‘Is all of this really necessary?’
✦ ✦ ✦
Woong—
✦ ✦ ✦
The Holy Sword seemed to wail as if it would break.
✦ ✦ ✦
‘Merely...’
✦ ✦ ✦
Even though he didn’t completely understand her motives yet, the only thought that came to Vera was ‘merely.’
✦ ✦ ✦
No reason could justify such actions, at least not as far as Vera knew.
✦ ✦ ✦
No matter how evil someone was, there was a line that not be crossed.
✦ ✦ ✦
‘Just for a mere...’
✦ ✦ ✦
Mere personal greed led to this tragedy, and that made Vera furious.
✦ ✦ ✦
Squelch—
✦ ✦ ✦
Somewhere, flesh burst forth.
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Vera’s gaze shifted towards the sound.
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Bones protruded through the floor, muscles and flesh layering on top, and then skin.
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All of it formed a pulse.
✦ ✦ ✦
Thump.
✦ ✦ ✦
Thump.
✦ ✦ ✦
The corrupted pulse reached Vera.
✦ ✦ ✦
The slowly forming figure was something he had seen before.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was flesh shaped into the form of a child.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ten horns erupted from its head, and six faces sprouted from various parts of the body below the neck.
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The face that sprouted from the left chest spoke.
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“Fal... se...”
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The voice moaned as if screaming.
✦ ✦ ✦
Kwaduduk—
✦ ✦ ✦
“Fr-free... dom...”
✦ ✦ ✦
Squelch—
✦ ✦ ✦
The mass grew in size, forming arms.
✦ ✦ ✦
Another sprouted face opened its mouth.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Theee... eeeen...”
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera’s expression crumbled.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was because he saw something.
✦ ✦ ✦
The legacy he wore, the eyes revealing the essence, the veil blocking corruption, and the binding connecting him to the opponent all told him how this being was born.
✦ ✦ ✦
‘...Sacrifice.’
✦ ✦ ✦
It was a sacrifice, a vessel for the Tenth.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was a corruption made from the purity of children to contain the Tenth.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Theee… eeenndd…”
✦ ✦ ✦
The completed sacrifice crawled towards him, its mouth agape and screaming.
✦ ✦ ✦
Thump.
✦ ✦ ✦
Thump.
✦ ✦ ✦
It pounced on Vera with its considerable weight.
✦ ✦ ✦
Then, Vera reached out his hand.
✦ ✦ ✦
Tap—
✦ ✦ ✦
Despite the threatening movement, its attack was feeble.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was truly an attack at the level of a child’s tantrum.
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera let out a long sigh as he watched it struggle in his grasp.
✦ ✦ ✦
Woong—.
✦ ✦ ✦
The Holy Sword wailed.
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera looked at the sacrifice with a deeply furrowed expression.
✦ ✦ ✦
He looked into its eyes and into the howling souls trapped within.
✦ ✦ ✦
‘How long...’
✦ ✦ ✦
How long had they been wailing like this, trapped inside?
✦ ✦ ✦
Since the Age of Gods until now.
✦ ✦ ✦
As he didn’t know how time flowed within the castle, it could be shorter or longer than that.
✦ ✦ ✦
...No, time was not important.
✦ ✦ ✦
What mattered was that Alaysia’s wrongdoing had resulted in this tragedy.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Gaaa...”
✦ ✦ ✦
The sacrifice’s mouth opened wide.
✦ ✦ ✦
From inside it, a red tongue lashed out like a whip.
✦ ✦ ✦
Divinity burst out from Vera, repelling the tongue.
✦ ✦ ✦
Wooong—
✦ ✦ ✦
The Holy Sword resonated softly.
✦ ✦ ✦
“...Alright.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera answered and turned his right hand towards his waist.
✦ ✦ ✦
He gripped the Holy Sword.
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s time to let you rest.”
✦ ✦ ✦
His voice became choked with emotion as he spoke.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was an indescribable feeling.
✦ ✦ ✦
He simply felt sad and hollow.
✦ ✦ ✦
The sacrifice’s eyes moved.
✦ ✦ ✦
It stared directly at Vera.
✦ ✦ ✦
True to someone’s saying that eyes were windows to the soul, the shining eyes held the light of the tortured children.
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera knew.
✦ ✦ ✦
This sacrifice was the source of the world he was trapped in.
✦ ✦ ✦
The moment this sacrifice met its end, he would wake up.
✦ ✦ ✦
The flesh would entirely dissolve in the real world.
✦ ✦ ✦
Clang—
✦ ✦ ✦
The tip of Vera’s sword pointed towards the sacrifice’s forehead.
✦ ✦ ✦
His gaze never wavered from its eyes.
✦ ✦ ✦
Speaking as if promising never to forget the scene that he saw at this very moment, he opened his mouth.
✦ ✦ ✦
His stigma flared.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I promise.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Having no way to save those who’ve suffered for so long, Vera made a request to the one who could.
✦ ✦ ✦
“All of you will be saved. You will go to a place free of pain, sorrow, and resentment. The one who watches this promise will surely fulfill it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
His fair God would surely grant this request.
✦ ✦ ✦
The price he offered was well worth it.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I will wield my sword and make those responsible for your suffering pay. That is my promise...”
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera’s words paused.
✦ ✦ ✦
With a cloudy, pained smile, he finished.
✦ ✦ ✦
“...Rest now.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Whoosh.
✦ ✦ ✦
The pure white blade of his sword sank into the center of the sacrifice’s forehead.
✦ ✦ ✦
The sacrifice’s body spasmed for a moment and then stopped.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ah...”
✦ ✦ ✦
His voice trailed off.
✦ ✦ ✦
The expressions that had been hovering above the seven faces vanished.
✦ ✦ ✦
Then, the burning light within its eyes began to lose its power.
✦ ✦ ✦
Like melting ice, the sacrifice melted away.
✦ ✦ ✦
Just then, something strange happened.
✦ ✦ ✦
Swoosh—
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera’s head tilted back.
✦ ✦ ✦
Camilla was looking at him with a confused expression, her gaze unsteady and her lips trembling.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ah...”
✦ ✦ ✦
Her trembling arm rose to cover her mouth.
✦ ✦ ✦
Numerous expressions flickered across her face.
✦ ✦ ✦
There was shock, and there was sorrow.
✦ ✦ ✦
Despair came next, followed by emptiness.
✦ ✦ ✦
A faint smile was at the end of those cascading waves of emotion.
✦ ✦ ✦
“...So I’m already dead.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Everything around her crumbled away.
✦ ✦ ✦
Without any shock or vibration, it simply vanished like a mirage.
✦ ✦ ✦
Her body, too, was slowly turning into ashes and disappearing.
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera stood still, watching her.
✦ ✦ ✦
Camilla looked at her own hands, then at the children scattering on the inverted cross, and finally at Vera.
✦ ✦ ✦
“...Is it over now?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s over. All of it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera responded as such, capturing the sight of everything vanishing before his eyes.
✦ ✦ ✦
He was the only one left to remember them, so he missed nothing in his effort to memorialize them.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You can rest now. Your sister...”
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera placed his hand over his heart.
✦ ✦ ✦
Within it was a new promise, shining golden above his dark, somber soul.
✦ ✦ ✦
“...You’ll meet her again. Lushan has accepted my vow.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Camilla’s head dropped, seemingly dazed.
✦ ✦ ✦
With half of her body already gone, she lifted her head and responded with a small smile.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Yes...”
✦ ✦ ✦
Vera’s consciousness began to blur within the crumbling world.
✦ ✦ ✦
He faintly heard her last words.
✦ ✦ ✦
“...Thank you.”