Ch.120Final Battle (3)

As the magic circle began to consume the ground beneath her feet, a chill settled throughout Rachel’s entire body.

The sensation was like cold hands ruffling through her hair. As if possessed by a demon. The goosebumps were so intense that she feared losing her soul if her concentration broke even slightly.

Beeeep.

Even her ears were ringing.

She barely managed to hold onto her flickering consciousness.

“Huu, huu.”

Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe.

Rachel had crossed the line between life and death numerous times before. If nothing else, she knew exactly what it felt like to approach death’s threshold.

This was that situation.

On the verge of sudden death.

No.

She absolutely couldn’t collapse here. If her knees touched the ground, she would cross a river from which there was no return.

Instinctively, she thought:

I want to live longer.

She knew she was a sinful person who had killed many. Nevertheless, she wanted to experience happiness in this world. To meet someone to love, have children, raise them, get a decent job, earn money, retire, and in her later years, look after grandchildren—those kinds of experiences.

Was that too much to ask?

It must be.

The goddess’s face seemed both visible and invisible. Death, which had suddenly appeared before her, felt both distant and close.

Crucially, she wasn’t mentally prepared yet.

How could it be so sudden? She hadn’t even been able to convey her apologies and understanding to the people who needed it.

That’s not how it should be.

Rachel gritted her teeth. She decided to endure as long as possible. She pushed her body to its limits, squeezing out her last holy power.

As she continued to endure and endure…

“…chel, Rachel!”

A man’s voice reached her.

“Open your eyes! Open them! Wake up! If you sleep, you’ll die here!”

It was a warm yet urgent voice.

Rachel reached out toward the sound. Soon, she felt warmth in her hand, and her eyes naturally opened.

“…Haaa.”

Rachel let out a long sigh. Strangely, her previously constricted breathing loosened all at once.

“Hey, are you okay?”

The person asking was none other than Erich. The enemy she loved. A man with whom she had an ambiguous relationship, still maintaining some distance despite having completely given her heart.

Rachel could easily guess what method he had used.

She had been one step away from death, and this man had saved her.

“Huu, I’m fine.”

Once again, she was indebted to him.

Even giving him her entire military pension wouldn’t be enough. Perhaps only a lifetime of service could slightly reduce the debt she felt in her heart.

Anyway, this wasn’t the time to think about that.

Rachel gripped her spear and bowed her head forward. After expelling all the stale air from her lungs, she raised her head again and regained her posture.

“Good, you’re okay. That’s one.”

After patting Rachel’s shoulder, Erich immediately turned away. His movements were so stiff, as if he were a golem, that Rachel began to feel uneasy.

“Huh?”

Wait, could it be?

***

Floating consciousness.

Tiria felt as if she were underwater.

What had happened?

As a saint of the Holy Spirit Kingdom, Tiria was familiar with demonic offerings. It wasn’t difficult for her to realize what had happened to her.

This was an offering that used others’ lives as a medium.

Multiple cackling voices echoed in her head. Demons. They were looking at Tiria’s soul, licking their lips.

Tiria concentrated her holy power.

She knew better than anyone that if she couldn’t overcome this, she would fall asleep and never wake again. So she decided to endure.

It wasn’t easy.

No matter how chosen by the goddess she was, a mortal couldn’t defeat a transcendent being. It seemed beyond her capabilities to reject the demons’ whispers with Lumina’s body. Her holy power was rapidly depleting, and soon her head became foggy.

“Ah…”

Her eyes kept closing.

Before her eyelids closed completely, Tiria briefly spoke to Erich and took in his face.

A man with whom she had shared life-and-death struggles many times.

At the same time, a benefactor who had shown her what true philanthropy meant.

The thought of leaving this benefactor behind made her angry, frustrated, resentful, and sad. She couldn’t predict what color her eyes might be showing now.

It was truly absurd.

To die so suddenly without any mental preparation.

“Erich.”

Tiria, breathing heavily, uttered what might be her last word.

“I love you.”

And then, she closed her eyes.

Her consciousness drifted away.

If there was a heaven, she hoped to meet him again someday. If there was another life, she wished to be reborn with him and truly become lovers then.

Still, it was inevitable to feel some regret.

So Tiria prayed.

To the four supreme goddesses, please grant me the strength for one last kiss with my beloved.

“———.”

As if answering Tiria’s prayer, a warm voice reached her.

Strange.

It was a divine word she had never heard before.

It wasn’t the voice of the Goddess of Battle, nor the Goddess of Healing, nor the Goddess of Creation.

Tiria had heard this voice earlier.

The Goddess of Embrace, Reberon, mentioned only in minor sects.

As a saint, Tiria immediately recognized it as her voice. And simultaneously with hearing that voice, she felt the cold pressure that had been crushing her entire body mysteriously disappear.

When she regained consciousness, Tiria was in Erich’s arms.

“…Haa, haa, huh?”

Breathing was becoming easier.

“Are you alright?”

Tiria didn’t answer. Unsure if this was a dream or reality, she just clutched his collar tightly, not wanting to let go.

“Seems you’re okay. That’s the second one.”

“…What?”

Erich’s voice was clearly exhausted. Tiria hurriedly examined his complexion.

His face was dark.

Like a mage who had violated a taboo.

“Don’t tell me, you…?”

Erich gave a bitter smile, apologized, and turned away.

***

Riyo and Miyo were clever. The moment their bodies weakened, they realized what had happened to them.

Magic circle, sacrifice, offering.

We’ve been caught.

So the Eight Shadows or whatever that pseudo-mage organization was trying to end the fox sisters’ lives. As soon as they realized this, an indescribable anger burned from within their hearts.

Their bodies were dying, but their minds remained clear.

-Sister, are we going to die like this?

-No. We won’t die. Trust me. Everything will be fine.

-Don’t lie to comfort me. I’m grown up too. That Magic Kingdom general activated a strange magic circle. We’re probably the targets of the offering. At this rate, losing our lives is just a matter of time!

When Riyo pressed her, Miyo couldn’t answer. Because it was the truth.

The sisters know each other’s feelings too well. Riyo read Miyo’s thoughts and didn’t get angrier.

Instead, she leaned on her, trembling with fear.

-Sister, I’m scared.

-It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re not alone. We’re family, right? Even if we die, we’ll be together. It’s weird to say this, but I’ve died once before, remember? When you die, that’s really the end. There’s no pain or anything. Okay?

-You know what scares me most? The thought that I’ll never see Erich again. I had so many things I wanted to do after escaping the deserted island.

-It’s the same for me.

-We’re dying without even a chance to say goodbye. It’s unfair. It’s meaningless. So meaningless!

-Calm down, Riyo. There must be some way, let’s try to find it.

-What will happen to Erich? Can he escape this island?

-I don’t know. If he surrenders to that general there, he might survive. On the other hand, if he’s truly angry about what happened to us, he won’t surrender. Then he might suffer…

-I hope Erich doesn’t die.

-Me too.

A moment of silence.

Riyo asked.

-Sister.

-Yes?

-What choice would Erich make?

-Well, that man would definitely…

The fox sisters’ conversation ended there. With a sensation like being bitten on the nape of the neck, consciousness returned.

“…Kyahit!”

It wasn’t just like being bitten on the neck—she really was bitten.

She could feel it.

The intense male scent she had smelled almost daily for the past few months was now clearly imprinted on her right shoulder.

It hurt enough to die.

Paradoxically, that’s why she woke up.

The fox sisters reached out with one mind. With their delicate hands, they embraced the back of the man who had bitten their necks, clinging to him so that his teeth marks could settle deeper into their shoulders.

The man exhaled and removed his mouth.

“…You’ve regained consciousness.”

“Yes.”

“How’s your body?”

“Fine.”

If anything, it was Erich who wasn’t fine.

“Your face…”

“Tina?”

When Erich rubbed his nose, blood smeared on it. His complexion was as hard as stone, and the hand trying to help Riyo stand was trembling like an aspen tree.

“You, did you do something?”

“Ah, just a little deal.”

The fox sisters realized simultaneously.

That Erich had offered his own life to someone to save them.

***

After helping Rachel, Tiria, and the fox sisters to their feet, I tried to steady my breathing. My heart was pounding as if it might burst at any moment, and my vision was shaking as if I had developed astigmatism.

This sacrifice thing—I’m using it for the first time in my life.

“Hm.”

It’s ridiculous. I’ve always strongly advised others never to use it, yet here I am, using it and falling into corruption.

I won’t make excuses.

I will die and fall into hell.

But looking at the results, I was very satisfied. Unexpectedly, all the female soldiers from the Holy Spirit Kingdom survived, and I’m still standing on my own two feet.

Yes, for now.

When it’s time to pay the price, I might have to die.

The next moment, someone grabbed my collar.

“You stupid fool—!!”

It was Director Adora.

“Are you crazy, using a sacrifice? That’s the ultimate taboo! Can you even see what’s happening to your body right now? Can you?!”

“Yes, I can see it.”

“Knowing that, why would you offer yourself? Are you really so desperate to die?!”

“How many people in this world actually want to die? If one life can save three… The exchange rate is 3 to 1, so it’s profitable in terms of magic studies.”

“You almost had one more death instead of saving anyone! Don’t you know that?!”

I couldn’t say anything more. I couldn’t even manage a bitter smile. Because the director’s eyes were welling up with tears.

“Senior, if you die too! What will become of me, left alone here…! Answer me! Huh?!”

“…Ah.”

Focused on the need to act before the Holy Spirit Kingdom women’s breaths stopped, I had failed to consider how the director would feel being left alone. This was my mistake.

“Still.”

“You had to make a quick decision?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You say you’re sorry, but you were planning to die here?”

“There really was no other way.”

“I don’t want to hear excuses!”

I averted my eyes. Turning my head, I saw the fox sisters staring at me with blank expressions.

Next to them was the saint, Tiria. Tiria’s eyes were bluer than ever before.

Finally, Rachel. She approached me and slapped my cheek.

Smack!

“…Die, you idiot.”

Why? That single phrase, packed with suppressed emotions, felt more painful than the slap itself.

I must love you after all.

“T-this can’t be.”

That’s when a voice came from ahead.

“How on earth did you save them!”

Admiral Dietz pointed at me, raising his voice in disbelief.