3 bar menu

Chapter 61 Part 1 – The power of the God of Combat pierces through the darkness. And Alisa starts to move.

Sensing the waves coming from the battle far away, Alisa laughed toward the night sky.

「…… Ahaha, what a beautiful moonlit night. As expected from my rival in love. Even after borrowing the body of the young Bradd, his strength is still there. Fufufu, I feel so thrilled to the point that I want to give him a kiss. Too bad though, if it’s just Addis alone, that would not make the battle fun enough.」

It was a compliment to 「him」 who defeated one of the Seven Phantoms, Addis the Faceless, with a single blow.
Her lips curve up in an arc at the thought of her resurrected rival.

Alisa cheerfully strolled through the garden at night with a lovely, fairy-like gait.

Soon it will be time for the ball to begin at Countess Rosenthal’s mansion.
Most of the invited guests are already inside the mansion, eagerly awaiting the start of the party. Because of the large number of participants, the carriages and attendants are lined up in a waiting area a short distance away from the front entrance in order to avoid overcrowding.

The garden is located behind the mansion, so there is no one else there at the moment.
Alisa alone reigned in the garden like a young queen.
Rows and rows of topiaries that were trimmed in the shapes of animals stretched their shadows from the moonlight and waited upon Alisa.
The scene strangely suited Alisa.
No matter what kind of scene it is, even if there is no one else around her, she will become the protagonist in all of it.
Alisa has such an overwhelming aura around her.

「…… Fufufu, that side seems more fun than this ball. But I was even more enthralled by Scarlet’s fight right before this one. Even a beast can say that the strong will win. Humans are fascinating because the weak can win through their ingenuity. The law of the jungle …… Rebellion against that law of nature is the act of humans.」

Alisa looked up at the delicate blue moon in the night sky and stretched out her hands.

「That act will one day lift a man to the moon.」

Thinking of a distant future that no one else in this world could see, Alisa squinted like a cat.

「Addis. You should learn from this lesson. The distinction between the strong and the weak that you are so obsessed with is meaningless. After all, whether you are strong or weak, a defeat is a defeat. …… Fufu, it seems that 「he」 has beaten you up very badly. Now, I wonder how the Blue Diamond of Doom will react to that ultimate warrior. I’m sure it will want to unleash the true nature of Addis’s six-armed demon monkey in order to test 「him」.」

With the brightly-lit mansion behind her, Alisa giggled.

「Ahahaha!! Addis, under the light of that cursed diamond, expose your grotesque appearance in all its glory. No matter how ugly you are, I will love you as long as you remember that you are a warrior. But if 「he」 breaks your spirit and you end up being reduced to a frightened livestock …… At that time, I will kill you with my own hands.」

Then Alisa murmured softly.

「…… Ahh, the Ruby of God’s Eye and the Blue Diamond of Doom. Tonight, the two jewels are shining brightly and resonating to each other. Just like me and Scarlet. Fufu, the Resonance of Fate. …… Solomon named it well. But that appellation doesn’t belong to Scarlet and the Five Heroes. It is only befitting for the two of us ……」

The moon is no longer reflected in Alisa’s eyes as she spoke enigmatically.
She was staring far beyond it, into the abyss of the universe.
Her eyes were not like her usual ruthless blue eyes. They had the color of exuberant, transparent flames.

「…… Now, let’s raise the curtain. Let us make this battle ours and ours alone. …… I will not let god or fate stand in the way.」

Then, after staring into the void, she showed her usual sneer.

「Scarlet. You are the successor chosen by the ruby. Then you should know the hidden side of the True Emperor. …… The True Emperor was not just a human king who unified the continent. He was also a leader that had subdued the inhabitants of darkness. Darkness is created by man …… The Seven Phantoms are the children created due to him. They are pitiful beings that failed to become the king. That is why I dance with them. Fufufu. Because I feel sorry for them.」

As the hem of her blue dress swayed, Alisa played with the faint moonlight.
Her blond hair danced with every step she took.

「So, follow me. Children of darkness. I will give you a meaning for your existence.」

The gargoyle stone statues set up around the mansion watched over Alisa. If they were alive, if their wings could move, they would have flown down to Alisa’s feet and held up their spears and shields to show their allegiance.
The children of darkness can sensitively discern the scent of their leader.
Alisa knows this better than anyone.

「…… Light and darkness revolve around me and Scarlet. We are the guidepost between day and night. For those who have fallen into the darkness, the light is even more dazzling. That is why the children of darkness cannot remain indifferent. The same is true for the Seven Phantoms. Whether they hate you or are attracted to you, they will have strong feelings for you. How will you respond to them? Now that you have the ruby, you can no longer escape that fate. I’m truly looking forward to it.」

And then Alisa let out a terrifying laughter.

「…… Ahh, my hateful, lovely Scarlet. I think of you so much that I can’t take it anymore. I know that it’s ahead of schedule, but I’m going to go see you right now. Fufu, first I’m going to hug you as hard as I can, then …… I wonder what kind of expressions the Seven Phantoms will have when I suddenly appear. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of ad-libs you guys can come up with …… to add to the fun.」

◇

Good evening, everyone.
My name is Scarlet Ruby Noel Lingard, the main character of this story.
I have to keep this short. And so, I’ll omit the self-introduction.

Who is 「he」? The one that suddenly appeared while borrowing Bradd’s body.
「His」 fighting style is very similar to that of the〈Lawless Crew〉.
Of course, 「his」 fighting style is also similar to the son of the chief, Bradd.
In fact, 「his」 personality and tone of voice are just like the current Bradd. If that’s the case, then ……!!
At that moment, I realized that I had been clenching my fists until it’s sweaty and opened my palms.

…… Wait, wait, calm down, me. Don’t get emotional. Let’s calm down and think it through.
First, take a deep breath. Inhale, exhale, inhale ……

「What are you doing? Did you like the hu hu, haa breathing?」

「He」 asked me curiously.
I’m telling you that that’s a breathing technique for pregnant women!!　

「Do you want to do it together?」

Why should you do it!!
This part of 「him」 is just like the current Bradd!! Good grief.

……………

First of all, 「he」 is not the taciturn adult Bradd who killed me in the previous 「108 times」.
「His」 personality and strength are completely different.

But I have another life other than the previous 「108 times」 that I don’t remember.
She is me, but she is also not me. The life of the unidentified lady, 「that girl」.
If 「he」 is Bradd in 「that girl’s」 life, then wouldn’t it all make sense ……

Since 「he」 came out, I’ve been feeling a kind of heartrending sadness that makes my chest tighten.
And for some reason, I can’t calm down.
It reminds me of when I met 「that girl」 inside my heart.
She cried while telling me that 「he」 would surely help me.
Her feelings were conveyed to me.
It’s exactly the same feeling that resonated with me at that time.