Chapter 57: Heartstopper

Rhos spat out a mouthful of blood with a wet ’peh’. A knife had sunk into his chest and pierced his heart.

His amber eyes were wide as they stared directly into Ripley’s pale blue ones, but the eyes staring back at him were nothing like before.

Her fingers were wrapped around the handle of the knife buried inside him, while her lips parted without producing a sound. She looked shocked. Completely and genuinely shocked.

This was a rare face from her. Rhos would have found it almost funny under different circumstances because he wasn’t used to seeing like this.

But right now, he was stabbed.

That was the first and most obvious problem. There was a searing pain spread from his chest while warm blood flooded beneath his clothes. He was losing feeling in his body as well.

His fingers had already become numb, his legs felt like they were going to give out any moment, and every heartbeat made the pain worse.

At the same time, Saucy Jacky, who remained embedded in his chest, continued to feed on his spiritual energy.

The sensation was horribly familiar after being grazed by the knives throughout their fight but except this time it wasn’t brief contact. The blade was inside him, drinking continuously.

’Damnation’

Strangely enough, Rhos wasn’t angry.

He knew Ripley enough to know this wasn’t what she intended.

He thought this way because he also knew how her Totem Art worked.

She told him some time back that it manifested primarily through her eyes and was always active to some degree. She didn’t view living creatures the same as everyone else. In her eyes, she saw a person’s body as a detailed anatomical structure of muscles, organs, blood vessels, joints and vulnerable points.

The longer she observed a target, the more complete that understanding became. Eventually, a killing line was drawn.

Ripley described these lines as something between instinct and instruction. They subconsciously guided her thoughts and movements toward the most efficient way of killing whatever she was looking at.

Against opponents who relied primarily on conventional physical combat, it made her terrifying. This was one reason why Rhos wasn’t a match against her in a direct fight.

They had known each other for years. There probably wasn’t another person alive whose body she had observed more often than his.

So when Rhos placed himself between Ripley and her intended target, her body had already committed to the strike. Her Totem Art found the quickest way to kill him and committed to it.

Knowing that was why he couldn’t blame her for his carelessness.

’Its my fault... I should have known better’

He coughed and more blood spilled down his chin.

He didn’t regret moving in between them either, although that part confused him.

Rhos wasn’t a hero. He didn’t want to become one either.

Heroes had an irritating tendency to throw away perfectly good lives for strangers, principles, dramatic last stands and the expectations of people. Rhos valued his own life far too much for any of that nonsense.

But when he saw that knife descending toward the little girl, it was like his body moved on its own... all to protect someone who’s been hostile to him the second they met.

He didn’t understand it but he was glad she wasn’t hurt. That alone brought a weak smile to his bloody lips.

"Dar– Rhos...?"

Ripley’s trembling hand pulled Saucy Jacky from his chest.

A thick stream of blood poured from the wound as his knees gave out. Rhos collapsed face first onto the cold stone floor, his blood pooling beneath him.

"Shit! Rhos, w-, wait, I-, I-, I didn’t– I wasn’t trying to–!"

The last thing he heard was her panicking voice.

Even though the wound was fatal, two things worked in his favor.

First, he was still inside the Elderwood Biome.

Second and most importantly... Ripley was here.

That was the last coherent thought Red Deer Rhos had before everything disappeared.

****

Sköll Rune’s head hurt.

Although his regenerative trait had dealt with most of the damage, he still experienced pain.

He was currently slumped against the damaged wall where that red haired bastard sent him moments earlier. Rubbing the back of his skull he tried to understand what just happened.

He had seen the entire thing.

The crazy woman’s knife was originally going down toward the little girl, but when Red Hair suddenly gotten between them, her arm changed route at the final moment and went into his chest.

Rune grimaced. That looked painful. He was glad it didn’t happen to him... again.

’Crazy bastards... that’s what I get for trying to be a reasonable person. I shouldn’t have gotten involved in other people’s problems’

The crazy woman stumbled backward, her body shaking as if she was the one who got stabbed.

Rune stared at her with mild confusion.

Why was she panicking?

Red Hair wasn’t dead yet. Rune could still sense life from him. It was weak and rapidly fading but it was still there.

If she stopped standing there looking horrified and actually did something useful, there was still time to get him to the hospital.

Well, that wasn’t his problem.

If anything, his situation just became considerably easier.

One pain in the ass had just removed himself.

That left the crazy woman.

Rune pushed himself away from the wall and climbed back onto his feet.

’If I’m allowed to be picky about these things, I would’ve preferred her to be the one bleeding on the floor’

Red Hair was annoying, but Rune didn’t get the impression that he genuinely wanted to kill either of them. He hit hard, yes but there was still restraint behind his actions.

Ripley had none. She was actively trying to kill everyone here.

That made her infinitely more annoying.

His gaze turned to the other person present. The little girl had retreated against a wall. She was still wrapped in chains, but after falling from Red Hair’s grip, they had loosened.

Those bizarre eyes of hers were staring at the person who held her captive a minute ago with sorrow.

She tried to reach him, her fingers slowly stretching toward Red Hair. However...

"Don’t touch him!"

She withdrew immediately at Ripley’s shouting.

The crazy woman wasn’t holding her Otherworldly Treasure anymore, or any weapon. But mistaking that for harmlessness would be foolish. The intense glare from her pale blue eye made Rune uncomfortable.

She stomped toward the child with tears flowing from her eyes.

"You stay the fuck away from him, you monster! This is your fault, do you understand me?! If you hadn’t shown up, none of this would’ve happened, he wouldn’t have– I wouldn’t–!"

The girl pressed herself harder against the wall, fear clearly visible on her face.

Rune sighed.

There it was again... that annoying need to get involved in other people’s problems.

He flexed his fingers and felt spiritual energy circulating through his body. Despite everything that happened, he was still in good condition. He hadn’t exerted anywhere near what he was actually capable of this entire time.

What he had displayed so far was what he was permitted to use. He had limitations placed on him for a reason. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t till they were removed.

Still, this much should be enough.

"Hey, crazy bitch, I’m not done. Come at...."

Caw!

Rune’s words were cut short by a sudden sound.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

One after another, these sounds overlapped each other. Rune’s eyes widened as black shapes poured from the darkness and swept through the corridor.

These were crows! A whole murder of them.

They flew through the corridor in a chaotic swarm with wings beating violently through the cramped underground passage as their cries echoed into a deafening chorus.

Some landed along exposed pipes and broken sections of the walls, while others circled overhead.

Rune raised an arm to protect his face and that’s when he saw it.

A new figure had appeared standing beside Red Hair’s body.

It was a young woman with short ash blonde hair and hollow pink eyes that looked down at the bleeding man with indifference and exhaustion.

This young woman was wearing a... maid uniform?