8. Bianca del Castana - 11
8. Bianca del Castana - 11
"...Kain, that... don't tell me..."
The moment she saw the blue energy blazing from Kain's sword, Bianca couldn't stop herself from raising her voice. The emotion surfacing in her eyes wasn't surprise or bewilderment. Only one feeling emanated from her: sheer shock.
"Don't tell me you're converting your own Life Energy into Aura?"
That was exactly it. Aura was a power that, after relentless and grueling training, transformed the body's Life Energy into a physical form capable of influencing the world. In other words, even without having awakened Aura, anyone who could forcibly draw out their own Life Energy could wield a power similar to it.
In fact, almost every school of swordsmanship had one or two techniques based on the principle of triggering Latent Power, similar to what Kain was doing now. All Kain had done was refine that method into a more elegant form using 'Flowing Star'. But that didn't make what he was doing normal in any way.
'I'm going to get absolutely chewed out by the Imperial Princess later.'
For one, the blue energy Kain was manifesting resembled Aura, but it wasn't true Aura. Its quality was far inferior, and while it consumed Life Energy at double the rate, its destructive power didn't even reach half of the real thing.
Most importantly, someone who had awakened Aura didn't deplete their Life Energy by using it. But if you manifested Aura through this makeshift method, the consumed Life Energy would never return. It was nothing short of a mad act that shaved away your own lifespan.
That was why the Imperial Princess, who had taught him this trick, had cautioned him so intensely, telling him never to use it unless he was cornered and on the verge of death.
...But what choice did he have? If he hadn't used this shortcut, a fight with Bianca wouldn't even have been possible in the first place. Not that he enjoyed using this method.
"...I had no choice. Unless I use something like this, I don't even have the right to stand on the same battlefield as you, Bianca. To fight you on equal footing..."
"Have you lost your mind?"
Cutting Kain off mid-sentence, Bianca screamed at him, her voice thick with fury. Her face was now filled with nothing but worry and concern for him.
"Are you that hell-bent on dying? Why are you doing something so stupid? This is insane. No one knows how much of your lifespan you just burned with that one attack. A day? A week? A year? Does your life feel that cheap to you? If you keep this up, you'll really..."
Bianca's hands trembled violently, and then, as if the strength had left her legs, she collapsed onto the floor with a soft thud.
"...you might really die, you know..."
"....."
When Kain remained silent at her words, Bianca bit her lip hard and murmured to herself.
"You're such an idiot. A total moron. To stop me, you're even using your own life as a weapon and a shield. Yet even now, I don't see a single shred of regret in you, Kain."
This man was a real piece of work. Bianca simply couldn't understand him. She couldn't comprehend it. She was just confused. Why was this man stepping up like this? Why was he opposing her? What on earth was he trying to pursue, even at the cost of his own lifespan?
"Does that mean you're stopping? If you back down quietly, I'll stop here, too."
But at his next casually spoken words, Bianca felt blood rush to her head.
"...Are you actually trying to negotiate with me using your own life right now?"
At Bianca's question, Kain gave no answer. His attitude seemed to her nothing but silent affirmation.
"...You son of a bitch."
She was angry. Hatred began to slither up from the depths of her heart. She hated this. She hated him so much. She hated this Kain standing before her, and she hated that Kain wasn't considering her feelings. The man she had loved so dearly now looked nothing but hateful.
"...Bianca. At this moment, I'm just doing what I can."
Whether he knew of her wildly fluctuating emotions or not, the moment that bullshit left Kain's lips, Bianca's reason snapped cleanly.
"...You bastard."
That man was definitely a bastard. And she, who loved such a bastard this much, was definitely a crazy bitch. She was just sick and tired of it all. Herself, still loving him even in this situation; him, whose thoughts she couldn't fathom; and Aria, who could be called the root of all this—everything!
"...No."
She knew it well. She had to stop here. If she stubbornly pushed her will any further, he really might die after his lifespan was whittled away. Her rational, clear-headed mind was telling her that she had to give ground here.
...But her heart simply couldn't. In that moment, Bianca realized something. In this world, there are choices you make even knowing they're foolish. Times when you have no choice but to be faithful to the emotion of the moment, even knowing you'll regret it madly later.
Right now, her instincts as a woman were whispering something bewitching in her ear. Without even realizing what she was saying, Bianca opened her mouth and let out terribly selfish words.
"No, no. I said no!"
"This time, I absolutely won't back down. No, I can't. This time, I absolutely won't give in."
"...Alright, Bianca. I'll respect that will of yours, too."
Even in the face of her violent outburst, Kain accepted her words without batting an eye. His reaction was just too miserable for her. If he had gotten angry at her instead, she wouldn't have felt so wretched. Am I nothing more than a meaningless woman to you—it only hurt more.
Misery turned to sadness, and sadness turned to fury. Grinding her teeth unconsciously, Bianca fiercely summoned every drop of Magic Power in her body.
"...Fine. Let's see this through to the end, Kain."
Right now, I just hate you so much.
Seeing Bianca like this, Kain steeled his resolve once more.
It was finally time to put an end to the tangled web that had bound them.
****
KOOOOOOM—!
Lightning poured down onto the battlefield. Superheated, white-hot flames blazed. A fierce tempest raged. Bitter cold that felt as though it could freeze everything solid blew in.
But her magic couldn't reach Kain. No, not now—against him, who had gained immense physical ability in exchange for burning his own life, the magic she unleashed simply could not touch him. No, saying it 'could not touch him' wasn't quite right. Even if her magic landed a direct hit, he would spring back up like a roly-poly toy and charge at her again.
"...Why?"
Why can't I reach you? My flames, my lightning, my ice, my blinding light—why can't they touch you? And why won't you fall?
"Just... why."
What was pushing him to act like this? She began to feel fear. His face was utterly serious. He was staring at her with eyes that held not a single flicker of hesitation. Even as his body tore, burned, and bore wounds, he never stopped and kept coming for her.
"...That's enough. That's it. Please, stop. I said stop, Kain!"
Without recognizing the sound of her own voice, Bianca finally played her strongest card.
White Flame's Lament. The ultimate unique magic at Bianca del Castana's disposal. Though her remaining Magic Power was less than a tenth of its original amount, the White Flame's Lament she fired by mustering it all still contained enough force to blast him to pieces with ease.
"...So it's coming."
Muttering that, Kain poured strength back into the sword he held and shot forward without hesitation, straight toward the white sun descending upon him.
Wooong—
The flow of Life Energy concentrated into the blade. The technique he intended to manifest, honed and refined to its limit based on a blue energy that rivaled Aura, was called New Moon. It was the strongest skill he could currently use, having discovered its operating principles after coaxing and prodding Lucian von Turnizen.
"Here I come."
Kain's eyes looked straight into Bianca's, which were smeared with rage and guilt beyond the inferno.
...I'm sorry. The truth is, I had a rough idea of how you felt about me. I thought you might actually like me.
But I didn't want to hurt you. I thought we couldn't be together anyway. Even if we fell in love, I figured we'd never be able to overcome all the countless obstacles between us.
So I pretended not to know. I acted as if I hadn't noticed a thing. I desperately deceived my own heart. I told myself that was the best path for you.
But I was wrong. Because of my stubbornness, we ended up hurting each other. Wounding each other. Something inside both of us broke.
That shouldn't have happened. I was foolish. I shouldn't have acted that way. Even if it meant hurting you, I should have conveyed my feelings to you clearly. I shouldn't have left you alone for so long and let you break down.
I held you. I lay with you. But it wasn't pity. It was by my own wholehearted will that I embraced you.
These past forty-some days with you weren't bad. Even if it started coercively, even if my will hadn't been part of it at first, looking back, they seem to have become pretty decent memories. In all that time we spent together, you only loved me, and I accepted your love. At the end of it, I made love to you.
...But I guess that wasn't enough. Compared to the long, awful nights you had to spend alone, last night with you must have felt terribly short. So I'm going to make up for it now. It might be a little late, but for this moment, I'll cast off everything that binds me and look only at you. And at the end of it, I'll love you.
KA-BOOOOOM—!
The New Moon Kain sent forth split Bianca's White Flame's Lament in two. A single human sword had cleaved the sun itself in half. At the impossible sight she could hardly believe even while watching it, Bianca unconsciously held her breath.
Only then did Bianca realize. Within Kain's sword dwelled everything he felt for her. It wasn't hatred, nor killing intent, nor anger. It simply held compassion, solace, and love for her. At this moment, his entire heart was directed solely at her.
The moment she met his earnest and unwavering eyes, she understood everything. The strike Kain had just sent—the strike he'd sent toward her imbued with his very life—was meant only for her in this world. He had offered his love to her. And that fact made her drunk with ecstasy.
"...Ah."
Tears welled up. At this moment, he had forgotten everything he carried and everything he intended to carry, and he was looking only at her. That alone filled her with pure joy.
He approaches. His sword, having cleaved the White Flame's Lament in half, is approaching her. Its intended target is likely her heart. But she doesn't dodge. No, she can't. At the end of a thirty-year-long journey, the very moment her love for him was being rewarded was now. So how could she possibly dodge his sword?
"...Kain."
She squeezed her eyes shut without knowing it. She had imagined her own death. But she couldn't help it. Because she had done so many bad things to him. Just as Aria, that girl, had said, she was a bad woman. So it was fair to be punished.
But even if it all ended like this, she felt it wouldn't be such a bad ending. Because in the final moment, she had received his love so abundantly. Because she could realize that she had been loved so much by someone, and that she loved someone so desperately.
Suddenly, a childhood promise they had made long ago flickered through her mind.
The promise to be together when they became adults. Had she kept that promise, or had she failed to?
"...Ah."
...But the sword didn't pierce her. The blade stopped its movement just before touching her body.
Clatter—
Then he tossed his sword to the floor as if throwing away a piece of trash.
"...Why?"
She asks. She had clearly tried to kill him, tried to hurt him, done so many horrible things to him—so why wouldn't he kill her?
"...I told you from the start. I only meant to stop you. I never had the slightest intention of truly fighting you."
And, more than anything.
"I held you. So you're my woman. The woman I have to take responsibility for, for the rest of my life."
Saying this, Kain gently embraced her as if caressing a precious treasure.
"...I'm sorry, Bianca. For not realizing your pain sooner. And thank you. For always loving me."
The moment she heard his words, warm tears streamed down her cheeks. It felt as if a tangled knot deep in her chest was finally unraveling. It was, so to speak, the feeling of being saved. For someone to beckon to her—a woman with no place to go in the world—and tell her to come here was an incredibly warm feeling.
No, at this moment, she had certainly been saved. She had received permission that someone like her was allowed to live in this world, that she was allowed to be loved by someone.
"...I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Kain..."
As Bianca sobbed, Kain slowly wiped away her tears.
"I'm fine. So don't cry, Bianca."
At his clumsy consolation, Bianca felt her heart growing warm and peaceful.
Just by recalling the words he'd said to her, she keenly realized that he had been loving her.
And so, she gently closed her eyes and collapsed into his arms as if fainting.