Chapter 539 — Arc 8, Chapter 28 – “Siblings of the Empire”

A premonition had emerged within him.

When the Stargazer Ubilk had named her the light that would save the Empire, he had racked his brains in earnestness and plunged into thinking.

Just how could she possibly become the nemesis to the resurrected dead.

Just what about her, was unalike other humans.

Being a kind girl. Being earnest. Being able to endure for someone. All of that was wonderful, but those conditions applied to others as well.

It was not that, but a specialty she alone was endowed with, and no others were――.

Subaru: [――The Authority of Gluttony.]

Even if she wished to part with her past of having been a Sin Archbishop, that cross shan’t ever let her loose.

Subaru had pledged to her, that he shan’t let her loose from bearing that cross.

She had pledged to Subaru, that she would not escape bearing that cross.

――Thus, therein lied hope.

Subaru: [I have, the Authority of Sloth and Greed.]

The abominable Witch Cult, the abhorrent Sin Archbishops.

Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti and Regulus Corneas, the Authorities they wielded were now, through many series of events, within the deepest depths of Subaru’s.

Why, had this happened. Repulsed as though they had passed the baton onto him, Subaru did not confront it with gravitas as befit. But, that was no longer possible for him.

For her, for Subaru who had chosen her, he must confront it.

And so――,

Subaru: [――If you are going to choose a life as Spica, not Louis Arneb, then you should be able to change even the way the Authority is used, just as I have.]

There were two sides to every coin, all tools depended on the way they were used. ――No, not just tools.

Whether a person became good, or was lacquered with evil. It was oneself who drew the final line. There existed circumstances where something of such sort eluded capability. But, she had been bestowed the opportunity to do such.

――Ley Batenkaitos of Gourmet.

――Roy Alphard of Bizarre Eating.

――Louis Arneb of Satiation.

Wielding the power they had been endowed with, ones who became sinners, never to be forgiven by the world.

Possessing the same power as them, an atoner who walked the path of indemnifying the world.

Subaru: [――Star Eating.] [1]

The inextricably intertwined siblings, who etched an antecedent of evil.

The atoner would eat anew their antecedent, the deeds of the sinners who inherited the names of stars.

The newborn girl who eclipsed stars, Spica of Star Eating.

Spica: [――E ea.]

Calling the Names of those resurrected in vessels concocted of earth, whose Memories were sealed within bugs, the Star Eating of the girl bestowed with the name of the Alpha Virginis, was activated with her protruding hand, with the touch of her fingers.

He knew of an empty place, white, where naught held meaning.

The place where the elements of all souls, be they beautiful or sullied, were scoured and born anew.

Eating their role, that of those who had been hauled down from that place.

Eating their fate, such that those souls could never again be food for another.

――Eating the deeds of the Sin Archbishops affixed with the names of stars, Star Eating came to materialize.

Spica: [――A ou o e ea.] [2]

△▼△▼△▼△

That instant, the Lamias were all engulfed by the wind, halting their movements.

Goz Ralfon, as he bore searing wounds all over his body, did not miss this fleeting opportunity.

Goz: [――Got you.]

In the midst of battle, he had been exposed to the threat of the encroaching Yang Sword from every direction; however, Goz had shed his flame-engulfed armor, enduring the onslaught.

As he skillfully handled each attack, Goz closed his eyes, his will to fight undiminished, devoting himself to the sounds around him.

Thanks to the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion, he could concentrate on the sounds of the Lamias he opposed. With more than twenty Lamias, and the sound between all of them remaining identical, Goz understood that he was facing a truly formidable foe.

But, for all the identical Lamias, their compatibility against Goz was the worst possible.

For some unknown reason, all the Lamias had collapsed simultaneously.

It must have been Vincent’s doing. The Vollachian Emperor, to whom Goz swore loyalty, had prepared a means to break the deadlock, even in such a situation. It was enough to bring Goz to the brink of tears.

Holding back his emotions, Goz raised his mace, and twisting the middle of its long handle, he disassembled it into the two parts of the striking head and the shaft. Using the shaft, he brandished the striking head with great force.

In an instant, the shockwave of sound that erupted crashed against only the collapsed Lamias.

Lamia: [――――]

The golden mace wielded by Goz, combining a long spear-like handle with a spherical striking head, was a masterpiece forged exclusively for his use.

Weighing as much as ten men with a single swing, when combined with Goz’s herculean strength and exceptional ears, it realized a technique unattainable for others―― Each and every living organism possessed vibrations unique to themselves, and the “howl”, which could strike one’s opponents with those same vibrations in the form of sound, had been attained by Goz.

Contrary to his bold and dauntless appearance, Goz Ralfon possessed ears that could distinguish even the nuances in the sounds of the wind, and he had the skill of a genius who could delicately perform with any and all musical instruments.

That deadly “howl” was precisely why Goz was known as the Lion Knight.

Once he had seized her unique vibrations in the heat of battle, Goz’s “howl” assailed Lamia―― No, it assailed all the Lamias, causing the cracks within each of them to grow, shattering the undead Princesses.

――Similar events had transpired in various carriages separate to Goz’s battlefield.

Deeming flames to be ineffective against the Yang Sword, and instead confronting Lamia and the Pruning Corps with blades of wind and landslides of earth, was Roswaal.

Using the immense strength from his beastification, his beastly claws ferociously tearing through Lamia, the Pruning Corps, and even the dragon carriage itself, was Garfiel.

Reinforcing the dragon carriages with ice as they were destroyed one after the other, slipping past the group of ice sculptures she had created to take on the Pruning Corps, and battling with the Lamias, was Emilia.

Everyone aboard the coupled dragon carriages did not overlook the moments of opportunity that had been created in an unexpected way.

They did not overlook the fleeting instance, believing that someone, even if they did not know who, would create such a moment.

With the radiant Yang Sword in hand, the Lamia Godwins, were shattered one after the other――,

△▼△▼△▼△

???: [――Hk.]

???: [Auu!!]

Clenching down on her molars, Lamia spun her body around, and slammed her long legs against the girl who had touched her back―― Spica. Receiving Lamia’s kick, Spica’s body was violently blown away. Subaru, who had been holding Spica’s hand, and Beatrice flew an excessive amount together.

There was a reason for that other than simply the strength of Lamia’s legs. Due to the effects of Beatrice’s Murak, the gravity applied to Subaru and the other two had decreased as much as possible, and they had become as light as ping-pong balls.

Subaru: [Gooo!]

???: [On it!]

Slipping under Subaru and the others who had been sent flying, Julius stepped towards Lamia.

Tearing through the dust of the Pruning Corps, which he had cut down, the thrust of the Knight’s sword, clad in rainbow as it was, was unleashed upon Lamia. Housing an aurora, Julius’s sword thrust even cut through the great shears of the powerful soldiers as if they were pudding.

However, the Yang Sword held by Lamia released a light and heat more intense than the brilliant rainbow of Julius’s sword, and halted the blow from the thrusting attack head-on.

As light erupted upon the clash of sword on sword, Julius and Lamia both repelled each other. Both parties counterattacked immediately, and the next sword fight―― did not begin.

Lamia: […Even in the Imperial Selection Ceremony, you never once did things by your own hand, now did you?]

???: [――Yes, that is correct.]

Loosening her lips, Lamia muttered those words like a sigh. Responding to that was Abel, who stood directly behind her.

In Abel’s hand was gripped a half-melted barbarian sword, and although the blade had become short and dull, it still was able to pierce through Lamia’s back.

Lamia: [At long last, you finally feel inclined to use your own hands to kill your blood-related sibling.]

An undead’s weak point was neither their heart, nor their cranium.

Operating within the vessels of earth, were the Corebugs discovered by Beatrice and Roswaal. As long as that remained intact, the activity of the undead would not come to a halt.

However, the Yang Sword, its red blade pointed to the floor, was dropped with a swaying motion. Before the tip of the falling Yang Sword could pierce the floor, it vanished as if it was swallowed by the air.

And the reason why Lamia had let it fall, was because the tips of her fingers had crumbled. She no longer was able to hold a sword.

Lamia: [――――]

Twisting her body, with the barbarian sword still skewered through her body, Lamia shook free from Abel’s hand.

Taking tottering steps, her dying body was such that it seemed like anybody could take a weapon and cause her to fully crumble to pieces with just a single strike. In fact, Jamal swung his melted twin swords around, displaying his intent to slash at her, but Abel held him back by reaching his arm out.

Then, gasping very feeble breaths, Lamia looked back at Abel, and,

Lamia: [It seems that neither father, nor Barthroy-niisama, have come back. After all, those two were satisfied.]

Vincent: [――Lamia.]

Those brief words left behind by Lamia had caused Abel’s sable eyes to waver.

Seeing that single reaction, Lamia narrowed her lifeless aurelian eyes, and her cracked face of pallid hue contorted into a smile. ――It was an awfully devilish smile.

Lamia: [――General First-Class Temeglyph!]

Immediately after, Lamia’s expression changed, and she called out a name with a shrill voice.

It was not a name that was known to Subaru, but for several of the people currently present, that name held immense significance.

Of course, that also went for the very person whose name was called out.

Julius: [Al Clauseria!]

With an instantaneous reaction, it was Julius who briskly painted an aurora of rainbow.

Springing the tip of his readied sword up, Julius borrowed the power of his Spirits and created a barrier of intense light. Thanks to Julius’s quick judgment, the lives of everyone in the carriage had been saved.

But at the same time, since the aurora, laid out in order to protect them, had hindered their mobilization, they were slow on the next move.

Responding to Lamia’s call, a bullet of light had come from the side of the coupled dragon carriages and perforated the wagon.

The bullet-like object had blown away the wall of the dragon carriage, and the aurora had prevented it from shooting out the people inside. However, a light orb that had not been stopped was able to tear off the roof, and it fully exposed the inside of the carriage.

Slicing through the air and approaching the exposed wagon, was one from the flock of undead flying dragons that had been deploying the Pruning Corps one after the other―― No, it was one that had mastered acrobatic flight to an extent utterly incomparable to that of the rest of them.

Clad in a fierce wind, that dark, undead flying dragon swooped down upon the dragon carriage, and snatched Lamia up.

Having dropped the Yang Sword, Lamia’s arm had already been reduced back to its shoulder, and she was swept up into the air; sat astride the undead flying dragon, the undead who had performed that act was――,

Julius: [――Balleroy-dono!?]

Vincent: [Balleroy…]

Flop: [Balleroy!?]

At that unexpected figure, several voices of astonishment were raised.

But, one among them was most potent with shock, and at the same time, it was the most heartbroken.

Medium: [Ballebro?]

Her blue eyes opened wide, Medium’s mutter was met with no response from the undead she had called out to.

Only, pulling the reins of the undead flying dragon he was mounted on, he immediately ascended with Lamia snatched in his arms. As the undead rode the undead flying dragon, it faced its head toward the rear of the dragon carriage, and flew in that opposite direction.

As much as the coupled dragon carriages ran, as much as the undead flying dragon flew, the distance between the two of them increased.

Medium: [BALLEBRO! BALLEBROOO――!!]

Losing control of herself and stretching out her arms, Medium tried to chase the silhouette that had immediately faded out of sight.

From behind, Flop jumped at his little sister and put a stop to her rash actions. The Pruning Corps yet remained in the coupled dragon carriages.

Pruning Corps: [Ohh, RAAAAHHHHHHH――!!]

Those who covered their faces with black helmets raised a deep roar, and fiercely raised their great shears overhead.

It was just as if their collective will was to try and fulfill their master’s escape.

In the past, at the time their master had been killed in the Imperial Selection Ceremony, that was something they had been unable to accomplish due to being defeated by the Blue Lightning; so now that they had been turned into undead, that was the dying wish they would attempt to fulfill.

???: [Everybody, don’t lose focus till it’s all over!]

Anastasia shouted a command, and Julius, being the first to receive that ardor, burst into action.

Those who could fight took up their weapons and clashed head-on with the Pruning Corps who had just raised their own spirits. Thus, the current clash annihilated them down to their very last soldier.

――But, having bought time until their master could make her escape, there was no doubt that the final moments of this raid by the Pruning Corps had certainly blossomed into a flower of success.

△▼△▼△▼△

――Around the same time when Balleroy Temeglyph had snatched up Lamia Godwin and flew away.

Far, far away, collapsed on the tracks left behind by the speeding coupled dragon carriages, the old man covered his face with his hands.

His entire body creaked in pain, and his hideously burnt legs impudently cried out. Yet, neither the pain nor his inflamed wounds were things the old man had desired.

Pain and wounds and the like, he gave not the slightest care. ――Why, why had he failed to die yet again?

???: [You were given an opportunity.]

To the old man who was lying on his back, cursing his own disgraceful self, she said so.

She was not in human form. But, her supple yet strong beastly appearance epitomized what the humans of the Vollachian Empire deemed to be superior and beautiful.

Acting with the forces that were left behind at the rear of the dragon carriage, chasing after the coupled dragon carriages in order to deliver a message, she had certainly witnessed the figure of the old man leaping out with the flames of the Meteor.

And, just before the old man was about to slam against the ground, she had snatched him away from death.

Man: [By opportunity, you mean…?]

Woman: [When you were thrown out of the dragon carriage, I could not have made it to you in time with these legs of mine. But, the undead that flew out with you sent you flying.]

Man: [――――]

Woman: [In that brief bit of time, my legs were able to make it. That is all I am able to say.]

Shaking her head slowly, the beautiful, golden-furred leopard informed the old man.

He understood what she had said, along with the intentions behind it. However, he did not know the absolute truth.

Perhaps that person had merely pushed the old man who had jumped at her aside, finding him bothersome. She was a person whose true intentions he was not able to understand in the slightest.

Thus, him having no idea about what someone else was thinking, was something that applied to every member of the Vollachian Imperial Family.

???: [――So, you were capable of making such a frustrated face.]

Man: [――Hk]

Recalling her surprised expression when she had said that, the old man’s throat clogged up on something.

Just what that was, even the old man did not know. He just had this, only this one thought.

Man: [If you even went as far as to kill your younger sister… to kill Her Excellency Lamia, in order to obtain this Empire, then take responsibility…! Fulfill your duty as Emperor… Hk!]

Was he perhaps a sheep or a goat that had disguised even his own fur, merely feigning as a Sword Wolf? The old man, who was simultaneously none of these things, and still somewhat all of them, wrung his voice out.

Those were his own true feelings that lay deep within his eyes, narrowed to the thinness of threads.

The old man―― The Imperial Prime Minister, Berstetz Fondalfon, reflected upon the shame of his life, and wrung it out as words.

△▼△▼△▼△

――The Crystal Palace, often appraised as the world’s most beautiful castle, had undergone a major change to its state of affairs.

The undead roamed freely within its walls, and the wounds from the recent conflict that was centered in the Imperial Capital had not healed in the slightest; remaining there was only death and destruction, without the counterparts of life and restoration.

For this reason, the Crystal Palace had lost its original beauty and had become a dreadful realm of rampant repulsiveness.

However――,

???: [――――]

Quietly opening the eyelids that contained those crimson eyes, was a being who, even in this realm of suffering, had not lost their beauty.

Her long orange hair was unraveled and frayed, her luxurious blood-red dress was torn all over, her snow-white skin was marred by dust and grime, but none of it tarnished her allure in the slightest.

For those who were truly beautiful possessed traits that had no need for any superficial adornment.

But then again――,

Woman: [Compared to your current appearance, even frayed hair and torn clothing appear as excellent as gold.]

???: […That is something that you would say, Prisca.]

At the sickly-sweet tone of voice that called her by her old name, Priscilla Barielle narrowed her eyes.

Her arms were raised overhead, restrained by special chains, and her appearance was that of a prisoner of war being forced to stand. Despite this, there was not the slightest hint of vulnerability in Priscilla’s eyes or demeanor.

After all, no matter where she was restrained and made to stand, there was not a single reason for her to yield.

Priscilla, who had been locked in the dungeon of the Crystal Palace in the Imperial Capital of Lupugana, was skeptical of the one who had expressly come to visit her―― the now-undead Lamia Godwin.

She appeared to be of the same age as when she had died nine years ago, and while she possessed the skin and eyes that were characteristic of the undead, her alluring presence that had earned her the name of the Poison Princess was very much intact.

With her dress in tatters and half her body destroyed, she was now but a mere shadow of her former self.

Since she was an undead, she should have been able to restore the parts that had crumbled. Even if that was not the case, she could easily just transfer herself to a new earthen vessel. Having observed the undead and made those inferences, Priscilla then understood.

She grasped why Lamia, who despised unsightliness and disgracefulness to the extreme, had appeared before her in such a sorry state.

Priscilla: [What, are you going to die yet again, Lamia?]

Lamia: [My, that is quite the way to speak to your elder sister. But, indeed. After all, my connection to the empty box has been severed… No, it is more like the connection has been eaten.]

Priscilla: [――――]

Lamia: [Ah yes, listen to this, Prisca. Vincent-niisama did this to me with his own hands. This is something he has never done for you, whom he holds so dear, right?]

Lamia placed her hand, still intact though about to crumble, over her mouth and laughed.

Whether or not that was something that merited boasting was a matter of one’s own sense of values, but Priscilla just sniffed quietly. At her reaction, Lamia narrowed her aurelian eyes and said,

Lamia: [Truly, it has been quite dull. Apart from you and Vincent-niisama, there exists nobody else capable of holding a proper conversation with me.]

Priscilla: [Albeit, the number of proper conversations between you and mineself had could be counted on one’s fingers.]

Lamia: [It is not a matter of quantity. Foolish little sister.]

With that murmur from Lamia, the hand she had placed over her mouth crumbled and vanished.

Slowly, Lamia was losing what was left of her form. Since she stood directly before her, the sight filled Priscilla’s vision whether she wanted to see it or not.

However, Priscilla did not shut her eyelids. Those crimson eyes, trained their gaze on Lamia.

And, with that gaze trained upon her,

Priscilla: [If your role has concluded, swiftly make your exit, Lamia. ――Once more, mineself shall attend your deathbed.]

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

Then, with a smile akin to sweet, sweet poison,

Lamia: [Such an unlovable little sister.]

As far as Priscilla could remember, those were the exact same words and smile as her final moments from the time she was alive.

△▼△▼△▼△

???: [For a final convo between fellow sisters, was that enough to satisfy ya?]

To Priscilla, who had just witnessed the end of Lamia, the lighthearted voice of a man called out from somewhere.

Turning her face in the direction of the faint footsteps, she met eyes with the undead who had descended the dungeon staircase, wearing a dauntless expression. Golden brilliance looming within black, he possessed eyes shared by all undead.

However, just like Lamia, the atmosphere he exuded set him apart from the other undead of poor craftsmanship.

Priscilla: [So it was you? That is, the one who brought Lamia back to the palace.]

???: [She sure was a tough cookie, now wasn’t she? With her body in such a state, she came down to the basement all on her own. As expected of a noble Vollachian Princess… as an Imperial Citizen myself, it makes me rather proud.]

Priscilla: [For a rebel who turned his fangs on the Emperor, those words are plenty shameless.]

???: [I ain’t got any ground to stand on if ya say that to me, but… If it’s in the sense of being a rogue to the Empire, there ain’t much of a difference between myself and M’lady.]

With such a manner of speaking, the standing figure stepped forth out of the darkness.

The person’s form clearly entering her vision, Priscilla confirmed the guess she had made based on voice alone. The name of this undead was Balleroy Temeglyph, a former member of the Empire’s Nine Divine Generals.

And in the past, he had been an acquaintance of Priscilla’s during the times when she had still been in the Empire. That was when Priscilla had been the wife of an Imperial Mid Count, her first husband.

Nonetheless, this was not a case of the living and the dead renewing an old friendship from bygone days.

Priscilla: [What business have you? ‘Tis impossible to think your foolish question earlier was the whole purpose.]

Balleroy: [Of course, ascertaining the last moments of Her Excellency Lamia was part of my job… But, I’ve also brought a meal for M’lady.]

While saying that, Balleroy raised a silver platter that he had been hiding behind his back.

With a similar silver lid resting on top, it adhered to the formalities one would see in a restaurant, but as Priscilla narrowed her crimson eyes,

Priscilla: [Needless.]

Balleroy: [Well now, that goes without saying. After all, we’re all dead, right? Since we ain’t got the need for food, it’s unthinkable that we’d have food for living people like you M’lady. If I didn’t bring anything, a rare beauty woulda been ruined.]

The color of his skin bereft of life, Balleroy smiled as he lifted the lid off the meal.

Then, warm steam and aroma diffused, and Priscilla closed one eye at the dish before her.

For something made by an undead, it appeared to be rather respectable cooking.

Balleroy: [Unfortunately, I couldn’t sample it since my sense of taste is gone, but I’ve got experience with cooking, so I don’t think it’ll taste bad. Uh-oh, please forgive me for giving ya the cuisine of commoners.]

Priscilla: [――――]

As Priscilla remained silent, Balleroy took the fork that was on the platter and used it to stab the food; then, he brought it towards her mouth.

Priscilla’s arms were bound to the ceiling. She knew she had no choice but to do that, but.

Priscilla: [I shall lop off your head with my own hands.]

Calmly announcing that, Priscilla ingested the food presented to her.

It was not bad. But, it was cheap. Even when using ingredients from inside the Palace, if the skills and conceptions of the chef were cheap, the finished product could not be designated as high quality.

At Priscilla’s silent pressure, Balleroy gave a wry smile with the face of an undead. Within that smile, Priscilla caught a glimpse of something other than what was being directed towards herself,

Balleroy: [Nah, this just reminded me ‘bout how there was a time in the past when I fed a young lass like this, since she was locked up as punishment for causing mischief.]

Sensing a change in atmosphere, Balleroy divulged the true meaning behind his wry smile.

While sensing displeasure in his answer, Priscilla voiced a “Wipe” to have him wipe her mouth, and then,

Priscilla: [For what reason are you lot destroying the Empire? In resurrection, what is it you desire?]

Balleroy: [――It ain’t my place to give an answer for the former. But, the latter is quite simple.]

Upon receiving that question, his wry smile from just before and his light-hearted tone both disappearing, Balleroy responded.

In response to the change in atmosphere surrounding Balleroy, Priscilla became alert once again. Inside of him―― No, it had been in Lamia too, was that definite indignation.

Without betraying Priscilla’s impression――,

Balleroy: [The desires of the dead have been fixed since the dawn of time, it’s to clear up any remaining grudges or pent-up resentment.]

Indeed, revealing the heartfelt desires of the undead, Balleroy Temeglyph spilled those words in a voice of lifeless laughter.

△▼△▼△▼△

Man: [Did I… get killed? Fucking hell!]

Kicking off the wet road with a splash, he turned the corner ahead of him with vigor. That instant, his hips slammed against the wooden crate directly in front of him, and he forcefully tumbled over as he screamed an “Ugh”.

Inside the helmet as it crashed against the wet stone pavement, pain flashed through his forehead, and he saw a spark in his vision. But, as a halo of birds spun above his head, this was not a situation in which he could afford to collapse.

Placing his right hand on the ground, he had no choice but to hurry and get back up.

If he did not do so, the man would come. ――Garbed in black, the one who wished to observe him, the one known as Viva the Dissector, would come.

Man: [If I don’t, he’ll make my organs spill out again…]

???: [I have already come, got it?]

Man: [――Hk.]

Feeling a chill in his lungs, he drew the dao from the back of his waist in the blink of an eye. Lacking any technique or form, he swung it around in order to hit his opponent through brute-force sweeps, no matter where he may be.

However, though it ought to have landed a hit no matter where the opponent was, the dao missed; instead, a scorching pain passed through his armpit, and the dao slipped right out of his hand.

Man: [Gah… hk.]

Viva: [Resistance is futile, got it? Even in the best of circumstances, the conditions you meet differ from those of the others, got it? If you shed blood in futility, unable to conform to the Emperor’s desires, you will be of no value, got it?]

Constricting the arm where the blood was spurting out of his armpit, he struggled in vain trying to reduce the amount of blood he was losing. He would have wanted to support the open wound with his opposite hand if possible, but it had already been too long since he said goodbye to that arm for such a wish to be granted.

Behind him as he let out cries of pain, dual-wielding curved-edge knives and concealing his mouth with a black cloth, a blue-haired undead turned to face him.

The pair of golden eyes glared at him, intently observing him as he shed blood.

That his opponent enjoyed gradually torturing people to death, was not the case. As long as he believed what Viva had said several dozens of times up till now, his opponent’s aim was experimentation.

Using the body of a living person, it seemed there were things he wished to ascertain. Likely, that was something he had been doing over and over since the time he had been alive, which was why his alias was the “Dissector”.

Man: [So neither can I fight, nor can I escape… I wanna move on to the next one, so could you just make it painless?]

Viva: [To make it “painless” would be illogical, got it? It is not as though I wish to torment you, there are merely things I wish to ascertain, got it?]

Man: [As I thought~… So be it.]

Giving up all hope that he could reason with his opponent, he shifted his gaze towards his fallen dao. Fortunately, it was not lying very far from him, and it seemed like he would be able to jump to it.

The problem would be whether he would be successful in cutting off his own head or not. If he failed, the suffering would be hopelessly prolonged. ――This was no time to hesitate.

Man: [――Hk!]

A judgment was made in one second, a resolve was settled in one second; not even one second was needed for him to burst into action. Before the Dissector could commence his malevolent deeds, the man immediately dived towards the dao without warning.

Viva’s response to that act was a move too slow, and in that opening he would use the blade of the dao to slice through his own neck――,

???: [No no, isn’t it a little too soon to abandon this life and move onto the hereafter?]

Man: [Ah!?]

As he tried to slice with the dao, something was pinning the blade down against the ground. From what he could see, what had done that was a small leg, and continuing upward, was a slender waist, and a crazy smile.

Standing on the dao with one leg, was the reckless act of a child wearing a wafuu-style outfit.

Viva: [A child, this is yet another undesired condition, got it?]

Upon the entry of that child, Viva spun the two knives in his hands and, without a shred of hesitation, attempted to drive the same attack that had gouged the man’s armpit into the vitals of the child.

It was the most horrible routine of rendering the arms and legs useless, then proceeding to perform an inspection on the internal organs.

Seeing those blades close in on him, the child raised an eyebrow and,

Child: [Hoho! To completely ignore the sudden pretensions of an intruder, I must say bravo! Although…]

Viva: [――Hk!?]

In the subsequent instant, Viva’s head, his eyes wide open, came flying off from his torso.

The child had kicked the hand gripping the knife Viva had tried to swing, and as that arm shattered, it was instead Viva’s own head that had been severed off by his own knife.

And then, the child nimbly switched the foot he had standing on the dao, and his next kick perforated what remained of Viva’s torso, and the body of the undead, on which Dissection would not be required, was pulverized to smithereens.

Child: [Unfortunately, co-starring with a villain of poor tastes such as yourself is NG!]

In contrast to the death battle he was taking part in, the child declared so in a frivolous tone.

On the opposite side of that remark, the head of Viva, whose body had been destroyed, gave an astonished expression as it crumbled to dust, engulfed by the winds of the Imperial Capital.

The man could do nothing but watch with a dumbfounded look on his face in his collapsed state, and still with one leg raised, the child turned to face him,

Child: [Pardon me for standing on top of your sword. You see, the floor is wet right? It would be really uncomfortable for me if my zori got wet. So that’s why I’m acting like this!]

Man: [Ah, I don’t really mind that though…]

Looking up at the dimwitted pose of the child with one leg raised, he got himself up from his collapsed position and plopped himself down into sitting cross-legged. Just as the child said, it was unpleasant for his butt to get wet, but he was already in a state where it was too late for that, no matter what he did.

Man: [More importantly, I wanna ask someone to lend me a hand for things that aren’t too late yet. Could I count on you to help me out?]

Child: [Ah, having only one arm would certainly be an inconvenience. That considerably striking form is exceedingly favorable for me so it would be a waste if we parted here! That shall do fine!]

Giving an indifferent smile, the child vigorously added, “However!”, and pointed at the roof of the building directly next to them,

Child: [As I have informed you, I don’t want to get my zori wet! So let’s move to higher ground first. Until then, please take care not to lose blood, Mister Helmet!]

Man: […My name is Al, you yancha boy.] [3]

Child: [Hahahaha! Yancha boy! The way you speak is kinda similar to the Boss‘s!]

As the child roared with laughter, the man, still constricting his armpit―― Al, gave a long sigh.

The child was clearly not an ordinary person, but Al could keenly feel the influence of a certain someone who knew many of the words that the boy was spewing out.

Whether this encounter would turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing, either way――,

Al: [Wait for me, Priscilla… I, no matter what, will definitely save you.]

△▼△▼△▼△

Strength no longer remaining in its three heads, the colossal body finally lay limp on the ground.

With wings torn asunder, and many ninja tools piercing its body, even when most of what could be said to be vital points were pierced and destroyed, it was difficult to tell just which had been the fatal strike.

If there was just one thing he could say――,

???: [This won’t do, I ain’t good against “zombies” that ain’t human, that’s for darn sure.]

Waving his sleeves about, Halibel muttered as he watched the Three-Headed Dragon turn to dust in its entirety.

The three additional bodies that had split off from himself also disappeared, and he took a lengthy breath from the exhaustion. As expected, fighting against an opponent on the level of a Dragon took a whole lot of effort.

If possible, he never wanted to be put on monster extermination duty again.

Halibel: [Tho’ that may be so, lil’ Ana ‘n the rest of ‘em said somethin’ like the same girl could keep becomin’ a zombie.]

If that was true, it was also quite possible that the Three-Headed he had just defeated would reappear.

Next time, Halibel would probably win again, but he was unsure if they would be in an environment where people nearby would not get dragged into the fight. Moreover, he would feel uneasy as a hired guard if his hands were busy during that occasion. Julius was also quite competent by Anastasia’s side, but――,

Halibel: [Seems like he ain’t up ta my level.]

Cracking the joints in his neck, he set fire to the kiseru which he had not smoked during the battle, and inhaled its fumes.

From there, after ascertaining that the Three-Headed’s body had fully disappeared, he turned around in search of the coupled dragon carriages, which had left him behind as they ran far, far away into the distance.

And then――,

Halibel: [Golly, after workin’ so dang hard, I kinda want some candy… Ah, oops, I’d die if I were ta eat candy.]

While grumbling those words, he began to chase after the tracks left behind by the dragon carriages as they continued into the distance.

Translation Notes:

[1] – Spica’s title of “Star Eating” (星食) can be interpreted as both a title and ability. The title would be in line with that of the three Sin Archbishops of Gluttony, being Gourmet, Bizzare Eating, and Satiation; the ability would be something like “Astral Eclipse”, in line with the Gluttony Abilities of “Solar Eclipse” and “Lunar Eclipse”. This is because 食 can mean both “eating” and “eclipsing”.

[2] – Spica’s vocalisations here purposefully resemble the phrases “let’s eat” and “thank you for the treat”, which were spoken by Louis Arneb when utilising her Authority.

[3] – Yancha is a Japanese word that means “naughty” or “mischievous”