episode_0166

‘There’s no answer.’

Numbers, firepower, stamina. It was a situation where they were thoroughly outmatched in every aspect. Forget victory, the fight itself couldn’t even be established. Moreover, the girl had someone to protect, so the battle was bound to be even more one-sided.

Irene hid the unconscious Regia behind her back. Then, she raised her sword. Flare. Was even the crimson flame slowly running out of energy? It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. At this rate, she would clearly be exhausted within at least five minutes. No… perhaps having her limbs torn off by those things would come first.

The girl gasped out the breath that had reached her throat. “Haa, haa…!” She couldn’t see a way. Even after cutting down one, then two, all that came back were dozens of grasping hands. For the fox, desperately maintaining the current state was the best she could do.

She scanned her surroundings as sweat dripped down. ‘This is too much.’ Had she only just managed to deal with 100 of them? Rotten chunks of flesh piled at her feet. Looking at the thousands of specters spread beyond them, only a dark despair seemed to spread.

The fox erased unnecessary thoughts and composed her disordered posture. Not missing the chance, a heavy blow aimed for the girl’s neck. Irene barely managed to block it by tilting her sword’s flat side. Clang!! “Ugh…!” “Your. story. is. meaningless.”

What lunged at her was the Ragged Man. A shovel imbued with demonic energy. Thick brute force pushed the girl back little by little. The dirt ground left lines along her shoe soles, and the scorch marks from the flames grew fainter. Eventually, the fox couldn’t endure the pressure, and her sword wavered. Her opponent didn’t allow such a gap. Clink! Thud! The man lightly parried the shovel, then landed a middle kick to her abdomen. Irene staggered with a painful gasp. “Cough…!” Screech! Even in such a moment, the corpses showed no mercy. Claws flying from the side aimed for her eyes. The girl barely managed to twist her head, but a deep wound was etched onto her cheek where it missed. The spot where demonic energy had seeped in corroded, leaving a burning pain behind. A distinct wave of nausea struck the fox. “Ugh, uh…”

Irene tried to catch her breath. However, the staggering beast ultimately fell to her knees in the dirt. The flames that illuminated the graveyard’s dawn went out. Her once red hair returned to its original orange, and the burning sword blade cooled down. All her energy was depleted.

“Haa, haa…” “Is it over?” Had he recognized that she no longer had the strength to resist? The Ragged Man lowered the shovel he had aimed. And then he spoke. “Hand. over. Regia. Filers.” “……” “We. do. not. take. unnecessary. lives.” Meaning, if she obediently handed over the pilot, he wouldn’t take her life.

Irene remained kneeling, unable to answer. Her shallow breaths turned into mist. Throb. It was painful. Decay was progressing in the wounded areas, and her skin, contaminated by demonic energy, felt like it was peeling off. Moreover, corpses all around were licking their lips, as if wanting to fill their stomachs. Thousands of corpses, at that. It was a terrifying sight. Nevertheless, the girl articulated. “……Go eat sh*t.”

She had no intention of handing over Regia. The fox understood the situation. If she allowed their will to be carried out, her entire daily life would be shattered. The peaceful days and the time she had spent would be scattered. The days she wanted to protect, or had to protect, with that person would be ruined. That’s why the girl couldn’t break.

“Then. you. must. die.” The Ragged Man extended his hand as he spoke. Irene gripped her sword with trembling hands, even if barely. A warning brushed past her ears once more. -Never go against the flow. -Order is the absolute law. -If you try to defy a star with the power of a mere creature, you will surely pay a price worse than death.

The Sword Saint had warned her. If she forcibly opened the door, she would suffer a backlash. He had even added that she would live for eternity, trapped in her inner world. His eyes were serious, without a hint of playfulness. As if telling her to stop, specifically, that choice. “Ha…” Nevertheless, the girl had no other way.

The girl melted her concentration into the sword. Beyond her slowly sinking consciousness. She sought the light inherent within herself. Soon, a faint resonance reached her ears. [My pitiful fox.] It was the voice of the star. As she tried to forcibly open the inner door, it seemed to be a will to dissuade her. Irene ignored the noise and gathered her strength. [Why do you hasten your own end?] [Even knowing what tragedy unprepared starlight will bring.] [You are like a moth flying into a flame.]

It was a path she had to walk. To protect her home, sometimes she needed the resolve to even pierce through flames. The girl, no longer weak, knew that fact. She gritted her teeth and knocked on the inner door. [Are you not afraid?] She was afraid. Yet, she did not run. [Are you not sad?] She was sad. Yet, she did not cry. If she could slay the grim reaper before her, if she could protect this place in the end, that would be enough for her. She roughly knocked on the inner door once more. [You will be trapped in eternity.] [In a place where one hour is like one year, you will meet no one and live a punishment of thousands of years.] [Is your altruism and resolve strong enough to bear such karma?]

It didn’t matter. Instead of answering, the fox simply clenched her fist with force. A pure white light gradually spread around her. [Will you… not regret it?] Regret. Her hand paused for a moment at that resonance. But as if nothing had happened, light flickered in her gathered palm. Perhaps it accepted Irene’s stubborn will. The star finally stopped trying to dissuade her. [Very well.]

A somewhat poignant voice. A faint night sky was reflected beside her. [If that is your nobility… though it may be foolish, I will not stop you.] [The stars will remember your dawn.] [My fox.] The star whispered. [Open your eyes.]

The next moment. A single beam of brilliance pierced through the storm clouds and descended. A flash of light surging into the middle of the graveyard. It was starlight, wrapping only around the fox. Beyond her suddenly lifted eyelids, only pure white pupils glinted. From the tightly gripped sword, pure white flames blazed vividly. Intense heat colored the surroundings.

“……” Irene was standing upright, somehow. She gazed at the thousands of forces surrounding her, and the single necromancer. The man’s eyes, which had been lifeless, were filled with awe. The fox simply raised her sword without another word. Whoosh. Wind calmly wrapping around her fingertips. A sense of omnipotence swallowed her entire body. Now, she felt like she could cut down the enemy before her… no, even the world itself. The brilliant starlight filled her mind with countless awakenings and exclamations. Her palely shimmering pupils clearly resembled stars. The field of corpses where gloomy dawn had settled. In its center stood only a single holy light. The girl grasped the light. ‘It’s serene.’ It felt as if all of dawn had stopped, except for herself. Scattered silence fluttered like flower petals. She felt as though she could count every single particle within the scenery. In that brief yet enchanting illusion, Irene slowly drew her single strike. A straight horizon was left on the endlessly vast land. Immediately after. —!!! That single strike produced no sound at all. Only, for a moment, the world split apart. The necromancer, corpses, and hounds who had unilaterally faced the straight line. They remained spellbound, then belatedly realized they had been cut. Thousands of necks simultaneously began to fall. Only then did a belated, drawn-out slicing sound reverberate. Slice! “……Burn.”

Her lips barely moved. The pure white flames, as if responding to her call, swallowed the enemies without leaving a trace. The Ragged Man’s sturdy domain shattered into pieces. Just a single strike. Yet, the girl had glimpsed a completely different world. A deep exhilaration, quiet yet intense, began to overwhelm her. As the light drove away the dawn. [This is the end.]

Suddenly, her consciousness blurred. The fox’s legs gave out, and she soon collapsed onto the ground. The surrounding scenery had returned to the academy alleyway. The star’s voice faintly lingered in her ears. [How foolish you are.] [Now, nothing can be undone.] [I can only hope that you have lived your star to the fullest.] [My pitiful fox.] Fading. Even that voice grew fainter and fainter. Irene merely accepted her fading consciousness, unable to offer any resistance.

As she sank into a deep sea, there was someone she thought of. His uniquely ominous presence kept flickering in her mind. ‘Yuda.’ In the end, she had broken a taboo, but it wasn’t a reckless act without thought. Because Irene wasn’t the type to be that reckless. A low resonance echoed within her. ‘I’m not scared.’ Her consciousness flickered on and off. Her pure white pupils lost their brief glow, and her closed eyelids welcomed a gentle rest. Even as all her senses blurred as if underwater, the fox… Slowly. …as if falling asleep. Yet, she did not fear what came next. She simply sank into the flow. ‘If it’s you…’ …you’ll surely find me. Wherever I am, no matter how far I fall, you’ll find me. The strike she unleashed just before was her trust in you and their relationship. The belief that you would definitely find her, even if it took days, months, years, or centuries. With just that belief, the fox was ready to endure hundreds of days. The girl conveyed her last, unheard words. “I’ll wait.” So. Just don’t take too long.

***

A few hours later. Orange hair lay calmly on the sickbed. The fox was unconscious, as if asleep. “Irene.” Beside the girl, a boy sat. With his hand clasped over her slender one. The golden snake looked down at the only being for him. With a gently extended hand, he caressed her pure white cheek. He soon murmured with a complex smile. “When I receive such trust… I have no choice but to respond.” The boy tidied her disheveled hair. He then left a low whisper. “Wait for me.” It was the fulfillment of a responsibility once promised. A relationship that didn’t end merely with trust. Having sought to tame someone, it was a truth naturally derived. A voice acknowledging that they were the only ones for each other. The snake replied. “Because I will find you.” That he wouldn’t leave her alone.