Chaptr 92
“What?!”
[You need to evade, no, both of you get on my back!]
Bled hurriedly lowered his body. But Kaiden and I couldn’t help but hesitate. Our gazes turned backward.
Fernandi Castle visible far away. The people gathered densely below it, probably worrying about us.
“How far do you think the impact will reach?”
When I asked, Bled snapped angrily.
[Now’s not the time to quibble over that!]
“Please, Bled.”
[You…! You idiots!]
Bled pounded his chest in frustration.
[This entire area will all disappear!]
“…….”
Kaiden and I fell silent. If it’s this entire area, that would include Fernandi Castle.
Without anyone saying anything, we simultaneously raised our swords. We could see Pelles’s body cracking with a splitting sound. Light was leaking out from between the cracks.
[That power is part of the Demon King’s origin. It’s obvious what happens if it explodes, like seeing fire, and you think you can handle it! Please, get on my back….]
Bled pleaded. The huge dragon crouched his body and poked his face onto my left shoulder, nudging it repeatedly.
I let out a soft laugh. Despite the serious situation, that action was exactly like when he was a little one flying around me in circles, so somehow it made me laugh.
“Bled. Thank you all this time. Run away as fast as you can, go to Fernandi Castle and help people evacuate.”
[…Do you think I’m some huge carriage? That many can’t ride on my back!]
As expected, it’s difficult.
[At most, about 10 people. In that case, it’s better to reduce the explosion scale as much as possible here. And….]
He paused, then exhaled onto my face and continued.
[Rather than abandoning my one and only friend in the world and running away, I’d rather fight and die too. I’m tired of being alone now.]
Tears almost welled up, so I furrowed my face tightly. I can’t cry now. There was a mad Pelles right in front of us.
“Thank you.”
My throat was choked, but I conveyed it properly. Bled puffed out air and swelled his body. The smell of blood came from his body.
I felt sorry for Bled, who got injured and resolved to die because of me right after becoming the holy dragon he had longed for. But fearing that the last words to him might be an apology, I shut my mouth.
“Thank you, Bled.”
Kaiden also greeted Bled. The three of us resolved ourselves to death.
‘Just how many times am I resolving myself like this?’
The thought was amusing, but every moment was sincere.
I gripped the sword more tightly. And squeezed out the last aura.
I could feel Kaiden operating aura beside me. Bled also seemed to be preparing something.
Pelles shouted.
“Aaaah!”
An enormous light burst from his body. It was overwhelming power beyond ominous.
It was the moment I raised my sword high. The bracelet hanging on my wrist dangled in the wind.
‘You said it would help. It’s all lies.’
In a surge of emotion, I tore off the bracelet and threw it at Pelles. The bracelet drew a parabola and disappeared into the light Pelles was emitting.
But then,
“Ugh? Ah, ah? W-what is this!”
Suddenly, Pelles panicked and retreated backward. We were also bewildered.
“W-what is it?”
At my bewildered reaction, Kaiden asked.
“Marion, what did you just throw?”
“T-that germanium bracelet. The one Your Grace bought for me at the Asili jewelry store, and it was originally given by the Demon King to my mother….”
Since Kaiden’s mind was awake during his coma, but I didn’t know how much he knew, I rambled. Kaiden nodded his head toward the front.
“I see. I roughly know the context of the story.”
[That thing, it seems embedded in his chest?]
At Bled’s words, I narrowed my eyes and examined Pelles.
I thought the bracelet would crumble and disappear when it got near Pelles. Like the rock I threw earlier.
But what do you know? Even though it was made by the Demon King, it ignored the energy Pelles was emitting and was firmly embedded right in the center of his cracked chest.
“This is a chance.”
Kaiden said quickly.
“I don’t know the reason, but he’s confused.”
As he said, Pelles was staggering, clutching and tearing at his chest.
“Ah, ah! My head, no, my chest! I, I don’t want to die!”
At his last words, I suddenly realized.
“The Demon King said that. The bracelet would help when the mind and body are unstable. Pelles was in a state where his mind was gone enough to decide on self-destruction. But because of that bracelet, he momentarily regained his senses, right?”
Kaiden nodded.
“I see. No one wants to die, after all.”
[Then what do we do now? We need to do something quickly!]
I also looked at Kaiden to find an answer. He offered a simple solution.
“We pierce his heart.”
“Won’t it explode or something if we pierce the heart? He stopped right before self-destruction, so it looks dangerous.”
“Yes. But I have a feeling it’s possible if we time it well.”
“What’s the basis?”
“Whether human or demon, our bodies don’t want to die easily. One might resolve to self-destruct with their own will, but the body doesn’t agree.”
I agreed.
“You mean even if one resolves to self-destruct, it takes time due to the body’s instinctive rejection to live.”
Kaiden nodded.
“Pelles must have forcibly condensed all his power into his heart to self-destruct. Then, because of that bracelet, he’s regaining his senses and trying to stop. So what would his state be now?”
I turned my gaze to look at Pelles.
He was struggling desperately. Twisting his body this way and that to somehow mend his cracked body, clutching his head, scratching his chest.
“He’s struggling with all his might not to die.”
“Yes. He’s probably forcibly dispersing the power he had driven into his heart again.”
“Then?”
“We do it when the heart, depleted of power, has stabilized. That’s when we thrust the sword in.”
It was a plausible guess. But all of Kaiden’s words were assumptions. Moreover, the timing of when to pierce the heart was also an issue.
How would we know if the power concentrated in Pelles’s heart has sufficiently dispersed elsewhere. If there’s still a lot gathered? If we pierce the heart then? An explosion would definitely occur.
But if that’s the only thing we can do….
‘It’s a gamble.’
A laugh escaped without me realizing.
“I quit gambling a while ago.”
Kaiden also let out a soft laugh.
“Let’s do one last round.”
Bled muttered in a fed-up voice.
[If we gamble one more time, I won’t live out my natural lifespan.]
The three of us stared at Pelles.
“Argh! Kraaaah!”
Pelles’s appearance was pitiful. Now with his four arms wrapped around his own body, he was making inhuman groans and frantically trying to hold together his cracked body.
[I’ll buy time!]
Bled shouted vigorously and charged in. Then Pelles, who had seemed out of his mind, instantly made a bizarre sound and began fighting back.
It was like a fight between monsters. Bled would hate hearing this, though.
“Marion. Let’s concentrate aura into your sword.”
I asked with a puzzled face.
“Your Grace’s aura too? Ah, do you mean give me your sword?”
“No. I mean put both our auras together.”
I widened my eyes.
“Is that possible?”
Putting two people’s auras together? It was an idea I’d never tried before. Then Kaiden clenched his fist and said.
“After receiving the Demon King’s origin, my senses feel a bit sharper. And….”
He looked straight at me.
“I think if it’s us, it’s possible.”
Us.
The years we spent together passed like a kaleidoscope. The days of battle endlessly repelling countless demonic beasts in the snowy north.
It had been a full 10 years. We knew each other inside out.
Yes, if it’s me and Kaiden, we can do it.
I took a deep breath and raised my sword. I scraped together every last bit of remaining aura in my body and loaded it into the sword.
Kaiden extended his large hand and completely covered mine. I felt warm warmth. His aura flowed in.
Our auras intertwined in a spiral, then soon began to feel like one person’s. I could predict what movement he would make, which foot he would step first with—everything.
It was truly a marvelous sensation. It felt like our bodies were tightly connected with threads.
Kaiden seemed the same, as he also widened his eyes and looked at me. We briefly faced each other before staring straight ahead.
Bled was struggling to deal with Pelles. Even though Pelles’s momentum was broken, he was no easy opponent. As soon as I felt Kaiden was ready, I shouted.
“Bled—! Get out!”
With the signal, Kaiden and I ran. Bled swiftly dodged his body. Pelles turning to look at us seemed like slow motion. Soon his expression distorted.
“You vermin…!”
Our sword pierced through his chest.
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