Chapter 8

Time resumed and Alessia’s sword was edging closer to hitting it’s mark. However, the ferocity and the menace in her attack had disappeared. I was certain that evoking the old man’s hide on my shoulder would deflect her attack easily. Yet, I did not move. I stood in place and was lost in attempting to rationalise the events of the past few moments.

Hrotti finally made impact with my shoulder, Alessia was trying to put as much force as possible on the spot that her blade made contact with, but it wouldn’t cut. Her strike was shallow. Her blade no longer had the same acute sharpness that had sent chills down my spine throughout this battle. I felt a dull and numbing pain when the sword collided with my body, but this was probably caused by momentum alone. It seems the versatile and all purpose instrument of destruction had lost its luster.

Alessia gave up on trying to lacerate through me and retreated a few feet away. I dropped to my knees.

“...Shi-ko...Shikome!”

I began to wail in frustration and pain. The damage that Alessia had done to me was nothing compared to the agony I was in now. I began smashing my fist into the ground and felt tears flow from my eyes. It was my fault. I underestimated Alessia level of demonic energy, no. It wasn’t that. I had overlooked and undervalued Alessia’s resolve.

My arrogance had blinded me. The second that I started to notice Shiko crumble under the weight of her resolve. I should have pulled away. Alessia probably did notice Shiko absorbing her demonic energy, she just let it happen because she knew that Shiko would be crushed under it.

“She was a fine blade. In her final moments she was able to consume a lot of my demonic energy. She was even able to severe the link between Tia and Hrotti. She was wasted on you.”

“...”

“I no longer have the means to reconnect Tia to Hrotti. Whenever I attempt to do so, what lingers of Shiko blocks me, I’m sure this is temporary though. Judging from your demeanour, It won’t take much effort to finish you off anyway.”

I no longer had the will to stand. It was like Alessia was using the Will of Lucifer on me and forcing me to yield. Alessia was channeling what little demonic energy she had left and was beginning to exhibit her luminous yellow aura once more. I could no longer see Tiamat’s shadow but Alessia’s presence was crushing nonetheless. She began walking toward me, I was already in position, awaiting the executioner’s arrival.

“G….p...Ma...ta”

“...”

“Ge...t….u...Mas...ta.”

“...”

“Get up Masuta!”

I could hear a voice coming from somewhere, it was layered with cuteness, but I didn’t know who it belonged to. Alessia was drawing nearer, I felt her demonic energy surge. This ensured that Hrotti was dull no longer.

Alessia raised Hrotti for the nth time and I heard the old dragon laugh. Wait, why was he laughing? He was closer to Shiko than anyone. He would always translate for her and one sidedly include her in his incessant ramblings. How heartless was this old man? Did he want to become Alessia’s familiar that badly?

No, that voice, could he hear it too? Was he laughing at Shiko’s demise, or at my sorry state?

What am I doing? Am I so weak that I’d let my precious comrade’s sacrifice be in vain? Is this how far I can go? Is this how far my resolve can take me?

Right before Hrotti dislodged my head from my neck, I dashed backward and managed to avoid contact by a hairsbreadth. Alessia showed a look of fury.

“Coward! You’re a…”

“Yes, I am a coward. I hide behind arrogance and empty words.”

Alessia was showing a look of disbelief and confusion.

I finally understood why Alessia never saw me as her equal. It wasn’t because she thought that I was weaker than her in terms of strength. It was because I lacked the true resolve to take on the Bael House. This isn’t one of Seir’s shounen manga. I can’t just arrogantly boast that I’m gonna smash my way to the top. I’m not the only hero in this story. There are people like Alessia and many others that have put everything on the line for the sake of what they believe in.

I need to meet their resolve, not with arrogance but with respect. If I am able to defeat them, I need to ensure that their resolve and what they fought for, lives on, through me.

“Thank you Alessia. You showed me what I lacked. I can go around and boast that I can defeat anyone, but it means nothing if I don’t have the true resolve to back it up. From this point on, I won’t hold back or hide behind empty words.”

I dashed toward Alessia at full speed. She was taken aback at the start but raised Hrotti to meet my charge. She attempted to reuse the same 180 degree slash that lashed into my chest earlier. This time however, the crescent shaped wave of demonic energy was purely her own.

I met it head on. She was aiming for the same area that she managed to lacerate previously. This time, I was ready. I ducked under the slash successfully. Alessia was setting up for another one. I used the momentum from the evasion to jump, Alessia readjusted her slash to meet my leap, however, I evoked the old dragons wings and plummeted downward.

Before Alessia was able to readjust for the third time, I evoked the old dragons entire right arm and delivered a diagonal slash with his claws. Alessia countered this by using Hrotti to intercept. My dragon dyed right arm made contact with Hrotti, I grinned.

Having tied down her weapon, I managed to make a slight opening in her guard. I poured the combined tumultuous demonic energy of the old dragon and myself into my left fist and delivered a thunderous punch into Alessia’s abdomen. Alessia buckled and her body wrapped around my fist. She dropped Hrotti and retched blood. For a split second I saw her hazel eyes roll back and then she collapsed face first on the cold battlefield.

“It was thanks to Shiko’s sacrifice that I was able to weaken Hrotti to the point of not losing my right arm in that collision. I don’t know how, but I could hear her voice from the beyond. It was then that I realised that I’d have rendered her sacrifice meaningless if I just sat there and waited for death. I’d be lower than a coward...If I was able to resolve myself to use Shiko like that and then dishonour her sacrifice by giving up, I’d be lower than a coward...”

Alessia’s body was limp on the floor. I took one last look at her and began walking back to Seir and the others.

“*Cough *cough, w-where do you think you’re going?”

I turned around and saw Alessia using Hrotti to get to her feet. The part of her stomach where I made impact was surrounded in purple swelling and bruising. Alessia’s knees were shaking but her eyes were still as determined and ferocious as ever.

“Hrrgghh, F-Feng! W-what are you doing!? Hurry up and repair my body.”

“Kukuh...Mistress, you do not have the demonic energy to repair this much damage, This useless servant is…”

“W-what do you mean!? I am Alessia Belith! Baroness to the Great Belith House! My demonic energy is infinite!”

Kukuh, I’m sorry…”

Alessia was showing a look of disbelief and irritation. She finally managed to steady herself without needing to use Hrotti. She clenched her eyes tight from frustration and then began emitting her patented yellow aura. At first it was dim, but gradually it began to flicker and return to it’s luminous self.

“...Never yields...A BELITH NEVER YIELDS!”

Alessia gritted her teeth and dashed toward me. She winced for a split second but grunted and brandished Hrotti. She fired two consecutive crescent shaped waves at me, I had gotten used to them by now and was easily able to evade them. However, Alessia was just using them to block my view. Unlike before where she used them as projectile attacks, she now used them as feints.

When I successfully evaded the second one, she appeared from right behind it and was about to execute an upward sword slash. I stepped on my back foot and just avoided the slash from chopping my nose off.

Alessia used the momentum to attempt to knee me in my chin. I just about saw it coming so was able to catch her knee before she made impact. She pulled away before I was able to get a good grip and made some distance between us.

“*pant…*pant…*pant...Tia, Tia, I know you’re there.”

“A-Alessia-chan…”

“Let me evoke you Tia.”

“I-It’s not possible for me to go into Hrotti at the moment Alessia-chan...”

“You know what I meant.”

“Y-you won’t be able to handle it Alessia-chan, please...p-please. Tia does not want to hurt you like that ever again…”

“If this fool and that bastard can do it, then there’s no reason that I can’t!”

“Y-your body will…”

“TIA!”

It seems that Alessia was beginning to forcibly evoke Tiamat’s power. However, Tiamat was trying her hardest to not materialise.

Alessia finally managed to overrule Tiamat’s resistance and her body was radiating with destructive power. Alessia’s eyes were glowing and it seems she had fully returned to her former glory, yet, something wasn’t right…

“You’re in pain…”