章 34: I won’t kill you right away
"The Nightmare sucks the life out of people," Raffi remarked in the middle of the meeting, then looked up at Jack.
"Life…?"
"That's why the Nightmare devours blood and human bodies. It's the same with that sword… Dáinsleif."
Eyeing the long sword in his hand, Jack questioned Raffi. "So you're saying that this thing sucks the life out of me to exercise its power?"
"You get the idea. That's right. When you connect your consciousness to it and wield it, the Dáinsleif will presumably exert its power in exchange for sucking your life."
"The more I wield it, the more death approaches me…"
"Master Jack…" Philrain glanced at Jack with a frightened look on her face.
When he looked back at her, he stabbed the sword into the floor and said. "Interesting. I'm not going to get my revenge unless I do that."
"…"
Raffi fell silent for a brief moment and then added to Jack. "There is a limit to the life force. A certain amount of it can be generated by the human body, but if it is drained all at once, the person will fall into a coma. Perhaps you can only unleash the Dáinsleif attack twice."
"Twice…"
Jack repeatedly nodded, and Raffi continued.
"You have to decide within two attacks. I doubt you'll be able to wield more than that."
◇
I didn't realize it was this tough…
Jack lifted the Dáinsleif once more and staggered into position. His vision was shaking and his ears were ringing; his head was hot as if it was boiling and his nose was bleeding.
The moment he swung the sword, it felt as if all the energy in his body had been extracted. Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus his attention forward.
The blow of the Dáinsleif was tremendously potent. It wasn't quite a bisect, but it ripped half of the White Queen's ominous torso. This was the power of a swing that hadn't even touched her.
But…
I still have to… strike directly at her…
In his heart, Jack gnashed his teeth. The screaming white queen shuddered as her body sprayed black blood. She was still alive.
Indeed, as Raffi had mentioned, wielding it a second time seemed to be the limit. Jack raised his right hand and hollered.
"Now! Activate!"
The astonished men hurriedly assumed their positions in disorder. Then they each stepped as hard as they could on the explosive switch to set off the blasting.
The surrounding area was engulfed by a tremendous explosion, flames and impact; the ground exploded in a chain reaction, leading all the way to the river.
This was an activated underground mine that the people of the shelter had set up in advance. It caused the river to collapse at once; it swallowed the black water, the White Queen, and the measuring worm-like Nightmare all at once.
"Aliceeeeeee!"
The White Queen let out a scream. Her huge body was caught in the explosion, and then the river began to collapse. Apparently, the stratum in this area was soft and brittle. And in a short distance away was a cliff. The collapsing water flowed towards it, and the White Queen and the others began to be swept away with immense force.
"Guooooo!"
The White Queen, who was exposed to the direct hit of the explosion and had been reduced to a soggy lump of flesh in many places, shrieked as her stance crumbled. She was then swept off the cliff behind her and tumbled down.
"We got her…!"
Philrain raised her voice behind Jack. But Jack clenched his teeth at the sensation of something… that tingled through his body, the "rage" of the White Queen. It was painfully transmitted through the Dáinsleif.
"Not yet…!"
The sound of wings could be heard; a sound that jolted the air like a high frequency. The priestesses, and even the men, covered their ears.
From the bottom of the cliff, the White Queen surfaced, bee-wing-like wings sprouting from her back and vibrating at high speed as she soared through the air. The monster screeched at Jack from the air, spraying black blood from her massive, blunt body.
"Kill… kill… killlllllllll!"
The White Queen, who was emitting a vindictive voice from her thorn-filled mouth and morphing into a shape that was no longer recognizable as anything else, reached out her hands into the air. As soon as she did, a pitch-black "hole" appeared in the area surrounding her hands. It immediately began to swirl and spin, and… Jack felt an intense suction sensation as if something was sweeping his body away, and he stamped his feet in panic.
"What the…!" He raised his voice loudly. The water around him swayed and shifted as if it were being pulled towards the black sphere.
"It's the White Queen's ability! Hold on to something!" Philrain shouted, and retreated, supported by the men. Jack also tried to escape, but his legs were weak and he fell to his knees on the spot.
"Master Jack!" Philrain exclaimed. Jack hastily stabbed his Dáinsleif into the ground and clutched at it.
One by one, the priestesses screamed and floated up into the air, being sucked into the black sphere with terrifying speed. Gruesome screams resounded. A jet of bright red blood shot up from within the sphere. Drenched in it, the White Queen slowly approached Jack, her wings ruffling.
"Guuuuuu!"
Jack gripped the Dáinsleif and struggled to keep his body in place as the sensation drew his entire body in.
His eyes blurred; his head ached.
At this rate…
"I won't kill you right away… I'll crush all your bones in your body and slice them into rounds… I'll open up your head and churn your brain… I'll make you beg to die in hell…"
Muttering and mumbling, the huge body of the White Queen drew closer to Jack, opening her ugly mouth. Jack's feet lifted off the ground as he felt his entire body being sucked in.
Philrain was shouting something while being supported by the men. Jack looked in that direction. Then he pulled out his Dáinsleif and used the other foot, the unharmed one, to kick the ground. He was sucked towards the black sphere… no, Jack lunged himself through the air.
"Mm…!"
The White Queen let out a small moan. At the moment that Jack was sucked into the black sphere, he spun his body around and swung his Dáinsleif wide towards it.
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