BXBX NOVEL Chapter 57 Home, Sweet Home?
>VROOOOM!!!<
The Legendary Black Beast roared as it sped across the wilderness.
Waves of smoke and dust burst into the air as it charged uncontrollably.
No creature could compare to its Majesty, and its speed was otherworldly. Yet, the Black Beast did not tire. Rather, it maintained its pace and continued.
"A-amazing!"
"S-so cool!"
"This is... divine!"
The passengers could not help but marvel at its majesty.
Not only were they seating comfortably in the creature\'s body, but they could also see their surroundings through the glass panels around them.
It was also very cool within the Beast, something unexpected when anyone considered the temperature within a living creature.
As they kept marveling at the terrifyingly cool Legendary Black Beast, the Adventurers could not help but respect its master even more.
For a single human to have been capable of such an amazing feat... just how powerful was he?
Asa realized that she has underestimated his capabilities.
Gu deepened his respect for his new liege.
Liebert... was just happy he had such a sweet ride.
Smiles and laughs were on everyone\'s faces. And, it was all thanks to one person.
The Hero!
******************
\'Wohoooooo!!!\'
I felt on top of the world, showered with everyone\'s attention as I drove my car.
The ride wasn\'t exactly grandiose, but the reactions I got from everyone made me eternally grateful for my parents.
They got the car, after all.
Thanks to increasing the vehicle\'s speed, the estimated time for arrival sped up by thirty minutes.
I doubted we would even need to spend up to three hours on the road.
\'I can\'t use the car radio or Bluetooth to listen to music... too bad.\'
Still, cruising with five people in the car wasn\'t exactly bad.
Sarah rode shotgun while Byron, Liebert, and Asa were in the back seat
Gu was large, so he was placed at the rear spot—you know, that area that usually serves as the boot.
They weren\'t uncomfortable, which was a good thing. It would have been awkward if we had to squeeze ourselves in the vehicle.
\'Thankfully this car recently had maintenance, or I could have been in serious trouble... the road isn\'t exactly smooth and modern.\'
I hardly went out as well, so there was enough fuel left for a three-hour journey.
All in all, it wasn\'t a bad experience.
That is, until...
... We saw IT!
*******************
"What\'s that?"
Sarah was the first to notice the oddity that awaited us.
Pointing to the sky beyond, she noticed the ascending smoke that blackened the clouds. Once she did, Asa and the others also paid heed to the distant pillar of black smoke.
"That\'s... a fire..." Asa murmured.
"Isn\'t that the direction of our—" Byron gasped.
My body shuddered a little as I noticed the smoke grow thicker and bigger as we approached at full speed.
\'What is that...? It\'s too big to be a regular fire.\'
A bead of sweat fell from my internal face as I started to have a terrible premonition.
\'No! Calm down, Sam!\'
I was being worried for nothing.
So far, things had gone perfectly. There was no way things could go awry now.
"S-Sam..." Sarah looked in my direction with a worried expression.
The origin of the fire had to be the settlement. While we still had no idea what caused it, something had to be said.
Everyone\'s intense gaze now shifted to me, and their excitement morphed into cold anxiety.
"It\'s fine..." I managed to say.
I mean, it had to be fine. If there was something wrong, wouldn\'t the System have... informed... me...?
\'Oh no!\'
Was this the reason I got those pings from earlier?
\'What have I done? What\'s going on?!\'
Now revving up the engine and stepping on the acceleration pedal, I increased the speed of my car and charged at the ascending pillar of smoke.
\'Please... let this just be a fire...\'
**************
It wasn\'t a mere fire.
The closer I got, the more I realized that awry truth.
We arrived at the gate of the settlement, only to see it razed to the ground.
The fence we built around the compound was now broken down, and I could see nothing but carnage and destruction in every direction.
I didn\'t bother getting out of the car, and I struggled to steer through the debris, heading straight for the residential areas.
My eyes spotted the ruined crops and ashen sites.
Everything was either burned or broken down—ugly vestiges of what they once were.
Fearful whimpers escaped the lips of the woman beside me, but I couldn\'t afford it.
\'No... what happened here? What—?!\'
My eyes widened as I saw the first one... the first dead body.
It was maimed to the point of no recovery.
"T-that is..."
My vision took in more of the carnage.
Body parts were strewn all over the area, and I could see both the innards and outer parts of the residents.
I saw headless bodies and bodiless heads.
Dried blood painted the streets, and I could only shudder internally with every sight that greeted my vision.
Even with the overwhelming emotions that assailed me... I kept driving.
\'No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No\'
With every distance covered, I saw more calamity.
It wasn\'t a war that occurred... it was nothing short of a slaughter.
Finally, I reached the clearing.
On one hand, I witnessed the residential areas. It was completely torn apart—devastated beyond recovery.
From what I noticed, there seemed to be no survivors.
However, on the other hand...
\'W-why—?\'
... I could see my tent completely erect.
No harm had been done to it.
Amid the chaos and destruction, it alone stood without any damage.
\'How...?\'
My heart was filled with an unexplainable emotion. It felt hot, and I felt like screaming.
Yet... my face remained calm.
>BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!<
The loud sound of an explosion woke me from my stunned state, and I looked in the direction of the noise.
\'The north...?\'
I remembered the first time I arrived in this world. The conflict back then was also concentrated in the north.
\'There\'s a nest of Lower Demons situated in that direction, right?\'
But I already took care of them, didn\'t I? Was I being overconfident? Did I assume that they wouldn\'t strike back?
\'No! Lower Demons are cowards. They won\'t bother resisting those stronger than they are.\'
There was no way I could have been wrong about that!
Driven by a myriad of pain, fear, shame, anxiety, anger, confusion, and so much more, I increased the tempo of movement in my vehicle and drove in the direction of the blast.
My eyes spotted familiar faces—now nothing more than corpses, but I refused to occupy my mind with the thoughts that nearly drowned me.
\'Please, No... No...\'
>VROOOOOMMMMM!!!<
******************
"N-no..." My lips parted as words finally creaked out.
With widened eyes and trembling insides, I gazed upon the scene unfolding before me.
"You... finally came..."
The girl who spoke gave a relieved smile. Her red hair fluttered with the wind, and her bloodied body was barely standing.
The bled she tightly gripped was chipped, and a pool of blood had formed underneath her.
"L-Lucy...?"
Her slender frame did not suit the terrible state of her body.
My heart shattered, from one to a million pieces, and the tragedy broke me.
"... I\'m sorry. I... I couldn\'t protect everyone..." The girl\'s breaking voice was low, and it contained so much sadness that it moved me to my core.
As I stood away from the vehicle, watching from a distance, I could no longer resist the multitude of thoughts that assailed me.
\'IT\'S ALL MY FAULT.\'
Everything I witnessed—the deaths and chaos all around me—they were all my fault!
"H-Hero... I\'m sorry for... for being too weak."
I shuddered.
Lucy\'s smile did not cease.
Her amber eyes contained a faint glow as she looked at me.
The enemy Demon that rendered her into her current state was a distance away, supported by a multitude of Lower Demons.
For some reason, the Demon didn\'t interrupt my reunion with Lucy, and I did not even spare it a glance.
All my attention... was on the child that was near death.
"I can save you! Lucy!" Sarah yelled, drawing close to her as I remained frozen.
"I-it\'s too late. I used... that Skill..."
Lucy\'s bated breath and her pale skin seemed to get only worse.
"N-no... Lucy." Byron also drew closer.
Everyone seemed to be moving, but I couldn\'t take a single step.
\'Why...?\'
"I had to use it... to stop the enemy... to hold the enemy off..." Lucy\'s voice overlapped with mine.
\'.... Why are you so useless?\' My mind\'s voice rang deep in my heart.
"... It was the only way to make sure..."
Tears—uncontrollable hot tears gushed from my eyes.
"... That the Hero would come to save the day."
\'WHY ARE YOU SO USELESS, SAMUEL!!!\' My heart cried as I watched Lucy look at me with her last remaining time in the world.
"So, Hero..."
My heart pounded and my tears kept falling as I clung to her last words.
"... Please save us."