Final Showdown
Satou here. I think it’s noble to carry out the final wishes of the departed, but not if it comes at the expense of the living. Wouldn’t our lost loved ones prefer us to live happily?
“<Reiaane! Have you forgotten your role?!>”
In her adult form, Rei’s smile froze when she heard the Skeleton King shouting from below.
“<…Your role?>” I asked.
“<Yes, to control the Sea Lord and destroy it from the inside.>”
“<Sacrificing yourself in the process?>”
Rei didn’t answer, but I could tell I’d hit the mark.
“Don’t worryyy?”
“Master will take care of the rest, ma’am.”
Tama and Pochi struck goofy poses. They were probably trying to cheer Rei up.
“Mm. Safe now.”
“Larva—no, Rei. Please trust our master, I request.”
“<Mia, Nana… But the Sea Lord is no ordinary monster.>”
Rei shook her head stubbornly.
“No ordinary monster? Is it stronger than a giant monster fish or a fully grown dragon?” Arisa asked casually.
“<…It’s around the same scale.>”
“Well then, it won’t be a problem.”
“Agreed.”
Liza and Lulu nodded sagely, and Rei finally began to look hopeful.
“<You really think you can take care of it?>”
“<Of course.>” I nodded. “<I was just waiting for everyone to convince you.>”
My Light Magic spell Condense was already on standby.
Meteor Shower was my first thought, but that would probably cause a lot of collateral damage, so I decided to hold off.
“<You utter fools! Even the floating island Lalakie could not defeat the evil Sea Lord with all the blessings of the gods. You think a single ship stands a chance against it?!>”
The Fear effect inflicted by the Skeleton King’s voice made my comrades quake in fear, but I simply shrugged.
“<Sure I do.>”
With that, I turned toward the Sea Lord, which was still pounding on the dome of the Heavenslight Protection.
The dome of light was still intact after the water attack.
“It’s over, Sea Lord.”
I moved away from the ship so that the shock waves from my attack wouldn’t hurt my friends, then selected Laser from the magic menu.
“Have fun with the Flame Lord and the Sky Lord in the underworld, pal.”
The 120 Lasers I produced combined into one via my Condense spell, speeding downward to graze the outer edge of the floating island.
Piercing the dome of light instantly, it bounced directly upward.
“<A sword of light…>”
The person who murmured this elegant name for the concentrated Laser was Yuuneia, who’d returned to the Skeleton King’s side.
With an eye-searing flash and a strong smell of ozone, the Laser sliced right through the dome and the Sea Lord alike.
The neatly cut halves of the Sea Lord slowly began to fall toward the water.
Grabbing its lifeless tentacles with Magic Hand as they slid off the dome, I popped the entire Sea Lord into Storage.
A corpse that big would cause collateral damage just by falling into the sea.
“<All done.>”
Turning back, I saw that Rei’s mouth was hanging open.
In fact, everyone but Liza and Tama was reacting more or less the same way.
Come to think of it, Liza was probably the only one who’d really seen me go all-out in battle before. It was a little strange that Tama wasn’t surprised, but that was probably her usual easygoing attitude.
“<Thank you, Satou. Now my mother and aunt have been avenged.>”
When I returned to the deck, Rei thanked me with an embrace.
For once, the iron-wall pair didn’t declare me “Guilty.”
“<…Why?>”
A bitter voice reached us as if from the depths of hell.
“<Why? Why? Why?!>”
It was the Skeleton King, his arms shaking with rage.
“<Why did an anomaly like you have to be here right now?!>”
“<…Just luck, I guess?>”
It was an honest answer, but that seemed to only increase the Skeleton King’s rage.
“<Why weren’t you here when my wife, Reiaane, sacrificed herself?!>”
I glanced at Rei, and she said that he meant her mother.
Confusingly enough, Rei’s mother was evidently named Reiaane as well.
“<I wasn’t born yet when Lalakie sank into the sea twenty thousand years ago.>”
That was probably sometime before the Jomon period—ancient history.
And even if I had been there at the time, it’s hard to say whether I would’ve saved Lalakie when they were ruling the land with an iron fist.
Although I would’ve at least saved the royal sisters from sacrificing themselves, of course.
“<Yuuneia, control Reiaane and kill him.>”
My “Keen Hearing” skill picked up on the Skeleton King growling a low order to Yuuneia.
Still embracing me, Rei suddenly wrapped her hands around my neck.
“<S-Satou, my body is moving on its own…!>”
Rei was trying to resist, but her hands were moving against her will.
Looking down at her, I saw a bewitching valley of—I mean, a suspicious rune formed around her by miasma.
Really, it was too bad that using “Miasma Vision” turned everything black-and-white.
“<I can’t stop—my hands won’t listen to me…,>” Rei whispered in despair.
“<It’s all right, Rei.>”
It was hard to speak, so I addressed her using the Telephone spell.
“M-master!”
The others looked afraid, so I reassured them with Telephone as well, then started teasing apart the miasma around Rei with my hands.
My trachea was too closed up to breathe, but I was able to supply my lungs with air directly from Storage, so it wasn’t a problem.
“<Impossible! He’s trying to undo my rune?!>”
The Skeleton King had noticed my plan. In the corner of my monochromatic vision, I could see him flying into a rage.
“<No! I won’t allow it! Yuuneia, activate the sacrificial rune! Destroy that demon along with Reiaane!>”
“<…D-destroy my sister?>” Yuuneia hesitated.
“<What are you doing, Yuuneia?! Did you not hear my orders?!>”
The Skeleton King turned on her, and she flinched, cowering.
Her wide eyes wavered among fear of his wrath, adoration for her sister, and conflict over her impossible orders.
Yuuneia looked tearful as she glanced between the Skeleton King and Rei, then lowered her head silently.
“<Do it now! You fool!>”
The Skeleton King towered over Yuuneia, and she slowly raised her head.
Her expression had been frail as she looked at Rei, but now Yuuneia’s eyes glittered with defiance as she set her jaw.
“<…I—I won’t do it.>”
Her voice was soft and thin as she rejected her orders.
“<Yuuneia…,>” Rei whispered tearfully, still gripping my neck.
Silently praising Yuuneia’s bravery in my mind, I focused with all my might on undoing the miasma.
My vision filled completely with darkness, obscuring my view of what was happening around me.
“<What was that?>”
“<I won’t let her die for no reason.>”
“<You useless brat!>”
I heard the Skeleton King strike Yuuneia and a chorus of anger from my comrades, followed by the sounds of Fire Rods and Thunder Rods shooting.
The girls must have started attacking the Skeleton King for hitting Yuuneia.
In the event something did happen, I used the Signal spell to alert the figurehead golem Scarecrow to strengthen the ship’s defenses.
Then, as I was undoing the miasma, I noticed there was something different about it.
The first time I’d done this, the miasma had stuck to itself and formed puzzle ring–like knots, but this time it created a straightforward structure like a magic circle. I could probably detach it much more quickly than I expected.
Working with the expert speed of an artisan, I quickly undid the miasma forming a rune around Rei.
Her fingers slowly loosened their grasp on my neck.
> Skill Acquired: “Remove Curse”
> Skill Acquired: “Reverse Curse”
> Title Acquired: Riddle-Solving Master
> Title Acquired: Exorcist
I didn’t know if you could call what I’d just done an “exorcism,” but at least I’d gotten some skills out of it.
Normally, I would’ve gotten these the first time I removed the miasma from Rei, which proved that the miasma this time was a little different from before.
The two skills looked pretty useful, so I quickly added some points and activated them.
Once my vision turned back to normal, I found the Skeleton King staring up at me as if in shock.
At first, I thought he wasn’t doing anything, but he was actually in the middle of a magic chant.
“…… ? Summon Wraith Knights Onryou Kishi Shoukan!”
Six ghostly mounted knights appeared around the Skeleton King.
The horses and riders alike were transparent, as if they might take to the air at any moment.
These wraith knights were all level 45. They must be the Skeleton King’s aces in the hole.
“Remote Arrow should do it, right?”
I produced the maximum amount of Remote Arrows, sending twenty homing in on each knight.
The wraith knights took off at once, flying around frantically above Lalakie like fighter planes trying to dodge anti-aircraft missiles.
Their high speed in the air probably had made them a serious threat to land-bound people in ancient times.
“<I-impossible! Dancing Javelin?! But that’s an advanced Practical Magic spell of the highest order! And in such enormous quantities?! How can someone of level thirty use such a technique?!>”
Watching as his wraith knights fell to my arrows one by one, the Skeleton King bellowed with rage.
I was sure he wouldn’t believe me even if I told him that it was just the lesser attack magic Remote Arrow.
“<You haven’t won yet! I’ll sacrifice the fragment of the queen’s sister from this useless doll to summon the God’s Servant!>”
“<F-Father?!>”
The Skeleton King grabbed Yuuneia by the hair and lifted her up, reaching a skeletal hand toward her chest.
Her stamina and magic gauges began rapidly decreasing; he must have been draining her life force through her hair.
“<Yuuneiaaaaa!>”
Rei’s anguished cry echoed across the Queen’s Tower.
Enveloped in a black glow, the Skeleton King’s hand plunged toward Yuuneia’s heart.
“<That’s as far as you go.>”
I was on them in an instant with “Flashrunning,” catching the Skeleton King’s hand with my own before it reached Yuuneia’s chest.
I’d placed “Spellblade” on my palm, so my hand was unharmed.
“<Wh-what’s this?!>”
Crushing the Skeleton King’s other arm, which was grasping Yuuneia’s hair, I delivered a restrained kick to his torso before he could react.
The Skeleton King rolled across the floor before crashing into a pillar.
“<Y-you saved me, demon?>”
Despite the fact that I’d rescued her, Yuuneia still seemed to think of me as the “black-haired demon.”
“<Would you mind using my name? It’s Satou.>”
Using my new “Remove Curse” skill, I promptly undid the rune that was wrapped around Yuuneia. It went much more smoothly than when I didn’t have the skill.
“<There, all done.>”
Once the miasma was removed, I released Yuuneia slowly.
“<Oops, careful there.>”
Yuuneia staggered, so I hurriedly caught her.
Even with the miasma gone, Yuuneia’s face still looked pale, and her status condition read Weakened.
It was probably because so much of her life force had been sapped by the Skeleton King.
“<Accursed black chains! Rend them apart and drag them to eternal hell!>”
The Skeleton King yelled some nonsense, and the shadows below us turned into swirling black miasma, forming black chains that zipped toward us.
I produced Claidheamh Soluis from Storage and put magic power into it, slicing up the black chains near me with a single swipe.
“<Dance,> Claidheamh Soluis. Protect the ship.”
The Holy Sword left my hand, flying around to purify the chains with blue light before they could reach the flying ship.
That was one convenient weapon, all right.
“<Letting go of the Holy Sword will be your undoing!>”
The Skeleton King gave a triumphant cry, and more black chains appeared at his feet, charging toward me like tentacles.
“<We’re doomed…>”
Yuuneia trembled in my arms.
“<Don’t worry—I’ll keep you safe.>”
I delivered a magic-infused kick toward the black chains, and they stopped short, almost as if avoiding my foot.
I wonder…
“<Turn back, black chains!>”
I shouted and waved my arm, and the black chains all sped back toward the Skeleton King.
It must have been my new “Reverse Curse” skill at work.
“<I-impossible! Why are my runes turning against me?!>”
The chains broke through the shadow barrier protecting the Skeleton King and started breaking his bones as well.
“<A-at this rate, I’ll be finished. Yuuneia, my beloved daughter, come to me…>”
Covered in wounds, the Skeleton King called to Yuuneia in a wheedling voice.
She immediately tried to break free from my arms, but this was undoubtedly a trap, so I held her fast.
“<I can save myself if I absorb your life force. There are plenty of homunculus life cores just like yours in the underground workshop. I can create a new Yuuneia at any time. So give me your life now!>”
What a selfish request.
Yet, Yuuneia still seemed to feel familial love for him; she reached out toward the Skeleton King, her eyes filled with tears.
Suddenly, a stone bullet shot past us.
“<Impossible!>”
The stone broke through the Skeleton King’s rib cage, sinking into the glowing bloodred core within.
“<Rei…aane… How could you strike me…?>”
Turning around, I saw Rei crying, poised as if she’d just released a magic spell.
She must have used her topaz ring to fire that bullet.
“<It was Mother’s final wish. She wanted me to stop you if you ever strayed from the path of humanity…>”
The Skeleton King’s bones crackled and splintered, turning into ash.
“<But I am immortal…the ruler of the great skyfolk… It cannot end…like this…>”
The king’s skull crumbled into ash, and his crown fell to the floor with a hollow thud.
“<Farewell, Father. Worry not—I will soon join you…>”
Rei murmured a disquieting promise as she watched the Skeleton King disappear.
The latter half was so quiet that only my “Keen Hearing” skill was able to hear it.
“<Thank you, Satou. Thank you, everyone.>”
Turning toward us, Rei smiled almost unnaturally.
“<Satou, please take me to the Queen’s Tower.>”
I nodded and carried her with Magic Hand.
“<The Sea Lord has been defeated, and my father has passed on. Now all that remains is for me to sink Lalakie back to the bottom of the sea and activate its self-destruct mechanism so that it does not fall into the wrong hands, and the world will be safe at last.>”
Rei gave a faint, martyr-like smile.
“<Please take care of Yuuneia for me. Father was only using her. The floating island Lalakie and I will atone for all their sins.>”
“<S-sister…don’t leave me… Take me with you!>”
Yuuneia reached out her hand, and Rei clasped it gently.
“<No, you must go with Satou. You still have a future of your own.>”
Yuuneia shook her head tearfully.
If this were a story, maybe it would have a tragic ending like that.
But apparently, I wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t let that fly.
“Arisa Kiiiiiick!!”
Arisa’s clumsy flying kick hit Rei squarely on the rear.
I had carried her and the others along with us using Magic Hand, since they looked like they had something to say.
“<What? Arisa?>”
“Really, this is the problem with you sheltered princesses!”
“<But, Arisa, I…>”
Rei shrank from Arisa’s accusing gaze.
“There will be no buts about it, I declare in Arisa’s place.”
“<Nana…>”
“Mm. Reckless.”
“<You too, Mia?>”
Nana and Mia stepped in, and Tama and Pochi stood off to the side, cheering the girls on by waving fans—most likely provided by Arisa.
Lulu and Liza were preparing a bed for Yuuneia.
I entrusted Yuuneia to Liza and looked on as Arisa tried to convince Rei.
“Why would you sacrifice yourself after we’ve already resolved all the problems?”
“<If we leave Lalakie here, someone is sure to try to use it for evil.>”
“That doesn’t mean you have to die with it, though!”
Arisa was right, so I let them have it out.
“<…But you saw the history recorded on the slates, didn’t you? We skyfolk have done horrible things that the people of the land could never forgive. The royal family of Lalakie must atone.>”
If you asked me, the blame shouldn’t fall on Rei when she didn’t personally do anything wrong.
And the people who were to blame were long dead.
Arisa seemed to feel the same way, shrugging and rejecting Rei’s words.
“That was twenty thousand years ago, wasn’t it? Even the elves from that generation are gone by now, so I’m sure nobody but the high elves even remembers what happened.”
“<But…>”
Rei was too consumed with guilt to listen to Arisa’s reasoning.
Instead, Arisa grabbed Rei’s hand and dragged her over to me.
“Master! Give her a hug.”
I didn’t really understand, but I complied with Arisa’s request and embraced Rei gently.
“<Wait, Arisa? S-Satou, let go of me.>”
“Squeeze harder, master!”
Rei’s adult form was very curvy, so this was a little embarrassing.
“<A-ah, Satou…>”
At first, Rei struggled with beet-red cheeks, but eventually she lowered her head and calmed down.
“Looks like she’s calmed down now.”
I guess Arisa’s plan was to physically reassure her.
“Physical affection is the only way to go with these daddy-issue types.”
…Or not. Luckily, the second half of Arisa’s muttering was quiet, so Rei probably didn’t hear it.
“If you go down with Lalakie, you’re not solving anything but your own self-satisfaction. It won’t help anyone or make anybody happy. Talk about zero upsides.”
“<Arisa…>”
Rei lowered her eyes sadly at Arisa’s slightly harsh words.
“<She’s right, Rei. There are still lots of fun things to see in this world, so let’s see them together.>”
I tilted Rei’s chin up gently and spoke as delicately as I could.
“<Besides, if you die, Yuuneia will follow you.>”
“<He’s right. There’s no point in a world without you in it, Sister.>”
“<Yuuneia…>”
I released Rei and led her over to Yuuneia’s bedside.
“<Let’s… Let’s both go on living, Sister.>”
“<Yuuneia!>”
Yuuneia sat up, and Rei wrapped her arms around her.
“I wish to participate, I declare.”
“Mm, me too.”
Nana and Mia embraced the two sisters, and the other girls piled on for a big group hug.
“Is this a gaaaame?”
“No pushing or you’re out, sir.”
A few of them didn’t quite seem to know what was going on, but it made Yuuneia and Rei smile through their tears, so that was fine with me.
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