Love Letter From The Future

With a resounding boom, the shockwave scattered the blood-soaked snow everywhere.

I drove my sword into the ground, bracing against the raging wind. My body was still a wreck and I could taste the metallic flavour of blood every time I gasped.

Somehow, my body was gradually beginning to regain its long lost vitality.  It was, however, only a temporary surge.

It was thanks to my mana efficiency that briefly skyrocketed. If all my remaining mana were to be exhausted, my life would end right there.

The only fortunate thing was that the 'Corpse Giant' had been weakened significantly.

The reason was unknown.

Judging by the residual warmth around, I could only guess that the Saintess must have done something.

I was genuinely grateful.

Even so, the Corpse Giant while still retaining its original power was a formidable opponent. This was true even though I had a bit of understanding of the concepts of Shackle and Liberation.

Because it was weakened, I could continue fighting even with my battered body.

This was my chance.

I had to take down the Corpse Giant now.

But others seemed to have different ideas.

Before I knew it, a woman came running up next to me, panting. She had her black hair tied back, her name was Celine.

She sighed in relief as if incredibly fortunate, and grabbed my arm without warning.

“Th-Thank goodness… Now, let's go, Oppa!”

“...Where to?”

I asked, still not taking my eyes off the Corpse Giant.

Having been struck by me once, the Corpse Giant was more cautious now.

Judging by the way it was creeping and gauging the distance between us, it seemed to recognize me as a worthy opponent.

What an obnoxious bastard.

Nevertheless, I couldn't let my guard down.

Though its strength had weakened due to its reduced size, it seemed to have gained speed instead.

The interval between its punches became extremely short.

And above all, its regenerative ability.

Though significantly slower than before, it was still regenerating.

Even the arm I scattered was gradually regaining its form. Unless I could smash the Corpse Giant at a rate faster than its recovery, victory was far off.

A thunderstorm was raging in the sky.

Lightning flashed and struck the battlefield. The thunderous noises were deafening.

The corpse giant flinched and trembled each time lightning struck.

While the hits were not effective, they seemed to be a disturbance.

The Rinella family's mage corps was likely providing support.

Unlike me, who was closely monitoring the battle situation, Celine was just beating her chest in frustration.

“We need to return to the evacuation procession, of course! Right now, including you, Oppa, all the key forces have withdrawn and are on standby! We can't continue the evacuation without the escort troops!"

“...Tell them to go ahead.”

With those words, I pushed off the ground again.

As I sprinted across the battlefield, the Corpse Giant showed obvious signs of wariness. And at the moment I leaped, it swung its fist again.

The result, of course, was no different from before.

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Through my blurred vision, a certain scene overlapped.

It was of the burning Great Forest.

Amidst the smoldering debris, a man trudged forward.

Caressing his cheek, a woman spoke.

With black hair and light green eyes, she was a beautiful woman with a mature appearance that felt strangely unfamiliar.

She spoke.

"......First disciple."

“I-I'm sor... I'm so sorry, Master.”

Stammering, he took her hand with both of his own.

No, it wasn't him, but me?

My eyes, red from crying, throbbed with pain.

"I'm too late… my Junior Sister, and now Master too…"

"For a man to have so many tears like this, what a worthless First Disciple you are."

Large craters were scattered throughout the forest.

No, could it even be called a forest anymore?

In the aftermath of the clash between two powerful beings, nothing was left around. No trees, no grass, nothing but flames surrounding the area.

Beyond that, another woman laid, groaning and collapsed..

At a glance, she had a face that looked just like the Master's.

My master called the Vampire her 'Big Sister.'

Not metaphorically, but in blood relation, she said. That’s why she couldn’t bring herself to leave the Great Forest.

“It’s fine, it was a knot I had to untangle anyway... At least, I won’t die with any regrets. I'm relieved to have settled this one grudge and not leave it behind for you.”

“I-It's because I'm weak...”

My master just intently gazed at me with her light green eyes.

"...Because I'm weak, I couldn't protect anything."

Huuu, My master let out a long sigh.

She blankly stared at the sky.

"Are you resentful?"

I couldn't answer because I was holding back tears.

The choking sounds echoed in my chest.

“Being a low-ranking noble without any possessions, without any exceptional talent…”

"...Yes."

It was an answer I barely managed to squeeze out.

I had lost my junior sister and was on the verge of losing my master as well.

How could there be no resentment?

Like a dam bursting, I sobbed uncontrollably.

In a low voice, my master spoke.

"…You will likely feel a lot of resentment in the future too."

I had a gut feeling.

That this would be the Master's final lesson.

"This world is cruel and relentless. Those who have, continue to gain more while those who have nothing endlessly lose... That’s why Delphirem was born."

As she said this, my master gave me a subtle look.

We spent several years together.

I knew exactly what she meant.

With trembling hands I rummaged through my pocket, took out a pipe and placed it in her mouth.

I then packed it with dry tobacco and lit it once.

Huuu, smoke puffed out from the Master's mouth.

"Those who have cannot defeat Delphirem. Nor I nor the Emperor of the Empire, nor the Saintess of the Holy Nation... And those who have nothing will side with Delphirem."

It was an abrupt topic for a dying testament.

Nonetheless, I listened intently to every single word.

These were the Master's final words.

As her disciple, it was my duty to engrave them in my heart.

"...So you do it."

Not knowing how to respond,I chose silence.

I simply gazed wordlessly at my master.

She gave a slight smile.

"Clash, crumble and fall... Then eventually, you'll find the answer. I felt it from the moment I first saw you, that ‘intuition of fate’."

It was a phrase my master often used.

'Intuition of fate'—I had always thought it was just something she said casually.

She remained consistent even in death.

That's why it was even sadder.

I was in a situation where I had to bid farewell to two of my precious people.

It would be strange if my heart didn’t ache.

It was then that I suddenly felt a presence.

The woman who had been lying motionless began to stir  and struggle  to her feet.

It was the 'Vampire'.

"Not, Not yet..."

Her gasping voice carried a faint scent of blood.

At first glance, she appeared as delicate as a flower, but I knew instinctively.

This woman was dangerous.

Though her eyes were half-unfocused, the intense murderous intent within them made my skin crawl.

Blood continued to endlessly flow from her body.

It was an amount that would have caused a normal human to die from blood loss. Despite this, her complexion remained unchanged.

That was to be expected.

She wasn’t human.

The vampire spoke with a bewitching smile.

"Sister, it's been hundreds of years... Our reunion can't be this short, can it?"

My master sighed deeply with a weary expression.

"Really, you don't even give me time to bid farewell to my disciple..."

As I was hesitating, wondering if we needed to flee again.

My master spoke.

"...Watch closely."

Along with the exhaled smoke from the pipe, her index finger moved.

Following that motion, mana began to gather in the air.

It wasn't visible to the eye, but a sense beyond the five senses testified to its presence.

As the concentrated mana increased in density, the atmosphere vibrated with a resonant hum.

"Because this will only happen once."

It was then that my view changed completely.

I was suddenly no longer in the Great Forest but face to face with the Corpse Giant.

No, more precisely, with the Corpse Giant's fist.

I slashed my sword wildly through the Corpse Giant's fist as it shattered in an explosion of light.

Then came the gushing blood and the pouring of corpses.

They were the remnants that made up its fist until just moments ago.

Although the counterattack happened before it could close in on me, the Corpse Giant was not as dumb as it looked.

Another fist flew towards me in quick succession.

There was no time to attempt a counterattack.

So I raised my sword and gathered mana.

The man in my memory called this 'Shackle.'

Standing alone amid the countless flows that make up the world.

It wasn't just the air that circulated.

Time, space and power, including mana, each have their own flow.

If one could read those, they could distinguish between fierce and gentle currents.

Shackle was the technique to split those gentle currents.

Like placing a stone to part a stream.

The only problem was that I had yet to master them.

Boom, a fierce shockwave tore through the air.

It meant that I wasn't being completely overpowered.

However, the Corpse Giant was firmly planted on the ground, while I didn't even have a foothold. Ultimately, I was the one who couldn't withstand the collision and got flung away.

I cursed inwardly.

Just a little more, if I could see just a little more, I think it might all work out.