'Unfair.'
Since childhood, Junior had always thought this about the world.
An unfair place.
Other children in the village had clean faces without a single scar and happily ran around with healthy arms and legs.
But the children growing up with her were all covered in burns, with incomplete bodies, struggling even to move.
The kids next door each had their own bed, while in this house, everyone huddled together in a small room with just blankets spread out.
Books she wanted to read, food she wanted to eat...
Even the remaining lifespan.
It was all lacking.
The comparisons were endless. In every aspect, the world was unfair.
'Why?'
During the summer, nobles from the Empire visited Junior's coastal village for vacation.
Seeing them, Junior's question only grew.
Born in the Camilla Kingdom, she suffered from magical bombardments, and her whole life was ruined.
While those born as nobles in the Empire lived without lacking anything.
'Why is the world so discriminatory?'
Because of her origins, her appearance, her wealth... Junior was endlessly scorned.
Always living in a state of lacking, Junior sometimes felt resentful.
But life was too harsh to even afford to express such resentments. Junior clung to life to survive.
Taking care of her siblings, clinging to her limited life, desperately...
However, even as she busily lived her life, the resentments didn't all disappear.
'So, let's burn it all.'
That resentment whispered in Junior's ears.
'They should know the pain I've endured.'
"..."
'Let the Imperial Capital perish. Watch them being massacred. Wouldn't that make the world a bit more fair?'
The whisper grew stronger. Junior covered her ears, but the whispers continued.
'Why should I be the only one living a limited life? The others should also know this devastation.'
"Enough..."
'Just devour it all.'
"Stop it! I am-"
'Feast on the lives of others. Then you too can be immortal.'
The whisper seemed to carry a sweet scent. Junior tried not to listen, but the whispers kept coming.
'Every night you go to bed, you're sick of worrying if you won't wake up the next day.'
"..."
'Do the magic research you want to your heart's content, keep taking care of your siblings. What reason is there to avoid immortality?'
Gradually, the whispers became more insistent.
'The blood magic of the vampire clan. You already understand the principle. If you take the essence of others, you can live, continue on.'
"But that's-"
'That's what your mother wanted.'
"...Mother?"
Junior muttered blankly.
Mother... Jupiter's last will echoed in her head.
- Live long and happily, Junior.
Surely, that was it.
Jupiter wanted Junior to live long. That was the wish her mother left for her daughter.
If it was to fulfill her mother's wish.
Why shouldn't she touch the vampire clan's taboo? She already had the reverse-engineered magic of the vampire clan...
Just a little.
Just a slight breach of human taboo, and she could fulfill her mother's wish.
The persistent unfairness of the world would be slightly alleviated...
'Yes, exactly that.'
The whisper exhaled contentedly.
'Now, first devour that damned wind magician in front of you. Take that cursed woman's life and make it yours.'
" Captain, Reyna...?"
'She's the one who ruined your life. Blood revenge is only natural, right? Kill her, drink her blood. That's all you need to do.'
Gradually, a dark red shadow enveloped Junior.
The shadow crept over her body and slowly covered her eyes with its hands.
'Leave it to me. I'll do it all for you. Revenge, immortality, everything.'
"..."
'Right. Good girl. Just stay still, like that...'
In her fading consciousness, Junior slowly closed her eyes.
Yes. If she followed these whispers.
The resentment, seared into her heart like a thousand fires, might somewhat fade away...
Junior slowly relaxed her body. The satisfied laughter of the whispers echoed in her ears.
That's when it happened.
"Hey, leech."
Suddenly, completely unexpectedly.
A cheerful voice of an elderly woman rang out from beside her.
"Didn't I tell you clearly back then?"
Crackle, crackle-crackle...!
The sound of lightning crackled, and then,
"Get your hands off my gold-!"
Whoosh-!
A massive spark erupted as the iron fist struck.
It smacked the dark red shadow that was enveloping Junior. The shadow screamed hideously and shattered into pieces.
And then, the whispering stopped.
The fuzziness in her head, like static noise, cleared up. Surprised, Junior's eyes snapped open.
"Huh?"
When Junior hastily looked beside her, there she was.
Smiling with wrinkled lips, puffing smoke from a cigar in her mouth.
The old one-eyed magic user with white hair tied neatly at the back, wearing an eyepatch.
Junior, blinking in astonishment, stuttered as she addressed the figure.
"...Mom?"
Lightning Jupiter, facing Junior, beamed a hearty smile.
"It's been a while, my daughter."
***
"...Yeah."
Realizing the situation, Junior laughed weakly.
"This is an illusion."
"Good that you figured it out quickly. My daughter has always been quick-witted, just like me, right?"
Puffing smoke from her cigar, Jupiter gestured with her chin.
"This place is a space created by your subconscious and the malice dormant in your weapon."
Jupiter pointed to where the dark red shadow, recently struck by the lightning fist, had shattered.
The shadow had somehow transformed into a long, rod-like object.
[Lord of Crimson].
A Nightmare Slayer forged from the magic core of the Vampire King Celendion.
Nightmare Slayers, made with the power of a malevolent nightmare legion commander, are powerful but come with such risks.
Junior suddenly remembered Damien, who had fallen into darkness before. It seemed a similar event had happened to her.
"Until now, your strong mind kept this guy at bay... But now, after being beaten to a pulp, it finally found its chance and crawled out."
Jupiter chuckled and kicked the rod with her military boot.
"But! My daughter has this guardian angel, Lightning Jupiter, sticking close! So don't even dream of any mischief, you blood-sucking lecher!"
"Mom... are you really Mom?"
Junior asked tentatively, and Jupiter awkwardly scratched the back of her head.
"Ah, well. Of course, I'm an illusion too. I'm a kind of defense mechanism your subconscious created, appearing in the magnificent form of this fine gold miss."
"..."
"Hey hey, but I'm the pretty mom you wanted to meet again, right?"
Jupiter spread her arms wide.
"Now's your chance! Do anything you wanted to do with mom! A kiss? A hug? Holding hands to sleep? Reading a fairy tale? What shall I do for you first?"
"..."
Junior looked up at Jupiter blankly and then slowly lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"Huh?"
"Mom's words, to live long and happily, I don't think I can keep them."
"..."
"I've been barely hanging on, but there's not much time left. The residual elements in the magic lores... are eating away at my body."
Junior pressed her hand over her left chest.
"If I fight with all my strength, there might only be a few more times left."
"..."
"But... Captain Reyna is stronger than anyone I've ever met. Even if I use up all my remaining life, I'm not sure if I can beat her..."
I have to stop Reyna.
I must prevent the activation of the shutdown protocol. That's why I came here.
Even in this situation, I don't want to kill Reyna.
But it's tough enough just to face her, let alone overpower her without killing. The odds are slim.
In the midst of this, my already limited life is steadily being whittled away.
Even the last will left by Mom... I can't fulfill it.
Junior now found herself lost, unsure of what to do.
Mission, revenge, forgiveness, even living itself.
Unable to properly do any of these... is this the end that I deserve?
"Good grief. You've completely misunderstood my words, kiddo."
Jupiter burst out into a hearty laugh.
"I told you to live long and happily."
"...?"
"Junior. What does 'living' mean to you?"
At those words.
Suddenly, Junior remembered.
During the decisive battle with the Vampire King. A definition she had given to her own life.
"...To prove."
Junior's trembling hand clenched in front of her chest.
"That I existed here."
To Jupiter Junior, life is like a flame.
It's finite, but because it's finite, it burns brilliantly.
Even if I cough up blood and crawl through the mud. Even if not just my left face but my whole body is covered in burns. Even if everything burns to ashes.
That's fine.
I decided long ago to burn my life brightly, even if just for a moment.
"Yeah. You're already a flame. Why should a flame fear the fire?"
Jupiter nodded quietly.
"Live, Junior. Live as you wish."
If the direction is set, then with all your might.
Live as Jupiter Junior, the daughter of Jupiter.
After saying this, Jupiter added sheepishly.
"But still! Try to live a little longer."
"..."
"Come to where Mom is as late as possible, even if it's just by a second. That's all."
Smiling at Jupiter, Junior slowly got up.
"Thank you, Mom. Even if you're just an illusion... I'm glad to have met you."
Yes.
In fact, the answer had always been inside her from the beginning.
Junior, fully standing up, did not hug Jupiter.
She didn't kiss or hold hands. She just quietly looked at that wrinkled face.
That was enough.
"I will live. The way I want to live."
And then.
If possible, a little longer, a bit more extended.
Junior smiled and turned around, then began running towards the glowing horizon.
Watching her daughter's receding figure, Jupiter whispered softly.
"No matter what kind of life you lead, always remember that Mom is cheering for you."
Jupiter slowly raised her hand towards the sky-
"Run, my daughter."
And snapped her fingers.
Snap!
***
Reyna ruthlessly fired a wind bullet at the fallen Junior.
It was at that very moment.
Rumble...!
Thunder roared from the cloud-filled sky, and then,
Flash-!
Lightning struck.
Precisely splitting the space between Reyna and Junior, a sudden bolt of lightning struck.
The wind bullet that had just been fired from Reyna's fingertips was neutralized and disappeared into the lightning.
"...?!"
Startled, Reyna hastily recoiled.
'What...?!'
Thinking it was a freak coincidence, Reyna soon reconsidered.
Junior was slowly getting up.
Beneath the blood-soaked hat, between the wildly disheveled hair-
Her eyes flickered like flames, filled with a resolve completely different from before.
"Ha...!"
Reyna twisted her mouth into a smile.
Rumble, rumble...
Thunder rumbled,
Flash-!
Boom boom boom!
Dozens of lightning bolts summoned by Junior struck towards Reyna.
Reyna quickly summoned a tornado to block the lightning, laughing fiercely.
"Definitely now, you really seem like 'Jupiter Junior'...!"