Chapter 87

Three more angels appeared. Not that he took Ellie’s word as gospel, but there was no better word to describe them. “No way… They’re really angels…?” Half human, half bird, with silver wings. They looked like Ellie now, but they were different in two ways. First, they were male. Second, they wore full body armor and carried shiny lances. “…Ellieee…!” an armored angel howled from above. It sounded like the shrill noise of metal scraping on metal, but there was no doubt that it was his voice. Iroha and Yahiro didn’t know the language he spoke, but they understood the meaning in the tone. The angels were insulting Ellie. They attacked her like she was a traitor. “Yahiro!” “What…?!” One of the armored angels dove down the moment Ellie warned him. Yahiro groaned at the realization that he was after him. He was armed. And could fly. Yahiro was defenseless. And despite the great advantage, the angels looked grievous, like they were desperate. “Tsk!” Yahiro clicked his tongue as he looked up at the attacker in the air. Battling a flying angel was out of his wheelhouse, obviously. He had no idea why the angels were after his life to begin with. But the inner conflict didn’t last long. Ellie spread her silver wings and flew from the side to knock the angel off course. Apparently, she was strong enough to take on fully armored angels. Her talons dug deep into his side, and the angel burst into light particles. “ELIMIEEEL…!” one of the remaining angels bellowed as he attacked her. Blue lightning shot from the end of his lance. The flashes rained on the ground, causing huge explosions all over their island. Ellie was faster than the armored angel, but dodging the relentless lightning took all her attention, leaving her unable to counterattack. Meanwhile, the other angel dove toward Yahiro, distracting Ellie. She reflexively turned around to protect Yahiro, but the move left her wide open, and her enemy did not let the opportunity slip by. Ellie’s turn slowed her down, and lightning struck her. She managed to block by crossing her wings, but the damage was still high. The armored angel charged toward her, intending to deal the finishing blow while she was off-balance. “Yahiro…” He heard a soft voice in his ear. Iroha was standing next to him, looking up at the angels with an aloof look on her face. “It’s okay, Yahiro.” She touched his shoulder, a sad smile on her face. “Sorry I held you back. Go help her.” “…If that is your wish.” Yahiro looked her in the eye, asking for confirmation. She nodded. He grinned. An armored angel rushed toward them with lance at the ready. Yet Yahiro gave him a cold look and whispered: “Burn to ash…” In that moment, the world changed colors. The sky and the land were tinted with scorching crimson, and the sea swirled in burning flames. Tall, viscous flames like lava engulfed the assaulting angel. The angel vanished without a trace, turned to ashes—armor and all. He never knew what hit him. The other angel fighting Ellie suffered the same fate as he got caught up in the flames. Scorching rays pierced him like lances from every direction. Were they aware that everything in the world had turned into their enemy? “Avaritiaaa!” the angel roared with hatred, but nothing more. The blast swallowed his ending cries and only silence was left behind. It happened in the blink of an eye. Yahiro exhaled. The flames covering the world disappeared then. The white beach, calm sea, and dusk sky returned to how they’d been before. “As ridiculous a power as I remember…” Yahiro sighed with listless self-derision. He was now the Lazarus with the power of Ouroboros. He had inherited the power of the previous world dragon and, in a sense, had the power of a god. He knew he could easily defeat the beings Ellie called angels, but there was a cost to his power. He who used the power of a god could not remain human. “Yahiro…” Ellie landed and approached him with low spirits. Whether she was dejected about hiding her identity or about being unable to protect Yahiro, he did not care. “You okay, Ellie?” he asked. Ellie was clearly wounded from the battle, but she nodded. The injuries weren’t a big deal, though the T-shirt was tattered. Her pearl-oyster-silver wings on her back remained spread. “Yahiro… Is that you…?” “Oh. Yeah. Looks like I’m back, after all the growing up I did…” Yahiro shook his head in gloom after looking down at himself. His body had returned to how it was at seventeen. “Iroha and I don’t age since we inherited the Ouroboros’s power. I guess it’s because we’re outside the realm of biology now. We can grow up while the dragon’s power is sealed, but the moment we release it, well. You can see.” “Just when I thought I’d matured into a good woman…” Iroha dropped her shoulders with a weak smile. Her age had reset, too. They weren’t at an age for their height to change dramatically, but the changes they experienced from their late teens to their twenties were not insignificant. Iroha didn’t so much rejuvenate as become childlike. They had been holding back from using the Lazarus’s power because they hadn’t wanted this to happen. It reminded them of the fact that they couldn’t live like normal humans. “I…couldn’t protect you…” Ellie bit her lip with regret. The island was wrecked by the armored angels’ attack. A considerable amount of their crops had to have been ruined. “Don’t mind it. It’s not your fault,” Iroha said. “Yeah. And after all that ruckus, they’ll be here any minute,” Yahiro said. “…They?” Ellie frowned. “Yep.” Yahiro smiled weakly. He was getting a headache just thinking how to explain Ellie and the angels to them. Right then, they heard footsteps on the bright white sand, carried on the wind. Two small silhouettes approached from the far side of the cove. Silhouettes so similar it was hard to tell them apart from a distance. Iroha beamed upon noticing the surprise visitors. “Speak of the devil.” “That was way too fast. Chill out a little, guys,” Yahiro said to them. They were beautiful women of Asian descent with identical faces. Twins. They wore suits with tight skirts, unfit for a remote island like this. Despite being only in their late teens, they had the poise of big-time CEOs. And that’s because they were. They were the principal shareholders and chief executive officers of one of the biggest arms dealers in the world: Galerie Berith. “Hopefully you don’t think we’re here because we wanted to see you.” The younger twin, Rosetta Berith, spoke plainly and coldly. “We were on a different case, but this happened at just the right time.” The older twin, Giulietta Berith, smiled boldly while looking around the wrecked island. They hadn’t changed much physically in three years. They even wore the same blue-and-orange highlights in their hair. Their hair was longer, though. That changed their aura significantly. They looked mature in Yahiro’s and Iroha’s age-reset eyes, which only made them jealous.