“Eek…! It just exploded, right in front of me! Did she plant bombs or something?”
“It seems like it’s either magic or some other kind of power. I’ve heard that these people can use a power called Justice Arts. She might have gained a different power too, through the Origin core.”
“Come to think of it, when Henriette-san and Herrmann-san turned into monsters, Rischel made the ground instantly crumble just from tapping it. I wonder if it was because of that power.” Looking at the hole in the wall again, Flum though it looked similar to the mark on the floor from that time before. Then Milkit tugged on Flum’s sleeve, looking panicked.
“Let’s move. The fact that she targeted this place means that she knows where we are.”
“You’re right… Let’s run!” The pair hurriedly left from their current location, but Milkit had a bad feeling. Considering the power of the Origin cores she’d seen until now, there was no way that they could escape at this speed. Rischel was most likely enjoying the hunt.
“This body is amazing. Lord Origin’s will permeates me, and incredible power is welling up inside! There’s no way shitty little small fries like you could escape from me now!” When they heard her voice filled with excitement, the wall right next to Milkit suddenly collapsed.
“Kyaaah!” Flum instantly leapt over to shield Milkit from the falling debris.
“Th-thank you…”
“My body just moved on its own. I guess that your master must always do this kind of thing.” Flum’s face tightened when she suffered a wound on her back, but it quickly healed. Then, just when they stopped moving, they noticed that they could hear a voice coming from the communication device that Milkit had.
“Milkit. I just heard a scream. Are you okay? What’s going on?” Eterna’s worried voice came through the device.
“I’m sorry, we’re on the move because we’re running from Rischel and—” Milkit tried to respond as they were running.
“Whoa, watch out! Stop!” The floor right in front of Flum’s eyes collapsed, revealing a hole that extended far below.
“Good job spotting that just now.”
“The places that collapse seem to be areas that have marks that Rischel left with her axe. I think that her ability is something like being able to freely destroy a place once she’s left a mark on it.”
“That’s correct! Good work!” Rischel’s voice. It came from Flum’s feet. Her hand came out of the hole that had just opened up. Justice Arts: Pendulum. With that power that Rischel used, she destroyed the floor that she marked with her axe and seemed to have gotten ahead of Flum and Milkit by passing through the space below. Her hand had grown larger, and the veins were protruding abnormally. Terrified, Flum and Milkit backed away slowly, too taken aback to even speak. Eventually, Rischel crawled out from the hole with just the strength of one arm.
Without hearing her voice, it would’ve been difficult for them to have recognized this monster that appeared before them as Rischel. It went without saying that her face had now been twisted into a spiral-shaped mass, but her body had grown larger, and through the gaps in the ripped Church Knight uniform, they could see skin covered with thick, densely packed veins. Her skeletal structure had also changed, with long bones protruding from her back that tapered toward the tip, like wings, giving her an overall appearance that was too pointed and sharp to be called human.
“You really stuck it to me earlier. You should know your place, you pitiful fool who was resurrected only to be killed!” Rischel didn’t have Epic equipment, but instead, she transformed her right arm into a massive axe. Perhaps because it was a part of her body that had changed into a weapon, she wielded it more easily than her weapon before and swung swiftly. Flum tried to catch it with her Souleater, but it was practically useless. The impact broke the bones in her sword-wielding arm and sent her flying backward. The wind pressure from the slash itself also damaged Flum’s body, slicing up her ribs and crushing her organs. Vomiting out thick globs of blood, Flum slammed onto the floor.
“Master!”
“You think you’re in a position to worry about others?”
“D-don’t come over here… Please stay away…!” Milkit pointed her gun at Rischel and fired repeatedly, but it had no effect. As Milkit had been told before, this gun was no match for monsters made with Origin cores. Then Flum gritted her teeth and stood up stubbornly.
“U-uhh…uwaaaaah!” Flum charged at Rischel, completely desperate. Rischel easily batted her away with her axe, as if she were swatting a mosquito. Flum couldn’t even see the slash coming her way and took a hit directly in the flank. However, perhaps because Rischel’s power was too great, Flum’s body got sent flying before she was completely cut in two, and she got slammed into the wall at an intense speed.
U-ughh… It’s no use. I’m gonna die. I can’t win. I… Milkit… Flum, her consciousness dimming, saw the open wounds on her body, the blood gushing out, and her own internal organs. At this point, I no longer even feel the pain… If anything, I feel kind of cold…
Even so, her body had conveniently begun to regenerate.
“This really is fate after all. I’ll kill your bitch, and you’ll despair and suffer! The world goes around in that kind of cycle, and I am here now!” Rischel, boasting of her victory, stared fixatedly at Milkit as she spat those words at Flum. Milkit, frightened and pale, reached for her gun, but Rischel snatched it from her and tossed it aside.
I… I can’t do anything… I couldn’t be this girl’s hero…
That was what had happened back then, too. Flum couldn’t save her, herself. If she’d had the courage to have broken free of her restraints, she might have been able to have died with her. But there was nothing she could’ve done. And there was nothing she could do now, either.
Even if there were some way to save Milkit, it wasn’t this Flum who was going to save this Milkit here now. Flum crawled toward the spot where the gun had landed after Rischel had taken it and thrown it aside.
“I have been chosen, and you have not been chosen! That’s right! You are sacrifices—” Rischel, enjoying watching her prey cower, slowly approached Milkit while licking her lips. Meanwhile, Flum took the gun and held it to her temple. According to Henriette, it was her blood that had been injected into Flum’s brain which was sealing her memories. Also, Flum’s body would regenerate as long as her brain stem or heart weren’t destroyed. In other word, if the temporal lobe, which controls memory, were destroyed and Henriette’s blood was drained out of her, her brain would regenerate, she would disappear, and “Flum Apricot” would be revived.
I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared, scared scared scared scared…
No matter how much people told her that she would regenerate, it was going to be certain death for Flum Watermoon.
But…
Flum was conflicted and agonized over what to do. And then, she found the one single reason to die.
This isn’t for me. I don’t want anyone else to experience this kind of despair. If she sacrificed herself, she could prevent that tragedy from happening again. Telling herself that gave her a little courage. When she pulled the trigger with her trembling index finger…