The figures of the two people seemed to completely vanish in the light, only to have their shapes return at some point.
After the smoke completely dissipated.
The man who was ‘Gustav’ clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.
“Haha, hahahahahaha! It’s a success! As expected… black magic is truly incredible! Even the gods couldn’t perform such miracles!”
“…..”
“The soul exchange worked perfectly. I feel completely normal. How about you?”
The figure resembling Gustav flexed his fingers and asked, folding and unfolding them.
The transparent male figure in front of him answered stiffly.
“No issues. Let’s proceed as planned.”
“Heh. Just remember, there’s a two-hour limit. After that, both you and I will lose consciousness, and our souls will revert to their original bodies.”
“Make sure you do a proper ‘imitation’ of me.”
“Don’t worry, that’s my specialty. It’s like a piece of cake.”
The man winked and replied playfully.
“Don’t make that kind of face with my face, it makes me sick.”
“You’re so rude.”
With a casual wave, the man quickly returned to his ‘Gustav’ expression.
“I’ll fulfill my duties as Gustav Mayr. For now, that’s all.”
“……”
“All for the .”
With those final words, the man whose body had changed left the barrier. As the magic field gradually dissipated, the real Gustav gripped his sword.
The bodies may have changed, but the ‘Spirit’ was still tied to the soul.
Since this man also had a trained body, there were some awkward aspects, but there was no problem with carrying out the mission. All the experiments had already been completed.
There was truly no turning back now.
Gustav closed his eyes, picturing one person.
A principled female knight with reddish hair.
The sickening feeling he had carried until now began to lift, replaced with something else.
‘Ah, yes. So this must be love.’
The willingness to throw oneself into the abyss for the sake of the other.
What else could that be called but love?
Surely, Clara Weyburn would understand one day.
He put his hand into his pocket. As discussed beforehand, the pocket watch he had prepared was now in his hand. Gustav checked the time on the watch.
Exactly at 10 o’clock.
Showtime was about to begin, and there was no turning back.
* * *
As the festival reached its peak, the headquarters fell into a state of high alert.
The night market, which was a major attraction of the festival, also began to close at 9 p.m. as recommended. Though there had been minor scuffles, nothing serious had occurred.
In fact, under normal circumstances, the night market would remain lively until 11 p.m., but due to the current situation, the Knight Templar had insisted on an earlier closure.
The Royal Family, fortunately, had agreed on the proposal, and the crowds dispersed earlier than usual.
‘I’m so relieved… If they had insisted on keeping the event time just to save face, it would’ve been a disaster.’
Of course, if it turned out that the warning letter was fake and today’s precautions ended up being for nothing, both the Royal Family and the Mayor might have some words for us.
It would actually be a relief if it just ended with a scolding. Better than the actual incident happening…
I scanned the area. Sir Sein and Billy were stationed on the opposite side, while Sir Lan was monitoring a blind spot nearby, checking the angles.
The knights from other orders who had cooperated today were also positioned at the locations we had discussed beforehand, ensuring the safety of the citizens.
I hope nothing would happen, if possible.
Even as I habitually prayed, I knew deep down that my wish wouldn’t come true.
As if to confirm my instincts, at exactly 10 p.m.
An eerie silence descended. In the brief gap of stillness, I sensed something unusual and immediately focused my Spirit.
Grrrrrrr. Groooowwl.
A deep, resonant howl echoed from the distance. The faces of the knights around me tensed as they sensed something was wrong.
The demonic creatures had arrived.
“Everyone, to your positions! Follow the manual! Do not leave your designated areas under any circumstances! Civilian protection is our top priority!”
“Understood!”
I watched as Lan quickly ran off to assess the situation in my place, while I was busy coordinating instructions through the communication channels to key positions.
Even in that moment, the chilling cries echoed simultaneously, as if they were singing a chorus.
‘At least four… no, five.’
Judging by the distance and volume, it seemed like the demonic creatures had reached an area far from the central square, though at varying distances. And it was bad news.
As soon as the festival was halted, we quickly evacuated the civilians away from the scene, but there might still be some citizens left scattered around who haven’t evacuated yet.
‘There can be no casualties!’
The Silver Magnolia Branch was important, but human lives were far more valuable. I was preparing to hand off the current area to another knight and move to assist.
But then—
Creeeech!
A horrific, piercing sound split the air, accompanied by the thunderous roar of crumbling ground.
As the ground cracked open, what emerged was a grotesque mass, resembling a massive cluster of green worms twisted together.
‘Hydra…!’
It had burrowed itself underground, breaking through the tiles and rupturing the water pipes, causing water to spray into the air in every direction like a fountain.
The soaking wet Hydra shook its massive body, flaunting its heavy form. At the same time, a shockwave spread out in all directions.
I shouted, while building a defensive barrier around me with my Spirit.
“Everyone, form up! Stay calm!”
“Yes!”
Thankfully, the Hydra wasn’t particularly large, about 3 meters tall. In more severe cases, they could grow to the size of a three-story building. This size was almost cute in comparison.
“Attack its back! Distract it until I can strike a fatal blow!”
“Understood!”
Unlike the Orthos I fought last time, the Hydra had a softer, more pliable exterior.
Moreover, there were a few knights providing support, so there was no need to exhaust my energy by relying solely on my blue sword energy.
‘Well, with the sword in my hand now, I could probably withstand the blue sword energy, but wasting my Spirit just to show off would be plain foolish.’
I drew the sword effortlessly, as if it were a part of my body. The sword that Ludger had gifted me followed my movements flawlessly, just as expected.
I moved the sword, cutting through the air in dazzling arcs. The Hydra was distracted, its heads flailing wildly at the attacks from other knights.
The numerous worm-like heads of the Hydra made grotesque noises as they threatened the knights in irregular patterns.
Amidst their movements, I clearly focused on the weakest point of the Hydra, aiming for its most vulnerable spot.
Like an archer drawing back their bowstring, the moment I calculated the trajectory and the point of impact, I struck.
Gathering the energy from my lower abdomen, I channeled it into my sword. The sword energy, flickering like pure white flames, surged upward in an instant.
“Hah!”
The path became clear. Without hesitation, I moved forward. Just narrowly avoiding the Hydra’s movements, I reached the nape of the worm-like mass, toward the core, and its critical weak point.
The dazzling white sword energy scattered in all directions like a dance, slashing against the Hydra’s neck. The monster writhed in agony, unable to withstand the pain.
Stab!
I didn’t miss the opportunity and thrusted my sword into the core. The pure concentrated energy exploded from that spot, sending fragments of black flesh flying as the Hydra disintegrated.
Pop!
With a disgusting sound of flesh being torn apart, the sword energy obliterated the Hydra. The now-destroyed creature collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, unable to utter even a final cry.
“Whoa!”
“Oh my god, she took down a Hydra on her own…!”
“Does that even make sense?”
A murmur quickly spread among the knights who had been supporting me. These bastards are dawdling.
“If you have time to chat, clean up the demonic creature’s remains! Move your hands and feet, not your mouth!”
“Ah, understood!”
I flicked my sword to shake off the creature’s disgusting fluids. Since I hadn’t neglected to form a protective shield, my body remained unharmed, but it was still disgusting.
The thought that I had been on the verge of getting covered in the green, sticky fluids made my stomach turn.
‘Anyway… Now’s not the time to worry about my appearance.’
Clinging to past grudges and refusing to cooperate with the Sapphire Knights would be foolish.
I needed to connect with Gustav and the Sapphire Knights, despite our past tension. This situation was far too serious.
At that moment, an urgent message came through my communication stone.
“This is Clara Weyburn from the Ruby Knights.”
[Captain Weyburn! This is the Sapphire Knights on the eastern side!]
“Yes, I was just about to contact you. What’s the situation on your end…?”
[W, we need help! Vice Captain Gustav is in critical condition!]
“…What?”
