When I close my eyes, I can still see the unforgettable sight.
Blazing flames engulf the sky and the world. Ash falls upon the earth like snow, and steam clouds the vision.
"…To think Buldrokkas'tee would fall. You must have given him a fitting end."
Talulah, a woman with gray hair like spent ash and dragon horns, looked down at the man arrogantly.
With Buldrokkas'tee, the strongest force of Reunion, gone, no one in this city could kill her. That conviction was natural, but seeing the man holding a sword despite being covered in wounds made her frown.
"It was the end of an old friend."
The man said with a smile, as if he had no regrets about his death.
Black hair like the deep night sky, and platinum eyes shining vividly.
"And, I came here to grant the last request of that friend and your friends."
Request. Hearing that, a sneer touched Talulah‘s lips. To grant a request in that battered state? Impossible.
In the flames covering the earth, only Talulah, who cast the Arts, could stand unscathed. Ordinary people would surely die, clutching their throats unable to even breathe.
"You can't."
Flames lingered in the sky. Fire arrows spewed from the heavens poured down on Yujin.
Flames that an ordinary person couldn't even cope with.
Crack.
With a single swing, he cleared the flames. Starlight twinkled, revealing the night sky that had been hidden. The sword in his hand absorbed the light.
[Leader, no! If you fight in that condition...!]
He took out the noisy earpiece and threw it on the ground. He couldn't focus on anything else right now. Just bringing the enemy in front of him to her senses was overwhelming enough.
"…Hah, Ch'en. If you were going to ask a favor, you should have asked for something simpler."
Thinking of the woman with blue hair, Yujin swung his sword. Widespread flames swept across the ground, and fire surged like waves.
Waves of fire reaching dozens of meters high.
Whether fortunate or not, Yujin‘s goal was not to kill Talulah. It was just to bring her to her senses.
Boom!
Kicking off the ground, Yujin rushed forward. The waves of fire swept away surrounding buildings and terrain as they approached Yujin, and he gritted his teeth.
The earth burned, rocks melted. Standing buildings turned red and melted away.
Even with Arts protection, it was impossible for Yujin to face that head-on. His body wasn't in normal condition due to continuous battles.
But.
Yujin had more than one technique.
"…Fear neither hardship nor darkness."
Reciting his chivalry, Yujin grabbed a spear from the air. Seeing that spear, Talulah‘s eyes widened. She knew that spear well.
The spear wielded by Buldrokkas'tee, the Last Wendigo.
Yujin threw himself into the crimson flames. Others might have grabbed him by the collar asking if he was sane, but Yujin shattered the flames with a storm gathered at the spear tip.
"Silverlance Pegasus...!"
The monstrosity living in Talulah‘s body for hundreds of years twisted its face seeing the technique Yujin used. The waves of fire weren't the end. Hiding in the steam, she approached wielding a greatsword larger than herself, and fired a beam imbued with flames from her other hand.
It seemed impossible for Yujin, breaking through with a spear, to block it. But in that split second, Yujin drew his sword.
And responding to the beam, he swung his sword, and a mysterious song was heard. Immediately after the song, platinum Arts turned into light and shot at Talulah.
Talulah dodged the Arts turned into light, but her cheek was grazed slightly, drops of blood falling. Seeing that, she gritted her teeth.
He was an opponent she couldn't let her guard down against. If a little luck aligned, he was an opponent who could truly kill her.
Flames rose from beneath her feet. The flames blooming like flowers compressed small, then shot towards Yujin unavoidable from all directions, blooming flowers of fire.
No one had ever withstood this technique. Flames overlapped, burning Yujin‘s body, blooming into flowers. It seemed no human could escape that crimson purgatory.
The only problem was that Yujin wasn't an ordinary person either.
He elegantly cut through the flames erupting from all directions. Pursuing perfection, his sword, swung to respond from all directions, cut the purgatory. Seeing that, Talulah laughed hollowly and realized the existence of incongruity.
"…Right, so you were still alive."
Remnant of the old era, Hero of Babel.
■■■, who had seen him wearing a helmet from afar, closed his eyes. He couldn't forget even if he tried. When invading Kazdel during the civil war, there was one human who single-handedly destroyed the battleship made to strike the Nomadic City and thousands of troops.
That sight was a memory the empires wanted to forget.
"You've grown weak."
However, ■■■, remembering him swinging his sword, laughed. In the past, he would have easily cut Talulah‘s neck, but seeing him struggle even with such flames, his body wasn't normal. Then he must be killed here.
For the glory of Ursus.
The number of fireballs floating in the air increased and poured down. Without even swinging his sword, his footing diminished, tightening around Yujin. Like spreading a net on all sides and driving him into a corner.
Choice.
Eventually, he had to choose.
Fight like this until he collapsed from exhaustion, or break through head-on again.
Yujin inhaled. He only held a sword and a spear on his back, but he had to do it.
Because it was a promise with Yelena, and Ch'en‘s request.
Dodging all the fireballs, Yujin looked up at the sky. The ash-covered sky was filled with flames at some point. As the sky turned red, Yujin realized they were all fire arrows made of Talulah‘s Arts.
"…Haa, right. Gotta give something to get something."
Hundreds of fire arrows shot down, and Yujin broke through swinging his sword. No comrades to help, but he threw his body to approach somehow.
Arrows he couldn't dodge pierced him. Arms, legs. Shoulders. Arrows made of flame shone, and burning pain engulfed Yujin. Yujin gritted his teeth to the point of breaking them, advancing while swinging his sword.
But, when Yujin and Talulah finally stood face to face.
Talulah smiled.
"Thank you, for coming forward so I can cut your throat myself."
The heated greatsword swung. Yujin threw his body to dodge urgently, but it only slightly changed the position, and Talulah‘s greatsword embedded itself in Yujin‘s side.
"Guh, ughhh...!"
The sound of the heated greatsword burning flesh was heard. However, Talulah was close enough to look into each other's eyes.
"You...!"
Only then did ■■■ realize. Yujin had deliberately given his side to approach Talulah; he was aiming for something else.
"…Please, snap out of it—!"
Yujin‘s shout pierced ■■■'s ears. And, as Yujin‘s sword connected the constellations, it pierced Talulah‘s heart.
"…What are you thinking about so deeply?"
A sunbed on a widely stretched beach. Sitting there looking at the beach, Yujin handed a cold drink to Talulah, waking her from her reminiscence.
"Ah, Leader..."
"Is this Rhodes Island? Just speak comfortably. Call me by name."
On the beach, Yelena and Buldrokk were talking and splashing water. Eno and Sasha were building a huge sandcastle of unknown shape, and Misha and Alex were doing the same. Lyudmila was sleeping next to Talulah wearing sunglasses.
"Yujin."
"Yeah."
"I'm always grateful. For letting me see this scenery."
"…I don't know how many times I've heard thank you."
It would be normal for her to come to her senses and be imprisoned, but Yujin used a bit of his power to help Talulah.
Because of the Deathless Black Snake, both Ursus and Yan were almost turned upside down. Moreover, Yan, the victim, had a deep friendship with Yujin, so they barely let it slide.
...Ursus couldn't move because of Kazdel.
Reunion was disbanded, but those among the rioting Infected who crossed the line of no return were arrested. The executives were practically integrated into Rhodes Island since their abilities were outstanding.
She never thought she would regain such a sight and peace. The only future she envisioned was falling into hell and dying. It was the result of entrusting herself to an irreversible wave.
"As long as you're happy. Ch'en asked too."
That didn't erase Talulah‘s sins, so she did her best in her own way. As Yujin reached out to take a drink, Talulah suddenly reached out and held Yujin‘s hand.
"…Thank you."
Perhaps wanting to express her gratitude until the end, Talulah smiled brightly and suddenly interlaced her fingers with the hand she was holding. Yujin was a little flustered, but he felt a warm warmth from her hand.
"Stop it?"
Except for Ch'en, standing behind with slit eyes looking at Yujin and Talulah.
"Ch'en?"
"What are you doing? Are you two dating? Why are you holding hands and acting like lovers?"
Normally, it would sound like Ch'en growling at Yujin, but somehow those words seemed directed at Talulah, not Yujin. So when Yujin tried to pull his hand away, Talulah gripped harder, interlacing her fingers more tightly.
"Ch'en, whether we hold hands or not is none of your business."
"…Do you really think so?"
Two dragons' gazes clashed. Held by Talulah, Yujin lowered his eyes when suddenly his terminal rang, and checking it, he saw an email from Rhodes Island.
The content was.
Well, Amiya, the Doctor, Kal'tsit, and some personnel from Rhodes main ship were coming here.
When he told the news to Talulah and Ch'en, they glared at each other then turned their heads, seemingly displeased that Rhodes personnel were coming to Siesta.
"Sigh..."
Someday, everything will return to normal with time. Yujin just thought so and let it pass.
Everyone is alive and well now, isn't that enough?
As expected, Yujin liked happy endings.