Chapter 115: Chapter 115

Chapter 115 - The Fight of the Fallen

Since I was persuading Yuna, one of the main characters of with a strong sense of responsibility, I had prepared for a certain amount of argument…… but persuading her was easier than I thought.

“O-okay, I get it! So, the. The distance is a bit…… uh…… too close…….”

As I approached to speak, she started stammering something, and then suddenly agreed.

Looking at the context of her rambling, it mostly seemed like she was asking me to back away.

Roughly understanding her request, I took about two steps back with an awkward expression.

Then, I slowly turned my head to look at the train corridor window.

To be precise, I was looking at my reflection in the window.

‘Is my impression that bad?’

Such a strong reaction just from me getting this close.

I definitely give off a dark vibe…… tsk.

It’s a little hurtful, if I can call it that…… but well, it’s not important right now.

Anyway, the conversation we had after that was about the passengers who should have been in the guest rooms.

“Not a single soul in sight. There are traces of people having been here, but……”

“There were no bloodstains or signs of resistance either.”

As Elwin and Yuna said that, I could roughly grasp the situation.

“……There’s a high probability they were moved to the front cars to be used as hostages.”

Just like the Princess.

The hostages were likely gathered in one place. There was no need to split them up.

After confirming Elwin's agreement, I reaffirmed our course of action.

“In any case, our plan to move forward remains unchanged. To rescue the hostages, we have to go to the front cars anyway.”

Elwin and I would advance, and Yuna would guard the rear.

With that plan, we started moving again.

I slowly leaned against the door leading to Car 6 and listened for any sounds from beyond it.

There was no sound, only silence.

Except for the slight rattling of the train, that is.

“I can’t hear anything.”

Elwin, who was listening on the opposite side, offered the same observation.

But, was there really no one there?

That question crossed my mind.

‘They must have heard some noise from the fight in Car 7…… and there hasn’t been any news from Car 7 for quite a while.’

Thinking along those lines, this silence was clearly strange. To be precise, it was unnatural.

“……Just a moment, Elwin-ssi.”

I said to Elwin, who was about to stand up.

Elwin then looked back at me with a puzzled expression.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, just a moment…….”

I reached out to Elwin to stop him for a moment.

And right after that, I drew up my magic.

It was Origin Magic, which I was using for the first time in a real battle.

I recalled the time before leaving for the Railroad Mysterium, when I was training in Origin Magic with Arien and Albert.

“It depends on the power of the Origin Magic being cast, but the space Rain can designate as a ‘Domain’…… seems to be at most a 3-meter radius centered on Rain, a square of about 6 square meters.”

And the voice of Arien, the girl with sky-blue hair and eyes, speaking with her usual calm conviction.

That meant the effective range of my Origin Magic was about a 3-meter radius around me.

A 3-meter radius, a 6-meter diameter…….

It was short, but what could I do? This was the extent of my magic.

Anyway, I continued to listen to Arien’s story.

“This is a small tip from me, but to properly control this domain, the image of the domain is important.”

“Yes, in my case…… I would recommend controlling the square domain by breaking it down into smaller squares.”

And Arien slowly moved her hand towards a piece of paper spread out on the desk, and soon began to draw a large square.

“In Rain’s case, the domain is 6 square meters for now…… so let’s start by visualizing 6 squared, 36 squares.”

And then, Arien started to divide the large square by drawing lines inside it.

Finely, finely into smaller squares.

“So, you break down the square domain and visualize each part as A1 to A6, B1 to B6, C1 to B6, D1 to D6, E1 to E6, and F1 to F6.”

……At first, I had no idea what she was talking about, but as she went on, I started to get the hang of it.

The drawing was a great help in understanding.

The square was too neat to have been drawn by hand, but let's put that aside for now.

“Practice accurately designating coordinates within this range, and casting magic pinpointed at the desired coordinates. And practice casting magic over the entire domain. We will focus our practice on these two things.”

Well, that's what happened.

As someone who was practically an ignoramus or a fledgling in magic, learning it was by no means an easy task, but…….

When the methodology was presented in such concrete detail, it wasn't impossible to follow.

As I drew up my magic, a large square domain formed on the floor, centered on me.

A square of about 6 square meters, glowing with a bright sky-blue light.

However, Elwin next to me seemed not to have noticed the domain, which was, in fact, natural.

‘Because this is a mark made with the magic of Origin Magic.’

Among the people of the current generation, only Arien and I possessed the magic of Origin Magic, so unless it was Arien, no one could see this domain marking.

Except for the final boss, The One, that is.

Anyway, due to my position, the square didn't just stay in Car 7 but extended more than halfway into the entrance of Car 6.

And I didn't stop there…… I used magic.

The 1st-tier Origin Magic, 『Space Perception』.

This too was Arien’s recommendation.

-In Rain’s case, you won’t be using Origin Magic as your main power, but will probably use it in conjunction with close-quarters combat. In that case…… I would recommend this magic.

The square on the floor glowed, and I soon became vaguely aware of the beings within that domain.

It wasn't seeing with my eyes, but a sensation as if I were looking down at the ground from the sky.

It was reminiscent of looking down on the earth from a god’s point of view.

‘……It’s a strange sensation every time I use it.’

Even if it was a limited range, the ability to sense what was inside without seeing it with my own eyes.

Moreover, according to Arien’s mention, the more proficient I became, the more clearly I could sense things…… it was truly a magic with endless possibilities.

And from that bird’s-eye view domain, even enemies ambushing with their backs to the wall could not escape.

‘One on each side of the door right after the passage. And…… I can sense at least four presences.’

I quickly assessed the number of enemies ambushing beyond the door.

I thought it was strange that it was so quiet. So it was an ambush, after all.

I then looked at Elwin and brought my index finger to my lips.

Elwin seemed to have understood my gesture and quietly nodded, and I pointed to the left and right sides of the door with my fingers…… then held up my index and middle fingers to make the number 2.

A concise gesture that was impossible to misunderstand.

Elwin seemed surprised for a moment at my words, but he soon nodded in agreement.

Normally, it would be a point where questions like how I could know that would arise…… but as expected of Elwin, his situational awareness was quick.

At the very least, he knew that I was not someone who would lie in a situation .

After we came to an understanding…… there was no need to hesitate.

I extended my index, middle, and ring fingers to make the number 3.

What could that mean?

Three seconds passed, and as soon as all my fingers were folded.

We kicked the door open and rushed into Car 6.

What was the first thing we did after the door opened?

It was, of course, to deal with the enemies ambushing on the left and right of each entrance.

Someone from my left charged at me with great force, but without even looking at him, I extended my sword and pierced his neck.

This too was an effect of 『Space Perception』.

Clang-! Fresh chapters posted on novelꜰire.net

Elwin, who was supposed to block the enemy on the right, also successfully defended against the surprise attack.

‘It would have been smoother if he had finished him off with a single blow…… but he’s not the type of person to kill without hesitation in the first place.’

As we skillfully dealt with the ambush, I could feel the enemies who were holding their breath inside Car 6 becoming flustered.

A moment of panic stops thought and slows the body’s movements.

It also meant that it transformed a living being into something no different from a stationary target.

I quickly aimed the 『Outlaw』 in my left hand and fired.

And the one who was hit by the powerful bullet from the Outlaw couldn't even scream properly as half of his upper body exploded.

That was my impression upon seeing that scene, a cruel scene close to a person exploding and dying.

I felt no sadness at a person dying.

I didn't shudder in disgust at the grotesque scene.

I was just worried that I might be wasting a weapon with limited durability.

Wasn't there something wrong with me as a human being?

Such a thought crossed my mind, but…… well.

Hadn't I come too far to be concerned about such things?

From the moment I first fell into this world, died, and began to kill, hadn't discussing such sentiments become meaningless?

I let out a small, bitter smile and readjusted my stance.

I, who could no longer feel any proper sensation about killing people.

And them, enemies who tried to kill strangers they had never met.

Well, come to think of it, isn't it a rather fitting matchup?

With that thought, I raised my sword and aimed.

And it was the prelude that announced the beginning of the fight of the fallen.