“Aria…”
In the ruined hall of the royal castle, Elena murmured her name.
The fires in the Royal Capital, whether by fortune or misfortune, had been prevented from spreading beyond a certain point because buildings were either destroyed by the fierce battle or instantly incinerated. However, even more than that, six pillars of fire rising from the edge of the Royal Capital were beginning to merge into one above the city, releasing an ominous amount of magical power and fanning the people’s fear.
The giant pillars of fire Karla had set up… whatever their meaning, unprecedented damage was anticipated.
Normally, Elena, being royalty, should have evacuated. But neither Elena, nor her father the King, nor the Prime Minister Margrave of Melrose, nor even Elvan or Clara, had evacuated; they were watching the battle of the girls visible in the distance.
The castle’s civil officials and knights. The nobles and commoners who were late to escape had stopped in their tracks, watching the battle between the two, a battle that could be called a summit, as if mesmerized.
And Elena clasped her hands to her chest, thinking of the girl she believed in, who was trying to settle things for the sake of her convictions.
“Win, Aria… You are the ‘strongest’.”
＊＊＊
“――――Hh!!”
The Golden Dagger I swung down pierced through Karla’s defenses, and fresh blood spurted from her waxen chest.
Bakiin…!
In that instant, the golden blade plunged into her heart shattered with a clear sound, and the Magic Metal (Orichalcum) dagger given to me by the spirit, both its guard and hilt, turned to dust and vanished.
Don!
An immense amount of magical power erupted from Karla’s entire body, blowing me, who was on top of her, away.
Zusaaa…
“…What did you do? Aria.”
As I created distance by scraping my heels on the ground in the collapsed noble district, Karla, blood spilling from her chest, pressed a hand to her face as if dizzy, glaring at me through the gaps between her fingers.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
I showed her the bright red liquid in a small glass vial I had taken out from my Shadow Storage.
“That I’d kill you…”
Simultaneously with those words, I threw the vial at Karla.
The moment her gaze wavered to follow it, I lunged forward and kicked, aiming to shatter the vial itself. Karla leaped back, dodging the liquid leaking from the broken vial rather than my kick, and her face contorted slightly at the smell of the splattering liquid.
“…It seems I’ve been dosed with a troublesome poison.”
“…”
Only half right. The wound from the dagger plunged into her heart wasn’t as deep as the amount of blood flowing suggested. That’s why Karla judged her discomfort to be due to poison on the dagger.
Karla’s entire body was covered in wounds so severe that healing couldn’t keep up; she was barely clinging to life, enveloped in Light Magic.
I, too, had suffered fractures in several bones from the fierce battle that had even cracked my favorite weapon, and my left arm was already barely movable. Spitting out the blood that filled my mouth, perhaps from internal injuries, Karla also smiled faintly with bloodstained lips.
Ah, that’s right…
Daaan!!
Without a word, we both lunged, kicking each other simultaneously and sending each other flying.
Even if only a fragment of her life remained, Karla wouldn’t stop.
Even if a thousand knights were here, they couldn’t kill her.
“Only I can kill you.”
“That’s right… Come. In exchange for your life.”
Karla’s defenses were already crumbling. The black thorns covering her body were beginning to wither and scatter, like black Rose petals falling.
Dooon!!
Karla no longer had the leeway to use magic or Martial Arts; she switched to a tactic of turning her life-draining, immense magical power into shockwaves. I, too, could no longer maintain World Rejection, and met her attacks with the Physical Enhancement of Iron Rose and the Martial Arts I had honed through our battles so far.
I heard the sound of my ribs cracking from Karla’s shockwaves. Undaunted, I pressed forward and struck Karla’s forehead with a powerful headbutt.
“Hh—!” “Hh—!”
Simultaneously, we recoiled. A trickle of blood spilled from our foreheads, staining one of Karla’s eyes red, yet she offered a gentle smile.
“Too bad… Time’s up.”
“Hh!”
An explosive shockwave erupted from Karla’s entire body. Though she took damage herself, she blasted me away, using even that momentum to ascend once more into the night sky. Behind her, as she looked down on me… the giant pillars of fire were about to become one in the night sky.
“This match is my victory. So you die with me… Aria.”
Smiling joyfully… and just a little sadly, Karla raised both hands to the heavens.
Level 8 Fire Magic—settling it this way probably wasn’t what she wanted, but her objective would still be achieved.
Karla looked around one last time at the Royal Capital, still smoldering with flames, and then swung down the magical power gathered in her hands.
“—Megiddo (Wrath of God)—”
At Karla’s activation word, immense magical power swirled like a dragon above the Royal Capital, and then—
“—Eh?”
The enormous magical power scattered in the night sky and dissipated.
The impact of the vanishing magic even cleared away the few remaining clouds. Karla, who had been looking up at it in stunned silence amidst the star-filled sky, slowly turned her face towards me.
“…Aria!!”
Karla and I glared at each other, she from the sky and I from the ground.
“I will kill you. But…”
Dan!!
In that instant, using the Levitate I still had active, I soared into the sky in a flash and kicked Karla’s chin upwards.
“I won’t let you have it your way.”
Megiddo’s misfire—no matter how incredible a Magician Karla was, without the fire attribute, fire magic wouldn’t activate.
That was the “price” I had asked the spirit for, for Karla.
“Kuh!”
Karla’s eyes widened at my words, and black thorns shot out from her as if to attack. While my shoulders and arms were slashed by the thorns, I spun to deflect them and slammed my right elbow into Karla.
Karla blocked it with an arm wrapped in thorns, then used the thorns to spin backward, throwing me and firing a shockwave of magical power at that spot.
“—!”
The impact was so strong I almost lost consciousness for a moment. But even so, I grabbed Karla’s thorns and, using the momentum, flew towards the castle, dragging Karla with me.
“Aria!!”
I heard Elena’s voice. Glancing for a moment towards the destroyed hall, I saw not only her but many other figures. But in that instant, Karla, who had regained her posture, slammed me onto the hall floor as if kicking me down.
“It’s not over yet!!”
Baan!!
With a sound like rupturing air, Karla, now bloodied, unleashed a shockwave from her own back and, with all her might, kicked her Mithril heels—now no different from weapons—at me as I lay fallen.
Gakin!!
“Hh!”
I met it head-on. Karla’s heel was deflected by the Gekirin (Reverse Scale) I had hidden in my chest. Grabbing the dress of Karla, who had lost her balance significantly, with my right hand, I slammed her over my shoulder onto the floor.
“Ariaaa!!”
“Karlaaa!!”
Our voices calling each other’s names echoed across the battlefield.
Quickly striking my heels, I did a forward roll, leaping onto Karla as she tried to get up, and pinned both her hands to the floor with the blades on my heels.
“Kuh!”
Karla’s face contorted, and a groan escaped her. I took out the Pendulum’s thread from my Shadow Storage, wrapped it around Karla’s neck, bit one end of the thread with my teeth, and pulled the thread with my remaining right hand. Karla’s eyes widened.
“Hh—!” “Hh—!”
The thread dug into Karla’s slender neck. Her hands were pinned by my legs, and even if she could move her legs, kicking from this position wouldn’t cause damage.
Shockwaves of magical power from Karla battered my body from all sides. Enduring it, I used my teeth and right hand, pulling the thread with all my might.
No one present interfered.
Even if they were gods or spirits, I wouldn’t let anyone interfere!
Killing Intent and Intimidation erupted from us as if rejecting everything, and in the moment the shockwaves suddenly stopped—Karla closed her eyes and smiled as if sleeping.
“—Aria—”
I felt like Karla’s lips had murmured that.
We met six years ago—.
Ever since then, Karla had wished to fall by my hand.
And finally… her wish was granted.
Gishiii…!
The sound of bones creaking echoed in the silent hall. I released the thread from my mouth and, as if my strength had left me, collapsed forward, gently touching Karla’s cheek with a trembling hand.
【Karla Lester】【Race: Human ♀】【Rank 5】
【MP: —/—】【HP: —/—】
“Karla…”
Completely pale, Karla lay dead, a smile on her face.
In an atmosphere where no one could speak or move, I wrapped my still-functioning right arm around Karla’s waist and lifted her up.
Walking silently, I stopped in front of a certain person.
“The request is complete.”
“Alicia…”
Grandfather… the Margrave of Melrose gasped at my words.
I felt bad for Grandfather-sama and Grandmother-sama… but for the sake of her death as well, I had no intention of living my entire life as the Princess of Melrose.
And Elena, whose gaze met mine for just a moment, nodded silently as if she understood everything.
“Wait, where are you going!”
“Aria!”
As I, still holding Karla, started walking towards the broken window, His Majesty the King’s voice echoed, and not only that, but I also heard the voices of Mikhail and Theo, who had rushed over. Stopping by the window, I gently turned back to them.
“If you have a request, I’ll come running anytime.”
Still holding Karla, I leaped out of the window, and amidst the roar unleashed by Nero, who caught us on his back, we disappeared into the darkness of the night.
The conclusion with Karla.
In the end, it wasn’t about flashy special moves, friendship, or victory; I aimed for a gritty resolution achieved through an all-out, desperate struggle.
What lies in the heart of Aria, who took Karla away…
Next time, the main story’s final chapter!
Advertisement!
Volume 4 of “The Otome Game Heroine’s Strongest Survival” will be released on July 20th!
The content is the Dungeon Conquest Arc! It includes a newly written story about Karla, nearly 20,000 characters long! Pre-orders have also started!
The cover illustration is also now public in the activity report!
And, Volume 1 of “Demon Princess” will be released on June 2nd. Pre-orders have also started!
Thank you for your support!