Chapter 120

“No, a finishing move never fails.”

Something pitch-black was swarming around the Sand Wyrm. It was just hard to spot because the specks were as tiny as sesame seeds.

Barely visible, they gathered like a wave and began to cover the Sand Wyrm’s body.

Soon, its sand-colored torso was enveloped in black dots.

The Sand Wyrm shuddered and then began to writhe violently. It spun in circles and even rubbed its body against the ground.

The black dots that had looked like a wave vanished, and in their place, a whitish fluid oozed from its torso, soaking the ground.

The black dots had melted into the Sand Wyrm’s body.

Like hydrochloric acid.

‘So that’s Tears of the Black Sand. A black magic finishing move?’

It was a terrifyingly powerful finishing move.

If the Sand Wyrm had been a little smaller and its fat not so thick, it would have been dead already.

Finally, the Sand Wyrm’s struggles ceased. The beast was stubbornly still alive.

“Johan!”

Johan turned to the side and took an archery stance.

It wasn’t that a bow had appeared out of nowhere. He was bare-handed, and his eyes were still closed.

“Finishing Move: Light Arrow.”

A bow of brilliant golden light materialized in Johan’s hands. He drew it back to its limit and released.

*Twang!*

A single arrow of light split into dozens in an instant, striking the Sand Wyrm’s body with perfect accuracy.

*Kuuuoooar!*

Immediately after, Alex and I leaped from the chimera’s back.

“Finishing Move! Blade of Primordial Thunder!”

I could hear Alex squeezing out the last of his strength.

I drove Arondight deep into the most heavily wounded part of the Sand Wyrm’s torso.

“Finishing Move: Explosion.”

My mana was drained completely. At the same time, the Sand Wyrm’s sandy hide swelled up and burst.

“Ugh!”

The shockwave sent me tumbling to the ground.

“Hah, hah!”

With my mana rapidly depleted, my vision turned yellow.

I had no strength left to attack. If the Sand Wyrm survived this, we would be helpless…

I was resigning myself to my fate, getting showered in the Sand Wyrm’s fluids and sandy flesh, when it happened.

“Paladin!”

Kaiel called out to Johan in alarm.

I instinctively looked up to see the Sand Wyrm, which I thought was dead, with its maw wide open, lunging for Johan.

‘A final, desperate act?’

I shot to my feet and yelled.

“Johan! It’s not dead! Get out of the way!”

“What…?”

Johan turned around, but it was too late to dodge.

The Sand Wyrm swallowed Johan whole. I could see his arm sticking out of the creature’s massive mouth.

“No!”

I leaped forward with all my might, stretching out my arm. My fingertips brushed against Johan’s.

“Got you…!”

I tried to pull Johan out, but I couldn’t overcome the suction of the Sand Wyrm’s throat.

Before I could do anything, I too was sucked into its mouth.

“Astell!”

“Young Duke! You mustn’t!”

I faintly heard Alex’s desperate scream, followed by Kaiel’s voice stopping him.

The inside of the Sand Wyrm’s mouth was slick and squishy. It had no developed teeth, so there was nothing to grab onto.

‘If I get dragged into its stomach, it’s over.’

I’d melt in its horrid digestive fluids in the blink of an eye.

I stabbed Arondight deep into the flesh of its mouth. Fluids gushed out, blinding me, but I couldn’t wipe them away.

“Ugh… Johan, hold on tight!”

“Astell, let go of my hand and get out of here! Quickly!”

Johan shook his arm forcefully. He was trying to save me, even if it meant dying alone.

“Sister, run! Hurry!”

An afterimage of the past flashed before my eyes.

“I won’t!”

“Let go!”

As I screamed back desperately, Johan shouted even louder. It was the first time I’d ever heard him sound angry.

“…Johan?”

“Please… help me so I don’t die cursing myself. Please.”

Johan whispered desperately. A wave of fear washed over me as he tried to force my hand away.

“You said you liked me.”

“…Astell…”

“You said you liked me. You asked me to accept your feelings! Then you should be trying to survive no matter what!”

Johan’s eyes contorted in pain.

“Live. If we get out of here, I’ll do anything for you, so just live. If you give up in front of me, I’ll kill you myself.”

Johan bit his lip hard. Then, he gripped my hand tightly. I let out a long breath, overcome with an indescribable sense of relief.

‘Good.’

*Thud, thud!* A series of impacts came from the outside.

It seemed Alex and Kaiel were pouring their remaining strength into attacking the Sand Wyrm.

But they had already used up so much energy. They couldn’t keep attacking forever.

Soon the attacks would stop, and the Sand Wyrm would retreat deep underground with us still inside.

‘We have to get out before that happens.’

I glanced at the hand holding Arondight.

‘It’s slippery…’

My hand was getting slick with the Sand Wyrm’s fluids. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer.

“Guys… *pant*… do something… please.”

– Anonymous Constellation: Oh no, what do we do? Our Astell is going to die! [crying]

– Anonymous Constellation: What about a teleport scroll??

– Anonymous Constellation: You need two hands to rip a scroll to activate it!

– Anonymous Constellation: Don’t you have any mana left?

– Anonymous Constellation: If she had any left, do you think she’d be in this mess? Use your head!

– Anonymous Constellation: Then what about getting healed by Johan’s divine power?

– Anonymous Constellation: Divine power restores mana??? Does that even make sense?

Never before had my mana been restored when Johan healed me.

Of course, after facing the Dark Knight, I had woken up with some of my mana replenished.

‘But that was because I had rested…’

Pure divine power itself could restore vitality, perhaps, but not mana.

– Anonymous Constellation: Why not check the shop? Who knows? There might be a finishing move that uses divine power to restore mana.

“…!”

Right, the Unhae Shop might have something.

I didn’t know how long it would take to find, but right now, I had to try anything, even if there was only a one percent chance.

“Johan, how much divine power do you have left?”

“I used more than half of my divine power on my finishing move…”

“So you have some left. Do you have any points?”

“About a thousand points… Why do you ask?”

“Good. Now, open the Unhae Shop.”

“The shop?”

“Yes, go into the shop and search for this: Sort by, Priest Finishing Move, Mana Recovery.”

“…Is there really a priest-rank finishing move that restores mana?”

“There is. I saw it with my own two eyes.”

“Ah!”

Johan’s expression brightened for a moment.

It was a lie. But in this situation, I had to lie. Priests draw their greatest strength from faith.

“It’s definitely there, so you’ll be able to find it.”

I squeezed his hand as if to cheer him on.

Johan closed his eyes and concentrated. His pupils darted about, as if he were scanning a list of finishing moves.

A moment later, Johan muttered with a look of despair.

“No, it’s not here. Why can’t I find it?”

Sweat trickled down my cheek.

My arm was in agony, as if it were about to be torn off, but I gritted my teeth and didn’t let it show. I couldn’t break Johan’s concentration.

“I must have remembered wrong. Try searching like this: Sort by, Divine Power Finishing Move, Mana Recovery.”

“Hoo, okay. Divine Power, Mana Recovery… Just a moment… Ah! There it is! I’m buying it!”

“*Hah!*”

So it really existed. Thank goodness.

After a short time that felt like an eternity, Johan’s lips finally moved.

“Finishing Move: Refilling Bless.”

From the hand I held, a warm, gentle power flooded into me like a storm.

At the same time, my depleted mana began to replenish rapidly.

It wasn’t a full recovery, but it was enough to use one more finishing move.

Johan gasped for breath. His face was pale, as if he’d used up all his divine power.

“Hah, hah! This is my limit. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s more than enough.”

My eyes gleamed.

“Finishing Move: Melt.”

Having absorbed a massive amount of mana, Arondight began to vibrate faintly.

*Vmmmm—*

Starting from where the blade was embedded, the flesh began to dissolve, dripping off like thin mud.

Holes began to open up all over the inside of the Sand Wyrm’s mouth.

*Kruuuooar!*

Unable to bear the agony of its head melting, the Sand Wyrm thrashed wildly.

It flailed about so violently that I couldn’t hold onto Arondight.

“Arondight!”

“Astell, hold on tight!”

Johan pulled me into a tight embrace.

The moment I wrapped my arms around him, I felt a strong sensation of floating.

We had been ejected through one of the holes in the beast’s head.

We slammed into the ground.

“Ugh!”

Fortunately, the chunks of flesh that had fallen from the Sand Wyrm cushioned our fall, but I was on the verge of passing out from mana exhaustion.

‘I don’t think I can even lift a finger anymore…’

If the Sand Wyrm is still alive after all that, then so be it. We’ll just have to die.

“Astell! Are you okay?”

“Astell! Are you all right?”

Alex and Johan rushed over to me as I lay there, feeling utterly defeated.

I didn’t even have the strength to speak, so I just blinked.

Alex wiped his bloodshot eyes with his forearm and then burst out in anger.

“Are you insane? You can’t just jump in like that! Have you got no sense of fear?!”

“I apologize, Young Duke. It was my fault, so please direct your anger at me.”

“…Yeah, you’re damn right, Paladin. I’ve got a lot to say to you as it is.”

Just as Alex was glaring at Johan with a menacing expression…

A large greatsword fell near my face with a thud, and a fist-sized black orb rolled over to me.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The three of us just stared blankly at the core.

It didn’t feel real. To think that the boss, with its disgustingly strong life force, was finally dead.

Just then, a large hand snatched the core. A cold voice followed.

“Good work, everyone.”

Two of his companions had been half-eaten by a monster and had barely survived, yet he didn’t even ask if we were okay.

That was Kaiel for you.