(...at this time?

The limit for enduring "God Body Mode" is three minutes - but I used my power for more than that, because this was the last time.

　For about five minutes?

　It was a battle for which I was prepared for the annihilation ahead.　

　However, the overworked body seems to have forcibly deactivated the 'God Body Mode' before it collapsed.

　Boom!

....

　My body is so heavy!

　The body that had been like a feather is now as heavy as a rusty scrap of iron, and its legs cannot move.

　From the front, a 'black flying dragon' with its wings ripped off is approaching.

　My left arm is broken.

　I held the sword with one right hand and swung it with my right hand.

　Thud!

Ugh!

　However, the body invaded by the 'divine Qi' causes a terrible dull ache.

　The turbulent sword was flicked by the flying dragon's cleaving arm, and my light body was easily blown away.

　Duh, Zazaa.

　It bounced to the ground and seven or eight meadows slipped away.

''What are you doing to eliminate the power of the Godgu?

　The black flying dragon let out a questioning voice.

　Kahaa.

　I spit out blood from my mouth as I lay on my back.

'?'

　The flying dragon's blood red twin eyes narrowed slightly.
　And.

'Well you're quite unstable. I don't know what happened, but I'm not going to forgive you for it. But I'm not going to forgive you for it.

　A voice tinted with the evil killing intent.

　I desperately try to raise my body while blotting out tears from the intense pain that torments my entire body.

(.......................No, I can't lose.

　If we lose here, the people of Lud village - and most importantly, even those sisters - will die.

　It's a world even worse than the one I know.

(You can't do that!)

　I grit my teeth.

"....divine energy released...!

　smack

　Forcibly, he sends divine energy into his body.

　For a moment, the pain disappears and his body becomes as light as a feather. The beast's ears and tail grow back.

(Sigh)

　The next thing I knew, a horrendous pain hit me all over and I almost screamed.

　I bit my lip to the point of bleeding and held on to it.

Gah!

　bang

　I screamed and jumped at the black flying dragon.

　No sword skills or anything, just a suicide attack.

''.............You're an idiot.''　

　The black flying dragon let out a voice that resembled pity and flashed its huge, sharp fangs at the foolish child--.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


(...oh...)

　I tried desperately to resist, but it was no use.

　They were evenly matched even in normal 'divine Body Mode', but in a state of disturbed mind, there was no way they could be a match for a demon that had survived 300 years.

　Mich, Mich, Mich.

　I had been nudged around a lot, and now my left arm was being sucked into my mouth and dangling from a giant mouth.

　A number of sharp fangs pierced the flesh of my arm.



　Intense pain burns your brain.

The 'God Body Mode' has long since been cancelled.

　Miraculously, he was still holding the "fairy sword" in his right hand.

　But I didn't have the strength left to swing it.

(I........how weak am I?)

　I felt somewhat stronger and thought I could protect someone.

　What a mistake.

　Mekhi.

"~~~~

　I could see that the flying dragon's fangs had crushed the bones in my left arm even more.

　Ouch.

　Ouch, ouch, ouch. Stop it already.

''Ha........ah.......guh.

　But the voices weren't voiced.

　The screams were scattered.

　My throat, which had screamed so much, had long since been damaged and withered.

　Instead, what poured out of my mouth was blood.

　Had my internal organs been hit somewhere?

　I'm in so much pain all over my body already, I don't even know where it hurts.

(Quickly ... kill me.)

　I really thought so.

　My left eye was crushed.

　Blood was flowing into the remaining right eye, and together with the flames burning around it, all I could see was the world dyed red.

"Come here...
Come on, people, get off the floor!

　I heard something, a voice.

　From earlier, my body was shaking.

　The black flying dragon seemed to be walking with my ragged me hanging from its mouth.

　In my wavering red vision.

(Oh...)

　I saw the people of the village of Ludo.

　They all had frightened expressions on their faces and held hoes and spades in their hands.

　Ortima's fellow hunter drew his bow and fired a sharp arrow.

　Kaing.

　Small sparks sparked, but the black scales easily flicked the arrow.

''-- No--no--run--''
It's early.

　People retreated to escape the looming horror.

　Flames raged around them.

　There was almost nowhere left to run.

　There was despair on everyone's faces.

(............)

　There was only one girl in the room who had a different expression on her face.

　That girl was looking at me.

　She was staring at me, a wounded, dying, insect-breathed child, with her eyes wide open.

'....Marle, you?

　......................

　Only that voice.

　For some reason, I heard it clearly in my ears.

　She didn't even run away, she was standing on a stick.

　Ortima-san, who noticed her daughter, panicked and tried to pull her to her side. But she was blocked by the flow of other villagers and couldn't reach them.

　Dosun.

Oh.

　Just a few seconds of abandonment.

　Just like that, the jet black demon had arrived in front of the girl's eyes.

　The girl finally came back to herself.

　But she couldn't move.

　The black flying dragon's blood-red binoculars slowly narrowed as the black flying dragon's blood-red binoculars lit up with the color of amusement.

　The jet-black dragon's paws moved and tried to thrust its huge claws at the girl in front of her.

(----)

　The moment I saw it, something inside me popped.

　My right hand, which shouldn't have been moving, reflexively jumped up and stabbed the beautiful blade of fairy iron into the black flying dragon's right eye.

　''Zubri.''

What?

　He let out an inaudible scream and the black flying dragon squirmed in intense pain.

　Boom!

　My mouth closes tightly on the beat and my left arm is bitten off.

　A spurt of blood drenched the girl's beauty.

　At the same time, my right hand comes off the hilt of the sword and my body falls to the ground.

　The impact of the fall causes intense pain, while my brain is burned white by it.

Run, Miss Illtimina!

　A scream flooded her throat.

　-- but the bloody girl didn't move.

　When she touched her own face, and then saw that her fingertips were stained bright red.

..........

　He looked at me, dumbfounded, as I collapsed.

　Something was shaking behind my beautiful crimson eyes.

　A huge flying dragon with its eyes crushed was rampaging in the immediate vicinity, yet it was not as if it was out of sight.

　Just me.

　It was as if there were only two people in the world, looking only at me.

　Suddenly, I crouched down.

　In my blood-stained vision, she knelt in the grass and touched my cheek with a trembling finger.

　And then.

Ma...?

　I whispered quietly.

　The sound of that familiar voice startled me.

　It was.

　That voice, no doubt, sounded like that of that person, not that of a girl.

　zing

　The black flying dragon turned towards us.

　The first eye light, furious with fierce pain and rage, caught us and moved to prey on the two young humans at close range.

''.........''
..........

　But we were staring at each other.

　Something like glittering, iridescent particles spilled out of the girl's entire body.

　Before I realized the significance of that glow.

　tongue

　The girl held me with one left arm and lightly flipped herself around.

　Dogo on.

!

　The flying dragon, which had lost one eye, chewed up the space we were in a moment ago.

　At the same time, the 'fairy sword' that was stuck in its right eye was in the girl's right hand before she knew it.

(.........ah.......)

　The moves were not those of an amateur.

　They were the movements of a skilled demon hunter who was used to fighting demons.

　And.



　A voice that sounds like she is crying or laughing.

　As if peeling away from the girl's entire body, shimmering particles of iridescent colors fly into the sky.

　At the center of that beautiful light--that person I was looking for, that silver-stamped demon hunter Iltimina Wong in her adult form, was there.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　Dark green hair that flutters long in the wind.

　Beautiful crimson eyes.

　Dressed in the same dress and bare feet as when she disappeared, supporting me with one left arm, was unmistakably not a thirteen year old girl, but that person who had turned twenty years old herself.

(..........Il, Timina-san.......)

　She smiled at me as I opened my remaining right eye.

　That gentle smile.

　Geez.

　Once, he hugs me tightly.

"I'm sorry. ...I'm home, Merle.
I'm not sure...

　The voice that was whispered in my ear.

　The warmth of her touch, the sweet smell of her........oh, there's no doubt about it.

(Iltimina-san!)

　I cried as he held me in his arms.

　With my face crumpled up, unbearable tears fall to the ground in patters.

　Illtimina-san's hand gently strokes my hair, like a baby's, 'Good, good.

　At that moment.

"...Irna...?

　I heard a stunned voice.

　It was Mr. Ortima.

　No, he wasn't the only one.
　Everyone in Lud Village, who was a little bit farther away, looked at her who had grown up, as if they were surprised.

''..........''

　Ms. Illtimina's beauty smiled sadly.

　Zooki.

　And it made my heart ache.　　

　Deep nostalgia.
　Regret.

　It was a smile filled with all kinds of feelings.

　Noticing this, his mother, Ms. Forn, was about to open her mouth to say something.

　But before she could.

'Father and mother I'm sorry for what I did seven years ago. This time, I'll protect you all. --because I can do that now.

　There was a quiet determination in her voice.

　Her parents gasped.

'Ill sister~?'

　The little girl in her mother's arms reached out her short hands to her grown-up sister, unsure of what to do.

　Miss Illtimina smiled faintly.

　However, she quickly erased her expression and turned her back to the villagers, as if to cut off her unconsciousness.

　The destination of those crimson eyes was the figure of the 'Jet Black Flying Dragon'.

　The huge black flying dragon sent a wary glance at the beautiful woman who suddenly appeared.

''........What is it, you?''

　The dragon asked as she moved in a circle around Ms. Illtimina, moving in a circle.

　She answered.

''--I am the hunter of your life.

　I don't take my eyes off the ground, but with the beautiful 'Demon Hunter' voice.

　My body, which had been held in my arms, is gently let go and sat on the ground.

''I'll finish it right away. You'll have to wait a little while, won't you, Marle?

　The usual smile.

(............)

　thump

　I nodded at the person who told me quietly, feeling a strong resolve.

　Her smile deepens.

　Then she stood up and slowly started walking.

　In her right hand, my 'fairy sword'.

　In a world of blazing flames, the dancing sparks of fire beautifully illuminate its back.

　The black flying dragon roars menacingly and lowers its posture.

''.........''

　I stared at the figure quietly.

　bang

　The beautiful Silver Marked Demon Hunters kicked the scorched earth and attacked the huge demon in front of them with great speed.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　The battle was like a dream.

　No matter how much of a 'Silver Seal Demon Hunter' he was, his opponent was a flying dragon (wyvern) with a 'pressure' comparable to the Red Fang Dragon Gad. It was not an opponent that could be easily defeated, he thought.

　And yet.

　Shut up, gin, hukon.

''But....?　Gii.........''

　That man had overwhelmed such a demon.



　I've always thought she was strong.

　But today, Illtimina-san was too strong. It was so awesome that it could be considered the best I've ever seen.

　She was not wearing any protective gear, and if she were to take a single attack from a giant flying dragon, she would definitely be killed.

　And yet.

(...less than an inch.)

　The opponent's attacks are dodged at an unusual distance of just an inch or two.

　The counterattack unleashed from that distance was powerful enough to cut through the dragon's hard scales, eating the blade into its flesh and severing it.

　It was a terrifyingly well-honed sword technique.

　They are on a different level from me.

It's precisely because I became a 'divine dog' and gained the same tremendous physical ability as her, the fact that such a noticeable difference is created by the difference in content is already beyond shocking and even impressive.

''Wha........what is it, you!

　The bloody flying dragon shouted.

　Iltimina didn't answer, but dodged a cleaved paw and used it as a springboard to leap forward.

　It spun like a solitary piece of music in the air.

　Hu-Con

　One of the flying dragon's huge wings was severed from its base.

　With a scream, purple blood gushes out.

　With that in the background, Illtimina-san lands on the ground.

　At the same time, she raises the 'Fairy Sword' from the lower level.

　zakyuu

　This time, he severed the flying dragon's long, thick tail.

''..........''

　The beauty she saw beyond the fresh blood was surprisingly expressionless.

　Concentration to the extreme.

　Only the crimson eyes were filled with a gleaming, intense light of killing intent.

(.........Ah, I see.)

　I suddenly thought to myself.

　-- all of her previous days as an adventurer could have been for this moment.

　A tragedy I'll never forget.

　Maybe she had spent her days fighting to gain enough strength to repel it if it happened again.

　And, oddly enough, she was really standing in that tragic moment now.

　It's no surprise that everything about the woman, Iltimina Wong, is trying to shine the maximum amount of light here.

(Go for it, Iltimina!)

　Unable to speak, I desperately cheered in my mind.

　The pain from the injuries and burns all over my body had been completely blown out of my mind.

　I just can't take my eyes off of that figure.

　That's all I had in my mind.

　-- and the time will come.

With the 『Sword of the Fairy』 in hand, Illtimina-san slashed through the flying dragon's other wing.

　A black membrane fell to the ground.

　The screaming flying dragon swelled its throat wide and released a tremendous flame.

　Illtimina kicked up the coating and used it as a shield.

　The flames that collided with her changed angles and stretched high into the heavens - she ran underneath the scorching heat, crawling on the ground.

　A blind spot caused by the flames she released herself.

　By the time the flying dragon's ship's eye noticed, the slash that Illtimina-san had released had deeply slashed its throat.

　Dopaan.

　His swollen throat burst open.

　A large amount of flames poured out from the wound, mercilessly burning the flying dragon's own body.

''-----''

　An inaudible roar wooded the surroundings.

　Illtimina slowly moved away, holding her sword at the ready.

　Surrounded by flames, the flying dragon looked in that direction.

　Could it be the power of a decapitation?
　A purple light seeped up through his entire body.

　An aura of darkness.

　The 'demonic magic power' that the transformed man-eating demon (Ogre) also showed.

　With its black scales glowing red from the high temperature of the flames, the flying dragon rushed towards Illtimina-san with its entire body covered in purple flames.

(......................Iltimina-san!

　She didn't move.　

　Quietly, she looked up into the void.

"Return to my hand, my white wings.

　He raised his right hand high.

　Voong.

　Suddenly, the iridescent particles gathered together and formed that beautiful spear in his hand, shining in that pure white.

　Kash.

　The wing decoration opens wide.

　The crimson magic stone that was inside of it gleams, and the blade at the tip reflects the flames and shines.

　And the usual throwing stance.

(.........ah...)

　I knew that white spear would suit Illtimina-san after all - I suddenly thought so.

　Looming, a huge 'Purple Flame Flying Dragon'.

　And she released that white spear in the same manner as she had done thousands and tens of thousands of times before.

　''Dpaaaan.''

　A white flash of light is sucked into the dragon's mouth, which opens wide and explodes its head.

　The purple glow disappears.

　The remaining torso runs lazily by the side of the 'Silver Seal Demon Hunter'.

　Doggone it, Gagaan.

　As it was, it plunged into the burning house and was buried in the crumbling wreckage. The flames grew so strong that they scorched the heavens, and many sparks of fire flowed down.

　Amidst the glittering and dancing light.

..........

　There was that man standing there with his eyes closed.

　It was a strange and beautiful profile, as if he was crying, as if he was enjoying some kind of accomplishment, as if he was rejecting everything.

　But there was one thing.

　Her long journey was finally over, she thought.



　I watched it happen and I got kind of sleepy.

　Very sleepy.

　Very sleepy.

　My eyelids were heavy, and I couldn't fight them as they slowly closed.　

　My vision narrowed.

　Suddenly, Illtimina-san noticed us and turned around.

　Her beauty is as white as the moon.

　She's really beautiful........I thought vaguely.

　With a slightly panicked look, she rushed over here. Her mouth moved and she said something, but I couldn't hear it well.　

(----)

　I close my eyes.

　As it is, my consciousness disappears into the depths of the distant darkness.