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Last Embryo Volume 2 Chapter 3 Part 3

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

「I see…. So you have no memory from when you were human?」

「I… I don’t know, and I guess it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, so feel free to think like that if you want, but know this: by the time I have turned into a monster, there was not a shred of intellect left in me. So if you say that this had to be the effect of the curse that was placed upon me since birth, then that is all there is to it. All that matters now is that a monster lie myself has been given only one role to fulfill in this Gift Game.」

「And that role was…?」

Jin asked while leaning his upper body closer to Asterios.

Asterios didn’t give him an immediate answer, and simply leaned against the wall and kept looking forward. Even though he was supposed to be one of the Hosts for that grand Gift Game, even for him it was still littered with mysteries and blank points, but that one thing he knew for sure, and so he recited the role that has been firmly embedded into the core of his very being.

「If you want to find your salvation, go and meet with Saigo Homura. That seems to be my main role in this Gift Game.」

That must have been the reason why both the Minotaur and 『The Bull of Heaven』 were both heading to where Saigo Homura was, even though they had to literally cross the entire world in order to find him. Since they were chosen as the 『Avatars of Taurus』 for this Gift Game, the had no choice but to do this no matter the cost. But when he finally spoke those words out loud, Asterios’ face became puzzled in the blink of an eye. Once again, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong with that statement.

He would have understood if his mission was to 「Meet with Saigo Homura if you want to reclaim your lost memories」, but it was not like that. But then, what was that 「If you want to find your salvation」 bit supposed to mean?

Since Gift Games were called Competitions Between Gods and Demons, there were quite a lot of instances when the goals or the conditions of the games proved to be rather unreasonable, but they always had to maintain the minimal amount of consistency, lest they would prove to be insurmountable for even the strongest and wittiest of competitors. However, it would seem that this Saigo Homura, a kid who lived in the 21^st century Japan in the outer world and the Minotaur who hailed from the ancient Greece were not related to each other at all, but that was not what Jin Russel was thinking. He was certain that there had to be some sort of connection between the two of them, so in order to figure that out he placed his hand on his chin and pondered about it with a focused look on his face and furrowed brows, and after a while he asked Asterios the flowing question:

「Saigo Homura… that is a name of one of the participants of this Gift Game, correct?」

「Yeah, at least as far as my knowledge goes.」

「I see. Thank you, that information might prove to be useful somewhere down the line. So, may I ask what are you going to do from now on?」

He glanced at him sharply before giving his answer.

「What other choice do I have but to continue the Game? I have no idea who this Saigo Homura guy is, but he is the only participant, so if I meet him, I might as well get a clue as to what happened to my memories and how to get them back.」

「And what if it won’t help you with anything?」

「Hmm? Then I’ll just kill him? I thought that much was obvious.」

Asterios slowly stood up, emitting enough murderous intent to make everything around him freeze in fear like it was nothing. That kind of pressure, being enough to make the various small animals and birds hiding amid the ruins flee in terror definitely wasn’t something a normal kid in his teens should be capable of generating. That was his aspect as a legendary monster, and a proof that even though he has regained his human body, his true nature didn’t not change at all. He might not look like a Bull Monster anymore, but the Minotaur inside of him was still very much alive, meaning that when he would finally meet his enemy, there was only one thing he could do to him.

「Are you planning to devour him? That Saigo Homura?」

「Yes. And it just so happens that I am extremely hungry. The last meal I ate was…what was it again? Those pigs from a few days ago? I mean, they didn’t taste bad or anything, but nothing beats a nice, still-warm human when it comes to taste.」

Using the leaves of the Water Tree until they were wrung dry, he threw the cup against the wall, smashing it to pieces. Jin also stood up, smiling kind of bitterly.

「A Man-eater eating domesticated animals? That’s gotta be a first time I’ve heard about something like that, but that can be a valuable experience in and out of itself. I wonder if that is supposed to be the last keyword?」

「What was that?」

「Nothing, just talking to myself. Well, I guess our meeting here can be called fate’s intervention, wouldn’t you agree? Anyway, if you’re going back to the Game, then feel free to take come of my companions along with you. They will be bothersome at times, but they are all reliable people who will definitely be useful to you.」

As Jin said so, the number of human presences around them has increased… no, they were probably there this entire time, but they were concealing themselves up until now. Noticing that he became surrounded from all sides, Asterios immediately brandished his battle axe.

From the looks of it, five more people were present within the ruins. He might not have been a genuine article, but Asterios was still one of the beasts of legend. He might have been exhausted after fleeing for his life, but even so he should still be able to sense those humans, but the fact that he was unable to do so until they have revealed themselves just now proved that they were no ordinary people either.

「Hmpf. Quite cautious, are we? Why have you taken so many bodyguards with you, if I may ask? Were you that afraid that I was going to devour you as well?」

「Was that not your intention when you first saw me?」

「Of course not. I may be considered a heartless Man-eater by everyone, but even I am not as barbaric as to simply devour the one who saved my life when I was this close to dying, since it would most definitely leave a foul taste in my mouth. That is why I am generously not going to do it, but I guess it doesn’t matter all that much now. Well, whatever.」

Asterios turned away from Jin, looking slightly disappointed.

「To my side, Pseudo Divinity of the Celestial Bull… 『PROTO KERAUNOS』!!!!」

As he screamed that name and raised his right hand into the air, a giant golden battle axe flew right into it from among the storm clouds high above. Initially it was too large for someone of his short stature to handle, but as soon as it touched his hand it began to shrink in order to adjust itself to the new size of its wielder. However, even if the weapon got considerably smaller than it was before, it didn’t mean that its divine power declined at all. Instead, it radiated a golden light and continued to create electrical sparks as if it wanted to bless its owner with whom it has been reunited. Also, now that the master and his weapon finally regained their true names, they would undoubtedly display the power beyond that possessed by the Minotaur in his monstrous form.

Resting the giant battle axe on his shoulder, Asterios directed his gaze towards the Great Tree in the distance… and towards the Underwood. Now that he has transformed into this smaller form he probably won’t need to be saved by anyone and won’t need anyone’s help in achieving his goal of retrieving his memories, which, as he suspected, might as well resolve itself on its own as long as the Gift Game progresses naturally to its next phases. All he had to do was to obediently fulfill the role he’s been given, and once he does that, he will no longer be bound by fate or duty, and he will finally be free.