Volume 6, Chapter 5 – The Sun Will Rise Again, Part 8
Volume 6, Chapter 5 - The Sun Will Rise Again, Part 8
“Die, you bastard!”
Hiro’s face was lifted forcibly into the sky, and the eerie sound of jaws shattering echoed in the air.
――He could hear the sound of the world collapsing.
“Ah――”
He saw a blue sky.
The azure sky ― the ultramarine sky ― turned red.
As a warm sensation touched his cheek, an arm wrapped in a black robe fell from the sky.
“Haha, it serves you right ― you can’t be too careless, you know…”
In the reddening world, a man shouted in triumph.
What makes him so happy…? Hiro wants to look at his face covered with tears of despair. The woman next to him was also looking at Hiro with a look of triumphant relief on her face.
He wants to see her crying face that would surely bring great joy to him.
“One more thing…”
Hiro unconsciously spat out a few words and tried to stand up.
But…
“You can’t move because of the Black Princess Camellia, right? You’ve lost your dominant arm, so be quiet.”
Hiro was kicked furiously by the man who was laughing happily and sat down helplessly.
“My sister will now be the queen, and I will be her assistant. I’ll take your head to end the arrangement.”
He snorted excitedly and lifted the corners of his mouth as if he couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Hey, ‘God of War,’ do you have any last words?”
The sound of a thud shook his eardrums. The warm sensation of spurting blood poured down from above Hiro’s head.
Next, a dull tone like a bag of dirt being slammed into the ground rang out in the quiet battlefield.
Hiro moved his blank eyes to look at the head that was rolling aimlessly on the ground.
“――Don’t whisper in my ear. It makes my hand go out of control, you know.”
Instantly ― a scream was heard.
“NOOOOOOOOOO――…!”
Anger was painted over by sadness, and sadness was stitched together by confusion as a scream.
Hiro turned his attention to the source of the voice.
There, covering her face with her hands, was Luca, trying to distract herself from reality.
“Pride creates gaps. That advice is meaningless if you’re dead, though.”
Hiro stood up, his smile deepening.
“――Let’s all hope for the next life.”
The “Heavenly Emperor” is now gone from Hiro’s left hand, and the “Dark Emperor” has appeared, emitting evil darkness.
The “Black Princess Camellia” is still silent, but the blood loss from his right shoulder has stopped. His senses were becoming dull, but he was able to carry out his purpose.
“――Kill, I’ll kill you!”
An explosion could be heard. When Hiro turned his attention to the source, he saw Luca glaring at Hiro with the expression of a demon. Her supremacy swelled, and her feet caved in ― a large amount of dust flew up.
For some reason, Hiro hung up the edge of his mouth in an eerie way as he felt Luca’s fury on his skin.
“It gives you hope, feeds you despair, hangs a sliver of hope in front of your eyes, and knocks you into the abyss.”
That is how to make the principle stone more powerful.
It shines more beautifully than any other jewel in the world and transforms into a principle stone with immense healing power.
Those who possess the Five Destructive Holy Principle Swords will have a principle stone with unimaginable power.
“That’s the condition. You can finally complete the second one.”
As Hiro held up the Dark Emperor, Luca jumped at him with an ugly, twisted expression.
“Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, I will kill yooouuuuu!”
In contrast to her left hand, which was embedded with a beautifully shining principle stone, her face was stained with ugliness, turning her into a pathetic beast that was unbearable to look at.
“You can hate me all you want. I’ll take all of that.”
Hiro smiled at her, lowered his hips, and ― with a flash ― slashed Luca’s left arm.
For a moment, Luca’s body floated, but it didn’t stop her momentum, and a violent wind hit him.
“Aaaaaaah, Give me back! Give me back! Give me baaacckk!”
It was too big and full of gaps, but the current Hiro couldn’t avoid it, so he took the hit.
He could hear the sound of bones shattering. It’s not clear how many bones were broken, but Hiro endured the intense pain without falling.
“…A person becomes strong only after losing something. I can guarantee you that you will also become stronger.”
As Hiro made a slight movement with his left arm, Luca jumped back as if sensing the danger.
“It’s useless. You can’t escape the darkness from a distance like that.”
――Deadly fear.
Luca’s movements stopped ― no, only her eyes were tinged with surprise.
All the living things around her have forgotten the ticking of time. The grass, the wind, the insects, the horses, the people, everything was frozen in place.
“Killing time is the blessing of the Dark Emperor.”
Hiro held the “Dark Emperor” horizontally and pointed the tip of the blade at Luca.
“All life is equally lured into emptiness.”
――Dark Mirror Corpse Water.
No change will come. The time in the world has been standing still for a long time.
And yet, the sense of intimidation only increases. The world is enveloped in an eerie atmosphere of fear.
At that moment, a splash of blood splashed into the air from Luca’s chest.
“Eh, ah?”
As she watched the fresh blood splattering in the air, Luca fell to the ground with a blank stare.
After seeing that, Hiro also fell to one knee and vomited blood.
“Guh… Is it too shallow?”
Hiro narrowed his eyes with a pained expression and looked at Luca. He could tell she was still alive by the way her back was moving slightly.
“Medic! Treat Luca immediately!”
A loud and vigorous voice rang out. The order was immediately carried out, and Luca’s treatment began in front of Hiro’s eyes.
“You really are… a monster, aren’t you?”
The person who had been hiding revealed herself.
The way she spread out her iron fan and smiled elegantly is truly worthy of great beauty. However, her smile was distorted like a snake chasing down its prey.
“I can’t afford to lose her yet. I’ll deal with you from here on out.”
“Huh, now you’re going to show up… and take away their achievements?”
“On the battlefield, life and death depend on one’s abilities. They were not good enough to get the credit ― that’s all, isn’t it?”
Lucia smiles fearlessly, showing no sign of shame.
Hiro smiled and stood up, thrusting the “Dark Emperor” into the ground.
“So… are you going to play with me now?”
“Yes, I want your head.”
She smiled seductively, giving off a dark, demonic vibe that would seduce any man.
The name “wicked woman” is appropriate for her. When compared to this woman, Claudia is nothing more than a child.
“But, you know, even if you resist, you won’t stand a chance. I don’t want to hurt your pretty face, you know.”
She took out a glittering principle stone.
Judging by the blood on it, it must have been from Luca’s left hand.
“Don’t worry. No matter what condition your corpse will be in, I will love it.”
Her arm went hazy, and she thrust her hand into Hiro’s stomach like a sharp blade.
“Gaaaah!”
Hiro screamed unbearably at the feeling as if his internal organs were being stirred up.
Lucia, with her flushed cheeks, embraces him lustfully.
“I was watching you fight, and my body started to heat up.”
With a look of ecstasy on her face, she bites Hiro’s ear as if she can’t bear it any longer. Her sweet breath shook Hiro’s eardrums, and her wet tongue crawled around coquettishly.
It was at that moment that the “Black Princess Camellia,” whose power had been sealed away, tried to move with all her might.
“Oh… it still moving?”
Lucia frowned in annoyance and unfolded her iron fan.
With that simple movement, the “Black Princess Camellia” fell silent once again.
“Well, let me tell you something. I am also the holder of the Five Destructive Holy Principle Sword.”
Lucia slowly removed her hand from Hiro’s stomach as if to emphasize her presence.
“Aghhh…”
An eerie sensation came over him as if his internal organs were being pulled out. It’s as if he had lost something fundamental.
But nothing was lost ― in fact, she left the principle stone as a souvenir.
“Fufu, don’t look so sad. Are you feeling so comfortable with my hand?”
Hiro was about to say something, but as he moved his mouth, all that came out was fresh blood.
While watching Hiro’s face turn pale, Lucia licked her bloody hand.
“It’s delicious… It tastes terribly immoral.”
She licked the blood dripping from the back of her hand like a cat and looked down at Hiro.
“Is this how you ate the Formless King?”
Just after that ― Lucia’s body was blown away.
She glided across the ground with great force and plunged into a group of medics who were treating Luca. The impact was so great that it created a violent dust storm.
In the midst of the clamor, a voice sounded as if confirming Lucia’s safety.
“……”
Hiro shook his shoulders unsteadily. His face was as pale as a dead man’s.
But what dwells in his eyes is a raging passion ― wrath.
Hiro took a step forward, lost the strength in his knees, and fell to one knee on the ground.
“…I see, so that’s how it is.”
Hiro noticed that his right shoulder was bleeding profusely. The hole in his stomach shows no signs of closing, and a great amount of blood is being sucked into the ground.
The power of the principle stone had completely sealed off his high-speed regeneration.
“…I’d love to know how much you know.”
As Hiro glared at her, Lucia was standing there unharmed and relaxed.
“I know all about it. As I said in the beginning, that ‘woman’ told me everything about who you are and how you ended up in your pathetic state.”
“……I’d definitely like to know. Who was that?”
For some reason, Lucia looked surprised at Hiro’s question.
“She said she had met you several times, though?”
“……Nameless?”
She was the one who created this situation. She’s the one who connected with the Black Death Village, which is planning to revive the “Father,” and manipulated Stobel into a rebellion.
“For now, the target has been set…”
The small murmurings did not reach anyone, and Hiro stood up, encouraging his trembling knees.
At that time.
“All troops, take the head of Hiro Schwartz von Grantz!”
An angry command was heard.
It wasn’t Lucia. Yet another ― Hiro instantly understood.
Luca, who was still in the healing process, was being supported by a soldier and glaring at Hiro with a grudge-filled look in her eyes.
“What are you ordering them to do?”
“Shut up! I must avenge Eagle’s death!”
The soldiers looked puzzled at the two arguing superiors.
However, Lucia was the one who broke down, and after a single sigh of exasperation, she raised her hand.
“You may kill him as long as he can still be identified.”
For Hiro, this was a ruthless order.
“Farewell, ‘Black Dragon King’.”
“Kill!”
At the same time as Luca’s hateful command resounded, a violent tremor hit from the ground. The soldiers that filled the field of vision started to run, causing the ground to shake violently.
Hiro looked around with a pale face that had lost its bloodlust.
(…There seems to be no way to escape. I guess I won’t be able to keep my promise to her after all.)
It is not out of heroism that he took on the role of decoy. He just wants to return the favor he received a thousand years ago. That’s what he genuinely wanted.
He just wanted to return the kindness he received from his former friends through Liz.
People might laugh when they hear that. They might snicker and say it was a trivial reason.
But still, for Hiro, it was a good enough reason.
It was the most important reason, the most non-negotiable reason, worth risking his life for.
“That’s why I’ll keep fighting. I want them to know through her.”
Hiro said quietly as he stared at the 30,000 enemies surrounding him. And that’s when the image of her popped into his mind.
(Liz… please forgive me for being clumsy and only being able to convey my feelings in this way)