Chapter 523: Falling Demon

The taste of destruction was like it was melting away. Vrilligant ate it while his vision became blurry. The ground slowly began to rise, drawing closer.

His heart was gone again, his body knew it was time to die, and now both wings were gone.

Vrilligant had lost his glamour as a Great Demon and could only wait to decay. It was time to collapse.

Was this destruction? Was this the end?

A loss that he hadn’t felt even when Altia had stolen his heart sent numbness through his body. Here, an era was about to come to an end.

The myth about a dragon that dwelled in the heavens and conquered the ends of the earth.

Vrilligant’s existence was a perfect reproduction of that legend, and while the dragons feared him, they also praised him. And while they sometimes loathed him, they also still spoke his name.

…Their king. The Heavenly Dragon Vrilligant.

Now, on Mount Bephimus, its majestic form was crumbling. No, like the Giant King Flimslat, his physique had originally crumbled away during the battle against Altia.

It was just that he had not yet known the end. And so his end came in the form of a man.

The heavenly dragon fell. Its massive form crumbled across a corner of Mount Bephimus.

…And so, the myth of the heavenly dragon ended.

The bronze dragon’s great fireballs weighed on its body, and its destruction was inevitable.

Vrilligant’s enormous eyeballs bulged slightly.

It was a pitiful sight. Just when it seemed he had finally regained his physique. Not a trace of the majesty that once conquered all of the heavens remained.

Then Vrilligant thought of one thing without any emotions.

Even in this day and age, there were people who would want to kill him. Like Altia, giants, spirits, and even dragons alike.

He should’ve been born in the Age of Myth. Yes, if only he had been born in the Age of Myth. Then, he might have been a little more intelligent for this forthcoming death.

Vrilligant opened his jaws wide. He faced the heavens as his entire body decayed. The sky was so far beyond his reach that even his claws couldn’t reach it.

…In an instant, the greatest dragon’s roar pierced the heavens.

Vrilligant let out a final roar while piercing everything between the earth and the heavens. The dragon roared as if to announce his existence, to carve it into the world.

And like that, Vrilligant stopped moving. There was no magical power left in his body, not even a heart. There was no way he was alive.

But at the end, Vrilligant felt as if he saw a man in his field of vision.

—

Perhaps he hadn’t been boasting for no reason.

Jewel Bar Agathos narrowed her eyes as Vrilligant’s Original Text faded.

Vrilligant, by its very nature, was inherently immortal. And yet, that thing had killed that monster.

At first, Agathos thought she had jumped on a completely wrong horse, but perhaps it had been worth it after all. Agathos felt like she could praise the man for just this once.

She turned to Filaret, who continued to control her magical powers while dripping with sweat, and opened her mouth to her.

「That’s enough, Filaret. It looks like it’s over. I’m surprised. You have a good eye for men. I thought you were completely blind. And you did a great job, too. Stop what you’re doing. 」

「Ah…Huh? What? 」

Filaret responded to Agathos with a hazy sense of consciousness. She certainly didn’t appear to be unharmed.

That was inevitable, as she had been single-handedly manipulating the magical meridians that spread like blood vessels inside Vrilligant’s body.

At times she carved the meridians, causing magical power to burst, and at other times causing magical power to run wild.

It was a feat that only Filaret, who had become Vrilligant’s heart, could pull off. Because of her, Vrilligant’s body had been completely immobile.

But since Filaret was forcibly stopping and speeding up the movement of magical power, it was only natural that she wasn’t unharmed either.

The strain on her body must have been so great that it would have burned her mind out. Agathos spoke to Filaret, whose eyes were moist as she exhaled.

「All right. Go to sleep. This world is falling apart. The next time you wake up, you’ll be outside. Now that Vrilligant is dead, the Original Text will also fall asleep. This other world will be as if it never existed…all right, go to sleep, Filaret. 」

These words seemed strangely forceful to Filaret. However, she was at her limit of consciousness. Even speaking words inflicted great strain.

「I’m…glad you’re safe, Agathos. See you later…」

That was all she could say. Her heavy eyelids closed, and she collapsed. It would’ve been strange for her to have stayed standing.

Agathos lightly adjusted her posture and stroked Filaret’s eyelids.

「…Yes, you’re right. See you later, Filaret. 」

Agathos exhaled again.

This was fine for Filaret, but Agathos had one more task to complete. Agathos rose to her feet while twisting her exhausted body gently.

She then let her eyes wander into the fading darkness.

This darkness was nothingness. The very essence of Vrilligant’s Original Text.

At the same time, it was a usurper that would take everything away. If she threw herself into this darkness, then she would eventually lose all of her heat and become one with Vrilligant.

If Filaret, her heart, had never been found, her condition would be the same.

For just a moment, Agathos looked at the sleeping Filaret.

Then, she turned on her heels without saying a word. Her gaze fixed on the silent darkness.

「You don’t understand, Filaret. I’m a magical devilish being. There’s no point in worrying. Saying I’m safe is so foolish. How can you worry about someone else? I’ll never understand. Yes, I’ll never understand, not until I die. 」

And so, Agathos leaped into the darkness after taking only the few jewels with her.

Suddenly, she felt heat fading from her body. Agathos realized that her nearly depleted magical power was disappearing in the blink of an eye.

But this was all Agathos had.

Though Filaret had temporarily become the dragon’s heart, she had regained her sense of self. As such, there was no way Filaret would disappear along with Vrilligant’s demise.

However, that wasn’t the case with Leu, whose soul had been stolen from Agathos. Which meant that her soul was now completely under Vrilligant’s control.

In other words, her soul would disappear as soon as Vrilligant disappeared.

It was now or never. Vrilligant’s binding powers were going to weaken at any moment now. Agathos believed there was room for one of the demons to enter the Original Text.

In the void, the jewels nearby cracked and shattered. With each shattering, Agathos felt a single heat being lost.

Her goal was still far away.

—

The soul that belonged to Leu felt a sharp cough, as if it had been coughing repeatedly.

She still couldn’t understand what it was. All she felt was a horrible pain, as if poisonous insects were crawling all over her body.

Ouch, it hurts, it hurts so much.

She didn’t even know if she had a body anymore, but if she did, then her stomach and arms hurt terribly.

Was it painful, hot, or cold? She couldn’t even tell. Just a mass of disgust filled her whole body.

Suddenly, even though her memory was becoming hazy, Leu had the following thoughts.

She should’ve died sooner if it was going to be like this.

Life was a continuous chain of suffering. As long as she was alive, discomfort and pain were inevitable. And yet she had to keep struggling and walking, step by step.

If that was the case, wouldn’t it be easier to just put an end to life in an instant by dying?

Leu’s thoughts were running wild. Her mother’s curse to live for others meant nothing now that she had lost everything.

There was nothing good about being alive…no.

For a moment, a single image flashed through Leu’s hazy thoughts.

…The supreme jewel. All of her color, unshakable by anyone. Such a beautiful scene.

But for a moment, she was with her. Those days were fun. They were undoubtedly her salvation.

Leu realized that it wasn’t anything serious. Even though she said she was doing it for someone else, all she wanted was to be with that beautiful jewel. The days she spent with her shone brightly. More so than any other life.

Then she heard a voice just as her dried-up tears were about to spill.

「…You’re such a fool, aren’t you? You’re still thinking about trivial things right up until the moment you die. 」

The light was shining.

A strange crimson-haired woman stood before her…but Leu recognized that person as Agathos. Because she was more beautiful than she had ever seen her before.

「Aga…thos…? 」

Her lips haltingly called her name. Leu had no idea why she was here. She couldn’t even comprehend where she was.

「Yes, it’s me. I’m beautiful, am I not? I am what they mean by supreme beauty. Let yourself be overwhelmed by the joy that burns into your eyes. Come, there’s no point in crouching here forever. Get up quickly. 」

Yes, that unique tone and drawn-out way of speaking were unmistakably hers. Leu felt her expression soften, and she stood up.

Strangely, her whole body, which had been in excruciating pain just a moment ago, now felt nothing. She felt a little tired, but in fact, she felt better.

So she stood up straight. Perhaps because her steps were so light, she could even see a gleam just ahead.

「Agathos, let’s go. I’m sure everyone is waiting for us. 」

Those words escaped from her lips. She didn’t even care why Agathos was visible to her eyes.

Agathos shook her head and said…

「…I’m not going. But you need to go now. 」

Agathos continued speaking without giving Leu time to utter a shocked voice. She couldn’t help but smile, not knowing what was wrong.

「You know, I’m not a goddess. I’m just not made to save people. 」

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