Salvation Through Delusion C59

Chapter 59

Ottmar was moving again—so was I. A glowing arrow appeared in my vision, visible only to me.

Crash!

Her blade struck where I had been just moments ago. The floor stones shattered, fragments flying in every direction from the force of her blow, but I rolled away in the nick of time.

Thud. Crack!

Her sword chased me like a predator, every swing meant to kill. I rolled and dodged with everything I had, my lungs burning. The key—my goal—was now just within arm’s reach. But before I could grab it, the situation shifted again.

Boom!

The ground trembled violently. Dust and small stones rained down from the ceiling and walls. I lost my footing and fell hard.

Ottmar didn’t miss the chance. Even as the chamber groaned and cracked around us, she came at me with the frenzy of a demon determined to destroy me. And this time, there was no way I could dodge her strike.

Damn it, I’m going to lose an arm—

Whoosh—

Slice!

The sharp hiss of wind was followed by the chilling sound of flesh being severed.

Thud.

Clang.

Amid the falling dust, an arm dropped to the floor, followed by the clatter of a sword. Both landed near their owner.

It wasn’t my arm. It was Ottmar’s.

She stared at it in disbelief, frozen, blood pouring down her shoulder. Slowly, her head turned toward the shattered wall.

Someone had entered.

What the hell—how did he get here?!

“Tyro—”

She didn’t even finish saying his name.

Whoosh!

The air split again—sharper this time.

Slash!

Her head hit the ground first, rolling once before the rest of her body collapsed beside it.

Thud.

I stared at the corpse for a moment, then brushed the dust off my clothes and stood.

It had been a while since I’d watched someone die up close. I’d almost forgotten how abruptly life could end.

I was alive only by chance. Who could’ve guessed that the man standing before me would be the one to save me?

“How did you get here?” I asked Tyroc.

He said nothing. Sword lowered, he simply stared at me.

“There’s something wrong with this mansion. We need to find a way out—”

“Were you hurt?”

His sudden question caught me off guard. It took me a second to remember my face—bruised and swollen from the fight. But seriously? That’s what he was worried about right now?

Even now, the floor trembled, the ceiling starting to crumble above us.

“Can you go back the way you came? The whole place is going to—”

He stepped closer, caught my chin, and forced me to look up. His eyes swept over my face—expressionless, yet burning with something unreadable.

“What are you doing?”

Only then did he meet my eyes. And he looked… furious.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered.

Then he released me roughly, shoving my face aside. I was too stunned to even be angry.

Really? Now was the time to pick a fight about my face?

I opened my mouth, but the floor shook again—harder this time. I staggered, and a large hand grabbed my arm to steady me.

Before I could even thank him, a massive chunk of the ceiling collapsed.

Boom!

Then, one after another, the beams and walls began to give way, collapsing like a chain of falling dominoes—from the entrance we’d come through.

Dust swelled like a storm, blinding us. Through the haze, I saw that half the entrance was already blocked.

Well. There goes that exit.

But Tyroc pushed me behind him and raised his sword. He was planning to force his way through.

But with the entire building coming down—could even a Swordmaster survive that?

I stepped back and grabbed his arm. He turned slightly, eyes flicking toward me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you alive.”

“I’m not the one I’m worried about,” I shot back, tightening my grip. In my other hand, I clutched the key—the one I’d risked losing an arm to grab.

And before Tyroc could react, I yanked him toward the still-open mirage gate and jumped.

“That leads to a collapsing—”

Whatever he’d meant to say died as the world changed around us.

Like turning a page, one chapter ended and another began.

Whoooosh—

Wind brushed against us, carrying the crisp scent of air—real air, not the suffocating dust of the collapsing mansion.

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even breathe.

The key… had actually worked?

I glanced down at my hand, then turned to look behind us.

The chamber we’d come from was collapsing in on itself, fading until the doorway vanished completely.

We were safe—but not out of danger.

The world around us glowed red, drenched in the light of a setting sun. Or so I thought—until I realized it wasn’t sunlight at all.

“What the hell…”

The crimson glow shifted suddenly, replaced by another hue as the wind surged again. It was as if the air itself carried color.

Wind?

My eyes lifted.

High above, vast waves of glowing wind rolled through the sky—shimmering currents of light, rippling like an ocean made of air.

It stole my breath.

I lifted my hand into the light. The wind brushed against my fingers, soft and warm—like velvet.

Could wind really feel this gentle?

It was mesmerizing—so much so that I nearly missed the quiet murmur beside me.

“…The Crimson Tide Forest.”

Tyroc’s voice.

Only then did I remember he was with me. But before I could respond, he stepped in front of me, raising his massive sword once more.

“What’s wrong—?”

Then I saw it.

Between the trees, between the bushes—figures.

Inhuman figures.

When had they gathered?

I’d seen non-human creatures before, but never so many—and never such a strange mix of forms.

Tiny spirit-like beings flitted near the ground, some small and glowing like Venomous One, others absurdly shaped, like clumps of fur with eyes.

There were chicken-like things with twig-arms, lizard-centipedes with dozens of legs, short-legged deer that looked like corgis, even pebbles wearing long leaf “ears” like rabbits.

It was like stepping into a living fairy tale.

Tap.

Tyroc took a step forward, sword still poised. Instinctively, I reached out to stop him.

“They’re not dangerous. Lower your sword.”

“How do you know that?”

He shot me a cold glare. I gestured at the creatures.

“They don’t look dangerous.”

“Those… things?”

Oh. Right. I’d forgotten—I was still using the filter. To me, they looked whimsical. To him, they probably looked horrifying.

“I’m, uh… not very sensitive to appearances,” I said quickly.

“Hm.”

“Hm?” I echoed, narrowing my eyes.

He smirked. “You never cared what they looked like, as long as they had a dick.”

I—what?! That’s not— I mean, okay, mostly not!

I wanted to protest, but not a word came out.

“…Yeah, let’s call it aesthetic equality.”

Tyroc barked a laugh, mocking, and looked down at me.

Then the wind struck again.

It wasn’t gentle this time. It roared—howling, luminous, painting the world pink.

The beauty of it stole my breath again—until I heard a sharp grunt beside me.

“Urgh.”

Tyroc’s body sagged. He dropped to one knee, his sword sinking into the earth as he used it to stay upright. His teeth clenched, his face twisted in pain.

“…Damn wind…” he hissed through gritted teeth.

Wind?

I looked closer. Every time the air surged, his body stiffened, his breath caught. The same breeze that felt so pleasant to me was hurting him.

Why?

[Leave that human and come to me instead!!!]

A familiar exclamation mark blinked before my eyes. Wait—only one creature used that much punctuation—

Thump. Thump. THUMP—!

The ground shook with enormous footsteps. From the forest burst a colossal black boulder, towering two stories tall.

I called it “running” because, impossibly, it had short, stubby stone legs that pattered frantically beneath its bulk.

The enormous rock lumbered up to me, lowering itself like it was bowing.

Hey—don’t come that close! You’re terrifying!

I stumbled back a step, heart racing.

But the boulder stopped politely, then dipped its head again. The long leaf “ears” sprouting from its top swayed forward—dangling right in front of my nose.

[USELESS HUMAN!!! USELESS HUMAN!!!]

…Wait.

“Diamond?! That’s you?!”

The massive boulder vibrated happily.

So… its true form was a giant rock?!