Liberation of The Slaves

Chapter 59 – Shattered Bonds

— Daisy’s POV —

Skillfully guiding the horse, I weave through the onslaught of attacks, a relentless dance of evasion that stretches into an eternity. Though it may have only been ten minutes, each passing second feels like an unbearable burden. Every impact, every explosion in the distance, hammers into my mind, forcing me to push forward despite the growing weight of exhaustion.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!*

My breath is ragged, my hands tight around the reins as the winds lash against my face. I feel the sting of blood where small cuts have formed from the relentless debris kicked up by explosions. Despite my aura bolstering my stamina, the pain seeps in, settling deep into my bones.

How much longer can I keep going?

But I am not the only one enduring this. My sister, Celestia, beside me, feels it too. And unlike me, she is also maintaining the barriers—layers upon layers of translucent shields protecting us from the brunt of the attacks. Each time one shatters, another takes its place, but I can see it in her eyes—how much effort it takes, how much she is straining herself to keep us alive.

The battle against the orcs earlier had already tested our limits. The blood on my blade had barely dried before we were forced to mount our horses again. Even as we distributed potions to the wounded, there was no time to rest. The news of the village came like a death knell, forcing us to channel our remaining aura and mana into desperate speed. We galloped through the darkened roads, our horses pushed to their limits, our hearts pounding with dread.

Prayers for swift reinforcements echo in my mind, but reality remains unyielding. The bandits are ahead, and they are not slowing down.

But reality once again shattered my hopes.

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, an attack lands.

*Neeeiiigghh*

“Uwaaaaa!”

“Ugh! Don’t stop! Keep running!”

“I know!”

Celestia's barriers shatter in an instant. A force slams into us, sending the horse reeling. For a second, the beast rears up, nearly throwing us off. I tighten my grip, forcing it forward, but my body trembles from the impact. The pain throbs through my back where I landed against the saddle.

But there’s no time to recover. My sister conjures another set of barriers, but they flicker—her mana is running low. I grit my teeth, knowing we cannot hold out much longer. The horse’s breathing grows ragged, its legs struggling beneath us.

Then, it happens—a final, concentrated attack. A barrage of aura rains upon us, a synchronized onslaught from the multitude of bandits.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!*

*BOOOOMMMMM!*

““Kyaaaaa!””

A powerful aura strike slams into our side. The barriers burst like fragile glass. The shockwave sends us hurtling through the air.

For a moment, I feel nothing—just the cold embrace of the wind, the distant sound of my own heartbeat, the fleeting thought that this is what it feels like to die.

Then, the ground rushes up to meet me.

Pain. Agonizing, all-consuming pain. My body rolls and crashes through debris, sharp rocks tearing through my skin, my limbs twisted in ways they shouldn’t be. My head slams into the earth, and for a second, I see nothing but red—my own blood pooling into my vision. The taste of iron fills my mouth as I choke on a breath.

Somewhere beside me, my sister lies unmoving, her once-pristine robes in tatters, drenched in crimson. Her hat is gone, her hair disheveled, her breathing uneven. A deep gash runs along her arm, staining the earth beneath her.

I try to move. My body protests. My legs refuse. I force my arms to push me up, trembling, weak. Every movement is agony, my fingers digging into the dirt to anchor myself.

Then, I heard it.

Hoofbeats retreating. The bandits… are leaving?

<“No. No, they can’t. They can’t take him. Not Freed.”>

Silhouettes disappear into the distance, dragging a struggling figure into their ranks. My heart clenches.

<“Come back... Come back…! Don’t take him away!”>

The silent plea echoes within me, but I know it’s useless. My throat burned, my voice was lost. But I cannot stay down.

My sister’s weak yet unwavering voice reaches me. “Seven minutes… No… Reinforcements… will arrive… in five minutes…”

Five minutes? Too long. He will be gone.

But still…

She, the strategist, managed to stand. So, how could I just lie down here?

With sheer willpower, I push myself onto my knees, then my feet. My vision tilts, my body screaming for me to stop. My hands shake as I reach for my sword, my fingers barely able to wrap around the hilt. I summon my fire aura. It flares wildly, unstable—just like my fury and desperation.

I will not let them take my brother.

And then, ignoring the pain, ignoring the weakness, I run.

— Freed’s POV —

My vision blurred as I watched my sisters being hurled by the explosion’s force. Their bodies tumbled lifelessly through the air before crashing onto the scorched earth. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs, my breath caught in my throat as I stared at the unmoving forms of Sissy and Sis Celes.

“Tsk. Their reinforcements are coming. Leave them, let’s run now.”

The bandit's dismissive tone reached my ears from outside the carriage. They didn't care whether my sisters lived or died. They were only focused on escaping before help arrived. My hands clenched into weak fists, nails digging into my palms as I fought against the ropes binding me. I wanted to scream, to fight, to do anything—but my body refused to move.

Then—I see it.

Their fingers twitched. A faint movement. My sisters were still alive!

Hope surged through me, burning away the helplessness for just a moment. They were alive.

They could escape.

They could—

<“No… No… Please… Stop! Don’t come here! Run! Don’t worry about me! Stop fighting! Spare yourselves!”>

Silent pleas echoed within me, but no words left my lips. My throat was too dry, my body too weak to cry out. I could only watch as they, battered and bloodied, rose to their feet with sheer determination burning in their eyes.

*Pssh!* *Pssh!*

Sissy struck first, attacking a bandit from behind. Her sword, wreathed in fire, plunged into a bandit's heart, his scream cut short as he collapsed. At the same moment, Sis Celes launched a water spear, the sharpened point impaling another bandit's head. The sheer precision, the unyielding resolve—it was breathtaking. Even in their injured state, they were unstoppable.

But the bandits would not let them win so easily.

“You bitch!” one of them snarled.

*Slash!*

A sword came at Sis Daisy. She barely managed to twist away, the blade grazing her side, but before she could counter—

*Slash!*

A second attacker struck from behind.

“Ugh…”

Her cry of pain shot through me like a dagger to the chest. My body trembled violently.

No… No, no, no! This can’t be happening!

Then, a final explosion erupted.

*BOOM!*

The dust settled, and through the haze, I saw them. My sisters—battered, bloodied, barely standing. Their clothes were in tatters, soaked with dirt and crimson. Bruises marred their skin, wounds gaped open, but still, they stood.

More bandits closed in, their expressions twisted with rage and bloodlust.

Sis Daisy gritted her teeth, gripping her sword tightly despite her shaking hands. Sis Celes raised her staff, her stance unsteady, her breath ragged. Yet they refused to back down. They refused to run.

The bandits lunged.

Blades flashed.

*Psshh!*

Blood splattered and their bodies jerked as steel and aura tore into flesh.

They… died…?

A crushing weight bore down on my chest. My vision blurred, not from exhaustion, but from the sheer horror of what I was witnessing.

First, my parents… and now my sisters…

No.

No more.

Please.

I don't want to witness this again…

“Sissy… Sis Celes…” My voice was a whisper, a breath, nothing more than a thought drowned in agony.

Darkness crept in, swallowing my senses, numbing the unbearable pain. The last thing I saw before my consciousness slipped away was my sisters, their bodies collapsing, lost to the abyss of death.

— Celestia’s POV —

Pain. It was the only thing I felt. My entire being screamed in agony, my limbs heavy as if bound by invisible chains. Blood soaked my clothes, mixing with the rain that had begun to fall. My vision flickered between darkness and blurred reality as I forced my eyes open, barely catching sight of what was happening before me.

“We can’t waste any more time. Let’s leave now. Pick that girl since she voluntarily offered herself by coming to us. We will tie her up later when we are safe.”

“No! Don’t touch me!”

Daisy…

She struggled, thrashing weakly against the hands that gripped her. A fire still burned in her eyes, but her movements were sluggish, her strength drained. The bandits held her arms, their laughter filled with cruel amusement.

Then—

*Smack!*

“Ugh…!” Her weak cry rang out, but my body refused to move.

Her body recoiled from the force of the blow. A strangled sound left her lips as she collapsed, her golden hair damp with rain and blood. The fight in her eyes flickered, then vanished, replaced by lifeless stillness as unconsciousness claimed her.

“No… No, stop…” I tried to call out, but my voice was nothing more than a breath, lost in the chaos.

The bandits threw Daisy into one of the carriages. Freed was already inside another, his small frame slumped, unmoving. His face was barely visible through the wooden bars, but his pale, dirt-streaked skin told me everything. He had lost consciousness.

My body trembled. My fingers dug into the mud beneath me. I had to move. I had to do something. But no matter how much I willed my body to rise, it wouldn’t obey. My mana was gone. My aura drained. I had nothing left.

“No… Stop… Don’t take them away…”

A whisper. A feeble, broken plea. My voice cracked as the words left me, unheard by anyone but the empty sky.

The carriages rumbled forward, wheels kicking up mud as they disappeared into the distance. Each second they grew smaller, slipping away from my grasp, dragging my siblings further and further beyond my reach.

“Dammit… Dammit…!”

My fists clenched so tightly my nails bit into my palms, drawing blood.

Useless.

I was useless.

I promised them.

I swore to protect them.

I told mom and dad that I would keep Daisy and Freed safe.

But what did I do?

I failed.

Freed was gone. Daisy was gone.

All because of me…!

If…

If only I had stopped him from going home…

If only I had held Daisy back, stopped her from rushing in recklessly…

If only I had been stronger.

If only I had been faster.

If only I had been better.

Genius? No.

I was nothing but a foolish, weak older sister who let her siblings be taken right in front of her.

Saintess? What a joke.

It’s just a title. A meaningless name given to a pathetic girl who couldn’t even protect the people she loved the most.

My breath came in ragged gasps, crushed beneath the unbearable weight of my failure.

The sky rumbled, and the rain fell harder, cold droplets washing away the blood on my skin, yet doing nothing to cleanse the filth I felt inside.

My tears blended with the downpour, lost within nature’s sorrow as if even the heavens wept for my failure.

The world around me blurred. My body, already weak, finally reached its limit.

“Hey, are you okay? Can you get up?”

A voice, distant and unfamiliar. Footsteps approached, splashing through the rain-soaked mud. Through the haze, I barely recognized the figure of Count Ronan Shufillen. His wet hair clung to his forehead, his expression unreadable as he looked down at me.

Is he… stupid?

Did he think I am okay…?

I wanted to respond. To tell him everything. To scream, to cry, to beg for someone to save them.

But no words came.

My eyes fluttered closed, and the last thing I felt was the cold rain against my skin before I slipped into the abyss of unconsciousness.