The woman quietly gazing up at the sky resembled a beautiful painting. Her serene visage reflected the starlight like a calm lake.
Her indifferent demeanor prompted me to ask without thinking.
“…Is it still like that now?”
“No.”
It was a direct answer.
But it wasn’t a satisfactory response.
Wasn’t she a woman betrayed by someone she trusted the most? How many times had she blamed the god since that day, living like a shell of herself?
Still, my doubts did not manifest into words.
The woman’s gaze slowly returned to me. Her simply clear smile gently tickled my heart.
Sometimes, eyes convey more emotion than words.
With all that affection in her gaze, I could only turn away, blushing.
“I met you.”
The night was deepening relentlessly.
Yulen clicked her tongue and turned her back.
Blood was gushing uncontrollably from the fallen man’s body. No matter how seasoned a martial artist, one could only lose their life after such blood loss before long.
There wasn’t even a moment to take a Healing Potion.
Even if he regained consciousness with a will of steel, there would be no hope left. Yulen’s aura was like poison; once it had spread throughout his body, he wouldn’t be able to move.
At least, if the Lady Virgin Saint were here, she could heal him.
Yulen’s sharp gaze turned toward the Lady Virgin Saint. Tears streamed down her face as she was making a commotion.
“P-Please let me go… Let me go right now! I-an, I-an…! If this continues, he’ll really die!!”
“You’re still making foolish choices until the end.”
Sighing deeply, Yulen wore a bitter smile.
“It’s just a small sacrifice. If a few orphans are sacrificed, countless orphans can be helped later. Why can’t you realize this simple truth?”
“Stop spouting nonsense and let me go right now…!”
“Will you make a foolish choice as well, sister?”
At that, the bewildered Lady Virgin Saint’s eyes turned blank as they stared at her palm.
Bloodstone.
If only this sacrificial offering was here, she could save I-an. It felt as if a glimmer of light pierced through the darkness.
Gulp.
The Lady Virgin swallowed hard. Just once, if she closed her eyes for just a moment, she could save the life of the man she loved.
Could there be a woman who wouldn’t succumb to this temptation?
Trembling fingers curled and unc curled repeatedly. She simply held the gem tightly in her hand, clasping it in prayer. Could this truly be called a wrongful act?
The Lady Virgin was no longer in her right mind.
“After all, isn’t it a sin already?”
Yulen’s sweet temptation whispered at the Lady Virgin’s ear.
Her last restraint was gradually crumbling.
“Though I cast aside my name and chose to live as a Lady Virgin Saint… what help has the Heavenly Deity given? You’ve accomplished nothing on your own. Everything has been accomplished with our help… Is there any reason today should be different?”
“I, I…”
“Let’s pray, sister.”
Yulen said with her usual kind smile.
“I-an is waiting for…”
“…too, dead.”
Stillness.
It was merely a faint voice. The sound was barely squeezed from her core.
The eyes of the Lady Virgin and Yulen slowly turned toward that source of sound.
Twitching, the blood-soaked body convulsed.
“I… won’t run away…”
Muttering something, the battered body tried to stand on the ground.
Golden eyes rose, scattering a deep glare in the darkness. A monstrous flame burned in the void.
Yulen’s brow furrowed.
This shouldn’t be possible. Those affected by Yulen’s aura invariably slowed down until their bodies froze.
It was normal to be immobile.
So, she thought it was over. But wasn’t that man getting up right now?
Common sense and reality were clashing. Yulen could only watch I-an with wide-open eyes for a while.
“Don’t… be scared…”
“What are you talking about…!”
“Someone, ha… told me.”
Breathing heavily, the man managed to stand on the ground.
The golden eyes, soaked in blood, shimmered with a faint glow.
“And what I should’ve told you sooner.”
“…You madman!”
Sometimes, when humans witness an extraordinary sight, they are seized by fear.
That was how Yulen felt now.
The man, in a sudden attack, drew his sword. I-an’s hand was groping inside his clothes.
It was clear he intended to pull out a Healing Potion.
But that wouldn’t happen.
Yulen was a master of swordsmanship. She was confident she could pierce I-an’s heart before his hand did.
If only the blood-red letters hadn’t been engraved before her eyes.
The void spilled blood. The surrounding magical power heated up and was being sucked into the wound.
The moment Yulen’s eyes widened in surprise.
Boom!
With an explosion, heat scattered in all directions. Yulen couldn’t withstand the shock and rolled on the ground. The flames clinging to her tail tormented her further.
“Graaah! I-an, you bastard…!”
Yulen hurriedly rubbed her tail against the ground to extinguish the fire. The grinding sound of her teeth involuntarily echoed.
The mage’s eyes flared with rage.
Behind the rising haze, she could see I-an gulping down the Healing Potion. To be honest, she had considered taking him hostage, but she had just realized.
That man was too dangerous.
He must not be left alive.
Although she had allowed one mistake, the situation remained decidedly favorable for Yulen. The gray lesions spreading across I-an’s body would lead Yulen to victory.
The power granted through her contract with the Evil God.
Yulen wasn’t an ordinary mage. She had forged a deep pact with the Dark Cult and had powers akin to a Dark Priest. In terms of pure strength received from the Evil God, Yulen even surpassed Miltram.
A gray aura, which would result in eternal failure upon the slightest contact.
Yulen believed in that power. Unlike the Heavenly Deity, the Evil God had never disappointed her.
And so, Yulen’s body shot off the ground.
There was no need to exert herself fully. After all, her opponent had already slowed down to a crawl.
Even if it were slow, it was precise.
Just after Yulen’s sword traced the gray trajectory with powerful intent.
Clang.
A sound that shouldn’t be heard reverberated.
Yulen stared vacantly at her rebounding sword. This couldn’t be possible; Yulen’s sword had failed to complete its mission, having struck something.
The silver aura flared like fire.
Yulen’s vision was consumed by silver light. The instinct within her immediately rang alarms.
She had to stop it.
The aura was tightly curled like a budding flower. The light of the bloom was more intense than ever.
Just like now.
Screaming, Yulen thrust her sword with all her might.
“I-an…!”
In an instant, dozens of gray branches shot out.
Even when I-an’s body was whole, it was difficult to block such swift swords. Yulen’s reason informed her that the outcome was all but decided.
Yet, why?
Yulen’s heart raced with such anxiety.
Clang, and the silver bloom blossomed.
The silver aura enveloped I-an’s entire being like mist. Even dozens of thrusts could not penetrate that barrier.
Swords clashed.
Flames danced together splendidly. With every clang of sharp metal, the astonishment in Yulen’s eyes deepened.
It was getting faster.
As if only the world I-an stood on were repeatedly accelerating.
A back-and-forth, endlessly splitting moments into mere instants. In the midst of it, Yulen suddenly felt déjà vu.
Time was moving oh so slowly.
Amidst the stagnant flow, Yulen’s body felt as if it were sinking into a lake, unable to move properly. In this heavy world, I-an alone maintained his pace.
Falling behind more and more.
Yulen felt a breath-stealing terror at that fact. If this continued, the result of the bout was clear.
It was nonsensical. Wasn’t the time she spent trying not to fall behind, trying not to die?
An intense concentration brought back memories from the past.
The day the Lady Virgin Saint became ‘the Lady Virgin Saint’, Yulen had been so terrified. Unlike her mental pillar, his was nothing more than an orphan who could handle a sword a bit.
As his skills stagnated, Yulen’s fear escalated.
He would be eliminated. Abandoned.
And then, he would die.
She detested it. Yulen wanted to see the new world she would create by her sister’s side.
The Dark Cult came to him in his despair.
And yet, now, to die.
He had struggled, dedicating everything. He couldn’t die like this.
Finally, unable to contain her anxiety, Yulen’s sword plunged deep into I-an’s body. Taking yet another step forward, delivering a deadly blow that added speed and power.
That was her downfall.
No sensation returned.
I-an’s body spun and rotated. It danced, following Yulen’s sword.
Yulen knew that technique well.
Vision Transmutation, Refraction.
She had been hit.
Yulen wanted to contain I-an by the tail, but even before that, an axe crushed her tail into the ground.
“Graaah!”
After the scream, a chilling sensation touched Yulen’s neck.
It was a blade.
I-an’s body was in shambles. Due to massive blood loss, the focus in his eyes became hazy, his limbs trembled, and there wasn’t a part from his hair to the tips of his toes that wasn’t soaked in blood.
Yet, the final victor was him.
Yulen chuckled as if in disbelief. Soon, a dry voice was thrown towards him.
“…My last words.”
Just two syllables; the meaning was clear.
Yulen shut his eyes for a moment and fell into contemplation. Words that should be left for the last moment.
The pondering didn’t last long.
Just as Yulen opened his eyes again, a smile hung at the corners of his mouth.
“Don’t say ‘please take care of the Lady Virgin Saint.’”
A bewildered gaze turned toward I-an. Still, there was no change in the man’s expression.
“Of course, that’s only natural.”
Then Yulen’s eyes widened in surprise.
She burst into a hearty laugh and said.
“Shut up, you womanizer…”
That was the end.
Yulen’s head flew into the sky, and blood gushed forth as if erupting from a fountain, pouring down like a torrential rain.
In the crimson downpour, I-an closed his eyes and quietly clasped his hands.
“…Emmanuel.”
Mourning the death of once a friend.
