TIRS 46

CHAPTER 46. 

The Black Figure

A storm of attacks and Piya’s frantic cries were driving me to the edge.

The ground where I had barely dodged cracked open, leaving a crater the size of my body.

[SYSTEM] Skill <Sol’s Blessing> activated.
[SYSTEM] Your defense is increased by 165% for 3 minutes.
[SYSTEM] Skill <Luce’s Footsteps> activated.
[SYSTEM] Your movement speed is temporarily increased by 500%.
[SYSTEM] Item used.
[SYSTEM] Your health increases by 350 for 5 minutes.
[SYSTEM] Item <Christine’s Robe> equipped.
[SYSTEM] Your holy resistance increases for 10 minutes…

BOOM! BOOM! CRASH! KWAANG!

While I caught my breath and hastily activated skills and items, Ancelot’s follow-up attacks grazed my left shoulder and right side.

And then, it hit me.

The Ancelot who had attacked me back in the imperial training ground—
He wasn’t even using one-tenth… no, not even one-hundredth of his true power back then.

Even after throwing every skill and item I had at him, dodging his strikes was nearly impossible.

Worse, all those buffs were temporary—they would wear off soon.

While I was using every ounce of strength to evade, Ancelot remained slumped limply in the arms of that black figure, not even blinking.

Yet his attacks were ruthless, relentless. One moment of hesitation, and I’d be crushed.

I was barely holding on.

“Stop it, Ancelot! It’s me, Ruibelle—kyaaah!”

BANG!

“Snap out of it, Ancel—kugh!”

CRASH! BOOM!

I shouted as I dodged the attacks, but my voice couldn’t reach him.

Ancelot was completely gone.

His vacant eyes didn’t recognize me, nor did they seem to register what he was doing.

Just then, one of his attacks grazed my cheek, leaving a hairline cut.

“Your Highness!”

Klaus came running, footsteps urgent, and cast a holy barrier.

[SYSTEM] activates a Holy Shield.
[SYSTEM] The Holy Shield nullifies all attacks.

A glowing golden shield formed, barely blocking Ancelot’s deadly strikes.

“Are you alright?”

Klaus asked from behind the glimmering light.

“Thanks to you. I appreciate it.”

“Why is he… No way—did he fall victim to the forest mist?”

Klaus sounded shocked.

Ancelot’s eyes were halfway soaked in black. A clear sign he was being corrupted by the mist.

Once his eyes turned fully black, he would be completely consumed.

No.

I bit down hard on my lower lip.

“Damn it, we need to get rid of that mist—”

“I’ll do it.”

Klaus gripped his sword firmly.

“Wait, Klaus! Be careful—!”

Just as I tried to stop him—

Even more white orbs appeared around Ancelot and flew straight at us.

BOOOOOOM!

Fortunately, Klaus’s shield held—

Szzzt.

“…Huh?”

Szzzzzzt.

“…!”

SSZZZZZZZTT!

[SYSTEM] Emergency alert!
[SYSTEM] Emergency alert!
[SYSTEM] Holy Shield integrity compromised!

No… Cracks were spreading across Klaus’s shield!

BEEEP! BEEP!

—That’s impossible, Lady Ruru! The Holy Shield can’t be broken by anything—!

Piya, panicking, suddenly fell silent.

And then—

CRASH!

The massive golden shield shattered.

“Ugh…!”

Klaus clutched his chest and collapsed.

“Klaus!”

[SYSTEM] Holy Shield destroyed. has taken damage.
[SYSTEM] ‘s health is below 5%.

Klaus coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

At the same moment, two options appeared before me:

[Option: Remove <Klaus Winster (Lv. 37)> from your party to send him to a safe zone. Remove party member?
(Note: You cannot re-add him for one week.)
1. Remove
2. Keep

BEEP!

—Unlike you, Lady Ruru, Klaus can’t revive. If he dies, it’s over. He’s not a player…

No time to hesitate. I had to save him.

“Piya! I’ll remove Klaus from the party!”

[SYSTEM] You selected ‘1. Remove’.
[SYSTEM] has been removed from your party.
[SYSTEM] has been sent to a safe location.

BEEP!

Wrapped in golden light, Klaus disappeared.

And at that very moment, Ancelot—who had been quietly resting in the black figure’s arms—scowled.

He detached from the black figure and slowly stood, looking directly at me.

Still fixated on Ancelot’s glazed eyes, I asked Piya,

“Piya. Just in case—what happens if I die?”

—W-With me here, it’s okay. You’ll revive. But… there has to be a reset.

“Reset?”

—Yes. You’ll lose all progress and return to the moment right after Awakening…

“…”

As Piya explained, I swallowed hard.

Hezen had been able to revive instantly after dying to <Lv.49 Bald Kraken>.
But that was during the tutorial, before awakening.

Now that I was in the main scenario, I couldn’t revive without special items or cash.

“So if I die… I start over?”

Start from the beginning. Again.

Just saying it made my heart drop.

Memories rushed back—
Cedric, the system admin who threatened me.
Orent’s madness, the dimensional corrosion, the nightmarish black mist—and my family from a past life…

But that wasn’t the only issue.

—A-And… death hurts.

Piya sniffled with a whimper.

I already knew that. I had died once and reincarnated here.

I understood better than anyone just how agonizing it was.

“But Piya, you said I’d be okay with you around.”

Still watching Ancelot, I asked calmly,

“What if… you weren’t here?”

BEEP!

—P-Please don’t say such scary things!

Piya cried out, panicked.

“…It’s not scary. It’s realistic.”

As soon as I said that—
The letters above Ancelot’s head began to flicker and turn red.

System Bug: no.000000000001

“Run, Piya!”

A wave of murderous intent directed at Piya exploded from Ancelot—the moment his bug status was revealed.

I instantly shielded her with my body, hiding her from Ancelot’s view.

[SYSTEM] Bug detected!
[SYSTEM] Bug detected!
[SYSTEM] Due to a critical bug, system adjustments—▤▥◐♧♨◈▨
[SYSTEM] Critical bug encountered. System shutting down.

Thud—

Piya collapsed in my hands, without even a whimper.

The system connection was cut off.

All my skill and item effects vanished. My body felt heavy.

And I knew, instinctively—
In this state, I couldn’t fight Ancelot.

Piya…

With trembling hands, I gently laid Piya under the shade of a tree.

Ancelot glanced briefly at her unconscious body, then slowly turned to me.

His gaze, filled only with murderous intent, met mine.

The white orbs around him morphed into sharp spears.

“I might actually die this time.”

My fingertips trembled with fear.

“If something like yesterday happens again, and I’m not there to protect the princess…”

A voice from the past rang in my head.

I instinctively clutched the pendant around my neck.

“The princess must be able to protect herself.”

I hadn’t expected the one I’d need protection from would be Ancelot himself.

“Take a deep breath and focus on the pendant’s pulse.”

Recalling that gentle voice, I calmed my breath and focused.

The moment the spears flew toward me—

A red light burst from the pendant and dissolved Ancelot’s attack.

“I’m alive…!”

Or so I thought.

Ancelot drew his sword and charged.

“Eek!”

I frantically raised my blade to block.

CLANG—!

Our swords clashed in midair with a harsh metallic screech.

My Azester greatsword, gifted by my mother, glowed red with sword energy.

Yet Ancelot’s blade didn’t even flinch.

Even with his white energy neutralized by the pendant, I was only just holding him back.

“Hngh…”

The force difference began to push me back.

Only the sword aura kept me standing—without it, I’d already be down.

CLAAANG!

My sword was knocked flying.

I was thrown back and collapsed to the ground.

Ancelot approached, dragging his sharp blade through the dirt—its screech chilling me to the bone.

“A-Ancelot…”

My chattering teeth made his name come out as a whisper.

His face, blank and expressionless, looked down on me—so different from his usual teasing smile.

“You said you’d keep me safe!”

Knowing it wouldn’t reach him, I still cried out.

What went wrong?

Was it holding hands with that shady priest from the start?

I should have been more cautious.

But I got fooled.

Fooled by his sly smile and gentle voice.

“It’s okay now, Your Highness. It won’t hurt anymore.”
“I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone harm you.”

I had leaned on that warmth, that steady voice…

“You said you’d protect me!!”

Tears blurred my vision.

I could no longer see his face.

But maybe that was better.

I didn’t want to see that unfamiliar, empty gaze any longer.

Still, even with my vision clouded, I could feel his presence drawing near.

“We made a promise!”

With the last of my strength, I kicked his shin—hard.

Thud!

He blinked slowly. His sword dropped to the ground.

“There’s my opening!”