Ch.28Chapter 28. Lucy Is Still Lacking

To emphasize once more, Lucy didn’t become strong because she was chosen by the holy sword.

She was strong enough to be chosen by the holy sword.

Though she was powerful enough to overturn the situation with a single leap, she couldn’t take down all the scattered gang members who were fleeing in every direction at once.

She strikes the leg of the one who ran the farthest, breaking it.

“Gaaah!”

Without a weapon, she grabbed the one with the broken leg and threw him at the next guy, knocking him down. She managed to make each one of them fall flat on their faces.

As one who had fallen face-first tried to lift his head—

Kiiiiing—!

With a sound of air being torn that no human could make, the human was torn apart too.

“W-wait…!”

She didn’t accept surrender.

Because Lin told her to kill them all.

Lucy was simply fulfilling the mission Lin had given her, like a killing machine.

“You’re the last one, huh?”

“Hiiieek!”

“Since you’re the last, I’ll give you a choice.”

Lucy spread her arms and waved them.

“Should I use my hands or my feet?”

The last remaining black market thug showed some spirit befitting his final moments.

“T-then, your chest…”

“You little shit.”

A merciless soccer kick burst his upper body.

Lucy clicked her tongue as she shook off the blood that had inevitably splattered everywhere.

She couldn’t let Lin smell this fishy odor.

Though she hated owing favors, she might have to ask Rabin to prepare a bath.

But that was for later.

Lucy turned around with a bright smile.

“Lin! I took care of everything!”

Whooosh~.

Somehow, wind was blowing inside the space enclosed by temporary walls.

Lin was obviously not in the empty space.

“Huh?”

She had gone too far.

She had chased after them, seeing only their backs as they fled like wild beasts.

Which meant…

“I left Lin behind…!”

A chill ran down her spine.

She rushed desperately back to where he had been.

When she burst through the door, she found Lin surrounded by three men, struggling valiantly.

Despite being a civilian, Lin was putting up quite a fight.

He ducked his head quickly and delivered a hook that knocked one thug’s jaw, sending him to the ground.

Then he pushed away the next attacker with his small shield, knocking him down.

But that was as far as he got.

A dagger wielded by someone who emerged from the blind spot created by the shield grazed Lin’s cheek.

Slash-!

“Got him!”

Taking advantage of Lin’s momentary freeze, one of the thugs grabbed him from behind and held a blade to his neck.

“Well, well! Just in time! See this? Move and he dies.”

“Damn! Looks like everyone else got taken down. What do we do now?”

“Either way, our chances of dying just went up.”

The three men whispered among themselves, then snickered with one mind.

“Even if I die, I’m gonna feel up those tits before I go.”

“Yeah! Let’s go out like men!”

But none of their words reached Lucy’s ears.

Her wide eyes were fixed solely on the wound on Lin’s cheek.

“Lin is hurt…?”

Because of me?

Because I ran out trying to show off, leaving behind the person I should have protected first?

Her fingernails dug into her clenched fists.

“Lucy, calm down.”

Lin spoke calmly, noticing the rage and madness settling in her eyes despite her tearful expression, but Lucy couldn’t stop her rampage.

Lin, who had sacrificed himself for her since before she had limbs.

No, Lin, who had devoted himself to her since the day she lost her limbs.

To make such a mistake after losing him once before?

This was a sin.

“Unforgivable.”

Neither you all, nor myself.

“I’ll pay with death.”

Sensing something ominous, the gang members stepped back.

“You crazy bitch! Do you want your friend to—gahk!”

BOOM!

It was bizarre.

The man who had been holding the blade to Lin’s neck had his upper body blown apart by Lucy’s force punch thrown from where she stood.

Blood splattered onto Lin.

“Hiiik, aaaaaahhhhh!!”

Unable to contain themselves, the remaining two turned and ran without looking back.

But no matter how much they ran, the two couldn’t move forward.

That’s how it appeared to Lin and Lucy, though the escapees felt as if they were making progress along the alley.

“Funny, isn’t it? To think they could harm Lin and expect to walk away alive.”

The voice was small but clear.

As if appearing from within a fog, information officer Adora emerged from the blurred vision.

Just from her gait, Lin could tell she was different from before.

Only now did he properly look her over.

Straight gray bangs with a blunt bob cut.

Orange-colored eyes and skin as white as Lucy’s, if not whiter.

A noticeably perky chest silhouette.

Yet despite this appealing appearance, her eyes harbored a madness that made Lin uncomfortable.

“Are you really just a thief?” Lucy asked, sensing something off.

Adora smiled slightly.

It was clearly a sneer.

“Hero, you are truly incompetent beyond compare.”

“What did you say?”

A gentle gesture swept through the air.

With that motion, all the surrounding structures began to crumble and scatter as if they were smoke or dust.

As buildings and walls disappeared, everyone in the black market looked around in confusion.

“Huuuurgh…!”

The two men who had been trying to escape from Lucy sat back down when they saw wolf-like magical beasts appear before them.

Among the things that had vanished like mirages were the cages that had contained the magical beasts.

Three magical beasts, mutated and grown enormous through awakening, immediately sniffed the air and growled at the escapees nearby.

“W-we need to run!”

“Where to?!”

Magical beasts in front, Lucy behind.

Despite their desperate situation, the gang members flailed their limbs.

They struggled with all their might, wanting to escape somewhere, anywhere, but just like before, they couldn’t move from their spots.

“What the hell is going on?!”

Grrrrrrrr-!!

“N-no—!”

Without even leaving a death cry, the two had their upper bodies torn apart.

Having quickly dispatched the woefully insufficient prey, the magical beasts immediately turned their attention to Lin, who was closest.

Lin firmly gripped his small shield, tensing at the sight of their vertically slit eyes.

Fortunately, he was more accustomed to fighting magical beasts than humans.

“Lin!”

Lucy desperately gathered magical power to leap forward.

But someone moved ahead of her.

“Don’t worry.”

As Adora gestured again, the magical beasts began to bare their teeth and drool at each other.

“I’ll make sure no one touches you.”

“…Who exactly are you?”

Ah, Lin is asking about me directly.

Pure joy welled up from within her chest.

“I am Adora.”

One magical beast suddenly bit the neck of another.

Then the remaining one crushed and devoured the head of the one that had bitten the neck.

“I’ve been waiting for someone to lead us to the future from this endless repetition.”

Crunch, crunch.

The victorious beast thoroughly devoured its remaining kin, bones with flesh still attached, entrails and all.

Despite the horrific scene before them, none of the many people in the black market could move.

They could only flail in place.

Even Lucy couldn’t escape from Adora’s mysterious scheme.

“After thousands, tens of thousands, billions of endless repetitions, when I was exhausted and losing my sense of self, you appeared.”

Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

The head of the magical beast that had devoured its kin twisted grotesquely.

It seemed to be trembling like an aspen tree while moving little by little, as if lagging.

As the vibrations intensified, the beast grew larger.

At the same time, its fur swelled with a deep blood-red color.

Both Lin and Lucy knew well what this sign indicated.

“That’s…!”

Lin exclaimed in horror.

Adora moved closer to him.

“You are our only salvation.”

“Get away from Lin!”

Finally, Lucy began to move.

The hero drew upon her magical power to forcibly move along with the isolation space that was restraining her.

Yet Adora’s gaze never left Lin.

“You are the other half we’ve been waiting for.”

“SHUT UP!!!”

A whisper that was just slightly twisted from the words Lucy usually said to Lin.

Lucy advanced, screaming with all her might.

She had to shut that woman’s mouth.

How dare she, to Lin…!

My…

“But you are my Lin alone.”

“…You fucking bitch!!!!!!”

Red-gold magical power surged.

Lucy, with magical power enveloping her entire body, tried to lunge at Adora.

“That’s not it!”

Lin barely managed to hold onto the hero’s sanity.

“Lucy! It’s a trap! Not Adora, eliminate the magical beast…!”

Awoooooooooooo-!!!!!!!!

A thin, high howl that didn’t match the beast’s massive size.

A slender cry that sent chills down one’s spine.

Awoooooo-!!!!!

And as if in response, a series of smaller howls followed.

The unique mutant magical beast had already activated its “Pack Summon” skill.

“Until the end, you only think of yourself, Luciana Estel.”

Adora made no attempt to hide her disgust toward the hero.

“You leave Lin alone as you please, never listen to what he says until the end, and… and…!”

Her voice trembled with genuine anger as she berated Luciana.

“How dare you let Lin’s cheek be wounded!!”

As her arms parted the space like drawing back curtains, the surroundings completely collapsed.

In an instant, the black market transformed into a vast empty lot.

Lucy realized that the isolation space confining her had been released.

The same applied to everyone else in the black market.

“There’s nothing more to see. I’m taking Lin with me.”

The moment she uttered those words, Adora felt as if the world had stopped.

She felt that way when she saw the hero’s eyes lose their focus.

“Who decides that?”

Red-gold magical power swirled.

“He is my only ally, my best companion, my Lin.”

“Then prove it. Prove that you can protect Lin.”

Adora snapped her fingers.

Her body transformed into smoke and shot upward.

The smoke flowed into the unique mutant magical beast’s nose, and the beast grimaced and howled with all its might.

Awoooooooooo-!!!!!!!

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Rabin’s shout was heard from somewhere.

As if they had been waiting for that signal, hundreds of wolf magical beasts charged at Lucy.