Ram remembers everything being engulfed in flames.
The calm, stagnant, decadent days came to an abrupt end.
In the face of that insane violence, the titles of the strongest demi-race, the most feared in the village, the most feared village chief, the most loved child meant nothing.
Ram was slow in comprehending the spread of the carnage.
In this case though it may be more fitting to praise the attackers’ skill.
They were people that were abhorred, shunned, and persecuted by the world. Hence, they knew how to lurk in the darkness, hide traces of their existence, stay silent, and sneak up on their victims.
Once the oni villagers sensed the change of the mana in the atmosphere it was too late.
In the first moments of the attack half of the villagers had been cut down. Of the half that remained less than half could fight back. Out of that half that could fight back only half could sense the urgency of the situation, the other half simply dismissed the situation believing their senses to be mistaken.
The villagers' minds had been rotted by peace and tranquility.
The oni, were once called the strongest demi-humans, it was even said that if they had participated in the Demi-Human War the Kingdom of Lugunica would have been defeated. Even if such a historical 'what if' had happened, the oni surely would not have been able to achieve that much.
In any case, the half of the villagers who survived the first moments of the raid were further reduced to half by in the following moments.
Fire now rose from various parts of the village, screams echoed throughout the village, now all of the villagers could sense that something was wrong. However, only two of them even realized that the demon tribe was going to be destroyed at this rate.
Village Elder: [Ram! Get out of here! As long as you're alive…..!]
As the elder gave his order his two horns grew and every muscle in his body bulged.
The elder ran out of the house carrying a large sword, as Ram was tearing through numerous attackers. The elder ordered Ram to live not because the elder was worried about Ram. It was because the elder believed that Ram was the glorious future of the oni village. The former glory of the demon tribe, the return of the "Oni God" who reigned supreme in the age of the "witches". That was the role that the elder wanted the child prodigy Ram to play, and it was probably his fervent wish as the last chief of the oni race who long had forgotten to fight.
Ram: [Ha!]
Ram felt like snickering and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Ram had no intention of following the chief’s orders. Ram had already given up on her own people long ago.
Ram: [The glory of the oni is ...]
Nonsense. Complete and utter nonsense.
The fact that the purest blood of the oni race flowed within her was horrifying.
Indeed, if she desires power, her blood would boil, and an exuberance would take over her entire body, filling her with an omnipotence like none other. In fact, if Ram grew up healthy, that sense of omnipotence could have become real.
But Ram did not want that.
Rather than pretending to be a child of the Oni God, Ram wanted to choose her own future.
It was far more worthwhile than being hailed as the second coming of the Oni God, than living a lifetime as an idol, clinging to glory that had already died out.
She wanted to live live as a ■■ of ■■.
Ram: [.....]
Focusing on her forehead, a horn composed of mana began to take shape.
Ram's perceptions became greatly magnified, taking over the vision of all the living beings around her, giving her a perfect view of what was happening in the small village.
The enemy was numerous and besieged the village to keep any oni from escaping.
The villagers were slow to respond at the beginning, and only half of them were able to put up any kind of resistance, but even that was already reduced to a number that could be counted on one hand, and the oni tribe's willpower seemed to be in short supply.
The elders put up a hard fight, but the enemies gathered there were quite skilled, and the elders were quite outnumbered
Ram: ['■■.]'
Wrapped by wind covering her small body, Ram runs through the village..
The only thing on her lips and in her mind is her beloved one and only ■■. It doesn't mean that Ram is heartless.It's just that she is following her heart.
Ram’s parents had been killed in the first moments of the assault. There was no way to save them now.
Ram never hated her parents.
However, Ram did believe that both of them, for better or worse, were oni who were born in this village, grew up in this village, and chose to die in this village, and were unconsciously accepting the destruction of the village.
Therefore, it was also a kind of an inevitability that they would lose their lives on this night.
However--.
Ram: [That doesn't mean I won't return the favor.]
A black shadow stands in the way, the enemy wore a black robe covering it from head to toe and pointed a crucifix shaped sword at her, Ram unleashes a blade made of wind.
Did the enemy underestimate ther as a child, was it just a lack of ability?
Unable to catch Ram's wind blade, the black shadows were cut down one after another. Ram fought as if she was dancing in the flames, clad in a dress of wind. It might have looked like a beautiful dance.
But in reality, with every swing of her arm, she takes a life, and every time she makes someone disappear, a dark pleasure cries out in her young heart. It howls and rages for more blood.
Take blood, flesh, bone, soul, and life, the inner thoughts demanded.
What in the world is so wonderful about this is beyond Ram's comprehension.
None of the elders or her parents can understand it. None of the elders or her parents can understand what this is all about, and they are not interested in giving Ram any other role than being Ram.
It's as if the horn has taken over her.
Without a firm sense of self, Ram’s personality would have been easily swallowed and destroyed, and she would have become the reincarnation of the Oni God as desired by those around her.
But that was not the case.Because--.
■■ :[Ram!]
A high-pitched voice called out to her, and Ram turns around to see ■■ illuminated by flames.
A moment later, a gushing wind blew away a swarm of black shadows, kicking them away in a single breath.
Then Ram hurriedly headed over to ■■.
'Ram: [■■■......]
The frightened look in her eyes, the lack of strength in her legs, ■■ slumped on the spot.
Ram reached out her hand to her beloved ■■ and tried to get her to stand up. Ram must do what the elder wanted, Ram must survive. But not alone, Ram must also survive with ■■.
This was the moment.
As Ram made sure that ■■ was safe, there was a disturbance in the air.
By the time Ram noticed, Ram was surrounded and it was difficult to make an escape route. If Ram was alone, it wasn't impossible. But if Ram could survive alone, it would be no different than dying.
Ram had to save ■■ somehow.
To do so, Ram had to break free of the shackles on her power and bring upon a raging wind against her enemies.
Ram: [....]
Ram must have been distracted.
The black shadow that was scraped by Ram’s blade of wind, landed a blow on Ram’s head. Ram’s version blurred as she recoiled from the impact, experiencing an intense sense of loss.
A white horn flew, spinning around and around into the red night, illuminated by the flames that consumed the village.
Ram realized that it was her horn, and her thin throat screamed in pain and loss.
Screaming, but at the same time, Ram realized.
She couldn't hear that voice that had been eating away at Ram since she was born.
Oh, it was so easy, she thought, and her own stupidity made her crazy.
It finally broke.
That is what Ram thought.
△▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼.
Using 'Clairvoyance' Ram could see that the black ground dragon was running away from Ley.
On the ground dragon’s back was a girl who should have been Ram’s important half.
The half that she couldn't remember, which was missing and left only a gaping hole in her memory..
Ram: [Rem.]
Ram's heart began to rage as she realized what her vision had meant.
It was annoying to admit, but thanks to Subaru, Ram was able to use the power she had long thought was lost to her, to overwhelm the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, Ley Batenkaitos.
Ram had countless opportunities to kill Ley.
But the nature of the troublesome Authority of Gluttony, the power to feed on the 'memories' and 'names' of others, made Ram hesitate to take the blasphemer's life with impunity. It was not a decision of mercy, but of necessity. But consequences are consequences. As a result, Ley used his authority to escape from Ram's presence and went to attack Rem.
Ley’s aim was clear, he was convinced that he couldn't beat Ram in a proper fight. Ley had fought Ram head on, and realized how much of a disadvantage he was at, he decided to retreat and make a change of tactics.
The Sin Archbishops are not noble warriors.They are beings who only act greedily to fulfill their own desires; they have no reason to care about how they win. Therefore, Ley’s plan to take vengeance on Ram for humiliating him was to stall for time for Ram to succumb to fatigue. This plan was all thanks to the memory of Ram that Ley had stolen from Rem.
That strategy is, infuriatingly, the optimal solution. If Rem can be held in custody, Ram can easily be neutralized.
Taking any more time would greatly reduce the strength of her side. With each passing moment, the chances of victory diminish.
So....
Ram: [I need to catch up with Patrasche as soon as possible.]
Fortunately, Patrasche, who was carrying Rem, is a smart ground dragon and one of the most reliable members of Ram’s camp, second only to Julius in terms of reliability. Subaru and Beatrice are about even, there are many unknowns when it comes to Echidna and Meili, Ram couldn’t remember enough about Emilia to judge her properly.
However complicating matters was that Ley was clearly toying with Patrasche.
Where Ley could have cornered them any time he wanted to, Ley was clearly holding back, and enjoying the thrill of the hunt. All for the sake of sharing this with Ram and burning this scene into her head. Ram can not let him do whatever he wants any more….
Ram: [Ah!]
It was at this moment that Ram’s vision blurred as she tried to take the spiral staircase to the upper floor, and for a moment, her 'Clairvoyance' was undone. With her right eye reflecting Ley's vision, Ram maintained her own vision with her left eye, but her view was still blurry.
That's not all. A heavy sense of exhaustion, a feeling of discomfort and pain that she hadn't felt earlier, discomfort and pain of her internal organs being scratched by an invisible hand, had begun to plague Ram.
Some of the burden that Subaru had been carrying on Ram’s behalf was slowly coming back to Ram. The price Ram was supposed to pay for removing her shackles had finally come due.
What comes to mind instantly is the possibility that Subaru died an unceremonious death.
But it can be judged differently based on the lightness of the load bouncing back to Ram herself. It was only for a few minutes, but considering the power that Ram has drawn out, the cost should be much higher.
It should be the kind of suffering that would make her literally vomit blood and thrash around. The fact that this didn't happen means that although an unforeseen event did happen, it wasn't the reason to believe Subaru was dead.
It is possible that Subaru had to take on someone else’s burden. Subaru may have been put into a position where taking someone else’s burden was more urgent than taking on Ram’s burden.
Ram: [Lady Beatrice, or Meili, or the knight Julius: ......]
That is all Ram could come up with but it was pointless to find an answer to her question.
What matters now is that Ram is much weaker then she was when she earlier fought Ley.. In terms of shackles, only one that can be removed.
It might be possible to remove up to a second one if she forced it, but that might last only a few seconds.
So, is it possible to beat Ley Batenkaitos?
Ram: [Why am I wavering? I have to do something to win.]
Her camp's chances of victory are diminishing.
Once again, Ram runs up the spiral staircase with the goal of chasing down her sister’s pursuer.
△▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼.
Patrasche: [Hmph.]
Ley: [Ha ha ha! That's really nice! Don't work too hard, you ground dragon!]
Ley praised the black ground dragon as it sprinted down the narrow passage, its scales wounded by the dagger Ley had thrown at him.
.
Blood flowed painfully from its gouged wounds, but the ground dragon continued to flee, making sure not to drop its precious cargo.
The 'Divine Protection of Wind Evasion' is a trait that all ground dragons possess.
As long as that ground dragon continues to run, it ignores most of the external factors such as the wind or air resistance.This benefit extends to the chariot connected to the ground dragon and the rider on its back. Thus was the reason that the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ had not been shaken off yet. If it weren't for that, the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ would have fallen into the hands of Ley by now.
Ley: [Good, great, amazing, spectacular! It's a good thing that you don't stop running even when I try to stop you. If you stop running, the wind evasion protection is lifted, so I can understand why you are so desperate!]
Patrasche: [Hmph!]
Ley: [I like you ground dragon. You are a hard worker and loyal to your master. If you were human, you'd be the one I Gourmet would be drooling over! But, but, but, but, but, but, but! Sadly, ground dragon doesn’t go well with my belly!]
It has a will, it has a soul, it has a 'memory', it has a 'name'. But the fact is that the Authority of Gluttony can only be used on humans. Therefore, Ley cannot savor the ground dragon that is this desperate, hardworking, and daring to stand up against an unstoppable enemy in the same way he would a human.
It looks so delicious, Ley’s mouth drips with drool, but he can't eat the ground dragon. It's as if it were a meal painted by a supreme artist. You can’t eat a cake you paint onto a painting.
Ley: ['Ah, that's it! It's totally that! When you're hungry you can't help yourself! Such a picture of food that looks so delicious is killing me. Isn't this child abuse?]
As he chases the sprinting ground dragon, he spews out a clump of blood stuck in the back of his nose.
His face was crushed in the last battle, and the fundus of his left eye was shattered or his left eyeball was rumbling. His fangs are broken, his tongue is ripped open, and the incessant flow of blood wets his lower jaw, but it all doesn't matter.
Ley is thrilled to think that Ram is looking at this scene right now.
Ley: [My sister is…]
A clean, noble, perfect, impeccably complete being.
That's the appeal of the 'memory' that lies within Ley, and he thinks it's a justified assessment after being almost killed without being able to give a hand or foot.
For Ram who was going all out, Ley cannot stand up to her. No, perhaps any of the Sin Archbishops would fall to Ram’s full power. Only maybe Regulus would have been able to compete with her with the absoluteness of his authority, but...
Ley: [Well, there's no way that idiot could have killed my sister. If she couldn't kill him, she wouldn't have killed him, she would have him thrown down by the great waterfall and be done with it.]
Even if you can't kill Regulus, there are plenty of ways to contain him.
Just like the Witch of Envy couldn't be killed even by the hands of the Three Heros, and was still trapped in the shrine.
In other words.
Ley: [If I’m going to entertain my most perfect sister, I better for prepare for it.]
Looking out his wobbly left eye, Ley's face forms a gruesome smile that drips blood.
Ley: [As your sister, I have to grow up without shame]'
With a growing sense of duty, Ley pulls out his own ‘memory’. The Authority of Gluttony has an ability called ‘Eclipse’. That ability can be divided into two more abilities, ‘Solar Eclipse’ and ‘Lunar Eclipse’. They are very difficult to use.
The main function of ‘Lunar Eclipse’ is for Ley to browse through a variety of memories and combine them into techniques.
‘Solar Eclipse’ on the other hand transforms the user’s body to the body that belonged to the owner of the memories the user was attempting to use. Naturally, the body of the owner of the original technique is stronger.
However, when you change your body to someone else's, there is a risk that you might lose your sense of self, which could greatly impact you in the future. For this reason, Ley and Roy don't use ‘Solar Eclipse’ often unless they were backed into a corner.
Lei Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard mainly use "Lunar Eclipse".
Louis Arneb mainly uses "Solar Eclipse", it's a move that she can easily use because she doesn't have her own body and doesn't have a sense of self.
However, the moment he recreated the teleporter Dorkell with ‘Solar Eclipse’ to survive his battle with Ram, Lei had overcome his fear. He found a way to use ‘Solar Eclipse’, which he had been avoiding for out of fear of losing himself, and to maintain a firm grip on his sense of self. He can now taste the main dish of his opponent's life more perfectly and without waste.
Ley: [Growing up in the middle of a battle is something that would never happen to the old me. Haha! This is a masterpiece! Right, sister!]
It's a refreshing feeling to have established a strong ego.
Ley wants his wonderful sister to get a proper look at this.To that end, Ley must choose a method that angers her more.
The smell of anger, the taste of anger, the texture of anger, the full course of anger.
What in the world is a Gourmet if you don't enjoy everything you experience from your beloved to the fullest? Ley began to question the “self” sleeping atop the ground dragon in front of him.
Ley: [Come to think of it, I've never done this before. I wonder if killing my ‘self’ by myself would be another way to discover new values?]
Patrasche: [Hmph!]
Within the blink of an eye, the distance between Ley and Patrasche closes.
The ground dragon grunts in astonishment by the appearance of Ley, who should have been behind her, and tries to run right past Ley without stopping.
Ley: [Palm of the Fist King!]
A fist strike stabs into the ground dragon's side.
Normally, that attack would be fired from the dwarf body of Ley, but not now, for Ley, who was awakened by being at the verge of death, was breaking out of his shell and gaining a new power. Neiji Rockhart's original body pierced the earth dragon's torso with an impact.
The Palm of the Fist King, was a technique that had vanquished many on Gladiator Island.
After being hit by it, Patrasche let out a wail and was violently slammed into the wall of the passageway. However, while falling down, Patrasche continued to protect the girl on her back from the fist, from the wall, from the floor, and from her own huge body.
She took the falling girl’s body softly with her outstretched tail and lowered it to the floor of the passage.
She was supposed to be a female, but her handling was smart enough to make all gentlemen want to emulate it.
Even Ley couldn't help but applaud.
Ley: [Amazing! Even though you have gently laid that girl down, I'm going to chop off her head to give it to my sister as a gift.]
Patrasche: [Hmph!]
Ley: [Here is an award for a job well done.]
Ley kicks Patrasche's lower jaw as she tries to bite him. She falls to her side.
Her hard work may bring tears to Ley’s eyes, but, unfortunately, Ley and Patrasche are enemies. Although they can praise each other for their good fight, they can't look up to the same victorious sky. If one side wins, the other side loses. Sadly, that's the way reality is.
Ley: ['Take that! Come on! Hey! Hey! Is that all you got! }
With every word spoken Ley slams a kick into the black ground dragon.
The cheekbones and paws were shattered and the stone-faced Patrashe should now have a lesson learned with pain.Fortunately, Ley doesn't eat the ground dragon's 'memory'. Therefore, there is no reason to take its life. Ley wants her to remember today's events..
Ley: [For my sister, your precious Rem, at the hands of Rem.]
Ram: [Don't say anything more disturbing.]
Ley is immediately stricken by Ram, her two boots driven in Ley’s face. Ley slides on the floor with his back..
Ley: [Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You finally caught up with me, sister. I ...... ah? Us ...... us ......? Rem’s been waiting for you.]
Slowly, Ley rose from his prone position, using only the strength of his legs.
Ram glares a Ley’s face. Ram had never seen that face before.
Ram: [You've gotten a lot uglier in a short amount of time.]
△▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼
Ram: [You've gotten a lot uglier in a short amount of time.]
That was Ram's honest opinion as she had finally caught up to Ley.
With Ley out of sight, Ram dragged her body in an exhausted state up the spiral staircase and rushed to the scene, trusting that Patrasche could stall for time.
On the fourth floor, some distance away from the spiral staircase, in that passage, she found the ground dragon, injured, and Rem lying beside it.
And the one that was In front of Rem..
Ley: [Ugly, sister, that's terrible. We love you so much, so much, so much! I've been thinking about you sister, and I've been thinking about her.]
Ley’s tone of voice was unsettling, his rhythms unsettling, and his thoughts disorganized in a thousand ways, his words and actions.
It would have been obvious to Ram, no, it would have been obvious to everyone at a glance, that this was the cause of a mental abnormality.
Because Ley’s appearance was greatly distorted.
Ram: [....].
It should have been Ley’s trump card that he most recently unveiled, that he had the ability to transform his body to copy the shape and form of his victims that he had stolen ‘memories’ from.
However the form in front of Ram's eyes now resembles none of the ‘memories’ Ley pulled out, none of them. It was a distorted amalgamation of several ‘memories.
There is the part of a bald-headed old man who leapt through space, there is the part of an obese giant of a man who did not take damage from Ram's wind blade, there is the part of a martial artist who has reached the divine realm of fighting ability, and there are various other human physical features that make up that uncanny inhuman body.
The length of his right and left hands were different, the size of his hands were different, and if he was poorly made, his face seemed to refer to the various victims that consisted of the rest of his body.. The only thing that remained of the original Ley was the look in his eyes, if Ram had to say so, but even that may have been borrowed now.
And apparently, Ley himself is unaware of his distorted appearance.
Ley: [...?']
Ley was on the verge of becoming something that was no longer a human. A being that originally continued to specialize in taking away other people's 'memories' might not have had a solid foundation of self. Because of that, he was broken.
And the one who was born instead....
Ram: [A monster who pretends to be Rem. I honestly don't think I've ever been this angry before.]
Ram is disgusted by Ley, who also adds that feature to his face.
How can one get on other people's nerves so precisely? It would be a good match to see who is better at irritating people, Subaru or Ley.
Ram: [You've done a great job, Patrache.Take Rem and stay back.]
Patrache: [Hmph.]
Her response is weak. Patrache drags her huge body, nips Rem's collar and drops down protecting her.
Ley: [No, you can't, sister. It is important that we have garnishes before we can enjoy the main course….]
Ram: [Die!]
Ram points the palm of her palm at the monstrous being before her. A wind blade swirls around her hand with enough power to lop someone’s head off. Ram had no intention to hold back.
Ram had to find a way to hurt Ley without killing him if she wanted to find a way to restore Rem’s ‘memory’. But now Rem was in jeopardy, and Patrasche was badly injured. Ram needed to take this very seriously. Ram must apologize profusely to Subaru. And to make sure that this mistake will not happen again, she began her assault. It is unlikely that Ram will get a straight answer from Ley in light of his mental derangement. Overall, this was the right choice.
Defeat Ley and take the burden off of Subaru.
On top of that, Ram would need to get Patrasche and Rem back to the Green Room, and Ram could then run to someone else's side for backup. And that's as far as Ram thought.
Ram: [....].
On the verge of tearing Ley’s face apart with a storm of wind, Ram is taken aback by what was now in front of her.
It was another change in the appearance of Ley. However, it was a change that was hard for Ram to overlook. A single white horn appeared on the forehead of the face where the features of several people were gathered together.
Rem: [It's ......]
If Ley really is acting on his heart and instincts, then Ram takes her hat off to him. After all, Ley’s actions are all outrageous and anger Ram.
Ley: [Sister!]
For a moment, it called out, with a face that certainly looked like Rem's, and a voice that seemed to be made by Rem. A blow from Ley’s huge arm was slammed into the face of Ram.
△▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼
It wasn’t fatal but it wasn't a light blow either. Ram’s brain is shaken and blood drips from her nose. The fact that her body feels heavy despite the burden that Subaru was carrying served as proof of the enormous damage done.
And it was brought about by a dainty girl with blue hair and a kind face - what a joke.
Ley: [Please cry sister.]
A fist is swung with an air of pleading, tears in its pale blue eyes. With each blow, the impact reaches into the marrow of her bones, and even deeper into his soul.
Ley: [Get angry, sister.]
Ram’s face winces as she is struck in the gut, and her jaw is hammered directly underneath. Ram doesn't bite her tongue, but Ram is prey to a series of elbows in the head and is struck in the gut again and made to move backwards.
Ley: [Smile, sister.]
The dearth in his voice scratched Ram's heart with every word.
All along, Rem has been sleeping in Ram’s perception. The sister who had been erased from her 'memory' and was nowhere to be found, even though she should have always been next to her in life, stolen away. Ram looked forward to being called out for the first time one day when Rem woke up. At that time, she didn't know if Ram would have regained her sister's memory.
Even if she hadn't returned, and even if she had, the first words she said then would surely be as special as her first words as a child.
Instead there was....
Ley: [Crying, Anger, Laughter, Suffering, Smiling, Pain, Swelling, Agitation, Embarrassment, Smiling, Blushing, Rashness, Surprise, Celebration.
Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister, Sister, Sister, Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister, Sister, Sister, Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister, Sister, Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister, Sister, Sister,Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister, Sister, Sister,Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister, Sister, Sister,Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister, Sister, Sister….]
Ram: [That ….]
She couldn't speak as the bottom of Ley’s palm blocked her mouth, to tell him not to call out with that voice.
The monster that Ram had driven and created possessed a sheer overwhelming force.
Of course, Ram didn’t let herself get beaten up either. She had taken off the shackles to the limit that Subaru could take on. She had jumped over the limit she had imposed on herself, that she could use for only a few seconds. She tried her best but it was a fruitless effort.
Ley: [Sister, sister, I don't think it's like you to look like that]
Ram: [...]
Ley strikes Ram with a fist. Her face is smashed and she crashes into the wall behind her, and Ram manages to take pride in not falling in front of the blasphemer. But that was the best Ram could do right now.
How long had it been since the fight against this monster began?
Ten seconds, twenty seconds, the time limit she had originally set had long since been exceeded, there was no doubt about it. She couldn't rely on the physical time, and there was no room to count the actual time.
However, whether Rem was able to escape or not, that was the most important thing.
Ram planned to dedicate herself to be a punching bag to be beaten in order to assist Patrasche and Rem escape. Perhaps that should have been the goal, but too many blows to the head drowned out that possibility as well.
Her body is heavy. She is out of breath. Her head ached, her throat was dry, her limbs were numb, and blood flowed from an old wound on her forehead. Blood flowed from the white scar where she had lost her horn, running down the length of her face.
Ram: [.... It’s not that dirty.]
Her face, traced in blood, is struck by a palm again.
Her body slips from the blow, and finally her knees can no longer support her weight. She was about to fall to her side, when a small voice interrupted her, "Don't," and a kick was released.
Defenselessly taking the kick to her chest, Ram slammed into the wall, her sternum creaking.
Before long, the walls of the Pleiades Watchtower, finally shattered as they were subjected to the relentless impact of Ram’s body.
Ram smashed through the stone wall and rolled into the other side of the passage.
A haze of smoke filled the air around her, and she coughed up blood. Instantly, with broken bones and crushed flesh began a chorus of screams.
She cracked her neck to see where in the world she had been knocked into.
Ram: [Ah.]
A small breath escaped. It might have been out of discouragement or sentimentality.
At the end of the corridor where she had fallen down, Patrasche and Rem were in sight. The distance was, at best, a dozen meters or so, the time Ram had earned was only a dozen seconds that felt much, much longer, by the pain she had experienced.
Ley: [Sister, sister, are you all right?]
Ley called out beyond the shattered wall.
Meanwhile, Ram managed to get to her feet, holding one of her arms.
Leaning her body against the wall, she exchanged glances with Patrasche, who was in a battered state..
Patrasche: [Ssh.]
Ram: [Yeah, I know. When it's all over, we'll both chastise Basaru.].
No one knows what Patrasche said. However, Ram's answer was not wrong, as the lack of correction from the black earth dragon proves.
Patrasche: [....]
Ram's decision backfired on her. The fact that she didn't kill Ley first, that was the trigger for everything.
In an attempt to correct that mistake, she set out to take his life immediately next time, but Ley used his near-death experience to grow even stronger.
As a result, her sister's body, which was supposed to be asleep, was taken.
She had used every card up her sleeve. Ram was aware that she was superior in every respect, but there was one thing she did not have, impeccable timing.
That hasn't changed since the day her horn was broken during the assault on the oni village.
However, there was no attachment to said horn.
And yet, she now wished she had that lost horn back.
No, that's not accurate. To be precise, the horn itself is still with Ram. The foundation of the wand that she carries around with her all the time, is made from Ram's broken horns.
The horn is an important organ for efficiently gathering the mana for the oni race.
Hence, as a catalyst for exercising magic, there is nothing more familiar to the Ram than this.
That's why Roswaal went to the trouble of recovering the horn and having it engrained into a custom-made wand.
That horn is so much more than just the inside of the wand and on top of the forehead. It's too much….
Ram: [...]
Suddenly, a thought passed through Ram's mind as she thought about the horn.
It was the presence or absence of horns, the fact that Ram had once overwhelmed Ley, and the fact that he had mobilized all his knowledge to break her.
A Ram with a broken horn and a sleeping Rem.
The latter is a matter of consequence, but the former.--why did Roswaal retrieve Ram’s horn?
Ram knows the role Roswaal wants her to play.
Ram did not know however what she was supposed to do when the time came to act on that role.
Roswaal had told Ram what was needed for that role, and that she would know how to do it when the time came. Hence, Ram was not going to pry until the time when she needed it.
But at this moment Ram had an idea that came to her that she needed to act on in order to save the sleeping Rem and injured Patracshe.
It was a ridiculous idea.
But at the same time, Ram can be proud to say that it is a convincing idea.
If it was Roswaal L. Mather’s idea, Ram's beloved, she would do it.
Ram slams the wand that she had been carrying for ten years against the wall. From inside the wand popped out a horn.The same way as that time at the village, spinning around and spinning to the point of being an eyesore.
△▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼.
Ley slowly moves forward through the white dusty passageway.
It is in the best interest of a maid to be graceful and to not make any more noise than necessary, so to avoid embarrassing her Lord.
At the end of the smoke, his dear sister should be lying down. Ley wanted to see her face. He wanted to stare straight back into her pale red eyes, which were blazing and burning with strong emotions. It's a desire so primitive that it can even seem like love.
Ley: [Oh.]
Patrasche: [....]
Through the smoke, the first thing he saw was a black ground dragon limping.
While Ley had been talking to his sister the ground dragon had run off. Ley is not particularly interested with the ground dragon, but he does have an interest with the being the ground dragon had carried.
Ley wanted to erase the existence that drew his sister's attention. He was the only one who could call his older sister his sister.
Ley: [Oh, I have found it.]
On the other side of the writhing ground dragon, there the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ was leaning against the wall.
She was raised in a tidy position. It would be easy to aim at her neck or heart. He had to stop her from breathing and get on with the main course, his sister.
Yes, Ley realized as he tried to close the distance with 'Sleeping Beauty'
The head of the blue haired girl is dimly shining.
Ley wonders what the true nature of that light is. How could a girl who continues to sleep be able to do that and …..
Ram: [I stand corrected.]
Ley: [Si…]
Ram: [I thought I had no impeccable timing, but I guess I do.]
Ley tried to call out to the owner of the voice he heard, but was unable to do so. A blow with greater speed struck Ley in the face. He was a startled, and in the next moment, a shockwave pierced through him, blasting him in the opposite direction of the passage he had just walked down.
Ley: [....!]
Unable to stop his own momentum, Ley smashed through two walls before stopping.
Surprise preceded the pain, and after standing up, he fell to his knees under the weight of the damage. It was a punch, a blow that shattered him to the core of his body.
What in the world has happened? Ley's pretty face is filled with astonishment and ….
Ram: [Apparently, even the heavens are madly lovestruck with Ram and Rem's cuteness.]
A plume of smoke rose from the hole in the wall that Ley himself had made, and just as he was about to look beyond it, his face was grabbed by a palm with a speed faster then sound.
And then he sees his attacker up close, his cheeks and jawbone creaking from her grip.
Ley: [Hey, sis.....]
Ram: [I'm sorry, but Ram's sister is sleeping in the back.Our 'Synesthesia' makes that clear.]
Ley: [......?]
Ram and Rem seem to have been close sisters. Thanks to the power of ‘Synesthesia’ they could share joy and anger, sorrow and pain, that sort of thing.
What that fully ment was not immediately clear to Ley.
Before Ley was blown away, what he saw on the forehead of the 'Sleeping Beauty' leaning against the wall was a white horn, the only property that that girl could possess that was superior to her sister's.
Because it's there, because it shines, what is it?
Ram: [It's annoying to say that Basaru's plan worked, but fine.]
Ley: [What about Subaru-kun?].
Ram: [Don't use Rem’s face and voice to call Basaru's name.]
Ley: [..!!]
In a moment, Ley’s whole body was lifted up and slammed into the ground.
Ley’s limbs began to tremble. In front of Ley, Ram rubs her hand against her forehead to confirm that a horrible amount of blood is flowing from an old wound on her forehead.
But instead of rubbing the blood off, Ram welcomed it. It was as if the blood and the pain proved that the long lost bond had been reconnected.
Ram: ['What was born in a darkness should go back to darkness. If you were born crying, die crying.]
Gently wiping the blood from her forehead with her palm, Ram looked down at the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony with her cold red eyes.
Ram: [The Oni God is back. I didn't like it, but for today I'll play that role. Imposter, I'll tear you to pieces this time.]