New WorldShadow - 390/391 (Patreon)

Chapter 390: Let the Bullets Fly for a While

Cid’s shocking remark instantly turned what had been a tense, nerve-racking escape into something resembling a leisurely stroll.

“Cid-kun, I know saying this sounds a little like I’m stabbing you in the back, but I seriously need to ask. Is there something wrong with your brain? Is this really the time to be worrying about that?!”

The group exchanged glances before Kanade finally stepped forward and loudly berated Cid for his complete inability to read the situation.

Please, just open your eyes and look around!

If they were too slow, the Hero Faction would kill them!

“A small fry like you wouldn’t understand. Those are top-class instruments worth tens of millions of zeni altogether! Do you have any idea how valuable they are?!”

More importantly, according to Cid’s plan, his first appearance as the evil Shadow who would “destroy the world and force every faction in the world to unite” was supposed to serve as a declaration.

Naturally, an appearance like that needed stirring music in the background.

Without his instruments, how was he supposed to play anything?

“They’re worth that much?! Then we really do need to think this through.”

Unlike Cid, who was worried that his grand plan would fail to achieve the desired effect, Kanade had simply heard the staggering amount of money involved and immediately revealed her greedy nature.

“Exactly! This was my chance to make a huge profit. That evil terrorist organization, the Khaos Brigade, not only captured us and locked us up, they even destroyed my instruments!”

“Mm-hmm, exactly...”

Cid and Kanade, the two poor souls among them, enthusiastically cursed the people responsible for everything, completely forgetting the situation they were currently in.

Kunou and Sayaka Kirasaka could only watch with twitching expressions.

“Enough! The most important thing right now is getting out of here. Cid, if you’re really that upset about the instruments destroyed at the music store, then... then once we get out, I’ll buy you an entire music store, okay?”

“What?! You’ll really buy... That’s not the point! Why can’t any of you understand me?!”

Cid’s greed nearly made him agree on instinct, but he immediately remembered that a little money wasn’t the issue here.

Cid admitted that an entire music store was expensive, but it wasn’t as though he couldn’t afford one.

The real question was what he was supposed to use for background music later.

Making a grand entrance without beautiful background music was like eating instant noodles without the seasoning packet, or a band losing its bassist.

It might look insignificant, but the soul was gone.

Tch. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve stopped trying to save money and just bought everything outright.

Just as Cid and Kunou were about to continue arguing, a silver greatsword suddenly swept in from the side and slammed into the ground, carving a deep mark into the floor.

“Are you finished?”

Sayaka Kirasaka stared darkly at the three of them, black lines practically covering her face.

She had never felt this mentally exhausted before.

One was a mysterious riddle-spewing guy hiding his true strength and possessing absurd initiative.

One was incredibly weak, yet somehow had the strangest thought process imaginable.

And one was an impulsive child who could be dragged off topic far too easily.

What had she, a perfectly normal person, ever done to deserve being surrounded by these lunatics?

The three hurriedly nodded like chicks pecking at grain.

Sayaka Kirasaka sighed, turned around, and gestured for them to continue along the route she had found.

But after walking for a while, Sayaka Kirasaka frowned again.

Something seemed to occur to her.

She tilted her head slightly and glanced from the corner of her eye at Cid, who was walking behind them with a dejected expression.

“Did you notice something wrong?”

“?”

Sayaka Kirasaka’s strange voice suddenly sounded beside Cid’s ear.

He looked up in confusion, only to find Kanade and Kunou still obediently following behind Sayaka Kirasaka.

Judging by their reactions, neither of them had heard anything.

Cid glanced toward his shoulder.

A Shikigami folded from paper was perched there, gently flapping its wings as it relayed Sayaka Kirasaka’s voice.

Ahead of them, Sayaka Kirasaka continued scouting while focusing part of her consciousness through the Shikigami behind her.

Out of caution, as well as respect for Cid’s unknown strength, Sayaka Kirasaka still found it difficult to believe that someone whose actual abilities were uncertain but who was unquestionably stronger than them could really be irresponsible enough to worry about some random musical instruments in the middle of a life-or-death escape.

“...Why would you think that?”

Cid fell silent for a moment.

He genuinely couldn’t understand Sayaka Kirasaka’s thought process.

If he had discovered something wrong, why wouldn’t he simply say so?

Leaving combat strength aside, Cid was fairly certain that when it came to intelligence, he was more normal than most of the lunatics inhabiting this world.

“Because... because you’re really strong...”

Sayaka Kirasaka stammered out her answer.

Even she didn’t know where this strange trust in Cid had come from.

After their previous mission ended, she hadn’t even reported Cid, who was obviously suspicious, to her superiors.

Was it really just because of that one promise?

“That’s your imagination. Being strong doesn’t mean you’re exceptional at everything else. Take my perception, for example. It’s practically on the level of a Muggle.”

“Everything has two sides. When you gain something, you lose something somewhere else. Misfortune can contain fortune, and fortune can hide misfortune.”

Cid calmly revealed his own weakness without caring that Sayaka Kirasaka might pass along the information about his poor perception.

As his strength had continued to increase, the world had become more and more fragile in his eyes.

It was as though he lived inside a world made of paper. Even the slightest movement forced him to consider whether he might accidentally cause a catastrophic disaster.

To Cid, the presence of one person compared to another was little more than air.

As his level of existence rose and his lifespan lengthened, it became increasingly difficult for him to place other forms of life on the same level as himself.

Perception?

Ridiculous.

You think you’re worthy of being perceived?

Pleasure, temperature, pain. Those sensations still existed within Cid.

But no matter how many times those sensations were magnified, they could never reach his lower threshold.

It wasn’t because his perception was weak that someone could hit him.

It was because no matter how hard they struggled, they couldn’t move the Abyss by even the slightest amount, so there was no need for him to react.

That was all.

And if someone truly did manage to shake the Abyss...

When you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back into you.

“So don’t think too deeply about my ridiculous behavior. I’m just upset about losing some excellent instruments.”

Cid freed one hand, pinched the folded paper crane resting on his shoulder, and crushed it after leaving those words behind.

Of course, a situation like Ophis being brought directly before the Dragon-Killer and instantly killed was an exception.

More accurately, that happened because the God of the Bible and the Dragon-Killer Samael were simply absurd.

“Gaining something means losing something elsewhere...?”

Sayaka Kirasaka felt the Shikigami on Cid’s shoulder being destroyed, but she paid no attention to it.

Instead, she pondered what he had just said.

Without making a sound, another paper crane flew from Sayaka Kirasaka’s hand and landed on Cid’s shoulder.

She waited several seconds.

Cid showed no reaction whatsoever.

Sayaka Kirasaka felt as though she finally understood his situation.

He was a specialized warrior who had sacrificed his other abilities to enhance his combat strength, devoting himself entirely to a single area.

If that was true, everything made sense.

Despite being younger than her, he possessed frontal combat capabilities that surpassed her own.

Sayaka Kirasaka looked at Cid with pity, feeling sympathy for his tragic circumstances.

As far as she knew, achieving a state like this required taking drugs that overtaxed the body.

The so-called loss of his other abilities was probably a side effect.

More importantly, drugs that sacrificed someone’s future for immediate combat strength were the sort of thing terrorist organizations used to cultivate their soldiers.

In other words, Cid must have come from the dark side of World No. 3.

Cid noticed Sayaka Kirasaka giving him a strange look and tilted his head, unable to understand what she was thinking.

“Since you don’t have much longer to live, I won’t interfere with the matter between you and Yukina. But you’re not allowed to do anything that would make Yukina sad.”

Having finally “understood” everything, Sayaka Kirasaka felt much more at ease about Cid.

Her greatest fear had been that Cid had approached her Yukina with ulterior motives, intending to take advantage of her and then abandon her.

The Shikigami’s voice reached Cid’s ear once more.

But what it said made absolutely no sense to him.

What did she mean, he didn’t have much longer to live?

What did she mean, she wouldn’t interfere with the matter involving Yukina Himeragi?

And what was this about not doing anything that would make Yukina Himeragi sad?

...She probably sent it to the wrong person.

After thinking about it for a moment, Cid arrived at that conclusion.

After all, with so much of his precious money still unspent, why would he ever agree to die?

With that thought, Cid suddenly stopped walking again.

Everyone immediately looked at him.

“What now, Cid-kun? Did you remember some other nonsense and decide you wanted to slow us down again?”

Kanade gave him an expression that said she had expected this all along.

She knew Cid would cause another problem sooner or later.

Even Sayaka Kirasaka, who had been leading the way, stopped in concern and turned toward him.

“Um... sorry. My stomach suddenly started acting up. I need to use the bathroom.”

Cid spoke awkwardly.

As expected, the moment those words left his mouth, Kunou, who had thought something serious had happened, immediately struck him.

“Are you sure you’re not a spy the Hero Faction planted among us?! Where are we supposed to find a bathroom for you in a pitch-black underground base?!”

Kunou shouted in exasperation, nearly driven insane by Cid’s endless stream of idiotic comments.

They had already wasted plenty of time.

“Stop messing around. Even if there is a bathroom, hold it in, Cid. Getting out of here comes first.”

“Oh. I see. Fine.”

So that excuse wasn’t going to work.

Cid felt mildly disappointed that his universal excuse had failed for the first time, but he didn’t care too much.

There was still time.

His black eyes seemed to pierce straight through the thick earth beneath his feet.

He saw the spirit veins that had already linked the entire Eastern Hemisphere, liquid energy surging violently through their winding channels.

Cid could feel it.

A strange pulse was spreading silently through the unseen void, as though something somewhere had begun responding.

Unfortunately, on this planet, the only beings who could probably sense that pulse were Cid and the two Infinite Dragon Gods.

I hope something goes wrong for Cao Cao and the others.

Cid mentally clasped his hands together and prayed.

He had no idea what exactly was about to happen.

But he did know one thing.

Only when the world descended into chaos would there be room for an Eminence in Shadow to appear.

No need to rush.

Let the bullets fly for a while.

Cid started walking again.

This time, however, Sayaka Kirasaka was the one who stopped.

Kanade and Kunou poked their heads out from behind her in confusion.

Standing ahead of them was Jeanne, clad in battle armor and holding a Holy Sword.

“Could you tell your Nee-san how you managed to escape? Even Cao Cao couldn’t get out of those cages if he were locked inside. I secured your weapons beforehand, and the keys have been on me the entire time. No matter how much I think about it, I simply can’t figure out how you escaped.”

Jeanne spoke softly.

Yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of emotion in her voice.

Her blue eyes were fixed firmly on the four people before her.

She was clearly in a terrible mood.

“Well...”

That useless small fry Kanade immediately turned her head toward Cid.

Jeanne instantly understood who the culprit was.

“I didn’t expect this, Cid. You’ve got quite a few tricks up your sleeve.”

“Heh. The more sophisticated the lock, the simpler the lock-picking technique required.”

Cid chuckled and held up the steel wire in his hand, showing Jeanne exactly how they had supposedly escaped.

Then he turned a murderous glare toward Kanade.

“Kanade, you absolute moron!”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing. I was complimenting you.”

After smiling while insulting his useless teammate, Cid turned his attention back toward the obstacle blocking their path.

“Finished playing around? If you are, would you mind coming with your Nee-san willingly?”

With the entertainment apparently over, Jeanne straightened up and tried to persuade them in a friendly tone.

If she could, she would have liked to keep watching.

But...

“We’re running out of time. If you force me to do this personally, I can’t promise you’ll all arrive in one piece.”

Her voice turned cold.

Jeanne admitted that Sayaka Kirasaka had some ability.

Not much.

Certainly nowhere near enough to defeat her.

But even a small delay might be enough to cause the Hero Faction’s plan to fail.

“Cid, take Kunou-sama and run that way. There should be a nearby exit in that direction. I can sense several terrifying powers fighting above us. We can’t be the only people who broke through. If you find them, we should be safe.”

Sayaka Kirasaka pointed toward a nearby corner and spoke gravely to the three behind her.

At the same time, she tightened her grip on her greatsword and aimed it at Jeanne, prepared to fight to the death.

“As for her... I’ll hold her here.”

Cid looked at Sayaka Kirasaka.

Then at Jeanne.

Without saying anything else, he nodded.

Still carrying the unconscious General Yasaka on his back, he led Kanade and Kunou toward the direction Sayaka Kirasaka had indicated.

Before leaving, Cid and Sayaka Kirasaka exchanged one final glance.

“Without that little girl who was with you last time, do you really think you can handle me by yourself?”

Once Cid and the others had gone, Jeanne asked Sayaka Kirasaka that question.

“I only need to delay you. What surprises me more is that you’re just standing there and letting Kunou-sama leave instead of trying to stop her.”

Sayaka Kirasaka spoke firmly.

Jeanne couldn’t help laughing when she heard that.

“Of course I’m not stopping them.”

“That direction leads straight to the altar.”

“What?!”

Sayaka Kirasaka’s expression changed instantly.

She turned, intending to chase after Cid and the others.

But a Holy Sword flying toward her face forced her to stop.

“Don’t be in such a hurry. Come play with your Nee-san for a while.”

Jeanne smiled excitedly.

Now that her mission was already complete, she had no reason to rush anymore.

...

Chapter 391: This Time, I Won, Kanade

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Inside the underground complex, where explosions and tremors echoed without pause, a boy raced forward with an unconscious beautiful woman on his back. Behind him ran a beast-eared little girl and a short-haired black-haired girl.

“Hurry up! Where exactly is the exit?!”

Kanade’s anxious shouting rang in Cid’s ears, but he only found her noisy.

Compared to this supposed escape for their lives, Cid cared far more about something else.

What exactly was happening on the surface?

He didn’t know.

All Cid could sense was that beneath the ancient capital of Kyoto, the massive and terrifying spirit veins were raging wildly, pouring endless Spiritual Energy throughout the thick layers of earth.

Because of that, the underground structures had become both extraordinarily sturdy and extraordinarily fragile.

Too much rigidity made something brittle.

It was like being trapped inside a silent powder keg, where the slightest impact could trigger a chain reaction.

As for the surface...

If Cid’s guess was right, someone had started fighting the Hero Faction.

And it wasn’t a minor battle either.

Combined with the powder-keg state of the underground, the shockwaves alone were already close to collapsing the entire subterranean complex.

Of course, that wasn’t the important part.

That was something a small fry like Kanade needed to worry about.

Even if Kyoto’s entire Dragon Vein exploded point-blank against Cid, it wouldn’t injure him in the slightest.

What Cid cared about were the two things currently reacting to one another.

The distance between them was steadily shrinking.

Just as Cid had told Sayaka Kirasaka, his perception was poor because he had no reason to care about the movements of ants.

The same logic applied in reverse.

If something wasn’t an ant, but instead a being qualified to stand on the same level as Cid, then naturally it was worthy of entering his perception.

And if he could sense it even through an entire layer of earth simply because the two sides had established some kind of connection, then no matter how weak it was, it couldn’t be weaker than Ophis.

Which raised the obvious question.

Where had something like that suddenly come from?

...Whatever.

This felt like it was going to be interesting.

An excited smile appeared on Cid’s face.

As long as it wasn’t one of those disgustingly broken enemies that relied on some absurd bug-like mechanic, Cid had no reason to fear any opponent.

Originally, he had been worried that without background music, a mere Hero Faction might not be grand enough to serve as the opening act for his magnificent plan.

But if the Hero Faction were replaced by this kind of world-ending boss...

Then there was no problem at all.

Good wine needed no bush.

It was like a band losing its bassist but gaining a world-class guitarist instead, or instant noodles missing the seasoning packet but being made from premium buckwheat noodles.

Not ideal, but acceptable.

“Cid-san, could you please stop putting your hand there on my mother? We’re still running for our lives!”

Kunou’s tearful voice abruptly dragged Cid out of his fantasies.

Only then did he realize that after all the jostling along the way, the position of the mature woman on his back had become slightly inappropriate.

Kanade, who was practically sprinting for her life, glanced back.

The moment she saw the position of Kunou’s mother, Yasaka, the corner of her mouth twitched.

“We’re all running for our lives here, Princess Kunou. Can you please stop worrying about little things like that? If you think Cid-kun offended your mother, then once we get out of here, I’ll give Cid-kun to you as compensation. How about that?”

Kanade, I agree with everything you said at the beginning, but I have no idea what that last part was supposed to mean.

You were telling me you loved me this morning.

Cid gave her a disgusted look.

Kanade, however, simply kept running for her life without paying him any attention.

Apparently, when survival was at stake, Kanade was willing to throw away even her dignity.

No.

I need to get out of here immediately.

Sensing the powerful presences above, Cid felt an unbearable itch in his heart.

As long as he remained stuck beside Kanade and Kunou, he couldn’t slip away.

He had already missed the earlier large-scale battle.

Was he really supposed to miss this one too?

Absolutely not.

Cid refused.

If he kept delaying things, when would his grand plan ever begin?

This opportunity was far too good to waste.

He had to seize it and take the first step.

“What are you doing?!”

Just as Cid made up his mind, Kunou shouted beside him.

Cid answered calmly.

“I’m doing what you told me to do.”

“I told you to move your hands, not carry her upside down!”

Yes.

Normally, when someone carried another person on their back, the head stayed up and the feet pointed down.

To prevent any further delays, Cid had simply flipped Yasaka upside down.

After all, he had heard that fox spirits might have body odor.

He had never heard of fox spirits having smelly feet.

“What a pain.”

Cid complained about Kunou’s excessive demands.

Honestly, he thought this arrangement was much better.

He no longer had to worry about accidentally touching anywhere inappropriate.

Nor did he need to worry about Yasaka’s nine fox tails dragging along the ground and slowing them down.

At worst, she might get a concussion.

As he thought that, Cid looked at the others and suddenly realized something.

Why had his speed increased so much...

No.

More accurately, why had Kanade and Kunou suddenly become so slow?

The concentration of Spiritual Energy around them had also become extraordinarily heavy.

It had already reached levels that would be lethal to an ordinary person.

The only reason nobody had noticed was because there wasn’t a single ordinary person here.

But correspondingly, using Magical Power in an environment this harsh would consume an unimaginable amount of energy.

Cid glanced around.

The corner of his mouth curled upward.

He thought he might have figured out exactly how Cao Cao and the others had screwed up.

More importantly, he had also found a way to leave the group and announce his grand plan to the world.

After adjusting Yasaka’s position on his back, Cid continued running in the direction Sayaka Kirasaka had pointed out before staying behind to delay Jeanne.

At the same time, he closed his eyes and carefully sensed the pulse of that terrifying force beneath the earth.

“Tap, tap, tap...”

Amid the hurried footsteps, Cid accurately caught the energy seeping through the layers of rock.

His stride slowed by an almost imperceptible half-beat.

Here.

“RUMBLE—!!”

It was as though someone had pressed the detonator on a nuclear bomb.

The ground and walls, which had previously only been trembling, suddenly began cracking apart across a massive area.

The walls on both sides of the corridor either collapsed outward or were crushed inward.

A vast, bottomless abyss suddenly opened directly in front of Cid and the others.

Threads of pure Spiritual Energy burst from the fractures in the earth.

“Bzzzz...”

An invisible wave swept outward.

In an instant, the entire underground complex began collapsing.

Through the fissures spraying Spiritual Energy, Cid could faintly see the astonishing, intricate Dragon Veins containing the power of half the planet.

Clearing the earth veins of half a planet.

It really was a magnificent plan.

But Cao Cao...

You seem to have overlooked something.

When absolute power is gathered together, there is a very high chance it will develop an instinctive defensive mechanism of its own.

Cid looked down at the Dragon Vein below, tightly bound and unable to completely unify its own power.

A vicious grin spread across his face.

Spirit of the planet.

Do you want to grow?

Do you want to break free?

Do you want to gather all your power into one complete whole?

Then let me give you a hand!

As though struck head-on by an invisible ripple in the void, Cid suddenly stumbled and fell into the abyss.

“Kanade, catch her.”

“Huh?!”

Smiling as he plunged downward, Cid threw the beautiful woman from his back toward Kanade and Kunou, who had been running ahead and had luckily avoided falling into the giant fissure.

Then he turned and looked down.

Even through thousands of meters of solid rock, Cid could clearly see it.

A Dragon formed from the spirit veins, glowing with a pure, pale radiance, was slowly being born under the influence of Cao Cao’s Magic Circle.

If Cid had never appeared, then within a few minutes, just as the Hero Faction reached the halfway point in clearing the spirit veins, the fully formed Spirit Vein Dragon would emerge and kill them.

The plan to clear the spirit veins of the Eastern Hemisphere would end in complete failure.

Don’t ask why the Spirit Vein Dragon would attack Cao Cao and the others even though they were technically trying to help the world by clearing the spirit veins.

Any world with even the slightest amount of intelligence wouldn’t let Cao Cao handle something this important in the first place.

Unfortunately, the planet only possessed an instinct for self-preservation.

It didn’t have a brain.

Sigh.

Since Cid was still a reasonably good person, he supposed he could take care of this world-benefiting task for them.

Mm.

Once Cao Cao failed, Cid would transform into an Eminence in Shadow, make his brilliant entrance, and suppress the Spirit Vein Dragon himself.

“Hahahahaha...”

A planet-wide earthquake spanning half the world as the backdrop announcing the beginning of his plan.

A dark and stormy night perfect for murder.

The Spirit Vein Dragon rampaging and destroying everything.

Then a black figure appearing to cut through it all while beginning to explain the lore.

Cao Cao’s meaningless grand plan would itself become merely one more layer inside an even greater scheme.

Everything would have been calculated by the evil Shadow from the beginning.

Too cool!

Cid himself had absolutely no idea why he would go to all this trouble just to clear the earth veins afterward.

But that no longer mattered.

Shadow had no need to explain himself.

So cool!

Hehehe...

“Grab on, Cid!”

Just as Cid finished drafting the first stage of his plan, Kunou’s voice came from above and interrupted his thoughts.

The next instant, something grabbed him from behind.

The force stopped his descent toward the spirit veins.

It also abruptly ended his maniacal laughter.

“Huh?”

Cid looked back.

For some reason, Kunou had jumped down after him.

That wasn’t right.

Cid had already fallen farther than Kunou was tall.

How had a tiny girl managed to catch him?

Thinking that, Cid instinctively leaned out and looked behind her.

Her tail!

Kunou had wrapped one of her tails around Kanade’s neck.

“Hang on, Cid-kun! Princess Kunou! I’m pulling you both up!”

Judging by Kanade’s face, which had turned bright red from Kunou’s tail choking her neck, she really was using every bit of strength she had.

A desperate escape for their lives.

A Spirit Vein Dragon below that could swallow them whole.

An underground structure on the verge of collapse.

An unstable environment where another earthquake could strike at any moment.

Under normal circumstances, even Cid might have been somewhat moved by the sight.

But right now...

“You two... don’t tell me you still haven’t realized what’s happening?”

The corner of Cid’s eye twitched as he spoke instinctively.

“Huh? AAAAAH!!”

Before either of them could react, Kanade suddenly felt the force pulling against her increase dramatically.

Caught completely off guard, she lost her balance.

Kunou’s tail dragged her forward.

Together, the two of them fell straight into the fissure.

“AAAAAAH!” x2

Question.

Why had Cid chosen this exact spot to open a path toward the underground spirit veins?

Answer.

Because it led directly to the spirit veins.

The greater the mass, the stronger the gravitational pull.

The suction generated the instant this passage opened here should have been more than enough to prevent Kanade and Kunou from even considering trying to save him.

The fact that neither of them had stopped to think and had immediately tried to rescue him was completely outside Cid’s calculations.

“I already threw your mother to safety, and you still jumped after me. I honestly don’t even know what to say.”

Amid the fierce wind roaring in his ears and the two girls screaming as they plummeted through the air, Cid spoke with a completely calm expression.

As far as he was concerned, he had already considered every possible way someone might catch up with him and interfere.

He had sealed off all of them.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! The noble bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Fox would never allow me to stand by and watch someone who saved my life die!”

Even with her eyes squeezed shut and screaming in terror, Kunou instinctively answered the moment she heard Cid’s complaint.

“Hmm... Hold on tight.”

Rationally speaking, the best choice now would be to knock both Kanade and Kunou unconscious and head into the spirit veins alone.

But...

How should he put it?

Forget it.

Considering Kanade hadn’t chosen to abandon him and run just now, Cid could let them stop worrying this once.

Of course, the actual main reason...

The real reason was that he couldn’t let these two ruin his grand plan.

Cao Cao and the others still needed the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Cid had to get the plan he had invented one minute ago back on track.

“What?”

“I said, both of you hold on tight.”

Cid searched among the massive chunks of rock falling alongside them and adjusted his position in midair.

Kunou forced her eyes open against the roaring wind.

Seeing Cid’s movements, she instinctively thought of a classic warrior technique and stared at him with wide eyes.

“Wait... you’re not planning to...”

“Something like that.”

Cid answered calmly.

He had already located a barely usable foothold along the rock wall.

“Then what about you?”

“That’s my problem. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

Thinking about it carefully, a background character leaving the story midway through, sacrificing his life to create an opening and handing the spotlight over to the protagonist, was also a classic plot.

After all...

Wasn’t it common knowledge that only protagonist-level characters could escape a major crisis successfully?

Looks like I win this round of the background-character competition, Kanade.

You can go be the protagonist who attracts everyone’s attention.

Cid smiled.

One foot slammed against the rock wall.

The terrifying suction immediately carved a deep scar into the stone.

Using that brief and precarious foothold, Cid gathered Magical Power at the very peak of what a background character should possess into his hand.

Then, using a special technique and turning his body sharply, he transferred a tremendous force into Kanade and Kunou.

The two shot upward against the terrifying suction generated by the Spirit Vein Dragon below.

Cid watched them land back on solid ground at almost the absolute limit of the distance he had calculated.

Once again, he admired his own control.

As expected of me.

As long as I don’t run into any bizarre characters, my calculations are flawless.

“Bang!”

“Ah! Cid-kun!”

“Cid!”

Kanade and Kunou rolled onto the ground.

There was barely any need for them to cry out in pain.

The two had landed almost perfectly at the very edge.

The instant they touched down, Kunou scrambled toward the edge of the pit.

But when she looked down, all she could see at the very bottom was the emerald-green spirit vein, condensed to the point where it flowed almost like liquid.

“All right, Princess Kunou. I’ll carry General Yasaka. We need to run.”

Kanade’s urgent voice came from behind.

Kunou turned and stared blankly at her.

“What are you still standing there for, Princess Kunou? Maybe once all this is over, Cid-kun will suddenly come bouncing back alive and well.”

“We need to get out of here now.”

With that, Kanade hoisted Yasaka onto her back and ran off into the distance.

Kunou looked back at the giant pit.

Then she gritted her teeth and followed.

Compared to the young Kunou, Kanade, whose survival instincts were practically maxed out, was far more rational.

Meanwhile, deep within the pit where Cid had fallen, beneath the spirit veins, a black figure stood with sword in hand.

Facing the emerald-green Dragon before him, he smiled.