episode_0073

“Just move that bastard roughly~ If he gets scratched, you’re dead, so be aware.”

“Understood!”

“Ugh… As if I can trust these idiotic bastards. I’ll follow, so drag him over quickly.”

“Yes!”

The Hunter sighed and turned his back.

His expression was somewhat displeased.

It seemed he didn’t trust his subordinates.

As he irritably brushed dust from his sleeve, a throbbing pain soon flared in his wrist.

It seemed he’d sprained it while blocking the Fox’s attack.

“Ha.”

He should have hit her more.

He wanted to beat her half to death, but he had to hold back because of the watchful eyes.

The Hunter glanced sideways at the Guest standing nearby.

“Why are you looking at me with such eyes?”

“······Annoying bastard.”

He chewed on curses for no reason.

It was a situation he disliked in many ways.

He raised a hand and wiped away the rainwater.

Whistling-.

The rain and wind were unusually fierce.

Perhaps because of the surging waves, the deck was constantly swaying.

The Hunter irritably swept back his wet bangs.

Although it was an environment where even standing was difficult, he calmly maintained his balance.

It was a trained sense of balance.

“This is really fucked-up weather… I wish it would subside soon.”

He muttered annoyingly to himself.

Just as he was about to move indoors to escape the rain.

A faint voice reached his ears.

“······Burn.”

An alien sound.

Immediately after.

A chilling sensation permeated his entire body.

“······?!”

A shiver ran down his spine-!

A powerful aura was felt from behind him, enough to make him forget the cold temperature.

The Hunter hastily turned around.

Where his gaze landed, a brilliant flame was visible.

“What the sudden…!”

The Hunter involuntarily furrowed his brow.

It wasn’t merely due to the ray of light obscuring his vision.

It was because of the dizzying tension flowing down his spine.

A sense directly linked to survival sounded an alarm, warning of impending danger.

It was dangerous.

No.

He would die.

It was fear he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

For the first time, panic appeared on the Hunter’s face.

Above his trembling pupils, only the girl calmly standing amidst the raging flames was reflected.

Flames roared-!

“······.”

The night sky was enveloped in scorching heat.

Below it, a Fox gazed at him with an indifferent expression.

Her hair turned crimson.

Her black eyes became blood-red.

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

“······Ha.”

The Hunter involuntarily let out a hollow laugh.

“What the hell is that now?”

The girl approached him.

The Hunter muttered curses, then fumbled to draw the sword from his waist.

The man’s shoulders trembled like those of prey.

“Damn it.”

It was a complete reversal of positions.

***

What was life?

When looking back at the past years, what was the phrase that remained with the deepest meaning?

Despite being a short question, she couldn’t easily answer it.

Perhaps until now.

Or in the future.

It was a question that might even define her life after death.

The Fox struggled to find the answer.

Every time.

Ceaselessly.

A sharp swish-!

A fiercely launched slash cut through the wind.

Following the crimson line drawn, high-temperature flames flared in the air.

It was an enchanting light.

“This goddamn…!”

The man’s expression was bewildered.

The Hunter barely reacted, parrying the sword.

Clang! A grinding sound…!

Sparks flew between the clashing steels.

As a painful rending sound echoed, sudden pressure was added, pushing the man’s body back.

The Hunter gritted his teeth and tried to endure.

However, it wasn’t a particularly meaningful struggle.

Because with a light twist of the sword tip, he was sent flying.

“Argh···?!”

Thud-!

The Hunter receded rapidly from his vision.

The man crashed against the ship’s outer wall, barely stopping himself and regaining his balance.

He panted.

“Ugh, haa…!”

His legs wobbled as he braced himself.

A painful groan escaped him.

The Hunter glared at where the Fox stood, an incredulous look in his eyes.

Perhaps still unbroken, he growled.

“How dare a mere beast…!”

“······.”

Irene calmly held her ground.

Unlike the thoroughly agitated Hunter, the air surrounding the girl was eerily still.

Whistling-.

Her crimson hair fluttered in the wind.

The Fox blinked her blood-red eyes within the roaring flames.

Her appearance was serene.

“It’s impossible.”

The man’s voice trembled.

It was understandable that he was dumbfounded.

He had clearly launched attacks with all his might, but hadn’t landed a single effective hit.

Irene merely stood calmly.

‘This feeling is strange.’

The girl mused to herself.

When she suddenly looked down at her hand, feeling the heat, beautiful flames covered the sword’s blade.

Whoosh-!

A sense of omnipotence lingered.

She had reached a new realm.

It felt as though she could cut down anything, no matter the opponent.

The Fox slowly took her stance.

“You said I could never win, didn’t you?”

Her lips parted.

Her calm voice held a clear resonance even amidst the storm.

The Hunter furrowed his brow in response.

“What?”

“You said it. That I was a beast you’d defeated twice, and that I was destined to be so again.”

“······What are you trying to say?”

“I’m curious if the third time will be the same.”

“Are you provoking me? You dare, a mere beast?”

The Hunter let out a hollow laugh.

He seemed flabbergasted.

Yes.

This kind of experience wouldn’t be familiar to him.

Because he had a powerful patron in the businessman, held innate power, and had always been in a position to torment others.

His experiences as a weakling could probably be counted on one hand.

But.

“This time, it will be different.”

There are times when the opposite holds true.

The Fox pointed her sword at her enemy.

“Here I come.”

“You’re full of shit. I’ll tear your mouth open so you can’t utter another word…!”

Had he still not abandoned his position as the strong one?

The Hunter reacted violently.

He gripped the sword he had dropped.

Following the shimmering green mana, the storm raging around them intensified.

It was his unique ability.

Wind magic overlaid on swordsmanship.

It was also an ability that demonstrated incredibly powerful force in typhoon-like weather conditions such as these.

The man glared with wide eyes and charged.

“Die!!”

Such a scene.

Was playing out in slow motion in the Fox’s eyes.

The sharply glinting sword, the wind currents enveloping the ship, even the fiercely baring-toothed whirlwinds.

It felt as though she could count every single speck of dust drifting by.

‘It’s quiet.’

The girl raised the tip of her sword.

Crackle-!

Sparks flew from her hand.

Following the stinging thrill, a hazy glow enveloped the sword.

The halo of light grew progressively clearer.

‘I.’

What is life?

Born as a lowly flower, withering into a pathetic state.

What meaning does it hold that one lives?

-Go find your star.

She looked back at the path she had walked.

A path where she hurt from what she lost, grieved over her foolishness, and felt lonely for not breaking.

Countless words aligned into a line.

Grief, regret, anger, weakness, venom, despair.

Yet, despite all.

Indomitable spirit.

In the Fox’s wide-open eyes, her past footsteps gathered as one and ignited.

The scorching heat even pushed back the typhoon’s coldness.

Roar-!

‘My name is.’

If asked what life was, she would answer without hesitation.

Life is.

A single spark.

A fiercely burning ember that eventually fades into a petal.

A beautiful sword.

A single breath exhaled.

A single heart held.

Giving a name to that lifetime.

“Crimson Flame.”

Be a crimson-blooming flame.

The girl murmured.

Immediately after.

A torrent of crimson radiance rained down from the sword’s blade.

A single strike, fully embodying her life.

The Fox respectfully held her sword, breathed, exerted force, and took a step.

And then.

She swung her very life.

Slice-.

A single line drawn effortlessly.

It passed through the Hunter’s body and extended straight into the typhoon-ridden sky.

The vibrant crimson flame lingered as if dividing space.

Soon.

Boom-!

It exploded outwards, engulfing everything.

The Hunter collapsed.

His corpse, lying dismembered at the torso, vanished without even a whimper.

Only black ash scattered.

“······.”

The sky, where the storm had raged, was also quiet.

The Fox raised her head and gazed.

Only a clear sword-scar remained in the sky.

Between the black clouds that had been horizontally cleaved, a clear background was visible.

The sea, not a single breeze stirring.

The implications of such scenes were clear.

“It’s, done…”

The high sky.

She had finally cut it down.

***

“Haa…”

Irene staggered, trying to keep her balance.

Her breath came in ragged gasps.

She used her sword to brace herself against the deck, like a cane.

It was a sword with monstrous power, enough to cut through a storm, yet the ship had suffered no significant damage.

Only considerable scorch marks remained.

In a fleeting moment.

She had adjusted the trajectory with minute control.

The rooftop setting also played a part.

If the battle had taken place indoors, the ship might have sunk with that final strike.

And likely, the hundreds of trapped slaves would have sunk with it.

‘Was that luck?’

She pressed her brow.

Her vision was dizzy from a headache.

As she swayed for a moment, the soldiers who had been hiding around them began to peek out one by one.

Were they perhaps trying to seize an opportunity?

“······.”

When she merely swept her gaze over them, they all recoiled in fright and retreated.

Was it because they had just witnessed such a scene?

Every single one of them looked intimidated.

This was precisely why, despite her obvious exhaustion, they dared not approach.

Irene stood still, steadying her breath.

‘What now?’

Her stamina had run out a long time ago.

Although she had overcome a wall, it was now difficult for her even to breathe.

Slowly-.

Her crimson hair was also gradually returning to its original color.

The sense of omnipotence vanished, like a receding tide.

The Fox bit her lip, trying to endure the fatigue.

‘Not yet.’

The Hunter was dead, but it wasn’t over.

Soldiers were still waiting.

The one called the ‘Guest’ was also glancing over from afar.

Furthermore, people who needed help were trapped on the lowest floor.

A situation with no clear solution in many respects.

Could she break through?

Even if she couldn’t, it was a situation where she had to.

She decided to push herself a little further.

Just as she was once again putting strength into the hand holding her sword.

Clap-!

Suddenly, the sound of clapping reached her ears.

It was an ominous sound, yet somehow familiar.

“······.”

The next moment.

Someone stood behind her, embracing the girl.

A warm embrace melted away the cold.

It was a comfortable embrace.

The Fox grasped that arm.

Holding on tight, she murmured with trembling lips.

“You… you were watching after all.”

The reply came back playfully.

“Because the fox I was raising ran away from home.”

A gentle voice.

The Snake rested his chin on the girl’s shoulder.

A smile briefly flashed.

“You worked hard, Irene-yang.”

“······.”

“Lean on me and rest for a bit. I know you have a lot to say, but it’s okay to put it off until later.”

“······Mm.”

The Fox nodded.

The boy smiled cheerfully, then gently lifted the exhausted, stiff girl into his arms.

Irene was enveloped in his warmth for a while.