16. Before the end – 06
In this place, only silence existed.
No one raised their voice, and there was nothing to say in the first place.
A throbbing headache hits my head. Was it because she was rapidly exhausting her stamina and aura by rushing to this place, or was it because she had heard rumors that Kyrie was killing Arya?
A sharp pain, like being stabbed in the frontal lobe with a needle, filled my head.
“…..”
Kyrie, who always looked at others with a relaxed face, disappeared everywhere. The only woman facing me here was an elf woman who, unlike usual, was staring at the other person with an extremely cold and inorganic face.
…No, actually, that face must have been Kyrie’s essence. After living a long time incomparable to human life, the Guardian of the World Tree whose mind and emotions have all worn out and dried up.
That must have been the true character of a woman named Kyrie el Denaris.
“…So, what are you planning to do from now on? Kyrie.”
After giving Bianca a very slight look, he immediately turned his head and asked Kyrie. At such a question from me, Kirie seemed to be interested, and her own pupils took on a different color.
“Why, why, why don’t you ask these questions? Are you wondering why I am doing this? Cain.”
To her question, I lightly nod my head.
“Because there is no point in asking questions. In the first place, since I have already killed Arya once, what shame am I entitled to stop Kirie from doing?”
Saying that, he naturally took a step forward. The distance between Aria and me was about 20 meters. The distance that can be reached in two breaths if the aura remaining in the body is momentarily exploded.
“That’s why I don’t understand. Kyrie, you just said this. Her goal is to kill the ‘Witch of Winter’ with her own hands.”
I already know things like my opponent and my strength. Kyrie’s specialties are Spiritual Art and Archery. Kyrie is a sharpshooter with the ability to accurately hit even an opponent who is moving at high speed from hundreds of meters away, but Spiritual Art and Archery have a clear disadvantage that they are vulnerable in close combat. In other words, if I could get close to her in any way, the odds would definitely exist.
“Then why didn’t you just kill Arya right here and there? No, if Aria is losing her mind right now, it would have been the captain to take her life. Even so, you only subdued Arya, but you haven’t done anything yet. This is just my personal opinion, but the reason is probably-”
I took a very light, deep breath and at the same time concentrated all the remaining aura on my legs. One second from now is your chance.
“Doesn’t that mean we shouldn’t kill Arya, at least here? Bianca, now!”
“Oh really! When you do something like this, you should discuss it in advance!”
Fire-!
At that moment, Bianca, who understood my signal, forms a spark from her fingertips and throws it at the place where Kyrie and Ariel are standing. What glows is a small, pure white sun. If hit properly, it would easily burn a human to the bone.
“Goddess. Grace to your servant.”
Goo Woo-woong-
Ariel lightly blocked it by simply putting her hands together as if praying. I don’t know, but that magic must be a reduced version of Bianca’s unique magic, ‘Sigh of the White Flame’. However, it is hard to believe that the magic that contains such terrible power can be blocked so lightly.
…but at the same time.
“Ariel-!”
It took only two seconds for the white sun to hit the spot where Kyrie and Ariel were standing, and for Ariel to block it. And at the same time, it was enough time for me to zero the distance of 20 meters as I was concentrating the aura compressed to the limit on my two legs.
Clink-!
There is a sound of breaking glass. My fist, which contained all remaining auras using ‘Flowing Star’, was able to easily penetrate Ariel’s divine barrier, which had already cracked while blocking Bianca’s magic.
“…Cain.”
And at that moment, Ariel, who had been silent until now, called my name. Ariel’s eyes were staring at me, and they were completely different from the usual ones. Her small lips, something darting toward me.
“…Ariel, you.”
But that’s a story for later. Even after saving Arya, I can still talk to my heart’s content, so I’m going to do my best now. The taijutsu that Ariel uses is far stronger than anything like me. The one who gets hit while doing something careless will be this side. Hitting a woman is something I don’t like, but now I can’t help it.
Kwajik-!
With all my strength, my right foot slams down Ariel’s left foot. With the sound of something breaking, Ariel’s face crinkled in pain. Without missing the moment, he used his right foot as a pivot to turn his body and hit her stomach with his elbow. The reason why I hit the stomach was because that place was also a vital point, but for some reason, I didn’t want to attack her lower stomach. Because worldly affairs are things you don’t know about, it’s something that Ariel might become like Iris.
“Ugh-!”
Ariel’s body instantly bends into a warrior when her elbow enters the pit of the stomach properly. It became this. A short break is enough. Without missing this opportunity, he passed Ariel and rushed towards Kyrie. Smash all remaining auras into the right fist. No matter how strong Kyrie is, she’s not used to close combat like this, and there’s no way to use it properly. This is a victory for me and Bianca!
…No, it was supposed to be a win for me and Bianca.
dump.
“…uh?”
okay. If I hadn’t collapsed on the ground with my back down, unaware of what had struck me as I rushed towards Kyrie, I’m sure it would have been.
“Because he is such a bad man. Apart from me, you don’t hesitate to reach out to Ariel, who was married to you. That thing from before, domestic violence that can’t even be taken out?”
Kirie looked down at me with an infinitely relaxed voice and giggled. I listened to her voice in one ear and tried to get up anyway, but unfortunately my body didn’t move that easily. No, the pain did not subside as time passed, but rather it became more unbalanced. this, alternatively.
“It is useless. The jaw, the pit of the stomach, and the stomach were hit with rotation, so you won’t be able to stand up properly for a while. I wouldn’t know again if you were in a normal condition, but it’s not a big deal to beat you, who exhausted a lot of auras because your stamina was exhausted from rushing here.”
…No matter how hard it is, I don’t understand it at all. So, to sum up Kyrie’s words, she is now-
“Well, it’s because the overflowing thing for me was time. I don’t think it was a bad choice to learn martial arts in my spare time to pass the time.”
…Are you saying that he overpowered me in the blink of an eye by using the taijutsu he learned in his free time?
“It’s a taijutsu that I’ve only been practicing for a few decades at most, but I don’t think there’s anything lacking in dealing with you. So, next time you come to see me, bring your sword. To give you one hint, I’d recommend a small dagger. Since it’s small, there’s no problem stabbing a person, right?”
Turbuck-
Kirie passed by me, who couldn’t even breathe properly due to shock, and approached Aria. Arya is still losing her mind. Kirie lightly hugs Aria and smiles at me.
“Oh, come to think of it, I forgot to answer your question. You asked what I would do from now on. Ariel and I will be returning to the Great Forest from now on. Because our purpose is to be achieved only when there is a world tree, and if we break her heart like we did before, something really big will happen. Why would something big happen?”
Kirie stares at me like someone who is trying to solve a fun riddle.
“You gave her a name. The name ‘Arya’. That made things really complicated. Really, I thought that the nickname ‘witch’ would be just right for that woman.”
“…is it because of the name I gave you?”
Perhaps because of the pain from Kyrie’s blow, her head couldn’t turn properly. So, what on earth does that have to do with my naming and why Kyrie can’t kill Arya prematurely?
“Oh, did you not think anything of it when you saw that the lands of the Duchy of Estel had regained their richness in recent years? Was it really all just a coincidence? But why did something that did not happen before the regression happen after the regression? Have you ever really seriously considered the reason?”
“…that.”
Kyrie’s words hit exactly the part I had been consciously trying to ignore until now. Just like she said, saying that she didn’t know anything must be rather false. There was no confirmation, no evidence, no reason, but I had a vague realization.
The reason why Arya had a natural talent for magic enough to be able to fight Bianca, the most powerful wizard in the world, on an equal footing after only one year of learning magic.
The reason why only Arya was able to freely handle the field of time and space, which is said to be the realm of God that humans can never reach.
Even though he was a wizard with great power, he was able to commit the absurd act of causing winter to rage across the entire continent.
The reason why he felt something strange from the unknown divine power used by the middle-aged man who fought against the Duke of Dekaraznan.
…Until now, all of these facts had been lumped together as one fact that Arya was the ‘witch of winter’, but in fact, it seems that it was nothing more than a deep denial.
I was confident that if she was just a human with a great talent for magic, even I could lead Arya in a better direction. Since Aria has lost all her memories, she is dreaming of a future where she can grow into a wizard who can help everyone, rather than becoming a ‘witch’ who sprinkles disaster on the world.
…but if it was inevitable for her to become a ‘witch’. Arya’s identity was not a simple human in the first place, so if it was inevitable that a future where I could not control her would come.
In fact, she remembered everything, if only she had remained an ‘aria’ next to me to tune me in. For Aria, if all the time she spent with me was just a game.
The last two years, I felt like the time she and I had been together was completely shattered. I, I really-
“Yes, that is what it was. So please back off here. I can’t say this is a good place to meet the end, and I also have no intention of laying a hand on her until you arrive.”
Saying that, Kyrie threw something at me. Unconsciously, I accept what she gave me and check it out. It was a ring. It’s a ring I know very well. But why was this in Kyrie’s hands?
“I’m sorry. It’s because I have such bad manners. However, since husband and wife are said to be of one mind, wouldn’t it be acceptable for a wife to borrow her husband’s things for a short time?”
Kirie shrugged her shoulders, and soon turned her back and flew away as if she had finished her words. And Ariel, who had been watching that scene, also slightly lowered her head towards me, then disappeared after Kyrie.
“…aria.”
If I relaxed even a little, I somehow brought together the consciousness that seemed like I would lose my mind, and checked their backs to the end. Even though I was defeated in this place, next time I will not be helpless like this time. And sure, next time to get Arya back.
“…..”
After staring at them until they disappeared as a dot from my field of vision, I checked the ring Kyrie had just thrown me.
“…shit.”
…it must have been. This ring was a courtesy “engagement ring” that Sara once left for me.