Volume 3 Chapter 75: Life Eater

“Aizon.”

“Yes!”

Speaking too much could expose me. There’s no telling what might set off this man.

I must keep it brief and finish this quickly.

From Tesea, I learned about Aizon Sgehargen’s Magis Gear. One of its abilities, Wishful Search, allows him to sense anything related to the Floating City Pharmament. The other grants him flight.

However, his soul has been heavily eroded from overusing the Soul Transfer Orb, leaving him with barely enough power to use the former ability a few times a year. Aizon mistakenly believes he’s adapted to the orb, but Tesea assures me he’s far from stable.

When I appeared, he used Wishful Search, identifying me as someone connected to the Floating City Pharmament. This overblown assumption is at the root of his misunderstanding.

He likely won’t be able to use it again anytime soon. And even if he could, it’s useless in combat. As for his flight ability, it’s practically gone—he can’t even activate it.

In short, there’s no need to fear Aizon’s Magis Gear.

Still, Aizon’s physical capabilities are exceptional, making him the strongest fighter here. If he utilized a divine artifact or the city’s defensive systems, victory would be impossible.

I must act before he has a chance to fight back, securing victory before the situation escalates.

“I summoned you here to commend you for capturing this woman.”

“Oh… Was that it?”

“Yes. As for this woman—”

I placed a hand under Alice’s chin, gently lifting her face.

“Not bad.”

Looking into Alice’s unnaturally teary eyes, I forced a smile. Her overly docile demeanor felt completely unnatural, but I pushed away the unease, focusing so he wouldn’t see through my deception.

“And by that, you mean…?”

“I like her. She suits my tastes.”

These words left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I kept my expression neutral.

“Quite a fine offering, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I, uh, well… It was by chance that I caught her. To think she would please Lord Lumelherc so much…”

Keeping my hand on Alice’s chin, I cast a sidelong glance at Aizon. His eyes revealed shock and jealousy—a reaction I had anticipated. This might be the limit. If this situation becomes any less favorable to him, he might stop recognizing me as a god.

“Kiss me…”

As I prepared to move to the next phase, Alice whispered those words. That wasn’t part of the plan.

What are you thinking at a time like this? I turned my gaze to her.

Her expression was completely serious.

She wasn’t joking.

Trusting her, I made my decision.

Slowly, I leaned in and pressed my lips against Alice’s, keeping a close watch on Aizon’s reaction. His eyes widened in disbelief.

Kneeling before me, Aizon stood abruptly, as though he could no longer contain himself.

At that moment, Alice broke the kiss.

This must be the timing she had in mind.

Before Aizon could say anything, I spoke the words he longed to hear.

“For your excellent service, I shall grant you a reward.”

“A… reward?”

Aizon muttered in a daze. I gave him a gentle smile.

“What’s the matter, my child?”

“Oh…”

“My most beloved child, you’ve done splendidly. Of course, you deserve a reward.”

“Oh… Oh! To think you would call me your ‘most beloved’…!”

Jealousy, anger, sadness, frustration, distrust—all these emotions reached their peak. When his heart was fully consumed by negativity, I wiped them away and gave him exactly what he desired, sweetly and gently.

For Aizon, it was the feeling of being the most loved by the divine figure, Lumelherc.

The more deluded someone is, the easier they are to sway when their fantasies are indulged. That’s what Alice said.

But this is only temporary.

Like pacifying a crying child by giving them their favorite candy, this will only keep him compliant for a short while.

However, for now, winning his temporary and blind trust is all that matters.

“Aizon, come here. To my side.”

“Ah… As you command, Lord Lumelherc!”

Aizon walked toward me reverently and was about to kneel.

“That’s enough. Stay as you are.”

“B-but…”

“It’s fine.”

I stopped him and removed the white cloth draped over his head. Beneath it was the face of a young man, younger than me, with sharp, chiseled features.

Wrapped around his body were strips of white cloth, and hanging near his waist were two glass orbs—Soul Transfer Orb and Soul Break Orb.

I felt a pang of guilt toward the original owner of this body, but Aizon’s expectant gaze and enraptured smile filled me with revulsion.

Suppressing my nausea, I wrapped my arm around Aizon’s back. The warmth of his body triggered an intense rejection within me. I wanted to pull away immediately, but I couldn’t.

The plan had worked. Aizon—utterly enraptured—failed to sense Tesea creeping up silently from behind.

“Ah… Lord Lumelherc…”

Aizon’s body trembled with joy, and I felt his strength leave him. This was the critical moment—his most vulnerable state.

I gave Tesea the signal with a hand sign.

She produced the Life Eater, concealed under her white cloak. Activating Analysis, she must have verified Aizon’s lack of suspicion.

I had mixed feelings about Tesea being the one to carry out the deed. Aizon’s blood didn’t deserve to stain her hands.

However, this was Tesea’s decision—one she had made of her own volition.

I had to respect that.

Besides, Tesea was the most capable for this task. Neither Alice nor I, incapable of using mana, could match her chances of success.

Tesea moved quickly and silently, without hesitation, plunging the knife toward Aizon.

A perfect ambush. A fatal strike to his unguarded back.

“Nggh!”

“Huh—?!”

Despite being caught completely off-guard, Aizon reacted with terrifying speed, turning and blocking the attack with one hand. Tesea let out a soft gasp.

His reaction stunned not only me but also Tesea and even Alice. But—it was done.

Aizon had acted without hesitation, sacrificing one hand to protect his vital points—a terrifyingly calculated decision. If it were an ordinary knife, we would have lost. However, what had pierced his palm was Life Eater, a magical tool crafted by Alice, the Creator.

“Lord Lumelherc…? What is this—ghh!”

Though Aizon had initially remained composed with the knife embedded in his palm, he suddenly writhed in pain. Something slithered beneath his skin, moving upward through his arm.

“Phew, that almost threw me off, but it’s over now.”

Alice, who had maintained a demure facade until now, broke into a triumphant, coarse grin.

“Wh-what is this… What is happening… Lord Lumelherc—arghhhhhh!”

Gripping his arm, Aizon let out a guttural scream as Life Eater burrowed through his body, tearing him apart from within.

And then—without hesitation—he ripped his arm off.

“What?!”

“No way!”

Alice’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she cried out, stunned.

I was just as shocked by Aizon’s actions.

Even Tesea was frozen in place, unable to react, her expression blank with astonishment.

With blood spurting from his severed shoulder, Aizon discarded his detached arm.

“Fuh!!”

He exhaled sharply, and the muscles around his shoulder tightened, slowing the bleeding.

This man—he’s a monster.

Watching the unbelievable scene before me, that was all I could think.

“Now then… what is the meaning of this?”

Faced with the unexpected, a cold sweat ran down my cheek.

“Lord Lumelherc, an explanation, if you please.”

This is bad. Very bad.

Could the three of us take him down now?

No, it’s impossible. Even with one arm missing, Aizon is clearly stronger than all of us combined. On top of that, he still has the Soul Break Orb at his waist. There’s no way we can win.

Then what? Bluff? But how?

Think. Think. Think.

“Hmm. Lord Lumelherc wouldn’t harm me. Ah, I see… So this means…”

Before I could come up with a plan, Aizon reached his own conclusion.

“You… dared to impersonate a god?”

A chill ran down my spine as Aizon’s tone shifted completely, his gaze now filled with dark fury. It felt as if his eyes were gripping my heart.

“Damn it…”

I had no choice but to prepare myself.

I didn’t know how far I’d get, but at the very least, I had to buy time to ensure Tesea could escape the Floating City Pharmament.

Alice would protect her. I’d trust her with that—

“Well, well, I’m impressed. Didn’t think you’d rip your own arm off,” Alice said, stepping forward with a shrug.

Both Tesea and I could only stare at her bold demeanor in stunned silence.

What is she planning in a situation like this?

“Looks like we lost. Go ahead and kill us,” Alice said nonchalantly, raising her hands as she walked toward Aizon, her cold eyes fixed on him.

Stopping just before him, she looked up at his towering figure—and smirked.

“Just kidding.”

“What…?”

“Take this, Life Eater!”

With her words, a blue blade pierced through Aizon’s chest from behind.

“Urgh…!”

Aizon’s eyes widened as blood spilled from his mouth. It was a scene that, apart from Alice, none of us could fully comprehend.

The blade of Life Eater had extended from Aizon’s severed arm, which had been lying on the ground.

“Kuhihihi! Kuhihihihihihi!”

Looking down at the crumbling Aizon, Alice spread her arms wide, laughing with twisted glee.

“Idiot! Did you really think cutting it off would stop Life Eater? Sorry, but that’s impossible, you fool! Fooled you good! Once Life Eater pierces someone, it won’t stop until they’re dead! That’s why it’s called Life Eater! Kuhahahaha!”

You could’ve told us that earlier.

Still, if her earlier shocked reaction was just an act to lull him into complacency, then maybe she left us in the dark deliberately to sell the performance.

Tesea slumped to the floor, sitting with a dazed look as she slowly removed her white hood. She stared blankly at Alice, who was furiously kicking Aizon’s already lifeless body.

“Take that! And that! You filthy piece of trash! Scum of the earth! That’s what you get for underestimating Alice-chan’s magitech! Die, you bastard!”

He’s already dead.

I sighed as I walked over to Tesea, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Ah… yeah. I think so, but… I feel so drained…”

“I get it… I feel the same.”

The tension and urgency of a moment ago had completely dissipated.

Tesea still seemed lost, her expression vacant. I couldn’t imagine how she felt, but we couldn’t linger here any longer.

“Tesea, let’s get out of here.”

“…Get out of here.”

“Yeah. Let’s leave and go meet Sierra.”

“Yeah… I want to leave. I want to see my sister. I want to see the world outside.”

“Then let’s do that.”

I extended my hand to Tesea. Slowly, she took it and stood up.

She might not have sorted out her feelings yet, but she could do that after we left the Floating City.

“Thank you, Noil.”

“Maybe you should thank Alice instead.”

I glanced at Alice, and the smile left my face. She was still stomping on Aizon’s head with obvious enjoyment.

Right… Not going to stop her. He deserves it. But the scene definitely blurs the line between hero and villain.

“Hey, big-chested Tesea! Wanna join in? That bastard gave you hell, didn’t he? Feels real good, you know?”

Spitting on Aizon’s corpse, Alice cheerfully invited Tesea.

I didn’t want Tesea to end up like Alice, but I decided to leave it to her judgment.

Tesea let go of my hand and slowly walked toward Aizon’s body. She stood there, staring down at him in silence before whispering.

“You really were the worst… Because of you, I… My mother…”

“Hey, don’t hold back! Forget being polite. Let it all out! What’s the matter? Feeling a little sad, maybe? Getting sentimental, huh?”

“No way!!”

Tesea’s voice boomed as she glared at Alice.

Alice, however, only laughed, flashing her usual crooked grin.

“Thought so. Now give it everything you’ve got.”

Stepping aside, Alice made room for Tesea.

Tesea clenched her fists tightly in front of her chest, took a small breath, then inhaled deeply.

“You bastard!!”

With a scream louder than before, Tesea kicked Aizon’s head with all her might. Alice cheered wildly.

It was not a scene for the faint of heart, but… well, he deserved it.

Whether this was the right way or not, at least Tesea wouldn’t keep brooding over it.

I could never handle things the way Alice did, but I was genuinely glad she was here.

“There are no gods, you idiot! Ptooey!”

“Idiot! Ptooey!”

…Yeah, not something I’d ever emulate.

Watching Alice and Tesea spit on Aizon’s corpse with matching middle fingers raised, I could only sigh.