328 325. Escape.txt (1/2)

I had made a mistake and was drowning in the swamp of despair.

I had lost the father who loved me and felt like it was all over. But that's not the case. It's not the end of the world, no matter what you gain or lose, the most important thing you have. Undeniably, regardless of the person's intentions, my - the story of Nosfy Fuzzy Yards will continue.

I knew this from the back of Rustyala.

I am still being stretched out for my life.

They want me to live. Realizing this, I chose to fight.

I went ahead of Rastiara and became Fafner's opponent.

-- The two opposing guardians (guardians) spun nearly equal magic and smashed nearly equal magic against each other.

If Fafner prepared an arrow of blood, he would offset it with an arrow of light. A rain of light for a rain of blood, a wall of light for a wall of blood, and a sword of light for a sword of blood. I, who was used to fighting 'the one who steals the truth of blood' from my experience a thousand years ago, immediately responded to what he produced. Not even his signature blood puppet would allow a single one of them to exist in the doorway.

''-- 《Light Arrow Breunak》!

He spins his full-length magic and generates a huge spear of light, large enough to fill the entrance to Hoosier's Castle.

'If you have no heart, you can go to ......!

Right now I'm in a state of serious injury after serious injury, but my opponent shouldn't be in the right state of mind either.

The spear of light that I threw at Fafner's body clashed with the blood cloak that covered his body, and a clash of magic power occurred.

''Motoyuruji, I'm sorry, but I can't take it easy on you!　The new Lord has ordered me to kill everyone!

Well, you're a lot more obedient than I was, aren't you?

'I don't like it!　I'm always open to hearing it!　Don't listen to it!

I turn my consciousness elsewhere as we bounce words together along with magic.

It was something that could not be offset by my light amidst the diverse magic of Fafner's over ten. The two people who have become Fafner's puppets, Glenn Walker and Elmiraad Siddharth, having been turned into Fafner's puppets by being bloody in body and mind.

Right now, Glenn is fighting Rastiara, whose hand is free because I have dealt with Fafner. The 'demonized' Glenn melts his bright red body into a bright red pond and throws multiple stringed daggers at Rustiala as he moves to Rustiala's blind spot.

''Rastiara-chan!　That one's wet with poison!

Which one is it?　More straightforward!

The poison comes from the hardest place to see!

However, contrary to his sharp movements full of killing intent, his expression and words were on Rastiara's side.

The way he advised the enemy while fighting reminded me of the fight between Fafner and Maria not long ago. From that, I can tell that Fafner is aiming to make Glenn go through the same thing he did. I guess he thinks that if he can get past that 'ordeal', he'll be one more thing closer to being the 'one who steals the reason for blood'. It's the usual one-sided and worst kind of harassment.

And the remaining Elmirado was slashing against the Reaper who controlled Maria's body.

From the looks of it, this one, unlike Glenn, was unconscious and only wielded the sword poorly as it was in its 'demonized' physical ability. The sword didn't have a threat enough to reach the Reaper, but it didn't seem to be a warm enough enemy to win easily.

To put it bluntly, the situation on the ground floor is bad.

Fafner is me. Rastiala is Glenn. The Reaper is Elmirado. Each of them are suppressed in their movements and have no room to make an exit for escape.

Fafner, on the other hand, had time to turn his hand to the other.

From time to time, he turned his attention outside of the entrance - to the upper floor of Fuzzyards Castle.

When he realized that if he prepared a blood knight within this great entrance, he would be obliterated by me, he began to create a blood knight against the knights of Fouzeyars who were watching the battle in the distance. As if to say, ”I'll kill everything in sight,” he took on me while simultaneously taking control of the castle.

Fafner is taking on the entire castle at once by himself.

He doesn't miss a single person and kills them all bit by bit. It's such a generous way to fight.

The fact that the situation is moving at the pace of the enemy is making me more and more impatient.

If we continue to fight like this, all the people other than the one who stole the ”reason” will run out of magic and strength and will fall down. Only three people, including me, will be left at the end. I would have to fight alone against Fafner, who became strong after sucking the blood of the humans in the castle, and Ragne, who killed my father.

I have to change the situation somehow.

When I made that decision, that opportunity came.

''--?

Suddenly my whole body felt heavy. I felt as if I was being pulled to the ground and almost touched by a pool of blood.

I had an idea of its magic.

'Oh, heavy?　Is this Noir's ......?

I thought it was Star Magic 《Gravity》.

But that's not it, the nearby Rustyala shakes her head.

''No, Noir-chan is up there right now. ......!　This magic comes from below!

Rastiara did the same - and on the contrary, Fafner and the others frowned and fought against the magic of gravity. The magic was indiscriminate. Even the blood crawling across the castle floor and walls was interfered with and sucked into the central stairwell on the first floor like a vortex.

Seconds after that magic, which did not take either side, struck the grand entrance, the wind blew.

''--[Tauschus Wied] oo!

The liner flew out of the vault like a cannonball released from a tube. And it immediately generated multiple wind stakes in the air and struck Fafner's back with it.

''That's you!　What happened to my new master!

While Fafner played my Light Arrow Breunak, he also defended Ryner's wind stake with a blood front and asked a question.

Without answering the question, Ryner only clucked his tongue at the failure of the attack, leaving Fafner alone and moving with the wind to the castle's exit.

He then spoke to the Reaper who was near the main gate, the exit of the castle.

''Hey, Reaper!　I told you to run away for once!

'Reiner's brother!　I can't get it out!　I'm locked in!

Hearing those words, Ryner turns his back while raising his eyebrows and tries to push open the door protected by blood - at the end of it, a shimmering white blade and a shout strike his back.

''Gu, this ...... dammit, open--!

Mr. Reiner!　Avoid!　I'll go after the enemy who shows me his back first!

Reiner ducked the dagger thrown by Glenn with a paperweight, while staring at that enemy to check it out.

'Walker-san, it ......!　It's a pain in the ass, you mean you're being manipulated again by another mouth: ......!

Ryner swears and understands that there is no easy way to escape the castle, so he first tries to assess the current situation at the entrance. In the middle of his rounds, his eyes meet mine.

Both eyes are full of piercing vitality. The movement of their eyes shows that they are constantly thinking, and the sharpness of their eyes conveys an honest approach to life and battle.

Reiner caught sight of me, and I could feel a strong sense of hostility in his eyes. But soon the hostility is subdued, and only anger, with no place to go, fills both eyes. Finally, a look of almost pity forms in my eyes, and I try to answer him unbearably.

'Reiner, I am ......!

Not now!　More importantly, if you're spending a lot of time here, from the bottom--!

Maybe I was actually planning to walk out as soon as I reached the main entrance on the first floor.

He cut me off before I could utter either my excuses or my penance, saying that I couldn't spend the extra time to reconfigure my plans from scratch. Then, with an impatient look on his face, he turned his gaze away from me and directed it to the great hollow he had come from.

The reaction is that the three blood-soaked enemies in this place are not that much of a threat.

I knew what that meant. That's why I was caught and turned my eyes to them.

At the same time, the pressure on my entire body increased and I felt like I was being sucked into that direction.

Gradually the direction of gravity was changing. From the bottom to the diagonal, from the diagonal to the side. What all matter, including me, was now being drawn to was a staircase that served as an entrance to the basement.

Appearing from there was a breathless Lagne Kaikwola.

With his body in black - no, black is not an exact description of a strange color magic, he appeared on the first floor while muttering.

''--Ha, ha, ha, ha. Ku, dark ......, dark dark dark ......!

I can't hide my surprise at the impressions that are so different from the last time we met.

When we parted at the forty-fifth floor, I had an image of a 'cunning and strong knight', but now it's so different that I can say the opposite. What comes across from his expression is more madness than cunning. It's not the strength of a human being that's too thick with magic, but the strength of a monster. You can't call him a knight by any means.

In the midst of Ragne's own magic, her eyes narrowed and she was peering around as if looking for her prey.

But before she could find anyone, Rustyala shouted out her presence with a shout.

''Lagne-chan!''

With Glenn's hand on Ryner, Rustyala had more time to spare. He used that time to approach Ragne, who appeared on the first floor.

Ryner tried to stop it from behind, but of course, the most recent Glenn attacked him and stopped him. The fighters were neatly switched out, and Rustyala faced Ragne and began to talk.

''So, is that ...... there, Miss, perhaps?''

Ragne responded to the voice and moved her narrowed eyes to look for Rastiara.

She didn't think it was possible, but apparently she has difficulty seeing her surroundings due to her magical power. The way she is swept up in her own power reminds me of ourselves from a thousand years ago.

'Yeah, it's me. Hey, Lagune-chan. Let me ask you first. ...... why?

Rustyala was trying to find out her true intentions, as he had said beforehand. Considering the lack of time on both sides, he asked her very briefly and directly about the motive for the surprise attack on the forty-fifth floor.

'...... Miss, I want to remind you of that. I've been saying all along, haven't I? That I want to be 'first'.

'You've always said that in the cathedral. But isn't that a knightly thing to do?

The best of everything. That's why Kanami's brother was in the way. I couldn't help it: ......

...... I see. I see.

I thought it was a short exchange, but there seemed to be a communication that could only be understood between friends who had known each other for a long time. Ragne knotted her mouth apologetically, and Rustyala got down to hide her face - spilling tears into a pool of blood.

''--?　Are you crying, perhaps, ......?　Why!　Miss, please don't cry: ......!　Who the hell is my daughter ......!

Ragne walked out of the stairwell and approached Rustyala, looking around again as if searching for an enemy.

It was an odd sight.

Obviously, Rastiara began to cry as a result of his conversation with Ragne.

There was no way Ragne, the person in question who was having the current conversation, would not have noticed. The apologetic look on his face earlier was because of the guilt he was feeling.

Everyone who had room to think in the grand entrance now stopped their hands.

Fafner and I open our mouths and continue to watch Ragne, who is looking for an enemy that isn't there. Ryner and Glenn, who were a little further away, seemed to be doing the same. Even though I wanted to be careful, I couldn't bypass them because I didn't know what would happen. They have such a look on their faces.

Fortunately, Ragne was sensitive to the gaze of others. He immediately noticed the truth directed at him by his surroundings, came to himself, and stopped in his tracks.

''...... Ah, ah. Ah (...), it's me (..) --Ah, ah, ah, haha, ah, oh my god!

Realizing that she was the enemy that made Rastiara cry, Ragne mocked herself and scratched her head in frustration. The nostalgia I had felt from her turned to conviction as I listened with trepidation.

'Lagne ....... Perhaps you are one of the 'Stealers of Reason' ....... How can you ...... be one of those without the Apostle-sama?

I don't know how, but I can only assume it happened.

Hearing my view, Rustyala looked up and muttered.

'La, Ragne-chan is ......?'

Ragne, alone, continued to scratch his head so wildly that his nails bled. Then, after a few seconds, with a loud sigh, she returns to her usual expression. Returning to the friendly, aloof and cheerful girl, she answers.

''--Kuch, ugh, phew ....... Ha, haha, don't worry about the two of you. I've already figured out most of it, you know.

The magic remained thick and the madness seemed to have faded.

Very calmly, Lagune analyzed his situation and explained to us.

''No, this is what it means to be 'the one who steals the reason'. The one that is an example of throwing away something important for something important. Oh, it's a really shitty rule. A rule that robs you of the meaning of your birth without any explanation. You won't even know what you're doing. Even if you've got the strength, the rest is just getting weaker and weaker. It's really a terrible story. Hahaha.

It's become the same kind of thing as me and Fafner, Ragne confessed, looking very light. But that is not a light thing for me to say after a thousand years of battle. Even though I knew that he was a grudge enemy, the words naturally spilled out of my mouth.

''Well, it's not too late, Ragne!　It's better to get rid of all of that before you lose everything that's important to you: ......!

I don't like it. Of course I'm not going to lose, throw away, or lose. I'm going to steal all the logic of the world, conquer the price and make this power my own in the true sense of the word. --Yes. All of it will be mine.

The denial was quick, the will was firm and there was no hesitation. It was a quick enough answer to understand that it was the same 'stealing of reason', but Ragne was different.

The same location may have led to the same place, but the workmanship is different.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get to the ”reason-stealer” in a different way.

.

That's the ”what if” of me and your fathers. If we hadn't met the apostles and walked on our own, we could have been just like Lagne now - we could have been like Lagne.

I felt as if I was looking in a mirror somewhere, and then Lagune, who had been staring at me for a long time, suddenly disappeared.

It was as if he hadn't been there all along, and Lagune, as he was called, was cut out of the world.

Realizing that this was the technique used to kill your father, I looked around with alarm.

Rastiara, who was closest to me, also lost sight of Ragne and was astonished. And Fafner, who was probably Ragne's companion, was also troubled with the same look on his face.

''Oi, Ragne!　I can't see that either!　Who are you targeting?!

It was a question that had to be asked, though the answer wouldn't come back to you by asking, but it was a question that had to be asked.

Fafner's magic is often indiscriminate over a wide area. With a fluke of magic, even a vanished Ragne could attack.

Fafner stopped attacking and probed the position of his companions.

It was the same for Rastiara and me, and everyone else on the first floor - but only one of us. There was a person who understood Ragne's position, which even us 'the ones who steal reason' couldn't understand, and tried to pass on the information regardless of whether he was a friend or foe.

''Rastiara-chan!　She's ignoring you and heading for the saintly lady!

Glenn, who had been fighting with Ryner, shouted with conviction.

Rustyala didn't doubt it. Fafner doesn't doubt it either. They both started moving towards me at the same time.

Nosfies!

There you go!

You don't need to come in here!　--ZEA WIND!

You're the one coming in here all of a sudden!　You'd be surprised!

Of course, if they aimed at the same place, their paths would intersect. The two met eyes, and on the spur of the moment, their magic intersected as well.

Rastiara tried to blow them away with a gust of wind magic, but Fafner was able to withstand it with a film of blood.

And I - I can't continue to watch as the two men resume their battle.

Suddenly, Ragne's face filled my vision.

It appeared right in front of my eyes and nose and put its hands around my neck.

Despite the fact that I was bracing myself with Glenn's advice, I couldn't avoid or prevent it.

''--!

The arm that killed your father.

The trauma is in front of me in a double sense.

It was too much for my body to tremble and stop moving.

'Ugh, uu ......, Lagne Kaikwola ......!

Now, now, that's not the point!　Mr. Nosfi, you're back on track!　I'm happy to finally be able to talk to you properly now!

Ragne talks to me in the same tone as when we spoke on the forty-fifth floor, tightening my neck.

It doesn't matter how many tears I have in the corners of my eyes, he doesn't care how many cold, painful words I spell out.

''A lot has happened today, really. ...... We escaped from that underground mansion, got ready at Foozeyards Castle, waited healthily for Kanami's brother, and admitted that he was my dad after we killed each other, but he died easily ...... and cried a lot of tears, too. So, can you fight me, Nosfi-san?

First, he confirmed my wariness.

But honestly, there is no way there is.

If there was, my body wouldn't be trembling so much.

While I felt like crying, I suddenly felt uncomfortable with her uncharacteristically leisurely approach to her belief in surprise attacks. The same is true now that I think about it, it was the same when I was on the 45th floor. It's only because I've given it some time that I've realized it, but it's strange that Lagune doesn't kill me without question.

Is he letting his guard down after killing his biggest and most powerful enemy, your father?

Or is there some reason why he needs to give me special treatment?

Before I can answer that question, Ragne asks again.