Light (10)

Reality had never been kind.

Not then, and not now.

"Ah.... Just a moment, please."

Erika was a Ranker. In every sense of the word, she was one of the Association's finest. It had long been known that she possessed exceptional ability ever since joining their ranks.

There were many times she was needed, and many times she was called upon.

But even she had her priorities.

"When will it be finished?"

Her appointment with Ere was at seven. Could she push it back by an hour?

If she threw herself into the work, she might finish even sooner.

"So, Ere. I'm sorry. I might be a little late."

The voice on the other end of the line was calm.

The work wrapped up faster than expected. She had known she could finish quickly once she set her mind to it — but knowing her little sister was waiting made her hands move all the faster.

The path from the Association to meet Ere felt slightly different from usual.

The streets were dim and desolate. Ordinarily, there would still have been a few people out around eight, but today there was no one in sight. That was probably a large part of it.

Still, she didn't particularly mind. The shopping district where they would spend their time together would be bright, and Ere would be happy.

They would browse the shops, do a little shopping, and go out to eat.

She had already reserved a restaurant suited to Ere's tastes. Everything was prepared.

After walking a little farther, she spotted Ere at the entrance to the shopping district.

She was still beautiful. Still lovely. Still precious beyond measure.

Long straight hair cascading down with earrings she never usually wore, a small bag that was elegant yet demure. A black top beneath a coat that looked just a little too big on her — all of it came together like a painting.

Her makeup was light, and the moment she spotted Erika she waved and came running, looking for all the world like some tiny, adorable creature that had just found its owner.

Erika was about to answer in kind, to go to her and pull her into an embrace.

If only there hadn't been that enormous, attention-grabbing uproar.

"A Gate! There's a fucking Gate!"

"Wasn't today supposed to be a safe day?!"

A sound like space itself being torn apart rang out, and a dark, filthy crack began to form at the mouth of the alley leading into the shopping district.

Only then did the reason she had been called into the Association earlier flash through her mind.

Today was supposed to be one of the regularly safe days. But there have been signs of a rift near your place, you see. Just a precaution, just in case.

In the past year, the Gate cycle had not broken even once. The entire city's population had begun to take comfort in that fact — and to grow accustomed to it.

Erika was no different. She had thought, surely not. Even when signs appeared, they often faded before long.

And more than anything, she had wanted today not to be the day. No — it couldn't be the day.

Not for her. And not for Ere.

From the scar that looked as though someone had stabbed wildly at the fabric of space itself, violet roots began to devour the surroundings. Stages that should have taken a long time to complete were skipped in an instant, and the rift evolved into a full Gate.

"Erika!"

Voices called her name, and Association hunters came into view across the street.

Then the noise hit.

It happened in a blink. The monsters came pouring out.

Wings and horns, grotesque faces and bodies — creatures roughly the size of humans began spilling from a single point in space.

To Erika, it felt as though the world itself were collapsing.

Why? Why today of all days? Why? What did I do wrong? Was wanting my only little sister to be happy such a terrible crime?

Why has everything been twisting like this — since last time, since before, since so long ago?

There was no time to think. First, she had to get Ere to safety.

This place could be left to the Association's main force.

The decision was made in an instant, and she sprinted toward Ere.

That was the moment. High-grade monsters came flooding out of the Gate in a sudden torrent.

Among the creatures blanketing the ground, a portion of them abruptly charged straight at Ere.

It didn't seem like they were simply following a monster's nature. It felt far more as though they were deliberately targeting her alone.

In a flash, three Dracul — winged demons in monstrous form — latched onto Ere, snatched her up, and veered off down a side street.

"Ere!!!"

Erika whipped her arm back and gathered her mana. She condensed it into a long, spear-like form. When she thrust her arm forward, it punched through everything on the ground and cleaved the air itself.

With a wet, piercing sound, one of the Dracul holding Ere was shot down.

Erika ran. She wrapped her body in mana and pushed her speed higher. Swinging a blade forged of pure mana, she smashed through every monster that barred her path. The one mercy was that Dracul flew low.

She pursued them hard, turning down alley after alley. Blood sprayed. Her breathing grew ragged.

By the time her stamina began to fail, Erika understood. It was a war of attrition. Strangely, far too many monsters were throwing themselves in her way. There shouldn't have been this many coming out of the Gate.

It seemed as though most of the monsters were pouring in this direction.

As if their sole purpose was to stop her.

It was infuriating. She was out of breath, her strength failing. Against anything below mid-grade she could have held her own without trouble — but the aftereffects of her recent battles still hadn't fully healed.

In that condition, facing dozens of high-grade monsters alone was more than she could manage.

But she could not give up. Her little sister deserved to be happy. The memories she and Ere shared were few. Ere must have felt the lack of them even more keenly.

But her older sister was a Ranker. She lived a life consumed by the Association. Clever Ere had probably thought that inserting herself into that life would only be a burden.

At such a young age, unable even to ask for love — how had she endured each day? The heart that waited at home for an older sister who never came must have been torn apart until it split.

Erika wanted to cry right then and there. She wanted to claw at her own hair and sink to the ground. She wanted to blame herself, blame the world, condemn everything.

Couldn't I have done even a little better by her? If I had been even a little ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stronger, even a little....

Her breath came short and ragged. Her hands and body had long since been soaked in blood. This was both sin and punishment. Having to chase after Ere as she was being abducted, able only to watch — this was hell.

She couldn't even see Ere's face. The monsters were too large.

She couldn't even hear her voice. Everything around her was too loud.

Because she was weak. Because she was not enough.

She still couldn't reach her even a single moment sooner.

Clutching the wounds gouged across her body, Erika gathered power into her hand. She clenched her teeth and poured mana through herself until blood burst from her skin.

A sword-strike shimmered into being, and a massive blade flowed into her grip. When she swung her arm, a flashing line carved through the air. It punched through everything in her path and tore open the ground. Her field of vision cleared, and she saw the two Dracul still flying through the sky.

Her heart throbbed. She could feel her body reaching its limit. Erika wrung out every last drop of strength and imbued the blade with light. Characters etched themselves along the sword and flared bright.

She took aim and locked onto her targets. The instant the Dracul twisted their bodies in flight, she thrust the blade forward. The sword-strike surged up and crushed the space before it. A beam of light erupted, detonating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every living thing along its line.

The Dracul's bodies were pierced through, and their screams filled the air. Erika threw herself forward and caught the falling Ere.

She rolled across the ground and came to rest against a wall. The world went rapidly quiet; the currents of air settled. She lowered her gaze and checked Ere's condition.

"Unni...."

"....Ere."

It didn't matter what happened to her own body. Even if the blood pouring from her mouth soaked her through, even if her lurching heart felt ready to burst — it was fine.

Even if her abdomen was torn open, even if her vision blurred — none of it mattered. As long as Ere was all right.

Erika rubbed her eyes and looked down at her. Outwardly, there didn't seem to be any serious problem. Her breathing was rough and her clothes and face were a little dirtied, but that was nothing.

"I... here.... My heart hurts."

Thud.

It felt to Erika as though the world were collapsing.

"Her life is not in danger."

The doctor set the chart down in the hospital room.

"It's a hex cast by high-grade monsters — a rare enough variety that it isn't well documented. The curse is placed near the heart and induces a range of illnesses. From the monsters' perspective, Ere's heart, having inherited Erika's abilities, must have been quite the prize. They likely tried something and settled for laying the hex instead."

Erika made a low sound in her throat and waited for what would come next.

"This kind of hex isn't completed in an instant. You said she was held by the Dracul for some time, correct? It was probably cast then. As I mentioned, fortunately Ere... has inherited Erika's abilities, so the symptoms aren't severe."

"That's... a relief...."

Among sword-wielding hunters, Erika's recovery and regenerative power stood at the absolute peak.

Ere nodded, her expression easing somewhat. Erika still said nothing.

"However, as an aftereffect, she will tire easily. Strenuous activity will likely be out of the question as well. ...Until a treatment is developed."

In other words — for the rest of her life.

The hospital room was silent.

Erika nearly tore at her own hair, then stopped herself. She couldn't seem to breathe properly.

Because of me. If I had only been a little stronger. If I had only been a little faster.

She had trained herself relentlessly in pursuit of greater power. Because of that, she had never been able to stay by her only sister's side. Even when endless headaches plagued her, she had justified it by telling herself it was all for Ere's sake.

But the result had been catastrophic. She had failed to protect Ere, and she had become garbage. And still, just moments ago in that hospital room, Ere had been watching her carefully — too kind for her own good. She had been more concerned with Erika's feelings than with her own condition. Erika almost wished she would just scowl and curse her out instead.

She coughed again and again until she brought something up from deep inside. She caught it hastily in her hands and bolted into the bathroom. Something was churning in her gut.

She couldn't even stay with her — and she couldn't protect her either. It felt as though she were drowning in endless self-loathing.

"....Hah."

Erika splashed cold water on her face and drove her forehead into the glass wall several times. Countless chains of thought linked together and snapped apart.

She needed overwhelming power. She wanted to stand at a peak no one else could approach. She needed a vast weapon capable of judging sin itself. An unending hunger rose up and crushed down on her mind.

Move.

Erika drove herself even harder. Day after day she stood for training and threw herself into every incident that crossed her path. She led the charge in monster subjugations and cleared Gates. She punished criminals and exhaled as she faced the countless evils they had committed.

She never forgot to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠visit Ere every single day. For the girl who would have to remain in that hospital room for some time, she brought the foods she loved and things to keep her entertained. Before entering the hospital, she always managed her expression carefully.

"How are you feeling?"

"Me? I'm fine! Unni, you should take it easy with work! Don't worry about me!"

"Yeah. I am. So what should we do today?"

Every time she came and went from that hospital room, Erika was tormented by endless guilt. Hatred for herself and hatred for the evils of the world adorned her like ornaments. But there was nothing else she could do. All she was capable of was moving — more, and more still.

Even on days when no Gates opened, she was busy. She faced every incident that erupted moment by moment across the capital region. The crime scenes left by Awakened were not merely horrific — they were devastating.

Blood soaked her body, and the thick scent of mana always hung over her. When she came back to herself, she would find she was bleeding in some corner of a battlefield. Facing criminals, suffering under their attacks, she would groan in pain.

With each passing day, her loathing for monsters and her contempt for Awakened climbed as if to pierce the sky. Of course it did. If only those things didn't exist in the world, she wouldn't have had to suffer. She could have spent precious time with the people precious to her.

But she did not sigh. She did not lament. That was not something a grown adult should do. That was not something someone cradling her own sins should do.

Even when blood surged up and her heart throbbed, she could endure it. Even when her breath ran short and her brain ached as though it would split, she could bear it. So long as she could protect that smile.

"Hello."

And so the one standing before her now — that silver-haired girl —

even to Erika, who had resolved countless incidents and cleared Gate after Gate —

was an irregular beyond all approach.

She could not understand her. She could not draw near. The girl was vast. Always at ease, always engaged in activities that defied common sense.

That she far surpassed Erika's own mana went without saying. With leisurely movements, she had cut Erika down in a single blow.

I have to kill her.

That was the thought that came to her.

It was a colossal power she had never encountered before. If she could not break this girl, there would be no future ahead. That was how she thought, and that was how she acted.

Even when a blade raked across her abdomen and she thought she might die, even when that abyssal mana left her mind reeling — the conviction that the being before her eyes must never be allowed to live conquered every corner of her mind.

Evildoers had to be punished, and the city's peace had to be maintained. Creatures that inspired loathing had to meet that end.

But in the end, she could not do it. She felt the wall. Her heart throbbed and her breathing turned ragged. Her arms and legs had long since been broken.

Just as she was about to resign herself — so this is how I die — she poured her last strength into a shout.

"I'm going to kill you."

The girl smiled. Erika could not grasp what it meant. Buried as she was in something she could not name, she had no way of measuring the meaning of that smile.

Was it fun, toying with her like a plaything? Or had she simply laughed because it was so absurd?

Still smiling, the girl vanished from that place.

It was the same when she faced the golem.

The girl she had so thoroughly denounced and despised remained as composed as ever. No — for a fleeting moment, she almost seemed tired.

Of course, that didn't matter. Evil had to be punished, and what stood before her now was a golem harming people.

She exhausted herself endlessly in the exchange with the golem. Her breathing felt as though it would shatter; her mind went distant. Her spirit had long since been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crushed flat. Even as her entire body ruptured and blood sprayed forth, she did not give up.

Why — she didn't know.

At some point, she had simply become this way. Under the banner of punishing evil and maintaining order, under the punishment of the original sin of failing to protect her little sister — she had become this kind of being.

Even when the golem struck her in the abdomen and chest, even when her legs broke and moans of agony spilled from her body — somewhere among the countless past memories flickering past —

suddenly,

the thought came to her that dying like this might not be so bad.

But then — then who would kill that girl?

The moment that thought struck, power surged through her body. With everything she had, she crushed the golem's core. In the instant her limit arrived and her body began to fall, the girl's face flashed through her mind.

Why.

Why was she smiling?

She simply could not — no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not — understand the meaning of that smile.

Even now, as that girl approached her where she lay collapsed in the middle of a vast battlefield, sliding toward death —

she still could not understand.

Not even a single handful of it.