Finale (2)
Rebecca lifted her head, utterly unable to make sense of the scene before her.
A monster had burst up through the earth without warning. Its form was so grotesque that she half-wondered whether she might be dreaming. Engulfed in flames, the creature howled in agony.
And standing there, watching it with perfectly calm expressions, were two people.
"Fortunately, it seems we weren't too late."
"Looks that way."
Milia and Schwarz exchanged words as they regarded the screaming monster.
"…"
There was not a trace of tension in either of them. Rebecca began to think, once again, that this had to be a dream.
Just then—
"Are you all right, Boss?"
"Huh? Y-yeah… I'm fine."
Devin approached and offered her a hand. Only then did Rebecca accept that the nightmare in front of her was real. She took his hand and rose to her feet.
"Lady Milia? What on earth is going on…?"
She had a mountain of questions, but first she needed to understand what had just happened.
"There's no time to explain. Pull yourself together."
Instead of answering, Milia roughly tore the pendant from around her own neck and pressed it into Rebecca's hand.
"This is…?"
"Take this to the royal palace at once and give it to my father. Every second counts."
Milia's voice was calm, yet deadly serious. Rebecca's face hardened as understanding finally dawned.
"Understood! Devin—hurry!"
"Yes, Boss!"
Rebecca nodded to Milia, then set off at a run with Devin at her side.
And in that very moment—
[KRAAAAAAAAGH!!]
Mikhail, still writhing inside the dark-blue flames and screaming in torment, began to change.
His body swelled at terrifying speed. The carapace could not withstand the pressure; it cracked and shattered with wet, splintering sounds. Beneath it, muscle and blood vessels ballooned endlessly, inflating his bulk.
His lower half fused into a single mass that stretched long and sinuous like a serpent—then, with a sickening noise, legs of bone and muscle erupted from either side.
Where a split jaw had once been, six eyes now glowed with a sinister violet light, and a pair of razor-sharp mandibles jutted forth.
[Shhhhhhhhh…]
Still wreathed in dark-blue fire, the enormous shape rose with a sharp, scraping hiss.
"What do we do now?"
"What else?"
Milia gave a short, wry smile at Schwarz's question and picked up a spear that had fallen nearby.
"If they're going to send out a monster… then we send out a monster of our own, don't we?"
She leveled the spear tip at the transformed Mikhail.
"Haa… I suppose there's no choice."
Schwarz let out a brief sigh and began drawing in mana. At the same time, black mist poured from his body.
The mist thickened, swirling into a sphere that completely enveloped him…
And the next instant—
[Grrrrrrrrr…]
A low growl rumbled out of the darkness, and amber eyes flashed open within the black fog.
The back alleys of Barenberg.
A place that would normally have been silent as the grave now looked like a battlefield.
[Grrrrrr…]
[Kiiiiii…]
Two great beasts faced each other, low growls rolling between them.
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"R-run!!"
Those who had not yet fled screamed and scrambled out of the alley at the sight.
Then—
[KIIIIIIII-!!]
[KYAAAAAA-!!]
With twin roars the monsters charged.
The ground shook as their massive bodies collided. Buildings caught in the shockwave collapsed with thunderous crashes.
[Kiiiiii…!!]
[KRAAAAAAA-!!]
They locked together, straining for dominance. Schwarz held the advantage in raw power; Mikhail's bulk was slowly forced backward.
[Kii…!!]
Mikhail drove his countless legs into the earth, fighting desperately to push back—but once the balance had broken, it would not be restored.
[KRAAAAK!!]
Schwarz lunged and sank his jaws into Mikhail's skull with all his strength.
[KIIIIII-!!]
A sickening crack rang out as the carapace over Mikhail's head split. Dark blood, faintly tinged with violet, welled from the fractures.
Mikhail thrashed and shrieked in agony. His legs tore free of the ground. Schwarz seized the opening and shoved with everything he had.
[Kiiiiii!!]
Mikhail's enormous frame skidded backward at high speed. Schwarz drove the off-balance monster straight into the building behind him.
With a deafening roar the structure gave way. Mikhail's body crashed down amid the rubble.
[KYAUUUU-!!]
Schwarz planted a foreleg on the fallen Mikhail and began drawing in the surrounding mana. Dark-blue flame began to swirl inside his maw.
Prolonging the fight would only increase the damage. He forced Mikhail's jaws open, ready to unleash his breath.
[KIIIIII-!!]
But Mikhail was not finished. With a furious screech he lashed out with a tail bristling with razor spines.
[Kheung-!?]
A heavy impact slammed into Schwarz's jaw, snapping his head skyward. Concentration shattered; the compressed flame erupted from his mouth in a wild torrent.
The fully charged blast painted the world dark blue and split the starry night sky in two.
[Kyauuu…]
[Kishaaaaak!!]
The blow had been severe. Schwarz staggered, a low groan escaping him. Mikhail slipped free of the pinning foot and coiled his long body around Schwarz's torso.
[KYAAAAA-!!]
[KIIIIII!!]
Schwarz recovered and thrashed wildly, trying to throw the creature off—but Mikhail clung like iron.
Then Mikhail tightened.
[Kruuuuuu-!!]
Crushing pressure wrung a pained roar from Schwarz. He slammed himself against nearby buildings, desperate to dislodge the coils. Mikhail, as if knowing there would be no second chance, held on with frantic strength.
[Grrrrrr…]
Breath grew short. Schwarz felt consciousness begin to slip away.
Just then—
"Get off Schwarz, you damned monster!!"
A familiar voice cut through the haze. Schwarz's eyes snapped open. On the roof of a nearby building stood Milia, shouting down at them.
"Haaaah!!"
With a sharp cry she hurled the spear she had picked up earlier. It was an ordinary weapon, but her mana-enhanced body sent it flying at tremendous speed. The tip punched straight into one of Mikhail's eyes—the eye that had been locked in place while he crushed Schwarz.
[KIAAAAAAAAA-!!!]
Mikhail screamed, black blood spraying from the ruined eye. Blinded by pain, he thrashed wildly; the crushing coils around Schwarz loosened.
Freed from the pressure, Schwarz's mind cleared instantly. He seized the still-flailing Mikhail by the throat and slammed him into the ground.
[Kii-!! Kiiiiii!!]
Completely pinned, Mikhail bled black from his eye. This time Schwarz would not let him go. He began absorbing mana once more.
Mikhail, thrashing beneath Schwarz's feet, whipped his tail again—but Schwarz was not about to fall for the same trick twice. A black-scaled tail smashed the attack aside. Then Schwarz reached down with both hands and forced Mikhail's jaws wide open.
Mikhail struggled violently, as if he already knew what was coming, but the momentum had shifted entirely.
Schwarz wrenched the drooling maw open, lifted his head—and poured the dark-blue flame that had been gathering in his throat straight down Mikhail's gullet.
[KIAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!]
A bone-chilling scream tore the air as the dark-blue fire ignited Mikhail from the inside. Within moments the flames completely engulfed his massive form.
A short while later the thrashing ceased. Mikhail's body had been reduced to a charred black husk. Schwarz gave a low growl and crushed the head beneath his foot.
With a wet crunch the skull shattered. The body jerked once, then fell utterly still.
[KYAUUUUUUU-!!]
Certain of victory, Schwarz drew a ragged breath and roared his triumph at the sky.
And so the guild war that had erupted in the back alleys of Barenberg was decided.