The battle against Gothmol, with Lauren struggling.
At the moment Gothmol possessed Anakura’s body, Lauren beckoned me from a distance. His eyes, peeking from the shadow of his hood, were bloodshot, crying out in distress. However, at the same time, I saw a definite murderous intent in their depths.
“Leave it to me,” he seemed to say.
I threw the dagger I held unconsciously. Lauren’s slender fingers grasped it as if drawn to it. At the same time, Anakura, rolling his eyes back, changed direction and lunged at Lauren.
“You won’t!”
Veronica grabbed him from behind in a bear hug. His snake tail writhed like a giant python, binding Veronica as if it had a will of its own. While they wrestled, Lauren turned the dagger in his grip and thrust it into the faltering Gothmol.
“Fuguuuu!”
But just in the nick of time, Gothmol grabbed her wrist and stopped her. “Alright, push it in!” I thought, instinctively giving a thumbs-up in my mind.
Gothmol grinned, revealing his broken teeth.
“Heh, heheee, you’re finished, little girl.”
Suddenly, Lauren began to convulse violently. Rolling his eyes back and foaming at the mouth, just like when he was possessed. Could he have been taken over? Was it due to direct contact?
He twitched his spider-like forelegs, muttering something within his foam.
“Lauren! Hold on, I’m coming!”
Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, following his pale throat.
“Come, come.”
“What, what’s wrong?”
Was he already possessed? He wore a smile, but he still clutched the dagger tightly. Gothmol’s eyes widened for a moment. It was an expression of realizing something of great importance. And then it slowly turned to panic.
“N-no, st-stop, Unngh!”
Gothmol stiffened his body and arched his head back. His previous composure was replaced by a desperate struggle to escape his current state.
“Com-com-come.”
“St-stop, y-y no!”
What was Lauren whispering? Was he inviting Gothmol’s soul into himself? Was he pretending to be possessed to lure the soul into himself?
I saw a black aura flowing from Gothmol’s body along his arm towards Lauren. Gothmol himself was holding her arm. Yet, was his body paralyzed? He held on tightly, unable to move.
I thought I saw a faint glint of something like transparent threads. Changing my angle and squinting, I saw countless threads connecting the two. The sight sent a shiver down my spine. When had he attached the threads?
Gothmol, caught in the spider’s web, was like a caterpillar caught by a predator. If I pulled, the dagger would pierce him; if I advanced, he would merge into Lauren’s consciousness and perish with her.
“Lauren!!”
I shouted with all my might, my dry throat croaking. At my voice, Lauren’s consciousness returned for a moment. His slender wrist knocked away Gothmol’s hand, and the dagger plunged straight into the opponent’s chest.
“Y-you…!”
Quickly cutting the threads with his forelegs, Gothmol disengaged from Lauren. His dry, withered hand, like a dead tree, reached out hatefully after Lauren.
Lauren pulled back, turning his back on the enemy. In his hand, he clutched a bundle of threads.
“You insignificant pest… Don’t touch me with your dirty hands.”
Purple flames surged through the bundle of threads he gripped. The next moment, the dagger lodged in his chest exploded. A pillar of purple fire rose, eventually turning red.
When he lowered the arm covering his face, Gothmol lay there like a broken machine. Black smoke billowed from the source of the explosion.
Bloody, drained flesh lay scattered around like artificial silicone. I stepped on it with a squish and lifted my foot. Peering into Gothmol, I saw a gem-like object in the large cavity of his chest.
“What is this?”
I picked up the shattered fragments.
“Th-that… is a magic stone. It was his power source.”
So, he himself was powered by magic. With a thud, I turned around to see Anakura, who had been wrestling with Veronica, collapse.
“Hoo, it’s finally over. I thought I was going to die.”
“Th-thank you.”
He seemed to have had his own tough time. I knelt down near the fallen Anakura. With Gothmol, who had been holding his soul, dead, his end had also come.
“Hey, Anakura.”
He seemed unable to see, his pale hand fumbling aimlessly. I gently grasped it.
“Ah, you’re here. Arisugawa Hiroaki, was it?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
That was all I could say, encompassing everything. There wasn’t enough time to convey so many feelings. With a weak hand, he took out a bundle of cards. They were scattered from Gothmol’s careless handling earlier.
“Draw one.”
As instructed, I drew the top card. It had the kanji “漸” written on it. I didn’t know how to read it.
“What do you see?”
“A mountain and a lake, and a white bird. There’s also the number fifty-three.”
Anakura sighed as if he already knew the answer.
“Everything you’ve done until now was not in vain. A detour, that was precisely the right path.”
“I see. Then meeting you wasn’t in vain either.”
“Don’t let your guard down. For anything, small accumulations… My divinations are accurate.”
With those words, Anakura’s strength finally left him. He had returned to his corpse.
