Chapter 64

I'm sorry for the delay.

A sound of something being dragged out can be heard.

Reacting to the sound, Tia saw blood spurt from Elka and Arize's bodies.

"! Elka! Arize!"

Uncharacteristically, Tia's voice grew harsh.

She tried to rush over, but physical movement was her weakest point.

She would never make it in time to catch the two as they collapsed, but Blood moved instead, catching them in his arms.

"Blood! What about the two of them!?"

"Let me check!"

Blood, a versatile demon capable of using support magic, quickly analyzed their condition.

Though not a specialist, his analytical magic easily revealed their state.

"Their muscles are shredded... several internal organs are damaged. The heart is intact, which is a relief, but...! This is..."

While casting the light of his analysis on their bodies, Blood gasped.

A part of their brains, the same part, was damaged.

Elka's condition wasn't as severe, but Arize's injuries were visibly serious.

(If this continues...)

In this world, the brain is the most important organ.

If it is damaged, not only would bodily functions be impaired, but even the ability to harness magic would be lost.

While Elka might recover, Arize's injuries, even if healed by recovery magic, might leave lasting damage.

As Blood made this judgment, Tia was also examining their bodies.

Her magical eyes, which had just seen the threads of Merah, now saw none.

"They were pulled out...? If that happens..."

"Haha... hahaha! Serves you right!"

Merah burst into laughter.

She stood firmly on two feet, exuding a thick aura of magic.

Her chest wound was sealed, and except for the blood on her mouth and clothes, no one would think she was injured.

"You... I thought I destroyed your magic organs."

While casting high-level recovery magic on the two, Blood asked.

Those whose magic organs were destroyed should not be able to harness magic.

Yet, Merah's body was filled with magic, which Blood couldn't understand.

He had already turned a blind eye to the fact that she had more than one magic organ.

"Hehe... Well, I, or rather we, have all been experimented on. We've been injected with dozens of drugs, and in my case, I have an extra heart, lung, and magic organ. Isn't that amazing? I'm a monster now, aren't I?"

She was laughing.

It was a mad laugh, but there was a hint of sadness and pain in it.

"This unique magic, well, we got it by surviving an experiment based on a certain research result. It was really a matter of life and death. Oh, but Kagerou is a natural, right? Whatever."

While manipulating the marionette threads with her hands, Merah spoke.

The shocking background she revealed left Blood and Tia somewhat shaken.

"If I hadn't been picked up by Toshima, I don't even want to think about what would have happened. So, I fight for him!"

Merah placed her hand on the ground.

The overflowing magic formed a magic circle.

"Synthetic Beast Summoning!"

The ground shook.

Tia involuntarily trembled at the massive monster that appeared from the magic circle.

"I can't keep this thing inside me! I have to use summoning magic to bring it out! I rely on Toshima to manage it!"

The Chimera, a monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a snake's tail with venomous fangs, also had wings and a large tusk growing from its belly. It was a creature that could only be described as a monster.

Its front legs were so large that they could easily crush Blood and the others, and even a touch would render them combat ineffective.

"But, by breaking my limits, I can control this one."

Merah leaped up.

Standing on the Chimera's head, she placed her hand on it.

"Complete Puppet!"

『Gwoooooo!』

The Chimera let out a pained roar.

Threads overflowed from Merah's fingertips and entered the Chimera's head.

At the same time, threads began to entangle her body.

The threads increased in quantity until, in a literal sense, the Chimera's head and half of her body merged.

"I connected my brain directly to this one's nervous system. Now, I can control it like my own limbs."

"! Get out of the way!"

"Ack!"

The Chimera's arm swung.

Despite its size, it moved with astonishing speed and would have surely caught Tia.

However, Blood flew with her and the two injured, narrowly avoiding the arm's swing but not the wind pressure.

"Ugh..."

They were thrown into the muddy ground.

Thanks to Blood holding them, the three were unharmed, but he himself hit the ground hard and gasped for breath.

"Hahaha! Pathetic! Look... if you don't avoid, you'll die!"

Flames appeared in the Chimera's mouth.

Blood, barely able to breathe, clicked his tongue.

That flame, from the concentration of magic, had SS-level power.

Even he couldn't easily defend against it.

"...I'll do it."

But Tia was there.

Standing up, she began to chant.

"To counter it... this is the only way. O mighty water, source of all blessings and calamities, mother of water, pierce, strike, and shatter the calamity! Lend me your power, strike my enemy—Water God's Roar!"

A giant magic circle formed above Tia's head.

As the Chimera's flames were released, a torrent of water shot out from the magic circle.

The two collided in mid-air, producing a loud explosion.

"Ugh..."

"You're good! But... I can fire as many as I want!"

『Gwoooooo!』

"..."

The Chimera's mouth was already filled with the next flame.

Seeing this, Tia's face twisted in frustration.

Even with her magic, casting such a spell repeatedly would be too much.

But she had no choice.

One hit from the Chimera would mean instant death.

If Tia failed, all four would die.

"Come on! How long can you hold out... huh... what...?"

Just as she was about to fire the flames, Merah's movements suddenly stopped.

Her arm, which had been extended, gradually slowed down, as if her body was turning to stone.

"---Hmph, it finally took effect."

At that moment, Blood muttered.

Rising with a look of relief, he stood next to Tia and looked up at the Chimera.

"What... why... my body... is slow..."

"You can barely move now. I was worried when you merged with this big guy, but it's working, and that's what matters."

"?? What are you talking about?"

Of course, only Blood understood everything.

Merah, whose body was suddenly losing control, and Tia, her companion, were completely confused by the situation.

"When I first ambushed you, I stabbed you with this knife."

He pulled out a red knife.

It was a terrifyingly beautiful knife, glowing dark red as if it were drinking blood.

"This is the Coagulating Blade. Its surface is coated with a special poison that I infused with my magic, which I injected into your body during the ambush."

A drop of liquid fell from the knife.

It was a red liquid, but thinner and brighter than blood.

"This poison turns blood to stone. In small amounts, it only slows down the target's movements, but if I stab deeply and into the center of the body, as I did just now, it can easily turn all your blood to stone."

"A... a..."

Merah was already struggling to understand his words.

The Chimera, which she had been controlling, stopped moving completely and collapsed, unable to support itself.

"Unfortunately, you're done for. You probably can't hear me much anymore, can you?"

"..."

Merah could no longer speak.

However, her still-moving eyes caught the figure of a mage soldier at the edge of her vision.

A man was crawling out of a broken suit of armor.

His name was Lamer, the brother of the dying Merah, or rather, Armer, as she believed.

Even though the memories were implanted by magic, even now, Lamer was still looking at Merah with the eyes of a family member.

"Armer..."

He was in a terrible state.

The damage from Grain's kick must have been severe.

Despite bleeding from his mouth, Lamer called out her name, his sister's name.

Why is he looking at me with such eyes?

Even though I deceived him, even though I did terrible things.

Even though I messed up the beloved Arize.

Why is he looking at me with such kind eyes?

My sister is an illusion, my family is a lie.

But why?

Come to think of it...

The days I spent with them... weren't that bad.

If I were really her sister, it would have been nice.

Then I wouldn't have needed such power.

More like... a normal girl...

"Goodbye, monster tamer."

Above the fallen Chimera, the image of a girl reaching out as if seeking something remained.

Were there any Merah fans?