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Last Embryo Volume 2 Chapter 7 Part 13

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

The weapon in Minotaur’s hands wasn’t 『Labrys』– that was only a tool made for the express purpose of dragging the targets into the Labyrinth, and more of a ritual tool that had no use in the real battle whatsoever. It was 『Proto Keraunos』 ,the battle axe that held the most destructive power among the weapons associated with all of the Twelve Constellations.

Even now, while being kept in its dormant state, it emitted enough lightning-infused killing intent to make one think that it subsonsciously wanted to slash away and destroyed any human being it saw before it. Looking at it, Ayato was sure that if the Minotaur would be allowed to swing it even once, all of them would have been obliterated without a trace along with the rest of the Labyrinth.

Brushing the sweat away from her forehead, Ayato continued to observe the weapon in Asterio’s hand, intent on moving to intercept it as soon as she would see any signs of it being moved even for an inch.

(That Divine Weapon….! I never would have expected that he would be equipped with something like that! If he really decides to use it, I’ll have no choice but to finish him off in an instant, or else we will all be done for!)

The momentary relief that Ayato felt when she learned that Homura and others were safe after the Giant Spirit Train crash-landed in the Labyrinth had now been shattered into a million pieces.

Even if she was still her old self, Ayato was not sure if she would be able to do something fast enough to keep everyone safe. She glanced at her linked sword for a moment, but she knew that using it would amount to nothing, since the enemy would notice her swinging it right away and would in turn use his own Divine Weapon, and once that destructive force would be set in motion, even she would be unable to stop it in time.

Maybe if Suzuka tried to snatch that weapon away from him just like she did with Shen Gongbao’s Paopei, she might have had a chance at succeeding, since all she needed to do was to raise her right hand. From the looks of it that was exactly what was going through her mind right now, because she was moving her eyes all over him, searching for a good moment to use her Gift while sweating profusely, but before she could do anything, Scathach stopped her with her arm and shook her head, telling her to stop.

「W-Why?!」

「Whatever you thought of doing, just give up on it. Your trick won’t work unless it’s a surprise attack. If you try to steal his weapon now, you’ll just end up getting everyone dragged into and killed by your mistake.」

Although frank and deep-cutting, these were the honest words of restraint offered from someone who amassed a great deal of battle experience over the years of her long existence to someone who was completely green behind the ears when it came to the art of combat. Suzuka didn’t even know who that lady dressed like a butler was, but she instinctively knew that her words were true and void of any kind of malice, spoken instead out of genuine concern. Maybe it was because she was the oldest one among everyone gathered there, but something was telling her that it was totally beside the point. With her eyes widened with surprise, Suzuka swallowed the words she wanted to speak and withdrew her hand, which was already slightly raised.

As he set up his Divine Weapon, Asterios was looking at the faces of everyone in front of him to confirm them one by one. Ayato, Suzuka, Scathach… and then his gaze rested upon Homura.

(Could he be the one I’m looking for?)

Judging by his built and height, this boy couldn’t more than fifteen years old, so he should be of the same age as Asterios was right now. So he finally managed to find his target, but he was taken aback by how frighteningly weak his Spirit Rank was. Suddenly, he couldn’t help it ut to feel immensely disappointed. If you were to ask why, then it was probably because of how anticlimactic that meeting felt to him. Just by looking at that boy, it was apparent that nothing about him was particularily remarkable, to the point where all if would probably take to kill him would be a blow to the head from the weakest of Beastmen, or even the average resident of the island of Crete.

That was supposed to be the one who would grant him salvation? No, before he would worry about that, can he even unravel the mystery of his missing memories? Because to be honest, right now Asterios was unsure of pretty much anything regarding Saigo Homura.

Irritated, he fixed his gaze on him. For just the briefest of moments a thought of cutting him down then and there crossed his mind, it would probably be better for him to ask the things he wanted to ask him about before he would do anything he might end up regretting later. Worst case scenario, if he finds the answers given to him not to his liking, he will simply burn them all to cinders with his lightning, putting a swift end to this ridiculous Gift Game.

And so, he asked Saigo Homura his first and the last question.

「You there, Saigo Homura. Don’t you have anything you want to tell me… the Minotaur?」

He gave Homura permission to speak, but didn’t lower his weapon the entire time. He knew that he was not better that a lowly terrorist, but now was not the time to be lenient when the answers he wanted to hear could very well be within his grasp. But just to be sure, he already started to cover the battle axe’s blades with lightning, which shone brightly amidst the darkness that surrounded them.

Prepared for anything, Asterios quietly waited for the answer to his question.

However, Saigo Homura only looked at him with surprised eyes, but not because of Asterios’s question, since none of his words were even registered in his brain. It was because of his declaration that he was the Minotaur. That is why Homura’s face has been rigidly stern.

「Are you serious with me right now?」

He muttered the words which were unrelated to the question that was asked of him. In any other situation, Asterios would have swung his thunder down on him by now, but Homura’s confusion picked his interest, to the point where the Minotaur himself showed a puzzled face to them. Thinking back on it, that boy looked at him with strange eyes ever since he has revealed himself to them.

To put it simply, Homura was astonished by Asterios’ appearance. Asterios was worried about that too, and that’s why a part of him hoped that this boy might shed some light on that matter. Pouring more energy into the lightning he generated, he asked him again with a fiercer voice.

「What’s wrong? What do you know about me? Why have I taken this young appearance? Am I… am I not the Bull Monster, Asterios of Crete?!」

The true feelings that he was hiding inside of him spilled forward like a crushing wave.

He only had one thing that helped him identify himself as a legendary Minotaur: the memory of the roaring waves of the Mediterranean Sea, the cloudless sky and the landscape of chalk-colored city. The memory of those things was the only thing that he was confident in. But without knowing that this memory was truly his, he wouldn’t be able to talk about it with his chest puffed out proudly. That’s why he needed a definitive proof. He needed someone to confirm his own identity for him.

Maybe that was the salvation he so desperately needed? Deep down in his heart he showed a self-deprecating smile towards his own self who acted so bravely all the time. If this boy could provide him the answer he wanted to hear, then maybe he could even spare him from being devoured?

Well, what is your answer, Saigo Homura? That was the ultimatum his eyes were conveying to him. Homura noticed it of course, but didn’t want to give him an immediate answer, instead holding back his words with an unpleasant grimace on his face. When he was going through the sea of his own thoughts, he generally wasn’t registering what other people around him were saying to him, and he wasn’t asking anyone for their opinions or thoughts. He would simply stay silent until he would arrive at the answer that would be the most satisfying to him.

The earth was silently rumbling as the Labyrinth was gradually being filled with more and more lightning from various sources. Realizing that he doesn’t have as much time as he would have wanted, Homura raised his face and looked the Minotaur straight in the eyes.

「Asterios. What I’m about to may be frightening to you, but I need you to be calm and listen to me.」

Those were unexpected words, so much so that Ayato and the others also exchanged surprised looks between themselves. It was difficult for them to guess what Homura was suggesting, but he made it all clear when he uttered the final Winning Condition for this Gift Game.

『Erase the lightning』.

「Asterios… you are not the Minotaur.」

The very moment he spoke those words, the heartbeat of the man-eating monster began to resonate with the Labyrinth itself.