noveltune Chapter 334
Chapter 334
Pababak, with the sound of my feet striking the ground, the surrounding scenery rushed by like an arrow.
Wherever I stepped, the scattered flames painted parts of the rocky mountain red.
Running while scattering flames around me—this was the method I devised to locate Beatrice, who had hidden herself out of sight.
Even if she was invisible, if I could cover a certain area with flames, I would surely find her hiding spot.
However,
“Heheh, it’s been 10 minutes.”
It took only 10 minutes for me to realize how impractical this method was.
As I glanced up at the voice indicating Beatrice’s time had run out, I saw the rocky mountain towering high above.
I hadn’t even made it beyond the foothills, let alone halfway up, as I scoured the area below in search of Beatrice, who could be hiding anywhere.
In other words, despite having already used one-third of the 30-minute limit she set, the area I still needed to search was several times greater than what I had covered.
“Ugh...”
It was clear that with the current approach, it’s impossible to thoroughly search the rocky mountain.
“We’re bound to fight anyway, so why are we playing hide and seek, damn it...!”
I complained about the nonsense of this game, but while my mouth ran, my legs wouldn’t stop moving.
No matter how successful I was in defeating Beatrice, if she didn’t reveal the location of the sacred relic, it would all be for nothing.
The Beatrice I witnessed would not divulge the location of the relic, even if I captured and tortured her.
Ultimately, I had to locate her hiding spot within the time limit.
The problem was that the remaining time was utterly insufficient compared to the area I had to cover.
In order to find Beatrice on time, I had to come up with another solution as soon as possible.
“Think... there must be some good method...”
I wracked my brain hard, but no particular solution came to mind.
If it were possible, I wouldn’t be worrying like this.
In the end, all I could do was exert more energy to widen the range of the flames I scattered.
“Where are you... where the hell are you...?”
Chewing my lips, I spread the flames as widely as possible.
But even when I spread the flames that wide, Beatrice was nowhere to be seen, not even a shadow.
I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“15 minutes, half gone! If you don’t find me quickly, Eva, it’s your defeat!”
“I know that, damn it...!”
Beatrice’s voice mocked me periodically.
With half of the time elapsed from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, only 15 minutes remained.
As the thought of time running out began to whip my heart, my pulse quickened, and my anxiety deepened.
Yet, despite running desperately and scattering flames, I could still see that there were far more places untouched by my flames.
The nagging thought of ‘this is just impossible’ kept surfacing in my mind.
But whenever that thought tried to pull my legs to a stop,
–■■■■■■■■■■!!
I heard the roar of a colossal demonic beast reverberating from behind.
That sound indicated that Si-woo was still fighting.
It was the sound that told me he was facing the powerful monster with his life on the line.
With Si-woo risking his life in a fight,
“...there’s no way I’m giving up.”@@@@
Each time I felt a pessimistic thought creeping in, I drew strength from that sound in my legs.
Si-woo would definitely win and come this way.
So I had to trust Si-woo and focus on what I needed to do.
Thinking this, I kept searching the rocky mountain without rest.
But having a strong heart that refuses to give up does not solve everything.
“5 minutes left.”
“...”
Only 5 minutes remained.
And I was still stuck at the foothills, not even nearing halfway up.
Considering how much area was still left unchecked, hoping to find Beatrice’s hiding spot in the remaining time was practically wishing for a miracle.
After staring at the towering rocky mountain for a while, I suddenly stopped running and lowered my head dejectedly.
“I had a suspicion, but... I knew I wouldn’t find you. Huh, you might be Eva, but you’re not really Eva.”
As I stood there, seemingly resigned, Beatrice muttered, as if she believed it was impossible for me to find her.
“It’s time. In the remaining 5 minutes, do your best to struggle. After that, I’ll finish it.”
She was also the one who brought topped cocoons filled with demonic beasts into the city, resulting in the loss of countless lives.
She posed a threat not just for the sacred relic but for everyone’s lives, fundamentally.
She was an enemy so vivid in my memory that I felt it was more than just a memory, especially considering my experiences with Evangeline.
Anyway, this meant that for me, she was an opponent I could never forgive.
But regardless of how fiercely I launched my flames filled with rage,
“Heheh, it won’t work, Eva.”
Even with my full-powered attacks.
“Your attacks don’t affect me.”
My flames couldn’t even scratch Beatrice’s body.
What could only be described as an overwhelming gap in strength and ability.
It was as if she were the invincible demon lord.
I wondered how I appeared in Beatrice’s eyes.
Would I look like a tiny ant trying to attack her?
Perhaps even less than that.
At least an ant could sting and make a human feel a slight pain.
I continued to unleash flames towards Beatrice, fighting desperately.
However, the enormous pillar of flames that soared high enough to engulf the entire basin was meaningless against her.
“Finding me deserves some praise, but...”
I could hear her voice among the blaze.
“However hard you struggle, that’s all you can do.”
When I cast a tired glance,
I saw Beatrice walking out from the pillar of fire with an unbothered expression.
“You can’t defeat me. That’s to be expected. It’s inevitable. That’s just how the world is.”
She looked at me with a subtle expression before slowly approaching, extending her hand as she spoke.
“So, let’s end this.”
As she said that, her hand, which erased everything it touched, slowly came toward me.
Yet even in such a terrifying situation,
“...You’re smiling?”
I found myself smiling.
Was she thinking I had lost my mind? Beatrice stared at me with a puzzled expression.
But my smile wasn’t out of fear.
“Look, Beatrice. You seem so concerned about me that you haven’t noticed.”
I spoke to make her realize the reason she still didn’t understand.
“Don’t you get it?”
Pointing subtly at my ears.
“It’s been quiet since a little while ago.”
It seemed Beatrice couldn’t grasp what I was implying, tilting her head in confusion.
Gradually, her expression hardened.
It was as if she had finally realized.
“...Bea.”
The sound that had been ringing just moments ago—the roaring of the demonic beasts had ceased from some point onward.
Apparently, my eager flames were not in vain.
With flames so massive, they would’ve been visible from a distance.
–■■■■■■■■■■!!
From below the mountain, a fireball with wings soared upward.
As I locked eyes with the figure atop it, I addressed Beatrice.
“And in the first place...”
At that moment, from the fireball, a meteor doused in black light fell.
It descended right above Beatrice.
As the sword wielded by a boy clashed against the shield of a girl who denied everything,
I spoke to the startled Beatrice with wide eyes,
“Your opponent isn’t me.”
After all, the hero’s adversary was always the demon lord.
With a rustle,
The hero’s sword struck the invincible demon lord.