“In the hands of those two souls, the ark of life will be at stake. If the hero wins then the world will be saved. If the Devil wins, the world will be destroyed…” she continued.

“It’s that verses from the bulls… uh, holy scripture?” I asked.

Kiara nodded, “Yup, and that’s what I wanted to believe too. Someday, a hero will come to save us all. However, a thousand Heroes were born, yet still no sign of The Devil. It’s as if the Gods had forsaken this world. Maybe they thought this world is too broken to be fixed,” she said innocently, “So I changed my prayer. I wished that The Devil should come out and destroy this shithole already.”

“Wow, that’s quite extreme.”

Kiara grinned widely, “Well, it’s a cruel world, my Heroine. But, The Devil is still not coming out, huh? I guess, it’s up to the people of this world to save its arse by themself.”

…

Suddenly I could hear, “A-Aaakhhhh!!”

A scream? I quickly grabbed Kiara's hand and pull her, “Quick, follow me,” I shouted to Kiara.

We ran away from the voice into the woods, panting in desperation. Suddenly, a roar could be heard near us. A swarm of shadowy monsters crawled out from the woods, making us turn back.

“Holy molly shite, how did they get here?” Kiara gasped.

Clinging to each other desperately, we ran into an open space. There I could I found a caravan surrounded by giant spider monsters in a vast field of snow. The spider's dark aura covered its rotting flesh, its fangs sticking out long and continuously flowing disgusting red liquid. It looked ferocious and could not wait to tear the man's limb apart. The swarm that followed us quickly regroup with the monster, adding the number of enemies to the mercenaries.

“I knew it, it’s Silkstriker swarm. I never knew that this is their lair. Could it be the Order breed them?” Kiara bite her finger, “Dammit, this couldn’t be good. That caravan didn’t stand a chance again Anima swarm,” she continued.

Anima was a monster born from people who used magic too much and end up consuming themself in darkness. Thirst for life, they wade into the darkness to seep the light of life. But I never heard someone could breed them. What is this Order she mentioned?

"Do not be afraid! Mahamagi Megistus is with us,” shouted a man with a magic book in his hand, commanding the army of mercenaries there.

“Wait, that voice. It’s Artie!” Kiara said and jumped out from behind the tree.

But I grab her back into my embrace, “N-No, don’t go there yet. It’s still dangerous!” I warned Kiara, who struggled against me.

“B-But—“

TRING!!

The sound of clashing swords and screams of suffering filled the air as mercenaries fought for their lives against the Anima. They were overpowered and surrounded, with no way out. In the chaos, one soldier stumbled and panicked, and the Anima pounced on the opportunity, trying to sink its fangs into the helpless man.

Suddenly a red light shot from the sky, with a flash of sword slashed through the spider's head and shot at another monster. The strike saved the mercenary life.

“C-Captain Arthur, I'm sorry,” said the mercenary.

Arthur, the name of the man in blackjacked and mask, shook his head, “Focus. Have you forgotten that your wife's children are waiting for you at home?"

Arthur then helped the man to stand up before calling 7 spears of flame into his back. The spiders were already dying to eat them. However with his leadership, the mercenaries' morale increased dramatically. Tenacious and unyielding, the warriors rebuked the Anima.

“Haargh, this is the end! Holy lance!” Arthur shouted, calling a spear of light that shot right through Anima's heart, ending the deadly battle.

Arthur removed his mask as the wind played with his silky black hair. His beautiful jade eyes shone among the snow, complementing his charming gaze. But then, I noticed something else. A sword hangs from his waist, with the symbol of two lions protecting a diamond.

“…Artemisia,” I gasped.

“W-Wait, wait, wait, my Heroine, what are you doing?” Kiara asked worriedly, but I didn’t pay heed to her.

I sharpened my claw and was ready to launch and kill the man, but Kiara clasped my cheeks and look at me deeply,

“Angel Feather!” she shouted.

The adrenaline rushed that stroke my body suddenly diminished. The fear I felt suddenly fell silent. It seemed this girlie used some kind of tranquilizer magic to calm me down. … as I calmed down, my mind became clearer.

"... I-i'm sorry. I don't know what happened," I said looking at my trembling hand. Strange, I never saw that man before but I immediately recognize his sword. This fear etched into my soul, bypassing the blockage of memory in my mind. What did I fear? Heroes? No... I never felt this scared before.

“Is everyone alright?” I could hear Arthur’s voice.

Fatigue overcame all members, they could only answer their leader with a thumbs up. Even so, relief was evident on Arthur's face. It's rare for a magician to care about other people's fates like him. He... was a good leader.

…!

Suddenly, a red blade shot at me, almost kissing my neck. W-wow, that was close!

"Who are you? Show your face, Cultist!" Arthur shouted pointing the seven spears of light at me.

Having no other choice, we came out from our hiding place. While holding Kiara, I said,

“C-Calm down, we came with peace—”

“You Evil Cultist, hand off her NOW!” Arthur interrupted in panic and immediately ordered, “Men, Hwacha Formation!”

What?

“No, Artie, please listen!” Kiara shouted.

The mercenaries closed ranks, forming a giant tortoise-like formation with their magic shields. Sensing mana flow from the formation, I quickly pushed Kiara away. Just before Kiara could get away, from the gaps in their defenses, a barrage of light spears shot at me.

"W-Wait, wait, I'm not an enemy," I shouted, barely dodging all the spears.

Ugh, humans and their stubbornness. Maybe I should kick their arse before they listened to me. I ran toward them and then slammed my foot to the ground. A shockwave of Superadikal Snow followed, providing the perfect cover for me to clench my fist, and enhanced it with Animata.

“Raven style 02: Dragon Jaw!” I shouted and then landed a massive blow that broke through their formation. However, the moment the magic shield shattered, the mercenaries pounced on me like a pack of hungry wolves, ready to tear me apart.

One mercenary jumped up and swung his sword at me, but his sword dance was so full of gaps that I caught his hand and slammed his body into the ground. Another followed but I evade and used his attack to harm their ranks. Then with a solid kick, I slammed the two of them into the trees.

“This power? She must be one of the Matrovska. W-We can’t beat here,” shouted a frightened mercenary.

“No, no, no! I’m not matrov-whatever, I’m just... Oh, what am I? W-Wait, wait, I'm seriously not a threat.” I said waving my hand frantically.

The other mercenaries hesitated, unsure of how to handle this mysterious stranger who seemed to possess superhuman strength and agility. I saw the fear in their eyes and knew I had to act quickly to defuse the situation.

But then…

“Solar Blades!” shouted Arthur while shooting a sword of flame into me. I immediately ducked and leaned on the ground to kick him in the chin, but the boy was agile enough to avoid it.

Suddenly a magic portal appeared that shot chains of light binding my body. No matter how much I try to escape it's useless. But then, a bright light blinded my eyes.

“Helios Blast!”

I narrowly dodged a powerful beam, but then it exploded and knocked the top of the iceberg behind us. Y-Yikes, if that hits me, I could instantly die! Horror quickly gripped my heart.

"A-A-Aaahh, forgive me, I-I'm just a simple woman that passed by," I said in tears.

“She dodged a point-blank attack…?” Arthur panted in disbelief. probably exhausted himself, he stop fighting me and stared at me for a moment, “… Blue Iris... sharp fangs, pale skin… pale golden hair… Wait a minute, this characteristic..." he said matching the painting on the parchment he took from his bag.

“Are you a Daemon Vampire?" continued Arthur.

“…Uhh, yes I guess?” I answered.

Arthur stroked his chin suspiciously, “Hmmm… a Daemon, huh? Suspicious,“ said Arthur and immediately ordered his troops, “Bring that Daemon. She could be one of the Cultists. And someone, please retrieve Doctor Kiara safely. She might be brainwashed by that Order.”

"Ready, Captain Arthur!" said the soldiers who immediately picked me up.

Kiara grabbed Arthur’s coat and said, “No, wait, Artie. She’s my heroine, she saved my life!”

But Arthur shook his head, “Sorry, Kiara. Until we could examine you properly, I can’t believe anything you say right now.”

They threw me into the iron cage in their caravan, along with a bunch of lunatics that met the same fate as me, bound helplessly by the Chain of Heaven. At least they were unconscious with their share of beatings.

“Could you at least give me a blanket? It's cold out here!” I begged.

TANG!! A soldier hit the bars of the cage with his spear, sending me flying in terror.

'“S-Sorry, sorry, don't hurt me!” I asked in prostration.

I huddled in on myself, shivering as the bitter cold seeped into my bones. My eyes scanned the dark sky above, but there were no stars or moon to be seen.

Even without magic, I knew that the sky was nothing but a fabrication, a cruel illusion conjured by a powerful witch. The only source of light came from a few sparse trees in the distance, barely enough to chase away the shadows.

The world was plagued by a toxic storm that consumed everything in its path. Humanity was forced to live under a false sky, casting an eerie and artificial glow over the land. And lurking in the darkness was the Anima, waiting to prey on the weak and unsuspecting.

I couldn't help but wonder, what had happened to the world.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing thoughts. So much had changed since I'd last been alive, and there were so many questions I needed answers to. But amidst the confusion and uncertainty, one thought stood out above all else:

I have to find my daughter quickly.

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