“I’ve never seen such a beautiful soul! Yes, yes! This must be love! This is fate!” I didn’t know what to make of Lilana’s sudden show of infatuation. Before I could respond, Euphie pulled out the Arc-en-Ciel, glowering at the vampire with an expression I had never seen before. “Vampire matriarch Lilana, this is the Kingdom of Palettia. Our territory. Your actions here are unforgivable… And how dare you speak to Anis that way? If you value your life, you’ll hold your tongue.” “Oh…? So the lady is called Anis? Thank you kindly! You do realize your little country is going to be swallowed up, yes? How I behave is my business, is it not?” “…If you don’t care to listen, how about I destroy you?” The force of Euphie’s magical energy, of her raw anger, was unprecedented. Whoa…! She’s like a completely different person…! Watching this outburst, Lilana was visibly hit with another shock. “…Oh? Don’t tell me you’re a spirit covenantor? Would that make you this kingdom’s ruler?” “What of it?” “Oh, how rude of me! May I ask your name?” “Euphyllia Fez Palettia.” “Euphyllia… Yes, I’ll remember that one. Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name, as you said, is Lilana. My ancestors were on a quest for eternity, and I’ve inherited that long-cherished wish. With that said, allow me to prove to you, the nation that banished our ancestors for dreaming too high, that your outmoded magic is no longer required!” Lilana’s attitude underwent a sudden reversal, her next words quiet but forceful. “I will bring an end to the era of magic and usher in a paradise in which all can truly live! An eternal world, devoid of suffering! And I’ll start by taking you, your dusty old magic, and your whole country!” “I won’t let you!” I cried out, stepping forward beside Euphie as I glared at Lilana. At this, the vampire leader turned her heated gaze my way. “Why? Why would a wonderful woman like you take the side of a spirit covenantor? I thought monsters were anathema to the people of the Kingdom of Palettia?” “Because as a royal princess, I’ll always defend this country.” “…You’re a princess…? How baffling! Just how much has the Kingdom of Palettia changed over the years?” “We’re changing now! So what makes you think I’ll let someone like you destroy our homeland?!” “Why not? You can have eternal happiness if you just take my hand.” “If your ideals really were as good as you think they are, everyone would accept them. But they don’t! Because you have a warped vision of happiness! If you really wanted to offer them salvation, you would try to understand them! But your happiness, your ideals—they’re all born from your own inflated ego!” “…My ego? Why take issue with that?” Lilana asked, tilting her head to one side in genuine wonder. “There are so many creatures in this world who lack the power to save themselves. Someone has to step in and manage them, don’t you think? They’re already unhappy on their own.” “We’re not livestock for you to manage! What you’re really talking about is domination!” “What’s wrong with that?” “If you have to ask, then we’ll never understand each other!” I cried out in exasperation. Lilana shook her head in disbelief. “…I don’t understand. Why would you, being so beautiful, choose to live that way? Why? But you’re so magnificent! I thought you, at least, would see the truth! Why don’t you?!” Her voice gave way to a hollow cry, as though she had just witnessed a heartbreaking tragedy. Why did she seem so obsessed with me? What did she see in me? “…I don’t understand. I can’t. I have to find out. Yes, the world must become eternal so I can unravel its secrets! I have to bring everyone joy! Make it so nothing is ever lost!” Lilana muttered, her anguished countenance giving way to a grin. Then, with outstretched arms, she turned her passionate gaze to me once more. “Anis! I’m in love! Yes, I knew it the moment I first saw you! I want you! I want to understand you! Become eternal with me!” “You’re insane!” I shouted back. “I refuse!” “If we can’t understand each other now, then let’s merge together until we do! My dear, sweet Anis!” There was something different about Lilana’s smile now. It was predatory, like a creature about to torment its prey. Her gaze burned with obsession, sending a shiver running down my spine. I couldn’t stand her looking at me like that! She was going to drive me mad! “It’s so sad, not seeing eye to eye! My heart bleeds! But this pain is only temporary! Once I devour you, it will all go away…!” The monsters surrounding us let out deafening howls—which meant that the battle had already begun. “They’re coming! Euphie, Allie! I’ll take care of Lilana! You direct the others!” “Got it!” Euphie answered. “That goes without saying!” Allie added. I stepped forward—my royal robe accelerating my movements and bringing me right up to the vampire matriarch in a split second. I knew how dangerous her kind could be, so I would give it my all from the very start! “Aerial System: Dragon Heart!” With that cry, I shrouded the Celestial in compressed dragon magic, forging a crystalline blade. Lilana, preparing to counter my sudden attack, was left momentarily blinded. I seized that opening and struck her neck—but failed to cut through. Her neck wasn’t just hard, it was strangely dense, as if it comprised countless layers of sturdy flesh. That mass of flesh compressed into human form readily absorbed the impact, then tangled itself around my blade. When I yanked hard at the weapon to pull it out, blood went flying from the gaping wound. “…Oh, how beautiful,” Lilana exclaimed, resting a hand on the injury as the overflowing fountain of blood subsided. Enraptured, she continued to stare at me while the wound regenerated. …Seriously? My goal had been to separate her head from her shoulders, and she had simply withstood the attack? “Ah, I can’t wait to take you in!” With that emotional outburst, a terrifying number of snake heads extended from her back, each of them quickly lunging straight for me. I leaped backward to establish some distance while I mowed them down. This time, there was no resistance as I effortlessly sent their heads flying. Her body is weirdly compressed, but that’s not the case for those appendages she summons. Basically, I have to keep chipping away at her until she can’t regenerate anymore… I had been hoping to destroy Lilana’s magicite core, as I had done to the chimera we had fought in Filwach, but that no longer appeared to be an option. My best bet now would be to whittle her down and make her submit. Fortunately, I had greater mobility than usual thanks to my royal robe. I wasn’t about to let this opponent get her hands on me. I just had to keep focusing on one attack after the next! “Haaah!” Lilana made no move to dodge my strikes, to the point that I found myself wondering whether she felt any pain at all. Even when I dealt her a blow, she regenerated as if nothing had happened. That was cheating! “Ah, how wonderful!” she exclaimed. “I never imagined there could be such joy!” “What?! What’s wonderful?!” I shot back. “Everyone is praising me! They’ve all accepted me! They’re saying I was right, that I was their only hope! I always believed in them! But something was always missing!” She broke into an ecstatic grin as the flesh around her arm inflated, her misshapen limb looming over me. “It’s not enough! It’s still not enough! Our eternity isn’t yet complete! But everyone is counting on me. We have to get there; we have to unravel the secrets of magic! With eternity, I’ll be able to share its wonders with everyone! In a world of perpetual joy!” I threw the Celestial with all my weight into Lilana’s emerging claws. This time, they didn’t cut so easily, forcing me to adjust my angle and sever the hand at the wrist. Once more, she easily regenerated the severed appendage, using her newly restored arm to hug herself. “I love the way you deny me! Every time you fight back, you define my very existence! Look at me! See me! You give me meaning!” “Are you insane?! Stay back, you creature!” I cried, punching her with all my strength before she could wrap her arms around me in an embrace. I could feel the shock of that punch down my whole arm—but it did succeed in throwing her backward. “Anis! I’ll cover you!” Euphie shouted. She and the others were helping Allie and the knights keep the monsters at bay, using every available opening to unleash fresh magic attacks. Among the group of knights fighting at the front of the group, I spotted Garkie, Navre, and Acryl. With their regenerative powers, the monsters were incredibly difficult to keep down, forcing the defenders to aim either for their magicite-laced hearts or to crush their skulls. In the midst of all this, Euphie raised her Arc-en-Ciel into the air. “Heed my voice! Awaken from your slumber, brothers and sisters mine!” She pressed a hand up against the blade as if in prayer—and the air around her trembled as she spoke. “Gather, my friends! Answer me, and I will give you form. Bring my will to bear.” A bright burst exploded out, the precursor to a magical ability, drawing an arc as it rotated through the air, building momentum and morphing into a ball of pure light. “Spirit Substantiation.” Euphie swung the Arc-en-Ciel, sending the mass of light swirling like a whirlpool as a crack ran down its center. With a brilliant flash, a figure appeared—a spirit made of fire and light. The spirit, in the graceful form of a female knight, held in its hands twin swords, one each of light and fire. At Euphie’s command, it made for the surrounding demons. This was a new technique of Euphie’s, adapted from the spirit substantiation show that she had performed at my birthday celebration. In essence, spirit substantiation was a form of magic that was capable of acting autonomously—and indeed, the spirit knight proceeded to destroy one monster after the next. It was nothing short of overwhelming. “Regenerate as many times as you like, we can keep going until you’re reduced to ashes,” Euphie intoned. “Go.” With deafening screams, the monsters continued to fall. Finally, once they were all vanquished, the spirit knight turned to Lilana. “What power…! Is this ancient spirit covenantor magic?!” With a light flurry of steps, Lilana dodged the knight’s two weapons. Having waited for this moment, I readied to lash out at her with my own sword, aiming for the neck—only to be stopped by Euphie’s upraised hand. “Anis! Let’s do this together!” With this, the spirit knight readied her swords in perfect timing with my Celestial. The combined attack severed both of Lilana’s arms—though they regenerated immediately. Meanwhile, the detached limbs bloated as they hit the ground, preparing to birth fresh monsters. “I don’t think so,” Euphie declared. “Explosion!” The spirit knight thrust her swords into the detached arms, destroying them from the inside out with a burst of burning light. In an instant, the severed limbs were obliterated, without leaving so much as a trace. “Not yet!” Lilana cried, backpedaling. “This isn’t the end! So this is spirit covenantor magic?!” This time, she ripped off her own arm, casting it aside to birth more monsters. At this rate, there would be no end to this confrontation! We had to immobilize the vampire matriarch herself! “I see… So you want me to burn it all to the ground?” Euphie muttered dispassionately. With a swing of her sword, the spirit knight melted away, morphing into something new. The next moment, a cloud of butterflies enrobed in red light swarmed around Lilana. “What are you doing…?! Ah! Gah! Geh!” She clutched at her throat, coughing violently. Meanwhile, the butterflies continued to flutter around her, bringing her to her knees. Looking closely, I noticed a fine powder of glowing light emanating from the apparitions’ wings. That light soon began to shimmer, as if blinking. By now, the butterflies had brought not only Lilana down, but her subservient monsters, too. The magic used to create those things was an Explosion technique. If those butterflies were triggering tiny explosions all around us, then…! “Disaster Explosion.” One, two, three—those small sparks began to combine into one huge conflagration, the flames spreading in a chain reaction that surrounded Lilana before fully igniting. “—!” Lilana’s screams turned hoarse as the fiery vortex seared her throat. The next moment, a powerful blast of light detonated, leaving flames that illuminated the darkness. The monsters similarly caught fire, collapsing one after the other. Euphie stared out emotionlessly as the light and shadows danced on her face. There was something chillingly beautiful about it. In fact, she had taken everyone’s breath away with that last display of terrifying magic. Even our friends and allies were completely awestruck. “That was a technique that scorches everything it touches, both inside and out. Not even a vampire could hope to—” “Oh? Is that what you believe?” All at once, the flames subsided, and the world returned to darkness and moonlight. Lilana, just a moment ago standing in the middle of that blazing conflagration, stood there now without a scratch. “…Impossible…,” Euphie murmured, incredulous. I had exactly the same response. I wouldn’t have expected anyone to be capable of regenerating after such a powerful attack. Yet Lilana was alive and well. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “If I was one of your countrymen, your ancient magic would have settled this,” Lilana said with a soft grin. “It’s terrifyingly beautiful. No wonder our ancestors strove to surpass you.” “How in the world…? How did you survive being incinerated from the inside out…?!” “Yes, it was a brilliant move! If you were facing anyone else, you would have won, but a mere spirit covenantor cannot defeat me!” “…I can’t let you live. I’m still going to destroy you!” Euphie cried, her female spirit knight manifesting again, looking even stronger this time around. With a wave of her Arc-en-Ciel, Euphie sent the knight charging straight for Lilana—who, without betraying a hint of impatience, raised a hand casually into the air. The next moment, a serpent’s head emerged from her palm like a bud bursting into flower. The snake opened its jaw wide, bit down, and entwined itself around the spirit knight. “You caught it…?!” Euphie exclaimed. “How…?!” “I already knew what you were trying to do,” Lilana answered with a sinister smile. “I won’t let you use the same trick twice.” The next moment, the spirit knight bent over, trembling—and her body began to disintegrate. “…Huh?” I could hardly believe my eyes. Euphie, standing there in mute shock, seemed even more taken aback. Before long, the disintegrating spirit knight had been reduced enough for the snake to devour it whole, extinguishing it once and for all. With the spirit dealt with, Lilana let out a satisfied breath. “…Hmm. Yes, what wonderful magic! Even I had a hard time absorbing it!” “You absorbed it…?! No, that means you drew raw magical energy out from it…?!” Euphie gawked. “Bingo! ” Lilana said with a broad grin. If she could absorb magical energy directly from a magic-based attack, that would make her a natural enemy against all magic users…! “We vampires aren’t about to be outdone by mages from the Kingdom of Palettia, nor by spirit covenantors. Though I’m still the only one who’s reached this level, you know?” So that was why she had been made the vampire matriarch, because of her overwhelming powers when going up against magic users! Euphie wasn’t the only one taken aback. Everyone here was equally stunned. After all, magic was supposed to be the greatest of weapons, but it could do nothing here. “Well, playtime is over. Can I devour you all now?” Lilana held out her hand, the serpent that had just absorbed the spirit knight extending toward us. Euphie, still reeling from shock, was slow to evade, leaving me no choice but to throw myself in front of her and bring my sword down on the approaching snake. “Snap out of it, Euphie!” I called out. “Euphyllia, focus on destroying the monsters!” Allie shouted from behind. “Everyone, use your magic sparingly! Fight with your weapons unless absolutely necessary! Acryl and I will handle this!” “Anis…! Algard…! I—I’m sorry…!” Euphie stammered as Allie and Acryl moved to take her place. The two attacked with their spears, skewering the serpent and sending it crashing to the ground. “Anis!” Allie shouted. “You concentrate on Lilana! You’re the only one who can stand against this foe!” “I can see that!” I called back. “Oh?” Lilana exclaimed. “Are you coming, Anis? Then let’s dance!” From here on out, the battle descended into an outright quagmire. No matter how many times we killed the monsters, they just kept on coming. Even when we succeeded in reducing their numbers, Lilana would immediately replenish them. Meanwhile, I had to devote all my resources into keeping her in check. Yet as the minutes wore on, we were slowly losing ground. “Are you ready to give up?” Lilana asked, pitying me. Ignoring her question, I sliced off her arm yet again—only for it to inflate in the air into another monster. “Why won’t you give up?” she continued. This time, I thrust my blade from in front, effortlessly carving through her stomach—but that swiftly regenerated, too. “Why do you keep going?” The battle remained deadlocked, but it was definitely leaning to her advantage. Fatigue was already starting to fall across everyone’s faces. “Cover each other!” Allie called out. “Everyone who’s starting to tire, fall back! The rest of us will hold the line! Acryl!” “On it!” “Navre! Gark! Don’t let anyone interrupt Euphyllia!” “Understood!” “We won’t let anything near her! Augh!” “Lady Euphyllia! Let me support you!” Lainie shouted. “Thank you…!” Euphie answered. Allie and Acryl worked together to thin out the encroaching monsters. Those that managed to get through were stopped by Euphie and Lainie, while Navre and Garkie finished them off. But even after all that, their numbers weren’t getting any smaller. “Hurry up and surrender!” Lilana bellowed, forcing me to kick back with all my might as she tried to wrap her arms around me. The impact sent her flying over the bodies of countless dead monsters. Slipping on their dead carcasses and covered in blood, Lilana slowly pulled herself up. “Why are you so set on resisting?” “Because if I let you have me, I’ll be finished!” “No, you won’t. I’m going to make you eternal!” “You’re just trying to force people to bend to your will!” Even though I unleashed slash after slash, I couldn’t cut through her impenetrable layer of condensed flesh, each wound regenerating as though moving backward in time. I had seen her heal herself more times than I could count, but that still didn’t stop me from gawking. “I’m getting bored of this,” Lilana muttered, her gleeful expression fading. “Nothing you do will change anything, you know? You’re just wasting everyone’s time. Can’t we end this?” With that, she opened her hands—and the carcasses of the fallen monsters around her began to move. Even those whose heads had been crushed gathered around her, merging into her. It was horrendous to watch, enough to make my head spin. I heard the sound of flesh being crushed, of meat being shredded, of flesh being mixed. Bones shattering, breaking, connecting, and shattering all over again, impossibly quickly and without end. Before I knew it, Lilana had devoured each and every one of the scattered monster bodies. It was like when she had spread the monsters out around us, only now in reverse—she was taking the dead bodies in, compressing them and combining them with her own existence. “You’re a monster yourself!” “Damn you!” Allie and Acryl tried to attack her, but they couldn’t even scratch her. The next moment, both were thrown back by a powerful burst. “Guh?!” “Gyah?!” “Allie! Acryl!” I called out as the two were knocked to the ground. By then, Lilana had vanished. “What?! She’s fast…!” Her next target was Garkie. “Garkie!” “Ugh! Gark! What?!” He’d managed to shield himself with his sword, but he was thrown backward as the vampire matriarch appeared beside him, and he’d tumbled next to Navre. “Let me teach you about despair. If I kill these people one by one, maybe then you’ll understand the pain of loss—and the splendor of eternal life!” “Stop!” My vision turned red with rage as I lashed out with the Celestial. Lilana, however, caught the blade with one hand, her fingers wrapping around it as I pushed her back. She showed no sign of letting go. “She’s the one you care about most, isn’t she, Anis?” A shiver ran down my spine. Lilana wasn’t looking at me—she was staring at Euphie. Holding her free hand out, she unleashed another serpent straight for her. “Move, Lady Euphyllia!” “Lainie!” Lainie rushed forward with her Mana Blade in an effort to halt the oncoming serpent—but the snake twisted its whip-like body and flung her away. Euphie spun around to protect her, but the serpent struck at them both, jaws wide. “Nooo!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. The next moment, magical energy coursed through the Celestial, still clutched in Lilana’s hand, and exploded at close range. The detonation threw me to the side, but it did succeed in severing the serpent from the vampire’s hand. I blacked out for a moment as I hit the ground. I couldn’t tell left from right, up from down. Was I still standing, or had I been thrown into the air? When my vision returned to normal, the first thing I saw was Lilana—still beaming at me, though both of her arms had been blown away. Time seemed to move in slow motion as she fixed me with an ecstatic grin. “People grow stronger when they have someone they want to protect. But then they fail to protect themselves. It’s so painful to watch. That’s why I’m giving you this gift—an eternity without loss!” The next moment, she bit down on my neck, her fangs piercing my flesh. The pain was so intense that I feared I might lose consciousness. It was like molten lava had been poured directly into my veins, leaving me unable to do anything but scream. “A-a-aaauuuggghhh?!” I grabbed Lilana’s head, trying to pull her away with all my strength—but she wouldn’t budge. The pain was making my vision blurry, and my strength was already leaving me. It was like some burning heat was turning my body inside out. “Anis!!” Euphie screamed in dismay, leaping toward me. She quickly intervened by thrusting the Arc-en-Ciel into Lilana’s neck, yanking her away the second her grip relaxed. I proceeded to deliver a powerful kick into Lilana’s stomach as I scurried back, falling to my knees. Euphie rushed to help me back up. “Anis?” she called out desperately. “Hang in there!” “E-Euphie…” “Anis…? No… Your eyes are turning red… No, it can’t be…?! No, Anis! Stay awake!” My eyes…? Euphie… What are you talking about…? I couldn’t seem to focus anymore. I needed to stay alert, but my head felt so heavy. “Now you’ll understand me, don’t you think so, Anis?” I could hear someone’s voice. As my consciousness slipped into darkness, I couldn’t recognize whose it was anymore.
Chapter 97
20 min read