Chapter 50

Still, there isn't much I can do.

A simple spell would dissolve upon touching the skin.

I keep my distance and try firing several fireballs.

As the demon slowly turns to face me, I aim for its face.

“Gruaaaaa?”

As expected, the fireballs dissolve before reaching its face.

Still, it seems to serve as a blindfold, and I circle around to the back while firing several more.

Next, I aim for the neck.

The demon's shape is similar to a human's. It wouldn't be strange if it had the same vital points.

Using a tree as a foothold, I strike from behind with all my might.

Activating my fighting spirit, the pain relief in my right arm wears off, and the pain returns.

“...!”

But I can't afford to worry about that.

If I focus on the pain and get killed, it would be all for nothing.

The collision between my fist and the demon's neck.

As expected, the demon's neck won.

I felt my arm creak.

The strong impact reaching my shoulder destabilizes my stance.

And then, the demon's powerful arm swings.

“Gaaaaaa!”

With a roar, a strong impact hits my abdomen.

I managed to react, but the arm I used to guard was the same one.

The crack widened again.

My body flies backward.

The scenery flows in slow motion. The air feels thick. My vision is blinding.

Before long, my back collides with a tree.

For some reason, I didn't feel the impact.

My vision darkens for a moment. Then, I regain consciousness.

It's bad; I must have lost consciousness. Some of my memory is missing.

Looking around, I see that the distance between me and the demon has increased significantly. Several trees lie fallen between us.

They must have been the ones I hit when I was launched.

Despite breaking through several trees, I don't feel any pain.

Thanks to the enhanced fighting spirit, there doesn't seem to be much damage. I can continue the battle.

But just as I thought that, something strange happens to me as I stand up.

“...Gob...”

Something overflows from my mouth.

Catching the sticky liquid in my hand, I realize it's a clot of blood.

“Uwa...”

A whisper escapes my mouth, which smells of iron.

For the first time in a long while, I feel a clear premonition of death.

Up until this point, I must not have been taking things seriously.

Self-reproach wells up inside me.

I should have run away.

If I had abandoned Reshid and fled alone, I would have surely escaped.

I should have acted to ensure my survival. For that, I shouldn't have hesitated to make sacrifices.

The approaching demon enters my field of vision.

That's right, if I had run away, I wouldn't have had to fight such a terrifying enemy.

I shouldn't have taken on the scouting mission.

If I had fled as fast as I could, Reshid and I would have returned to Iline unharmed.

This battle was a waste.

Before I knew it, my mind was dominated by weak thoughts.

No, that's not right!

I shake my head to dispel the thoughts.

That's not it!

What am I giving up on?

What I should be thinking about is how to defeat the demon in front of me.

I can regret and reflect as much as I want after it's over. First, I need to survive. Then, I'll make the demon's face contort in pain. Only then will I have done enough.

Giving up here would make me a failure.

Don't give up.

I decided to defeat it before Den and the others arrive.

I clench my blood-covered hand and scold myself.

For some reason, the demon starts running. It charges straight at me again.

This time, I don't stop.

“...!”

I can't even make a sound. A super-high-speed tackle.

I'm launched backward by the impact.

I slide on my back through the grass and stop after crashing into a thicket.

It hurts.

Even if I use a pain relief spell, the effect will wear off immediately when I activate my fighting spirit. It's useless.

I don't seem to have the time to heal.

The next attack is coming.

A precise stomp aimed at where my head was. The foot pierces the ground, creating a small crater.

I barely manage to dodge, but if it had hit, I would have died.

I hurriedly jump up and take a step back.

But I can't escape.

The giant body lunges at me, and the punch slams me into the ground.

My body bounces like a trampoline.

Of course, the ground is hard, and the bounce is due to the elasticity of my body.

Naturally, it hurts.

But that pain is quickly overshadowed by the next one.

My side collides with a tree. No, I'm the one who collides with the tree.

“~~~~~~~!!”

I vomit. The blood mixed in clearly indicates internal injuries.

My whole body aches.

I can no longer tell where it hurts, and I might even think that nothing hurts.

Yet, I can't muster any strength in my body.

My hands, which grip the ground as if clawing it, grasp nothing.

...I need to retreat. That's all I can think.

My weakened limbs are no longer reliable.

I'll try to fly away.

First, I create a smoke screen. For that, I prepare a large number of fireballs.

It's the same trick as before, but it's the only thing I can think of now.

I fire all the fireballs at the demon's head.

If it blocks my vision, that's fine. If I can somehow wound it, that would be a pleasant surprise.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

But, of course, no such pleasant surprise occurs.

When the demon roars, the fireballs that were rushing toward it explode.

It's not like Den, who disperses attacks by scattering them.

The fighting spirit spreads like a wave when the demon roars, and the fireballs are extinguished.

The dispersion of fighting spirit. I'm impressed by this even now, with my throat burning.

Still, it seems my plan to escape by flying has been foiled.

I'm really at a loss.

I can only manage a bitter smile.

The demon, in the shape of death, walks slowly toward me.

My body won't move.

Thinking about it, the forest where I was attacked by dogs right after birth was also here.

Back then, I survived thanks to magic.

This time, magic won't help.

The sky is blue.

It's been about six years since then. Perhaps the time from then until now was just a reprieve.

Maybe I was destined to die.

Perhaps the fate of death, which I barely survived, has grown stronger and is now closing in on me again.

“Hahaha...”

A bitter laugh escapes me.

Fate. Am I so cornered that such delusions are flooding my mind?

More likely, I'm becoming quite emotionally unstable.

What am I giving up on?

I can still fight harder.

Remember when I was attacked by stray dogs.

I didn't give up then. Even when I had no magic and no means of counterattack.

A hand reaches out.

To crush my head. To take my life.

No way.

It's not over yet. There's still something I can do.

I reach into the bag at my waist and pull out a small knife for disassembly.

I strengthen it with fighting spirit and pierce the demon's palm, breaking the sheath and pushing the blade through the back of its hand.

“Giiiiiiiiii!”

The first time I hear the demon's scream.

The force of my stab, enhanced by fighting spirit, seems to be stronger than the demon's skin.