(The Status Window……?)

The MP display is messed up.

I’ve never seen a minus sign——— that ” – ” before.

……My MP keeps bouncing between “-10 and +10”.

Clack, clack, clack———- it’s like I can almost hear the sound of a counter ticking.

The numbers keep going up and down.

It’s like the whole display’s bugged out.

My consciousness……

My consciousness…… it’s barely there.

But the blood…… the bleeding won’t stop.

———–Burn it———–

If I scorch the wound with my own flames, I can stop the bleeding.

———–Can I even do that?

I’ve only ever seen that kind of thing in manga or novels.

But in that instant———- my faint consciousness suddenly sharpened.

I have to do it now.

Even if the people running over make it here…… their treatment won’t be fast enough.

Strangely, I just…… knew it.

And if I lose any more blood, then my consciousness will…… probably never return———–

All of these judgments happened in less than a blink of thought.

In real time, maybe not even a second passed.

I dropped to my knees.

Snatching up the fallen sword, I wrapped some torn cloth around its hilt.

I turned the hilt sideways and bit down on it———- just to endure the pain.

The lingering traces of my earlier attack still left the black flames burning.

I hadn’t even had the presence of mind to cancel them.

[Fuuuu…… Fuuuu……]

Now……

Can I apply the flames locally to my wound, or not———-

————No. I have to.

Fwooooosh.

I seared the holes in my body shut with fire.

[ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ , ————-]

……I did it.

I cauterized it.

As for the process———– The pain was indescribable.

The heat too.

It’s as if I’m rubbing salt into a wound.

Maybe this is the pain that phrase was born from———–

[Tomohiro!?]

Someone’s shocked voice rang out.

————Rinji-san’s voice.

I bit down hard on the cloth, gritting my teeth.

Tears spilled from the corner of my eyes.

This probably isn’t what a hero should look like.

But with pain like this———- keeping a straight face is impossible.

Fuuu……

My lips twisted into a thin smile.

……If I can still think things like that———–

(My consciousness is going back…… that’s good…… I can…… still hang on……)

I touched the wound gently.

The flames were gone.

[……, ————-]

It hurts.

It feels strange.

But the bleeding has stopped.

……Normally, I’d probably be unconscious right now.

Or still bleeding out……

(Maybe this is…… thanks to my status corrections……)

Or maybe the pain itself “shocked” me awake.

Lili came running up with Rinji.

[Tomohiro, what the heck are you———]

She stopped when she saw the cauterized wound.

Her eyes twisted with grief at the sight.

[……To stop the bleeding huh…… reckless bastard…… ——–Heck, you———]

[Are you okay!?]

Rinji cut in before Lili could finish, crouching right in front of me.

Sweat dripping down my face, I slowly met Rinji’s eyes.

[Rinji-san…… everyone…… are you safe?]

[Y- Yeah! Thanks to you! Umm, sorry———- the moment I saw that thing…… my body just froze up……]

[……I’m glad.]

I smiled.

[As long as everyone’s safe.]

So deeply, from the bottom of my heart———– I felt comfortable.

I was able to smile.

It was enough to make me want to give thanks for that alone.

[Tomohiro, you…… your face looks……]

Rinji spoke, his hands gently resting on my shoulders.

His expression shifted———— seemingly having realized something.

I placed my hands on my knees and, breathing shallowly, forced myself to stand.

(North side…… or perhaps……)

Over there on the Sacred Cavalry?

Or the great dragon in the south?

I had to go lend my strength.

I still had time left to move.

But……

(If I use this Skill…… I’ll probably……)

[Ah———- look!]

Someone shouted, pointing north.

The direction where the Sacred Cavalry was.

A heavy, resonant sound reached my ears right after.

Following the voice, we all turned that way.

The Sacred Cavalry’s machine had deformed——— its frame crushed and broken in many places.

Meanwhile……

From the gigantic Sacrament, a white, steam-like mist was rising.

(That steam…… is the Sacrament starting to dissolve……? Which means——–)

As if speaking to himself, Rinji murmured,

[She actually did it…… the Sacred Cavalry——— no, Saintess-san…… even in that state……]

The gigantic Sacrament had made it all the way near the Final Guardian Wall.

And yet———- it had been stopped.

By that woman they called Saintess.

At that moment……

[White Wolf King-dono!]

The White Wolf King was walking this way with Sicily and the others.

A dragonkin, riding a four-legged beast, rushed to him.

The dragonkin, knowing he was asking too much, pleaded,

[If…… If it is at all possible, could we have some reinforcements for the southern front!?]

The White Wolf King turned his face from me toward the dragonkin.

[They broke through?]

The dragonkin lowered his gaze.

[Kokoroniko-sama———– has fallen.]

( ! )

It was like my heart had been struck by something heavy.

[Her condition is unknown…… but…… she doesn’t seem to be breathing, so most likely……]

Right now, King Zect was fighting in the south alongside the soldiers of the Faraway Country.

Apparently, reinforcements had even been dispatched from within the Final Guardian Wall.

[We’re just one push away from completely sweeping the enemies in the south…… but the damage…… Our allies are exhausted and injured to their very limits…… Our casualties…… Our comrades, they……]

[How many would be enough?]

The White Wolf King asked.

[Eh———]

He looked back.

[Would just our Magnar army be sufficient?]

[Eh, ah……]

For a moment, the dragonkin looked at me.

But after a brief, firm thought, he tightened his expression and declared,

[If the Magnar forces here could come———— most likely, that alone would be enough!]

The southern forces could already manage victory.

But they wanted to lessen their losses.

If the number of allies increased, casualties would naturally decrease.

That dragonkin too, he wanted to protect them.

If lives could be saved, he wanted to save them.

His comrades.

The White Wolf King gave orders to Sicily and the remaining Magnar army.

They began moving south, when———–

[Tomohiro Yasu! Allow me to at least thank you briefly! Because of you, we survived! Thanks to you, I can still use this life to save my comrades! Truly——— you are a hero!]

Sicily followed the King and added,

[Leave the rest to us! You must go get treatment right away! That’s an order!]

Then Lili hesitated.

Her expression was filled with sorrow.

However, she soon hardened her resolve.

[……Drunken Sword Party! We’re going too!]

“For as many comrades as possible to keep living———— from here on as well……”

I was sure.

As a mercenary leader, she understood the dragonkin’s feelings all too painfully well.

That’s why she too wanted to help, to lend her strength.

Rinji opened his mouth, maybe about to suggest we join them as well.

But Lili immediately cut in,

[Rinji-san, you all stay with Tomohiro! The east is quiet now, but we can’t be sure it’s completely over! ———–Tomohiro!]

Already chasing after the White Wolf King, her back growing distant, she shouted,

[Really…… you saved us! Not just me, everyone here owes you our lives! And———- I’m sorry! Because we weren’t strong enough…… you had to go that far for us!]

Lili lowered her head.

Her red bangs hid her eyes.

Then she raised her voice,

[……Thank you! The fact that you saved our lives, we’ll never, ever forget it! Every last one of us in the Drunken Sword Party! ———See you again!]

Lili lifted her head as if to shake something off and looked forward.

From the eye hidden by her hair———- I feel like I saw something glisten and fall.

The other members of the Drunken Sword Party also spoke words of thanks to me one after another before following after their leader.

Their tone, though, was far brighter than Lili’s had been.

Ah, I see…… or at least, I felt like I understood.

Somehow, vaguely.

(Most likely…… Lili-san realized———-)

That final “See you again!” she left me with……

Surely, she knew there would be no such chance.

And yet———

Even knowing that, she still chose to say it.

I don’t know why.

But being told that…… for some reason, it made me a little happy.

I turned my gaze east.

It certainly was quiet there now……

(……………………………The threat in the north has been eliminated…… the south will be settled soon……)

[……………….]

Then.

[……Tomohiro?]

Oru looked at me in puzzlement.

From the exposed parts of my skin, a faint steam-like vapor was rising.

He reached toward me as if to touch it.

[Hey, you…… Are you really okay———]

[Is White Wolf King-sama here!?]

A voice shouted as someone rode toward us on horseback.

A knight of Mira.

This time he had come from within the Final Guardian Wall———- from the castle side.

Rinji, frowning, gently moved Oru aside and answered,

[……The White Wolf King headed south earlier to provide support. For now, I’ve been entrusted with command here…… what’s going on?]

[Well, actually———-]

The knight’s eyes stopped on me for a moment.

[T- The Hero…… is he safe?]

[———–Please, tell us what you came for.]

I didn’t answer his question, instead urging him to continue.

My tone came out sharper than I meant, and I felt bad about it.

But——— there wasn’t time.

I softened my voice as best I could.

[Forgive me…… it seemed urgent. I thought it best to hear the matter first, before worrying about whether I’m safe or not.]

[Ah——– y- yes, of course…… I’m terribly sorry!]

The knight quickly apologized, dismounted, and continued.

[The truth is, there’s a proposal to evacuate the survivors westward from this Capital……]

[Evacuation……?]

According to him, they had finally confirmed the approximate enemy strength.

Reports from the military war pigeons across the various fronts had given them the picture.

The knight relayed the scale of the remaining enemy forces to Rinji and the others.

[———-With just the forces left here in Azziz…… we can’t hold them back huh.]

Rinji grimaced, face heavy with frustration.

But this wasn’t his fault.

No———- it wasn’t anyone’s fault.

He let out a faint sigh and slumped a little.

[We made it this far, somehow…… but at the very end…… we don’t have the strength left to face one last great wave……]

Indeed. Everyone had reached their limit.

Oru’s tired face showed his regret.

[Just…… one more push, that’s all we would have needed……]

The Sacred Cavalry could no longer move.

After that, the Sacred Cavalry had sunk down sluggishly, and before long vanished from sight here.

It had likely lost its balance and collapsed, unable to support its own weight anymore.

Kokoroniko, who had transformed into a giant dragon, had also fallen and lay silent.

Expecting reinforcements from outside the capital now would be difficult.

Even if———– for instance———

“……Even if the forces left behind in Mira’s Imperial Capital rushed here, it would still be impossible.”

That was the analysis within the castle.

The troops left in Mira’s Imperial Capital would just be “increasing numbers”.

The truth was, the main force had already marched to Alion, where Vysis was.

The rest, those meant for the capital’s defense, had been brought here to Azziz.

In other words———- when the lid was lifted, what remained back in Mira’s capital was no longer anyone capable of truly fighting.

[However…… Jonato’s Queen and Jonato’s surviving Holy Extermination Force have resolved to remain here in Azziz, to fight until the end to protect the Sacred Eye.]

[T- Then we should also———]

As Oru began to speak, the knight cut in.

[No…… Jonato’s Queen asked that White Wolf King-sama and Wright-sama instead gather the remaining forces and lead them westward to safety. She said…… even if this world truly is ending, it won’t end immediately. That’s what she believes……]

In other words——— that’s what this all comes down to……

How to spend the time that’s left……

With whom, and in what way———- how to live……

And how to shape the time of farewell.

[Even if Vysis will eventually wipe us out…… until then, someone with true leadership must guide the people. To unite those who flee west until the very end…… figures like the White Wolf King or Wright Mira are needed.]

I’d heard that Jonato’s Queen claimed the Sacred Eye was everything to her.

Yet she hadn’t told everyone———-

“Stay here and die with me to protect the Sacred Eye.”

It seemed she knew better than that.

[……The time for farewells huh.]

Rinji muttered as he looked down at the rubble at his feet.

He was probably thinking of his wife and child.

I too…… remembered certain people.

(Yuuri-chan…… her mother…… everyone else who was in that carriage with us……)

Indeed——— there really was value in it.

Even if the world was ending.

If we could part ways in a manner that made sense, that felt complete———- perhaps then, one could accept it.

But———– before that……

I rolled up my sleeve.

The vapor rising from my skin wasn’t just sweat anymore.

It grew stronger, rising into the air, fading into nothing……

I touched my exposed arm with my other hand.

———–Hot.

Scorchingly so.

If I held on for long, it might even burn me.

And yet…… inside my body……

At my very core……

————It feels very cold————

It was as if——— I’m as cold as a corpse.

My body’s totally out of sync.

(……………………)

White steam drifting upward from my body.

Almost as if……

My very life was evaporating away.

As if I was returning———- into that clear, transparency……

[…………………..]

I remembered that girl.

“I’m scared……”

She had been afraid.

Hearing that everyone might die.

……If I could really be given an opportunity for a proper farewell……

Then, when that time came———– would Yuri-chan……

Would she be able to keep smiling?

Would she be able to hold back her tears?

If possible……

Even from “afar”, I wanted to tell her……

You don’t have to be afraid anymore.

You don’t have to cry in fear anymore.

[……Rinji-san.]

[Tomohiro?]

[When I defeated that horned Sacrament earlier…… I learned a new Skill.]

The name didn’t display properly, it was bugged out.

[……But maybe…… I can use it to do something about the last of the enemy forces.]

In my mind———– I could picture the Skill’s name.

I could read it.

Strangely enough…… somehow I also understood exactly what kind of Skill it was.

Not long ago, “that” had flowed into me.

That’s why———– I could do it. I was sure of it.

[Even if I can’t defeat them outright…… I might at least be able to buy time. Long enough for everyone to finish preparations and leave Azziz…… That final wave is already close, isn’t it? That’s why you came here in such a rush.]

I said this to the knight who had brought the message.

He didn’t answer, but the way he bit his lip, his expression confirmed it.

Rinji spoke up.

[But your MP……]

I smiled.

[This Skill…… this one, at least, doesn’t seem to consume MP at all.]

[……That’s——– What do you……?]

His words were phrased like a question, but somehow, I felt Rinji already suspected the truth.

I closed my eyes once…… then opened them again.

————I understood.

I knew exactly what I could do with this newly acquired Skill.

And also……

[I——–]

I knew what would happen to me once I used it.

[I’ll stay here and fight.]

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