Chapter 52 – White Sun (Two)

The children couldn’t help but feel a chill run down their spines as the iron door opened and the figure appeared.

“What, what is that…?”

“H-holy crap.”

The figure’s entire body was engulfed in crimson flames.

As if doused in oil and set ablaze.

It didn’t writhe or roll on the ground, nor did it let out a scream of agony.

It continued advancing with a mechanical gait, utterly motionless.

Whoosh! Crackle!

It scattered small embers wherever it passed.

This shocking sight, unlike anything they had ever seen or heard in their life on the streets, was more than enough to plant primal fear and terror in the children’s hearts.

Someone swallowed hard, barely managing to speak.

“W-who is that? What on earth is it?”

Their lips trembled.

Their entire body was soaked in cold sweat.

Everyone present was certain that if someone got up and ran, a chain reaction would follow.

But no one got up.

They desperately tried to guess the figure’s identity.

And the conclusion was.

“Ray….”

It spilled from Veronica’s lips.

Only Ray and the man in the coat had entered the abandoned factory.

The burning figure’s build matched Ray’s exactly.

Especially since Veronica remembered the moment Ray had asked about the characteristics of ‘Ignition’ Magic, she was even more certain of the figure’s identity.

“D-don’t we have to save him?”

“B-but he’s walking around fine….”

At that moment, when no one could step forward.

—Thud.

Ray stopped walking.

Slowly, he turned his head and stared at one of the scrap heaps.

And in that instant.

Whoosh!

A fireball generated beside his head flew towards the scrap heap.

Kwa-boom—!

Burning junk scattered in all directions.

The flames devoured flammable objects, instantly swelling in size.

It took only seconds.

For the entire scrap heap to be engulfed in flames.

Crackle! Kwaa-boom—!

The same thing happened wherever Ray turned his gaze.

“D-did Ray just set that on fire?”

“Y-yeah, I think s-so.”

The fear and terror residing in the children’s Vessels swelled at an uncontrollable rate.

They had to run.

The image of themselves burning and writhing on the ground flashed through their minds.

But their feet wouldn’t budge, as if rooted to the spot.

Gulp.

The children swallowed hard, looking at each other with trembling eyes.

The only small mercy was that Ray was only launching fireballs at the scrap heaps.

As if his goal was to destroy every single heap in the junkyard.

If that were the case, they could hold onto a sliver of hope.

“The h-heaps are spaced far apart, so there’s no worry about the fire spreading m-much.”

“R-right. And there are a lot of them, so maybe Ray’s power will run out before all the heaps are d-destroyed.”

Just as the children were grasping at that sliver of hope.

Swish!

Ray suddenly twisted his body and began to move.

In the direction of the Sector.

His steps were too direct, a movement that left no room for misunderstanding.

The air instantly froze.

Unable to utter a word, their chests feeling ready to burst, everyone simultaneously looked at Philip.

In this situation, the person with the quickest mind and the most reliable was Philip.

But even the boy receiving everyone’s gaze had never experienced such an unprecedented situation.

His blood ran cold.

His entire body was soaked in cold sweat.

“Veronica.”

Even at Philip’s call, Veronica gave no answer.

Her face stiff, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Ray, seemingly scrutinizing something intently.

Realizing he was the decision-maker here, Philip desperately racked his brain.

He predicted what would happen next.

What if Ray reached the Sector where people lived in this state?

‘…Something terrible will happen. People might die.’

The power of Magic that Philip had experienced could become violence that ordinary people could never withstand, depending on how it was used.

If arson started in the Sector, no one would be able to stop it easily.

…And Ray could get hurt.

Because people would try anything to put out the fire, even against Ray.

They had to stop him here.

Put out the fire, try to talk.

Having made his decision, Philip shouted.

“Go to the hotel and bring the fire cart! Right now!”

“Y-yeah! Got it!”

“W-we’ll be back fast!”

The designated members immediately sprinted towards the hotel.

The hotel had a fire cart made from a drum barrel, hose, and cart.

Though not crafted by an expert, it was equipment sufficient for putting out fires of a certain scale.

Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—!

The urgent sound of footsteps fading away.

Philip turned his gaze from the children’s retreating backs and prepared to step forward in front of Ray.

‘Maybe we’re just scared for nothing. Ray might be perfectly fine, even if he looks like that.’

Thinking that, he was about to step out from behind the scrap heap.

“Ray is in danger!”

Veronica’s sharp voice jolted everyone’s minds awake.

“The protective shield is about to break from the flames!”

The Mana shield enveloping Ray’s body was breaking, unable to withstand the heat of the flames.

Why on earth?

Why would he cloak such a thin shield in flames?

The Ray I know would never use Magic so carelessly.

‘It’s my fault… I told him about Ignition Magic for no reason….’

Tears welled up in her eyes.

She bit her lip hard.

Numerous questions arose, but there was no time to dwell on any of them.

Thump!

Driven by the thought that she had to save Ray, she pushed off the ground.

“Agh!”

In her haste, she twisted her ankle and fell.

Someone rushed past the fallen girl.

“What are you doing! You bastards! We have to save our Captain! Ray is in danger!”

It was Cedric.

His curse-laden shout jolted the children’s minds awake once more.

Their heads cleared.

It was vivid.

Who they were.

Why they were here.

“Uwaaaaah──!”

One child followed Cedric.

“Save the Captain───!”

“He’s our Captain! If we don’t save him, who will!”

Soon, everyone rushed out.

Fireballs flew towards the children blocking the path.

Swoosh──!

“D-dodge!”

“In front! In front!”

Cedric and the children rolled their bodies, desperately dodging the fireballs.

The attacks didn’t end with one; the surrounding ground was quickly filled with soot and dust.

“It’s us! It’s us!”

“Captain! Snap out of it!”

It became clear that Ray didn’t recognize them.

Even if he did, he was clearly displaying hostile intent.

“F-fire! You’re on fire!”

“Take off your clothes! Your clothes!”

Dangerous situations arose repeatedly, but Cedric and the children didn’t run away.

The thought that they could die dominated their minds.

Skin burning from the heat of the fireballs.

Scraped and bruised skin from falling and tumbling, and a body aching all over.

All of it urged fear.

But one emotion residing in a corner of their Vessels prevented the boys from running away.

It was a bright yellow courage.

“Ray! Snap out of it! Please!”

Especially Cedric’s courage was much brighter in color than the others’.

In the eyes of the small-statured boy.

The reflection of another boy engulfed in flames.

Cedric thought.

Swoosh—! Kwa-boom—!

“It’s me!”

Ray had extinguished his flames for him.

So.

Kwaa-boom──!

“It’s Cedric! Ray!”

Now it was his turn to do the same.

Several minutes of this standoff had passed.

“Wait, over there…!”

“Gale! Watch out!”

A fireball flew towards a boy who had fallen and hadn’t yet gotten up.

The distance was too far to help.

Everyone pictured a horrific scene in their minds.

But.

Crash!

What happened the next moment was completely different from their imagination.

A transparent, hemispherical shield, like glass, had formed around Gale.

It was a Ward.

“What is this….”

Gale muttered dazedly, looking at the smoke rising from the point of impact.

Soon after, the sound of two pairs of footsteps approaching the scene and urgent shouts were heard.

“Ray!”

“Can you hear me! It’s Philip, Philip!”

It was Veronica and Philip.

Veronica, who had sprained her ankle, was being supported by Philip.

Swoosh──!

A fireball flew towards the two, similarly blocked by an instantly formed Ward.

The bombardment continued, and the Ward advanced along with Philip and Veronica’s steps.

Crash—! Kwa-boom—! Crash—!

At the end, Veronica and Philip stood facing Ray directly, keeping their distance.

“I’ll take care of the kids.”

“Okay.”

Veronica gave a small nod.

Soon, she could see Philip’s figure, having left the Ward, tending to the injured behind Ray’s back.

Kwa-boom—! Crash—!

Ray was only looking this way.

As if destroying the obstacle before him was the sole objective given to him.

Kwaa-boom—!

With each explosion, the Ward cracked heavily and then repaired itself, repeating the process.

She was using all her strength to draw upon the Atmospheric Mana.

The girl felt terribly dizzy.

But she didn’t stop.

The rising gray smoke.

The crimson flames covering the boy.

For a moment, the girl could see the boy’s gaze revealed through the gaps.

…Clearly, the same dry and barren gaze as usual.

But within it, she felt a clear hostility and an endless coldness.

‘Mana poisoning…? Is he in a state of Mana poisoning…?’

A state where reason cannot hold sway, dominated by a specific emotion.

No other suitable theory to explain the current situation came to mind.

The image of Ray, who usually used Atmospheric Mana without hesitation, flashed through her mind.

“…….”

Most likely, it was Mana poisoning.

Kwa-boom—!

She was scared, terrified, frightened.

She wanted to push off the ground and run away immediately, but she couldn’t.

‘Ray’s protective shield is losing its durability. If this continues, Ray will be consumed by the flames.’

When asked why he gave her meal money, Ray had said.

「You have to repay what you receive.」

Then she would also say, choking back tears.

“You have to… repay what you receive….”

To the girl, the boy was a benefactor.

He had saved the bookstore in crisis and become a small beacon in her lonely, desolate days.

Though the time they had known each other was short, she didn’t think the depth of their relationship was shallow at all.

So the girl couldn’t back down.

‘There are two methods.’

Make him stop the Ignition himself.

Or extinguish the flames with external force.

Given Ray’s current state, the former method was absolutely impossible.

Also, with her own power as a half-Wizard without a Circle, she couldn’t extinguish Ray’s flames.

…No, the difference in skill was so stark that even having a Circle wouldn’t have meant much.

She had no choice but to hold out until the fire cart arrived.

Pulling the stubborn, unyielding Atmospheric Mana with all her might, continuously maintaining the Ward.

Crash! Kwa-boom!

Fortunately, as the bombardment continued, the flames clinging to Ray’s body gradually weakened.

Was his power running out?

A glimmer of hope arose.

Maybe, if she mustered her strength and held on, Ray’s flames would die out first.

Crash—! Kwa-boom—!

Veronica gritted her teeth and endured.

Proportionate to the number of bombardments, Ray’s flames definitely weakened repeatedly.

But they were still too strong to approach recklessly.

Simultaneously, Veronica’s mental strength was gradually depleting, approaching its limit.

‘…My head is spinning. I feel like throwing up.’

The Ward’s repair speed slowed more and more, and precarious cracks that seemed ready to split at any moment began to increase one by one.

During this time, a large amount of White Mana was flowing into Veronica’s Vessel.

The White Mana filling her Vessel embraced each other’s bodies, emitting an intensity of color she had never seen before.

Oooooong───!

And it began to be sucked towards a single form already residing at the center of the Vessel.

Meanwhile.

Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes.

—Crash!

Please.

—Kwa-boom!

Let me hold on just a little longer.

—Kwa-boom! Crash!

At least until the flames go out.

The children, having barely pulled themselves together, watched the scene with bated breath, on the verge of exhaustion.

Everyone knew there was no longer any room to intervene in the place where unknown forces clashed.

They could only pray fervently.

Ray!

Captain! Snap out of it!

Please recognize us!

Ray! Please!

That wish was the same for Veronica as well.

But the world was always fickle and cruel.

Kwa-boom—!

In the end, the Ward broke before the flames did.

‘Ah….’

Looking at the newly generated fireball, Veronica sensed it was the end.

As if announcing it was the final blow, its size was several times larger than any before.

Her mental strength was exhausted; she could no longer use a Ward.

Her ankle was sprained, and she didn’t have enough energy to move and dodge.

Thump!

Cedric and the children pushed off the ground to save the girl.

But their timing was a step too late.

Whoosh!

The fireball began to tremble.

Imagining the terrible pain soon to come, the girl tightly closed her eyes.

In time that felt as long and slow as eternity, she thought.

‘I’m okay.’

She felt the fireball begin to move.

Tears unable to bear their own weight slid down her cheeks.

‘I hope you’re safe.’

And then.

Kwaaa-boom──!!

A massive explosion sounded.

The wind blowing from behind made the girl’s red hair flutter.

Contrary to expectations, she felt no pain, and the girl cautiously opened her eyes.

And she couldn’t help but feel her heart swell at the sight unfolding before her.

The flames that had enveloped the boy’s entire body were gone.

Vanished without a trace, revealing the boy’s form hidden beneath.

“Veronica…?”

In a voice as if waking from a dream, the boy spoke.

The boy’s gaze was directed at the White Sun residing in the girl’s Vessel.

A form emitting a radiance several times more brilliant than before.

At its beauty.

Drip.

Tears fell from the boy’s eyes.