’So he tried experimenting on the limitations put to himself because he’s an Improper Ruiner. But there’s really no way to bring it back. Either you start properly or move on and continue building the upper sequences of being a Ruiner.’

Cillian mused inwardly as he watched Captain in a berserk state.

The Black Shepherd was no more.

What they are currently looking at is like the very essence of wrongness, with bones protruding from every part of its body, twisting it into a grotesque frame.

Its lower body had transformed into massive spider-like legs that lifted the creature nearly ten feet into the air. Two enormous eyes protruded from its bone skull, acting like some sort of antennae and vision, allowing it to look around.

"Well..."

[Death Flag]

Cillian had had enough of watching the Captain lose control.

Dropping Kash from his back, Cillian turned around and began to run.

There was no way he was staying at that place.

Using Aster only applies because they were trapped in the Academy. But now that everything in the view was clear, it was the perfect time to run away from the Academy since no walls were blocking them now.

Kash, who had been dropped to the ground, shouted angrily.

"If you’re going to run, bring me with you, damn it!"

Vin and Phillip, who were standing for a brief moment, also followed Cillian. Aster, who saw this opportunity to flee, grabbed Kash and put him behind his back. The rest of the group was already running away behind Phillip.

They are fleeing instead of fighting the Berserk Captain.

They don’t want to deal with that. They would’ve fought it if they were cornered, but it’s different now, when the entire Academy is destroyed, and nothing blocks their path.

Escape and let the older guys do their job.

Cillian glanced back.

The Captain had already killed the last black shepherds left nearby with its long legs after they tried to run away. Their bodies had their soul sucked dry, completely becoming bones as they dropped to the ground.

Then the red eyes of the Berserk Captain met Cillian’s.

It dashed towards their direction, using its four gigantic legs to move at a fast pace.

"For fuck’s sake! Hey, Mouthful Eye, what do we do?!"

Cillian looked at his shoulder and found the Artifact becoming unresponsive again, really had the guts to sleep in the middle of this.

"Ugh, valuable helper my ass!"

Cillian cursed loudly before shouting to the rest of the group.

"It’s coming at us!"

’Why the fuck is it coming at us?!’

Aster, who sensed the urgency of the situation, knew that escaping wasn’t going to be possible if the Berserk Captain targeted them, so he had to throw Kash towards Phillip.

"Sword of Wicked!"

A slim longsword with a jagged edge that resembles thorns appeared in Aster’s hand. It appears elegant at first, but the aura seeping through the blade is unsettling enough for the group to feel it.

[Death Flag]

"Go!"

Aster shouted, allowing the group to run ahead first as he tried to create distance between them and the Berserk Captain.

The Berserk Captain roared, its long legs met with Aster’s sword, while bones extended from the surroundings. The bones that continued regenerating every time they hit Aster’s sword continued clashing together, leaving huge aftereffects from their battle.

Every time Aster swung his sword, the bones darkened and deteriorated. Yet two more bones attacked him, which he deflected quite easily.

"Hahh...!"

Yet in those few seconds that they clashed, Aster grew tired. Having used three swords at once and run nonstop to escape the falling walls, he was the most exhausted person among the group.

It was taking a toll on him physically and mentally.

The group was slowly gaining distance, yet Aster’s figure began to disappear from their sight.

Ivy Longsword, who idolizes and deeply respects Aster’s swordplay, noticed his movements growing more sluggish with each passing second whenever she looked back, until all that was left for her to see was the elongated bones that had erupted from the Berserk Captain.

She’s the most observant when it comes to Aster that she couldn’t help but shout at Cillian as they ran.

"Sparrow!"

Somehow, Ivy understood that if Aster were gone, Cillian would become the temporary leader. She had subconsciously come to that conclusion because Phillip and Vin relied on him so heavily.

It was a tacit understanding the current group had, and all of them turned their attention to Cillian.

Still running away, Cillian answered back.

"What do you want?! He said Go! We’re leaving here!"

Ivy snapped when Cillian guessed what she was trying to do and retorted.

"He’s going to die there! H-he looks tired!"

"We’re all fucking tired! Just run!"

"Listen to me!!"

Ivy screamed at the top of her lungs.

"If we don’t help him, he’s going to die! I get what you’re thinking. He’s strong, reliable, and it’s not bad to put the heavy duties on him, but it’s different if he’s exhausted! He’s also our friend, Sparrow! We can’t just let him sacrifice himself for us! We need to help him!"

Cillian’s eyes move towards where Aster was supposed to be fighting with the Berserk Captain.

They could no longer see Aster.

The Berserk Captain built bone walls around them that continued to extend as each second went by. And Aster is probably inside it.

Then he looked at Ivy before shifting his gaze to the flag above her head.

It seemed that others had started to have the same opinion as Ivy.

[Death Flag]

"Bring me down!"

"Fatty, I want to fight with him!"

Clove shouted to Vin, wanting to get out and help Aster even in the kind of state he was in. Even Kash was tapping Phillip’s head, wanting the same thing.

Some of the people in the group gradually came to a stop as they fled. When they realized they were leaving Aster behind to save themselves, they simply couldn’t bear it.

Ivy was the first to halt completely before turning around and making her way toward Aster.

There are no words said.

She didn’t blame or talk with Cillian any further as she rushed back to the extending bones.

[Death Flag]

[Death Flag]

The Rofter Twins came next and quietly followed behind her.

[Death Flag]

"Fuck..."

Willow, who seemed to be regretting the decision she was about to make, cursed in an exhausted sigh as she turned around as well. She was tired from all this running, but she used every ounce of her strength to follow Ivy.

[Death Flag]

Melissa also stopped and turned around, giving Cillian one last look as she made the decision to help her friends.

"God damn it! I said bring me down!"

Kash angrily swayed his body until Phillip completely dropped him to the ground. The same thing happened to Clove, who kept shouting at Vin.

The group came to a complete stop, gasping for breath.

"You!"

Kash grabbed his sword and shouted at Cillian. But it didn’t look like he was angry at him.

"You can’t see it, don’t you?! Aster started to rely on you, damn it! He wasn’t even like that when we were all together, but it’s different when he looks at you! Heck, I don’t even know where it started! But can’t you see that he started to respect you, huh?!"

Kash angrily stomped his foot on the ground and turned around.

He was angry at himself.

"So fucking frustrating! Why am I explaining this to someone who’s not even our friend, and how the fuck am I so weak!"

[Death Flag]

Kash left those words as he started to jog weakly towards where the other group was running to help Aster, who was missing from the pile of bone pillars. The wounds on his body started reopening as he did.

"Cillian Sparrow."

Clove called out to him.

"I don’t know what Aster is to you, but what Kash said isn’t wrong. He looks at you differently, in a way that is filled with respect. You might not notice it because of the bad blood between our groups, but our circle noticed it. He’s kind of a reserved guy, you see. And it’s our first time seeing him look at someone whom he found reliable."

[Death Flag]

Clove stopped right there before following Kash behind while carrying a sword in his other hand.

Even though the two were still not healed, they were going to help Aster as much as they could, even if it meant destroying their bodies and risking their lives.

"Cillian."

Phillip called out to him, his face and body full of bruises as he continued.

"I think I’m going to help them. I’m quite indebted to those three who already went ahead because they indirectly saved my life."

"Same. I just don’t want to feel any guilt for leaving them behind. That’s all there is."

Vin interjected and brought out his iron golem, Buddy, which is almost pitiful to look at.

"You should go."

Both of them said the same thing to Cillian before they went away to help the group. Once they approached Kash and Clove, they offered to assist them and carried them behind.

The four of them pushed forward, making their way to help Aster.

[Death Flag]

[Death Flag]

Cillian watched all those Death Flags above their heads.

"Respect me? Rely on me? Not even a day had passed since this shit happened."

A small, ridiculing laugh escaped his lips.

Then Cillian clenched his fist.

"Why the fuck are you getting worried about him... He’s the main character anyway. He’ll have plot armor. He’s going to be fine..."

[Death Flag]

Cillian moved his gaze to the Death Flag screen that pointed to the flag above his head. His eyes filled with guilt as he gritted his teeth, trying to force his brain to act logically.

Was this really the right choice?

Is running away from Death will be the right choice here?

Definitely.

However, more dangerous things might come later on just because Cillian avoided one death flag.

Each time Cillian encountered his own Death Flag, will he always have the chance to run away from it, like in this situation right now? More than that, is running away going to be the only solution each time?

It’s pathetic.

Cillian understands that running away is anything but fun.

Even so, it contradicts his first goal of staying alive. He had already died once and was lucky enough to be transmigrated.

But what if he died again?

Will he be able to come back?

[Death Flag]

Cillian gazed at the screen in front of him, forcing himself back to reality.

The emotions inside him and his logic were clashing together, coming at him all at once as his body and mind wanted different things to do.

’Shit...’

Cillian bit his lips, which started to bleed, adding to the injuries he had suffered throughout the whole ordeal.

[A scent of Death is within you]

"Fuck you."

Cillian turned around and started walking towards the group while cursing the scent of Death that wants him killed.

But he had already made up his mind.

"I’m going to have tons of fun later on, and I’m going to survive today."

Cillian talked to the scent of Death, mocking it and wondering if this thing was even listening to him in the first place.

He continued talking to it.

"But first, I’ll overcome this Death Flag."

Then, he declared in quite a nasty tone.

"And I’m going to do it by killing that son of a bitch Captain."