Chapter 26.2: Consequences — part 2

Shadows appeared from the man's feet, and he quickly faded away, becoming one with the shadows.

I felt this was my chance. I snatched my little sister and lifted her into a princess carriage; I needed to find Novem quickly; she was most likely recovering from her battle, but she was my only hope. I just hoped my mother would show up soon because I had a sinking feeling that this man had not fled when he blended into the shadows.

And it appeared that I was correct. I used magic to strengthen my legs so I could sprint, but when I bent my knees to jump and gain momentum, I heard the sound of flesh being pierced.

I paused for a moment. My vision shifted to the left, where I had heard the noise, and there stood the two women who were protecting us. As I watched what was going on, I felt a heaviness in my stomach. Lili, the black-robed mage woman, had a sword protruding from her stomach, her body bent forward, held back only by the weapon's quillon.

I clenched my teeth and turned my head, trying not to think about it, about how she had earlier given me a reassuring smile, assuring me that we would be safe.

However, when I took a step forward, I found myself unable to move. A sinister pressure encircled me and caused me to tremble uncontrollably in my seat. My vision became blurry, and I felt sick. It felt as if an invisible hand was pressing down on me. The chilling sensation of death hung over me.

When the warrior woman saw that we had been stopped by this guy's pressure, she attacked with a scream. She brought her sword down on the man's neck, but he simply arched his back a little, dodging, still holding Lilia on his sword, as if mocking us. The woman kept attacking, her slashes barely visible in my vision.

My body was trembling from the effort I was making to free myself; my teeth were clenched, and I felt like I was about to snap. When I painfully lowered my vision to Charlotte, concerned that she was in pain, I noticed that she seemed unaffected by this type of aura. That helped clear my mind; I was overwhelmed by the heavy feeling. It had to be mental rather than physical.

I gathered my strength, invigorated my spirit, and took one step after another. Each step is easier than the previous one. The whistling of the air and the sweeps of the warrior woman's sword continued in the background, but at a slower and slower pace, as if warning me to hurry.

When I began to adjust to and overcome the heavy sensation, the woman flew away and crawled several meters on the ground, raising a cloud of grayish dust. I heard a faint moan from her; she was still alive, but she was hurt because she didn't get up.

While Lili was still being pierced by his sword and bleeding to death, the man laughed. It sent chills up my spine. He looked at her and patted her on the head as if talking to her, his voice sounding falsely friendly. "Your friend is quite spirited."

I observed Lili. When she saw the man's twisted smile, she had a terrified expression on her face.

He lightly stroked Lili's face, smearing her pale cheek with blood from her warrior friend. His hand caressed her from her cheek to her neck, like a loving lover. But his actions were far from loving. He started strangling her. He didn't break her neck, which I expected, but he gradually increased the pressure, enjoying the change in Lili's expression and the choked sounds she made.

I tried to move, but the pressure on me increased as if he wanted me to watch the show.

Lili could only try to send a magical attack with her last strength. She raised her pale, trembling hand and pointed it at the man. A sharp sound emitted from her palm, and the sound waves were almost visible to the naked eye. It was a powerful attack, meant to stun rather than kill, and I couldn't help but try to help her by sending air blades, the simplest spell in my repertoire, but I couldn't summon anything and could only pitifully watch Lili's last efforts.

Undeterred by the attack, the man continued his pressure with a smile on his face. With choking sounds, the man finished strangling Lili. Her limp body slipped and fell to the ground as he swung his sword away. I could see some tears on her face, and I couldn't help but be enraged.

While I wouldn't mind other people dying for the sake of my loved ones, Lili had done nothing wrong, and she, like the other shadow servants who died tonight, were victims of my whim, and now, as I watched the death of this girl, the repentance hit me like a speeding train.

I also remembered the girl who had been the target of my assault in the bar, I killed her. Had she erred in some way? Did her death have any significance? Now I understand why people who are forced to kill are filled with remorse. The true guilt emerges not immediately after the act, but after a period of reflection. Maybe I wouldn't have cared so much if it had all been worth it, but when it was nothing more than a result of my actions and we had gained nothing, I couldn't help but feel frustrated and disappointed with myself.

The man spoke to me, forcing me to look up from Lili's body. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young master. Evan is my name." With an exaggerated flourish, he bowed. "I have some unfinished business with one of your servants." He closed the gap in the blink of an eye. "Now...could you be a good hostage and not resist? If you don't, I may be forced to cut you some."

I attempted to take a step forward, which I did with great difficulty. My breathing was a little agitated, and my mind was racing, trying to find a way out. I considered the system, but when I last checked the store, there was nothing like a remote and instantaneous teleport, nor was there anything to stop time. I also didn't have the time to go through the entire store thoroughly.

Evan, as the man called himself, watched me take a step with interest and seemed mildly impressed. "Ho~ Good willpower." He admitted it. "Let's take it to the next level."

This time, the pressure increased, but it was also a palpable physical pressure; the air around me condensed and rippled slightly. My feet, which I had magically improved, sank slightly to the ground. Charlotte, on the other hand, had some blood coming out of her nose. A shiver ran down my spine, and worry washed over me. She has passed out and is unable to strengthen her body. I managed to cover her with a smidgeon of my magic, but it was as insignificant in the face of the man's overwhelming power.

"Wait!" I shouted to the man in desperation.

He watched my worried face and only feigned ignorance. "Hmm~?"

The pressure increased slightly, and I could see my little sister gasping for air. "Stop it!"

"What?" The man scoffed, clearly having a good time.

I was left with no other choice. "Overl-!"

However, before I could activate my skill, a blur flew past me and charged straight at the man, knocking him away from us and causing an explosion that raised debris and shook the earth. The pressure I felt vanished, and I could breathe easy, and my little sister coughed in her sleep. I couldn't help but worry. She was still sleeping despite everything that was happening. Is it a simple pass-out?

I turned my gaze to where he had shot off, trying to recognize some figure in the dust that was beginning to settle, with the man's laughter in the background. A familiar silhouette faced him, her daggers pressed against the edge of Evan's sword. "He said stop." Novem repeated.

I breathed a sigh of relief but was also concerned about Novem. She is tired, and her armour is slightly worn, indicating that she is also injured. I didn't think she had a chance. My panic was gone now that I had a break from all the pressure and latent fear. I felt it had subsided. My reasoning has significantly improved. It seemed that the very pressure of Evan was preventing me from thinking clearly, so I did what I should have done a long time ago and activated my skill.

'Character information'

[Name: Evan.

Age: 38.

Strength: Purity level 4

Bloodline: Shadow dimension

Titles: The specter of insanity. The evicted. Revenger.

Love: -15% Hated (You are the master of the people he hates, so he wants to make you suffer as well)]

"Novem! It's great to see you!" Despite holding the full weight of Novem's attack in one hand, the man smiled as usual. "How long has it been? Ten years? "The man continued, speaking with familiarity. "You improved so much, I couldn't feel you Until you got close!"

Novem couldn't win. That was the only thing that came to mind when I saw his power. It had only been a few minutes since the dimensional barrier had vanished, but he had already defeated a large number of people. Even though I knew it hadn't been long, I couldn't help but feel that reinforcements were taking too long.

Novem became a blur after ignoring Evan's chatter. She attacked from the right, but the man blocked her attack without turning his head. Because of the force behind the attack, the earth around Evan's feet sank and spider web-like cracks appeared. The sound of the earth breaking was especially frightening. As Novem took a step back, taking advantage of the dislodged earth that was now levitating a little through the air, she raised a sphere of earth around him and then compressed it with all her strength, enclosing the man in a sphere of earth that pulsed and shrank with increasing force.

Novem had a frown on her face from exertion, at which point I also noticed that she had a spot of blood on her forehead.

A muted chuckle came from the sphere that had been frozen at the size of a human. "You really improved a lot!" The sphere exploded with a loud bang, scattering debris all over the place. Novem shot backwards, crawling along the ground as Evan seemed to teleport away. I couldn't see his attack at all. "But I did, too!"

As Novem attempted to rise, he raised his weapom in the air. His sword began to vibrate, and tendrils of electricity formed an aura around it. As my hair bristled, I felt static electricity lift and tingle in my arms. Evan then lowered his sword, releasing a whitish flash of lightning that blinded me. Thunder echoed throughout the area, terrifying everyone. "I'd like to play longer, but we have to go, Novem.

I was confused. The feeling of my little sister's body in my arms was the only thing that told me I was still on the ground. The attack had left my vision blurred. Despite the pain in my ears from the sound, I heard something in the distance. It sounded like an airplane taking off.

"Besides, mother hen has awoken." I heard Evan laughed. "I had forgotten something…" The man pondered. "Sure. You'll accompany me."

I had the sensation of being carried away from Charlotte. My blurred vision returned, and I could see Evan carrying Novem on his right shoulder like a bag of potatoes, while she was giving off smoke and appeared to be in pain. Charlotte was on his left shoulder, and he was holding me with one arm while using the other to activate the teleportation stone.

When I saw the man quickly filling the required magic, I thought of something desperate. When trying to think of a way out, only one thought came to mind. Will I be able to use my skill twice in a row?

[Overload:

Description: Increases the host's power by up to three times using the host's life force as fuel.

Rarity: A+]

Nothing says no here.' I'll be able to replenish my life force if I don't die. I'd already decided on my strategy. It was either this or Novem and Charlotte would be kidnapped. I'd done enough damage. But also I was scared; what if I died? But the system mission only stated that we had to make the protagonist suffer. Charlotte had matured to the point where she could function without me.

[Host 1, this is a very dangerous risk; your body is still immature, and the consequences could be disastrous] The system issued a warning.

My fear of death vanished as a result of the system's warning, and I strengthened my resolve. I'll do anything for Charlotte, and now even Novem.

'Consequences, you say? This was entirely my fault, and I should bear the consequences. But it's too late for that, so I'll do this instead."

When the magic stone lit up, indicating that it was fully charged, "Overload! Energy surged through my body. "Overload." I felt the world move slower.

My vision became red and blurry, possibly as a result of the blood leaking from my eyes. My face was warm, and I could feel warm liquid dripping from my nose and ears. In this state, I thought I was close to level 5 purity. Although good for only being level 8 a few seconds ago, it is still insufficient to defeat Evan.

I pushed Evan, who was astounded that I had attained such a high level of power so quickly. I hugged his body so that only he and I were teleported. Novem and Charlotte slid off his shoulders, but when he reached out to catch Novem, I shot an electric charge through my body.

Electricity surged through my arms into Evan's body, who was caught off guard and attacked. It was clearly not enough to stun him, but it was enough.

I felt a pulling force pulling me, but I also felt an opposing force. Two magnetic forces were pulling on my aching body. A warm, comforting hand gripped my ankle, as if refusing to let go. I cocked my head. Novem was holding my ankle in my hazy vision, preparing to teleport with me. And, as much as I wanted to move my foot so she wouldn't teleport, I couldn't because I couldn't feel most of my body.

'Novem…' I sighed, but the worried look she gave me with her dark eyes, combined with her warm touch, was slightly comforting and welcoming.

I heard a loud explosion before my consciousness faded, and the teleportation numbed my senses; I couldn't feel Novem's warm touch or Evan's body. Simply a strange sense of weightlessness. Then, darkness.