"—No, you're fated never to eat people again."
At the very brink of despair, when even her will to survive was about to fade, the unfortunate girl heard a calm, clear murmur. Almost instantly, her mind steadied.
As the words fell, before the black shadow before her could react, a blaze of dazzling, resplendent flame abruptly swallowed it whole.
There was no struggle, no scream. Though she stood incredibly close to those brilliant flames, even touching them, she felt not the slightest pain of being burned.
On the contrary, the flames were exceptionally warm. Simply looking at them soothed the fear and despair in her heart.
Having lived her whole life in this dim, lightless world, this was the first time she had ever seen flames so bright and magnificent.
They even made her feel that being burned away by them might not be so bad.
In no more than a breath's time, all the black shadows that had descended upon the many surrounding human cities were burned into nothingness by those splendid flames, leaving not even ashes behind.
"Ah..."
As though waking from a dream, the girl collapsed onto the ground. Everything before her was something she had never seen, not even in her dreams.
Before her stood a thin, tall figure, quietly facing her with an ease she had never witnessed before.
It was a bearing she had never seen, utterly unlike the walking-dead existence and experiences she had endured for half her life.
"Ah, ah...?"
The girl froze as though waking from a dream. Everything before her felt unreal. The terrifying demons had all vanished, and an unfamiliar person had appeared—
Her body trembled uncontrollably. By the time she came back to herself, rather than trying to stand, she wrapped her arms around herself tightly. Tears spilled