I slowly descend to the ground, leaving behind a trail of rainbow-colored particles.

"Merle!

　There was the figure of Illtimina-san with her arms outstretched.



　At the sight of it, my heart relaxed.

　At the same time, I, who was depleted of 'divine energy', lost control of my 'rainbow-colored exoskeleton' when I was only about five more meadows away from the ground.

(Ah.)

　paan

　I shattered into rainbow-colored particles and my whole body armor disappeared.

　Naturally, with my wings gone, I fell to the ground as a matter of course.

　........I can't put any strength into it.

　Perhaps because I was working too hard in the fight, I didn't have the energy to regain my stance.

''Hm!''

　huffing and puffing

　However, Illtimina-san took me firmly into her arms.

　As it was, she hugged me tightly.

''Thank you for your hard work, Marle.

　Illtimina-san........

　A sweet smell enveloped me, and her white hands gently stroked my hair.

　I lift my slow-moving hand and hug her long hair flowing back in a soothing hug back.

　Ah ... it feels soothing.

　Underneath us, Kirt-san with Solstice on her back and Poe, who was lifting the girl's buttocks behind her, came over.

'Are you okay, Marl?'

　Kilt-san, Poe.........

　I nodded over Illtimina-san's shoulder.


Okay.

　Mr. Kilt let out a breath of relief.

　Then he looked over at the corpse of the 'Snake Godman' lying in the distance.

Well done. You're very good.

　He laughed.

　I kept smiling vaguely.

　Then I desperately lifted my left hand.

　In his fingers, he held a piece of stone that emitted a pure white light - the 'divine Spirit Stone'.

　Kirt-san's golden eyes stare at it.

''So this is it.''
Yes.

　I nodded.

Mr. Quilt, can you take care of this for me?
Hm?　The credit goes to you. You can keep it, can't you?
Nope.

　I shook my head.

'I can't put any more strength into my body.... Even if something happens, I can't protect you now.

　Mr. Kilt looked lost.

　But Poe, who was beside him, looked up at Mr. Kilto and nodded to urge him on.

　Seeing that, Kirt-san seemed to have made up his mind.

'Okay.'
..........
You risked your life to obtain it. I swear to you that I will protect it.
Yes.

　I relax the fingers of my left hand.

　Clang.

The 'Divine Spirit Stone' was in the hands of the strongest adventurer in Shumuria.

''Good....

　Now I felt like I had finished one big job.

　I looked at the 'Divine Spirit Stone' in my hand, and then Kirt-san looked at me and smiled.

''But I'm stronger now.''　
..........
I didn't think you could defeat the 'Snake Godman' all by yourself. You're really strong now.

　He sounds sullen.

　It's true that the instantaneous firepower of the 'Ultimate Divine Body Mode' is high, but that's only for a short period of time, and it's a one or two battle method that makes it impossible to fight after that.

(I wouldn't want to rely on it too much...)

　I thought so.

　Besides.

''If you were really strong, you might not have had to kill the 'Snake God Man'.'''

　A voice in my mind spilled out of my mouth.

'Hm?'

　Kilt-san gives me a surprised look.

　Ms. Illtimina also felt something, and she let go of her body and looked into my face.

'Merle?'
..........
...What's going on?

　I slumped.

　Ms. Illtimina whispered softly.

"Don't keep it to yourself..... Will you please tell us what is in your heart?

　Both Kilt-san and Poe nodded.

　.....................

　I slowly opened my mouth.

The attack on her, we took the 'Spirit Stone' away from her.

　The three of them look surprised.

　Then they look at me, a little troubled.

'Maybe so.'

　Kirto admitted.

But the Spirit Stone was necessary for the sake of world peace. We can't afford not to.

　That's what an iron-like voice tells him.

　Those were the words of someone who had been protecting the Shumuria Kingdom as the 'Golden Mark Demon Hunter' until now.

　But.

No.

　I shook my head.

'I'm not looking for world peace. I'm the one who wants world peace. I killed her for me.

　His hands shook with the sinfulness of it.

　I weighed the lives of so many people and left her to die.

　That was what I had done.

　Kilt-san looked unsure of what to say.

　And Ms. Illtimina.

Yes.

　He nodded as he looked straight at me.

'Marle is right. We may have trampled on a being in a different position to get what we wanted.
..........
But that's what living is all about.

　She said in a strong voice.

　She said in a strong voice, "Life is not just a pretty sight.

　Even our daily meals are eaten in order to keep other lives alive.

　...And yet...

(I know, but my heart aches for you.)

　My own hands, which had killed her, looked so dirty and scary.

　Geez.

　Mr. Illtimina hugged me.

'But let me correct one thing Marle said.
...What?
'Merle didn't kill her. All of us, including Merle, killed her.
..........

　Illtimina's strength in holding me is very strong.

'We hoped for it, and as a result, Marle's hand came down. That's all. That sin is not yours alone, it is a sin that all of us must bear. Please don't forget that.

　Mr. Illtimina.........

　My chest is painful, and tears well up in my eyes.

　But I don't want her to see my crying face, so I press my face against her shoulder.

'Alright. .........It's okay, Marle.

　Poof! Poof!

　Her hand slaps me lightly on the head, as if she's nursing a baby.

　Ms. Kilt chuckles at us.

　Poe's light blue eyes were quietly downcast.

　Then, for a while, the gentle Ms. Illtimina spoiled me for a while, until my mind was at ease.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　Eventually I regained my composure and looked around.

In various parts of the City of Ruins, there were still battles between the other 'pioneers' and countless giant snakes.

　But the source of the serpent's origin, the Serpent God Man, is gone.

''It's only a matter of time,''

　Looking at the battlefield, Mr. Kilt was convinced we were going to win.

(I see.)

　Good.

Well, why don't we join in on the serpent sweep?
Hmm.
Yes, sir.
.......................

　The three of us nodded.

　But Mr. Kilt's finger poked me in the forehead with a knuckle.

'But you rest,'
What?
Your presence here is of no use to me, for you can no longer hold a sword.

　His gaze looks at my hand.

　Pull.

　My hands were twitching finely.

　I had exhausted a large amount of 'divine energy' and, due to the recoil from releasing a terrific sword technique, I had lost strength.

(Did they see through me........)

　That's Mr. Kilt.

'Irna, protect Merle.
Yes, sir.

　The sister next to her answers immediately.

"I'll take care of Sol too. You will stay here. Poe, come with the straw.
Poe knows.

　Poe nodded.

　Mr. Kilt laughed.

'Alright, now let's take the last step. Let's go.'

　Saying that, he carried the Great Sword of Thunder on his shoulder and started to walk - that's when.

　Gogogogog.

(!)

　Suddenly, the ground we were standing on vibrated violently.

　It's an earthquake.

　The buildings of the city are collapsing and the pillars are collapsing.

　We couldn't stand up.

　We sat down and waited for the shaking to stop.

　It took about 30 seconds for it to stop.

(Surprise.)

　Ms. Illtimina was hugging me again, perhaps trying to protect me.

'Nuh?'

　That's when Mr. Kilt spoke up.

　I look at his face.

　It was tinged with surprise.

''What was that...?''

　Those golden eyes are looking in the direction behind us.

(?)

　I pulled away from Illtimina-san's hand and I looked back behind me too.

''...Huh?''

　Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the corpse of that huge 'Snake God Man'.

　Countless 'black hands' that seemed to ooze out of the ground with dozens of meters of 'black hands' grew and swarmed towards that corpse.

　Joooooo........

The huge body that the Black Hand touched melts.

　.........what, what is that?

　We were stunned.

　Our chests ached.

　The dozens of 'black hands' that sprouted out seemed to be made of a black liquid that looked like tar.

　That liquid was swallowing the corpse of the 'Snake God Man'.

　Joooooooo........

　Scales peeled off, flesh melted, bones were revealed, and then everything disappeared in the black liquid.

...

　My breath caught in my throat at the horror of the disaster.

　My blue eyes widened to the limit.

Po-chan, the 'divine dragon', also noticed its true identity and had an expression of tremendous hostility on his face.

''There was........''

　I muttered.

"I knew it, this continent has a 'devil piece'....

　At my words, Kilt-san and Illtimina-san huffed.

'What?!'
Is that... the... 'Devil's Piece'?

　Once again, I look at that black liquid.

　It appears from the ground as a black hand, one after another, filling the streets of The Ruined City.

　Little by little, it comes closer and closer to us.

(Don't let that thing touch you!)

　I feel that threat instinctively.

　Suddenly, I remembered that that 'snake godman' didn't show up as if he was alerted to something, and that he escaped when the earthquake hit.

　In other words, that's what happened.

(Even the "Serpent God Man" was in this land!)

　The black liquid looms like a black tsunami.

'No, I'm pulling away!'

　Mr. Kilt, carrying Solstice on his back, said impatiently.

　Poe nodded in frustration.

'Marle, let's go!'
Uh-huh.

　Ms. Illtimina pulled my hand and started running in the opposite direction of the black tsunami.

　I struggled to keep up with her.

　But I couldn't put my strength into it, and my legs got tangled.

(Ah.)

　with a thud

　I fell down.

　With a beat, Iltimina-san and her hand fell away.

　Illtimina-san stopped suddenly in a hurry.

''Are you alright!

　She reaches out her white hand to me, trying to help me up.

　I try to grab that hand.

　At that moment, a 'black hand' oozed out from the ground directly underneath me, who was on all fours.

''--Huh?''

　plop

　It reached straight up into the sky and penetrated my chest, which was in the middle of it.

''Ah........''

　My heart was in the 'black hand' that slipped into the heavens.

　Joooooooo.

　It would melt away and disappear in an instant.

　I couldn't believe what had happened to me.

　I couldn't help but look at Illtimina-san.

　She was dumbfounded, her movements had stopped as she reached out her hand to us.

　Her crimson eyes were wide open.

''Marle?''

　A small murmur.

　I tried to answer it.

　But what came out of my mouth was the bright red blood that was rushing up my throat.

　Bottoms up.

　The ground turns red.

　My arms relaxed and I fell from my face to the ground.

'You're lying...?　Merle, Merle!　Please open your eyes!

　I can hear her voice in the distance.

　The darkness of my vision ... deepens.

　Consciousness.........disappears........

　.............
　......................
　...................

　--And so I was killed by the Black Hand.