Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 21: The End of the Journey?

The darkness of the night draped the land in its ominous mantle. Spectral whispers and agonized screams echoed throughout the forest as the shadows of monsters moved like flies over garbage.

Ellegaard raised her staff, summoning powerful waves of wind that pushed back the Ash Beasts racing between the trees. Some were knocked onto their backs, only to rise again with their floating bodies. She took advantage of the wind’s movement to cover everyone with a mantle of prana, preventing them from turning into ash.

Behind her, Jeanne dashed toward the trees, swinging her sword at incredible speed. The blade shone with a blinding golden light, forcing the Ash Beasts to retreat and hide among the bushes. However, some failed to escape and were pulverized by the radiance.

Bang!

On his side, Mitsuki aimed the shotgun and fired at point-blank range whenever one of the beasts lunged at him; each one disintegrated as the fireball exploded in front of them.

The tattoo beneath his clothes shifted again and again, launching notifications. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

[ You have slain a Rank C "Banshee." Rewards will be granted. ]

The ghostly bodies of the Banshees were made of old, somber garments in dark colors, ash spreading from them like a misty trail left behind with every subtle movement. Their emaciated skin, stretched over thin bodies, was the same color as ash, just like their long hair. Their hands bore large black claws capable of slicing through anything.

Bang!

The fireball struck, and his MP dropped accordingly.

’It’s already been two weeks since I joined this group. I thought that since the first few days were relatively calm, the rest of the journey would be the same—but I was wrong.’

A Banshee shrieked as it lunged at Mitsuki like a jumpscare in a horror game. He flinched, but reacted quickly thanks to the "Acceleration" skill, aiming his shotgun and firing once more.

The Banshee disintegrated into ash particles, but dozens more emerged from the trees to attack.

From the carriage, sipping tea, Aslan observed the fight in silence. Whenever there was a battle, he stepped back and let the younger ones fight. It was not cowardice or anything of the sort; the man knew this would be nothing for these young souls.

’It’s one battle after another, and these monsters are only getting stronger.’

Banshees were not only extremely fast, but also unpredictable and dangerously powerful. Their scream could kill anyone who heard it; they could instill irrational fear and despair, triggering hallucinations tied to a person’s traumas; and they could turn intangible.

Fortunately, thanks to Ellegaard’s powerful prana mantle, everyone was protected from the Banshees. All they had to do was prevent the creatures’ claws from breaking through it.

From the darkness, a Banshee lunged at Aslan, but he casually punched it, leaving the Ash Beast stunned. By the time the creature realized who it had attacked, it was too late—the brilliant silver sword had already pierced its chest.

"Keep it up! There are barely any Banshees left!" Ellegaard shouted. Over her shoulders, a dozen blue fireballs floated. Each one, like a turret, fired at distracted Banshees, instantly disintegrating them.

From within the forest, off the road, Jeanne used her sword of light in close combat. The Banshees fled from her at the sight of the light, but the princess’s incredibly swift movements shredded anything in front of her.

’Damn it! Why are they attacking me from every direction?! It’s hard to aim at them!’ Mitsuki screamed inwardly.

Three Banshees emerged from opposite directions, preventing Mitsuki from escaping. He shot the first and managed to smash the second in the face with the shotgun’s barrel, but the third knocked him to the ground. The creature slashed at his chest with its sharp claws, but only managed to tear through the prana mantle.

’Shit! The protection!’

The Banshee shrieked, and Mitsuki’s ears began to bleed. The creature leaned close to his face and began tearing out his soul, causing the boy to scream in pain. His eyes turned white as hundreds of torturous memories flashed in succession.

Middle school classrooms.

A lonely park in the afternoon.

A rooftop.

Darkness in front of a screen.

Tears ran down his wounded cheeks as his soul slipped from his body like a whitish vaporous manifestation. However, before the Ash Beast could continue, a fireball disintegrated it.

Mitsuki fell unconscious as Jeanne and Ellegaard rushed to his aid.

***

Floating in the void of his own mind, he saw the final moments he had spent with this picturesque group. Ellegaard striking him with her staff whenever he failed to properly invoke Water Elemental Magic. Jeanne teasing him now and then about what happened on that full-moon night. Old Aslan occasionally offering advice about women and life.

In retrospect, everything had been exactly the same as the beginning—except for the Ash Beasts that attacked constantly.

Dark skeletons in the ruins of an abandoned bastion that Ellegaard and Jeanne had already explored. Giants with rotting ash-filled bodies. Small, annoying goblins.

The farther he advanced, the more he uncovered the horrors of a world ruled by dark fantasy. And it was no surprise. Every creature they encountered was supposedly weak—Jeanne had said it many times—yet he always ended up injured in one way or another.

In the end, Ellegaard would save him by healing his wounds, or Jeanne would turn herself into a human shield. Only two weeks had passed, yet those girls had proven to be kind and gentle people who would protect him simply because he needed help.

"I feel like I don’t deserve this..." he whispered, but no one in the void could hear him. "Haah... I’m tired. I’ve been fighting so much. I’ve been scared to death the whole time, but there was satisfaction at the end of every encounter."

It was the kind of satisfaction only a gamer felt after completing a game 100% or defeating the strongest boss of all time.

Amid the silence of his mind, the wheels of the carriage echoed.

He opened his eyes, meeting Jeanne’s beautiful gaze.

"You finally woke up, sleepyhead."

"What? Did I sleep that long? What’s under my head?"

"Jeanne’s thighs," Ellegaard said without looking up from her book.

"Thighs...—whoa!"

Mitsuki shot up abruptly, tripping over his own foot and falling face-first against the wooden floor.

Jeanne laughed at that like a little girl, which made Mitsuki sigh in exhaustion. Then he adjusted himself on the ground and sat down. He rubbed his eyelids with his knuckle and unconsciously looked at his hand.

"The Banshees..."

Ellegaard spoke immediately, interrupting, "We defeated them two days ago, rookie. They almost killed you because you don’t know how to keep your eyes open during a battle."

’I was scared... But I can’t say that. It’d be the same with every Ash Beast we’ve encountered so far.’

"I think Mitsuki did well for someone so weak. He became stronger in two weeks than I did in a month. You have to admit he has talent," Jeanne said.

"Talent is useless if you’re an idiot. He’d better keep training, or he’ll remain incompetent."

’She doesn’t have to be that harsh. I’m doing the best I can, I swear.’

He shook his head, hearing something different outside the carriage. He looked out and saw a road paved with rounded stones.

"This is..."

"Yes. We’ve finally arrived, Mitsuki. While you were resting, Aslan took care of bringing us to the end of our journey—for now."

’The end... That means we’ve finally entered the Kingdom of Amaria, in the land of Lamus...’

He had finally reached the place he had waited for so long. Yet in the end, he felt... empty. He hadn’t expected the journey with these people to be so short. In just two weeks, he had grown close to them despite being a solitary, sedentary shut-in.

’I think it’s going to feel strange to keep going alone...’