15. Dragon of the End – 01
… And so, Claire Delphine Mascarena opened her eyes.
“… what?”
When she came to her senses, Claire was standing in a dark, unfamiliar space.
Clearly, just a moment ago, Claire remembered standing in the middle of Nineveh, but the space around her had changed completely before she knew it.
what the hell is this And what happened to himself? And, what happened?
iron-
As I inadvertently took a step forward, I heard a sound like stepping on a puddle of water.
The surroundings were so dark that it was difficult to see, and there were even puddles everywhere. Why did he come to such a terrible place?
“Uh, um… ”
As I calmly review my memories, I begin to recall what had just happened.
Apparently, a while ago, Claire had her one and only thing stolen right in front of her eyes, and at the end of it, an unknown voice whispered a mysterious voice to her, and at the end-
“… uh?”
When she suddenly looked down and looked down at her own hands, Claire’s hands were stained bright red.
… No, it wasn’t just Claire’s hands. Not only her hands, but the space she was standing in was covered in blood.
chubby-
Only then did I realize The fact that what he had thought of as a puddle until now was none other than blood pooled after someone had shed so much blood.
“… Now, have you come to your senses? Fortunately, out of misfortune, Claire Delphine Mascarena.”
In a corner of the darkness, something Claire had thought was a boulder squirmed and began to speak.
Concentrates mana on the eyeball and strengthens eyesight. And at that moment, Claire was able to clearly realize the identity of someone lying helpless on the floor.
“… Chairman?”
It was. The person who was staring this way with his whole body torn to pieces and breathing as if he was going to die out at any moment was none other than Nineveh’s chairman, Lysitea von Edelstein.
“why?”
And at the moment she witnessed the disastrous appearance of the chairman, there was only one thing that caught Claire’s mind, and that was the reason.
Who the hell could turn the chairman into such a miserable face?
As far as Claire knows, the chairman should have enough strength to speak of the strongest person in the world, except for the seven heroes.
How on earth did such a chairman end up in such a state without being able to even show slight resistance? No, who the hell was the culprit who had put her in such a state before?
… No, it’s not too late to guess or find the culprit later. The important thing in the current situation is not that kind of thing.
First of all, the condition of the chairman is very serious. Seeing how he gasped and choked every time he tried to say something to himself, he must have suffered as serious an injury on the inside as on the outside.
Just when Claire, who made that decision, raised her magical power and tried to cast healing magic on the chairman-
“… uh?”
The magic was not cast. The moment she was about to use her magic, the casting failed.
… No, no. Casting is not a failure. In the first place, she didn’t use magic. More precisely, it could not be used.
This was because Claire’s body was currently freed from the control of her mind and was moving on her own.
and that’s it. Izzy disappeared from Claire’s eyes again, and she returned to the same doll as before.
“… This is more serious than expected. Is it already too late?”
As if he was lamenting something, the chairman took a deep breath and stared at Claire.
Not too long ago, after realizing that someone had broken into the seal and rushing here, the director despaired as he saw Claire losing her temper.
‘As expected, fate can’t be changed.’
As the guardian of the seal that exists in the deepest depths of Nineveh, with some knowledge of the secret history of the past, she realized that the situation she feared had finally occurred.
I knew. Even though the people of the world were living in the present peace, completely forgetting everything in the past, the fact that this peace was something futile that could collapse like a sand castle at any time.
With less than 10 years left since the descendants of Wallenstein foresaw the end of the world, the fact that this could happen anytime.
The fact that at this moment, if that something that ate Claire’s body was not cut down, the world might end right now, not 10 years from now.
Even though he knew that fact all too well, the chairman could not shake off his weakness until the very end.
Even though I could have killed as many times as I wanted to, because I was trying to subdue Claire instead of killing her, I was lying on the floor looking so miserable now.
… No, if you think about it, that’s an excuse. Because, as a military man, his arrogance of trying to stop at the line of just suppressing the opponent and his own skills without being able to measure it, is what brought about this result now.
‘It’s not that the body has become an apostle, it’s just that it’s been given strength through some kind of connection, but to be this strong… ‘
Even though the seal wasn’t officially broken yet, and only the power that could be called dregs flowed in, Claire gained power beyond her limits.
So, if the seal is broken, how much power will the monster that lurks there from beyond have?
jerk, jerk.
Claire, with a somewhat dazed face, moved her steps towards the thick iron door wrapped in chains.
The height is so huge that it fills this cavity, so huge that it is questionable whether it can be opened by human power.
Seruk-
However, when Claire touches it, the chain surrounding the iron door melts like a lie and the door opens.
During the time of 200 years, the firm seal that blocked it was broken like a lie.
And-
“… ah.”
Beyond the door, where there is only pitch-black darkness, there is a pair of huge lights reminiscent of the sun.
… No, that’s not the sun. It was just that the pair of eyes staring at this place were so huge that it naturally reminded me of the sun.
I couldn’t believe it even though I was looking at it with my own eyes. How in the world can such a huge creature live and move?
“Cuck!”
Just the very fact of being in the same space as that one is mind-boggling. In the end, the director who could not hold on vomited black blood.
However, that thing beyond the door did not pay any attention to the chairman. It’s like saying that ants crawling on the side of the road aren’t worth your attention.
[You’re here. My faithful servant, and my doll.]
When it opened its mouth, a huge voice that thundered everywhere. At the same time, as if she had finally come to her senses, Claire looked up at it with a pale face.
“… What are you? And where are you? Why am I even here?”
[Who am I? That’s a very rude question. Does it mean that I have already forgotten my existence on the subject of so many conversations so far?]
Something that is really magical, but at the same time, responds with a tone that says that it is not terrifying.
[But I will forgive you. I can’t be angry with my precious doll. As the owner of your soul, I must give you that level of generosity and mercy.]
“… did you have a conversation? U.S?”
And at that moment, it dawned on me. The fact that the mysterious voice that had endlessly disturbed her head until now was the same as that voice.
Her entire body, including her hands, is covered in blood. However, the blood did not flow from her body. Because Claire’s body is clean without a single scar.
Then, what the hell is this blood all over his body?
And while she lost her mind, what on earth did she do to get here?
“you… you-“
Claire gasped for breath as she held back the nausea that seemed to rise.
“You played with me. It must have been in my head from the beginning, messing with my mind, whispering strange words, all for now!”
When Claire shouted that in a growling voice, it whispered very quietly, as if Claire’s appearance was cute.
[Well… Rather than playing with you, it was only because you released a little bit of your hidden desire. No, strictly speaking, I’m nothing more than granting your wish.]
“… Did you make my wish come true?”
what kind of stupid shit is that In the first place, Claire had never wished for a situation like this at all.
To put her own wishes first, even at the expense of someone else and at the cost of someone else’s blood, Claire was definitely not the kind of person who wanted that kind of thing!
[No, it is not. Because to you, something more precious than your own life or pride has come into being.]
Although the subject didn’t say anything, Claire had a clear understanding of what it was talking about.
Because, at this moment, she kept picturing her only family and his well-being in her head.
[Currently, your heart is full of fear, sadness, and sorrow. The anxiety that the only thing I wanted to have in my life might leave me is eating up my whole body.]
[That’s why I gave you my strength according to your wishes. That kind of power to be able to punish all opponents who would take yours from you.]
The extremely mysterious voice soon changed to a beautiful and warm voice. That voice penetrated her heart in an instant, and soon it began to turn into a single desire.
[You wanted strength from me, and I called you here to give you strength as promised. It can’t be anything but a very fair contract, what on earth are you dissatisfied with with that expression?]
For some reason, at that voice mixed with ridicule, Claire hung her head, at last speechless.
You were right. Even though the other side touched his mind and seduced him by his ear, he was the one who was seduced by his words and passed over.
And the next moment, Claire’s eyes widened at the sound she spat at that one.
[…] Ah, come to think of it, it’s not like there isn’t a part where I haven’t played with you. This is because the mind itself, which is currently forming your mind, is nothing more than a lie.]
“… what?”
[This is won. Did you not understand, or did you pretend not to notice? You’re a smart kid, so you should have realized what I was talking about right away.]
At those words that seemed to grab her heart, Claire stopped breathing and opened her mouth with a voice saying that it was really interesting.
[Your crush and love toward that man were artificially given to you by me in the first place.]
[Your feelings toward him were all fake from the beginning.]