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Last Embryo Volume 4 Chapter 7 Part 6

「The two of you still have a role to play in saving the world. That 「Astra」 that you unleashed against me just now was truly magnificent, exactly as I expected. As I thought, a nameless girl who is not even able to command an 「Astra」 on her own is going to be a much better sacrifice than you. So, what do you say? Will you join me in my attempt to save the world from ruination? This is the last time I am going to ask you this. If you still refuse to cooperate. . . . then I am afraid that I am going to have to ask you not to get in my way if you do not want to get hurt.」

「And I am afraid that I am going to have to turn that offer of yours down. Got it memorized? I refuse.」

「Since we are already talking about it, then it is exactly the same for me. If you really wanted to convince us to join your side and help you save the world, you should have just asked us about it without hiding anything, I guarantee that would have achieved a better result. However, not only did you tried to have those youngsters make a decision so difficult that it might have scarred them both for life if they have decided to go through with it, but when they showed reluctance to go through with what you planned you not only wanted to kill those albino girls yourself, but your eyes looked like they were laughing about it the entire time, and I absolutely cannot accept that! Human life and death are not the things that any God should be laughing about!」

That was what Orpheus noticed immediately when Krishna was talking with Izayoi and Homura. Even though he was trying to make himself look like someone who was only doing what was necessary to ensure the survival of the human race, the look in his eyes – while too subtle to be immediately noticed by anyone who was not well-versed in the art of reading the emotions of the people from the changes in their facial features and body language – was a clear indication that killing the two Albino girls under the guise of sacrificing them to prevent the ruination of humanity would bring him unparalleled amounts of joy. That was all the proof that Orpheus needed to know that whoever or whatever the thing in front of them was, it needed to be eliminated right here and now before it could cause any more harm than it already did, meaning that the battle would be unavoidable.

The body of Parashurama’s host was nearing the limits of what it could endure and it was still plagued by a high fever since it was not all that long since the operation that saved her life has been finished, but even when she was in such a weakened state, she should still be about three times more powerful than Orpheus in his current incarnation was, which made her the best possible companion to rely on in the face of this Krishna-impersonating monstrosity.

Neither of them knew what was the alternative that Saigo Homura supposedly came up with and how he was intending to implement it, but no matter what kind of fate awaited him, when he was declaring that he has indeed found an alternative solution he had the look of someone who had absolute faith in his idea and possessed the willingness to confront it head on. But to think that these two brothers were willing to face the threat of the Great Eruption all by themselves. . . no matter how you looked at it, this might be too much even for someone like them to handle.

「I see. Well, when you put it like that, I guess it really cannot be helped. But I really think that such an outcome is an incredible shame.」

A black wind blows along the coast. Overflowing from Heracles’ body with raging howls, it swirls and coils around like a mass of shadowy snakes, ready to bite their poisonous fangs into anything that would dare cross their way.

「Heracles’ body. . . . the time we have spend together was incredibly short, but I thank you for the support you have given me. You have fulfilled your job most splendidly. But before I part with you, there is one other thing you are going to help me with.」

「Oh fu. . . . . . . . .!!!」
The black wind spreads over their entire field of vision and covers it completely, but instead of targeting them, it blew right past them and headed straight towards the forest where Izayoi and Homura fled into.

This development has caught a surprised Orpheus completely off guard, and he shouted:

「This is totally not what I was expecting! I never would have thought that he would be able to utilize his own powers so effectively after possessing Heracles!」

「If you have the time to be yapping that mouth of yours, then look in front of you first!」

Orpheus turned back away from Parashurama, only to see a fist that emanated enough pressure to crush rivers and mountains to dust right in front of him. Even though Heracles’ body has become that of a boy, that fist of his could still kill Orpheus seven times over. By making a wall of threads in front of him to act as cushioning, he was able to change its trajectory so that it missed him by going slightly to the right, but its shockwave broke the cliff seven miles away from them cleanly in half and revealed its underground bedrock. If his threads were not made from Nemean Lion’s hair, the one who would have been split cleanly in half would definitely be him.

「Such monstrous strength! So he was like that ever since he was a kid!?」

「As expected of a Demigod fathered by the King of the Gods himself. His is a strength capable of killing Gods and even Spirits, but it must have made it especially hard for him to live with a body like that when he was a kid, since he ended up accidentally killing a number of those who would teach him how to fight.」

He is the strongest Demigod in Greek mythology. . . no, the whole of Europe. He is a hero who has fought evenly with the Spirits and even the real Giants. There is literally nothing 「normal」 or 「average」about him. But now his flaxen-colored hair is dyed jet black, which gives off a dark light. His appearance of a fair Greek youth was nowhere to be seen anymore. And when he saw that a giant club has materialized in his hands, Orpheus grimaced in extreme displeasure.

「Khh. . . I am glad that he is not using the Star Bow in his rejuvenated form, but he might still be a bit much for just you and me.」

「We just have to buy time, there is no need for us to defeat him. Although with the body of my host still being sick, that might actually be the struggle to the death. With that in mind, I am counting on you being my backup, youngling.」

She gave Orpheus a slap on the back, but his eyes were saying that right now he would have preferred to be anywhere but here. He was already buying time by engaging in conversation with this fake Krishna, but if he has to do so in battle as well. . . now that might be a tad difficult. But even so, they have no choice but to give it their all.

Staring at the other end of the forest, Parashurama was reminded of something.

「Is the sacrifice of this girl’s life truly necessary for the good of the humankind?!」

The words that she unintentionally spoke on the rainy night of her battle with Sakamaki Izayoi, when she angerly spat that question at him: is the sacrifice of this girl’s life going to have any meaning? Unfortunately, it would seem that her sacrifice has a meaning to it after all, but Parashurama still believed that accepting it, along with the girl’s cruel and painful past would be too ruthless of a thing to do. It was just so tragic that she wanted to save her, not as a 「Hero Slayer」, not as a 「Decayer of Injustice」, but simply as a woman named Parashurama.

(Young ones. It does not matter whether it is right or wrong. What really matters. . . is that you should always do your best, no matter what kind of adversity you are facing. If you can promise me just that. . . then I promise to dedicate all of my anger and rage at the world’s injustice to you!)

The first thing to do now was to eradicate this blight on mankind off the face of the earth. Readying her bloody battle axe, Parashurama slowly calmed down and adjusted her breathing. . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . and pointed its double-sided blades at the monster in front of her.