Chapter 45

Unwanted silence arrived.

The dark clouds that blackened the sky roared and spewed ichor. Petals and vines crumbled, and the colorless ground groaned under the surging waves of water.

Coughing violently, a large amount of bloody phlegm gushed out.

A bitter smile escaped.

I felt off since this morning, and it’s starting again.

Unable to shake off the anxiety caused by the bl**d in my mouth.

When did it start?

Probably a week ago, no, two weeks ago, maybe months ago.

That’s right, when I met Erica and started walking around smiling, when I decided to go out every day despite restraining my own life,

When I started talking and showing emotion and moving.

The problem was that I felt like I was getting better and was becoming more human.

“Ha… hic!”

Let’s think positively.

I’ve endured longer than expected.

I could get through each night by exhausting myself.

I could go out, live my daily life, look at someone’s face, and talk to them.

Laugh, talk, eat, drink.

[Orli.]

“There’s a favor I need to ask…”

It’s about time.

My eyes hurt, my heart hurts.

[Spatial void…]

I took out a glass bottle from my pocket as I saw Bloody tear the space apart, and pushed it in with her.

[–Or!]

Now I’m alone.

Not bad.

The dawn has always been like this.

Thank you for your hard work all along. Truly.

I brushed off the hair stuck to the water, and looked at the mist-covered field.

This was what I was looking for.

This place, right now, just here.

So I don’t regret the decision I made.

After all, I can’t d*e until I k*ll someone or drink their bl**d.

There’s no perfect choice. It’s just about choosing the lesser evil.

I fought it. I didn’t have such aspirations as to proclaim justice and save the world like a saint.

That wasn’t for me.

In the squalid depths of life, shouting like that was contradictory. I’ve always known that I couldn’t protect anything distorted in that way.

It was merely selfish.

Because I liked walking together with someone, drinking coffee with them, because I got addicted to those moments, spaces, breaths together.

Because eyes, lips, hopes, justice were so splendid.

I didn’t want to lose them.

Like a street lamp falling into an abyss, like the last bit of rope in a well, I wanted that only.

<Click>

“You’re surrounded.”

Maybe even that.

To me who is no longer human, who is a monster and trash.

It might not have been allowed.

Gulping.

Even more intensely, a red tide burst out of my mouth.

The heavy clashing sound and red light pouring down everywhere on my body.

It’s probably punishment for wanting it myself.

My brain rang, my heart burst, my arm cut off.

Only after the bloody phlegm stimulated my gasping tongue did I crave the mellow coffee we shared.

Tears flowed from my eyes, my hair entangled.

I wanted to feel her comforting touch.

The piercing eyes, not her kind gaze.

The cold grip, not her warm bosom.

The conversations and strolls, the days and time spent together.

Only then.

I desired it.

My vision turned white. Hot water streamed down my cheeks.

Ah.

That’s right.

This is love.

Forcing my nearly torn mouth open, I smiled.

I grabbed a kn*fe. bl**d gushed from the flesh I had sliced open.

The world turned red.

—

After carving out the knight, the ruins crumbled away like dust.

Erica exhaled.

Then she quickly scanned her surroundings.

It was desolate. The entirety of her assigned area seemed to be cleared out.

It was partly due to her skill being enough to handle it, but perhaps also because the number of knights had drastically declined from a certain point onwards.

What did Orli do?

Erica brushed her forehead as she emerged onto the road where her car was parked.

Orli was cryptic as usual with both his words and actions. Helping clear beyond just the invasion by telling tales of the Spirit World.

She’s probably going to tell ridiculous stories such as ‘because I liked you’ or ‘because you seemed cool’.

Rummaging a careless laughed, she got into the vehicle. Ultimately, something special must have started growing within her towards the endearing Orli. It didn’t take long for the interest to surpass mere familiarity.

As consciousness returned, she noticed she’d been beside her for too long, and in her rush to convey something, she found herself being teased.

Over time, she had become part of her daily routine. When looking into that cunning smile brought annoyance, but when she got close and clung to him, it was impossible not to give in with a slight hug.

Her ability to guess fatigue and invite café visits, or bring herbal remedies knowing they’d be welcomed, stirred up feelings inside her.

“I don’t like it.”

Erica murmured quietly and nodded hastily.

It seemed a call came via communication devices even as she felt the wind on her face through the window.

It was the director.

[Something urgent happened.]

“What’s going on?”

[You’ll know once you get there.]

The triangle marking that appeared on the map in her hand was close.

With the incursion seemingly over, could she really be needed for something?

Erica acknowledged the message, twisting the steering wheel.

No time was lost before the clamor reached her ears.

A change in the air currents made Erica frown. She sensed this before, perhaps countless times.

Parking her car, she adjusted her uniform and hurriedly walked toward the source. Increasing magical power and intensifying noise culminated in a critical point.

Erica faced it.

A giant glowing crimson flower.

Stagnant yet turbulent, radiant yet murky.

As chaos and metallic sounds danced, Erica strained to comprehend the scene that unfolded.

Uniforms spotted among hunters spouting bl**d and brief screams. Some lay motionless, unable to breathe. Hunters still clinging to life, wobbling as knives pierced their bodies, struggled to hold themselves upright.

“Gaaah!”

Another scream echoed, and when the bloody fog settled, Erica’s eyes widened.

Her vision focused on their center. A girl, a familiar face. But her appearance seemed different.

“…”

Ah.

Again.

Her face smiles, but her eyes seem ready to cry at any moment. Her hands, gripping the rusted kn*fe, tremble slightly.

As seen before, her usually composed demeanor had changed, revealing a fragile state.

Orli said nothing. Neither did Erica. They let silence reign for a moment.

Watching the black dress and white face smeared with bl**d, Erica sighed.

Her head felt unusually heavy.

How should she respond? Should she plead for these people to be spared if she’s taken as a hostage? She thought of surrendering now… but something more important weighed on her.

More important, what?

Is it the fallen, bleeding bodies or the struggling girl with a severed arm and ruptured abdomen?

Orli was the villain. That’s how she saw him. And she acted accordingly.

But things are different now.

Somehow, she recognized him differently. Unlike ordinary villains, he seemed warped, concealing what couldn’t be understood.

She had seen her frail side before. Somehow, it pained her.

Was it needless empathy? Or the newfound interest of her vulnerable heart?

She couldn’t decide. To her, it was like resisting the wheel of habit until something overwhelming disrupted her.

Villains, saints, living in a broken world, it all mattered little to her.

She herself lived mindlessly, and it confounded her.

“Pain somewhere?”

Seeing Orli standing before her, Erica felt disoriented.

Orli gently touched the scar on her abdomen, then weakly smiled.

His smile was hauntingly painful, making her hands quiver uncontrollably.

“Should have been more careful.”

No.

Not true.

You’re hurting even more.

You almost want to cry.

Why?

Why are you taking care of me first?

Faint blue eyes flashed. Her delicate skin marred by bloodstains.

Erica wanted to embrace her immediately, but she couldn’t. Her hands shook badly, and her heart felt tight as a vice.

The feeling on her abdomen faded. No breeze, no subtle winds subsided.

Orli passed by wordlessly.

Erica hurriedly watched her with her gaze. Spells unfolded, and giant bl**d-red rings glimmered.

In an instant, she disappeared.

Erica sank to the ground.

Did she have to let go? Was she left with no choice? If she let go, if she lost that girl here.

Biting her lip, Erica raised her head. A red current flowed down the alleyway.

She made a resolution.

Stirring herself, she stood.

—

Stepping forward.