Chapter 367
Chapter 367
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 367
Chapter Title: Side Story 52. We're Doing Well Too (4)
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A chilling voice echoed through the darkness.
The eyes that had burst from the Grand Duke's torn chest scanned their surroundings greedily.
Erzsebet and the others froze in place.
The Grand Duke's body was now completely consumed by shadows.
"Haa... Haaa...!"
Only ragged breaths echoed in the silence.
No one could move or speak.
Their instincts screamed.
That's dangerous.
You mustn't get close to it.
The moment golden flames were about to touch the Grand Duke...
The wandering eyes stopped dead.
The pupils narrowed like a cat's, and crimson glows erupted from them.
A shadowy hand rose from the floor, blocking the Grand Duke's front.
Kwaaaah!
The flames that struck the palm scattered in all directions.
"N-No way!"
Erzsebet cried out in shock.
It ignored elemental weaknesses with its sheer durability.
The shadowy hand didn't vanish even in flames infused with the sun's power.
The hundreds of flame tendrils naturally poured toward the bookshelves.
The forbidden tomes, doomed to be incinerated, screamed in terror.
Erzsebet hurriedly thrust both arms upward.
Hundreds of flame streams veered skyward all at once.
Kwaboom!
Bang!
The flames exploded against the ceiling.
"T-Tower Lord! Are you okay?!"
Sion shouted, finally regaining her senses.
Erzsebet just panted heavily, offering no reply.
Fine embers like spring rain adorned the library.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
Her gaze remained fixed on the Grand Duke.
The shadowy hand had dissipated, but the Grand Duke endured.
Ophelia bit her lower lip.
"This is bad. The worst-case scenario..."
No trace of her former gentleness remained on her tense face.
Magical energy gathered at her feet for a spell.
Erzsebet took a deep breath and questioned her.
"Miss Ophelia. The Grand Duke... Hoo, what happened to him exactly?"
"His wound festered and burst. Of all times, now... There's no way to fix it anymore."
"No way? You don't mean..."
A bad premonition gripped her.
As Erzsebet spoke...
The Grand Duke's body bubbled like foam, and two shadowy hands shot toward them.
The Grand Duke growled.
Dozens of red eyes embedded in the massive palm blotted out their vision.
Erzsebet's face reflected on the dark crimson irises.
"Ugh...!"
"I knew it! Taat!"
Braum leaped forward almost simultaneously.
His reaction was instantaneous, as if anticipated.
He blocked the two women, swinging his greatshield.
Kwaang!
The hand bounced off with a resounding clash.
The hand that crashed into the floor melted like a snowman, forming a black puddle.
"Lord Braum!"
"Hahaha! Thrilling! You ladies keep talking!"
Braum burst into hearty laughter.
A yellow aura evoking the earth enveloped his greatshield and body.
It was like wearing rock armor.
It was Braum's aura, explosively boosting his defense.
Suddenly, the Grand Duke's body boiled again.
Three new arms rose from the pooled shadows.
Braum plunged back into battle without a moment's rest.
Ophelia, conveying thanks with her eyes, continued.
"Thanks, Braum. To explain... That's no longer the Grand Duke."
"W-What?"
"The earthly power that kept his long-expired life going. The strength the Grand Duke spent over twenty years to recover didn't vanish—it accumulated in the wound Abel inflicted. I've been suppressing it with my blood magic until now... but the explosion's shock must have unleashed it all at once."
"What...! He just regained his power—why end up like that?"
"Because it festered inside the wound without flowing properly. Moreover, with the Grand Duke's current mental strength, he can't control the sudden surge of power. He's been completely consumed by the corrupted energy. All that's left is rampage."
A monster thrashing in agony, reclaiming its old power.
That was the Shadow Grand Duke now.
No reason lingered in the shadows blazing with malice or the eyes craving blood.
"Then... there's no way to heal him? Not even transferring to another body?"
"......Yeah."
Ophelia nodded.
Her scarlet eyes brimmed with sorrow.
No hollow twist awaited like moments before.
"No way...!"
Erzsebet clenched her fists.
Blood trickled from where her nails dug in.
For the one who once commanded the world of night, it was far too pathetic an end.
How could such tragedy...
But there was no time to wallow in grief.
In truth, they—not the Shadow Grand Duke—might be the ones needing pity now.
Their bodies ached from the overflowing killing intent.
Braum was blocking five hands at once.
"Wahaha! Sorry, but I can't hold out much longer. Any ideas?!"
His valiant figure resembled a lighthouse rising amid a stormy night sea.
New scars visibly marred his greatshield.
Braum laughed through every defense of the Grand Duke's attacks.
Not from joy, but to reassure the others and himself.
Erzsebet lifted her head with a resolute expression.
"Got it. I'll do it."
"Yeah. Together."
The decision was made.
The two women locked eyes on the Shadow Grand Duke and began chanting.
Their song-like incantations rang clear amid the battle's clamor.
Nearby mana swirled violently, gathering.
"I-I'll help too!"
Sion, who had been frozen stiff, stepped forward with courage.
The duet became a trio, resounding.
No one said it aloud, but they had an unspoken agreement.
With respect, in one strike.
If possible, without a moment's pain.
Erzsebet finished her chant and murmured softly.
"Tornado, Flame Booster. Prominence Stream."
Sion followed.
Erzsebet and Sion's wind magic manifested first.
Kwakwakwakwa!
Two tornadoes erupted on either side of the Shadow Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke let slip bewilderment.
The winds were fierce enough to uproot trees whole.
Though his body lifted into the air, the Grand Duke slammed both hands into the floor to hold.
Immense strength.
But had he realized Erzsebet's plan, he never would have.
Erzsebet shouted.
"Sion!"
"Yes! Tower Lord!"
Sion responded.
A technique they had once synced.
Clap!
They clapped hands together.
The separate tornadoes converged on the Grand Duke as center.
Twice as strong, the whirlwind engulfed him.
"Hah! A breather!"
The Grand Duke snarled.
His fluid body fluttered like a flag.
The onslaught on Braum eased.
The shadowy hands morphed into spears and blades, targeting the two women.
But the next spell was already cast.
A massive magic circle formed beneath the Grand Duke.
Etched within geometric patterns was Erzsebet's strongest spell.
She bit her lip, staring at him.
"I'm sorry, Grand Duke."
Kwaaaaaaaa!!!
Flames erupted like an explosion, devouring the Shadow Grand Duke.
The brilliant golden light hurt the eyes.
Flames infused with the sun's power and Erzsebet's aura amplifying might.
A wretched screech tore the darkness.
The Grand Duke's body contracted and expanded in the flame torrent.
Sion's Fire Stream followed from the same spot.
Far inferior to Erzsebet's Prominence Stream, but not ineffective.
Two infernos rode the whirlwind upward.
"......I'll remember you. Josef."
Ophelia was last.
Murmuring the Grand Duke's name, she formed hand seals in the air.
Blood gushed from the writhing body.
The blood didn't return—it burned away in the flames.
Promoting permanent annihilation.
As the shrinking form mummified...
"What?"
The Grand Duke's body swelled in desperation.
A shadowy strand tore free from the flames, striking a bookshelf.
Precisely one forbidden tome on display.
The plea went unanswered.
The tentacle-like shadow opened wide and swallowed the tome.
The Grand Duke's burning body grew slightly.
From near-dissipation.
"Wait, no way!"
Erzsebet paled.
Before she could act...
Dozens of shadowy tentacles burst from the flames.
"W-What in the world...!"
Sion gasped.
None of the tentacles spreading everywhere targeted people.
The forbidden tomes' screams echoed one after another.
Unable to resist properly, they were devoured by shadows.
With each absorption, the Grand Duke's body regained form.
To add insult, the spell's duration ended.
The tornado ceased.
In the rapidly dying flames, a massive amorphous darkness revealed itself.
The darkness roared.
The bizarre voice sapped their will to fight.
Its size, dozens of times larger, was hard to take in at a glance.
No remnant of the Grand Duke's form remained.
"Ah... Aaaah...!"
The darkness extended tentacles like a giant cephalopod across the library.
With each extension, the tomes' voices vanished one by one.
Would despair incarnate look like this?
The silent Erzsebet spoke.
"......Sion. Run."
"Y-Yes?"
"Hurry.
Evacuate everyone from the magic tower and bring Aire. She's probably far away given her personality, but find her no matter what. You can do it, right?"
Erzsebet's gaze lingered on the darkness.
New spell incantations flowed rapidly from her lips.
Flames surged anew from library corners, attacking the Grand Duke, but the darkness devouring tomes only grew.
"I-I can't do that. How can I leave you alone...! Let me fight too!"
"You say that after seeing that? Miss Ophelia or Lord Braum might manage, but with your skill, it's impossible."
"But... Heok."
Sion, about to protest, gasped.
Erzsebet had turned and gripped her shoulders.
Her face inches away, flushed red, she yelled.
"Why keep stubbornly upsetting me! Won't you listen to your big sis?!"
"T-Tower Lord...?"
"Go! If I lose you too, I'll have no reason to live! Just as nobles must protect the weak, it's a big sister's duty to shield her little sister!"
Erzsebet shoved Sion with those words.
First time using casual speech.
First time calling herself big sis.
Sion steadied her wobble.
Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she nodded vigorously.
"I-I... Got it....... I'll go."
"That's my good girl. Don't look back."
Erzsebet smiled.
A gentle smile, as if she'd never yelled.
Sion, fleeing with back turned, shouted.
"Don't die! Big sis!"
No reply came.
Under the remaining three's protection, Sion escaped the library safely.
Confrontation returned.
Ophelia asked.
"That girl was Acalusian too?"
"As if. No Acalusian is that scatterbrained. She inherited Grancia's frivolity wholesale."
"But you two seemed awfully close."
"Hmph, naturally."