The jokes were flying at me from every direction. I couldn't handle them all on my own. Was Vali being serious, or was he just naturally airheaded? I needed a sign!
Suddenly—
"...gh!"
A dizzying wave of vertigo struck me. My vision warped and blurred, and my legs turned to lead. Strength drained from my body, and I collapsed onto the floor.
"...Huh?"
I stared at the ground. I couldn't even twitch a finger.
"Onii-chan?!"
"Issei! Get it together, Issei!"
Miu and Alice were screaming, but I couldn't find the breath to answer. Ignis dissolved her physical form and returned inside me.
『That's the limit, then. You can't go any further...』
I see... I've hit the wall. This is where it ends for me today.
Asem stepped into my narrowing field of vision.
"Hero-kun, I'll be waiting for you. Whenever you're ready. Because when that time comes—"
When that time comes... yeah. I know.
Asem turned on his heel, a teleportation circle glowing beneath him. Just as the light began to envelop him, he glanced back one last time with a surprisingly serious expression.
"One more thing I noticed."
He paused, then asked:
"Doesn't this floating city, Agreas... remind you of Laputa?"
And with that, he vanished.
...Why? Why would you say that NOW...?
That was the last thought—and the last grievance—I had before I lost consciousness.
[Azazel's Side]
Rewind the clock slightly.
Having infiltrated the interior of Agreas, I, Azazel, had made significant progress into the depths before being blocked by a young girl in a black dress.
In front of the massive double iron doors leading to the power core stood Lilith—the clone of Ophis.
"...Look, are you really not going to let me through?" I asked.
"Impossible. Rizevim told Lilith... guard this place."
"Do we have to fight?"
"Fight? Lilith is strong. Very, very strong."
"...Yeah, I figured as much."
If we actually threw down, I knew I'd be crushed in seconds. She was currently punching the air with "cute" little jabs, but I knew each one of those swings packed enough power to level a mountain.
I had to get to the reactor. Thanks to the map of Agreas I'd prepared, I'd bypassed the traps easily enough. But this little lady was the ultimate hurdle. Not just because of her power, but because I really didn't want to hurt her.
Issei would probably handle this with more tact, I thought. Or Asia—she's got a gift for taming dragons. How would she handle this?
Then, a thought struck me.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar I'd packed as an emergency ration. I tore the wrapper halfway, exposing the treat.
"How about this? I'll give you a snack if you let me through."
"—!"
The moment she saw the candy, her eyes sparkled. Ophis was a sucker for this kind of thing; I guess the clone was no different. I moved the chocolate bar up, down, left, and right. Lilith's head followed it like a kitten following a laser pointer.
Okay, this is actually kind of adorable.
"You want it?" I asked.
Lilith gulped, her expressionless face betraying a hint of desperation. Her stomach let out a loud growl. Honestly, I started to feel like the villain here.
"If you let me through, it's yours. Deal?"
"...Want it. But... can't let you through. Lilith... what should Lilith do?"
She was asking me?
I sighed and handed her the bar anyway.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"