The Thief of the Law of Blood is blocking my path.
A thousand years ago, I attacked Titty without question when she proposed dialogue. However, this time it was my turn to propose dialogue.
“Fafnir, I will revive my father with my power. So, please move aside.”
I know that Fafnir’s “Sacred Texts” and “Heart” were stolen, and that he is being manipulated by Ragune. However, whether I mention this or not should make a difference in Fafnir’s resistance. If he knew that my father would be revived, he, being his devoted follower, would likely try his best to lose. More importantly, I want to stop Fafnir’s rampage before the soldiers behind him enter the castle.
“Please, stop.”
However, that expectation is betrayed by a single exchange. As Fafnir stood up, he manipulated the blood at his feet with magic. Instantly, about twenty blood tentacles, similar to those I saw before, were generated and attacked me in a manner like throwing a net.
“—Zea-wind!”
Liner in the rear instinctively unleashed a full-powered wind, pushing back the blood net. I left defense to him and focused on dialogue.
“Why? My father—Kanami-sama will be revived, you know? And you, of all people, are refusing it? You, the knight who loved Kanami-sama the most…”
“Yeah, it’s me who refuses it… Sorry. As I served Ragune’s knight, I realized… that such ‘hope’ is making us more miserable…”
His demeanor is different from yesterday. Fafnir, who was positive when I was controlling him, has become unusually negative. Is it due to the influence of his current master, Ragune? Perhaps his psychological state was manipulated by Ragune’s “Reversal” power. I continued my persuasion without backing down.
“Fafnir, you want my father to save the world, don’t you? You’ve been saying that since a thousand years ago… My father has the power to save the world someday. He definitely does. Therefore, now, we should side with him, not Ragune, who is trying to revive my father. I want to see unprecedented resistance from you now…”
Although Fafnir has been saying he’s being manipulated these past few days, his autonomous actions have been noticeable. If it’s a lie that he cannot go against the possessor of the “Sacred Texts,” then I want him to disrupt Ragune’s plans now. However, contrary to my wishes, Fafnir shakes his head. Furthermore, he doubles the number of blood tentacles, proof of his fighting spirit, to forty.
“Yeah, I want Kanami to save the world. If he were to be revived now, I have no doubt he would become someone capable of saving the world. …It’s just that ‘saving the world’ wasn’t that important to me—that’s all.”
Fafnir draws blood from the first floor and creates a sword. While walking through the sea of blood with it in one hand, he explains his theory. Perhaps it’s because he’s illuminated by the light of the flag I hold, but he continues to speak quite honestly.
“In the end, my ‘saving the world’ was the same as Ragune’s ‘number one in the world’… That was a ‘dream,’ not a ‘lingering desire.’ So, even if it were to come true, all I could do was confirm it. ‘Ah. Even if the world is saved now, the thousand years I wanted to be saved can never be saved,’ I’d realize that, and that’s all. —It’s meaningless.”
Ominous magic power and killing intent filled the grand entrance. I hurriedly countered to calm Fafnir’s spirit. These are words I can utter precisely because I was his master for a long time, a thousand years ago.
“…Fafnir, you are an intelligent knight. You knew that from the very beginning, a thousand years ago, didn’t you? Knowing that, you tried to save the world. You tried to reduce the suffering of people in this world even a little. You desperately tried to reduce the voices of the dead that reached your ears—”
“Hey, why don’t we just kill everyone? Even if we can’t stop the voices of the dead, we can stop them from increasing.”
Fafnir stopped my admonishing words with an overly violent statement. Fafnir’s face was contorted in pain, but he also looked somewhat relieved. He might have been thinking this for a long time. It surely began with my father’s death, but it feels like the true feelings that were originally inside his heart.
“Fafnir…, why…”
He might be the same as I was a thousand years ago. Having been exposed to a madness that convinced me dialogue was impossible, I could only call out his name.
“Kuhaha. Anyway, don’t you think this incomplete and tattered world makes just living incredibly miserable? Then, isn’t it better if everyone just died? Isn’t it better if I kill everyone so no one is born anymore!!”
“Fafnir, wait—! We haven’t finished talking—!!”
With those words, Fafnir charged. Simultaneously, he must be using the magic “Blood.” Even though it was a blood tide up to his knees, he moved as if running across a plain.
“The talk is over! Ragune’s group suits me better than Kanami’s! So, I will stand with Ragune! I choose and protect Ragune with my own will—!!”
The distance between us closed in an instant. Fafnir’s raised blood sword struck down, and…
“Kuh—!!”
I blocked it with the flag of light I held. He uses first-class swordsmanship, and I can use first-class staff arts. Our clash was equal. However, Fafnir’s attacks are not limited to his sword. At the same time, the blood tentacles, which had increased to almost a hundred, writhed and lunged at me.
I managed to block the sword of blood, but I couldn’t stop the tentacles of blood in time.
Naturally, there’s a difference in the initial moves between those who prepared for combat from the start and those who sought dialogue until the very end.
Rainer pulls at the collar of my pathetic uniform from behind.
“—*Tawsus Wind*!”
One hundred wind stakes pierce and neutralize the hundred blood tentacles.
During our conversation, Rainer must have been preparing, and sensing my danger, he forcefully switched positions with me. Instead of me, it’s Rainer’s sword that crosses Fafnir’s blood sword.
Two Helvisheins face each other, sparks flying.
“I won’t let you kill Ragune…! Temporarily, but she’s still my master! I will absolutely protect her…!”
“That’s my line…! Temporarily, but Nosfy is my master! I absolutely won’t let you…!!”
Seeing their murderous intent clash, I felt that the dialogue had ended and hostility was confirmed.
Frankly, I still wanted to continue the dialogue. Like the people I admired, I wanted to throw endless, defenseless words at Fafnir.
My new, true “Magic”—”Immortality”—specializes in that, and I’m confident in it. I also know that “Immortality” is precisely for times like these.
However, my reason warns me that I cannot. My new, true “Magic” can only be used once. The one I will use it on is at the “Summit” of Fuziaze Castle. It’s not something to be used on this first floor, at least.
More importantly, the over ten thousand lives behind me won’t allow it. While I was talking to Fafnir, the following soldiers caught up and were about to enter the castle. Seeing this, I shout towards the rear to stop them.
“—Everyone, please stop! The inside of the castle has merged with the enemy’s “Thief of the Law of Blood”! Restoration is impossible! There’s no other option but to destroy it from the outside!!”
The soldiers at the castle entrance heard my voice and halted their advance.
“All troops, halt!!”
“Damn…! I suspected it, but our castle is already…!”
“A castle is for protecting the people! What are we hesitating for if we have to destroy it here!!”
“Relay the Saintess’s words to the surrounding knight orders! Those who are free, attack the castle itself!”
The soldiers then carried out the orders without question. It helped that I had shown enough miracles beforehand. In just a few seconds, the castle began to shake from the external attacks.
“We will suppress the “Thief of the Law of Blood’s” main body from the inside! Everyone, attack from the outside! Aim for the light of my banner! Please don’t hold back!!”
As I shouted this, Fafnir, who had been clashing blades with Rainer, leaped back.
“Tch! Nosfy, what a hassle—!”
With a click, Fafnir slammed a hand on the ground and began manipulating the blood within the castle. As the water level of the blood sea lowered, I felt the flowing blood in the walls thicken. They increased the wall’s thickness, solidifying the castle’s defense.
Seeing this—I was convinced that the weakness of the castle walls had not changed since a thousand years ago. Everyone is initially deceived by the solidity of the blood wall, but this is not like Rowen Aleis’s crystal, which is “absolutely unbreakable.” As Dia shattered it in the morning, it can be broken by simply overpowering it with brute force.
Of course, the magic of a hundred knights wouldn’t even budge it. However, with a thousand to ten thousand. If the knights continuously attacked the castle, its sheer numbers would eventually push the blood wall to its limit.
I pointed to Fafnir’s weakened magic and urged him to surrender.
“Fafnir, please give up. As long as I continue to strengthen and brainwash the soldiers outside, you will have to direct most of your blood and magic outwards, solely to protect your master’s footing at the “Summit.” It’s now a complete encirclement and annihilation. In this situation, you have no chance of winning…”
“Hah, don’t joke. So what?”
But Fafnir wouldn’t back down. He laughed off the disadvantage, facing an army of an entire country and me, another “Thief of Principles.”
“Hey, Nosfy. First of all. Have your physical condition or magic power ever decided the outcome?”
“…No, they haven’t.”
There was enough persuasive power in Fafnir’s confidence to make me nod in agreement. Seeing my candid reaction, Fafnir’s laughter grew louder.
“Kuhaha! Right!? That means, between us “Thieves of Principles,” we’re always evenly matched until the fight ends! The only thing that determines victory or defeat is the difference in “Lingering Desire”! Ah, as usual! It’s all as usual!!”
This implies he won’t surrender until he loses. Having finished strengthening the castle, Fafnir immediately dashed off to resume the battle.
“And hey, you think you know all my weaknesses!? I know your weaknesses too!? You, who hates the dead, can’t cut loose the pawns you should discard!!”
And Fafnir’s target was not me, who was providing support from the rear, but Rainer in front of him. Abandoning all the tentacles that erupted from the ground, Fafnir closed in on Rainer alone. His speed was unimaginable on this footing. Although Rainer was on guard, he couldn’t completely dodge the blood sword’s slash.
“—Ngh!”
Rainer’s right side was cut, and he groaned in pain.
However, that injury was immediately transferred to my right flank.
But Fafnir had predicted that recovery. Without letting his guard down, he reversed the blade that had dealt the fatal blow and moved to sever the enemy’s head.
Rainer, though momentarily caught off guard by the first blow, managed to defend with his dual swords calmly. However, before he could even catch his breath, Fafnir’s left fist came crashing down.
Rainer twisted his body, absorbing the blow with his shoulder.
Fafnir’s physical strength, infused with the power of the dead, had surged thousands of times beyond that of a normal person. The impact of the punch reverberated to the marrow of his bones, and pain coursed through his entire body. It was only thanks to Rainer’s own resilience and my magical reinforcement that his bones didn’t shatter into pieces.
And then, that damage and pain were also transferred to me as a ‘substitute.’
Rainer remained unscathed.
Naturally, Fafnir, anticipating this recovery as well, did not cease his assault.
It was a barrage of attacks. The blood tendrils that had been held back whipped like lashes, striking Rainer from all directions. Simultaneously, Fafnir himself continued his relentless pursuit with sword and fist. No matter how many times he was healed, again and again, over and over – he continued to pile on the attacks.
He unleashed a flurry of blows, a breathless onslaught, fully utilizing the skills of ‘Swordsmanship,’ ‘Martial Arts,’ and ‘Magic Combat’ inherited from the dead, while also maximizing the stamina of a ‘Thief of Principles.’
In contrast, Rainer, unable to counter even once, sustained fatal injuries repeatedly, gnashing his teeth and cursing.
“—Damn it! Even with the reinforcement, this is all I get! The difference in raw strength is still too great!”
“No matter how strong the ‘Thief of the Principles of Light’ is, this is the knight they put on the front lines! If you want someone to deal with me, bring Teeda or Aleis!”
In mere seconds of combat, the number of fatal injuries exceeded double digits.
Yet, Rainer remained unharmed.
Normally, anyone unaware of my magic’s true nature would have shifted to observation at this point. But Fafnir, who knew that I was merely shouldering everything as a ‘substitute,’ never eased his assault. He continued to attack me through Rainer.
And then, finally, the fatal injuries from the ‘Thief of the Law of Blood’ surpassed triple digits—and I, having been crammed with triple the amount of pain approaching death, involuntarily fell to my knees.
“…!”
Seeing this, Fafnir smiled as he continued to fight Rainer.
He must have been confident that his strategy had worked. Meanwhile, Rainer, fighting on, showed a bitter expression and yelled to me in the rear.
“Nosfy! That’s enough! Release my ‘Substitute’!”
“…If you release the support magic now, you’ll be cut to pieces in an instant!?”
Rainer, who must have died a hundred times over, refused my assistance, so I pulled back my consciousness and yelled back.
“If the situation guarantees I won’t be killed, I can’t get into my groove! Never mind that, you hurry and run upstairs! I’ve indulged your whims this far! Now, we go according to the ‘original plan’!!”
And then, I told him to head for the stairs.
Though few were spoken, I understood what Rainer meant. He wanted me to stop my selfish act of ‘persuading Fafnir’ and swiftly move on to the pre-determined ‘original plan.’
“…Understood, Rainer! While I’m moving, hold Fafnir off there, even if you die!!”
“—What!? Hey! Are you actually going upstairs!?”
Fafnir must have absolutely believed that I would continue to assist Rainer. The moment I truly abandoned Rainer’s support and attempted to head for the castle stairs alone—he clearly showed his consternation.
That hesitation was the ideal opening to initiate the ‘original plan.’
As if timed precisely, everyone began to move.
“—Now! Dia!”
“Yeah, don’t screw up! Maria!”
From beyond the grand entrance, two girls who had infiltrated the castle via a different route appeared.
Simultaneously, Rainer put significant distance between himself and Fafnir.
“—! So it was you after all! But that’s all the surprise attack you have!!”
Even if I leaving Rainer caused him to falter, Fafnir’s resolve did not waver at the appearance of new adversaries.
Having been tempered in countless battles during the thousand-year war, he had anticipated this magical assault perfectly.
“—Resonance Magic《Flame Arrow・Guardian Flame》!!”
“—Resonance Magic《Flame Arrow・Guardian Flame》!!”
Magic comparable to a ‘Thief of Principles’ was unleashed.
In an instant, countless mirrors of fire materialized, floating to surround Fafnir. Red stars appeared in the crimson grand entrance.
Seeing this, he stopped in his tracks.
“This is… Resonance Magic…? And, this is Sis and Arti’s…!?”
His face displayed an expression of disbelief.
Because Fafnir could utilize the skills of the dead, he possessed knowledge of nearly all types of magic. And he also possessed countermeasures for each and every one. That was precisely why, more than anyone, he understood the abnormality of《Flame Arrow・Guardian Flame》and was utterly astonished by its illogical magic.
I understood his feelings. This《Flame Arrow・Guardian Flame》was the Resonance Magic of those two who used to be the worst of rivals—Sis and Arti. Anyone who knew of a thousand years ago would freeze at first sight.
“Dia, all escape routes are sealed!!”
“Got it! —《Flame Arrow》!!”
Then, from Dia’s palm, a fierce white light, barely resembling a mere flame arrow, erupted.
Fafnir dodged the heat beam by leaping to the side.
However, it reflected off the mirrors of flame on his back.
“—! So it went as expected!!”
Fafnir instinctively summoned his blood tendrils to intercept, blocking the two-stage heat beam.
But he could only defend against the first shot.
“Shoot, shoot, and keep shooting!!”
Día continuously unleashed thermal light beams, presumably Flame Arrows, at full power without aiming.
A hundred thermal light beams reflected off the mirror of flames.
Reflecting, reflecting, reflecting, their speed was too fast to follow, over a thousand white lines were drawn, encasing Fafnir in a white cocoon.
“—Nosfy!!”
And then, from deep within the grand entrance, a large wolf with silver fur appeared. Its massive body crossed the bloody footing as if it were nothing, approaching me.
Rustiara was riding on top of the wolf. She reached out towards me, stretching to her limit, and shouted.
“—Yes!!”
I grasped her hand and was pulled, landing on the wolf’s back.
At that moment, a voice and magic emanated from within the completely sealed white cocoon.
“You won’t get away…! —Crimson Blood Magic [Second Year of the New Calendar, Early Western Holy War, Eight Thousand Eight Resonance Arrow]!!”
With a peculiar spell name unique to “Thief of the Law of Blood,” a magic arrow—a different kind of thermal light beam, no less powerful than Dia’s earlier attack—pierced through the white cocoon.
Even after taking the Resonance Magic of Dia and Maria, Fafnir had targeted me with a suicidal intent. However, such tenacity was within my expectations.
“—Dragoon Adder!!”
Snow, who had infiltrated the castle through a different route and undergone Dragonization, spread her wings and moved to intervene.
The wind bullets, solidified “Dragon’s Wind,” were Fafnir’s thermal light beams’ counter.
Immediately, I assisted with those wind bullets. With the feelings borrowed from Snow in my heart, I worked with the light magic power that had seeped into her blood, drawing out all the talent sleeping within her.
As a result, Dragoon Adder exploded with a sound that threatened to rupture eardrums.
The explosion caused Fafnir’s thermal light beam to lose its aim and strike the castle wall directly. Seeing the castle shake as if in a great earthquake, Snow gasped.
“…I-I think it worked! With this sword, enhancement magic, and ‘Safe Dragonization,’ even I can fight head-on! Even against a Guardian…!!”
Snow was surprised by the power that had been drawn out of her. However, Rustiara’s instructions cut through her awe.
“Snow! Today you’re not guarding, you’re supporting us!!”
“Okay! I’ll take care of the trash on the stairs from the sky—!!”
The wolf carrying Rustiara and me reached the stairs and continued their ascent with momentum. Following their movement, Snow also headed upwards, using the central atrium.
“Wolf” and “Dragon.”
Fafnir, enveloped in ferocious magic, could not pursue us, who moved with the speed afforded by our “Demonized Return” to its maximum extent.
It unfolded exactly as “the initial plan” had dictated.
We left Fafnir behind and advanced rapidly to the upper floors.
The second, third, fourth, and fifth floors—along the way, Blood Dolls and that “Something” would block our path on the stairs. However, Snow, flying through the atrium in sync with Sera’s progress, swept them away from the side.
“—Dragoon Adder!!”
The wolf’s legs raced up the stairs, cleared by “Dragon’s Wind.”
Occasionally, enemies who had evaded Snow’s magic would attack, but Rustiara dealt with them using her sword and magic.
Our sprint did not stop.
From the fifth floor to the tenth—and then to the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth floors.
“…Rustiara, Sera. This is going well.”
Honestly, it was going more smoothly than I had predicted.
We were able to strike Fafnir with the “Magic” he most detested—high-powered, continuous, and encountered for the first time—using Rainer as a decoy.
Furthermore, by chance, we were able to split cleanly into two groups. Maria, Dia, and Rainer to hold off Fafnir. Rustiara, Sera, Snow, and I to retrieve Father’s corpse from Ragune.
The absence of Perciona likely meant she was effectively commanding the soldiers outside.
“Right! Snow’s doing great too! This is going well!!”
“Ehehe…! I can go all out now! They’re all scary enemies, but I don’t feel any fear!”
Praised by Rustiara, Snow’s flight and magic gained more momentum.
However, as if to scold our high spirits, a voice echoed. The blood within the castle, where we were running, changed form, becoming a mouth and throat, emitting sound.
“—You cannot.”
It was Fafnir’s voice, who should have been fighting downstairs.
“—To think you’d be so thoughtless, you’ve actually tricked me… But Nosfy. Do you really think you can escape me? No, do you think you are escaping me now? …There is no escape in this castle. It is all within my belly.”
Though I knew it, his voice—his magic—reached us even from a great distance.
“Nosfy, do you remember what Kanami from a thousand years ago said…? That my true power, as ‘Thief of the Law of Blood,’ isn’t ‘control of the dead’…! The most troublesome power lies in ‘control of Idench’—and the accompanying ‘Labyrinth Construction’!!”
No matter how much he screamed, Fafnir, the “Thief of the Law of Blood,” had no means of instantaneous long-distance travel.
However, he possessed a different troublesome power.
It was the power to “Summon” someone else in a different location.
“—Kuhaha! I didn’t expect you to choose to fly *inside* the castle rather than outside… But, I’ve prepared something here too. One special guest…!”
In accordance with his voice, a rain of blood fell.
Not on the castle stairs where we were running, but on the central atrium.
“—, ————————————!!”
It was a shrill scream, like a blade cutting and caressing the skin.
Not a human’s, but a monster’s.
Among them, a distinctive sound—the chirping of an insect.
Along with the blood rain, a single insect-type monster flew in from the upper floor.
Its shape was close to that of a bee, with multifaceted eyes typical of insects and seemingly hard joints. It had six scythe-like forelegs and four thin wings. Between its legs, there were two large stingers. It was about three times Snow’s current size, and its color was ochre. A spiky, ominous, and eerie monster.
“—Dra, ‘Dragoon Arder’!!”
Snow unleashed magic at the monster that had suddenly attacked from above.
However, the monster dodged it with a sharp ninety-degree turn in mid-air. Without stopping, the monster turned at another ninety-degree angle and attacked Snow below.
Its scythe-like forelegs swung and clashed with the greatsword Snow held, producing the ringing of metal.
With the momentum of its fall, the monster passed by Snow and changed direction again below. Despite being in the air, it showed abnormal agility. Against its movements, Snow stopped in mid-air and muttered.
“Eh, eh…? Could it be, Older Brother…?”
She asked the monster, “Older Brother?” And the blood answered.
“—Ah. This is the true form of Glen Walker, the ‘horror’ that exterminated his own kin within just a few years of birth. In other words, a pseudo-‘half-corpse’. He’s likely on the same path as I am…!”
In a somewhat joyful voice, it spoke of Glen’s origins.
Snow and Glen were siblings, but both were adopted into the noble Walker family and had no blood relation. Therefore, the form was likely the first time Snow had seen it, and she appeared greatly confused.
And that confusion significantly affected the battle.
She was on the defensive, completely outmatched in aerial combat, an area that was originally Snow’s forte. Her eyes could follow the large monster darting everywhere, but her body couldn’t transition to offense.
“This is…! Rustiara, let’s help Snow…!!”
We had been progressing smoothly until now, but I felt Fafnir’s move had struck a deep blow. Faced with their incompatibility, I proposed a rescue to Rustiara.
But—
“—Nosfy! No!”
Before we could move, Snow herself refused.
Snow’s defensive stance lasted only a few seconds. She immediately unleashed ‘Dragon’s Wind’ in mid-air and turned to offense. Her expression returned to its usual optimistic demeanor, asserting that she had the situation under control even against Glen.
“I’m fine! Sera, go ahead! This is also according to the ‘original plan’! We’ll all fully support Nosfy, who holds all our hopes, and bring him to Kanami’s location!! Nosfy, just focus on moving forward!!”
With that, she revealed the entirety of our ‘original plan.’
In other words, our ‘original plan’ was to ‘use the Fuziaze army to infiltrate the castle from four directions, attack Fafnir together, and somehow get me to the rooftop.’
Unlike the previous attack on Fuziaze Castle, this assault operation was decided in just a few minutes.
After all, we didn’t have the convenience of ‘future sight.’ Absolute victory was not guaranteed. That’s why we determined this was the best possible course of action.
And now, Snow was acting precisely as per the ‘original plan’ where each person thinks and acts independently, by herself. She declared that she herself was enough.
Sera, in her wolf form, bowed her head in acknowledgment of her claim. Then, Rustiara, who was riding on her, nodded and shouted back.
“Understood, Snow! Win against that strange Glen!”
“Yes, Lady Rustiara! Punish my Older Brother! I’ll catch up to you soon!!”
Snow replied like a subordinate and unleashed her demonic power.
It was her full power during ‘Dragonization,’ something she had always avoided.
Now, with the aid of the ‘Thief of Principles of Light,’ it was unleashed without any ‘price’.
Currently, only her wings had transformed into a dragon’s.
Her limbs remained human.
However, her magic power was becoming that of a dragon.
Neither human nor monster, a different kind of magic was generated—as powerful as a ‘Thief of Principles,’ but of a completely different nature.
The embodiment of violence that once made the entire continent recognize her as the ‘strongest’ without question was now born here.
“Aaaaaaah, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAA—!!!!”
Bathed in ‘Dragon’s Wind’ and ‘Dragon’s Roar,’ Snow reached speeds exceeding Glen’s as he flew through the air and launched a suicidal tackle.
It was a tactic suited for her, confident in her durability. However, it was an uncharacteristic tactic for her, who was supposed to be lacking in courage.
Glen, facing her, might have had the same idea.
He seemed caught off guard and took the tackle.
The siblings, overlapping, flew not upwards but horizontally, crashing into and destroying a railing in the passage. Yet, their momentum didn’t stop. Snow tightly gripped Glen’s hard joints and continued to fly horizontally.
Like the railing, they destroyed the castle’s blood wall. Still, their momentum didn’t stop. They broke through the wall of a room behind it, crushing everything in their path, and continued deeper and deeper.
—Before their figures disappeared, Sera, who was my steed, had already started running.
Past the twentieth floor, and further up.
As planned, solely for the ultimate goal of ‘me casting magic on Father,’ I sprinted towards the top floor.
