Chapter 228 – Remaining Life (1)

The battle between Sirin and Noah was not dazzling.

It could only appear that way.

To the eyes of those watching, their movements were completely invisible, and the greatswords they wielded were aimed solely at their opponent directly before them.

That didn’t mean their swords were light.

Even Laila, the strongest hero in history and the first Beast of the [End], did not dare to intervene, so sharp and heavy were their strikes.

Thus, at the edge of a world wrapped in silence, only the sound of blades clashing rang out.

And within that silence, the smile on Sirin’s face never faded.

To swing her sword, free from all constraints.

To fight with everything she had, without second thoughts.

To face the opponent she once thought she would never cross blades with again.

And to watch the hero gradually complete herself through her.

All of it was so joyous, so delightfully satisfying, that she couldn’t stop smiling.

And so, she abandoned the martial arts she was so familiar with and swung the greatsword.

That was Sirin’s final stubbornness, her one pride she could never let go of.

Of course, even if she began to use martial arts now, there was no certainty she could defeat the Noah before her.

Noah was already near completion.

However, she was confident she wouldn’t be pushed back like this.

She believed they could engage in an even fiercer fight than now.

And yet, Sirin chose the greatsword, 

Because this was her romanticism.

This choice was the romanticism that “she” always spoke and sang of.

Laughter burst again from Sirin’s tightly clenched teeth.

Sirin had thought she would never understand the romanticism that “she” spoke of.

“She” had always believed that Sirin would understand it one day.

And “she” had been right.

Sirin understood now. She had come to know it.

The joy of constantly charging at an opponent one could never surpass.

The thrill of wandering through endless darkness in search of light.

And from that, desire began to stir.

She wanted to see the end. She wanted to see the changed world.

She longed to live in a true paradise.

Even so, she did not hold on to regrets.

Because if she, the [Law] of the world, were to harbor a regret that even Kartia had not, there could be nothing more shameful.

No, perhaps Kartia and she had already come to possess regrets.

No one knows what lies behind desire.

“Regret…”

Sirin’s gaze turned to Serr.

Serr’s face remained expressionless as always.

But in those wide-open eyes, there were tears, tears that even Sirin had never seen before.

As she looked at Serr, Sirin opened her lips, but then closed them again.

Then, she sent a telepathic message to her mind.

[Serr, you were my first desire.]

Serr’s face twisted.

“…Haha…”

A different kind of laughter than before, bitter and self-mocking.

And in that fleeting opening it created, 

Slice.

Noah’s greatsword cut across Sirin’s flesh. The warmth of the blood that flowed from the wound touched Noah’s hand.

Blood pooled on the floor, and the floral scent in the air was overtaken by the scent of blood.

And they both knew.

Sirin, stepping through the puddle of blood, and Noah, breathing in the scent of blood, 

That it was time to end this.

Whooosh! 

Their greatswords swung wide toward one another, sending both their bodies flying backward.

A wide distance opened between them.

At one end of that distance, Sirin stepped forward.

She let her greatsword hang loose and lowered her torso.

Sensing Sirin’s movement, Noah did the same. She let her greatsword hang and bent her upper body.

There was no need for words between them.

They had already spoken plenty before the fight began, and their half-day-long sword dance had said all that needed to be said.

In that painful silence that followed, 

Drop. A tear slid down Noah’s cheek and fell onto a blood-stained flower petal.

At the same time, 

Sirin walked toward Noah’s beginning.

Noah walked toward Sirin’s end.

And thus, 

Sirin’s greatsword broke.

* * *

Shuffle, shuffle, 

As the sound of staggering steps came to a halt, a warm hand touched my dazed, standing body.

“Does it hurt?”

A cracked, waterlogged voice.

Not as clear as before, weakened and faint.

Serr’s face remained dry, as always.

But behind it, I could sense a deep sorrow that only I could perceive.

“…Yes. It hurts.”

“It shows.”

Following Serr’s hand, the Spirits of Light entered my body. Torn flesh began to regenerate. Severed muscles rejoined. Shattered bones fused together.

The pain that had filled my entire body, 

The traces of the battle I had fought with Sirin, vanished completely.

“You did well. Truly.”

Serr’s hand rested on my head.

And slowly, rustle, rustle,  with awkward movements, she began to pat my head.

Then came,

Step, step.  

Bold footsteps, and 

Bounce, bounce.  

Lighter ones.

“Well done.”

“…Noah, you were seriously amazing.”

Frey and Carpeng came to stand beside me. After staring at me for a while, they turned to the figure of Sirin lying on the ground.

There were no wounds on Sirin’s body.

Not only had my sword not actually cut her, but Serr and Laila had immediately healed her body the moment the fight ended.

All that remained was the image of someone peacefully asleep, wearing a joyful, beautiful smile.

Kneeling in front of her, Serr gently moved Sirin’s broken greatsword aside and began to tidy her disheveled hair.

For a long while, 

Without a sound, Laila approached from behind and gently clasped my hand.

[You’ve done well, Challenger.]

“This crazy old hag, can’t you read the room? Is it your age? It’s not ‘Challenger’ anymore, you should be using her name, you senile old witch.”

“Uh, um… judging by the situation, aren’t you the crazy one…? Maybe shut up for now?”

“How dare a mutt interrupt when a person is talking? Shut it, unless you’ve got a death wish.”

“I’m not a mutt… I’m a wolf… And I’m a grown-up now…”

Despite Frey’s vicious swearing, Serr remained seated in front of Sirin.

Carpeng, trying to hold Frey back, tucked her tail and fidgeted nervously, while Laila covered her mouth and bowed her head in silence.

[Ahem… My apologies, Noah.]

“…It’s fine.”

I shook my head gently with a light smile at them.

Because I had decided not to fall into despair anymore.

I had chosen not to look back, but to keep moving forward.

“Well, putting that aside… isn’t it time we get to work?”

CRUNCH.

Frey drove her greatsword into the ground, looking at Carpeng, Laila, and me.

[Indeed. The [Law]… no, Sirinias, ]

“Sirin. It’s Sirin, you senile old hag.”

[Yes… Sirin. The moment her soul is reclaimed, the Awakening of the [End] will commence.]

With a bitter smile, Laila stepped toward me.

[Therefore, before the Awakening of the [End] begins, we must complete the key.]

Laila opened her hand.

Inside it were a black feather, a tiny ember, and a broken bracelet.

[I entrust the future to you… Noah.]

I reached out with both hands and took the items resting in Serr’s palms.

And at that moment, 

THUMP. 

A massive pulse rang out.

THUMP. 

The sky, the earth, this world itself pulsed as if it were alive.

THUMP. 

The pulse began to grow louder, and Laila’s face turned pale.

THUMP. 

Frey, who had been looking up at the sky, drew her greatsword.

THUMP. 

Carpeng, who had been sulking with her tail curled, flared her bloodlust as her fur bristled.

BOOM. 

Suddenly, the pulse stopped.

And in that moment, a massive crack tore through the sky.

The crack spread in an instant, covering the whole world.

At last, 

―――!

With a thunderous roar that shook the earth, a colossal gate formed in the sky.

[The Advent of the False Paradise… Why, why now…]

CRACK.

Laila gritted her teeth and gripped the Scythe of Life. The roots of the plants gathering behind her took the form of wings. 

WHOOSH!  

As those wings flapped, they lifted Laila into the air.

CRACKK. 

The gate opened. The light pouring from the crack cast itself upon the land. That light, resembling Rubia’s divine power, revived wilted flowers and breathed new life into lands ravaged by endless battle.

At the same time, 

The black feather, ember, and Kartia’s bracelet tightly gripped in my hands began to absorb the wishes embedded within them.

And that wasn’t all.

CRRKK, CRACK. 

A dreadful sound rumbled from within Sirin’s dead body. The sound slowly tore apart her body, dragging forth her heart, the source of the [Law].

[You… you dare to mock even the death of a [Law]!!]

Laila’s scream echoed like a wail.

“…That bastard…”

Frey’s voice sank low like something chewed up and spat out.

And then, at the peak of the sky.

In front of the gate to the False Paradise.

“Wow… That last battle truly was noble and beautiful, even to me. Especially the part where everything was thrown away at the end… it was honestly the most breathtaking sight I’ve ever seen.”

Though ‘Rubia’ should have had five pairs of wings, she now fluttered with seven.

She had shattered the chain of the [Law] left behind by Sirin.

“So, the [Law]… no, Sirin’s soul being used for something better, that would be good for all of us, wouldn’t it? Don’t you all agree?”

She smiled at us.