Chapter 246: Chaos (12)
I unleashed relentless consecutive strikes toward the Man without a Head—more precisely, toward the space behind him.
Each blow was so miserable in every aspect that comparing it to my previous attacks was meaningless.
But I did not care.
The pain in my right arm was also beyond anything I had ever experienced before, yet I simply clenched my teeth and endured it.
‘Like this.’
There was no other choice but to crash straight into him like this.
I bit down so hard that my molars nearly bled and kept thinking that.
‘The Auction House.’
I recalled once more that from the very beginning, the Man without a Head had been constantly paying attention to his rear.
To be precise, he had been stalling for time against me and the others.
At first, I had thought that since part of his body had been blown away and all his magical power had been stolen as the price, he had no choice but to drag things out.
‘But….’
That was not it.
When I thought carefully, I remembered how from the start he had blown Velita and me far away from the Auction House.
And how he had gone on at length, saying things as if he could not allow us to go that way.
Furthermore, compared to when we had first met, he had tried to prolong the conversation even more and had continued using only time-wasting attacks.
‘…I don’t know what Enbarso is doing.’
As I launched another series of strikes, I thought that.
Jeil Enbarso.
In other words, Lord Valen Zeisho.
He had once been a member of the Wolpen Knights and was even called the Fairy King. I did not believe someone like him would fall so easily.
Moreover, I was certain that a powerhouse of his level would not be struck down by the blind attacks I was unleashing.
“……”
But our opponent surely knew that our ally was none other than Lord Valen Zeisho.
Yet instead of trying to subdue us quickly and rejoin that side, or showing any sign of impatience, the Man without a Head was thoroughly dragging things out, trying only to pin us here.
That meant he, too, possessed some firmly trusted trump card.
To put it another way, if this stalemate continued, the odds were high that we would be the ones to lose.
In fact, from behind us, I could still intermittently feel the shockwaves of enormous forces colliding.
Which meant that Lord Valen Zeisho was still fighting his enemy.
‘We have to hurry.’
That was what I thought.
But no matter how I considered it, subduing the Man without a Head before me quickly and moving forward in this situation was practically impossible.
And even if we defeated him—if we somehow managed to join up—how much help would we truly be?
After all, not only me, but Lancia and Artemia—
And even Velita—we had all poured out nearly all the power we possessed.
Honestly, it would not have been strange if we collapsed and lost consciousness at any moment.
‘…No.’
A dry laugh slipped from my lips without me realizing.
To be honest, even if all four of us had been in perfect condition, we probably would not have been of much help.
“……”
But that did not mean we could do nothing.
If things continued like this—
If everything concluded according to his intentions—
Then what in the world would happen?
I could not even begin to estimate it.
It was only natural that everyone here, myself included, would meet our end.
Beyond that, I could not imagine how many more would die, nor what would happen to this country and the continent.
‘There won’t be any reinforcements.’
Judging by the complete lack of response so far from Cecilia, Yuran, and the others, they were likely in a dire situation as well.
The same must have been true for Professor Windy May and the others remaining at the Academy.
There would be no support.
And time was on the enemy’s side.
In this hopeless situation, with no clear solution in sight—
Precisely because it was such a situation, I finally gambled on a move I never would have attempted under normal circumstances.
And it worked far better than I had expected.
“Y-You insane bastard…! Stop that at once!”
The Man without a Head cursed furiously, enraged beyond measure.
He struggled desperately to block my attacks.
But… I had no desire to boast, yet this was the very strike that had sliced through even a part of an Ancient Dragon’s body in an instant, without the slightest resistance.
Moreover, he himself had deliberately hinted before that he was aware of this strike and had prepared countermeasures for it.
In other words, it was threatening enough that he had felt the need to recognize and prepare against it.
Slash!
When he recklessly tried to swat aside the incoming strike, a portion of his body was cleanly severed.
And the severed part did not regenerate.
“Kuah…!”
He clutched at his shoulder, now cut off, and let out a groan of agony.
“……”
But I remained silent as I watched him.
Because the moment I opened my mouth, a scream just like his—no, one even more horrific—would surely burst from me.
‘Ah….’
I could no longer feel my right arm.
My Divine Power was also depleting at an alarming rate.
I was pouring everything into strengthening and restoring my body just to unleash each strike.
Even so…
My current state was like pouring water into a jar with a hole at the bottom.
After this was over, I probably would not be able to use my right arm the way I once had.
That was what I thought.
It was not a premonition. It was certainty.
‘…No.’
Even so, it did not matter.
Even if my right arm became crippled—or even if it were severed entirely—it would be fine.
If I could buy the future with just one arm, it was a cheap deal.
‘Please.’
…Time was steadily running out.
The limit came not to my body first—
But to something else.
Crack.
A thin crack began to form along the blade.
Velita’s Twin Swords had reached their limit.
No matter how exceptional a weapon it was—wielded by an Imperial Princess—it seemed it could not compare to a weapon forged directly by a Dragon.
‘Please….’
Please notice.
I prayed for that with all my heart.
And then—
KWA-A-A-ANG!!!
From behind the man—from the direction where the Auction House had stood—an overwhelming surge of power burst outward.
At the immense shockwave, I unconsciously forgot even the pain of crushing my right arm and allowed a faint smile to touch my lips.
They had understood our intention over there.
“W-What…?”
Unlike me, who smiled in relief, the Man without a Head began to panic the moment he sensed that surge of power.
“N-No. Don’t tell me… Don’t tell me that after coming this far…!”
Shouting that, he hastily turned and tried to flee.
More precisely, he was likely trying to join that side.
But I had no intention of letting him go.
‘One last strike.’
Even if my right arm exploded like this, I did not care.
Just as I was about to swing my sword at his completely exposed back—
And then.
At that moment.
Suddenly.
“……Huh.”
My head—
Click.
My memories—
Into my mind…….
I had been startled by the strike I launched from afar, but only to that extent.
Neither Berenistella nor Arpentia would fall to a blind attack so easily. The years and experiences they had accumulated had tempered them far too solidly.
However, a tightly balanced scale can collapse from the addition of a single small weight.
The sudden outside intervention brought a tremendous change to the standoff.
Crunch!
“What?!”
My slash pierced not Arpentia or Berenistella, but one of the other beings.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been easily avoided or blocked.
“Y-You…!”
“……”
Arpentia’s eyes widened as she glared at Berenistella.
As if she knew nothing, Berenistella casually waved her hand.
Because of that, the aura that had been binding Siren Everglenn—who had taken my ambush head-on without even properly reacting—scattered.
“You damned bitch…!”
Arpentia shouted in fury, but it was already too late.
Before her eyes, the Dragon Knight collapsed powerlessly, most of his body shattered.
The remnants of the hero once called Siren Everglenn faded away so futilely.
“…Tsk.”
Berenistella clicked her tongue softly and stepped back.
The remnants of the Three Heroes that Arpentia had revived—no, perhaps “summoned” would be more accurate.
In any case, they were undeniably powerful.
But at the same time, their weakness was equally clear.
Though they possessed fragments of their former bodies and strength, they regrettably lacked a sense of self.
They were nothing more than puppets that moved solely according to Arpentia’s commands.
And puppets, by nature, cannot judge or act on their own beyond what they are ordered.
‘…No matter how exceptional the puppet may be.’
If the one controlling it is not in good condition, it cannot display its full might.
And Arpentia was in a state of utter ruin.
Berenistella knew that well.
As did Lord Valen Zeisho, who had already fallen.
That was precisely why neither of them had targeted Arpentia directly.
If they had, there was no knowing what the summoned heroes might have done to protect her.
But my intervention changed the situation.
‘Now….’
First, Talia had been brought down in a surprise attack.
And just now, Siren had fallen by exploiting that opening.
“…Only one remains.”
…
Berenistella muttered in a chilling voice.
Without hesitation, she rushed simultaneously toward the last one remaining.
“No…!”
Arpentia cried out in despair, but her voice scattered meaninglessly into the air.
Soon, with both arms severed, the body of the Strategist collapsed.
Now, at Arpentia’s side, only Talia remained—fallen with her heart pierced.
“A… ah….”
Arpentia sank to the ground in a daze.
Her eyes had lost focus, wandering through empty space.
All that she had painstakingly built over countless years crumbled in an instant, and she could only stare blankly as it fell apart.
“…It’s over now.”
Berenistella approached her and whispered softly.
“Yes, it is truly over.”
“N-No….”
Arpentia shook her head.
Looking up at Berenistella with vacant eyes, she pleaded.
“P-Please.”
“Begging for your life now? That truly isn’t like your former self—”
Before Berenistella could finish, Arpentia murmured,
“I… you can kill me. But the others… please, spare those people….”
“……”
At her plea, Berenistella fell silent as if at a loss for words.
After a moment, she let out a small sigh.
“…Very well. I made a promise, so I will not kill you.”
With that, she thrust out her hand toward Arpentia.
Arpentia had no means left.
Perhaps because she had unconsciously relaxed upon realizing that—
“……!?”
She allowed a completely unexpected strike from right beside her.
‘What…?’
As she was sent flying far away, Berenistella glared at the one who had struck her.
And she could not help but be shocked.
“……”
There stood Talia Poas, her hand outstretched toward Berenistella.
With the same eyes she had once seen in that distant past.
And—
Crack.
A fracture had formed in the porcelain vessel held in Berenistella’s embrace.
The vessel that once contained a Brand—
But this time, held something else within.