Re:Zero Arc 8

Edited MTL

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Her kindness, her diligence, her ability to stand firm for others – all were commendable, yet those attributes weren’t exclusive to her alone.

No, it was her unique ability that others did not possess — “the Authority of Gluttony”.

As much as she wanted to sever ties with her past as a Sin Archbishop, that cross of burden would never let her escape. Subaru swore to her that he would not let her escape from that cross. She swore to Subaru she would not run from that cross.

— Therefore, their hope lies there.

“I possess the Authorities of Sloth and Greed”

The detestable Witch Cult, the vile Sin Archbishops. The powers once held by Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti and Regulus Corneas now circulated within Subaru.

Why did this happen? It felt repulsive, as if he had been passed a baton from those men, and Subaru had avoided addressing it deeply. However, he could no longer do that. For her, and for himself who chose her, he had to confront it.

And–,

“– If you choose the path of living as Spica, not Louis Arneb, like I have, you should be able to change the way you use the Authority too.”

All things have two faces, with their usage depending on how they’re handled. –No, it’s not only about tools. Whether a person becomes good or evil, the line is drawn by oneself. There are environments where this is not possible. However, they’ve been given the chance to do so.

— The “Gourmet” Lie Batenkaitos.
— The “Glutton” Roy Alphard.
— The “Satiation” Louis Arneb.

Those who wielded the given powers and became unforgivable sinners. Those who have the same power but choose the path of atonement, continuing to repay the world.

“– The Star Eater”

Evil precedents set by inseparable siblings. To correct the deeds of the sinners who bear the names of stars, to digest them as atones.

The newborn girl who devours stars, “Star Eater” Spica.

“–Iaai Aiaaa”

Her “memories” sealed by insects, she called the “name” of the one revived in an earthen vessel, and the girl given the name of the Pearl Star, her “Star Eater,” activates at the touch of her outstretched hand.

She knows of a white place, where nothing holds any meaning, a hollow place.

A place where all souls, beautiful and foul alike, are shorn away and reborn anew.

She devours the roles of those dragged down from that place.

To prevent their souls from ever being someone’s sustenance again, she devours their fate.

–The act of the Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins, wearing the names of stars, is devoured, as “Star Eater” manifests.

“–Oioo Aaaeiaa”

△▼△▼△▼△

In an instant, the Lamia were buffeted by the wind en masse, their movements halted.

Goz Ralfon, who was reeling with burns all over his body, did not miss this moment.

“–Got you”

In the midst of battle, under the pressing threat from the “Yang Swords” coming from all directions, Goz endured by discarding his flaming gear.

While fending off the relentless attacks, Goz, whose fighting spirit was not fading, closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the sound.

Thanks to the “Protection of Wind”, he could focus on the sound of the Lamia facing him. There are more than twenty Lamia, all of them making the same sound, making Goz realize he was facing a truly formidable enemy.

However, for the uniform Lamia, their compatibility with Goz was the worst.

For whatever reason, all the Lamia lost their footing at once.

It’s most likely Vincent’s doing. The Emperor of Volakia, to whom Goz has sworn his loyalty, had prepared a breakthrough move even in this dire situation. It was enough to make one want to sob with gratitude.

Withholding that urge, Goz raised the mace-spear in his hand, twisted the mid-section of the long handle to disassemble it into two parts: the striking part and the handle, and strongly hit the striking part with the handle.

In an instant, the shockwave of the spreading sound crashed into the unbalanced Lamia.

“–“

The golden mace-spear swung by Goz, a combination of a spear-like long handle and a spherical striking section at the end, was a masterpiece forged exclusively for Goz.

The object with a weight equivalent to that of ten people came to realize a technique unachievable by others – the “Howl” – in combination with Goz’s prodigious strength and his unique ears. This technique involves hitting the inherent, unique vibrations of life with the same vibrations in the form of a sound.

Goz Ralfon, contrary to his bold and daring exterior, possessed ears that could discern even the tonality of the wind and the talent of a genius capable of playing every musical instrument delicately. His ultimate “Howl” was the reason he was dubbed the “Lion Knight”.

In battle, Goz’s “Howl” attacked Lamia, who had grasped the inherent vibrations – no, it attacked all the Lamias. The cracks that had formed on all of them widened and the zombie princesses crumbled.

The same thing happened in a different carriage, separate from Goz’s battleground.

Roswaal, who decided that he was at a disadvantage against the “Yang Sword” and was fighting Lamia and the “Pruning Squad” with blades of wind and an avalanche of earth.

Garfiel, who with beast-like strength ripped apart not only Lamia and the “Pruning Squad” but also dragon carriages indiscriminately with his bestial claws.

Emilia, who was fighting the Lamias while freezing and reinforcing the dragon carriages being destroyed one after another, and her handcrafted army of icy effigies of the “Pruning Squad”.

All the people aboard the dragon-carriage chain never missed a moment, created in an unexpected way. Even if they didn’t know who made it, they didn’t miss that moment when they believed someone would.

Lamia Godwin and her duplicates, wielding the gleaming “Yang Sword”, were shattered one after the other.

????

“Ah!”

Biting down, Lamia’s long leg that spun her around, struck the girl that was touching her back – Spica. Upon taking the blow of Lamia’s kick, Spica’s body was sent flying. Subaru and Beatrice, who hand-in-hand with Spica, also flew excessively. There was a reason for this other than the strength in Lamia’s legs. Due to Beatrice’s “Murak”, the gravity that affected Subaru and the others had been greatly reduced, making them light as ping pong balls.

“Go!”

“Move!”

While Subaru and the others were being propelled upwards, Julius dived below them to step closer to Lamia. He broke through the dust of the defeated “Pruning Squad”, and thrust his rainbow-infused knight sword towards Lamia. The luminous sword strike from Julius sliced through even the powerful shears of the soldier as if it was pudding.

But the “Yang Sword” in Lamia’s hand also released a light and heat greater than that of Julius’ rainbow-shimmering blade, and it took the thrust head-on. An explosion of light occurred between the clashing swords, and Julius and Lamia were both repelled. They both immediately retaliated, ready for the next bout— which did not come.

“…In the ‘Imperial Selection,’ you never once lowered your hand yourself, did you?”

“—Yeah, that’s right.”

The words spilling out from Lamia, almost like a sigh, relaxed her lips. The one who responded was Abel, standing right behind her.

In Abel’s hand, he gripped a barbaric sword, melted halfway up the blade, its shortened and dulled edge still piercing Lamia’s body from the back.

“So, you’re finally ready to kill your own blood, your sibling.”

Neither the heart nor the head are the vital parts of the undead. If the core insects operating in the vessels of earth located by Beatrice and her group aren’t destroyed, the undead won’t stop operating.

But, waveringly, the “Yang Sword,” with its red blade pointing to the floor, fell. The fallen Yang Sword disappeared, swallowed by the space before its tip stabbed the floor. And the reason Lamia dropped it was because her fingertips crumbled, and she could no longer hold the sword.

“……”

Lamia twisted her body, and tossed off Abel’s hand, with the savage sword still impaled in her body.

She stumbled forward, a walking corpse that would shatter into pieces with a single thrust. Indeed, Jamal made a move to slice her with his melted twin swords, but Abel, reaching out his hand, stopped him.

Then, as Lamia, gasping for breath, turned back towards Abel,

“Father and brother Barthroy are not here. The two of them are satisfied.”

“—Lamia.”

With a single word, Lamia’s parting remark, Abel’s black eyes wavered.

Seeing just that one reaction, Lamia, with her pallid, cracked face, narrowed her lifeless golden eyes and smiled. —She giggled mischievously.

“—Temeglyph first commander!”

Immediately after, Lamia’s expression changed, and she sharply called out someone’s name.

That name was unknown to Subaru, but it held a significant meaning to several of people in this place.

Of course, the same applied to the person to whom the name belonged.

“Al Clauzeria!”

The quick response, the nimble creation of a rainbow aurora, came from Julius. He animated the tip of his readied sword, constructing the aurora barrier with the help of spirits. Julius’ decision saved the lives of everyone inside the vehicle. However, at the same time, the very aurora meant to protect impeded their actions, delaying their next move.

In response to Lamia’s cry, a bullet of light erupted from the side of the Dragon Car, burrowing through the carriage. The bullet, spread like a buckshot, exploded against the wall of the Dragon Car, the aurora barrier preventing it from piercing those inside. However, the bullets not stopped tore the roof away, leaving the interior of the carriage fully exposed.

Flying toward the now-exposed carriage was a barrage of ‘Pruning Troops’ being sequentially tossed in by Zombie Dragons – no, one particular creature amongst them, far surpassing the rest in acrobatics, was closing in.

That single, black Zombie Dragon pounced into the Dragon Car, stirring up a ferocious whirlwind, sweeping Lamia away with it. Lamia, whose arm up to the shoulder was already gone having dropped the ‘Yang Sword’, was swept into the sky by the undead atop the Zombie Dragon-

“—Balleroy, sir!?”

“Balleroy…”

“Balleroy!?”

Surprise filled multiple voices at the unexpected sight. However, the strongest shock, tinged with the deepest sorrow, came from:

“Big Bro Bar…?”

Medium, with widened blue eyes, whispered. The called undead didn’t respond. He only yanked on the reins of the Zombie Dragon beneath him, holding Lamia in his arms as he swiftly ascended. The Zombie Dragon, with the man aboard, directed itself away from the Dragon Car, flying off in the opposite direction. The distance between the two entities continued to broaden with every second of the Dragon Car’s travel and the Zombie Dragon’s flight.

“Big Bro Bar! Big Bro Bar—!!”

In her frenzy, Medium reached out towards the quickly disappearing figure. From behind, Flop grabbed her, stopping her reckless pursuit. The ‘Pruning Troop’ still remained inside the Dragon Car.

“Oh, ohhhh—!!”

The creatures with black armor covering their faces let out low growls, raising large shears menacingly. It was as if they held the intention to ensure their master escaped. Recalling their defeat at the hands of the ‘Blue Thunder’ during the “Imperial Selection” that didn’t allow them to do this, now, as the undead, they resolved to fulfill their lingering will.

“Everyone, don’t let your guard down ’til the end!”

The command of Anastasia echoed, and Julius, embodying this determination, was the first to move.

The beings capable of fighting picked up their weapons and confronted the “Pruning Squad” with rising morale. This clash was set to annihilate them to the very last soldier.

– Yet, it precisely bought enough time for their lord to escape, and truly allowed the last blossom of this assault by the “Pruning Squad” to bloom.

△▼△▼△▼△

– At the same moment as Balleroy Temeglyph abducted Lamia Godwin and flew away, an old man lay face-down over the tracks of the chain dragon carriage retreating into the distance, his face covered with his hand.

His entire body ached as if creaking, his scorched and torn feet cried out obnoxiously. But all this pain and injury was not what the old man desired.

What he considered the pain and injuries didn’t matter. He wondered why he hadn’t died… again.

“You were given a chance,” she said to the old man who was lying flat on the ground, cursing his pitiful existence. She didn’t look like a human. Instead, her agile and robust beastly form was considered superior by the people of the Vollachian Empire — it was seen as beautiful.

She acted with the squad left behind from the dragon carriage, ran chasing after the carriage as a messenger. She had, she said, witnessed the old man leaping out of the carriage with the flames of a “Meteor”.

And at the moment before the old man hit the ground, she plucked him from the doorstep of death.

“A chance…?”

“When you were thrown from the carriage, I couldn’t reach you in time. But the dead who leapt out with you, pushed you away.”

“——“

“That little bit of time was enough for me to make it. That’s all I can say,” said the leopard with a beautiful golden coat, shaking her head gently.

He understood what she meant and what she wanted to say. But he didn’t understand the truth.

The one who leapt at him may have been just an annoying distraction that was pushed aside. The true intentions of that one, a person whose intentions could never be fathomed.

And anyone from the royal family of Vollachia was similarly unfathomable.

“—So you can also get rid of that irritated expression.”

“—“

The look of surprise on her face when he said that, reminded the old man of something that seemed to choke his throat.

What it is, he didn’t know. He just… just thought.

“Shoulder the responsibility of the empire… The empire that you acquired even to the point of killing Lady Lamia…! Fulfill the duties of the emperor…!” A wolf in sheep’s clothing, an old man- or perhaps it was a goat- which had even falsified its own pelt color, strained to heap out his words. Deep within his thread-thin eyes, his true feelings lay.

The old man— the Imperial Chief Minister, Berstetz Fondalfon, gnawed on the living disgrace and wrung it out.

△▼△▼△▼△

The Crystal Palace, once praised as one of the most beautiful castles in the world, was now profoundly transformed. Ghouls walked the castle’s grounds, the scars of recent strife at the imperial city remained unhealed, leaving only death and destruction. Life and regeneration, which should be its pair, did not exist there. Consequently, the Crystal Palace had lost its original beauty, turning into a realm of horrors where the hideous proliferated. And yet—

“——“

The one who quietly opened her eyelids, hiding her red pupils, was a presence that had not lost its beauty even in this appalling realm.

Her long, orange hair was unraveled and frayed, and her lavish, blood-colored dress was torn here and there. Her skin, as white as snow, was dirt-streaked, but none of this could tarnish her. Beautiful things do not need superficial adornment. However—

“Tattered hair, torn dress; compared to you now, they seem as precious as gold.”

“……sweet of you to say, Prisca.”

Priscilla Barielle narrowed her eyes at the syrupy voice calling her by an old name.

Her arms were raised and restrained with special chains, the stance of a prisoner forced to stand. Nevertheless, neither Priscilla’s eyes nor her attitude held a shred of weakness.

There was no situation that could compel her to yield herself.

Priscilla, confined in the underground cells of the Crystal Palace of the Imperial City Lupgana, scrutinized her visitor ― Lamia Godwin, turned into a ghoul. Nine years ago, she died at her current age, she still retained her alluring presence that befit the ‘Poison Princess’ moniker, despite having the distinctive skin and eyes of a ghoul. However, the tattered dress and her disintegrated half body were now barely recognizable.

For a ghoul, the damaged parts should be able to repair themselves. If not, they could be easily replaced with new ones. Priscilla, who had observed these ghouls, understood this from her conjectures.

Lamia, who despises clumsiness and ugliness to an extreme, stood before her in such a state. Her reason?

“What’s this? Are you about to die again, Lamia?”

“Well, how could you say that to your sister? But yes, indeed. It seems like my connection with the Void Box has been cut off… no, more like eaten away.”

“……”

“Oh yes, listen to this, Prisca. I was finished by the hand of Brother Vincent. This is something you, who were cherished, wouldn’t understand, isn’t it?”

With a broken, and seemingly about to collapse hand against her mouth, Lamia smirks. Whether that is something to be proud of is subjective, but Priscilla snorted quietly to that. At her reaction, Lamia narrows her golden eyes.

“Really, it was so boring. Other than you and Brother Vincent, there is no one else who could have a proper conversation with me.”

“How many times have we had a so-called ‘proper conversation’?”

“The issue is not the number. My silly sister.”

Muttered Lamia, her hand against her mouth crumbled and disappeared.
Slowly, Lamia seemed to lose her form. Because she was standing right in front of her, that shape inevitably jumped into Priscilla’s eyes.

However, Priscilla did not close her eyelids. With her crimson eyes, she stared at Lamia.

While doing so,

“If your role is over, quickly exit the stage, Lamia. —— I’ll see you off, once again.”

At Priscilla’s words, Lamia slightly raised her eyebrows.

Then, she sneered like a sweet poison,

“You’re such an uncute sister.”

As far as Priscilla’s memory goes, those were exactly the same words and smile as her last moments when she was alive.

△▼△▼△▼△

“So, are you alright with your last conversation with your sister being just that?”

A somewhat light-hearted male voice addressed Priscilla, who had seen Lamia’s end. If she looked towards the faint sound of footsteps, she met eyes with a rugged-faced undead who came down the dungeon stairs. He had common undead eyes, black with a hint of gold.

However, his presence was on a different level from the other, poorly made undead, much like Lamia.

“So it’s you. You brought Lamia to the castle.”

“She was a brave lady. With that body, she came down to the dungeon herself. As expected from the noble princess of Vollachia… As a citizen of the Empire, I’m proud.”

“The rebels who dared to bare their fangs at the Emperor are brazen characters,”

“Well, when you put it that way, I guess there’s not much difference between us troublemakers,”

The way he spoke and the figure stepping forward from the shadows; now that she had a clear visual of him, Priscilla confirmed her conjecture-based solely on voice—his name was Balleroy Temeglyph, one of the former Nine Divine Generals of the Empire.

Priscilla had known him from her days in the empire. Back when she was married to a mid-ranking nobleman, her first husband. But the exchange between the living and the dead wasn’t about rekindling old connections.

“What brings you here? Surely it wasn’t to ask that ridiculous question earlier.”

“Of course, witnessing Lady Lamia’s last moments is part of my duty… but I have also brought dinner for you, my lady.”

As he said this, Balleroy lifted the silver tray, previously concealed behind him. It was an elaborate dish resembling something you’d find in a restaurant. Priscilla narrowed her fiery eyes, “I don’t need…”

“Now, now, don’t be like that. After all, we’re dead, aren’t we? We don’t need food, so it’s hard for us to realize that living people like you require nourishment. If I didn’t bring you food, such a beautiful woman would quickly diminish.”

Balleroy chuckled in a grim, colorless tone as he opened the dish. A warm steam and aroma filled the room. Seeing the food, Priscilla squinted one eye. Unbelievably, the food made by an undead creature seemed quite proper.

“Unfortunately, I can’t taste it, but I’m used to making it. I think it won’t taste bad. And do forgive me for serving such common food.”

“………”

In silence, Priscilla watched as Balleroy picked a fork from the tray, stabbed a piece of food, and brought it close to her mouth. Priscilla’s arms were bound towards the ceiling. She understood she had no choice.

“I will behead you myself,” she quietly declared, then accepted the offered food into her mouth.

It wasn’t bad. But it was cheap. Even with the ingredients found in the castle, if the cook’s skills and creativity are ordinary, the final product cannot be considered high-quality.

Under the silent pressure of Priscilla, Balleroy chuckled behind his undead mask. In that bitter smile, something outside of Priscilla seemed to show through.

“Well, you know, it reminds me of when I used to sneak food to girls who were punished by confinement for causing mischief.”

Sensing a change in the atmosphere, Balleroy revealed the true meaning behind his chuckle. While finding his response unpleasant, Priscilla commanded him to wipe around his mouth, then asked,

“Why are you trying to destroy the empire? What do you demand after your revival?”

“The former is not something for me to answer. However, the latter is simple.”

In response to her questioning, Balleroy shifted from his casual tone. Sensing this shift, Priscilla, too, picked up on a distinct rage that also existed within Lamia. With her impressions unfaltered, he stated,

“The undead always desire to clear their resentments and grievances.”

Just like that, Balleroy Temeglyph revealed the true desire of the undead, letting out a breathless laugh.

△▼△▼▼△▼△▼

“Damn it… I can still…!”

He kicked at the wet road furiously, turned the corner with force but promptly crashed into a wooden box that was in front of him with a shout of pain and fell sprawling.

A helmet hit the wet cobblestones, sending sparks of pain through his forehead and sight. The situation was not ideal for his dizzied state.
He must stand soon using one hand. If not, they will catch up; the observer in black, known as Viva the Dissector.

“Or else I’ll end up spilling my guts again…”

“He’s already here.”

“Gah!”

Feeling chill in his lungs, he swiftly drew the Green Dragon Blade from behind his waist and started swinging wildly, without any technique, in hopes of hitting his opponent.

However, despite his efforts, he swung into the void. Instead, a burning pain coursed through his side, wrenching the Green Dragon Blade from his grasp.

“Gah…”

“Resistance is futile. You are already different from the rest. There’s no point in shedding blood in vain. If you don’t fulfill the emperor’s wishes, you’re worthless.”

Clutching his bleeding side, the man desperately attempted to stem the flow of blood. He wished he could press his opposite hand to the wound, but his arm had been too severely injured.

Behind him, the zombie with aqua-blue hair, who covered his mouth with a black fabric, turned back while holding the curved knife in both hands.

The golden eyes glared back at him, seemed to be observing his bloody figure leisurely. It’s not like the zombie enjoyed tormenting his prey slowly. If the man were to believe the undead’s numerous excuses up until now, its true aim was experimentation.

Apparently, it wanted to test certain things using a living human’s body. Presumably, because it had been repeating similar acts since it was alive, it earned the nickname “The Dissector.”

“No good in fighting, no good in escaping… Could you just kill me quickly next time?” asked Al.

“Doing it in one go would be illogical,” the zombie responded, “I don’t want to make you suffer, I just want to confirm something.”

“Thought so… then,”

Realizing there was no point in talking to this opponent, Al glanced at his azure dragon sword lying nearby. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far away, he could manage to leap towards it.

The real question was whether he could successfully position the blade against his own neck. If he botched it and prolonged his suffering, it would defeat the purpose. – He didn’t have time to struggle.

“—!”

A second for judgment, a second for determination, and no second required to initiate action. Before the Dissector could commence his wicked act, Al lunged towards his azure dragon sword without any preamble.

Viva’s response was delayed by the sudden action, providing the man with a brief window to bring the blade of his azure dragon sword to his neck–,

“Nay, wouldn’t it be a bit too hasty to look forward to next life already?”

“Ah!?”

A small foot pressed down on the azure dragon sword, which he tried to slip out. The lithe figure offering the impish grin was standing on one foot on the azure dragon sword – a reckless act by a child in a Japanese-style kimono.

“A child does not meet the conditions I desire,” the blue-haired zombie, Viva, commented.

Unreservedly, at the arrival of the child, Viva began to rotate the dual knives in his hands, intending to plunge the same attack that pierced the man’s side into the child’s vital areas.

A dreadful routine that first immobilized arms and legs, followed by an internal organ check to complete the scene. As the knife approached him, the child raised his eyebrows,

“Ho ho! Your attitude of not minding the sudden intruder is impressive! But-“

“――!?”

The next moment, Viva’s head, who had wide eyes, flew off from his body.

Viva tried to swing his knife, but the child kicked his hand that was holding it, breaking his arm and severing Viva’s own head with his own knife.

Furthermore, the child lightly switched his feet on Al’s Dragon Sword, and with the next kick, he pierced the remaining body of Viva and shattered the corpse, who didn’t need to be “dissected.”

“Unfortunately, villains with bad tastes like you are not allowed to co-star!”

The child said in a light voice, contrary to the rough fight he had just shown.

On the other side of his utterance, Viva’s head, which was shattered, turned into dust with a shocked expression on his face and was consumed by the imperial city’s wind.

The child, who had made a mess, turned around with one foot still raised, saying to Al who was dazedly looking at the situation while lying on the ground,

“Excuse me for stepping on your sword. Look, the ground is wet, right? My footwear is zori, so it’s really unpleasant when it gets wet. So, I’m doing like this!”

“Well, I don’t mind that…”

Looking up at the child in a silly pose with one foot up, he gets up from his lying down body and scratches his butt. As the child said, it feels ugly because his butt is wet, but it’s already too late to do anything.

“Rather than that, I want to ask for your help. Can you treat me?”

“Ah, you must be uncomfortable with only one arm. Your unique figure is very appealing to me, so it’s a waste to say goodbye here! Alright!”

The child who laughed carelessly said, “However,!” and energetically added, pointing to the roof of the building nearby,

“As I said, I don’t want to wet my zori! Let’s move to the high ground then. Please be careful not to lose blood until then, Mr. Helmet!”

“…I’m Al, rascal.”

“Hahaha! Rascal! You talk like a boss, don’t you!?”

As the child laughed loudly, Al – the man who had been holding his side – exhaled deeply.

The child was not ordinary, but he felt the influence of someone he knew in the series of utterances that sprang up.

“Whether this encounter will be fortuitous or disastrous, either way—“
“Wait for me, Priscilla… I will definitely save you.”

※ ※ ※

The three-headed creature lost its strength, and finally, its colossal body sprawled out on the ground. Its wings were torn, with numerous ninja tools piercing its body, hitting almost all parts you might call life-supporting arteries. Even though all these were inflicted, it was hard to tell what dealt the lethal blow.

The only certainty was –

“I’m not really a fan of zombies, who are so far from being human,” Halibel muttered, flapping his sleeves and gazing at the three-headed dragon that was slowly crumbling into dust.

He finally exhaled after exhausting himself by increasing the number of bodies using his splitting technique. Even for him, fighting an opponent as large as a dragon was a tiring task. Ideally, he would like to retire from monster slaying after this.

“But still, Anastasia and the others were saying that the same thing could turn into a zombie,” he muttered.

If it was true, it was quite plausible for the three-headed monster he just knocked down to reappear. Perhaps Halibel could win again, but it was doubtful whether he could do so without causing collateral damage. Not to mention, his hands were going to be full in the meantime – an unnerving situation for a hired man. Julius, who was by Anastasia’s side, was skilled but –

“He’s not quite up to my standard,” Halibel said, clicking his neck bones and lighting the pipe he couldn’t puff during the fight to savour the smoke.

Then, after ensuring the three-headed monster’s body had completely dissipated, Halibel turned and looked far into the distance towards a chain-wheeled vehicle that had hurriedly left him behind.

And then –

“You know, after working so hard I kind of want a candy… Oh, I forgot, if I eat one, I will die,” he mumbled, starting to run as he followed the tracks of the vehicle that extended into the distance.