“Kuou! Take her and flee!” Sui exclaimed as she leaped to her feet, kicking Kiara onto Kuou’s back. She then jumped to the side, and a second later, a silver flash gouged the ground she’d been standing on.
That first feather had already dealt Sui a fatal blow, but her opponent had fired a follow-up disintegration barrage anyway.
“Aren’t you embarrassed to be going all-out against two weak bunny girls?!” Sui shouted, throwing a dagger at the old bishop who came rushing toward her at top speed.
That dagger was one of Oscar’s and it was imbued with the power to rend through both mana and space. Not even an apostle could take that head-on, and as Sui expected, the bishop-apostle batted it aside with her claymore. However, the moment the claymore made contact with the dagger, the dagger’s hilt exploded, releasing mana-draining powder into the air.
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Sui didn’t let up her assault, though. She needed to make the most of the forty or so seconds left to her. And so, she fired off a barrage of other deadly attacks, using every single weapon at her disposal, from poison to acid to mana draining weapons to lightning emitters to heated wires to freezing daggers to petrifying spray.
“Sui! Wait! We have to escape together! Kuou, let me go!”
Kiara’s voice was growing steadily further and further. Kuou had abandoned Sui without hesitation and immediately started taking Kiara to safety.
Good doggy... Sui thought with a smile. There was no way she would be able to beat an apostle, even with Kuou’s help.
Sui was glad Kuou had managed to survive this far. He was one of Vandre’s strongest familiars, which meant that despite being a monster, he also possessed a Dark Key and the ability to operate it. She had no doubt he’d be able to safely get that annoying, overly cheerful girl to the Pale Forest.
“Ah...”
To Sui’s surprise, she didn’t feel much pain as the apostle’s claymore pierced her chest and pinned her to the ground.
Still looking like that old bishop, the apostle used her other claymore to sweep away the mana-draining powder around her. Sui’s suicide rush hadn’t even managed to scratch her.
“I didn’t think you would manage to escape the capital. You’re surprisingly skilled, considering how weak and cowardly rabbitmen are.”
The apostle’s eerily serene voice reached Sui even as her consciousness began to fade.
“Had you not wasted your time rescuing your worthless comrade, you would have been able to get away,” the apostle stated as she pulled her claymore out of Sui’s chest. “Fear not. While I have no reason to let her live, there’s also no need to go out of my way to chase her down. After all, the people you wish so dearly to protect will be hunted down soon enough either way.”
After all that, she dispersed the blood on the claymore with a surge of disintegration magic and turned on her heel. She then started walking away, as if Sui had been nothing more than a fly that she’d swatted.
Just like a fly, Sui had been quite easy to kill. However, the reason the apostle had gone out of her way to chase her down and finish her off despite receiving no such orders from Ehit was because Sui had been that much of an eyesore. Sui knew that too, and she grinned.
“One day...” she muttered.
“Hm?”
“One day, a bunny girl way stronger than me will be born. A true legend.”
The apostle stopped and turned over her shoulder to look at Sui. Upon seeing the girl’s expression, she took an involuntary step backward.
“Mark my words. It’ll be a bunny girl who’ll destroy your future.”
Sui’s smile was ghastly, but even on the verge of death, her eyes were shimmering with raw determination. She wasn’t just saying that to have the last word, she was utterly convinced of her prediction.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” the apostle replied, sounding like a sore loser even though she was the one who’d won the battle. She then flew away, and the strength started to leave Sui’s limbs. The slight breeze that flew through the forest felt comfortable.
Well, I did my best... Sui thought, praising herself as she prepared to die.
“Sui...” a tearful voice said, prompting her to look up through her blurry vision and see Kiara staring down at her. She could feel warm raindrops hitting her face.
“Why...did you come back...you idiot?”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Sui couldn’t tell whether Kiara was apologizing for not being able to save her or for needing to be protected.
Sui looked hazily up at Kiara’s distraught face and said in a raspy voice, “Rabbitmen...are strong.”
“Sui?”
“The reason we’re cowards is...because we know...better than anyone...how valuable...life is...”
“Yeah.”
“You might...not be able to do anything now...but as long as you’re alive, you can...”
It was for that very reason that Sui had fought. Even though she was lazy, and deep down a real coward, she’d risked her life time and time again to protect her fellow rabbitmen’s future.
Sui reached out with bloodied fingers and wiped away Kiara’s tears.
“I...hate you... You’re so cheerful...and cute... You really piss me off.”
“Sui...”
“But...you’re probably the greatest rabbitman...after me...”
Sui did not doubt that Kiara’s future was full of potential. That was why she’d risked everything to save her.
“Idiot. You should have believed in your future over mine,” Kiara replied, taking Sui’s hand into her own. “You know what, I hate you too. You’re strong, cool, and piss me off...but I always looked up to you.”
Sui smiled, showing Kiara her genuine smile for the first time.
“You better make it out of this alive, Kiara.”
“Oh, I will, Sui.”
Sui’s hand went limp, and silence fell over the forest shortly thereafter. Kuou howled softly, mourning Sui’s death.
“Kuou, can we take her with us?” Kiara asked.
Sui had worked extremely hard, so she at least deserved to be buried in her homeland.
Kuou rubbed Kiara’s nose, his way of giving assent.
“Thank you,” Kiara said with a sad smile as she lifted Sui into her arms. She then put Sui on Kuou’s back, wiped away her tears, and took off the artifact necklace that disguised her appearance. Her bunny ears popped back up and her hair returned to its original color.
“Let’s go, Kuou.”
She made her ears stand up straight as she looked out into the distance.
That’s right, rabbitmen are strong!
Kuou howled again, much louder this time, and then started sprinting through the moonlit forest.
After getting attacked at the fort, Rasul had led his forces north, to the wild, mountainous region of southern Velka. Only a few of his men had managed to survive the attack, so they were hiding in human territory. They were between the Reisen Gorge and the southernmost human settlement in Velka.
There was a simple reason why he’d chosen to go north during this chaos rather than return home. Namely, that the southern continent had gone insane as well.
“Rasul-sama. Is there any way I can convince you not to return to Igdol?” Lestina asked as she stepped into Rasul’s tent.
Rasul, who’d been munching on a piece of plain bread, put down the loaf and turned to Lestina. The past few days had taken quite a toll on her, so she looked rather haggard.
“We should seek asylum in the Haltina Republic. The northern continent is littered with Dark Gates we can use to speed our journey as well. Most importantly, though, returning to the castle is...”
“Suicide?”
“Yes,” Lestina said through gritted teeth, making a fist and slamming it against her leg.
Rasul understood exactly how she felt. After all, their own brethren had become their greatest foe. The demon empire had turned against its Demon Lord.
It had been soldiers from the very same demon army that had attacked Rasul and his contingent. Of course, the demons had also seen the decisive battle and had been moved by Miledi and the Liberators’ struggle. Even the hardline hawk faction had started accepting Rasul’s dream of coexistence and had sent reinforcements to Rasul to aid in his retreat.
Rasul had been overjoyed, so he’d gladly let those reinforcements into the fort, but then a few days later, those same reinforcements had launched a surprise attack on him and his men.
“To think this is how humans and demons would unite toward a common goal. Ehit really is one cruel bastard,” Rasul muttered.