Natalia collapsed on the ground.
Yet, thanks to her piercing through the demonic beasts, the obstacles separating the witch and them had vanished.
A road opened up before her eyes.
Even if it was a road that would disappear in just a few seconds, it was certainly there.
Natalia had perfectly fulfilled her role.
As always, this time was no different.
However, as Natalia devoted her life to accomplishing her mission, she showed a look of despair just before her breath ran out.
Perhaps it was because the signs of the demonic beasts trying to appear near the witch reminded her of her imminent failure.
“Good job. You did well.”
That’s why Leon, who had been waiting behind Natalia, approached her to give her a short congratulatory comment before rushing forward.
He wanted her to be able to close her eyes in peace.
He ran as if to show through his actions that her sacrifice would not be in vain.
Having not checked her reaction, he couldn’t be sure that his comrade, who he had spent so much time with, was at ease as he left.
However, he deliberately chose not to look back.
What was important now was not to look back at the final moments of a long-time colleague but to ensure her death was not in vain.
So Leon bit down hard and focused on the front, pounding the ground until his legs hurt.
Suddenly, the sound of the air being ripped apart echoed.
Zero to one hundred was laughable.
With explosive acceleration, Leon surpassed speeds of 100 kilometers per hour in less than half a second, turning into a golden flash that chased after the sound.
However, despite his speed being worthy of the title of the fastest hero, Leon’s expression hardened.
He instinctively felt the moment he pushed off the ground.
He understood he wouldn’t make it on time.
‘…This is impossible.’
There was no need for complicated calculations.
The remaining time until the demonic beasts recreated their wall was just a little over 5 seconds.
However, estimating the remaining distance and his speed, it was obvious he would be blocked by the wall of demonic beasts.
The only way was to increase his speed, but that was akin to a miracle.
Realizing that even a single second would be crucial, Leon had initially pushed himself to the limits of what his body could handle.
Furthermore, considering the speed was already at a point where his body could break down, surpassing it was almost like breaking a taboo.
The moment he exceeded his limits, his body would collapse, and his run would come to an abrupt end.
‘…What a pathetic sight, really.’
Leon let out a self-deprecating sigh inwardly.
Excuses like unexpected events or running out of time were meaningless.
What mattered was whether one could overcome the difficult situation they faced.
But what was this?
After Natalia had somehow completed her mission, the one who proclaimed to just trust him was about to fail due to lack of ability.
Feeling pathetic about himself, Leon wanted to squeeze his eyes shut in frustration.
As his spirit began to falter, he felt the strength draining from his legs.
But at that moment.
“My dad, my dad was the most proud and amazing dad in this world for me. I will remember that. Just as I have until now, and will continue to do so.”
The words of Leonor, which he had heard before arriving, flashed through Leon’s mind.
Just a single sentence, but that voice seemed deeply engraved in his mind, prompting Leon to reflect on himself.
There stood a man who was on the verge of despair, recognizing his limitations.
Was this the proud and amazing father his daughter spoke of?
‘…No.’
No, it couldn’t be.
His scattered thoughts began to settle.
Leon envisioned the face of his beloved daughter, the face of his dearly loved wife, and fueled the strength that was slipping from his legs once more.
As a father, the last thing he should show shouldn’t be a pathetic sight like this.
He had to remain a proud father until the very end.
To achieve that, he needed to remember two things.
To look straight at his goal.
And when he felt he had reached his limits, to take just one more step forward.
Recalling the words he had once shared while teaching students at the academy, Leon widened his eyes that were about to close.
In the distance stood the witch, his goal.
Even if it cost him his life, he could see the destination he needed to reach.
What was needed to get there was a speed much faster than what he had now.
To do so, Leon stepped forward with a firm resolve, already at a speed that had reached its limit.
‘…Ugh…’
Instantly, he was hit with the pain that seemed to be the cost of crossing his limits.
His skin could not withstand the increased friction heat and began to burn, and his bones and muscles screamed under the intense pressure.
Yet it still wasn’t enough.
Even after pushing his limits with all his might, it wasn’t sufficient.
It was indeed a hopeless situation.
However, amidst such despair and pain, Leon found himself smiling.
Because it was a sensation he was somewhat familiar with.
‘Brings back old memories.’
Back in the days when he attended the academy.
There were times when Leon was treated like a failure for not unlocking his talents.
Yet, there was always a woman who supported him, and that woman was his wife who had now passed away.
To repay her support, Leon enduring unbearable pain and despair with the singular thought of becoming a man worthy of her.
The reason he was able to overcome those hurdles was that love imbued him with strength.
Yes, for the sake of his beloved wife, he had already leaped beyond his limits countless times.
So, for the daughter he loved more than anything in this world.
‘I’ll leap over any limit, no matter how many times it takes.’
With that, Leon bared his teeth and joyfully.
He took another step toward the other side of his limits.
Again, again, and again.
Thud—
Naturally, his body began to collapse under the absurd strain.
His entire being was in such a frenzied rush that it wouldn’t have been weird if he fell apart at any moment.
Yet he persevered.
Leon held onto the thought that if he could run just a few more seconds, that would suffice.
Pouring all the magical energy he had trained for into maintaining this single moment of sprint.
Instead of protecting his body, he focused on delaying the breakdown.
Holding on to his ruptured muscles and forcibly stabilizing the bones that had turned to dust.
He poured everything into it.
His life, his soul, his existence, his pride.
That extended instant.
Allowed Leon to surpass his previous self.
And transcended his own limits.
And at that moment, Leon finally reached.
A speed of 1230 kilometers per hour.
Surpassing the speed at which sound travels.
He truly arrived at the level where sound could only follow behind.
───!
In perfect euphoria, he didn’t even recognize whether he had shouted something.
It didn’t matter what Leon had screamed.
His hearing had long since broken down, but also because that shout was left behind as he raced forward, he couldn’t hear it himself.
Thus, Leon reached the witch faster than the shout he had let out.
■■■■■■─!!
At that moment, a few demonic beasts that had appeared earlier than expected blocked Leon’s path.
However, such a small number of demonic beasts could not stop Leon’s charge.
Boom—!
With just his running, an impact akin to lightning erupted, sending the blocks of demonic beasts flying.
The golden spear that pierced through the wall of demonic beasts surged forward at terrifying speed.
However, that charge,
Plop—
Was ultimately obstructed by the hundreds of tentacles that burst forth from the witch’s body.
Tentacles clustered thickly around Leon as if to cage him like the thick iron bars of a prison.
A few tentacles reached out to finish Leon off, binding tightly against him.
But suddenly, those tentacles realized that it was a meaningless endeavor.
At that point, when he reached the witch, Leon’s breath had already ceased.
As his body lost the strength to maintain its form, it instantly turned black and began to dissolve into miasma.
However, the Witch of Gluttony probably never saw it.
Before turning into miasma and disappearing, Leon’s face wore a satisfied smile, as if he had accomplished everything he had set out to do.
Inside the prison made of tentacular bars.
From the midst of Leon dissolving into miasma,
A small bluebird fluttered its wings and flew towards the bars.
Screech—!
The bluebird was promptly shot down by the tentacles circling around the witch, bursting into blue feathers.
However, the feathers that scattered in the air disappeared as if melting into the sky.
“…I caught it.”
Now beneath the substantial body of the Witch of Gluttony stood Eve, wearing a bitter expression.
Eve mourned the sacrifices of Leon, who had brought her this far, and Natalia, who had cleared the path for them, placing her hand on the witch’s body to ensure their sacrifices were honored.
“…Poor child.”
As soon as she placed her hand down, Eve learned of the witch’s past through her abilities, looking up at the witch with pity in her eyes.
Although the Witch of Gluttony was a wicked being that had swallowed countless people, Eve also thought that it could have been her fate had she not met good people first.
Thus, pity and sorrow came before hatred or resentment.
“…At least on the other side, may you live happily without hunger.”
Therefore, Eve poured all her strength into creating an illusion for the Witch of Gluttony.
A world filled with warmth where she would no longer have to experience hunger and loneliness, as she had likely suffered her whole life.
In that illusion, she would live happily in a warm home with Myang.
At least that was the best Eve could do for the Witch of Gluttony.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■─!!!!
However, whether the Witch of Gluttony understood Eve’s intentions or not, she emitted a strange light and thrust the tentacles that sprouted from her body toward Eve as if resisting the mysterious force flowing through her.
“…Guh.”
Having spent all her energy to create the illusion for the Witch of Gluttony, Eve was unable to resist those tentacles and was pierced through.
Yet, it wasn’t a big issue.
She could see that the body of the Witch of Gluttony was gradually melting into the air.
Thanks to the sacrifice of Leon and Natalia, it seemed there was still enough power left for her abilities to work successfully.
The Witch of Gluttony would be drawn into the realm of the illusion.
And with Eve’s death, she would live there for the rest of her life.
As Eve thought this, she looked down at her body, turning dark as it was pierced by the tentacles, and managed a small smile.
She felt that death, which had seemed so far away, was reaching out its hand to her.
“…Yeah, I guess I’m dying now.”
Eve murmured softly.
She was neither scared nor trembling before the approaching death.
It was because she had always waited for death.
“It’s not the shape I wished for, but at last.”
Eve had lived for many long years.
Time flows, and humans one day die.
And Eve had watched their deaths.
Among them were those like family, and some like irreplaceable friends.
When they departed, Eve remained.
That was somewhat a lonely affair for her.
Of course, living long didn’t mean it was bad.
With separations, there are new encounters.
Meeting new students always brought joy to Eve.
But even they would one day leave this world before her.
Just like those she had bid farewell to until now.
In any case, such events occasionally brought loneliness to Eve.
As a witch who was not human, she felt the sensation of being different from everyone.
Thus, Eve, who had always lived among humans and longed for them, thought one day.
She wanted to die naturally, just like other humans, as they grow older and pass away.
Yet, for her, being a witch made it impossible, so Eve devised another way.
That was to starve to death.
All living beings perish without energy to sustain their life.
Eve chose that as a means to replace natural death.
“Honestly, if I were to die, I wished to die like that…”
That’s why after the departure of her friends Aegis and Viole, Eve had been living without restoring the strength she had exhausted in her battle with the Witch of Gluttony.
Consciously suppressing the miasma that naturally produced within her and enduring the terrible hunger that occasionally surged, she had been managing to survive like that.
In fact, she thought that her time to meet that day was near, but now, something like this happened, and it was rather laughable.
Still, she had no regrets.
Although she didn’t meet the form of death she yearned for, she managed to protect her precious students.
Eve looked far at her faintly visible students before turning her gaze back to the Witch of Gluttony.
Of course, that didn’t mean she felt unbothered.
As she was drawn into the illusion, she gazed at the Witch of Gluttony, raging in anger, and said.
“So don’t be too mad at me. It’s even, right…”
As Eve watched the Witch of Gluttony fade away, she murmured and spat out one last breath.
Gradually, she felt the strength leaving her body.
So this is death.
The notion that memories of the past surface just before dying was indeed true.
As Eve thought, she softly murmured toward the recollections of her past connections that came to mind.
Aegis, Viole.
In just a little while, she would finally see their faces again.
Emily.
Will you still look like the little girl over there?
And, and…
Teacher Peter, who told her that she would become a much better teacher than he ever was.
Teacher, I never really thought I could be like that.
Yet, I did work hard.
So, will you answer me?
I, I…
“…Was I a good teacher?”
With that little murmur, Eve quietly closed her eyes.
*
In the place where both Eve and the Witch of Gluttony had vanished, only a small ripple remained, left in the aftermath of Eve’s manifested abilities.
It was the moment when the calamity known as the Witch of Gluttony was sealed due to the sacrifices of two heroes and one witch.
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