Vol 1 Chapter 19: Tragedy (Great Labyrinth Arc)

Both Yuu and the Demon King were transfixed the moment I swung Asterion.

Yuu looked confused, and the Demon King let out a high laugh. Yet the only one who appeared exasperated in my eyes was Nio.

“You really are…”

And surely both Yuu and the Demon King must have had expressions as if they’d been caught off guard.

My slash was indeed aimed at Nio. But what I actually cut was the chain that had been restraining her freedom.

The answer I chose in that very moment was––

“Run! That’s your specialty, isn’t it!”

It was to let Nio escape. Since Yuu’s sword wasn’t aimed at me, I wouldn’t have been cut if I hadn’t used my body to protect her.

Once I cut the chain, in a flash Nio would fall to the ground, and Yuu would lose her aim.

Even then, for a split second, Yuu would have the chance to readjust her aim. That would be the perfect moment for Nio to escape.

She’s the type who’s been hiding and fleeing all along. When given an opening and a chance at freedom, she’ll take off.

I would be left behind, but I wouldn’t die. Both Yuu and Nio would survive.

What remained unpredictable was Yuu’s madness and the Demon King’s next move. Could I really manage the situation with just one arm?

If I could even persuade Yuu, I might be able to reattach my arm.

But if I incurred her anger, in the worst-case scenario I’d end up with both Yuu and the Demon King as my enemies.

After several moments during which a host of thoughts raced through my mind, I turned to look at Yuu’s face––

“Kaim… why… did you help me…? That much… that much—”

“Is Nio that important to you?”

Sadness and a bubbling anger were plainly etched on her face.

“Why must there be a woman like that… If only someone like you didn’t exist… then Kaim would be looking at me… vanish…! Vanish…!! Vanish!!!”

“Yuu, calm down! I—”

“Shut up! Shut up, shut up!! Shut up––!!!”

At her shout, Yuu’s magical power surged explosively. A shockwave erupted, and immediately Asterion’s blade was enchanted and expanded into a shield.

“Ugh…! What is this stupid power…!”

Brushing away the force with Asterion, I caught sight of Yuu, with magical power rising around her like smoke.

The enchanted blade seemed to be wreathed in surging lightning, and her dull eyes, having reflected me for a moment, soon shifted to Nio as she glared fiercely.

“You’re the target! Hurry up and run!”

“…Sorry, but I can’t do it immediately… just wait a moment.”

“Stalling again, huh? And with only one arm, no less!”

Fortunately, there was no pain at the site of the severance. However, my balance was far from normal. I was holding Asterion with only my dominant right hand.

Meanwhile, Yuu directed her angry gaze at me, perhaps because I was standing to shield Nio.

“It’s always been like this! The world I tried to save was nothing but lies and deceit! My dear comrades, the people I attempted to rescue, monsters, every race—they all pinned their sins on me, even though I did nothing wrong!”

“Yuu? What are you saying…?”

“I was trying to protect! If you call it sin, then I vowed to keep saving them until I was forgiven! No one ever stood by my side!”

“So what are you saying!! Yuu!!!”

“Even if the sin is mine, I had decided to fight with this power until I was absolved! I fought on for that very reason! And yet! And yet the world took everything from me and sealed it in darkness!”

This is Yuu’s past. Blinded by a runaway mix of magic and rage, she couldn’t see anything… no, in her eyes, I was unmistakably clear.

“Kaim was hope in that world! He was the only light that illuminated me! And yet that woman stole even that from me! Not content with merely sealing it in darkness, she even took away the hand that reached out to me! So I’ll take it back! This time, I’ll snatch it away myself! I’ll kill and take it away!!!”

After unleashing a torrent of mixed memories and emotion, Yuu let her anger take control and lunged with a slash.

“So, you really have no choice!!”

I intercepted the slash aimed at Nio with Asterion. Despite the overwhelming force, I deflected every maneuver with a speed unmatched by anyone I’d ever fought.

“Are you trying to get in my way?! Then— Kuu…”

While she was shouting at me, Yuu began to suffer. At that moment, I heard Nio’s voice from behind.

“You’re using way too much magic for body enhancement! You can’t control it like you normally do… At this rate, your body will break!”

“Break?! Then what will happen to Yuu!?”

“At this rate, her body won’t be able to withstand the magic and she’ll die! We won’t know when she loses consciousness! Once her head or body can’t take it anymore, she’ll completely lose control of her magic—and she’ll definitely die!”

“I don’t get all this complicated talk! Damn it! Then, no matter how rough the method, just tell me how to stop it!”

As Yuu’s dull eyes became infused with black, flame-like magic, Nio declared,

“Do something to knock her out! Hit her or whatever—it’s the only way! But right now, she’s insanely strong…”

Though Nio said that with evident distress, it was clear that if we didn’t stop Yuu, she would die. And if that happened, Nio wouldn’t be able to escape either.

Then—!

“Hey, Asterion… it’s a crisis for your true master— you get it, right?”

In response, Asterion enveloped me in black magic.

I was tormented by the same pain as during Grulton, but if I’m to fight Yuu with one arm, this was my only option.

“This time, you’re surprisingly obedient…”

Still, I was grateful. Bracing myself and enduring searing pain, I used Asterion to block Yuu’s lunging blade and desperately shouted,

“At this rate, you’ll die! Get a grip and calm down!”

“Even if I die, my only hope is Kaim! If it’s to reclaim him, even Kaim won’t let it go easily!!”

“If you die, you’ll fall into darkness—where there’s neither hope nor anything! Don’t you understand?!”

“Shut up!!! Shut up, shut up!!!!”

Yuu’s drawn-back slash transformed into a shockwave that split the ground.

I dodged instantly, though one hit like that would have split my body in two. Those ridiculously powerful slashes kept coming one after another.

“Chii!”

I couldn’t withstand that slash. I immediately kicked Yuu away, and even that filled me with intense anger.

“Kaim hurt me too!! Kaim’s hope was nothing but a lie!!”

“No! If you meant to kill, you’d have slashed me in that very instant! If you don’t stop soon, I’ll die, so I—”

Before I could finish my words, Yuu lunged to slash.

In the midst of our swordfight, Yuu kept spouting words as if she were vomiting them.

“It’s better that it was all a lie!! I didn’t care what purpose you used me for! As long as Kaim loved me, that was enough!! I could endure any contradiction! And yet, Nio took it away! She snatched away all my feelings, my resolve—everything—and laughed at me!! Humans, demons, demi-humans—everyone stands in the way of my one and only desire!!! Someday, even Kaim will vanish from my sight!!!!!!”

It’s no use—my words no longer reached her. Gasping for breath, I stepped back and fixed my gaze on Yuu.

My body, worn down by continuous strain and fighting with one arm, couldn’t hold out much longer.

In this situation, I had no choice but to force a final blow.

“It’ll hurt a bit, so bear with it…!”

“Everyone’s stolen something precious from me!!!!!!”

Dodging Yuu’s lunging strike as it slammed into the floor, I seized the opening and shouted at Asterion,

“Enchant! 【鉄塊剣】!”

And with that, I delivered the blow that had silenced golems to Yuu.

“Ahhhh—!!”

She was blown away and slammed against the wall. At the same time, I too reached my limit and fell to both knees.
Perhaps I hadn’t fully recovered—it didn’t last as long as during Grulton. Even so, I somehow managed to stop Yuu.

“Haa, haa… That’s enough, Asterion… Good job.”

The black magic faded as I stood up, still panting. Beyond the dust, Yuu had lost consciousness.

“In the end, I guess I had no choice but to bash her with brute force…”

Just as I was about to catch my breath, a black summoning circle appeared before me.

“Hey! You bastard!”

I tried to ready Asterion against the newcomer, but perhaps because I was at my limit, my arm wouldn’t lift.

Enjoying my predicament, the Demon King smirked.

“That was one entertaining show—you really managed to shut that elf up.”

There he stood—the Demon King—holding a lump of magic in his hand.

Even if I wanted to move, I was at my limit and ended up on one knee.

The Demon King looked down at me with a delighted grin.

“I’ll give you one last reward. So then, is a painless death acceptable?”

A lump of magic transformed into a flaming spear and lunged to impale me. I didn’t even have time to react to the unstoppable attack, but perhaps I bought a little time—because a voice came from behind.

“You sure do talk too much.”

Behind me, Nio had teleported, and as soon as she touched me—faster than the flaming spear could impale me—she activated her teleportation magic once more.

But Nio still had plenty to say. I don’t know where she planned to teleport, but even Yuu would have to return to help.

Leaving behind a “wait up,” Nio and I vanished.