Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

50 – One Body, Two Souls (3)

Alraune was a fiend that devoured humans. She could use a secret art to take human souls and increase her own life count.

But that Alraune’s life count was currently only one.

One wrong move, and she could face eternal death.

[“Damn it.”]

But she didn’t even think about running. Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

Run away from things less than insects?

*I*, a former executive of the Demon King’s army?

[“That mage brat….”]

The fox beastkin, the two b*tches that showed up halfway. All of them were moving around that mage. If only she could subdue the mage, their formation would crumble.

Alraune was rapidly racking her brain when,

the mage nonchalantly sat down in a lotus position.

The mage calmly inhaled and exhaled. With every breath he let out, the purity of his mana increased. Mirkill, a basic technique to acquire normalized mana.

If the mage gathered mana, he would prepare a powerful spell.

If she took a powerful spell head-on, this body wouldn’t survive.

Even if she ran, it was a problem. She couldn’t give these humans time to catch their breath. Because her existence had been exposed. If she let them live, they would come back next time more thoroughly prepared.

Conclusion: she had to kill them before things escalated.

Alraune charged.

The black-haired woman also kicked off the ground. As she thrust her spear upward, Alraune’s charging teeth slammed to a halt. She was bound, completely unable to move.

It wasn’t just brute strength.

She’s a woman who knows how to wield power.

The woman imbued the spear tip with divine power. She slid the spear shaft up along its maw, then rammed it straight into the roof of its mouth.

[“KaaaRGH!”]

The operating table shattered, the pain of leaves tearing. In that instant, Alaune was certain. This human woman was seasoned in battle. Her movements were similar to the hero who assassinated His Majesty long ago.

“Goddess of battle.”

The woman’s hand gripping the spear tightened.

“Grant me the strength to vanquish this fiend.”

The flow of Sephiron was ominous. She was preparing a powerful blow. He sensed it. If that hit, he’d die instantly.

However, Alaune still had one card left to play.

[“Dryads!”]

Dryads who were originally forest spirits.

When Alaune received this island in place of a fief long ago, he attacked, corrupted, and subjugated them, who were the lords of the forest. Now, tainted by the demonic, the Dryads had become part of the Demon Lord’s army.

[“Flowers, bloom. While I hold off this b*tch, kill the mage and the beast-yearn… huh, where…?”]

Alaune’s lip curled down. For some reason, the Dryads were all collapsed.

Shwoosh.

Foul energy was escaping from their bodies. Divine power had taken the place where demonic energy had been.

Who, in the world? How?

Once corrupted, it was a given they could never be redeemed again.

[“…No way.”]

It wasn’t an entirely impossible possibility.

The Saintess’s Resurrection Magic.

A secret art said to be the apex of healing-type sacred magic. An indulgence that can save souls corrupted against their will. A technique only usable by a Pope directly chosen by the Goddess, or someone of equal standing.

“–––.”

An unspeakable sound echoes from somewhere. Pus begins to seep from every inch of the Alraune’s vines. Merely hearing the Goddess’s language wounds a demon’s soul.

Only then did the woman wearing black robes become noticeable. A halo was rising above her head.

That attire, that holy power.

No doubt about it.

[“Saintess!”]

The Saintess glared and raised her hand. Light particles, dazzlingly bright, pierced the ground and rose one by one.

“The healing Goddess Helene has decreed: with Holiness, heal the Demonic in this land. Now, as Her herald and judge, I have come here. Let darkness become light, and liquor become water. The righteous shall be saved, and the wicked shall be punished.”

She pointed the baculum at the Alraune.

“I sentence you to death.”

The light emanating from the staff pierced both the woman and the Alraune at the same time. There was no physical force. The woman was unharmed. But the Alraune coughed, hacking up thick blood.

The light swarm circled the battlefield. One by one, the dryads began to rise. Their bodies, corrupted by impure mana, became pure again, and their once-empty eyes were once again filled with goodness.

“I, I’m back?”

“What was I doing?”

“What’s going on here?”

The Alraune instinctively retreated its main body. She gritted her teeth. Petals fell, and the vines withered.

Dangerous.

This is not your everyday danger. A woman wielding spearsmanship comparable to a Hero, a Saintess, and a young wizard only a step away from the realm of a master surgeon.

Though the mage and the two valkyries were enemies, it seems they’re cooperating now. A ridiculously bothersome combination. Just who the hell urged them to work together?

[“……”]

It was me!

“That vile entity that corrupted you is over there. The Goddess of Healing has declared that if you help us defeat that monster, your past sins will be forgiven. Those of you who can break rocks, join me.”

The dryads’ eyes flared with understanding. The forest itself vibrated, whipping up a fierce wind. The corrupted woodland was regaining its vitality.

And then, the mage rose to his feet.

He stroked the head of the fox-kin looking up at him, then produced a mana stone. An extraordinary level of mana could be felt. Its quantity was incredibly small, yet utterly refined.

It was a level of optimization that even *He* could not achieve. Was it the advancement of mages’ techniques over the past several centuries, or was this man just exceptionally skilled? It was impossible to know. Not knowing made fear rise within me.

The mage began to move. His figure grew increasingly faster. While his movements were still traceable with the naked eye, Alaune involuntarily hesitated. His aura was something else.

[“Ha, hilarious. You think I’d be scared? By some newbie mage?”]

Alaune’s lips twisted into a grotesque grin.

[“Walking right into my grasp, wanting to die. Fine, come!”]

The dryads charged first. Alaune’s vines preemptively blocked them. Her gaze remained fixed on the mage.

Yes, mage. If I consume only you, it will all be over. If I take just your mana, I can grow stronger than I was before.

[“Earth, tremble! Divide everything with ceaseless vibrations!”]

Ddddddd.

Countless roots burst from the ground. This was the strongest magic she could currently wield. It was accompanied by a severe earthquake that cracked the very ground, one that would make even running impossible.

I knew it.

“Valkyrie!”

At the mage’s shout, the black-haired woman turned. She raised her spear in the air, then assumed a stance. Her back was bent, her hands clasped as if playing volleyball.

*Thwack!*

The mage stepped on the woman’s hand and leaped. Using the recoil of his power, he flew higher than expected. His shadow fell over Alaune’s head.

The roots he’d painstakingly summoned with magic didn’t reach. The vines were all allocated to the dryad.

[“Ah, no! Save me! Please…!” ]

Alaune screamed. Then.

[ “…did you think I’d say that?” ]

*Crack.*

Alaune opened her mouth, concentrating her magic. She disrupted the mage’s mana flow.

A fleeting moment, at best. But even that sliver of difference was fatal in their current situation.

Before the mage could use his magic, she’d devour him. Victory was hers. Alaune was that sure.

“Mage!”

The woman, having recovered the spear she’d thrown, charged forward. Despite the unstable ground from the earthquake, her steps were relentless.

The woman thrust the spear.

Alaune’s lower jaw was ripped away.

Her mouth hung open, unable to close.

And in the next instant, the mage began his incantation.

[“Star, crush them. Burn them with fierce inferno, leaving not even ash behind.”]

A fourth-order mana resonator, perfectly aligned twice with firestone.

Harmonic Sea Stone, Merliniite.

As the mage released his sling, the harmonic sea stone unleashed a roar and plunged deep into Alaune’s throat. There was no time to feel heat. Her shell, the fibrous tissues inside, the organs of the monster, and even her mana melted away.

It felt like swallowing a tiny sun.

Alaune couldn’t even scream as she fell backward. The fire that began in her mouth spread through her entire body in an instant. It was over. Her consciousness was fading away.

But.

[“Hh, m-m-m-murghhh huugh…”]

You stupid things.

I might die like this, but if you think that means you’ll get out of here, you’re sorely mistaken.

Alaune sneered at the mages until the very end, and then closed her eyes.

*

And there was a girl who had been watching this entire battle from only the perspective of an observer, and that was Riyo.

‘What is this?’

It felt like floating in mid-air. Riyo’s head tilted downwards. There was someone controlling her body in her stead.

What is it? A demon?

Who is it that’s using my body without permission?

‘Hey, get out! I’m the owner of this body!’

She struggled with all her might to get back into her body, but it was no use. No matter how hard she tried, she was just pushed back, *thunk*.

‘Just what is it?’

While Riyo was panicking, the spirit that had taken over her body was gnawing on its fingernails.

“Th-that… it’s definitely… Merinitite.”

*Whump whump whump.*

Riyo’s left tail was moving so fiercely it kicked up dust from the ground.

“They say magic stones that use power from the stars, are too unstable to recreate with modern magical engineering, so no one uses them yet…”

‘What the hell, why’s he spouting stuff I don’t know about?’

Liyo, no.

Miyo’s lips curved upwards.

“…That’s kinda cool?”

*

“Ugh!”

The moment I used the hae-hwa stone, my mana was instantly drained. Even after all that optimization work, it’s like this. I could taste the bitter metallic tang in my throat. It felt like all my organs were screaming.

The problem wasn’t just that.

I was falling.

I couldn’t even wiggle a finger. And I’d flown pretty high. I was falling headfirst. What does that even mean?

If someone doesn’t catch me here, I’m done for.

Capturing a monster, then dying from a fall? That’s a joke. If that happens, I’ll probably win the year’s Golian Award.

Just as I was thinking that,

something soft wrapped around me. And I landed gently. There was so much cushioning against my face that I barely felt the fall.

I thought it might be a Valkyrie and looked up.

“Hi?”

It was a fox engineer. The Valkyrie herself was shivering due to the Alraune’s corpse still burning brightly. I couldn’t blame her.

Anyway, I was alive, that’s what matters.

My gaze turned to the engineer. But, her aura was somehow unsettling.

“What to do, such a pretty face now scarred.”

Corporal breathed, her eyes crinkling like crescent moons, pressing her lips to my ear. The next moment, I jumped. She’d licked my cheek.

Clatter.

The sound made me turn. Valkyrie had dropped her wooden spear. Her eyes were unfocused.

“C-Corporal, what are you doing?”

“Ah, this you mean?”

Corporal flicked her tongue out, laughing.

“Just a little wound-licking.”

Before Valkyrie could respond, Su-in slipped her arm under my armpit. I was too weak to even resist. She supported me, whispering.

“Come on, let’s go back to our nest.”