The Paramere Subjugation Battle (13)
The Paramere Subjugation Battle (13)
"Ah....aaah..."
Aris trembled. The sound mingled with Pierre's groans.
"Th-this...can't be..."
"The order...I have to carry out the order..."
"I came...I came...all this way..."
"Aris...Aris...a new order..."
"Aris...Aris...still...hasn't fallen..."
The Lord of the Rotten dropped to its knees. A groggy state from taking an unexpected blow.
But even in this state, its outer shell was hard. Even though it had taken a hit, there was still no winning against it head-on.
Not for me...but if it were Estelle, that would be different!
"Move. Church of Ra."
I immediately grabbed Irene and threw myself backward.
CRUNCH!!!
Estelle's serpent-blade tore the ground apart. As if conducting a precise anatomical experiment, she peeled away the shell of unresisting flesh piece by piece.
The shell slowly stripped away. A weak point that could never have been targeted if the main body had been strong from the start.
Amid the storm of sword strikes, Aris, trembling violently, was flung outside.
"Ah...aaah..."
The wound that had pierced her abdomen had already healed. But the terrified Aris crawled backward.
"Ah, Aris...can't...can't die here..."
"Aris... Aris—ngh!!"
Pierre, having regained his senses, raised his body. But the Lord of the Rotten, having lost its master, was terribly weak.
Estelle subdued the remaining mass of flesh. She trampled it, broke it, and pinned it beneath her feet.
"No. That's far enough."
The words she spat out, as if declaring, were firm.
"It's over. The root of Paramer's evil."
...Right.
It really is over.
My hands were trembling uncontrollably. Holy shit. How many times did I nearly die?
Especially that last one...even though I dodged it, my right arm still got blown off. If I hadn't dodged, that would've been a one-way trip to the afterlife, wouldn't it?!
【Zahard...Zahard—...】
Beatrice's spirit form nuzzled my face. I'm tired. Don't cling to me. I'm so tired I could die.
【I knew you could do it, Zahard! I knew this would happen!】
Ah. Yeah.
-You really are...
Ra whispered.
-My own adorable, pretty little thunder-naked brat!
If you're going to curse at me, then curse. If you're going to praise me, then just praise me.
I let out a small laugh. Still, well...
It's over.
Really over.
"Aris."
"Hiiiiiiik!!"
Aris's body, separated from Pierre, was collapsing from the edges. Aris raised her hand. Her shrill scream thrashed about, refusing to die.
"Pierre—!! Pierre—!!"
Her flailing hand clawed at the giant's back.
"You said...you said you'd give me back my freedom! Pierre! Why...why...why did it turn out like this!!! Why-y-y-y!!!!"
"Calm down. I'm not going to kill you."
"All adults are liars! I don't believe you! Aris doesn't believe anyone—!!"
The collapsing Aris drove her hand into the giant's back.
...Huh?
Wait.
No way?!
"Aris is..."
Amid the wretched scream, the giant's body pulled Aris in.
"Aris is going to be free—!!!!!"
The enormous giant's body writhed. I immediately lunged forward, but I missed Aris by a hair's breadth.
Aris's voice, entering the Palace of the Rotten, rang out loudly.
【Everyone— die—!!!!!!】
It's moving.
That colossal body, again!
"Why?! The chains were definitely...!"
I glanced back. Mistelten was lying on the ground. Oh, fuck!
Come to think of it, I pulled it out earlier! And since I scraped up all the Sacred Power in it, the chains vanished too!
"You crazy—!"
The enormous giant raised its body. What had been the floor became a wall, and I slid right down and fell.
"It was all over, so why are you still thrashing around?!"
"Zahard!"
White armor kicked off the wall. She caught me in her arms. At the sudden princess carry, I subtly averted my gaze.
"Uh...thank you?"
"It's fine."
Irene looked at me with an uncharacteristically deep gaze.
"If it's you, Zahard, I'll hold you as many times as it takes."
This is no time for carefree talk!
Estelle, as if it were only natural, drove her foot into the rotten giant's back and chased after us as we fell.
"Is this part of the plan too?"
"How could it be?!"
Damn it!
Honestly, I hadn't come this far more than a few times myself! In the game, when I saved her to clear the achievement, I kept Aris restrained so she couldn't pull anything else!!
"Estelle! Please take care of that thing first! If she merges with that girl again, we're screwed!"
"Yeah."
Estelle grabbed the shell of the Lord of the Rotten with one hand. She kicked off the wall and launched herself into the air.
Beneath the tilted back, I could see the battle still raging below. After retrieving Mistelten, I whispered to Irene.
"Irene! Can you drop us into the center over there?!"
"I can."
The white armor landed on the ground with a thud. Startled people stared at us.
"A princess carry...?"
"Who are those two in the first place..."
"Huh?"
"Isn't that...Brother?!"
"No way?! No way?!"
"That little runt got this big?!"
Yeah. I got big.
I slipped out of Irene's arms. I pushed away the people crowding around.
"Everyone, move."
An old man I'd never seen before glanced at me.
"So you're that Zahard, the inquisitor..."
"I said move?!"
"You've got a fierce temper. Why did we even come to rescue someone like this..."
"I don't have time to respect my elders, so move! Everyone, stand back!"
The rotten giant raised its foot. As it moved to crush us, Estelle, who had landed beside me, raised her serpent-blade.
"I'll..."
"No need!"
Flora's voice rang out from far away.
"Waaah!!!! Savior!!!! I'm out of ammunition now!!!!"
"It's fine, so shut up and stay down!"
Right.
I did feel like the ending was a bit anticlimactic. Can't be helped.
Since this is the very last of the last, let's send it off with a bang!
And while I'm at it, I'll show everyone here exactly what kind of person I am!
I'm sick of hiding my strength! I've raised it this much, so why the hell would I hide my power—!!!!
[Warning]
[Warning]
[Warning]
[Your Sacred Mark rejects the intrusion of 'Demonic Force'.]
[Erosion begins.]
[Your body is being corrupted.]
[Your Twisted Sacred Mark completely rejects the intrusion of 'Demonic Force'.]
[Using 'Demon Sword Surtr (EX)'.]
[Usable time: 1m]
[Surtr comes from the south]
[With the harming of branches]
[The sun of gods who kill and are killed]
[Flashes from her sword.]
Ominous black flames erupted from within the Pocket. Estelle flinched in surprise.
"That's...?"
【Aaaaaaah!!! The Sacred Power got even more disgusting—!!!!】
A shrill scream—it's been a while. Ahh. I missed you. Surtr.
Divine Power of destruction surged into my clenched hand with a grinding sound.
"Let's go! My partner!"
【I said I'm not your partner—!!!!】
[Activating 'Levateinn (EX).']
A colossal greatsword of fire. The EX-rank skill, far more massive than before, descended upon the earth.
I leaned back. Feeling the skin of my burning right arm, I stretched it out with all my strength.
"I'll tear you apart—!!!!"
The judgment of destruction extending along my right arm pierced the falling giant's foot.
An erupting roar. The screams of humans caught in the blast. Even Estelle, hurriedly raising a barrier.
The power of the EX-rank skill, sending everyone tumbling together, pierced through the giant's foot.
It burst.
The entire world.
BOOM!!!!
. . .
Aris opened her eyes.
Something had happened. Hellfire. Something more terrible than ordinary flames had engulfed the giant.
And...and...
In an instant, everything she had was blown away.
Aris raised her body. She was lying on the rooftop of a building.
She could feel the flesh crumbling from her fingertips.
She was dying.
Having lost Pierre... and all the power she had possessed.
As if everything had been a momentary dream.
"Ugh...ughh..."
She wanted to live.
But even if she went on living without power, how would that be any different from her life in the Clock Tower?
She would be swept along by others again. She would go back to being the coward she once was. Too afraid to even dream of resisting, leaning on others once more.
A slave's life.
She hated it. She hated it. If it came to that, she would rather...
Dying...would be better...
The ground grew wet with the tears spilling out. Aris wanted to ask.
In this life. All the pain she had endured.
What had any of it meant?
"Hey."
"Huh?"
Something entered her mouth.
"Eat."
Someone sat down beside her. Aris turned her head.
The Apostle of Ra, the one she had tried to kill. At that familiar face, Aris's mouth moved before she knew it.
Sweet.
So sweet it felt like her head might go strange.
"Mm...mm..."
"Good, right? It's something I had brought in directly from Ainkad. It's really expensive. Of course, it's old, so the taste is a little off...but I set the Pocket's internal temperature below freezing, so it's edible enough. Freeze anything and you can take your time eating it. That's the rule."
"Mm...mmm..."
The surface was hard, so Aris moved her tongue. Slowly melting it in her mouth, she looked up at him.
Behind him, the burning giant was curled in on itself. The place that had once been her palace had completely collapsed.
Why?
The first question that surfaced was that.
"Why...Aris..."
"What do you mean, Aris? Aris died back there."
Something landed lightly on top of her head.
"That's a bad name, so don't use it. It's the name of a wicked woman without equal. A dog of a woman who rotted and rotted until she finally burst."
"B-but Aris is Aris..."
"I'll at least give you a name."
Aris blinked.
A name...
He'll give her a name?
"For Aris...a name...?"
"Yeah. A name. Not that kind of name—a real name."
Zahard tapped her forehead lightly.
"Do you want to live?"
"Ah...uh..."
She wanted to live.
But she didn't want to live as a slave.
"You said you wanted to be free."
"......."
"I'll give it to you. Whatever you want to do, do it all."
"I don't want...to be a slave..."
"You won't be a slave. We'll deal as equals. How about it?"
...A deal?
Aris blinked. She tilted her head.
"A...deal...?"
"Yeah. In exchange for setting you free, you follow me."
The man before her suddenly thrust something out.
"I'll formally hire you!"
"......?"
What was he suddenly...?
"I'll pay you five million Talent a month. Of course, incentives are separate! Keep in mind that depending on the work, you can earn more than your salary. Room and board are provided, of course, and travel expenses are covered too. You'll be my escort!"
"...Eh?"
"Once you build up seniority, I'll raise your salary again. And of course, the perks don't stop there. Depending on the situation, you'll get vacation time, and paid leave as well..."
What was this man talking about right now?
"Hire...Aris?"
"Yeah."
"You won't...hurt Aris?"
"Why would I hurt you?"
"I tried...to kill you..."
"That was 'Aris.'"
His finger tapped her forehead with a light thunk.
"From now on, you're 'Maya.' Throw away Aris. She died back there in Paramer with the rest of it."
"...Maya?"
"Yeah. Maya. Your name. I thought about it...and that name really is the best. It's a name that brings gold. It suits you, since you're going to be a lucky charm. It's a name I made just for you, not for anyone else, so accept it gladly."
"Lucky...charm...Maya..."
Aris murmured the name a few times. Then she slowly licked the snack in her hand.
Maya.
The first name she had ever received from someone. Not someone else's name, but a name made solely for her.
"...Hire..."
What a strange man. What adult in the world hires someone who tried to kill them?
But the fact that she wouldn't be a slave pulled at Aris's heart. It lit a fire in her desire to live a little longer.
A formal deal, not slavery.
A real job where she wouldn't be beaten every time she made a mistake. A life as a person, not a slave.
"...Maya..."
At the murmured name, not Aris but Maya raised her head.
"But Maya...if she doesn't keep the promise, she dies...she can't stay by Zahard's side..."
"I didn't expect that one. You die regardless of your will to live? If you don't kill me?"
"...That's the promise that man and Maya made..."
"Is that so? But what if this gets deployed?"
Zahard raised his hand.
"One of the Sacred Relics of Ra that I stole from the treasure vault! It's called the 'Ring of Bonds'!"
".......?"
A pair of rings. One was held by Zahard, and the other was on his finger.
He grinned.
"I'll give you a second life. Maya. Follow me. Use all that overflowing power of yours for me. And in return, I'll give you freedom. How about it?"
"......"
An adult's words. She knew she shouldn't believe them. But even so, Maya accepted the ring.
She rolled the ring absently in her hand. Words slipped out.
"Maya...doesn't have to be...a slave?"
"You don't have to be."
"...Why?"
"Treating someone properly is a more trustworthy relationship than something like slavery, isn't it? Money doesn't betray people."
Zahard grinned.
"If you're unsure, watch from the side and then decide. If it doesn't work out, you can just run. How about it?"
"......"
His words were light. So light that she couldn't even tell whether they were lies or not.
But this was the first time she had ever received a name directly from someone. A name made not for someone else, but solely for herself.
"...Ma...ya..."
Then...if by some one-in-a-million chance...
If this was the last chance given to her...
If she could seize a new life, not as a slave...
"Maya...will..."
The collapsing form of the giant covered the city of Paramer. The surging wind swept lightly through Maya's hair.
Amid the dust of Paramer, Maya raised her head. In the dim sunlight, the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes fell.
Maya knew. She knew that hundreds of thousands of lives had died for her freedom.
She was a monster.
Even if she received a new life, that would not change.
So she asked. The child reached out her hand to the adult, to lean on him.
"Is it okay...if I live...?"
It was a complicated question. Many things were tangled together, and the meaning it carried was far too heavy.
But Zahard smiled. He took her outstretched hand as if it were nothing.
"If I had to answer...well..."
He pulled her in. In the slowly seeping sunset glow, he held Maya in his arms.
"Live for me. Maya."
Maya closed her eyes. She wriggled her fingers and slipped the ring she had received onto her hand.
...Warmth.
A warmth she never wanted to let go of again, the warmth she had waited so long for, was in her hand.