Chapter 99
Yuuji's Fitting End
The wolf and its two passengers ran across the forest in haste. Seine sat in front. Sadness and anger filled her heart.
The wolves that she thought of as family was gone. The courageous Ton, the mischievous Kia, the timid Shil. Even the one that she thought of as her own sister - Nai - who had lent her her warmth when she was sickly.
But what was more painful was the wretched condition of the man she loved. The man who was blessed by Vorzenny’s God and was invincible in her eyes. But now was in so much pain that he chose to endure it in silence ever since they began fleeing. She doubted he would even be able to hold anything ever again.
Suddenly, she sensed something behind them and swerved the wolf to the right. A gloopy gunk shot past them and ate through a tree.
She turned her head around to see a Beastfolk child coming after them while standing on a box. His right hand wound around the leather belt that was fastened to it so that he could carry it easily. He was riding it like a horse, using a combination of his Telekinesis Skill and his Art of Golden Lotus of Prajnaparamita to control its flight.
It was something he came up on the fly after realizing that his stamina and short legs would never catch up to the fast and powerful wolf.
His head hurt and his eyes became bloodshot from the effort. On his shoulder was Chen, shooting parts of his body at the fleeing figures of Seine and her Hero.
“Is it me or you are getting smaller?” he asked the Poison Slime.
“Oh, right. You can’t speak.”
Seeing this, she gritted her teeth and let out a low growl. “Boost Speed!!” the girl declared.
The exhausted wolf felt the determination of his owner and ran faster.
“Hang on Yuuji. I’ll keep you safe.”
She felt his arms tightening around her and smiled. “We’ll go back. We’ll go back and we’ll be fine.”
However, what she did not realize was that Yuuji’s silence was not because he was keeping his pain to himself so as not to worry her. In fact, he wished that he could curse and spat and shout. Alas, he could not open his jaw.
PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN!
Yuuji’s head was filled with nothing but pain. And it was not just one part of his body, but all of them. All at once. The agonizing sensation eclipsed even the pain of losing his eye.
His muscles were so tense that it felt like they were ropes strangling his bones. His facial muscles were so taut that it forced him to grin. And his teeth were clenched so tight they began to crack. His neck had that veins popping out of them, and his hands unable to move as if he was being bound.
At this moment, he was being constricted by his own perfect body.
Seine looked back and saw that there was no sign of their pursuer and a bit of joy came into her heart. “We’ve lost him. You can rest easy now, Yuuji. We’re near the – “
BOOM!!
“AAH!!”
A blast of heat threw them off the wolf, scattering them. The wolf yelped as it was thrown aside. Three consecutive blasts came at Seine and Yuuji. They were shaped like fragile butterflies, but they burned as hot as fire.
Seine jumped away while carrying Yuuji on her back.
“Wh – who? Who is that?!”
A figure leaped down from above the tree, landing softly before them.
The burning fire behind the figure cast a shadow over her cold and vengeful expression. “KUROSAKI YUUJI!!”
She spat that name with as much hate as she could muster.
The loyal wolf - spent and scarred from the initial attack - leaped at the attacker with its teeth bared.
Illumca reached to her dagger and took a step back, Pierced the side of the wolf’s midsection and dragged the dagger across in one smooth motion. Blood and guts spilled over from the gaping wound.
The wolf landed pathetically on the ground. Without looking back, the dark elf chanted a swift incantation and pointed at the dying wolf. A burst of crimson butterflies landed on its body and burnt it into ashes.
“Kal!!” The beastfolk girl cried out in despair over the loss of the last of her family. “You murderer!!”
Illumca threw her a cold look as she advanced while drawing her other dagger. “If you stand in my way, then you will die.”
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The girl pried Yuuji’s tightening arms away. “I’m going to protect you, Yuuji!”
The girl raised her arms and shouted. “Wolf’s Claw!!”
Illumca parried the incoming image of a large yellow claw with her dagger.
It was vastly inferior to Connie’s claw attacks with its many forms and variations. But the Beast Tamer was small and agile, with muscles that were stronger than that of the slenderer Dark Elf due to her Beastfolk blood. However, she was spent from her fight with Nick and became slower in return.
After being parried, Seine aimed at Illumca’s legs with a wide swipe. The attack hit a stray young tree and felled it, but it missed the intended target. Just as she was about to turn her back to face the dark elf, a kick landed on her shoulder. It had little power and could be shrugged off easily.
Or so she thought. It was only after she felt the sting of cold metal that realization sunk in.
Illumca withdrew her boot, from which a small knife dripping with blood came out. And then in one swift motion, she stepped forward and slid her dagger into Seine’s stomach.
“Yu…u…” Tears fell from her big eyes that were losing its shine.
“I will make sure he follows you into Sud-Ghazid,” Illumca said as she pulled the dagger out and then pushed the beastfolk’s body away.
She pushed the knife sticking out from her boot down against the ground until it was once again out of sight before continuing forward.
After understanding that she needed something more if she wanted to take revenge, she took out the stash of the deceased Kelly. And this was one of them. A pair of leather boots with magic-powered knives hidden inside the soles. Front and back.
Yuuji’s muscles and bones creaked audibly as he tried to go against his own body. To try and crawl away from the vengeance that was coming for him.
Out of nowhere, a kick sent him rolling back.
“You are not going anywhere, Mister Hero,” the Beastfolk boy said.
“He is mine,” Illumca said flatly.
Martell raised his hands up helplessly, shrugged, and gave way to the dark elf. This was between her and the Hero.
Illumca eyed Yuuji, who now had his back arched so high, it was as if he was a strung bow, and she raised an eyebrow. Even if he was scared, this was not normal behavior. Then she saw the thick red lines that looked as if a beast of prey had caused it and put two and two together.
“One of Connie’s poison? I have never seen anything like this. Incredible,” she commented.
Of course, she had no way of knowing that this was in fact, not poison. But something else.
A disease.
But she was correct in saying that she had never seen anything like this. It should not have existed…yet. For this was something that Connie unwittingly created in haste. It resembled a disease that existed in Yuuji’s old world.
It had many names, but the most familiar one would be…the lockjaw disease.
This brand-new disease was far more aggressive and far more lethal than its early counterpart. It required smaller incubation time and its effect rose with the level of its victim. A disease that as of this moment in Grea, had no cure.
This was the moment that the first manmade disease was unleashed upon the world. And the creator did not even know that she did it.
And now; Yuuji, refusing to believe that he was about to die, begged for mercy. As long as he could charm her, even with just one eye, he could survive. He believed it to be so.
“S – spa…re -” Yuuji hissed out words from between his clenched teeth.
“The girl died for your sake and all that you think about is yourself,” she said quietly and raised her dagger right above his chest. Making a point to look in defiance into his eye.
Yuuji glanced at it and his breathing grew shallow and fast. “Your charm holds no sway over me anymore, you gutter trash. Look at me. And die knowing that you die alone and unloved.”
Then without a moment’s pause, Illumca’s dagger fell, straight into his heart. Her eyes gazed into his as deeply as a lover would. She looked on until the moment she saw the flickering flame of life was finally snuffed out of him.
Illumca closed her eye and cleaned her dagger on the ground. "Now, let's go to Connie."
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On the other side of the forest, Kamiya, who was now clad in lightning, advanced. Her attacks now had the essence of lightning within them. Each swing of her swords caused leaves to burn.
Claws and swords met once again. And this time, the demonized Kamiya was winning. Her Demonized form had numbed all her pain and she was pushing Connie back.
But why is she not afraid? I could feel her rib crack with that last attack!
The answer came quicker than she thought.
While she was gathering power for another Skill, she suddenly lost all feeling on her legs.
“Got you,” Connie said.
“What – what did you do?”
“This form of yours, it stopped you from feeling pain, isn’t it? Otherwise, you’d have been unable to move that broken arm of yours. But because of that, you didn’t realize that I’ve been slowly poisoning you,” Connie said. “Dammit, I hate Poison Resistance Skill!! I need to find a way to bypass that.”
“But how? I see no poison on you!” Kamiya looked at her. She did not hide anything in her sleeves. And she could not see anything resembling poison vials or any hidden weapons on her. She saw her claws, releasing visible Dark Purple Energy, and understanding dawned upon her.
“You. You are not using hidden weapons or poisons. You are creating poison on your own! Like a monster! Impossible! Normal humans could not create poison with their bodies!”
“Good observation,” she said in response. “But too late.”
Connie advanced, aiming at Kamiya’s legs. The swordmaster wanted to move, but her legs refused to budge.
Connie’s claw then gripped tight onto Kamiya’s knee joint, her claw digging into the flesh, causing her to feel as if her knee was falling off. Quickly she swiped her sword at Connie’s neck. She released her hold but quickly grabbed her shin with the other before quickly twisting it.
“AARGH!!!” the pain caused her to scream and lose her strength. Connie then slammed her body to the ground.
She quickly went for a mount position and was about to land a fatal blow into her chest when suddenly, she sensed a presence that caused her spine to chill.
Instinctively she turned her back, only to be punched with a fist as hard as steel.
“GAGH!”
Connie was blown back onto a tree, which toppled from the violent crash.
It was a brilliant sneak attack. Reprehensible in the eyes of a warrior. But Connie was not a warrior. Sneak attacks were fair game in her world. But that one hit managed to shake her head a fair bit. She quickly controlled the flow of her Energy to calm the chaos caused by that punch.
“Such strength. Who is that?”
Connie felt for her jaw, which was hanging off her cheek, and set it back with a nasty click.
She saw a tall, muscular man standing in front of Kamiya. And instantly she knew that this was a dangerous enemy. Without waiting even for a second, she launched a claw attack filled with Energy.
“Watch out!! Her claws are poisonous!!”
“Oh?”
Connie’s claw was met with a powerful punch that numbed her whole arm and sent tremors across her whole body. The force of their clash sent scorched golden leaves flying to the air. And then, their eyes met.
Two vastly different expressions appeared on their respective faces.
One was that of alarm.
And for the other…, it was delight.