Chapter 173

A stream of black air flowed from the blade of the acid rain.

Space itself was distorted, and even Shion seemed to be caught in the torrent.

However, the black airflow only penetrated the space and had no effect on Shion.

“Are you saying you’re going to kill me for being human!”

The slime dragon condensed its mana and aimed at Shion.

The target was right in front of you, and if it was this close, avoiding it would be impossible.

It could be blocked again, but if the attack was concentrated, even that would be distracted.

“… … .”

Even when Shion looked at the crimson sphere, he didn’t even release his magic power.

There was no need to avoid or block it, so I was just sitting on the sidelines.

“If I kill you, this will disappear too!”

The slime dragon shoots out chunks of magic with confidence.

I couldn’t figure out what I was doing.

Perhaps it was using a method unique to humans, or borrowing the power of a demonic sword.

However, all of that follows the user’s will, so if the user disappears, it will return to its original state.

‘done.’

Shion had already risked her life to use this technique.

The target enemy can never be avoided, and one must also pay the price.

Of course, it was possible to nullify the technique midway, but there was no reason to do so.

‘Everything becomes futile in front of the universe.’

Three crimson orbs were crashing into Zion.

However, it gradually decreased in size, and eventually even its shape faded.

In the vast universe, even the concept of magical power was treated as a small speck of dust.

‘My magical power has disappeared.’

Even after seeing the phenomenon, the slime dragon could not understand it.

If he tried to block his attack, of course he had to use magic to counter it.

However, Shion did not take any action, and was still just watching himself.

“Are you cheating again?”

“… Does this look like a trick?”

In a space filled with only darkness, small colors began to emerge.

One, three, seven, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands.

All of them were stars engraved in the universe, and were also proof that another world existed.

But at this moment, all of that would be erased.

“You touched something you shouldn’t have touched. It was my only hope!”

As Shion cried out, a dark red border began to be drawn between the jet black spaces.

The dark red line rotates rapidly, leaving dozens of trails.

It was like a whirlpool, containing only endless darkness.

“I have no reason to live anymore.”

The acid rain pours out a blue glow and connects with a dark red vortex.

The stars around it seemed to fluctuate for a moment, but then they began to move little by little.

All the stars gathered towards the dark red vortex and fell into the abyss one by one.

“Die, forever.”

The dark red whirlpool gradually grew in size and eventually reached the slime dragon.

The slime dragon felt the force of gravity and tried to endure it somehow.

However, as time passed, the attraction became stronger, and at some point the slime dragon’s body was being dragged away.

“Koo!”

The slime dragon struggled and began pouring bright red spheres everywhere.

However, the bright red color quickly disappeared, and the slime dragon’s body was pulled even faster.

Shion is buried in longing with a sense of loss.

‘There’s nowhere to go back to.’

We promised to see the end together.

I thought about where to go, what to do, and how to live.

It was an accidental relationship, but I tried to calmly accept it because it had become a daily routine.

But I was left alone, and I only cherished despair and anguish.

‘I should have died instead… … .’

The emotions that Hannette must have felt touched me little by little.

Feelings of shame, anger, screaming, regret, helplessness.

Unfulfilled things turned into regrets, and the hopes I had in my heart became fleeting traces.

He could have easily given up even his life because he had nothing more to lose.

“… Sister, I can’t calm down.”

I was trying to leave a will to someone who had already left.

No one will ever know, but just repeating it was enough.

I will not have any hope of meeting you again after death.

You won’t even think about that right before you die.

“What am I supposed to do by myself?”

That’s why I’ll lay down my life.

To honor Harnette, to punish him, to bring peace.

Is there a reason why he should exist in a world without Harnet?

“I never got married… You can die in the same place.”

The slime dragon disappears, and after this technique ends, you will die.

I don’t know how he will die, but at least a corpse will remain.

Besides, since Acid Rain won’t disappear, you can safely hand it over to Enrite.

“Sigh… … .”

I couldn’t protect Hanette, and I lost the will to live.

In the first place, he predicted that there would be casualties, and as of now, even approaching the slime dragon was difficult.

This technique was used without hesitation because the situation was created to risk one’s life.

“… I think I know now.”

Shion waits for the final moment with both eyes closed.

He will face a bitter end, but he has kept the bare minimum.

I looked into sincere emotions belatedly, but the object of the emotion disappeared.

“I must have loved you.”

* * *

Harnette stood up, overcome by a hazy sensation.

Apparently, his body was pierced by red thorns, and he passed out while talking to Shion.

But now there were no scars left, and he was wearing a suit, not an armor.

‘what?’

Hannett looks around in puzzlement.

All sides were filled with fire.

It wasn’t unexpectedly hot, and I wondered if it was to protect myself.

Most of all, the familiar mana flowed out, so I was able to see through it at once.

‘… Brecht.’

It was clearly a flame made of the flame magic sword Brecht.

However, he had no intention of using magic, and he did not even emit magic.

This meant that someone other than himself was using Brecht.

“I finally met you.”

A voice I had never heard before came from beyond the flames.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t unfamiliar, and I felt like I’d known him for a long time.

Hannette calmed her troubled heart and slowly opened her mouth.

“Are you Brecht?”

“I know right away. Yes. I am Brecht, the demonic sword of flame.”

Brecht remained silent and let out only his voice.

Hannette seems to be thinking for a while, but soon recognizes the true nature of Brecht.

“Is this flame you?”

“Yes. I am the self that exists as a source. I am the essence of the flame attribute, and I chose to be imprisoned in the demonic sword to maintain my self.”

Brecht ignites the fire and then reduces it again.

Harnett examines the flame carefully, realizing that it is a similar case to Lesia.

It seemed to be alive and moving, skillfully handling flames.

“Why did you appear now? You could have showed up sooner.”

“I called you for a long time. But… You didn’t hear my voice.”

“What do you mean I can’t hear you? Couldn’t you have spoken a little louder?”

“… You attribute this to my fault.”

Brecht was dumbfounded for a moment, but did not argue further.

It was obviously something that Harnette didn’t notice, but she was also to blame.

If I had used a more standard method, I would have been able to communicate with Hanette.

“I had no other choice. If I hadn’t stepped forward then, you would have died.”

“Why am I dying?”

“It was a long time ago. There was a chill in you. I erased the cold with my power, and your life was preserved.”

“… Oh, that one?”

Harnette swallows silence as she recalls her childhood.

There were definitely times when I almost died because my body was cold.

The flames must have sprung up as Brecht was curing his illness.

“Wait, am I dead now?”

“If you’re talking about your body, you’d have to die.”

“Are you really dead?”

“Yes.”

“no! I can’t die like this!”

Harnette stomps her feet while making a noise.

Right before I closed my eyes, I saw Shion crying.

But beyond that, there was a deep anger, so I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

If he didn’t return quickly, Shion could have taken extreme action.

“Can you save me? You said you saved him last time?”

“It is impossible. A life once dead cannot be revived.”

“Then why am I talking to you? Does that mean you’re still alive?”

“… I said that your body is dead, not that your mind is dead.”

Hannette questioned the words and twisted her eyes.

If you die, you die, so why do you distinguish between the body and the spirit?

I wondered if Brecht had a different purpose.

“It cannot be revived, but it is possible to be reborn as a new body.”

“… What do you mean?”

“After communicating with me, you will be able to fully handle the demonic sword. It is to maintain your spirit through the magic sword and create a new body with flames.”

Brecht wanted to give Harnette a chance to reach a higher level.

If they were freed from the limits of being human, their talents and potential would be firmly manifested.

Of course, his ego would disappear in the process, but he could sacrifice himself for the sake of a superior source.

“That’s not allowed. I must be human.”

“If you are, you can become a transcendent source. But why do you want to become a human?”

“I can’t do anything without Zion.”

Of course, if it became a transcendent source, it might become stronger than Zion.

But it was only a process, not the purpose I really wanted.

It was only when Zion was by his side that the process and purpose had meaning.

“You are a waste to be human. You shouldn’t waste your strength for a single human!”

“He is a precious person to me. If Shion dies, I will die here too.”

“… … .”

Brecht was taken aback and said nothing.

I thought he wanted to reach the ultimate level, but he gave up because of humans.

Did he even know that he would throw away a quality that might only come out once in thousands of years?

“You said you couldn’t be revived as a human… That’s a lie.”

“I did not lie.”

“Even though we couldn’t communicate, I’ve been using you for a long time. There’s no way I don’t know about you.”

“… Right.”

Brecht nodded despondently.

I tried to recreate it somehow, but even that plan was exposed.

Perhaps Hanette would see through whatever she did.

“Can I get out of here if I defeat you?”

“Yes. If possible.”

Harnett radiates magic and quickly converts it into flames.

I couldn’t waste my time here.

I had to subdue Brecht and capture Shion.

Because no one will be able to stop Shion except himself.

“Why do you think you can’t? you said Have you been using you for a long time?”