“Rubia, big sister!”
Warm liquid flowed into my mouth.
The Divine Power lying deep inside me stirred and stimulated my body.
I twisted my stiff neck and opened my eyes.
“Ugh, sis! Hurry, wake up!”
“Shaman… Time is of the essence.”
“What the… is this…”
The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was the black sun hovering high in the Sky.
A symbol of the end from the revelations I had seen in the past.
Gulp!
I breathed shakily as I turned my head.
A long stretch of red carpet made of blood caught my eye.
Right to where the land had been turned upside down, starting from us.
It was absurdly destroyed to say it was the trace of a Combat between humans.
It might be easier to explain if I said the height of the Karahan had shrunk about 50 meters.
Shaking my head, I stood up.
Kalt’s body had been torn apart, turned into a caterpillar, but… was now completely healed.
For a moment, I felt disgust at the monstrous shape.
Crack… creak…
Dragging my creaking body, I followed the red carpet.
“Big sister…?”
“Shaman, you must be careful—”
“What the hell, are the employer and employee the same? Hey! Rubia! You can’t go alone!”
At that moment, the blood soaking the floor began mixing with the shadows.
The shadows, wriggling without rest, started to stab at my legs.
Even if I stomped, jumped high, ran, or unleashed Divine Power.
Poke, stab, squeeze!
Without fail, they pricked, sliced, and constricted my legs.
“Ugh…! Y, Yuria!!! Help me!!”
“What the hell is this… remnants of shadows?”
“Ah damn it! This is ridiculous!”
My anxiety deepened.
My breath quickened, and my steps sped up.
My walking turned to running.
Blood erupted from my legs, my body tearing apart.
Thump! Thump!
I kept going, never stopping.
“Does it only touch living beings…? The root summoned by my master is… intact…?”
“Seems like it, but I’m not sure… Hephaestus, stay in this space. It’s dangerous.”
“Hey! Crazy Rubia! Get in here quickly! You say it’s safe… huh? What the hell is that…?”
And at the end of this…
Noah, wrapped in a crimson aura, and Kalt, who had become too hard to call human.
It was pure Shadow that had transformed.
Shadows darkened the Sky over Noah.
“No, Noah!”
The tentacles of shadows upended the ground, ensnaring Noah.
“Noah…?”
Thousands, tens of thousands of blades shot from Kalt’s body towards Noah.
“Damn it, this isn’t the time! Yuria! Hurry! Get forward!”
Noah…
Threw her body into that Hell.
She charged at Kalt and slashed.
Slashing through the shapeless shadows, she cut away.
With each swing, blood sprayed from her entire body.
Blood erupted as if her very heart were being wrung out.
It formed a red carpet.
From where we stood to here.
Right in front of us.
Thud!
Holding her ground.
She pushed forward.
We could hear the sounds of our companions swallowing their breaths.
An earth-shattering roar pierced the air.
Kalt’s scream echoed at the peak of Karahan.
Noah’s wail reached our ears.
Simultaneously, silence fell upon the world.
Yuria’s tree roots lifted me and rushed towards Noah.
Charlotte’s flames repelled the shadows heading our way.
I unleashed Divine Power to heal Yuria and Charlotte while chasing away the shadows.
Noah’s figure filled my vision.
From a distance, she appeared unscathed.
But the scarlet aura enveloping her was nothing more than black.
Yet the red hue came entirely from Noah’s blood.
Her arms that appeared fine were twisted, broken, and torn apart.
Her skin was stitched together in a grotesque manner.
Fingers had vanished.
Her legs were in similar condition.
Her once lush and lovely long hair had turned to barely reach her shoulders.
Her spine pierced through her back.
In that condition…
She continued to fight.
The Blood Aura surrounding Noah’s body, like Carpen’s, forcibly moved her.
Even if her life was gone, Noah should have died a long time ago.
But she wielded her Great Sword.
Slashing at Kalt.
A battle unfolded at a speed it was hard to follow with my eyes.
Before the blood droplets floating in the air could reach the ground, new droplets took form.
Before those droplets formed and took shape…
Noah’s body moved.
The Great Sword swung.
Whoosh!
Each swing echoed with dozens of slicing sounds.
The speed at which the broken Noah advanced surpassed our healthy pace.
Kalt was even faster than Noah.
But Noah didn’t give up and clung to the fight.
Tears streamed, catching the wind.
Drip! Drop!
They mingled with blood.
Melting into shadows, creating yet another carpet.
As I pursued Noah’s back through the blood-soaked path…
Noah’s arm was severed.
Her body halted.
The Blood Aura that forcefully moved Noah dispersed.
I could hear Kalt’s laughter.
And yet…
Noah stretched out her leg, took a step.
Her body leaned precariously.
She put a hand down.
A hand that was left with only skin, no bones, could no longer support her body.
Neither her elbow nor shoulder could hold her up.
But she didn’t stop.
She twisted her neck, digging her chin into the ground.
Her jaw dropped. She scraped with her teeth.
Crack!
Her teeth shattered. She clawed with her gums.
As Noah struggled to crawl, the shadow pierced through her.
The tree roots surged forward with even more force.
The flames protecting us grew stronger, pushing all nearby shadows away.
Thud!
Kneeling, I raised a prayer.
For the first time since becoming a Shaman.
I prayed with all my heart.
And then.
[What is your desire?]
A voice echoed.
Somewhere familiar yet never heard before.
The power to protect.
The hope to dream about tomorrow together.
Everything that would allow me to save the one I love.
[For whom?]
For Noah.
Only for her, the one person.
[Very well.]
Eight pairs of silver-white wings spread from my back.
[There’s no need for a cost.]
The wings, stretched wide enough to cover the black sun, enveloped Noah’s body.
The shadow piercing through Noah vanished.
The remnants of shadows that had consumed the area scattered.
The black sun gradually began to recede.
I heard Kalt’s screams.
Yuria’s attacks launched.
They whispered past each other.
Charlotte’s flames charged towards Kalt.
They crossed through and passed.
My Divine Power was the same.
No matter how many times I attacked, it didn’t work.
Then thousands of shadows split and rushed toward us.
Charlotte’s flames resisted.
Yuria’s beasts and plants pushed back.
My Divine Power repelled them.
“What the hell… how could they attack… How did Noah do it—”
“AAHHHHH!!! DAMN IT! RUBIA!! Can’t you do anything with those wings?! AHHHHHHHH!”
Noah’s body twitched.
Her remaining left arm groped for the roots.
She writhed to rise with her torn brow.
Even in this condition.
Despite her body a wreck.
Though she looked like she could drop dead any moment.
Though she had already died, she still searched for her sword.
The Great Sword lay further behind.
Charlotte’s sword was the same.
“Is there… any sword? Anything… I could swing… Whatever, just… ahhh…”
Even in this situation.
Feeling pathetic and nauseated looking at Noah.
Weak and ugly.
Yet I continued to search for a sword.
Then, between the tree roots, Hephaestus’ arm suddenly shot up.
“Here! The sword…!!”
In her hand was a sword.
A familiar sword.
The sword of Ruchi was held by Hephaestus’ hand.
Hephaestus kept handing the sword to Noah’s twitching hand.
It seemed energy flowed into her body, which had been completely exhausted.
Her left arm was raised without strength.
Charlotte’s flames surrounded Noah’s body.
Thick stems of plants hugged Noah’s form.
I concentrated the Divine Power that pushed back shadows into Noah.
Noah raised her arm fully.
Yuria glanced around, swallowing her dry saliva.
She nodded.
“Damn it! Shit! C’mon… anything! Just—AHHHH!”
Hundreds of beasts erupted around the tree roots.
Sharp thorns erupted.
The stems, leaves, and petals from various plants fluttered around.
The speed increased.
The roots shot forward at a speed hard to open our eyes to.
They reached in front of Kalt.
And just as shadows shot from Kalt’s hand…
Noah’s arm slid down smoothly.
In a feeble swing, the sword sliced through.
Kalt’s shadows ripped apart.
Through the torn shadows, Kalt’s body emerged.
A sword pierced his heart, black veins bulging up.
Yuria’s thorns shot out.
Charlotte’s flames ignited.
All my gathered Divine Power swung forth.
No screams escaped.
No shouts were heard.
No sounds of tearing or explosions.
Just silence.
Clang!
Kalt’s sword fell to the ground.
The black sun shattered.
The Sky opened up.
Warm light enveloped Karahan.
And then…
Noah’s hand.
The sword she held—
Clink!
Dropped to the ground.
