"…Quick… leave… my side… the farther… the better…"
Crystal-clear tears streamed down uncontrollably. The girl's voice came in broken bursts, each word barely forming a coherent plea. Realizing she could no longer suppress her emotions or her magic, she desperately wanted Raize and everyone else in the house to stay as far away as possible.
Eu believed that, with his speed, Raize could obey.
She wanted to use her Words of Power to make herself vanish—but now, it was impossible. The magic and emotions she had suppressed for so long were no longer controllable.
Could Raize leave her? How could he ever leave!
"Eu!"
Though her eyes overflowed with countless emotions, Raize only saw the pain he least wanted to witness.
Ignoring the terrifying arcs of magical energy dancing across her body, he tightened his embrace around the nearly unclothed girl, activating his Reject Phenomena ability at maximum frequency on her.
Crack!
Squelch—!
Golden spiritual energy expanded, but dissipated continuously, failing to form a complete Reject Phenomena field. Holding Eu, Raize endured pain as if thousands of blades were slicing him simultaneously.
The dense, high-quality magical arcs on her body tore through his skin and muscles with ease.
The skin on his arms was shredded, exposing raw flesh and blood beneath.
"Ugh…"
Despite his contorted face and unbearable pain, he did not let go of Eu. Relentlessly, he used his powers, desperately trying to stabilize her.
His reckless persistence was seen clearly by Eu at such close range. Every inch of Raize's skin and flesh seemed to be tearing apart, as if his entire body had been tossed into a violent, grinding machine. The agony rivaled the cruelest torture.
After tearing his skin, it began ripping his flesh. Fortunately, his regenerative ability responded fiercely, countering the damage.
Skin healed only to tear again. Muscles snapped and then frantically regenerated. This cycle of destruction and rebirth was far more painful than the agony he had endured during the ghoul attack.
"It's useless… stop it! Let… go of me, you… will die, Aize!"
The magic raging within Eu caused her immense pain, but seeing Raize in such condition, she fought back with her remaining strength.
Yet Raize persisted, using healing and Reject Phenomena, even cutting his output in half.
Still, against Eu's magic—which seemed to reach the very root—it was like an ant squabbling before an elephant.
He felt utterly small before her overwhelming power.
Yet some things cannot be abandoned, no matter how impossible. He would not let go.
He could not let her suffer alone.
'Nep! Emergency! Is there any way to fix this!?'
Powerless, he called for backup.
Raize desperately reached out to Nep, who hadn't been online for a long time. The lazy, indifferent voice rang in his mind the next moment.
[Ah~ Trouble, huh? Let me save the game first]
Damn it, she's still playing games!?
[Relax~ Just a small problem. You can handle this girl yourself, no need for me]
Every wasted second made Raize endure agony akin to torture.
He didn't mind for himself, but he could not bear seeing the girl suffer.
'Ouch!! I can't handle this right now, I can't suppress it anymore!!'
[Idiot! Use your Kirby power to suck the magic! Your absorption ability takes priority over this necromancer]
Previously, Raize had relied on Haruna's magic transfer device to move Eu's magic. As long as she agreed, the magic could be safely transferred.
Moreover, Raize's constitution could handle her immense power.
But he had never tried it without the device—and the extreme pain had prevented him from thinking of it.
[How do I suck it? Eat Eu?!]
His face twisted in pain at the thought. Directly eating Eu was… disturbing.
[Dumbass! Use your mouth! You were teasing her just now, right? Mouth-to-mouth absorption! Start how you started it, finish how you finish it!]
[Or, if you want to suck somewhere else, that's fine too~]
Nep's tone carried a frustrated, almost motherly scolding, tinged with mischief.
But Raize could no longer care.
"Eu!"
Lifting her face, weakly struggling in his arms, Raize ignored her expression entirely. This time, he pressed his lips directly to hers, activating his absorption ability.
Magic on the verge of erupting throughout her body immediately surged into him.
Eu's small hands curled against his chest, gripping his tattered clothes. Her smooth, body was now fully exposed. The messy bed was spattered with Raize's blood.
In such a scene, their deep kiss appeared oddly eerie.
Yet the violent fluctuations of magic on Eu eventually subsided, flowing steadily into Raize.
---
In the pocket dimension used for training and research at Raize's home, Sei was teaching Asia to use holy power. Suddenly, green light emanated from Asia's hands.
As Asia focused on guiding the flow of holy power, her instructions resonated with the Twilight Healing within her, causing a transformation.
The light, brimming with vitality and healing energy, seemed contagious. From the outside, it appeared to dye Sei's silver hair deep green.
"Sister Sei, are you okay!?"
Seeing Sei enveloped in the light, Asia instinctively felt concern, despite seeing no signs of pain.
"…I'm fine. Your healing light doesn't have much destructive power."
"Then why does your expression…"
The strange, slightly displeased look on Sei's face made Asia think she was pretending, or annoyed by her clumsiness.
Though the green light carried no weight, she felt an inexplicable heaviness on her head. Strange. Her temper control was excellent; she didn't get angry lightly.
"I said I'm fine. Let's continue training. Today, you must learn the offensive application of holy power."
"Asia will do her best!"
Sei tilted her head in confusion: "Why does my head feel so heavy…"
---
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, brushing against Raize's eyelids.
The room's chaos from last night had vanished. Damage from Eu's magic surge had been fully repaired by Raize using Reject Phenomena.
Covered by a soft blanket, he lay on the bed. The silver hair of a small girl rested on his chest, reflecting sunlight beautifully.
"…"
Raize slowly opened his eyes. No morning haze—only complex, slightly bewildered emotions.
He stared blankly at the ceiling. Across his chest lay a petite, adorable silver-haired girl, completely naked.
Under the blanket, his hands still held her soft, smooth skin. He could not linger too much in thought—the magic within her was entirely inside him now.
Eu's delicate cheek pressed against him as she slept soundly for the first time, free of any power burden.
The mutual confession of feelings triggered by her illness, along with last night's events, had changed their relationship.
Don't misunderstand—Raize hadn't crossed any boundaries.
Eu's out-of-control emotions and magic forced his absorption. Already weakened by illness, she fell asleep after her power was drawn out.
Yet she still clung tightly to his restored clothes. Unable to leave and unwilling to let go, Raize remained by her side.
He hadn't slept all night, merely closing his eyes while constantly monitoring her condition.
Now, seeing her sleep peacefully on his chest like an infant, he recalled the pain etched on her face last night.
Guilt weighed heavily—he had caused her magic surge and suffering.