Chapter 456
What she actually wanted to give away wasn't that terrible amulet engraved with strange spells.
It would be great if we could send it again.
She would definitely give the gift she truly wanted to give, instead of lying to her mother.
So, she has rarely made mistakes throughout her life.
But every time I make a mistake, it's terrible.
And Haihara too.
It's the same with my parents when I was a child.
[Just hang in there a little longer... I'm a bit tired.]
She was saying contradictory things.
Unbeknownst to her, amidst the Flower Demon King's discontented voice, she had already torn away the vines that were obstructing her, intending to pass the Demon King and reach the center of darkness, where the dark golden Magic Wand was located.
More accurately, it's the bubble that appears on the Magic Wand.
---There's a dream where that little girl is.
"You can't touch that... I'm starting to find you a bit troublesome."
"Can you please not ruin this good thing?"
At that moment, Phantom Wind's shoulder was grabbed by the flying Flower Demon King.
The other person's slender hand gripped her tightly and pulled her back.
Even with Kazama Kiriori couldn't pull it.
She was forced to turn around, and then she saw the Flower Demon King in front of her; the woman had already raised her fist.
The Lunar Magic Power created an absurdly large gravitational force on his hands.
"-----Bang!"
The next moment, that slender fist, bearing immense force, slammed into Phantom Wind's head.
The Phantom Wind on the face of the Black Death Cult was instantly smashed to pieces.
But the Flower Demon King was still holding onto her shoulders, so he almost broke her neck as well.
The Flower Demon King remained unfazed, raising his fist again, ready to strike once more.
"Um?"
Don't get in my way.
At that moment, Phantom Wind grabbed the Flower Demon King's wrist and flung her away.
But from behind, one menacing thorn after another lashed out at her.
The Black Death Cult could not stand firmly on its four legs and staggered.
Phantom Wind was exhausted and in pain, panting heavily.
That's really scary.
It's really terrifying. She feels pain, she's scared, and she often doesn't want to face it. She wishes it were all just a nightmare.
The whole world seemed to rumble in her ears with a muffled sound.
Even in this situation, when everything around her is shut out, she can still hear it.
This nightmarish world is roaring.
The movements of the other companions and the Monster.
The demonic tree swayed menacingly.
Throughout the city, the wailing of those Flower Monster echoed.
To Phantom Wind at this moment, it was so clear, like a symphony in motion.
She had to endure the noise and walk step by step toward the halo of light in the center of the darkness. At some point, her mind became a complete mess, and she even forgot what she was supposed to do.
Within that halo of bubble light, there was the figure of a little girl, someone she wasn't actually that familiar with.
But she couldn't look away.
Next, she and the Flower Demon King continued to pull at each other, trying to get closer to the bubble little by little in the process.
The Flower Demon King is clearly stronger than her.
But there was nothing he could do about it, because she was always persistent and clingy.
As she endured the sharp thorns piercing her flesh and tearing away the obstruction, she finally saw Haihara's face again, but the little girl she didn't know very well remained silent.
She tilted her head in confusion.
The little girl seemed to know nothing.
Silent, without sorrow, without joy or grief, unaware and unseen.
It felt like a dream.
Treat yourself with indifference and ignore your own shortcomings.
This made Kazama Kiriori feel slightly aggrieved and dissatisfied.
She said softly--
This world is so noisy.
Why are you the only one who's so quiet?
Kazama Kiriori, her mind a complete mess, thought instinctively.
I wish that child could talk to me.
Say "Go back."
Then everything will return to normal.
She smiles at herself, and then she smiles back, and the world returns to the way it is.
Thinking this, Phantom Wind had forgotten what she was supposed to do. Relying on her instincts, she tore through one obstacle after another, getting closer and closer to the little girl.
In her ear, Tachibana, who had been so composed, began to show displeasure and exasperation.
Perhaps "furious" is a bit of an exaggeration.
Is it just to the extent that you don't want anyone to touch your things?
She was finally getting close to the bubble of the silent child.
Then, it stretched out its hand, a rather terrifying, rusty, black claw that seemed capable of puncturing the fragile foam if touched.
Then, if she actually touched the child, she might scratch the child's delicate skin, but she still subconsciously wanted to touch the child's face with the back of her finger, even if it was just a fleeting thought.
But this was met with resistance once again.
In the dim space, intense lightning and beams of Magic Power constantly clashed, and gravity was completely reversed and disordered by the Lunar Magic Power.
Even in such a battle, the Flower Demon King remained methodical, carefully avoiding the small golden tree in the center.
The Flower Demon King had to admit that Phantom Wind was far more troublesome than he had imagined.
Why did this child become so strong after becoming Black Death Cult?
She wanted to resolve everything quickly, but no matter what she did, she couldn't completely solve the problem of the child.
Moreover, the situation is indeed somewhat out of her control now.
As Phantom Wind tried to reach out and touch the foam, her hand was gripped tightly by thorns, then slapped away by another vine. She then heard the Flower Demon King's haughty voice—
"How ugly!"
Tachibana stared coldly at Phantom Wind.
Currently, the Black Death Cult in his Phantom Wind form is unable to repair himself as quickly as he is injured.
Her entire body was covered in black, rusty armor, which was already in a terrible state.
But the child still managed to stand up using his two broken pairs of legs.
[Where?]
The other party was puzzled.
He tore through the Phantom Wind that blocked his way and continued to reach out.
"How can you touch her when she has transformed from a human being into such an ugly and pathetic form?"
The Flower Demon King said this as a matter of course.
Phantom Wind paused for a moment, seemingly agreeing with Tachibana.
It is indeed strange for Monster to say such a thing.
But Phantom Wind thought, it wasn't like she wanted it to be this way.
[That's irrelevant.]
"... What do you mean?"
[It's not important, you wouldn't understand even if I told you.]
"..."
Although Tachibana didn't understand, an indescribable anger suddenly welled up inside her.
However, the next moment, she saw Phantom Wind pick up a pale Crystal.
That was a... Serpent System Crystal.
Without a doubt, it is the Crystal Phantom Wind's own Fang.
"Wait... what are you going to do!?"
Tachibana paused for a moment, then immediately questioned him.
Previously, if Phantom Wind wanted to use this Crystal to transform, it certainly wouldn't pose any threat to the Flower Demon King.
But if the current situation were used for something else, the outcome would be completely different.
Phantom Wind, of course, did not answer her.
Phantom Wind felt that the world seemed a little quieter.
Perhaps it was because of the Gale Crystal she carried; the Magic Spell on it was unexpectedly effective. At this moment, the events of not long ago resurfaced in her mind.
The story of her arguing with her mother.
And then there was the matter of the other person leaving me.
Why did my mother leave me?
Why look at yourself with a sad expression?
Was what she did so wrong that it was unforgivable?
I don't think so...
Then why be so indifferent to yourself?
This time, she wasn't given a chance to figure it out either.
"----Splash..."
She crushed the pale Crystal in her hand, turning it into powder.
The Snake-Type Magic tore through her flesh and blood, and also shattered the "Ace" Crystal within her body.
However, the remaining spilled Magic Power was absorbed by the magic spear.
One by one, Fang stood upright on the spear.
Blood and black lightning roared and gathered power on the spear. Then, the spear grew larger and larger, its outer shell constantly being shattered by the violent Magic Power, revealing an empty interior filled only with Magic Power.
She mustered her last remaining thoughts and looked at the dark golden tree growing in the center of the darkness, and the Magic Wand embedded within it.