Chapter 18. Metia Destruction Battle (V)
"Why?"
Beatrice looked at Pandora, who was smiling kindly, and instinctively asked the doubt in her heart. This was understandable; the time was too short, and the woman should have been outside.
"Hehe, it seems I startled you, my apologies. Please rest assured. Those two brothers are currently safe, it's just that their injuries don't permit them to continue fighting."
"Is that so?"
"I also don't wish for unnecessary sacrifices to occur. You think so too, right? If you retreat now, everything can still be salvaged, okay, whether it's the cat-boy brothers or your most important contractor."
"What did you do to Subaru?"
"I didn't do anything. I just temporarily awakened the intense love a certain man held in his heart for his wife."
Instantly understanding the meaning of the words, Beatrice took all her effort to suppress the urge to turn and flee.
She looked at the huge Metia behind Pandora, recalling the people who had risked their lives all the way here.
"Actually, you don't need to be so wary of me. I'm willing to coexist peacefully with you.
Your technique is outstanding, but your Mana seems to be an issue, right? After all, you chose to use barriers and isolation magic against me just now.
Although it successfully helped everyone escape my influence, the more correct approach should have been to use barriers on everyone, right?
After all, if I were immune to your magic effects, then all of you would have been wiped out just now."
Pandora stated with certainty.
"It must be very hard to have this Mana deficiency as a Great Spirit.
After all, just your existence as a Great Spirit consumes a lot of Mana, so you must constantly conserve it. If you had enough Mana, you could have chosen a safer method just now, you wouldn't need your contractor to cover your retreat, and you could save those cat-boy brothers right now…"
Pandora hung her head in profound sadness.
Beatrice instinctively knew that the Witch before her was genuinely pitying her. Realizing this, Beatrice felt that every word Pandora spoke resonated deeply with her.
"Oh, how about you come with me? If you follow me, I can help you solve this problem. My Mana capacity would also allow you to fully demonstrate the strength a Great Spirit ought to possess."
Pandora's cheerful tone made Beatrice feel enlightened as well. She looked at Pandora's outstretched hand with a conflicted expression.
"What's wrong?"
"No. I have already formed a contract with Subaru. I want to help him."
"But having more Mana would allow you to help him better, right? I won't deny your desire to help someone important to you. Even if you formed a contract with me, you could still help him. In fact, wouldn't forming a contract with me allow you to help him better?"
"That's right, to help Subaru I need…"
???
"Minya!!!"
Beatrice launched her strongest attack magic at the confused Pandora.
Only after seeing Pandora shatter into purple fragments did Beatrice finally calm down, then began to pant violently. The recent events in her mind sent shivers down her spine, but what terrified her more was:
—Subaru!!!
Beatrice realized she could no longer draw Mana from Subaru through their contract. Although there were many possibilities, based on the current situation, Beatrice understood that Subaru's life force was too weak to produce Mana.
"Why would you suddenly do something so terrible? We were just beginning to understand each other."
Beatrice looked up sharply. Pandora was asking, tilting her head in confusion.
"Let's talk to each other again... What did you do!?"
Pandora stopped and turned her head. The gigantic Metia behind her was groaning, and then the Mana within the entire Metia began to run wild.
"It seems I underestimated you! But bad children who destroy public property must be punished."
Pandora raised her hand, preparing to attack, just as...
"Wu wa~~~"
An interference wave struck Pandora from the air, then shattered the ground.
-
-
-
—City Hall Second Floor—
"Me, what have I done!"
Wilhelm looked distraught.
Confused memories began to surface in his mind: Pandora actively revealing she killed his beloved wife, Pandora revealing she made his beloved wife's corpse into a puppet to fight, and then being driven by rage to swing his sword while recalling his wife, 'then killing the enemy who was swinging a sword at his beloved wife'.
Wilhelm stared blankly at the enemy impaled by the sharp sword in his hand. Subaru's fresh blood was sliding down the blade, dripping onto the ground.
"I, I, what have I done!"
"Wilhel…m-san… did nothing wrong, you were just… controlled."
"Sir Subaru! Wait, I'll take you to Ferris immediately."
Subaru shook his head, then used his last bit of strength to point behind Wilhelm. Wilhelm turned his head and saw Crusch, who was heavily wounded but still intercepting Theresia, fell silent for a moment, then gently put Subaru down, picked up Subaru's dropped sword, and nodded to Subaru.
Subaru watched Wilhelm's footsteps move away. Subaru forced a wry smile, looking at the crimson blood on the ground. For the first time in a long time, he heard the Witch's whispers. His vision was darkening. Subaru understood that death was imminent.
Boom~~~~
Hearing the final loud noise, Subaru completely succumbed to the darkness.
The shattered ceiling stopped the fight on the second floor. The first to land on the ground was Ferris, holding Tivey and Hetaro.
"Lady Crusch, please take care of your body."
"Ferris, quickly treat Lord Subaru."
"That's right, this was caused by a possessor of the Divine Protection of the Reaper. Wait, Mimi being here means you, Ferris."
"Although I'm very unwilling, Ferris-chan used a forbidden method! To allow her to act recklessly!"
"#¥%%"
Mimi seemed to want to say something, but being severely injured and forcibly using an interference wave far beyond her usual level caused her to violently vomit blood the moment she opened her mouth.
"What's wrong?"
Beatrice, who landed last, didn't need an answer, as she had already seen Subaru's condition.
She flew quickly to Subaru's side, a blue light flickering in her hands.
The slightly delayed Ferris also arrived next to Subaru. He pulled the sword from Subaru's chest, and the healing magic in his hand, powerful enough to resurrect the dead, shone once more. The wounds inflicted by Wilhelm healed at a visible speed.
"I see. So, because of the Divine Protection of Triplet, she sensed her brothers' danger, woke up, and rushed here forcefully? Truly an admirable older sister. You don't need to be so wary of me. The Metia has been destroyed, and we no longer have a reason to continue fighting."
Crusch tightened her grip on her sword, looking at Pandora, but sensing her own side's condition, she ultimately plunged her sword into the ground and stared at Pandora.
"A wise judgment. I hope that the next time we meet, I can achieve a result that satisfies us both."
In just an instant, Pandora vanished without a trace.
Before everyone could sigh in relief, the ground suddenly began to shake, and then a torrent, slightly lower than the buildings, rushed in and swallowed the City Hall.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting