Chapter 162: A Glimmer of Hope!
Alise turned and knelt before Ryuu.
"Lion, listen to me, to defeat that monster, your magic is indispensable."
The redhead girl spoke very gently, but her words were extremely cruel to Ryuu.
"So, just 'chant' here."
"Remember, no matter what happens, never stop chanting."
"We will be responsible for stripping off that monster's 'shell'."
Because Ryuu was no longer able to fight, the heartbroken elf girl would only hinder them in the battle, so Alise asked her to stay behind.
More importantly, Alise wished to save Ryuu's life more than her own.
"Please, this is a 'promise', okay~"
A 'promise' like a curse.
Alise used the word 'promise' to firmly pin Ryuu in her place, taking away the possibility of her standing up again.
Alise swore an oath to ensure that her elf friend would survive this ordeal.
Her sole wish was for Ryuu not to let their sacrifices go to waste.
"Lion, are you there? I'm sorry I can't see anything right now."
"You must... survive."
Lyra groped her way to the heartbroken elf's side, handing over her small toolkit that she always carried with her.
Now blind, Lyra could no longer use her most trusted 'weapon'.
"I'm giving you my Kodachi."
Kaguya also took off the weapon hanging on her waist.
It was a pair of Kodachi used in conjunction with each other. It was Kaguya's favorite and most cherished weapon.
However, having lost an arm, she could no longer wield them effectively.
Picking up a long sword from a fallen comrade and hanging it on her back, Kaguya smiled at Ryuu for the first time.
"Don't keep it as a keepsake; use it with all you've got."
"I give you my blessings, may you become strong in the future, my dear opponent."
Wait!
Don't go!
Please!
Her heartfelt calls couldn't keep anyone.
Like flowers of blessing, the girls left her with a radiant smile.
"Roar roar roar roar roar roar roar roar roar——!"
The moment the monster ravaging the Rudra Familia noticed Alise and the others had reignited their fighting spirit, it turned around and roared at them.
Confronted with the monster's roar, Alise and the others bravely charged forward without looking back.
They fearlessly faced death to ensure their friend's survival.
"In the sky of a now distant forest."
"Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky."
"Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire."
Following Alise's instructions, Ryuu began to chant magic with a trembling voice.
Watching her companions' retreating figures, she started chanting her magic with fear and despair.
...
First to be targeted was Lyra, whose blindness and lack of mobility made her easy prey.
The monster didn't even bother to sneak up from behind.
It charged directly at Lyra, its huge claw swinging down forcefully.
However...
Boom——!
Lyra had anticipated she would be the monster's first target.
The moment the giant claw came down, she moved her right hand from behind to her front and detonated the special bomb she was holding.
This strike took off the monster's right claw.
But at the same time, Lyra was engulfed by the explosion and thrown out, landing far away, her body charred.
'I-I guess this is my end….' This was her final thought.
Lyra's life and death were unknown.
"Aooo roar roar roar roar——!"
The monster screamed in agony having lost its right claw.
At that moment, Kaguya, wielding a long sword with one hand, launched a surprise attack.
"Haaaaah!!!"
Not missing the opening created by Lyra's desperate explosion, Kaguya delivered a powerful strike to the monster's right leg with all her strength.
Splurt——!
Splurt——!
Two sounds of flesh being cut followed one after another.
Kaguya left a massive wound at the joint of the monster's right leg.
But as a cost, she lost her remaining arm.
Bang——!
Swept by its thick tail, Kaguya, now armless, was sent flying without being able to block.
"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you."
"Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler."
"Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else."
"Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy."
Ryuu could do nothing but chant.
She couldn't pick up the shattered pieces of her heart, so bound by the 'promise,' she couldn't muster the courage to stand up.
She could only cry in despair, imprinting the figures of her companions in her pupils.
Jura Halmer witnessed it all.
The high-ranking officer of Evilus who narrowly escaped the slaughter watched with a sneer at the miserable elf who sang while crying, unable to save her companions.
Lyra took off the monster's right claw, creating a momentary opening.
Kaguya seized this fleeting opportunity, successfully crippling the monster's mobility.
Now, it was finally Alise's turn.
"Arga Arvana Arvelia!"
As the redhead girl chanted her magic, flames engulfed her body.
Alise Lovell, a talented girl with rare skills, possesses strength comparable to that of a first-class adventurer despite being a second-class adventurer.
Enchanted with powerful fire magic, Alise's legs, hands, and sword were cloaked in flames, which earned her the alias bestowed by the gods: the Scarlet Harnel!
The flames enveloping her footwear ignited instantaneously.
Utilizing the explosive burst, the crimson swordsman boosted her speed, transforming into a blaze that sliced through the air.
With the monster's speed greatly reduced.
For the first time in the battle, Alise could directly confront it head-on!
However, her headlong charge, propelled by unchecked acceleration, left her unable to dodge the monster's remaining left claw.
Splurch——!
With that sound, Ryuu saw the monster penetrating Alise's body.
This scene brought her a greater sense of despair.
However, contrary to the despairing Ryuu, Alise intended to burn her life away.
"Burn!"
With Alise's roar, flames began to dance.
They were as vibrant as the flames of flowers, matching her fiery red hair.
The refined long sword pierced the monster's body.
Not just on the surface of the 'shell', but the torrent of flames exploded the shell from inside, blasting it into pieces.
"Rooooorrrrr——!"
The monster screamed in agony.
At the same time, Alise used her last strength to shout:
"Lion!!!"
"Aaaaahhh!!!"
Listening to Alise's call, Ryuu's heart screamed in agony.
She knew what Alise wanted her to do; she knew that casting her magic would mean she had personally killed her red-haired friend.
But she had no other choice.
In this hopeless battle, Alise and the others burned their life to create the only opportunity, just for her to survive.
At this moment, shrouded in despair, a familiar voice came from behind Ryuu.
"Delay the release, wait for my command!"
A streak of starlight flashed by Ryuu's side.
That fleeting light brought a glimmer of hope to this despair-filled battlefield!
The voice also brought a touch of warmth to Ryuu's cold and despair-filled heart that was on the verge of collapse.
(PS: 😭😭)
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