Chapter 515: The Dusk Battle

Her silver eyes were numb with agitation, and her hair tilted. Caria’s dangling silver hair cast a shadow over her own cheeks. Her gaze was fixed solely on the Gear waiting to be destroyed.

「It’s too late, you say? Those are words of a coward. I don’t know what you’re implying, but it’s just pointless wordplay. 」

Caria couldn’t take her eyes off Rabel while she spoke. Her breath rose, an oddly hot sigh, from her throat.

On the other hand, Rabel, despite already awaiting physical death, displayed a strange calmness. Her amber eyes relaxed gently.

「Hmph…There’s no one who isn’t a coward…」

Rabel was no longer surprised by her own smile. She accepted it naturally.

Rabel already knew what to call the slight warmth that dwelled around her heart. Her lips distorted gently.

「He…saw it. That’s why he is who he is today…It’s ironic, isn’t it, Caria? 」

That’s right, Lugis has encountered his fate. That’s why he is who he is today. And because of him, I too felt a certain emotion. If this isn’t ironic, then what is?

Rabel laughed. Not mockingly, not self-mockingly, but loudly.

Caria’s eyes twisted in suspicion, and she raised her dark scarlet sword. Rabel realized that this was her fate, and her death.

But it didn’t matter. Her gears had already begun to turn. No one could stop them anymore.

Vrilligant’s resurrection, and Rabel’s very existence, would all meet their own fate as the gears continued to move.

「Let me give you some advice…Caria…Burdnick. 」

The doll named Rabel, a name Caria had greatly despised, spoke with confidence. Rabel’s expression was filled with a smile of genuine relief and affection. She spoke as if she loved the entire world.

「There’s no one in this world who can turn him…into a human. He is now a magical devilish being…and he isn’t designed to save anyone…it’s his fate. Give up immediately. 」

Rabel saw a crimson color approaching her field of vision. She couldn’t see Caria’s expression.

But Rabel could imagine what Caria’s face looked like. She had surely bit her own lips because of inner frustration while trying to kill Rabel.

Rabel closed her only remaining eyelid. In that split second, she thought.

I am merely a mechanism that makes the play run smoothly. I have fulfilled my role fully. There’s nothing more to do.

But as Vrilligant’s roar pierced her ears, Rabel got swept away by emotions. Then, she briefly moved her fingers on her gears.

…Emotions are so dear, so maddening. How I despise them. I hate you, Offal.

Rabel’s skull shattered the moment she muttered these words to the one who was once human. The gear-looking demon’s body had been completely destroyed by the giant.

Despite being victorious, the silver-haired giant’s cheeks twitched in pain, her eyes twisted as he bit his lip.

「…So foolish. You are a great fool. Fate is the word he hates most. You fool. 」

Caria spoke as if spitting it out. It was almost as if she was talking to herself.

—

Was this what they meant by myth? Lugis was thinking such trivial things in his head while gritting his molars. Just thinking about it made his blood ooze.

It was unbearable. Before him stood a giant demon dragon so tall he had to look up. Lugis only had a single sword and reinforcements from the Jewel magical devilish being. The difference in their fighting power was overwhelming.

Lugis’ left side, where the roar had only grazed it, was bleeding at an alarming rate, and he could no longer see through half of his left eye. He no longer had time to feel pain, only numbness.

But even this was considered lucky. Without Agathos’ jewels, Lugis’ entire body would have been blown away.

「…So, you’re still alive? You’re still alive, right? If you were dead, I’d feed you to the dogs, seriously. So what do you think? It looks like obliteration. Of course, I mean us, not Vrilligant. 」

Agathos’ voice rang loudly in Lugis’ ears.

Her voice was likely reaching him through several jewels. There were a few blurry parts, but it seemed like she just wanted to vent her frustrations to him.

Huh? Surprisingly, she still had some energy.

Lugis gripped the demonic sword with both hands and narrowed his gaze. In the distance, he could see the true sun about to yield itself to the mountains. Dusk engulfed the earth.

「Don’t say such things, Agathos. Only gods can do what they want. We can only do what we can do. 」

If I followed your words, then I’d either submit to Vrilligant or retreat.

Agathos kept saying that demons could never defeat the Great Demon. It was nature, and that was normal.

…But what did they call what they had accomplished?

Mastigius, the soldiers, the humans. They faced the demon disaster and won. Lugis called that a victory.

With their own boldness and courage, they made the scourge of demons their enemy. What a rare and great thing that was. Humans were no longer just livestock.

Lugis wanted to learn from them. Besides, they called him a hero. Therefore, he should be their hero. He had a duty to do so.

Moving his ankles, Lugis rotated his waist, bringing the demonic sword down. In an instant, he devoured Vrilligant’s flesh.

He slashed around the heart, avoiding a fatal blow. Several slashes. Lugis felt a definite impact, and the sensation of tearing flesh and blood. There was no doubt about it. Its internal organs were injured.

But retribution came immediately after. That was what it meant to give a dragon vengeance.

…A roar that could no longer be described as a sound. At the same time, an overwhelming presence approached.

It was enormous. Vrilligant’s claws pulverized rock and dug into the air. The hollow sobbed, unable to bear having its shape stolen over and over again.

Out of the corner of Lugis’ eye, he saw Agathos’ jewels raining down heat rays. On Vrilligant’s eyes, on his throat, on his angry scales.

But each one only had the slightest effect. It was by no means fatal even if they had caused some damage.

Lugis kicked a jewel in the air and twisted his body to escape the roar. Despite being so precise, even that was ineffective.

The claw hit Lugis directly in the stomach. The impact that shook the air alone seemed to shatter every bone in his body. One of the claws was large enough to rip out most of his internal organs.

The moment before Lugis slammed into the ground felt like an eternity. He couldn’t breathe, his blood stagnated, and his magical powers were gone. He could see bodily fluids spurting from his mouth like a fountain.

This was probably the second time he’d had a hole in his stomach. He wondered where it had been the last time.

「…That’s horrible, so pathetic. Are you alive or dead? I’d be happier if you were still alive. Are you able to speak? Or do you feel so disgraceful for lacking the energy to speak? 」

Agathos’ voice sounded harsh. Was it his ears that were failing? Or was Agathos reaching her limit?

Lugis took a deep breath. Intense pain ran through his fingertips to his eyes.

「…Dragons are incredible, Agathos. 」

That was all he said.

Dragons. Simply great, simply pure predators. Vrilligant’s body was a weapon from a myth. It took everything in its path. Lugis felt his magical power being driven away.

That’s why he shouldn’t have fought in close combat. It would have only hastened his death.

Lugis held his breath and directed his nerves toward the demonic sword that was clinging to his hands. Then, without breathing, Lugis thrust it into Vrilligant’s claws.

His whole body creaked, and his spine screamed. It was only natural, since he was stimulating the claws that had dug into his body.

But it was far better than dying like this.

Agathos’ jewel grabbed Lugis the moment he cut off the claws.

In that instant, a heavy sound rang out. The place where he had been standing just a moment ago was crushed by Vrilligant’s huge body, leaving a wasteland.

「Agathos…Hey, Agathos. Can you hear me, Jewel Woman? 」

「I can hear you, so take it easy. Oh, no, maybe you are going to say your will or something? I don’t want to hear anything pathetic like that. Those words are pointless. I’m not in the mood to hear whining or complaining or anything like that. 」

She was just as selfish as ever. Lugis felt like he had heard those words before.

He twisted his cheeks and lifted his head as he said the following.

「I understand it now. We’ll fight in close combat. That’s the only way we can win. Cover me, as much as you can. 」

「Thank goodness. It seems your mind is the only thing that’s crazy. That’s a relief, though. If you’d started talking about retreating, then I’d have prepared you for your death. 」

Lugis forcefully ripped out the claws from his stomach. His organs were a mess, and his blood and flesh were spilling out. The fact that he was still alive was proof that he was no longer human.

Only his magical power was sustaining his life. If he lost that, then he would naturally die. And yet, he still had to fight that dragon in close combat. This was the worst.

Well, then, it was what had to be done, Lugis thought with a smile.

「Don’t be ridiculous. I’m always sane. Running away from a fight you can win is crazy. First of all, my enemies are only those who talk about justice. Not him. 」

Agathos didn’t reply. Only the demonic sword trembled bravely in Lugis’ hands.

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