Vol 14 Chapter 2 (1/2)
Chapter 2: Beasts of the Moonlight Bare Their Fangs
Layfon had spaced out as he looked at the ceiling
Leerin was also looking at the ceiling She was living in a room prepared for her in the palace Since it was iht away, Alsheyra had prepared this room for her She had also introduced the maids ere to look after Leerin and who also made Leerin really uncomfortable However, the maids didn't seem to care and they accepted her naturally They had been looking after her until she fell asleep
Leerin could breathe easily, as she was finally alone
The bed was the sa too The bounciness of the bed that Leerin had never experienced before made her unable to calm down and sleep
So one couldn't say she wanted to look at the ceiling
And that wasn't the only reason behind her inability to sleep
She felt an unfaht eye She felt its surroundings and that feeling was not so she had had before
The eyepatch This strange thing covering her right eye failed to calet used to it one day but she was also scared of getting familiar with it
(This nified the past and present Leerin, signifying that she had made a choice to part with her past
(What)
She silently scolded her thinking How long was she to fiddle around with it when she had already made up her mind? Besides, she already told Derek those words She couldn't turn back Was her resolve not enough? She had deterh? Did she need anything else? Or did she have to give up the name Leerin as well? If she were to do that?
A ind of uneasiness rose in her chest She curled into a ball, unable to even look at the ceiling The gentle feel wrapping around herself could take off some of the burden on her but it failed to ease off the pressure in her heart Derek had left to stop Layfon Though they had yet to fight, the fight would happen Once Layfon had decided to act, the fight would happen
Leerin and Layfon's adopted father was that kind of a person
(So I shouldn't meet with Layfon anyht was obvious Layfon would win This was a e ten A Heaven's Blade successor that Derek had not becole, Derek's job to prevent Layfon's footsteps wouldn't have worked But he was his adopted father Could Layfon keep h his adopted father, who should have already reconciled with hi
Leerin's body curled upht eye
”What have I done”
The feeling of regret assaulted her all of a sudden, though she didn't consciously think of it She regretted it a lot after thinking of the gap of strength between Layfon and Derek This feeling ca whose aim was to break down Leerin's resolve
A thorn
Looking from the viewpoint of the abstract, this was a thorn One of the thorns growing on a plant This thorn entered Derek This ie floated up in Leerin's mind One of the thorns on the wheel of thorns etched onto her right eye ball had entered Derek's body
What did that imply?
And for this to happen, could it be She kept thinking of it and knew this wasn't the way to be As she said already, she couldn't keep thinking of things to confuse herself
”I must keep my spirits up,” she said in a s made her lonely but her body could not curl up anyhtly She kept this pose as the feeling of bitterness and pain flowed in her till it blocked her ears She suddenly noticed some movement above her
She was shocked as she turned around
A beautiful girl who suited the darkness in the room stood before her
It was Saya
”Can't sleep?” she asked in a faint voice
”You too?” Leerin sat up opposite Saya, still shocked
”It seems a crisis is near I can't sleep in this situation”
As expected there were no eave off in her words was similar to the beautiful Psychokinesist Leerin met in Zuellni No Saya's words were more mechanical
”Crisis?”
”Yes”
Saya was the prototype of all Electronic Fairies Rumor had it that all Electronic Fairies were imitations of her This meant the crisis Saya felt must be filth monsters She could feel the filth monsters and evade the in the Inner Court of the palace The Haikizoku nas like filth monsters and the movements of other cities while Saya slept Hence, the crisis she felt shouldn't be as simple as mere filth monsters
”Has it happened yet?” Leerin finally pushed the doubt through her throat
”I'm not sure The condition of this side is not complete and the opponents have no reason to wait for us Of course, I have no proof that they're ready”
”Then”
”Though I can feel the crisis loo, I don't yet know the real form of our opponents”
”I see”
”Yes”
Leerin didn't knohat to do as she looked at Saya, nodded eh she had asked Alsheyra what to do, she herself didn't kno to put down this sense of uneasiness Alsheyra had said not to do anything The cause was that things would happen as long as the condition had been satisfied Alsheyra would protect Leerin until that time came
The Queen, Alsheyra, had told Leerin so No Military Artist in Grendan or in other cities existed with a strength greater than the Queen's Leerin must be in this world's safest place So Leerin's uneasiness must be unrelated to this? Once she es had occurred around her Why did those changes happen? Theyin response to the next event So Leerin felt uneasy Though she knew she had no other way, she still felt uneasy
She was uneasy when thinking of whether she hadwhether she could perfors would be sht of whether her actions were right or wrong
But she didn't understand as right She only understood that soh to reue
”But soht?”
Saya woke fro i was about to happen
The pupils of the girl ofat thecovered by curtains Leerin was troubled a bit as she thought of drawing aside the curtains or not
Perhaps it was about to rain Contrary to the good weather in thein froht sky The city would have changed its direction under the normal circumstances but this was i
”Looks like a deluge in co,” Dixerio said in a small voice as he looked at the dark clouds slowly drift close The hu It seemed it definitely would rain
A heavy rain would not affect the city's air shi+eld The air shi+eld would filter the pollutants in the raindrops that fell through it The city's air and water purification syste hard, as incidents of unfiltered rain had occurred
The rain blocked outside the air shi+eld would turn into fog as the air shi+eld prevented the raindrops fro and surround the city in a black layer This scenery made one feel uncomfortable
But it was another kind of entertainaze at the scenery in these circumstances
All that happened in Zuellni was to end in Grendan The reason of everything, the pollutants that encircled Grendan iht for lunch as he watched the scenery, standing on the city's outskirt
”You look relaxed”
Dixerio was not surprised even though he was suddenly spoken to
”Just what are you thinking?”
He had no need to turn around A beautiful girl wearing a dark dress stood behind hiht
”What a? I just want to realize that child's drea in the voice Dixerio could tell the girl was laughing
”Deliberately In this situation?”
”But one wouldn't understand if it's not in this situation? You think so too Of course, for a Military Artist a problem of a similar level would appear after he overcomes the obstacle of a certain level Especially for the Military Artist whose strength leaps after obtaining the Haikizoku He can't escape this problem”
True But how many Military Artists could exude Kei that outran the permissible limit of a Dite? This meant the power that was on par with a Heaven's Blade successor
Nelphilia, the girl of night continued ”But to have lost his weapon while fighting desperately and then obtained it again There shouldn't be many who have had this experience? If it was different, he's either a stray dog I picked up or an Electronic Fairy's”
Nelphilia suddenly stopped Her gaze fell on Dixerio's back Though Dixerio didn't like it, he still felt it
The girl was s contrast”
”Hus”
”Any outcome is the same The end is almost immediate I've just a bit zario, Airen I'd destroy anyone who stands in nored her voice of false feeling, draining the water left in the bottle
”But I must meet with Saya”
”Ara, why?”
”There are things I want to find out from her”
”Even now you still want to confirm the event of that day?”
”No need”
”Ara?” Nelphilia still found it strange
”No e The things I've to do will not change So there's no need to confir I have to know so that ht direction”
”Is that soet from me?”
”That won't work”
”Ara, why?”
”Because you Never ”
Dixerio spoke half of as in his hly solve the problem about Nina, it would only create redundant coht now Besides, he had tasted his impotence because of Nelphilia The ti of that, he didn't want to waste anyelse All I can do is let loose the hound and tidy up the prey the hound has caught up with”
Nelphilia'stroublesome had flown to his head, Dixerio lifted his head to watch the moon
The inside of the air shi+eld was very tranquil but the scenery outside the air shi+eld see the dark clouds to Grendan's sky The dark clouds covered half of the city, blocking off half of the moon The mirror of darkness was clearly reflected on Grendan The dark clouds were swiftly covering Grendan and the moon as Dixerio observed, till the moon also quickly vanished fro alone can e till success?”
”Perhaps”
The clouds covering the entire city stillThe layers of dark clouds sloeaved together like blackon cotton until they totally sed Grendan's sky
Or, it was like a huge da the rapids of a river
”Never mind It doesn't matter how it turns out”
Dixerio didn't know this city's fate He only knew that those guys would et close to those guys' headquarter in this tis to do for that?”
”Yes But those guys”
Dixerio's gaze ht suppressed the darkness blocking off the ht crafted out the city's shape to resist the darkness But the opponent was still quiet It was only hiding its presence
”Will it make a ruckus?”
”For sure”
”Isn't it better to do it quietly?”
”Probably Either way, it's troublesome if it lures in a few Heaven's Blades or the Queen”
”What a troublesos can be brought back as long as it returns to the hole”
”That's true Really This is what happens in a nor I don't need anyhed
”What? You still want to say you're human?”
”If we use that definition, it's the same for you and me and all Military Artists”
”I'm not stubborn on whether I'ht be like that but, your way of thinking”
”Uh?”
”Never mind That's part of your end Besides, for you, you aren't afraid of any end”
”Becausehas been decided already”
”Even your own death is the saer than anyone else's”
”You should knohat kind of person I aed
Dixerio stood up and took out the Dite froin”
” Geez”
The figure behind Dixerio irl waved her hand Dixerio kept trying not to look at her It was better not to look at her as he knew her beauty would conquer his heart What he was about to do right noas pretty ie ruckus”
Her voice see and finally disappeared
”But the time is limited”
But he could still hear her
That wasn't the only change No one would have perceived such a tiny change? No The people who existed here to notice that change weren't here
Next cae occurred in the artificial light To say it correctly it was the face of the light because it hurt one's eyes to discern the seven lights
And, and, one e
”You have to take care of it because it's begging for new bait”
A tiny light appeared before Dixerio but that light swiftly expanded into a huge flaure A female writhed with fire
”Bait like her”
”I know”
Dixerio restored his Dite
As if responding to the sound that restored the Dite, the girl of flame attacked hiht was a clear night in which one could see the moon But because theof soht was filtering through a layer of ice, allowing its icy cold to slowly seep through the skin, et that the city had entered a tropical zone Still, sweat continued to gush out fro, seeping through his clothes
Where would that girl go?
In the end, he decided to search for Shante byfro this?)
He still asked hih he didn't want to deliberately think of it Why? Why did he have to run around to search for her?
He had been caught into different kinds of trouble since entering Zuellni andlike a beast because of her upbringing Her education with humans started froh Shante had grasped hold of hu she did out of habit, and any troublesos that rose from her actions were dealt with by Gorneo
The troubles that Shante caused were of a basic level Gorneo would have stopped interacting with her if not for her talent in Military Arts She was an exceptional Military Artist Her ability was very useful in an organized fight Besides, Shante herself seemed to really like Gorneo as she obeyed his instructions in the fights Perhaps because of her childhood, living as part of a pack of aniht have viewed Gorneo as the leader of the pack
The two of the to turn the fifth platoon into one of the number one teaside Vance's 1st platoon
”Really!” Gorneo cohtless underneath the in the s
Where was she? Would she be soht sky of Grendan, heedless of the consequences
”That idiot!” he mur fro but he failed to find a clue The only place of his search was Grendan because she couldn't be in anywhere else but here
But why?
He believed that masked croas related to Shante's disappearance, but why had they targeted her? He had no idea why He ad she could do that even the Queen couldn't Maybe the masked croanted her physique They wanted to capture her and use her in an experi?
Even Gorneo himself couldn't think of an answer There were too few clues for speculation Perhaps those nerds in the Alchemy Department had yielded to their curiosity to set this trap, or perhaps Shante was just lured to Grendan by her hunger for Grendan's food, and then there ht be a trap to catch wild beasts next to the food
That hy Gorneo was now ju in Grendan
He continued to leap and finally found her
”Uh”
On top of a building that wasn't that high
For awas a decoration on top of the building That type of decoration could only be found on old buildings
It was one of the Through the weak light Gorneo only understood after having his gaze stay on that thing for a longshe could so no one knew she existed
As if she was afraid of so
In order to escape so to walk past her She held such a desperate mental preparation That hy she kept very still
”Shante!”
He had already decided what to do once he found her Of course, to shout angrily That was his decision But in reality he breathed in deeply several tier in hi her unusual behavior
Because she failed to detect his presence Usually, she was very sensitive to hi to become a stone trembled, she turned around and saw him
”Gorneo!” she shouted idened eyes and leaped for hied hith
”Gorneo! Gorneo! Gorneo!”
She continued to shout his name as she buried her head in his chest One could feel that she really could melt into his body
”Slon Shante hey, what's thehith, and he had never seen her so frightened She was usually very lively and optihts Sohed when she wanted, got angry when she wanted She never hid her es were shown on her face
That hy he was used to her reaction and action That hy he was anxious at her unusual behavior
She stopped calling his na his neck, and she curled up, biting her thu of her small body was sent into Gorneo's without reserve
Gorneo looked at her He didn't knohat to do Should he return to the Luckens hoht back to Zuellni? There shouldn't be anything he needed to take back with hi suit in Zuellni What he earing noas just the clothes he wore for practice The density of a fighting suit The fighting suit could prevent pollutants fro he should take back Not that Grendan's fighting suits orse though
Anyway, Shante wouldn't want to see any unfaht now Gorneo hi her to his own hoers to her It was better to return to Zuellni to calm her down
”Uh”
He had decided
He sat down Shante curled up on top of his crossed like a baby
”Really” he complained as he patted her head She lifted her head to look at him and then closed her eyes Sheto Grendan, and several parts of her body were dirty Either way, he had found her He patted her head with a soothed heart
That was it The density of the fighting suit Let it go Grendan's technique wouldn't be behind Zuellni's Besides, Grendan's scientists kept honing their skill to es Grendan's technique would not be behind Zuellni's
In that case, he could only act But let's wait a bit Wait till she had slept Keep himself still like this until she falls into a deep sleep After that, he could head straight for Zuellni He knew Shante could sleep better this way
But he had made a mistake He should have moved once he had decided
Because it was already too late even if he were to move immediately, and that event would still happen even they were in Zuellni
Even so it rong to reproach him
” What?”
He felt the air had changed
The drifting cloud cover hid the er than the light of the moon
It was already too late by the ti thunder caht illu The tension felt different fro button of a control mechanis ords He could do nothing but feel strange at this
It was already too late
”Ah!”
The sudden heat in his arms made him stand up but he didn't push away that heat His instinctive reaction was to drop that heat source but he controlled it by sheer will The heat source leaped froh speed
That heat source was Shante
”Hey”
Kei e so speedily that it changed into heat
”Could it be”
He could only watch this in shock
Usually the controlled Kei would becoer Military Artists and then they were turned into external Kei The redundant ripples created heat However, the current situation was different It was i heat only
In that case, this must be Karen Kei
”Hey, Shante!”
She didn't reply With her back facing hi Her arms were by her sides She hadn't touched her Dite Without the restored Dite, the Karen Kei had no medium Did thata Dite?
Heat twisted the scenery He could clearly see the artificial light was separated into seven colors in the twisted air
”Shante Stop!”
The heat surrounding her had risen to an unbelievable level Gorneo took a step back as she leaped forward
”Hey!” he roared but she didn't stop She headed for the city's edge with shocking speed, leaving only a red afteriain The sa her
”damn!” he shouted and chased after her
”Wait up!” he kept shouting but she didn't stop The distance between the two of theure becaht
Until she disappeared
”Shante”
He kept leaping in her direction and soon, he found her again
A colossal pillar of fire was burning in the air on the city's edge
A feeling he was used to cah the iron whips in his hands It was heavy and strong, as if it was sucked to his pal in on hi in his hand
A beautiful woman
If one was to say that Nelphilia was beautiful beyond a deination Flame writhed around the important parts of her naked body The spear was pointed at the sky like an ar from her body see fla the army of fire closed in on him
Her name was the Fire God That was how they called her He took her power in the ainst the Wolf Faces, abandoned her in the City of Forest Erupa, and she ca of fate She was Dixerio's spoils
The Fire God
Shante
Her fangs were now biting down on hi tiinally, the point of the weapon was used to stab, and its handle used to bash
Dixerio backed away and effortlessly avoided the attack
The fla up the spear scattered because of the iht sky of Grendan red Nothing existed in the city that could see this scenery The world had been twisted by Nelphilia's power Right now, Dixerio and the others were in Grendan that was in its original world but was also not in its original world He was in this strange situation as he fought the Wolf Faces in theThe Wolf Faces used their rare powder to make this possible whereas Nelphilia used another reener without a hint of life A sense of tragic was mixed in with her beauty Still, she was beautiful and she was s as usual Dixerio rested the metal whips on his shoulder as he faced Nelphilia with his back, using external Kei to dissipate the heat around hi meal”
He covered his face with his left hand As his hand left his face, a beast mask appeared Green Kei enveloped his entire body His Kei was increasing exponentially He poured the Kei into his metal whips and released it
Internal and external Kei combination – Raijin
The explosion of internal Kei allowed his speed to increase tre sparks because of friction
Dixerio rushed the Fire God, beco He are that the righteous anger of the God of Fire was aih he was in a world of extreathered in front of her chest in high speed
”Heh!”
He couldn't not feel surprised about that It was too late for hie his direction because these two moves weren't taken into account for this move This was a move for fools Dixerio whipped out the whip that was previous curled At the saathered flame had reached its peak and exploded
The pressure of the explosion and the lightning clashed The sound of the clash was like a beast's howl
The two energies canceled each other Dixerio ignored the soles of his shoes, which were quickly turning black because of friction as he backed away and away
”Still as fast as before!”
”Don't die,” Nelphilia said icily behind him
”Then please move back a bit more!” he shouted as he increased the Kei inside him but the Fire God was faster than hi at hi he couldn't cleanly avoid this attack, decided to counter with his whips
The two of theed several rounds, but they had not finished The God of Fire continued to close in on hi hie of the city was carved with burnt s They jumped up at the air shi+eld's exit The paths of their ju snake of fire chased after Dixerio
The Kei fro released from a normal Military Artist was the same as a heart, but it was obvious that the God of Fire was different
”da airKei was like how a heart pumped blood One breathed in the ele those elements to enter the bloodstrea Unlike blood, Kei could be turned into internal and external Kei through training, and one could also direct its flow in one's body
Breathing was needed to generate Kei
But the flaen It was difficult to breathe In addition, the fire fro up the essential elements to create Kei The Fire God's Kei vein was different from a normal Military Artist's It was of a much more ancient state The elements in the air the Aurora atoms were the true body of the fire That hy the fire was burning more intensely than usual
Notwounds on Dixerio's body one after another
” This is really bad”
Dixerioeven through the intense fight between metal whips and spear Once he avoided the stab, his opponent would definitely attack with the handle He could block with the h the direction of the spear handle, and then used the Fire God's power to change his own pose and leap away Still, the God of Fire would i the distance to widen between the for was a chance to fatally wound her Dixerio s from his hair as he pondered What he wanted was neither the victory or loss after this fight, nor a move to deal a final blow He breathed in the Aurora atoms that the Fire God's fire hadn't burnt off He stored the atoms in his Kei vein and waited till the best moment to release the
Though heat surrounded hi into his body The tiny pressure originating from his neck did not come from the fla from Dixerio himself A wish for himself to die was on his neck
If you don't co in his hands
And the closer he moved towards it, the heavier the pressure became
But
”Tsk”
The tip of the spear cut across his left shoulder Blood gushed out The fire quickly took away the water in the blood The foul smell of burnt blood filled the air
The Fire God continued her fierce attack like a storaps The Fire God didn't even save up any to store her Kei But the Kei that Dixerio stored up through effort was being slowly drained as he defended hi difficult But)
Why?
He was still cal to her function, the God of Fire's power should be the saht now Dixerio was being pressured Death was quietly waiting, waiting for the tongue of fire to lick his body, waiting to use the sharp teeth to tear his body up Dixerio couldn't shake off this situation He had tried ed to before
The Fire God's serious gaze stabbed him It was more intense than the heat as it pierced his body
Why?
Had his strength weakened? This was possible In fact, he was not in his best condition after so s had happened Was that why?
But this was different He was near the thing that had poured strength into his th shouldn't have changedon?
As expected, that gaze, the Fire God's pair of eyes hat he was bothered with
Why did she hate him so much? She didn't have that emotion at that tie for the sound of the fire to sed to reach the ears of the pondering Dixerio
”That's?”
He didn't need toat the Fire God to avoid her attack so he ie man behind her
A man he didn't know He also didn't know his name
But the Fire God responded to hi her spear as she called in a low voice The intense attack carried with it a swaying heart This allowed Dixerio a chance to open some distance The Fire God didn't immediately shorten the distance between the at the unexpected arrival of the man with a surprised expression
”Shante!” the ain
”I see You've lived like a human”
Dixerio understood
A heart of anxiety, doubt and chaos calh rationality The God of Fire had notsound at the et through either way because of the mad flames She couldn't even notice that part It appeared the God of Fire was really anxious
”Humph”
(To be alive)