More than half of the people trapped inside the dome perished, and the other half were not doing any better as they struggled desperately to avoid the writhing roots.
The roots glowed with a faint purple light, as if strengthened by some sort of otherworldly energy. Cutting them required tremendous effort and consumed a great deal of energy, and the injured could only do their best to avoid being entangled by the hideous tendrils.
Zahia could cope a little better than the others, as she could still cut through the roots more or less. After all, she had already discerned a faint law. The gap between those who had mastered a law and those who had not was like the difference between heaven and earth. However, the energy that strengthened and transformed the Moonlit Orchid also contained a fragmented law. As a result, neither she nor the uncanny purple energy could gain the upper hand.
After all, she had yet to perfect or truly master the law she had discerned and chosen as her path.
Another problem was that her energy was rapidly depleting due to the blood runes that were draining everyone en masse, as well as the boy she had faintly promised her disciple to watch over.
"Don't stray away from me. I won't bother protecting you if you get out of my range. I don't owe you anything anyway."
Austin understood her implied meaning.
The apothecary was protecting him only because of her disciple, Yuna.
Austin smiled bitterly. He was afraid he would never get to see his mother—or the kind Yuna—again.
I'm still so weak.
And the thing he feared happened again—the helplessness and weakness of being unable to do anything. Once more, Austin felt just how powerless he was. Since he had been given another chance at life, a chance to start over, he thought he had time. But in the face of disaster, there was never enough time.
"…This is taking longer than necessary. I still have to harvest the blood of those in Huin Town."
Louis spoke with faint displeasure, looking apathetically at the livestock who were giving everything they had just to survive.
He shook his head and tried to transmit more energy into the Moonlit Orchid to hasten the harvest. Before he could do so, an enraged voice questioned him.
"WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO TO THE PEOPLE OF HUIN TOWN?!"
"Hm…?"
Louis looked down and caught sight of a boy being protected by Zahia.
The boy's menacing eyes carried an overwhelming killing intent.
Livestock always have so many questions at the end of their lives, Louis thought coldly. Still, he had patience for livestock standing at death's door—a basic respect for the lives he was about to make use of.
"Just like what's happening now," Louis answered with a shrug. His face beamed at the boy, making his already hideous left side look even more terrifying.
Austin's body shook with rage.
He dared!
Raising his sword, Austin rushed out of Zahia's protective circle and charged straight ahead, aiming for the head of the man who intended to harm the two people most precious to him.
He deftly avoided the fast, agile roots and even used them as leverage to leap toward the peak where the man stood, his momentum reaching its peak.
Unfortunately, his opponent was far too strong. Austin couldn't even touch a single hair on him.
"My, my… such a promising lad. Too bad your life will be forfeit here," Louis said without an ounce of remorse.
He casually blasted purple energy at Austin and watched impassively as the boy fell, becoming entangled by the roots. Louis had seen many people display a final burst of strength, as if pouring everything they had into one last attempt. Those final surges of adrenaline were admirable, but seeing them too often had bored him.
As for the genius Zahia, Louis cast a thoughtful glance at the old-looking woman who stood impassively on the sidelines as the roots entangled the person she had been protecting moments ago.
She was as cold-hearted as ever.
Louis also knew he could not push a genius who had begun to grasp a faint law at such a young age into desperation—although he wanted nothing more than to do so. He couldn't gamble on the consequences if she chose to self-destruct. The resulting destruction would far exceed what he could endure, so he planned to leave after dealing with all life inside the dome—aside from her.
Injuring her severely, however, wouldn't be a problem, Louis thought as he caressed the purple stone necklace.
Just as the roots were about to drill into the boy, Louis heard the sound of a teleportation array activating and turned his head.
"Didn't I say not to come—"
He stopped abruptly.
The person who appeared was not one of his people.
The newcomer was small—probably a child—but was completely covered in clothing, making it impossible to tell their gender.
Before Louis could react, the child's hands shot toward his neck and tore off the purple diamond necklace that supplied him with power and sustained the Moonlit Orchid.
The power was abruptly cut off, and the Moonlit Orchid's hideous roots ceased their movement.
Louis dropped to his knees as the strength sustaining him vanished in an instant.
"Ugh… Dimension stone… Give it back…"
His strained voice trembled with panic. The power he had indulged in receded like the tide, cold sweat sliding down his spine.
The child shook her head.
"Without a medium… it will explode and take all life… including you and the people of Huin Town."
Louis threatened her, though it was no mere threat—it was the truth.
Yuna, who had instinctively dived for the stone, stood trembling in place. She had grabbed it without thinking, because shiny things like this always seemed to be the cause of disasters villains relied on—and what protagonists desperately tried to steal away.
The stone in her hand began to heat up.
Yuna had a sinking feeling that it was going to explode.
What do I do… what do I do? Why my hand?! Yuna wanted to slap herself in frustration.
She fretted. She couldn't return it to the man, but she also couldn't let it explode and take innocent lives.
"…Ah."
Yuna sighed.
"Universe… you bitch."
Cursing under her breath, she came up with a stupid idea and swallowed the small stone.
"Kevin… we're stupid together."
She joked weakly to calm her racing heart, recalling Kevin from Minions swallowing a massive rocket just before it exploded.
"This is so stupid. I'm stupid! Am I the deus ex machina of the main character now?"
"Heugh…"
Yuna clutched her chest and stared in horror as her hand began to scatter and disintegrate into tiny particles, reminiscent of Lucy as her cells dissolved inside the plane.
Now she truly understood how Lucy must have felt—terrified beyond words.
"YOU—"
It was the sharp exclamation of the hideous-faced man, though he seemed unable to move without support—perhaps suffering backlash from the sudden loss of power.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the child swallow the dimension stone.
WHOOSH
Yuna looked up and saw her master approaching.
Another hand emerged from the cliff—it was Austin, climbing up to the peak.
Yuna bit her lip beneath her covering.
Zahia stepped closer and reached for the clothes concealing Yuna's face, which she had worn to avoid being seen by the enemy.
Yuna staggered backward.
She didn't want them to see her disintegrating into particles. She wanted to be somewhere no one could see her. She wanted time to stop—wanted everything to freeze.
Her thoughts became muddled.
Please…
Yuna begged desperately as her master made another attempt to remove the covering.
The stone inside her body seemed to respond to her plea.
And in the next instant, she vanished from where she stood.
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