Vol 3 Chapter 5 (1/2)

The Guardian Spirit Hatches from its Shell

What has happened to me?

Why’d I go an’ protect Selim?

We understood fully that We would break in the process So why?

What, pray tell, will happen to this one now?

No! No! I don’t wanna die yet!

My body is going to fade

This character of mine is much too unstable I I must take physical form

Val could not even tell where his existence lay

<=>

The ht that his heart would stop Perhaps the heart composed of his illusions and telekinesis had indeed frozen

Selim would die

Death took physical forht for Selim

‘I have to stop him’

Why had the thought so strongly resonated in his mind? Val still could not answer this question But he never had enough tiin with

His telekinesis would not reach the guillotine, where Selim was

But if he tossed soht be able to stop Rudy

A boulder, a rock, anything Anything he could throw

But the cavern was filled with solid stalactites, not a single loose stone in sight Val could already taste the despair of Selim’s death

At thatoccurred to him The word ‘death’ suddenly reminded him of a potential weapon that had been within his reach It was not as solid as a stone, but it was still a projectile

There was no time to waste Val did not even have the time to think about the implications of his next course of action Within seconds, his plan was set in motion

His soul used telekinesis to lift up the spherical object at his feet

And the object was chucked at Rudy’s teed at Selim

<=>

Crush

It was not a very pleasant noise

<=>

The water Rudy’s attack Val had thrown it with all his ility of his weapon, the impact of the blow rattled Rudy and caused hiainst one of the cavern walls

“What?”

Red chunks were flying everywhere

When they realized that the chunks belonged to a watermelon, those who knew Val’s true form were the first to react

“VAL!”

“Valdred!”

Most were astonished at Theodosius and Melhilreen-haired boy had been standing moments earlier

But there was no one there

The boy who had been ao disappeared from the cavern the moment the watermelon was smashed

<=>

‘I need physical form

‘So I I need a core

‘It doesn’t even have to be an object I just need so to sustain me

‘So’

The moment his core was shattered, Val’s consciousness was scattered all over the cavern in a state of shock He faintly recalled that Doctor had said he could live on even without a core, so long as he believed it would be all right

But Val was in toofor a self in which he could place his trust In this state, how could he even begin to extend that search to so new?

The ht occurred to him, Val’s consciousness dispersed even more

It was only a matter of time before he would disappear

‘No

‘No No No I don’t want to disappear I I still

‘Isn’t there anything I can cling to

‘Someone

‘Anything’

As his consciousness grew faint, Val desperately tried to take in the situation taking place in the cavern Perhaps he could find himself a new core--even a piece of the shattered watermelon, if necessary

But what he saw first was a horrifying scene

Rudy stood froed at Theo

It was as though Seli resolutely between them, was of no concern to him

‘Seli to die

‘Why? Please, no

‘Don’t kill her

‘Someone stop him Please don’t let Selim die

‘I promised her I’d show her the outside world

‘Then I’d listen to her story

‘That’s right! I bet that’s where I could find my answer

‘So what I have to do now

‘Is to protect Selim

‘I think It’s thanks to Selim and Mihail that I could find a purpose’

‘?

‘Hey, what do you know

‘I found myself a new core

‘It was right here all this time

‘I can’t believe I never noticed so’

<=>

This ti that could stop Rudy

Relic had very nearly caught up to his speed, but Rudy lashed out to clear a path and again approached Seliered back

She was standing in his way to Theo Rudy swung his arm into the air in preparation for one fatal strike

His hand fell towards the lovely alraune without a moment’s hesitation

‘What is this?

‘What what just stopped me?

‘What did I just hit?’

Rudy’s attack had been halted just above Selim’s head

Though there see If he had truly hit only thin air, the alraune’s head would have already been smashed

Aquestion rose to mind

‘Why?

‘Why Why am I

‘Why around?!’

The ust of wind shook the cavern, for words that pierced his ears

“Don’t kill her Don’t kill Selim!”

It sounded like the voice of the green-haired vampire from earlier

But Rudy could not even begin to guess at where this voice was coround, pinned by an invisible force, he saw the jester, Ferret, and even Doctor looking around for the owner of the voice

The undeniable truth was that so him down

The Eater who had taken hold of ultimate power had been forced to lay flat, huht back

‘Why Why?!’

To his shock, he spotted Theresia and Melhilround

His powers leashed, Rudy slowly began to regain his calm and his memories

But no a now Had some vampire with unusual powers suddenly intervened? This was the only explanation he could think of

His conjecture was only half-correct

The pool of blood--the only being in the cavern are of as happening--spread hiratulation in banner-size

[I see you have changed the for Valdred! Nay, Valdred Ivanhoe the Magnificent, one who has destroyed one of our kind’s very limits!]

To the viscount’s senses, Val’s soul had always been in the form of a watermelon But now, that shape was nowhere to be found in his eyes

And yet Val’s voice and poere clearly present

At first, even the viscount hesitated But the moment he realized that Val’s form had not disappeared, but become impossible to sense, he trembled in awe at the birth of this new vampire

[You, my dear friend You]

When the viscount finally completed his sentence, the eyes of all those who occupied the cavern turned to dinner plates

[You have become one with this very island! With your second--no--first hoh the shell of your wateruardian spirit!]

Though the viscount’s claierated towards the end, they nonetheless informed everyone in the cavern of the events that had just taken place

The moment of realization was immediately followed by an embarrassed, disembodied voice

“Uuardian spirit’ sounds kind of euess?”

Although Val’s voice was rather sheepish, the fact that he had not been erased froreat relief to Relic and the others

The voice continued self-consciously, addressing the entire cavern:

“So What do you want me to do with these people?”

<=>

“Kill round, “if I can’t have e, then I’d rather die”

The boy who had once abandoned his sister to escape the despair of death was now spurred by despair to seek death

But the vae letters:

[I shall do no such thing In fact, I shall do nothing to you in particular And I shallto lared, his face set

“What are you planning? I don’t need your pity”

[Do not , and I shall say nothing more to you And I shall involve myself in no matter that concerns you froe]

Ferret see, but the firht of an e that the viscount’s show of forgiveness was not borne of hypocrisy or cheap pity

Finally, the viscount finished with a sharply-written conclusion:

[After all, you are already trapped in the cycle of vengeance and repentance for all eternity]

Once the viscount’s words registered in his mind, Rudy’s consciousness finally slipped away

“Such an unbelievable conclusion It seems the fulfill else, I shall retrieve y to Comrade Caldimir”

[What are you planning, Sigmund the Green?]

“I insinuate the obvious I shall retrieve the test subject you call a son Know that no amount of resistance will prevail”

Though the countless hostages in Sigrasp should have worried the viscount, the latter’s confidence refused to vanish

[I cannot agree with your claim, I’m afraid]

“What?”

[As I said to Melhilh the traditional otiations, this island is out of time It will be a true disaster if we cannot end this standoff before Garde arrives]

“Garde?”

Sigmund paused at the mention of the name

Ignoring the Branch, the viscount moved over to Relic and floated down before his son, as shaking Hilda’s shoulders in an atteation over her

[Ah, my son It won’t do for a man who is soon to be in the leader’s seat to be flustered so]

“?”

Unable to fully understand theof his father’s statement, Relic opened his eyes wide

The viscount proudly spread his body into the air, and wrote in large letters as thoughan announcement:

[Ah, ht, I have made the decision to hand over my title as Lord of Growerth to my son Relic!]

“Father! You can’t be serious! Why now?”

[This is no jest, Relic! It is precisely the time for such a declaration, as I wish to make clear that the one who saves this island from peril must be the Lord of Waldstein Castle And to rescue these many lives, you must truly make sense of the fact that you are a ruler Understand that the people of this island are as good as a part of your very being]

Taking note of the gravity dripping from the viscount’s advice, Relic took some time to consider his words And once he realized just what it was that his father intended for him to do, Relic shuddered

“Father you can’t be serious”

But Relic’s tres soon came to a stop He chuckled wryly and took Hilda by the shoulders

“Seriously If I hadn’t seen Val do soht this would be possible”

As the others watched doubtfully, Relic locked eyes with Hilda and said in a lonely voice:

“I won’t apologize for drinking your blood, Hilda But once you co it while you weren’t yourself”

With that, Relic sank his glinting fangs into her pale neck

His teeth slid easily into her throat and drew blood from her body

It was an almost erotic scene to behold, but there was no passion in the boy’s expression--it looked irl’s body

Fromund’s point of view, Relic’s actions had come out of nowhere But he nodded in realization

“So you would overpower ation with your own in order to free these hu his smile as he pointed out the flaw in Relic’s plan, “but what of the boy called Mihail? He is in the hospital, out of your reach If I were to subjugate hi”

As Sige, Relic sloithdrew his fangs

“I didn’t drink Hilda’s blood to subjugate her”

“What?”

The boy who had now become the Lord of Growerth smiled confidently

“It was to gain power The absolute power that’s going to let ate the entire island!”

A moment later, the people of Growerth scattered, in a very literal sense

<=>

It was utter chaos

In a matter of moments, all of Growerth ed in confusion

Just like the incident last year when Relic turned the island itself into fog and bats, everything was covered in a thick mist Bats spouted upwards in pillars all over the island, as though supporting the weight of the heavens

But this time, there was a difference The bats this time were not elements of the island itself, but the hundreds of thousands of humans ere on Growerth

The crowd of thousands surrounding Waldstein Castle, the hundreds of people wandering the streets, and theabout their business--all had been transforside the clothes and accessories they wore

Transforhed out fog fro The haze then hovered for soain into flocks of bats

By the tiround where they had been standingin the air

Flocks of bats soared into the sky The fog rested upon the beautiful decorations adorning the island

It was as though the island itself was celebrating the birth of a new ht

<=>

The scene in the cavern was little different froround

Hilda, her body turned into fog and a flock of bats, circled around Relic for a ain in his arms

Sigside her, also turned into flocks of bats and flew out of the cavern

“It can’t be?! Synchronizing with so many humans at once?!”

Sigmund cried out in shock at the sensation of so lared at the new Lord of Waldstein castle, who aze