Ch.148Chapter 148. Hunoni

This was the right path from the beginning.

It had been decided since the moment Lin threw himself to save her.

She could only feel regret for only now realizing that this body, which had already been sacrificed once to save her life, belonged to someone else.

‘Lin is mine!’

That phrase she had shouted since Epfalterga.

No.

It wasn’t that Lin was hers, but that she belonged to Lin.

Stupid girl, something so obvious.

That’s why she couldn’t come to her senses even after losing her limbs.

[Let me emphasize once more. If you jump in, you cannot survive.]

“When Lin saved me, he didn’t calculate such things.”

Luci steeled her resolve.

“This is something only I can do. Something only I can do for Lin.”

The Abyss approached her and extended its hand.

It was a hand still trembling from the shock of losing Tiana.

“I’ll go with you. In this moment, I am your sword, Luciena.”

Did the demon sword know?

That she, who had tasted others’ regrets and dreamed only of revenge, would ultimately come to regret herself.

That the mockery she enjoyed, thinking everything was in their hands, would return to her.

Luci took that hand without hesitation.

“Ha, you trust me?”

“Even if you betray me, I’ll still go to save Lin.”

“…Now you’re finally acting like a hero.”

The Abyss released its human form.

Carrying this heavy feeling, it returned to Luci’s hand as a massive greatsword.

“Luci….”

Filled with apology and self-contempt, Arsil couldn’t look Luci in the eye.

Luci patted the shoulder of the saint who hung her head.

“I’m doing what I need to do. You do what you need to do. Tigria too.”

“What can I do…? This is the most crucial moment, and I don’t know how to do anything…”

“Every moment is important. We’ve sinned against Lin and come this far because we didn’t understand that. I will definitely save Lin, so you two do what you can afterward, for Lin’s happiness.”

She takes a deep breath.

Closing her eyes, she inhales determination,

“Alright!”

And exhales all fear of failure.

“Everyone stand back! I’m going to charge with all my might!”

She took her stance holding the Abyss.

Drawing up magical power to strengthen her body.

Bringing out all her potential along with the power of the potion she just took.

“Kuhk…”

She swallowed the blood boiling up from deep inside, a side effect of the potion.

Not easy from the start.

But it’s valuable because it’s not easy.

Please, please, let me save Lin like this.

Let me see his face before I die.

That would be enough.

That would be… enough.

“Here I go!!”

BOOM!

Luci kicked off the ground and dashed forward.

With an explosive roar, she sprinted, kicking up dust.

As soon as she left the range of the goddess’s divine power, gray demonic energy covered her entire body.

It felt like tiny metal fragments scraping across her skin.

Pain spread throughout her body as if steel brushes were being rubbed against raw flesh.

Still, Luci didn’t slow down.

Countless scratches appeared on her armor and gauntlets, and her exposed skin was shredded to reveal the dermis, but far from stopping, she pushed even harder.

“Luci!!!!”

Arsil wept at the horrific sight.

Pathetic. How pathetic!

She couldn’t forgive herself.

Grinding her teeth, Arsil summoned all her divine power.

She extended the divine power gathered with countless sparks toward Luci, but it was blocked by the gray demonic energy and couldn’t reach her.

“Please!”

She tried once more.

It went a bit further, but still fell far short.

“Pleease!!”

Even with just that, Arsil’s divine power was rapidly depleting.

The power her mother had left for her was vanishing in vain.

“This is something only I can do!”

Still, Arsil didn’t give up.

She shone as brightly as the goddess and struggled, but her divine power was rapidly approaching zero.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!”

Finally, Luci couldn’t bear the pain and screamed.

The demonic energy invaded through her open mouth, tearing it up just like her skin.

Even so, the hero didn’t stop her charge.

But her speed had noticeably decreased.

Crack!

One of the hero’s knees buckled.

Fzzzzzt

The saint’s divine power was completely exhausted.

With still a long way to go to Rinascien, not even halfway there, the two faced a crisis.

“Haa… haa…!”

[Stop, Arsil. Your divine power is completely depleted. You are no longer a saint.]

Despite the goddess’s calm pronouncement, Arsil didn’t give up.

[Stop. If you push yourself any further, your life will…]

“I don’t care!”

Arsil continued to draw up power.

The blood vessels in her eyes had all burst, turning them red.

“I want to save Lin! I want to help everyone! It’s too late, but even now!”

Crackle

“Even now, I want to be useful!”

[…?!]

Crackle-crackle

“I want to sincerely apologize to Lin!”

Something impossible began to happen.

Although Arsil’s divine power had clearly reached zero, divine power was swirling around her.

More powerful and brilliant than before.

“To Luci, to Golmok, to Ravin! To everyone!”

Ultimate Skill

“…I want to beg everyone’s forgiveness for what I’ve done-!!”

[Self-Sacrifice: Until This Life Ends]

WHOOSH!

The light surged forward.

Breaking through the powerful gray demonic energy, the light struck the blood-covered hero.

The light healed the hero’s tattered body.

Even as the gray demonic energy immediately tore it apart again, the light endlessly restored the hero, allowing her to keep moving forward.

“UUUAAAAAAAA!!!!”

Strangely, it wasn’t the arm extended toward Luci, but her opposite right arm that felt like it was burning.

“Arsil, your arm!”

She heard someone beside her cry out in alarm, but she paid no attention.

She was just happy to see Luci regain her stance and run toward Rinascien, and she poured in even more divine power, her life force.

Unable to watch anymore, Ravin tried to stop her.

“Arsil, please control your power. Your right arm is disappearing!”

“If it means saving Lin, I don’t care about my right arm!”

But Arsil was anxious.

She wasn’t worried about becoming disabled or dying.

There was still a considerable distance to Rinascien.

She couldn’t guarantee her life would last until Luci reached it.

Then, a small, delicate hand grabbed her shoulder.

“Use my life too.”

“Tigria?”

“I also… want to ask for forgiveness.”

Unable to look back, Arsil still managed a faint smile.

“You might die, you know?”

“Don’t you see Luciena running there, risking death?”

“…Heh. Then I’ll use it without hesitation?”

In that moment, Tigria felt as if her soul was being sucked in.

She bit her lip against the excruciating pain of her left leg burning away, just like Arsil’s.

The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

Still, Tigria didn’t give up and shouted:

“Run, Luci-!!!!”

Although her cry didn’t reach Luci, the light of recovery containing the life force of the mage and the saint was definitely protecting the hero.

However, since it only provided healing, the cycle of raw flesh being torn apart and healed continued.

But mere flesh wounds couldn’t stop Luci.

[Where do you think you’re going!]

Seeing the hero approaching like a swift insect, the goddess emitted stronger demonic energy.

The hero’s wounds appeared and healed faster, and the saint and mage poured out more of their life force.

“UUUUAAAAA!”

“Ungh…!”

Arsil’s right arm had completely burned away.

Tigria’s left leg had also disappeared without a trace.

Still, the two didn’t stop infusing their life force.

‘Almost there!’

Finally, she was within reach of Rinascien.

She tried to speed up more, but didn’t have enough strength to cut through Rinascien’s body.

The result of focusing solely on approaching.

Method?

Just keep slashing until it works.

As the hero reluctantly considered this crude approach, the Abyss spoke to her one last time.

[Hero.]

‘I’m busy! Keep it short!’

[Do you not regret?]

‘Regret?’

[How it came to this, how you cannot be by Lin’s side even though you’re giving your life.]

It was also a question to itself.

How did it come to this, why couldn’t it be with Tiana despite waiting for countless years.

[Don’t you want to give up? Lin won’t be by your side anyway.]

‘…’

[Don’t you want to cry? Don’t you wish your crying would reach him somehow, making him feel even a little pain?]

‘…’

[Aren’t your steps driven by regret and sorrow?]

It was a whisper that provoked much contemplation.

The Abyss’s whisper that would stop her and make her head boil with longing for Lin.

Surely her former self would have succumbed.

‘No.’

[What?]

‘I have no more regrets.’

Breaking through the demonic energy, Luci wore a wistful expression.

Despite the demon sword’s whispers, all she felt was…

‘Just love for him, nothing more.’

Even if she couldn’t tell him directly,

That was all the more reason she couldn’t stop.

‘Lin always told me to move forward. That’s why I’m moving forward.’

[Death awaits you at the end.]

‘You’re wrong, you fool.’

Luci smiled broadly, despite her sadness.

‘At the end waits the happiness of the one I love. That’s the future I want.’

[……]

And these final words succeeded in moving the spiteful demon sword’s heart.

[I respect you, Luciena Estel.]

The darkness of the demon sword gradually lifted.

Revealed within was a pink light more brilliant and subtle than Arsil’s ultimate skill.

[Call my name. My true name!]

‘…!’

Luci drew up her magical power without hesitation.

Red-gold and pink magical energy surged.

“True Name Release!”

[Envision the peace you desire!]

“I long for it!”

Following Hunoni’s—not the Abyss’s—request, Luci envisioned.

So many desires flashed through her mind.

Walking with her beloved on a forest path.

Joking, laughing, and chatting with her beloved.

Rolling naked in bed with her beloved.

All were peaceful days with him.

But Luci rejected all of these.

She desired only one thing.

Only

“Your peaceful days!”

Ultimate Skill

[Hunoni: I long for and adore you whom I love so much.]

A massive sword energy, far greater than when facing Lineford, erupted.

The hero succeeded in slashing Rinascien’s body with sword energy made purely of love for Lin.

[AAAAARGH-!]

[I leave the rest to you… hero….]

Having expended all its power, Hunoni slowly disappeared.

[May your love reach him….]

She didn’t thank it since it had caused her much trouble.

But somehow, she couldn’t hide the melancholy in a corner of her heart.

Now empty-handed, Luci ran while gasping for breath.

‘Lin!’

My only ally

My best companion

Lin, whom I love

Even if this life ends and I vanish like ashes in a place you cannot see.

‘I will definitely save you!’

The hero finally leaped into the belly of chaos.