(EP-254.1) Caged #9

254 – Caged Bird #9

Rattle, clank.

The attachments and metal parts on Opal’s body fell off one by one, scattering across the floor. It seemed Narmi’s forbidden spell, corpse explosion, had significantly impacted him.

“To blow away the protective magic coating… Quite impressive.”

Cough.

Blood gushed out from between the mask of Opal, who appeared to be unharmed. Opal’s breathing from beyond the respirator was as grating as a nail on glass.

“Descendant of the Dragon King, you too have dabbled in forbidden magic. But I understand. You were afraid. You wanted to be prepared for anything.”

Crack, clatter.

The metal pieces that had been encasing the fairy swordsman fell away one by one.

Opal looked down at himself and began pulling off the mechanical devices attached to his body.

Soon, his gaunt and pale body was revealed, covered with dense, incomprehensible inscriptions.

“Has the respirator broken? I can’t replace the filter for a while. This isn’t easy. It’s a chilling situation. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so cornered.”

Huhuhu-. Opal laughed ominously.

His sister, Stella, shouted.

“He’s running out of filters! We just need to keep pushing him!”

Just as she said, it had been well over ten minutes since the battle had begun. The filter attached to Opal’s mask was gradually reaching its limit.

“─But it’s not enough. Neither your skills nor your resolve are satisfactory. You are not yet worthy to stand on the same stage as me.”

Despite the apparent limit approaching, Opal’s demeanor showed no signs of weakening. Instead, his presence grew even more intense, like a fire fueled by oil.

“Fake. Fake. Everything is fake. Fools who don’t realize they’re living in castles made of sand.”

Like many warriors and heroes, it wasn’t surprising that he possessed the ability to bolster his will even in moments of crisis.

Whatever it was, the situation didn’t look favorable for us. I couldn’t just stand by, so I quickly prepared the next spell.

Something big and powerful.

A prolonged battle was absolutely out of the question. It would be better to think of finishing it with one blow.

I had one spell in mind for such a situation.

Seuk-.

At that moment, Opal reached his hand into the air.

“This is it. The time of cowering within the egg is over. I will break free from the shell of the world and soar once more, and awaken the mass.”

The movement was like someone drawing a sword from their waist. Stella was the first to react to this sight.

“Everyone, get down-!”

At her words, both Narmi and I stopped what we were doing and ducked our heads.

─Fairy Sword Art, Form Zero: Intangible.

Shwaaaaaa-!

At the same time, we felt something sharp and powerful sweep over our heads like a fierce wind.

The thought that my body might have been cut in half if we hadn’t ducked in time sent chills down my spine.

The bigger problem was what came next.

“Where did he go? Where is he!?”

Stella shouted indignantly, her eyes darting around, obviously searching for Opal, who was nowhere to be found.

Before long, Stella’s keen senses found traces of Opal on the floor. Drops of oil and blue liquid led back in the direction we had come from.

“Above, he’s headed to the surface!”

I agreed with Stella.

Even though Opal had little filter time left, it was unclear what he intended to do on the surface. However, given his seemingly deranged state, it was unlikely he had any good intentions.

Above us was Monarch City, with a population exceeding tens of thousands. If Opal’s presence became publicly known there, the ensuing chaos would be uncontrollable.

I realized I needed to follow him.

“Ugh…”

With a groan, Narmi dropped to one knee on the floor.

“Narmi, are you okay!?”

“My stomach hurts… That elf bastard hit my sister hard… I can’t move quickly. Leave me here, go after the elf! I’ll follow later…!”

Leaving Narmi in this chaotic place….

━Ingingyaing.

━Aaaaack! Get this thing off me! Go away, you terrifying monster bastard!

━Grr!

The sounds of experimental subjects and soldiers clashing filled the area. Leaving Narmi alone in such chaos was risky; she might get caught up in something.

“Isn’t it too dangerous?”

“Dangerous?”

Narmi wiped the blood dripping from her mouth with her palm.

“I’m the most dangerous one here.”

Her expression was both calm and confident.

“Go ahead!”

* * *

Stella and I followed Opal back through the research wing.

It wasn’t hard to track him. There were bodies with sharp wounds lying around, pointing the way he went.

“He’s cutting down everything in his path. He must have just passed through.”

Stella looked at the dying soldier’s wounds and calmly evaluated. To be so cold when looking at someone dying.

The thick smell of blood made me dizzy, and I wanted to look away, but no matter where I turned, the same gruesome scene awaited.

Edited by: faker