Chapter 153

CHAPTER 64 Some Things Aren’t Meant to Be I have no words when I see the blade of Seiya’s other unsheathed sword. It’s the killer sword that turned into dust earlier. He must have synthesized a new one with the material he was hiding when he made the Great Granny Rista Sword—also known as the Holy Power Draining Sword: Revised. Seiya faces Ultimaeus, who is no longer a god but a colossal monster, and thrusts his saw-like blade toward him. “You’re winning! You can do this!” Jonde cheers while watching Seiya take the offensive. I’m so worked up that I can’t hold back my feelings anymore, either. It’s over! You can’t defeat him, Ultimaeus! You never had a chance against this Hero! “Ultimate Eternal Sword.” Seiya slices through the Demon Lord’s body using the skill he learned from Adenela. Blood spews from the Demon Lord’s wounds and paints the throne room violet. The monster lets out a low growl and collapses to the floor. “Y-yes!!” “He did it!” Jonde and I join hands and celebrate, but… “Stop pretending you’re dead.” Seiya’s cold voice echoes. “You still have another life, don’t you? You won’t catch me off guard.” Ultimaeus, decorated with cuts, slowly rises to his feet. Seiya was right. He isn’t dead yet, but he is panting like an animal with its back against the wall. Seiya cracks his neck like he’s ready for the next round. “I can keep this up for as long as it takes you to die.” “H-human…!” Ultimaeus bares his fangs and bellows. He was probably planning on using his newfound ultimate power to defeat Seiya, but the tables have turned. The Demon Lord is the one being toyed with now. The Hero has a clear advantage. D-does this mean my fated death has been avoided?! I’m saved! There’s no doubting that I could have died during the last battle. Having my divine energy almost completely absorbed by the Demon Lord is proof of that. That’s why Seiya was waiting for me in the spirit world to prepare myself for the worst. Even so, he still saved me. After Ultimaeus dies, Seiya, Jonde, Kiriko, and I will all be able to go home. We’re going to be okay…or so I thought. “W-wait! You’re about to do something that cannot be reversed!” Ultimaeus strains his voice, but Seiya continues moving forward, paying no heed to the Demon Lord’s cries. Ultimaeus’s attention shifts to me. “Stop this, Hero! Or you will regret it!” “Wh-what are you babbling about?! You’re going to be the only one with regrets here! Just give up already, Ultimaeus!” “Heh… Heh-heh-heh…! Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!” Ultimaeus’s vile laughter echoes throughout the room. “I—I know who you really are! You, the Hero…and one more life were all lost that day when I killed you!” “…!” “Listen well, reincarnation of Princess Tiana of Termine! All three of your fates are in the palm of my hand!” “Hngh…?!” I instinctively grunt. Jonde reacts to Ultimaeus’s loud declaration as well, then turns to me in utter disbelief. “Th-that can’t be…! Y-you’re the reincarnation of Princess Tiana…?!” “I, uh… I’m—” With my cover blown, I panic and yell to Ultimaeus: “Wh-what do you mean you control the fates of Jonde, Seiya, and me?!” “Oh, you’re mistaken, Goddess. The third life lost that day wasn’t that undead soldier’s. It belonged to that one.” I follow the line of the Demon Lord’s finger, and my eyes land on…Kiriko. K-Kiri? Wait… What?! I’m taken aback when I lay eyes on Kiriko. She’s lying listlessly on the floor. “Kiri?! What’s wrong?!” After rushing over, I shake her body, but she doesn’t reply. The light in her eye is flickering weakly. My eyes shift to the Demon Lord. “What did you do to her?!” “Make no mistake, Goddess. I am not the one to blame for her enfeebled state. That would be the Hero himself.” “Seiya would never attack Kiri!” When I glance in Seiya’s direction, though, he’s no longer advancing on Ultimaeus. He stands still with a sword in his hand. The Demon Lord then points at Jonde, relieved that the Hero has stopped his attack. “As luck would have it, the soul of that undead soldier appears untainted. However, that Killing Machine is different. I created it from scratch and used my magic to give it the soul of a dead human. The soul was tainted, and its source of power was transferred from the spirit world to me.” “Wh-what are you trying to say?!” “It’s simple. If you kill me, then that Killing Machine dies, too.” “Wh-what?!” Seeing me panic brings the Demon Lord great joy. “Mwah-ha-ha-ha! And that’s not all! That Killing Machine’s soul isn’t just any soul! Ha-ha-ha! That demon’s wisdom defies imagination! While one can expect little from an unborn child, it can become capable of so much more once adjusted to a Killing Machine’s high-level magic circuit!” Wh-what is he trying to say?! Ultimaeus smirks as if all the evil of the world has found a new home on his face. “The soul inside that Killing Machine belongs to the unborn child of Princess Tiana!” A violent pulse travels through my entire body. I look down at Kiriko on the floor. Kiri is my—?! “Y-you’re lying!” “Oh, but I’m not. This was all part of the Dark God’s plan. For me, this is a trump card…and for you, I guess you could say it’s an act of kindness? Heh-heh-heh! Because you got to meet the child you were never supposed to know!” “No…! You’re lying…!” “Do you understand now? I own that child’s life force! You cannot kill me! Hya-ha-ha-ha-haaa! Ha-ha-ha—” All of a sudden, Ultimaeus’s cackling expression twists in pain. Before we even realized it, Seiya was already standing right in front of him and driving his sword into the monster’s giant stomach. “S-Seiya?!” Every bit as astonished as I am, Ultimaeus screams: “Y-you don’t believe me?! Everything I said was the truth!” Kiriko painfully moans as her eye flickers even more rapidly than before. “Look! There’s your proof! That Killing Machine is linked to my last life!” “Kiri…!” But even then, Seiya continues inching closer to the Demon Lord. I scream: “Wait! Seiya, stop!” Seiya stops in his tracks, bringing a smile to Ultimaeus’s lips. “Yes, just like that. You want to spend as much time with your child as you can, don’t you? How about we choose a path that benefits both of us, Hero?” However, Seiya didn’t stop because he wasn’t going to attack. “Class Change: Fire Spellblade,” he mutters before charging toward the Demon Lord. His flaming magic sword scorches through the beast’s flesh. Ultimaeus wails and writhes in agony. …I vowed to save Ixphoria when we were in the spirit world, and we’re only moments away from avenging our past selves. And yet…every time I look at Kiriko and see all the pain she’s in, my determination wavers. My conviction crumbles away. Kiri! She’s going to die. Kiriko, who has always been by our side—who might even be our child—is going to die. That’s thousands—millions—of times more painful than if I were the one to go. “Seiya, stop! Kiri’s going to die!” But even then, Seiya continues his assault—not once looking back at Kiriko and me. I run over to Jonde and shake his shoulders. “Jonde, stop him!” “Goddess—no, Princess Tiana…” “Seiya is a very skeptical person, so he probably doesn’t believe him! But I just know Ultimaeus is telling the truth! Kiri is our child!” Begging Jonde doesn’t work, though. He lowers his eyes. “It finally hit me. I just figured out why the Hero looked like he was wasting time in the spirit world…” “What are you talking about?! Who cares?! Hurry up and st—” “The Hero most likely already knows the Demon Lord’s words are true.” “Th-then why won’t he stop attacking?!” “Because, unfortunately, there is no way to save Kiriko. Not even the Hero can do the impossible.” “Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?! Seiya even saved my mothe—Queen Carmilla! He’s a one-in-a-billion genius!” “And yet there were times when we couldn’t save someone—just like when he couldn’t save the people of Fulwahna… This is no different.” Even while we talk, I can still hear the sound of flesh being torn. Seiya’s sword runs through Ultimaeus’s arm, sending it flying off with a fountain of blood. Kiriko trembles each time the Demon Lord is injured. “Please…! Stop!!” Unable to stand back any longer, I try to sprint toward Seiya, but Jonde grabs me by the arm. “Princess! You mustn’t!” “Let go of me, Jonde! There has to be…! There has to be a way to save her! He’s always figured it out somehow! He even saved Mash, Elulu, and me, so there has to be a way to save Kiriko, too!” “There isn’t…” “How can you say that without even trying?! Stop acting like you know everything!” Jonde squeezes my arm until it starts to hurt, then furiously raises his voice. “Surely, that man—that morbidly skeptical man, the embodiment of cautiousness—considered and exhausted every possibility! And even then, he couldn’t find a way to save her! That’s why…” Jonde clenches his teeth and falls silent. H-he considered every possibility? The “other matter”… I remember Seiya mentioning he had another matter to take care of when we were in the spirit world. …Oh. So Seiya knew. He knew that Kiri was our child. He’s been worrying about it all by himself ever since he defeated Oxerio and Ishtar told him the truth. “Interesting. So I can remove this man’s soul from his body and place it in another vessel?” …That was all so he could find another home for Kiriko’s soul. Using Nephitet’s skill, he thought it could be possible for him to transfer a spirit from one thing to another and save her. However… “…I’m right back where I started.” It didn’t work. After seeing the people of Fulwahna return to dust, he must have realized it would be impossible to save anyone if the source of their being ceases to exist. But Seiya didn’t stop there. “Are there any skills that allow you to permanently freeze a target?” “I’ll let you know when I’m ready.” “Not yet.” “Just wait a little longer.” Despite being prepared for the final battle against the Demon Lord, Seiya continued searching just in case there was still a chance. Regardless of what he did or how hard he tried, though, he couldn’t find an answer. Before I even realize it, tears are streaming down my cheeks. As Jonde watches over the battle, he mutters: “He will defeat the Demon Lord and save Ixphoria no matter the cost, and that is exactly why he is here now.” “But…why…?” “Because while he may be overly cautious and ill-mannered, he is still a Hero.” Tears blurring my vision, I watch the Hero, engulfed in flames, as he lays into the Demon Lord. Ultimaeus tries to counter, but when he swings his arm, it is scorched by the flames and reduced to ash. All of a sudden, an all-too-familiar touch brushes against my hand. “Rista…” When I look down, Kiriko is holding my hand. “Kiri! You’re awake!” “I-I’m…so happy… You were my mother, after all…and Seiya was…” Kiriko watches Seiya’s back as he swings his sword at Ultimaeus. With bloodshot eyes, the Demon Lord screams. “You are going to kill your own flesh and blood! You will forever bear this burden—regret far too great for any man! You will walk the same path to hell as I!” With his hateful glare still locked on the Demon Lord, Seiya deeply exhales. The aura radiating from his body grows even more intense. “Berserk: Phase 2.8…!” “Your future will be stained with blood!!” Kiriko speaks in a trembling voice by my side. “It’s strange… I should be scared that I’m going to disappear…but when I look at Dad, I don’t feel scared.” Kiriko squeezes my hand. “When Kurio disappeared, I thought there would be nothing left. But I was wrong. Even when I close my eyes, Mom and Dad are right there…” Although the Demon Lord can’t block Seiya’s attacks, a dark aura envelops his body as his severed limbs begin to regrow. Far from giving up, he roars: “I-I’ll kill you! Even if it costs me my life, I will kill you! And this time, permanently! I will tear open your stomach, rip out your heart, and destroy your soul! I will make you crawl on the ground just like I did one year ago!” The air trembles. I can even feel Kiriko shiver before the Demon Lord’s determination. But out of nowhere… “Kiriko, you said you wanted to become stronger, right?” Seiya addresses Kiriko without even taking his eyes off Ultimaeus. “You don’t have to change a thing about yourself.” “Seiya…!” Just as Kiriko yells her father’s name, the Demon Lord throws his four arms, shrouded in black mist, at Seiya. The attack boasts incredible power and speed, but he can’t even lay a finger on the Hero. Cloaked in a fiery aura after surpassing the limit of his Berserk Mode, Seiya moves so quickly that he seems to teleport behind Ultimaeus. By the time the monster turns around… “Phoenix Drive.” …the flaming sword freely flies through the air, painting crimson magic circles before Ultimaeus’s eyes. Each of his arms flies off, burning to ash before hitting the floor. After losing his limbs and limply falling to his knees, the Demon Lord’s eyes dart around, as if he has just realized something important in the heat of battle. “My final drop of life…is flowing into the Dark God… I see… Heh-heh-heh… Now I understand…” Ultimaeus, mangled and defeated, laughs even louder. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! It didn’t matter if I killed you or if you killed me! I was nothing more than a sacrifice! It was all part of that demon’s plan! Your fates won’t change! Even if you kill me, you—none of you will ever know peac—” But the Demon Lord’s words are cut off by the Phoenix Thrust that pierces his skull. “Kiri!!” I cry. She takes her free hand and places it on the flower pendant on her chest. Then, with her last bit of strength… “Mom… Dad… Thank you…” Right as the Demon Lord’s colossal body collapses with a thud, Kiriko’s hand slips out of mine. The light in her eye, which always twinkled so softly, disappears—never to return.