One step forward.
It was only one step.
“Guh...!”
My body was pulled backward.
“Sister!”
I heard Claire scream in terror.
A horrible, slashing sound, like sothing being sliced, filled the air, and a few drops of blood splattered toward . No, was it really just a few drops? The blood that hit my face seed to be only that much, but surely far more had splattered in reality.
It wasn’t my blood.
It was the Emperor’s blood, the one who had grabbed .
He yanked by the back of my neck, pulling backward. Even with the enhanced suit providing strength, it couldn’t perfectly counter the Emperor’s force.
Perhaps it was because I had rushed too quickly. The mont the Emperor grabbed , my posture collapsed.
I flew backward and skidded on the ground, slamming into the earth—
Thud!
Had I not spread my legs to dodge, my legs would have been chopped into pieces, or pulverized. The Emperor’s sword struck where my legs had been monts before.
...Was he not trying to kill ?
The Emperor was bleeding from various parts of his body. Though he had worn sturdy inner armor, it didn’t matter much when he was struck repeatedly by my sword strikes.
“Hmph.”
But the blood flowing from the Emperor’s body was still insufficient to bring him down.
“Are you not using your abilities because you think they will be blocked?”
Well, of course.
Even with just pieces of relics, I had used my abilities and suffered enough shock to lose consciousness for days. So, would I risk using them in front of a completed relic?
I decided it was better to trust those who had co with .
Click.
I emptied the revolver’s cylinder. The gun bent forward, and the spent casings flew out.
Seeing that I didn’t respond, the Emperor likely decided that speaking was unnecessary and charged at .
The sound of swords clashing.
“Ugh!”
Before I knew it, Alice had co charging in front of and blocked the Emperor’s sword with her own. Her sword trembled, visibly straining under the Emperor’s strike.
“Hmph.”
The Emperor made a sound, then withdrew his sword—not as if retreating, but simply lifting it.
Before Alice could follow up with another move, the Emperor swung his sword again, and though he didn’t strike with full force, Alice’s body wobbled from the impact.
“I’m not doubting your abilities, but still, you’re falling short.”
“...”
I could see Alice flinch slightly from the blow.
Falling short?
Alice was far superior to . In both swordsmanship and study. What I took countless attempts to understand, Alice grasped effortlessly from the start. I had nearly given up on swordsmanship.
The Emperor had a habit of setting expectations and discarding anyone who failed to et them. But it wasn’t surprising—he was a man who only cared for his own ambitions, willing to sacrifice those around him for his goals.
Bang!
I fired at Alice’s side, and the Emperor retreated.
It didn’t matter how skilled you were—if you were hit by a bullet, you bled.
Clang!
A sword energy, twisting like a snake, flew toward the spot where the Emperor had retreated. He lazily swept his sword to deflect it, but the movent wasn’t as easy as he had hoped. Even with all his talk of swordsmanship, he still struggled against Claire’s technique.
In the original work, the Emperor’s children were depicted as formidable, though not invincible. Lucas, for instance, was stronger, but the Emperor was still a dangerous foe.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Another sharp, rapid strike followed.
Charlotte.
Having joined Claire’s side, Charlotte glared fiercely at the Emperor. It was only natural—though, thankfully, her gaze was not directed at .
Blood stained Charlotte’s blade. She must have taken down several enemies to get here.
“We’ll buy ti.”
Alice said quietly.
Ahead of us, knights were creeping closer.
“Lottie’s watching the back. Mia and the professor are coming this way too... As soon as there’s an opening, go for the machine.”
“Understood.”
I nodded at Alice’s words.
What exactly the goddess’s power was, how it worked—I still didn’t know.
But I couldn’t give up just because I didn’t know. At the very least, I would attempt to resolve whatever was directly in front of .
“Alright, then.”
Alice and Charlotte exchanged a brief look.
“Let’s go!”
With those words, Alice bolted forward.
Charlotte and Claire, already confronting the Emperor, did the sa.
The knights rushing toward us seed irrelevant, as the three of them only had eyes on the Emperor.
There was no way I would let their efforts be in vain.
I ran once more.
And—
Ah.
I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder with a loud bang.
“Sylvia!?”
A scream rang out, but I couldn’t tell whose voice it was.
My left shoulder burned. The arm I had swung forward for speed didn’t move properly anymore. I didn’t have ti to check the wound, but I did glance toward the sound of the gunshot.
The Emperor was holding a gun.
…A gun identical to the one I carried. But this one looked older.
Now that I noticed, my revolver, after rolling and being battered, had acquired new scratches. Though not entirely visible, there were deep gashes in several places.
Ah, yes.
Even in a world close to the “original,” reality was still reality.
Whether soone swings a sword or pulls a trigger depends on the choices of the wielder.
The Emperor, picking up the gun once used by his fallen daughter, had made his own choice.
Without aiming at the Emperor, I fired into the air. A few shots rang out from his side, but neither of us seed to hit our target.
Should I rewind ti?
For a brief mont, I considered it—
But then, I saw the three people and the Emperor.
Alice, who had been staring at with wide eyes, was now attacking the Emperor. He had attempted to dodge her strike, but in a rush to draw his own gun, he couldn’t avoid Alice’s blade. Blood spurted from his arm. Was it fatal? I couldn’t tell, but he grimaced in pain.
The Emperor, having failed to dodge Alice’s strike, tried to counter, but was forced to retreat as two more sword strikes flew toward him. Claire’s and Charlotte’s blades whirled, fast and sharp, their movents unpredictable and synchronized.
The Emperor staggered back a few steps.
The knights guarding him had to prioritize protecting him, and Alice, Claire, and Charlotte didn’t have the chance to strike.
Rewinding ti—could I make it to the machine if I did?
There was little ti to think.
Even as I continued forward, the machine grew closer, and I could hear the sound of gunfire behind .
Bang, bang.
Several knights collapsed in a spray of blood, likely from Lottie’s shots.
...Could I have made it this far by rewinding ti?
As I thought that, I realized I had only one choice left.
I didn’t need both hands to operate the machine.
With all the strength I could muster, I ran.
And then—
I dropped the gun I had been holding. It was useless without any bullets. There was no point in carrying it anymore—it would only be used for swinging.
Reaching out with my right hand, I grabbed the spinning gears before .
I pulled with all my strength. Kicking the machine with my foot, I yanked as hard as I could, but it didn’t budge easily. The gears spun as my fingers almost got caught between them, but with a final screech, the gears shifted outward.
Screech, the suit let out an ominous sound. So of the internal tubes in my shoulder ruptured, and steam began to leak, soaking through the clothes beneath.
My left arm, still bleeding, had no sensation left in it.
“Ugh...”
Grimacing, I shifted my weight backward with all my force.
“Ah...”
The gears ca loose.
And inside, I saw what was hidden.
“...Alice?”
The familiar face I had long known was there.
Alice, lying as though peacefully asleep, her eyes closed.
—Had the need for Fangryphon’s blood to complete the device been literal all along?
“No, Sylvia...!”
Soone scread from behind .
I heard sothing heavy approaching. The sound of clanking echoed as it drew nearer, but the sound never ceased.
However, before that sound could reach , Alice inside the machine opened her eyes.
She looked at with eyes glowing a fierce blue.
The light from her eyes was the sa light emanating from the relic that Claire had entrusted to .
For a brief mont, the world between us froze.
Without realizing it, I reached out my hand toward Alice.
It felt like all the reasons I had co this far, all the tis I had rewound, had led to this mont.
It was just the feeling that overca .
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