Chapter 9:
The Meaning of Justice
FLUM PUSHED DOWN Souleater, using both hands. Rischel stopped the attack just as she wheeled around. Although it looked like Rischel was in a disadvantageous position, she summoned some kind of power into both arms and knocked Flum away.
“Don’t get cocky!”
“Kyaah!”
Rischel leapt instantly into the air and brought her axe down on Flum without mercy. Rolling away from the incoming axe, Flum used that momentum to get back on her feet, and though she staggered, she retreated to get some distance.
“Why did you betray my affection for you?! I accepted you as a friend!”
“You don’t remember, do you? My looks, my name. You’re acting all high-and-mighty, talking about memories of a past life. How can you act all arrogant about being ‘chosen’ or whatever when you don’t remember those things?!” Once the words started coming, they didn’t stop. She had been holding in saying those words for so long, but the reaction was significant.
“I remember, though. You killed Milkit right in front my eyes! You and that creepy group of people, screaming like a bunch of animals—you tore the person I love to shreds right in front of my eyes! And even after she was dead, you played with her!”
Ranting and raving wildly, Flum attacked Rischel with amateurish moves. After easily blocking her attacks, Rischel pinned her with the gaze of a hungry predator.
“Ah, I remember. That was you back then, with that brat.”
“And you killed her! And you even said you were gonna kill her again just now!” Rischel even had the composure to quickly glance at Milkit down below. “If this is fate, then the God of this world must be telling me to kill you.”
When Flum said that, Rischel wore a cold smile.
“You’re wrong. This is a reward for me.” Now seeing Flum as prey, rather than a comrade, she began the hunt. “Before the world ends, God is telling me… Lord Origin is telling me, ‘Go ahead, savor that moment that felt best of all once again.’ Giving me a reward! Because I have done such great work for himmmm!”
When Rischel pushed back with all of her strength, using both arms, she sent Flum’s body flying. This time, Flum somehow managed to land without toppling over, but when she looked up, she saw an axe already coming down on her. Though Flum shut her eyes out of terror, she protected herself by holding her sword out horizontally.
“Your moves are too amateur!” Rischel, quickly switching from a vertical slash to a horizontal one, severed Flum’s right wrist with a light blow.
“A-aaaahhhhhh! My arm, my, my arm, gah…aahhh…!”
Clouded sweat poured from her entire body, her breathing became irregular, and she couldn’t move properly due to the pain. But Henriette had taught her that “Flum Apricot” had fought like this.
Has the other me really done things like this before? Getting my own arm cut off? I must be crazy!
Her arm started to regenerate. A lot of blood was flowing. And Rischel’s axe was coming for her again.
“Die, for my pleasure!”
“Uwaaaaah!” Before Flum’s wound was completely healed, she swung her blood-splattered sword, spraying Rischel’s face with blood.
“Gah, don’t splash your filthy blood on me…!” In that moment, traces of blood entered Rischel’s eyes.
When Henriette had been training Flum, she’d said, “You won’t be able to wield much power even if you learn sword techniques on the fly. However, there are some parts of the human body that cannot be trained, such as the organs and mucous membranes, and also…the eyes.”
Rischel felt a burning pain in her eyes.
“Gah! What is this?! Wait, Genocide Arts?! This is that woman’s doing!”
“Die, die, dieeeeeee!”
As Rischel staggered, covering her eyes with one hand, Flum immediately swung with her sword again and again. However, Rischel still wielded her axe in the other hand and easily blocked Flum’s slashes.
Meanwhile, Milkit, who had noticed their voices, finally found the two of them.
“The person Master is fighting… It’s the knight from back then!”
As soon as she saw the injured Rischel, Milkit took the gun from under her skirt. She gripped it tight in her sweaty hands and aimed it straight at her target.
“I practiced. I can do this. I should be able to do this. It’s far, but if it’s to save Master—” Milkit muttered those words to herself as she put her finger on the trigger.
“There’s no way you can kill anyone with such weak attacks!” Rischel got even angrier and knocked Souleater away.
As the sword fell into that abyss, it disappeared—and then an emblem reappeared on Flum’s hand.
She’s suddenly gotten even stronger! Is this also some kind of power?!
Rischel was coming for her. It was too late for Flum to draw Souleater now.
“You die!” Unable to defend herself against the axe coming down on her, Flum shut her eyes tightly. But in that instant, there was a bang, like exploding gunpowder.
“Ah…” Blood was seeping from Rischel’s right thigh, in the femoral region. She slumped forward, feeling confusion, heat, and then finally pain. Rischel slowly directed her gaze in the direction the sound had come from.
There she saw Milkit cheering, “I got her…!”
“Why, do you…have a gun…?”
“Milkit!” Flum was certain this was destiny. “Milkit did it.”
Back then, an arrow fired by Rischel had pierced Milkit’s thigh. But this time…
“Ha ha, ah ha, ah ha ha ha ha ha ha! This is the opposite of that time, Rischel!” Flum summned Souleater and ran toward Rischel with the tip of the sword pointed at her. “This time, you’re sure to dieeeeeeee!” She drove the sword deep into her abdomen.
“Gah… Ugh…” Rischel’s eyes were wide with surprise and blood poured out of her mouth.
Flum pushed her opponent over the railing with her sword. She had sent Rischel, whom she hated, down to the depths of Hell.
Eventually, the sword returned to the back of Flum’s hand in the form of a crest. She sank to the floor and sat down hard.
“Haa…haa…haa… I did it… I did it, Milkit…!” A flood of tears streaming down her face, Flum was overcome with emotions and thoughts.
“Master! Are you okay, Master?!” Hearing the voice of the person she loved made it even harder to stop the tears from flowing.
“That really is Milkit, isn’t it? Why is she calling me ‘Master,’ though…? Well, whatever.” Choosing to ignore the discrepancies, Flum stood up and waved to Milkit. “I’ll be right there! So just wait!”
“Yes! I will definitely wait!”
With that, Flum hurried off toward Milkit.