Chapter 93

Blood spears aimed at Flamm from all directions. At first, she was bewildered by the unpredictable attacks, but gradually adapted. Once she got used to it, she tried to approach Otilie while barely avoiding the attacks. However, Otilie did not close the distance; she continued to launch blood blades from a distance. The fine cuts on Flamm's body and the blood that had invaded her system steadily drained her strength. Otilie had said that a Slaughter Rule user could cancel it, but Flamm, at least for now, did not know how. Therefore, every time her movements slowed, she had no choice but to sever the affected parts.

"Your body is just like a lizard's tail, isn't it?"

Flamm wished for a cuter analogy, but there was no time for such thoughts. She jumped to the right to avoid a spear thrusting from below and leaned back to dodge another one aimed at her from the side as she landed. Then, a blood snake bite from Otilie approached from the front.

"Ugh, Gravity Reversal!"

Kicking the ground, Flamm's body floated up gently.

"You're quite nimble."

Flamm ran along the ceiling and approached Otilie. Spears emerged from the floor beneath her feet, but she dodged them lightly while moving forward. She could avoid the attacks if she noticed the slight bulge in the veins spread across the walls before the attack. However, it became difficult to handle when overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

"Do you think you can do anything just by getting closer?"

"I'll show you!"

Kicking the ceiling and simultaneously canceling Gravity Reversal, Flamm fell to the floor and delivered a powerful blow with her full weight. *Gagon!* The destructive force gouged the floor several meters ahead, but it did not hit the agile Otilie. Flamm slammed her Soul Eater into the floor and then swept her feet to target Otilie's legs.

"Your heavy attacks... leave a large opening."

Otilie took a step back to avoid it. The moment she landed, she leaped again and immediately approached Flamm. Flamm, wondering why Otilie did not release a blood snake bite, sheathed her Soul Eater. She spun with the momentum of swinging her greatsword and blocked Otilie's broadsword with the wrist part of her gauntlet. The strong impact numbed her left hand. Blood veins spread across her gauntlet, but before they reached her skin, Flamm used the Epic equipment's characteristic to temporarily deactivate it. Seeing Flamm about to draw her Soul Eater from the subspace, Otilie retreated with a pained expression.

"Full-body Epic equipment—how envious I am."

"Want to try it?"

"I'll pass, I don't want to be cursed to death."

From her voice and actions, Flamm sensed a slight anxiety. Her eyes had lost some of their fanaticism, and a hint of sanity was visible. Flamm was the one being cornered, but she noticed the cause in Otilie's hand. The remaining blood in the cartridge. It was only visible in part, hidden in Otilie's hand, but it had decreased to about a quarter of its initial full capacity. Otilie might have several cartridges for long battles, but she had come to stop Flamm without much preparation. It was hard to believe she had prepared thoroughly. Moreover, she had used a powerful technique like Red Snake Bind, which must have been exhausting. She must have intended to finish Flamm off long ago, but Flamm was unexpectedly resilient. One of the main reasons was that she had severed and neutralized the parts of her body that were immobilized by the Slaughter Rule.

"Miss, please give me your strength...!"

So, Otilie was engaging in close combat to conserve blood. Therefore, Flamm did not actively attack. She aimed for Otilie to run out of ammunition and deflected the attacks with ease. She parried sharp thrusts with her Soul Eater and crouched to avoid a horizontal slash aimed at her neck. She then body-checked Otilie, disrupting her stance. As Flamm raised her greatsword to deliver a finishing blow, blood spears shot out from the floor, targeting her neck. She dropped her sword and backflipped to escape the predicament. Without a moment to rest, sharp thrusts from the walls attacked her. She backflipped twice, three times, and finally escaped the range of Red Snake Bind, gripping her greatsword.

Otilie, who had quickly regained her stance, immediately launched blood blades. Flamm froze them and shattered them, then countered with a horizontal air sword slash. Otilie met it with another Red Snake Bind, and the two forces collided in mid-air, canceling each other out. Immediately after, the two advanced, clashing with the black greatsword and the silver broadsword.

*Gagin!* Sparks flew as the blades collided. They glared at each other, faces inches apart.

"Chimera will be here soon. If you keep delaying like this, you won't be able to escape."

Otilie's arms trembled slightly. Normally, with her superior stats, she should have the advantage. But the opponent was a greatsword, and Flamm had enhanced her strength to a similar level with Prana. The difference in weight was gradually pushing her back.

"Since only those under house arrest are coming, the higher-ups might not fully understand the situation here."

"That's not the case with Miss Annette!"

"Are you sure? She can be quite dense sometimes."

"I won't tolerate insults to Miss Annette!"

"It's not an insult, it's a fact. She didn't even realize your true feelings until I told her."

"That... that...!"

It seemed Otilie also knew that Annette had some dense aspects. Perhaps to her, even those parts were cute. Regardless, that hesitation was a significant change that could break the balance.

"Haahaaa!"

Flamm's hands tightened with power. Otilie was pushed back and stumbled. Flamm did not miss this opportunity. She swept her sword in a straight line, radiating a blade of air. The invisible force approached Otilie, a timing that human reflexes could never match. But she responded with superhuman reflexes, leaning back quickly. The air sword slash grazed her abdomen but did not cause a significant wound. Otilie, rising to her feet, smiled and leaned forward to approach Flamm. But Flamm's lips also curved into a smile, revealing her unguarded stance.

Otilie felt a chill and sensed the killing intent from behind, turning around in a flash.

"Could it be, the trajectory reversed—!?"

*Zashu!* Otilie's white military uniform was torn, and her body flew through the air. The material seemed to have excellent anti-blade properties, preventing her from being cut in half, but the impact must have been considerable.

"Ugh... gah..."

Otilie, lying on the floor, groaned in pain. Her voice eventually faded, and she stopped moving. She seemed to have fainted. The red veins on the walls also disappeared. Seeing Otilie fall, Flamm felt a bit relieved. Perhaps she had understood a little of the pain she had inflicted on Flamm.

"Haa... I might be able to escape this time. Milkit, Sera, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

"No, I'm sorry for not being much help."

"That's fine, just being here gives me strength."

Flamm patted Milkit's head. Her chest was filled with warmth at the sight of her master, who was the same as before losing her memory.

"I'm useless and can't help at all..."

"Helping me during the Chimera attack was enough."

"No, I'll work harder to become stronger!"

"But for now, let's focus on escaping."

"I understand, we're escaping through the window at the top of the stairs, let's hurry!"

The distance to their destination was not far. This time, all three ran on their own feet, racing up the stairs.

◇◇◇

Otilie, left alone in the corridor.

"...sama..."

She heard the fading footsteps of the three people leaving.

"...o...sama..."

If it were for herself, being knocked out by an attack could be excused. But she had tried to stop Flamm for a different reason.

"...onee...sama..."

For Annette. For her beloved Annette. For the one person she loved more than anything in the world. For the only existence more precious than all the elements that make up the world, because that person wished it—

"Haha... hahaha... hahahaha!"

She laughed and wobbled to her feet. The cartridge's blood supply was almost depleted. She could no longer use powerful techniques.

"I still have blood."

But it wasn't just the blood in the cartridge that could be used. In battle, using one's own blood from wounds was not uncommon.

"Thinking of offering it to Miss Annette, the pain... becomes... pleasure!"

Otilie slashed her own wrist with her sword. A gush of blood drenched the silver blade.

"Devour, Blood Realm Snake."

A blood blade, far larger than a blood snake bite, was released from her swinging sword. It changed shape like a snake, writhing and pursuing the fleeing Flamm.

"I won't let you escape... for the future of Miss Annette and me... hahaha, hahahahaha!"

Her laughter echoed through the battle-damaged corridor. She slowly ascended the stairs, trailing blood from her fingertips, in pursuit of Flamm.

◇◇◇

"...!?"

Flamm, sensing something, turned around. The destination was in sight; they just needed to jump out of the window and reach the rendezvous point to escape. Even if Otilie pursued them, they could outrun her. There was no need to stop—

"Miss, let's go!"

"...She's coming!"

"Huh?"

*Goooh!* A blood blade, more like a dragon than a snake, appeared, writhing in red.

"Such persistence, even now!?"

"Her determination might be unmatched in the world."

Flamm pulled out the hilt of her Soul Eater and gripped it with both hands at waist level. She stared straight at the approaching Blood Realm Snake, drawing it closer—

"Haah!"

She exhaled sharply and drew her sword. *Zushaaa!* The blood snake was bisected.

"Ugh, ooooooh!"

She held the blade, which was being pushed back, with sheer willpower, enduring until the tail was severed. After completely cutting it in half, Flamm relaxed for a moment. The two halves of the Blood Realm Snake, still retaining their power, turned and latched onto her back.

"Master!"

Milkit called out and rushed to intervene, but her speed was not enough.

"Ugh, inheriting your persistence!?"

She suppressed the blood snakes with the flat of her Soul Eater's blade. She tried to freeze them to stop their movement, but the force was too great to fully freeze. However, their movement was slowed—Flamm generated a large amount of Prana, poured it into the blade from both hands, and made it explode.

"Ooooooh!"

*Booooh!* Energy exploded around Flamm, and the wind howled. Milkit, caught in the violent air currents, cried out and covered her face with her hands.

"Haa... haa..."

Flamm, breathing heavily, had expended a lot of energy but successfully eliminated the Blood Realm Snake. Thinking this time she could escape, she heard Otilie's voice.

"Hehehe... hmm, hahaha... onee-sama... onee-samaaaa..."

There stood Otilie, bleeding profusely, almost to the point of death. She had cut her other wrist as well, dripping blood onto her blade. Her hollow eyes locked onto Flamm. She smiled and, with a speed and sharpness that belied her wobbling body, cut her sword in a cross.

"Yoru, mun, gan, dooo."

Two blood snakes, larger than before, opened their mouths and lunged at Flamm.

"Are you really crazy!?"

She knew it, but still, she couldn't help but say it. This woman was insane. Flamm slammed her Soul Eater into the ground and tried to blow the snakes away with an air sword storm. The output was too different; she managed to reduce their momentum but not enough to stop them.

"Ha, haaa!"

She followed up with two consecutive air sword slashes. Each one tried to bisect the snakes, but they lost power and disappeared after cutting a third of their bodies.

"Stop it, ooooooh!"

She cut her sword in a cross, stopping the blades in mid-air. At the center—where the blades intersected—she thrust the tip, creating a circular Prana shield. It was a shield. She didn't intend to counter; it was enough to temporarily deflect Otilie's attacks. She prayed it would hold and braced her legs, ready for the attack.

*Ba-ziiii!* The snakes and the shield collided, sending sparks flying.

"Ugh... uuuu..."

Flamm continuously poured Prana into the shield to reinforce it. But Otilie's power gradually pushed through the blade.

"Ugh... aaaa..."

She poured freezing power into it. Part of it froze and shattered from the impact with Prana, but it wasn't enough to stop it all. She poured burning power into it. The shield's surface was enveloped in flames, evaporating the blood, but it still wasn't enough. Then, she poured all her strength into it. She reversed the force coming at her and drained it. She felt the impact. Just a little more, just a little more, if Flamm could just exert more power—

"Ughaaaaa... aaaa!"

That was the roar. She was aware she was doing something reckless. But her body told her, "This is all you can do." She was used to pushing herself to the limit; she had to do it to survive. And she would likely have to overcome many more limits in the future. She didn't like it. She hated being tired, in pain, and suffering. That was Flamm Apricot.

"Master...!"

But there was something she had to protect. There was an opponent she had to defeat. *Ba-ziiii!* A sound like a snap in her head. Part of her must have blown away. Memories flooded in. Not all of them, mostly vague, but one thing was clear. There was an enemy. An enemy targeting her, causing trouble for everyone, and standing arrogantly in her way. She couldn't afford to lose until she defeated that enemy—until she won against the god and secured a peaceful, carefree life.

"Ko-no-noooooooh!"

More Prana poured into the shield. *Ba-chi-chi-chi!* Bright sparks flew, and the head of the blood snake, which was about to touch Flamm's arm, evaporated and disappeared. It wasn't just that. The body of the snake approaching her began to bubble and gradually vaporize, shrinking—

"Haa... haa... fuu..."

With a *juu* sound, it completely vanished. Flamm's hands went limp. Her arms hung down, and her Soul Eater fell to the ground, disintegrating into particles just before it hit. Otilie was in a similar state, seemingly unable to move. But the killing intent had not disappeared. Despite being exhausted, Flamm's spirit was not broken.

"Yoru"

The broadsword was raised high.

"Mun"

The blood dripping from it stained the sleeve of her military uniform to the shoulder.

"Gan"

Was she about to use that powerful technique again? Flamm was not about to be defeated easily. She pulled out the hilt of her Soul Eater and gripped it with her trembling right hand. But if Otilie could release one more attack, it would be impossible to stop.

In front of her—Milkit stood with her arms spread wide.

"What... are you... doing?"

"Milkit, what are you doing!?"

She looked at Otilie with a determined gaze and declared,

"If I can save Master's life, I'll gladly give up my own."

"No... Milkit..."

"No, the one who can't is you. I can't bear a world without Master!"

It was a clear fact, felt even more acutely after being separated. Even knowing she was alive, it had been so painful. If Flamm left her behind, she couldn't accept it. She would probably lose all hope and commit suicide. It would be far more meaningful to use her life for her master.

"..."

Seeing Milkit's stance, Otilie's movements stopped. Then, a *zashu* sound, and an arrow, seemingly from nowhere, pierced her hand holding the sword.

"Ah...!?"

Her eyes widened in shock. Already beyond her physical limits, Otilie lost consciousness from the impact and collapsed. She had been in a location invisible from outside the castle, but the arrow had entered through a window, bent, and changed its trajectory to pierce her hand. Such a miraculous shot could only be done by one person. One person, but Flamm couldn't remember the name.

"Let's escape while we can!"

Well, she could remember it later. Flamm whispered "Thank you" in Milkit's ear, who blushed and smiled, and carried her. They jumped out of the window