Accompanied by the rapid gunfire, the corpses attempting to crawl out from beneath the earth were shattered one after another.
"Necromancy... I see."
Akatsuki Gajou muttered while fending off the incessantly emerging dead.
'I was wondering how the barrier was broken. It seems the bodies were buried here long before we arrived.'
As the dense, clattering sound of chains faded behind him, the spatial turbulence settled into calm.
"Quite the spectacle."
Akatsuki Gajou surveyed the churned-up ground and stroked his chin.
Those chains wreathed in golden light were also one of the signature traits of the 'Gap Witch'.
Space suddenly warped, and a wave of dizziness washed over his mind.
The surroundings changed in an instant; the expansive grassy field was replaced by a narrow, earthy passageway.
Gathering his senses after the spatial transfer, Akatsuki Gajou looked ahead.
Across from him, a boy stained with blood lay collapsed beside an ice coffin.
--+--
The explosion came without warning. Swept up by the blast wave, Akatsuki Kujou, clutching his younger sister, hurried through the underground ruins.
"Miss Liana, which way now?"
The ribs on his right side seemed injured from the explosion, waves of pain throbbing in his mind.
Unnoticed by the boy, a crimson stain was slowly seeping through the fabric on his chest.
"We've reached the deepest area we've explored."
Liana pointed inside the stone chamber. There stood a massive stone door, seamless and with no visible means of opening it.
Crouching on either side of her were two fierce beasts.
The giant wolves with golden and silver sheens held their heads high, clearly not ordinary creatures.
"They are my familiars. No matter how many terrorists come, as long as they are here, the enemy absolutely cannot harm either of you. Please rest assured."
As if to comfort Kujou, Liana offered a smile.
"Terrorists? Why would terrorists attack?"
"...Likely for the ruins."
"What exactly is inside these ruins?"
"...The Fourth Primogenitor."
With that, Liana stood and walked towards the entrance, clearly unwilling to say more.
Akatsuki was about to press further, but the chillingly cold body of his sister in his arms robbed him of any thought for other matters.
Nagisa, who was usually so talkative, hadn't uttered a single word since entering the ruins.
"Nagisa?"
He squeezed a hoarse sound from his throat, softly calling his sister's name.
But there was no response.
Akatsuki Nagisa walked dazedly out of Akatsuki's embrace, her wide, dilated pupils fixed emotionlessly on the stone chamber's door.
Her lips moved, and an unfamiliar, foreign language spilled from her mouth.
She seemed to be conversing with someone using that tongue.
Akatsuki Nagisa slowly stepped forward.
Then, the enormous, heavy stone door vanished before their eyes without warning.
At the far end of the room beyond, a massive block of ice emanated a chilling cold.
Inside that ice coffin slept a petite figure.
A girl about the same height as Akatsuki Nagisa.
Her skin was pale and translucent, her youthful features so perfect they seemed inhuman, her faint golden hair reflecting a rainbow-like shimmer.
"The Fourth Primogenitor—Kaleid Blood."
An unfamiliar man's voice uttered in awe.
"Destroying you will further enhance the fame of the Black Death Emperor faction."
It was a voice Akatsuki had never heard before.
Looking back, a tall, pitch black beastman was gripping Liana's neck, slowly lifting her.
The golden and silver giant wolves struggled to rise from nearby and lunged at the beastman.
The pitch black beastman held a firearm in his other hand, his eyes glinting with cold killing intent.
The still-smoking muzzle aimed at Akatsuki Nagisa, who stood before the ice coffin.
"The legend of the Kaleid Blood ends here. We of the Black Death Emperor faction shall become great once more."
Amid the gunshot, Akatsuki threw himself toward his sister.
The muzzle spitting flame, the biting cold, the terrifying killing intent.
Everything around him seemed to slow down inexplicably; he could even see the bullet flying through the air.
Is this... my life flashing before my eyes?
He really didn't want to see this—the proverbial flashback supposedly seen just before death.
Akatsuki Kujou gently closed his eyes, ready to embrace his demise.
'At least let me not look too awful in death.'
Just before his eyelids shut completely, a flash of gold entered his vision.
Golden hair, crimson eyes. A white dress over a blue undershirt.
That noble, pristine silhouette had appeared within these underground ruins.
"The Fifth Primogenitor...?"
The fired bullets were deflected one by one by chains. The beastman, now himself entangled in chains, let out a cry of dismay. Why was the Fifth Primogenitor here?
The hem of her dress swayed slightly as the princess walked forward calmly.
Everyone present stifled their sounds at that moment; such a noble presence must not be disturbed by noise.
Brunestud glanced at the fallen Akatsuki Kujou, then shifted her gaze to the ice coffin not far away.
The Fourth Primogenitor, Avrora.
Akatsuki Nagisa's eyes fluttered open slowly. The sight of the princess nearly made her gasp aloud.
But her attention was immediately captured by her fallen brother.
"Kujou..."
The girl looked at her brother with worry.
"Don't worry, he's fine."
Trimmau, wearing a nurse's cap on her head, knelt beside Akatsuki Kujou, intently examining his injuries.
Her copy of 'Primary Rescue Techniques' gleamed brightly beside her.
A few seconds later, as if seeing something surprising, Trimmau's eyes widened. "Master."
Brunestud's blood-red eyes swept over Akatsuki Kujou. Two unusual ribs within his right chest came into her view.
These are... the ribs of the Fourth Primogenitor?
"Akatsuki Nagisa, come here."
Akatsuki Nagisa glanced around uneasily, then pointed at herself.
With a slight push from Trimmau, the girl walked over to stand before Brunestud.
A slender finger pressed against her forehead, making her flinch and close her eyes fearfully.
But they snapped open again.
Her waist-length raven black hair swayed gently. Her wide-open eyes now blazed with fiery light.
Then, a terrifying cold enveloped the interior of the ruins.
"So you've awakened after all."
Brunestud swung her arm, her fair palm landing lightly on the girl's body.
Mindful of it being Nagisa's body, she held back her strength somewhat.
Boom—
Billowing dust clouded everyone's vision.
Within the warped space, Natsuki Minamiya's figure appeared on another part of the island.
Behind her, the others lay scattered haphazardly on the ground.
'How typically capricious of Her Highness.'
"Thou..."
Nagisa, transformed into 'Root Avrora', furrowed her brow in confusion.
"We have never heard of a Fifth Primogenitor."
A massive, translucent figure, clear as a glacier, materialized behind her.
Its upper body resembled a human female, the lower body a fish tail, with wings growing from its back and sharp, hooked talons like a bird of prey.
An ice mermaid, or perhaps a monstrous bird—a shimmering, mirage-like phantom summoned from another world.
"Come forth swiftly—Alrescha-Glacies!"
Perfect.
Brunestud watched the familiar summoned by Avrora with keen interest.
Well then, let the experiment begin.
Pairs of eyeballs materialized in the void.
They hovered in the air, swaying slightly, scanning their surroundings.
Then, as one, they fixed their gaze upon the manifested ice mermaid.
A sense of eeriness welled up; whether it was psychological or a warning from her intuition, a deep winter chill began to erode into 'Root Avrora' as well.
Her petite shoulders shuddered, and she gave a slight tremble.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.