Chapter 161: I Want to Save Lion!
"No, no, no!"
"Don't eat me, no!"
Slaughter, ravage, predation.
The monster began its brutal massacre, starting with those who showed a willingness to fight.
Brave girls who fought back were killed one after another. It was a gruesome sight.
"Iska! Maryuu!"
Alise cried out the names of her fallen comrades, tears streaming continuously from her eyes.
The once brave captain of Astraea Familia could do nothing except cry in despair.
Of all the people present, Alise was the only adventurer who could somewhat contend against this monster.
To say contend, however, meant barely managing to keep herself alive in the face of the monster.
Once the monster changed its target, the red-haired captain of Astraea Familia, unable to match its speed, could only watch helplessly as her team members were killed one by one.
She could only powerlessly watch the miserable deaths of her friends and could do nothing about it.
Ryuu, who was severely injured, sat slumped in the distance.
Next to her was Kaguya, who had just used an elixir to stop the bleeding on her right arm.
As the executives of Astraea Familia, they could only helplessly watch as their teammates were slaughtered one by one.
An amazoness girl fond of dressing up was torn to pieces.
A human girl, skilled in cooking and who usually took care of everyone like a big sister, was bitten to death by the monster.
Ryuu watched as her companions were killed one by one, seeing the moments of their tragic deaths.
At this moment, it was as if she could hear something breaking inside her heart.
The tragic screams of her companions in the moment of death.
Friends who had shared hardships and laughter together turned into cold corpses. And what's worse, their corpses weren't intact.
All of this left Ryuu utterly heartbroken and in despair.
Elves are noble and proud, but they become extremely fragile once their spirit is broken, a tendency that is more pronounced in elves compared to other races.
Ryuu was no exception, and this was also why Kaguya mocked her for being 'weak' mentally.
For Ryuu, the Astraea Familia was her sanctuary; it was her solace.
In her heart, the friends from various races she met in the Astraea Familia—these close familia members with whom she had lived for several years—held an excessively important place.
Facing this sense of powerlessness, feeling an endless sense of loss.
The elf girl's pride and self-esteem were shattered, and she felt nothing but despair from the bottom of her heart.
For the first time in her life, the blond-haired elf experienced what 'fear' truly was.
No matter how powerful the enemy she had faced before, no matter what kind of 'evil' she encountered, she could confidently say that she would never yield.
But now, she was deeply afraid of this monster.
In this moment, a deep 'scar' was etched into her heart.
"Ahhhhh, no, don't come here!"
Finally, victims appeared among the members of Rudra Familia.
The members brought by Jura, just like the girls from Astraea Familia, were turned into chunks of flesh.
Failing to grasp the severity of the situation, they enjoyed the tragic plight of their sworn enemies, only to become prey to the monster before them as well.
After slaughtering almost all members of Astraea Familia, the monster turned its attention to the numerous members of Rudra Familia.
Following 'Dungeon Mother's' instructions, it intended to not let any adventurer leave this floor alive.
"Kaguya...are you alright?"
Taking advantage of the moment when the monster was slaughtering the members of Rudra Familia, Alise ran to Ryuu and Kaguya's side.
With her was Lyra, a pallum whom she had barely managed to save.
"Ha, can you still think that I'm fine in this miserable state? Our captain's eyes must be blind."
"...Sorry."
The four of them were the only remaining members of Astraea Familia.
Honestly, when the monster changed its target to Rudra Familia, Alise's first thought was to flee.
Unfortunately, she realized that even while slaughtering others, its eyes never left the defeated adventurers like them.
Not to mention their current state, even at their prime, Alise had no confidence in escaping from the clutches of this monster.
But if they were to fight back...look at the state of the four of them now.
Kaguya, with a broken arm and weakened from severe blood loss, and Ryuu, severely injured but barely managed to recover somewhat, yet mentally traumatized.
The former was fine, but the latter was obviously unable to continue fighting.
And Alise herself wasn't in great shape either.
She had been fighting desperately to save her team members from the monster's grasp.
Lyra was saved by Alise in a critical moment, but she only barely managed to save her.
Alise, though not severely injured, was in a state of exhaustion from the tremendous rescue effort.
As for Lyra who was rescued...
"Sorry, Alise, I'm afraid I won't be of much help anymore."
"My eyes...they were destroyed..."
"I-I can't see anything now..."
Lyra was only Lv3, lacking the powerful strength of the other members.
In the blast of magic that was reflected back, aside from the two magicians who turned to ash, Lyra was also the first to be injured.
Her bangs covered her tightly closed eyes, the skin around her eyes along with her eyeballs had melted away.
Perhaps because her nerves were charred, intense pain tormented Lyra all the time, causing her to tremble occasionally.
Ryuu sat on the ground, listening to the others' conversation, her physical wounds somewhat healed by the elixir but mentally, she was deeply traumatized.
After coughing a few times and spitting out the remnants of blood from internal injuries, the blond-haired elf shakily lifted her head to look at Alise.
At the same time, Alise looked back at Ryuu.
Their gazes met, and Ryuu could clearly see tenderness, concern, and unwavering determination in Alise's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Kaguya, Lyra."
"Please leave your lives in my hands."
As if confirming something, Alise turned her gaze back to the other two and spoke in an apologetic tone.
"I want to save Lion."
Ryuu listened in astonishment to the red-haired captain's words.
In that moment, what flashed through her heart was not gratitude but a kind of indescribable sense of despair.
Because she knew she was about to lose these remaining companions in front of her as well. And, what's worse, she could do nothing about it.
"We had to make a choice about 'who to leave behind.' I'm already like a doll on the verge of breaking; dying here seems fitting."
Kaguya glanced at Ryuu, who was frozen in place, and easily agreed with Alise's decision.
"I don't want to die at all, but I'm the weakest one here, I would probably be the first to die anyway, so count me in as well."
Like Kaguya, Lyra also agreed with Alise's decision.
"But Alise, you should survive. As long as you and Astraea-sama are there, justice will not disappear."
Even knowing her words couldn't change Alise's decision, Kaguya couldn't help but try to persuade her.
"I've said before, there are as many justices as there are people, so justice will never have a correct answer."
Alise smiled at the Far East girl.
"But if it's Lion, she will surely choose the right direction. I place my trust in her."
(PS: I'm crying. This chapter is too sad. 😢😭😭)
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Chapter 162: A Glimmer of Hope!
Alise turned and knelt before Ryuu.
"Lion, listen to me, to defeat that monster, your magic is indispensable."
The redhead girl spoke very gently, but her words were extremely cruel to Ryuu.
"So, just 'chant' here."
"Remember, no matter what happens, never stop chanting."
"We will be responsible for stripping off that monster's 'shell'."
Because Ryuu was no longer able to fight, the heartbroken elf girl would only hinder them in the battle, so Alise asked her to stay behind.
More importantly, Alise wished to save Ryuu's life more than her own.
"Please, this is a 'promise', okay~"
A 'promise' like a curse.
Alise used the word 'promise' to firmly pin Ryuu in her place, taking away the possibility of her standing up again.
Alise swore an oath to ensure that her elf friend would survive this ordeal.
Her sole wish was for Ryuu not to let their sacrifices go to waste.
"Lion, are you there? I'm sorry I can't see anything right now."
"You must... survive."
Lyra groped her way to the heartbroken elf's side, handing over her small toolkit that she always carried with her.
Now blind, Lyra could no longer use her most trusted 'weapon'.
"I'm giving you my Kodachi."
Kaguya also took off the weapon hanging on her waist.
It was a pair of Kodachi used in conjunction with each other. It was Kaguya's favorite and most cherished weapon.
However, having lost an arm, she could no longer wield them effectively.
Picking up a long sword from a fallen comrade and hanging it on her back, Kaguya smiled at Ryuu for the first time.
"Don't keep it as a keepsake; use it with all you've got."
"I give you my blessings, may you become strong in the future, my dear opponent."
Wait!
Don't go!
Please!
Her heartfelt calls couldn't keep anyone.
Like flowers of blessing, the girls left her with a radiant smile.
"Roar roar roar roar roar roar roar roar roar——!"
The moment the monster ravaging the Rudra Familia noticed Alise and the others had reignited their fighting spirit, it turned around and roared at them.
Confronted with the monster's roar, Alise and the others bravely charged forward without looking back.
They fearlessly faced death to ensure their friend's survival.
"In the sky of a now distant forest."
"Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky."
"Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire."
Following Alise's instructions, Ryuu began to chant magic with a trembling voice.
Watching her companions' retreating figures, she started chanting her magic with fear and despair.
...
First to be targeted was Lyra, whose blindness and lack of mobility made her easy prey.
The monster didn't even bother to sneak up from behind.
It charged directly at Lyra, its huge claw swinging down forcefully.
However...
Boom——!
Lyra had anticipated she would be the monster's first target.
The moment the giant claw came down, she moved her right hand from behind to her front and detonated the special bomb she was holding.
This strike took off the monster's right claw.
But at the same time, Lyra was engulfed by the explosion and thrown out, landing far away, her body charred.
'I-I guess this is my end….' This was her final thought.
Lyra's life and death were unknown.
"Aooo roar roar roar roar——!"
The monster screamed in agony having lost its right claw.
At that moment, Kaguya, wielding a long sword with one hand, launched a surprise attack.
"Haaaaah!!!"
Not missing the opening created by Lyra's desperate explosion, Kaguya delivered a powerful strike to the monster's right leg with all her strength.
Splurt——!
Splurt——!
Two sounds of flesh being cut followed one after another.
Kaguya left a massive wound at the joint of the monster's right leg.
But as a cost, she lost her remaining arm.
Bang——!
Swept by its thick tail, Kaguya, now armless, was sent flying without being able to block.
"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you."
"Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler."
"Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else."
"Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy."
Ryuu could do nothing but chant.
She couldn't pick up the shattered pieces of her heart, so bound by the 'promise,' she couldn't muster the courage to stand up.
She could only cry in despair, imprinting the figures of her companions in her pupils.
Jura Halmer witnessed it all.
The high-ranking officer of Evilus who narrowly escaped the slaughter watched with a sneer at the miserable elf who sang while crying, unable to save her companions.
Lyra took off the monster's right claw, creating a momentary opening.
Kaguya seized this fleeting opportunity, successfully crippling the monster's mobility.
Now, it was finally Alise's turn.
"Arga Arvana Arvelia!"
As the redhead girl chanted her magic, flames engulfed her body.
Alise Lovell, a talented girl with rare skills, possesses strength comparable to that of a first-class adventurer despite being a second-class adventurer.
Enchanted with powerful fire magic, Alise's legs, hands, and sword were cloaked in flames, which earned her the alias bestowed by the gods: the Scarlet Harnel!
The flames enveloping her footwear ignited instantaneously.
Utilizing the explosive burst, the crimson swordsman boosted her speed, transforming into a blaze that sliced through the air.
With the monster's speed greatly reduced.
For the first time in the battle, Alise could directly confront it head-on!
However, her headlong charge, propelled by unchecked acceleration, left her unable to dodge the monster's remaining left claw.
Splurch——!
With that sound, Ryuu saw the monster penetrating Alise's body.
This scene brought her a greater sense of despair.
However, contrary to the despairing Ryuu, Alise intended to burn her life away.
"Burn!"
With Alise's roar, flames began to dance.
They were as vibrant as the flames of flowers, matching her fiery red hair.
The refined long sword pierced the monster's body.
Not just on the surface of the 'shell', but the torrent of flames exploded the shell from inside, blasting it into pieces.
"Rooooorrrrr——!"
The monster screamed in agony.
At the same time, Alise used her last strength to shout:
"Lion!!!"
"Aaaaahhh!!!"
Listening to Alise's call, Ryuu's heart screamed in agony.
She knew what Alise wanted her to do; she knew that casting her magic would mean she had personally killed her red-haired friend.
But she had no other choice.
In this hopeless battle, Alise and the others burned their life to create the only opportunity, just for her to survive.
At this moment, shrouded in despair, a familiar voice came from behind Ryuu.
"Delay the release, wait for my command!"
A streak of starlight flashed by Ryuu's side.
That fleeting light brought a glimmer of hope to this despair-filled battlefield!
The voice also brought a touch of warmth to Ryuu's cold and despair-filled heart that was on the verge of collapse.
(PS: 😭😭)
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Read more than 30 chapters in advance, with pictures, to enhance your reading immersion:
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For Audiobook:
youtube.com/@animefic22
---
(Please vote for more chapters! If this fanfic gets more than 700 powerstones, then I will upload bonus chapters! Also, don't forget to leave a review and comment below.)
Support Me:
patreon.com/tom22
buymeacoffee.com/tom22 (For donations)
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