Chapter 88

With Kuna at the center, a pillar of golden fire rose, obscuring her from view.

To save Kuna, I would have to jump into that pillar of golden fire.

"Is this Kuna's power?"

My wounds began to close.

Kuna's transformation into a nine-tailed fox had activated the corrupted magic I had absorbed. The activated magic was healing my wounds to keep me alive. Thanks to this, I could move again. I was grateful.

Since I was here, I might as well rely fully on the corrupted magic.

"【Golden Armor】"

I performed a corrupted magic version of the emblem armor.

This was not the proper way to use corrupted magic, but it would do for the moment.

Golden characters covered my skin.

Until now, this magic had been in the prototype stage and I couldn't use it.

After confirming Kuna's transformation and touching such a vast amount of her magic, I finally understood how to control this power and completed it.

A magic that had never succeeded before succeeded at the last moment, surely due to the power of love.

With this, I could part the golden fire.

I felt Anne's gaze from behind.

I didn't turn around. Even a moment's hesitation would make it impossible to face it. To be honest, I was terrified, but there was something more important.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

◇

Around the pillar of golden fire, fire spirits were dancing wildly.

Kuna's corrupted magic seemed to have the effect of driving the fire spirits mad.

Just approaching the golden fire, even without touching it, would turn one to ash.

The corrupted magic that enveloped me in 【Golden Armor】 was protecting me.

Finally, I reached the golden fire pillar. It was ten meters in diameter, and Kuna was at its center.

I took a deep breath and touched the golden fire.

"Ugh"

My skin burned.

The heat of the golden fire pierced through the 【Golden Armor】.

As expected, the source was formidable.

I remembered when Kuna had withstood the powerful flames that Tyrano had unleashed with all his might.

That scene was etched in my mind.

If I could do it, I could do it too. I imagined breathing fire.

I interfered with the flow of magic in the golden fire pillar, distorting and redirecting it with the power of the 【Golden Armor】.

The flames rising from below slid over my body and rose into the sky.

With this, I wouldn't be burned. I stepped into the golden fire pillar.

Inside the golden fire pillar, I walked.

The magic of the 【Golden Armor】 was being rapidly consumed. No matter how much I redirected, Kuna's power was too great.

A single moment of losing control would mean death.

Extreme tension. Despite this, I moved forward.

Kuna was there. That was reason enough.

Each step felt like a thousand miles.

Cold sweat wouldn't stop, and it evaporated instantly. I almost lost consciousness. Even though Kuna's corrupted magic had healed my wounds, I had lost too much blood.

My vision blurred, and my breathing became erratic.

In this state of extreme tension and hopelessly bad health, it was a wonder I hadn't lost control of the magic. It was almost a suicidal act.

Still...

I couldn't let Kuna die.

I just had to move forward.

With all my might, I tore through the wall of flames.

Finally, I saw Kuna. She was at the center of the golden fire pillar.

Naked, eyes closed, she was streaming flames.

"Kuna, can you hear me! I've come to save you!"

I shouted desperately.

The closer I got to Kuna, the more intense the golden flames became, but I redirected them.

"Kuna, answer me!"

I shouted and took another step.

"How long do you plan to sleep!"

The limit of redirecting the flames was approaching.

The remaining amount of corrupted magic in my body was low.

I shouted.

"Anne is waiting too, so we're going back, Kuna! All of us!"

Finally, I reached her.

To her.

Kuna opened her eyes.

They glowed a deep crimson, the eyes of a beast.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

With a mindless gaze, Kuna aimed her hand at me and blew out flames.

I focused the power of the Golden Armor to withstand it.

With that, I used up the last of my remaining corrupted magic.

I probably couldn't stay in this fire for more than a minute.

How could I bring her back to her senses?

...I had one idea.

Kuna was gathering power for a second blast of flames.

The momentum of the golden fire pillar visibly weakened.

This would make it easier to redirect.

I lunged forward and embraced Kuna.

"AAAAAAAAAAH, gah"

Embracing her didn't bring Kuna back to her senses. I never expected it to.

I gripped Kuna's tails firmly.

Not the eight glowing tails, but the fluffy tails she originally had, the ones I loved.

Kuna's eyes widened in surprise. She trembled and screamed.

"To suddenly grab my tail, are you an idiot! You can only touch a fire fox's tail if you're a fox! No one else is allowed to touch it!"

Her voice was Kuna's usual voice, even though her eyes glowed crimson and her glowing tails floated behind her.

It was so typical of Kuna to come to her senses over something like this. I couldn't help but smile wryly.

"I know. But I'm the man who will become Kuna's husband. It's fine, right?"

I confirmed the warmth of Kuna in my arms and then released her.

"Souji, you idiot! What are you saying, and look at your injuries!"

Kuna looked at me in shock.

My body was gradually being eroded by Kuna's flames.

"I remember, the flames went wild, ah."

Kuna held her head.

Her return to her senses was temporary, and it seemed she would be overwhelmed by the flames again.

I gripped her tails firmly to bring her back.

"Don't just disappear. We're not done talking yet."

"Souji, my tails again!"

"Kuna is mine. So it's fine."

I stated firmly.

I wouldn't let go of Kuna.

"…At a time like this, w-well, I, again, …"

I gripped her tails even more firmly, trying to anchor her consciousness.

"Kuna, look at me! I'm using a magic that utilizes your corrupted magic. Look at the spell! See and master it, feel it in your skin!"

I shouted in Kuna's ear as I held her tightly.

Kuna was losing control due to the corrupted magic. Conversely, if she used it correctly and consumed it, she would return to normal.

"That's impossible, just seeing it, …"

"Do it, or I'll die."

This wasn't a joke. In forty-two seconds, I would run out of power and be burned to death by the flames.

"Run, please run, I can't, I, I, I'll go crazy again."

It seemed that even the method of gripping her tails to bring her back to her senses had reached its limit.

Kuna was so deeply affected by the corrupted magic.

"I won't run. I believe in you, Kuna."

I couldn't do more than show her how to use the magic close by.

I had been absorbing a little of the corrupted magic from the skin I had been holding and converting it into 【Golden Armor】 on the spot. This way, I could teach Kuna how to consume the magic while conserving my own corrupted magic.

【Golden Armor】 was just a temporary method of consuming corrupted magic.

I wanted to show her the correct way to use the corrupted magic, like Kuna did. This was the limit of what I could do now.

"No, no, it's impossible, impossible. Please, run, if you don't, you'll die, Souji."

"I'm prepared for that."

"I don't want to!"

Kuna shed tears.

"I love you! I love Souji! Please, don't make me kill the person I love."

Kuna kissed me.

A forceful kiss, pressing her lips against mine.

"At least I have a last memory. So, I'm okay. Please, live, Souji. If you die, I'll hate you for the rest of my life! If I kill you and survive, I'll kill myself right there! So, run."

Kuna's face turned to a tearful smile.

Her eyes were turning back into those of a beast.

"Knowing how Kuna feels, I'm even more determined to survive together."

This time, I kissed her.

Of course, I wasn't acting out of desperation.

In that kiss with Kuna, I saw our future.

【Golden Armor】 was not the correct way to use corrupted magic.

The correct way was to activate a specific factor and transform into something.

In Kuna's case, it was the form with eight glowing tails.

I couldn't use corrupted magic correctly because I didn't have such a factor. So, I tried to create a pseudo-factor and activate it.

However, it failed. I lacked the necessary information.

But now, with Kuna's kiss, her factor had entered my body, and I could use corrupted magic correctly.

"Mmm, mmm"

Kuna's eyes widened in surprise.

I pushed my tongue into Kuna's mouth and entwined it with hers.

The efficiency of magic absorption increased dramatically through mucous contact. I absorbed corrupted magic and Kuna's factor with all my might.

I modified it inside me, adapting it to me.

I converted the spell I had created to activate the pseudo-factor into one that would activate the modified factor.

Unprecedented speed of thought, unprecedented sense of fulfillment.

An impromptu, extremely difficult spell.

There was no way it would succeed. I had never succeeded before.

Still, I had the confidence that it would work.

That's why I was here.

I pulled my tongue out of Kuna's mouth.

"I understand, Kuna, everything."

Kuna was at her limit.

Completely filled with murderous intent. I stepped back from Kuna.

"I'll save Kuna with the power I received from her."

Now, I would use my magic.

The spell ran. Golden magic erupted from my body.

The factor I had received from Kuna and modified was activated.

A beast raged inside me.

This was the effect of the factor. But I wouldn't lose myself, as I could tame even miasma.

The spell was complete.

I would announce the name of this spell, loudly.

"【Silver Fire Fox】"

My hair turned silver. My eyes turned blue.

Silver flames erupted, and a light tail of condensed flames formed behind me.

It was the same as Kuna's current form.

"AAAAAAAAAAH"

Kuna's raging flames approached.

I didn't dodge.

The moment the flames touched my body, they dissipated, and I absorbed their power.

A nine-tailed fox was not about overwhelming firepower.

It was about controlling all flames. That was the essence of a nine-tailed fox.

As a silver fire fox, I could do that.

I walked to Kuna.

I touched Kuna's forehead.

Flames erupted from Kuna's body, as if expelling all the bad things, and the power spread out, eventually emptying the magic inside Kuna.

I had controlled even the flames inside Kuna.

Without corrupted magic, the nine-tailed transformation couldn't be maintained. Kuna's glowing tails disappeared.

The veil of golden flames cleared.

Kuna collapsed.

I caught her and carried her in a princess hold.

"Welcome back, my princess."

Then I hugged her tightly.

I was glad I hadn't lost her.

After a while, Kuna opened her eyes.

"Souji, I'm alive."

"We both survived."

"That's good. I'm glad Souji didn't die."

Kuna wrapped her arms around the back of my neck and cried.

I let her do as she pleased.

Next time, I'll teach her the nine-tailed transformation magic slowly.

As someone who can use 【Silver Fire Fox】, I can train Kuna.

It's not bad to be able to use the same magic as Kuna.

And later, I'll tease her about saying she loves me. I'm looking forward to seeing her reaction.

It's been a while, but here's the climax!

A miracle of the power of love!

Also, I've started a new work, so I'd be happy if you read it too.

The Rise of a Confectioner ~Genius Pastry Chef's Domain Management~

http://ncode.syosetu.com/n8558dd/