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SO : 30 Lord of Aging and Decay!
🕑 Added 2024-09-10 03:37:19 +0000 UTC"Natsuki, do you really intend to stop me?"
Aya Tokoyogi's face, usually soft and delicate like that of a Yamato Nadeshiko, now grew dark and ominous. She stared intently at Natsuki Minamiya, her voice steady and deliberate as she spoke each word.
"I'm sorry, Aya... I have to stop you. This is my duty as a mage from Itogami Island."
Natsuki Minamiya stood up, brushing the dust off her clothes and patting down her Gothic-style long skirt, now stained with dirt. Her expression was slightly conflicted, but soon, her beautiful sky-blue eyes hardened with resolve.
"I have my own reasons, Aya... reasons that leave me no choice," Natsuki murmured softly, just loud enough for herself but not for Aya to hear.
She didn't elaborate on why she needed to protect Itogami Island. It wasn't just about valuing the lives of its six hundred thousand residents or fulfilling her duties as a mage. Those were merely part of the reason.
There was a much graver duty Natsuki had to perform—one that, if mishandled, could lead to a catastrophe capable of annihilating this world. This was a burden she chose not to share with anyone, believing it would only cause unnecessary worry.
Saigo watched Natsuki and Aya with keen interest.
These two pure-blooded witches, once close friends, were not being entirely truthful with each other.
Aya's reasoning was false. She wasn't truly seeking a "real world"; that was merely an excuse, not her true desire.
The same went for Natsuki. She wasn't stopping Aya out of a sense of duty to fulfill her obligations as a mage. Her real reason for opposing Aya was unrelated to that.
Both of these proud witches were too high-minded to reveal their true feelings to one another. Their pride and arrogance prevented them from being honest when facing each other.
What a complicated friendship, Saigo thought sarcastically to himself.
"Please, Zarathustra, help me stop Aya! You're the only one here who can," Natsuki quietly pleaded, standing beside Saigo.
"What did you say, Natsuki-chan? Your voice is too soft and lacks spirit. If you're asking for someone's help, you should stand up straight and make your request loud and clear!" Saigo responded with a teasing smirk, raising an eyebrow.
"Aren't you my guardian? Aya's guardian is trying to kill me. Isn't it your duty to protect me?" Natsuki replied calmly, trying to reason with Saigo.
"Even though I am your guardian, there are times when a guardian can fail in their duties. If the enemy is too strong, I might not be able to protect you, Natsuki-chan!"
"...But it doesn't really matter. Even if I fail to protect you, your death would simply render our contract null and void."
"In that case, I'd actually be free from any obligations. I'd be quite happy about that."
Saigo's tone was full of playful mockery as he teased Natsuki Minamiya, his expression almost eager to see her head roll.
"This wretched devil!" Natsuki cursed inwardly. She had every reason to believe this devil was simply toying with her.
But she couldn't afford to gamble. She couldn't risk her life on a wager.
If this devil truly decided to abandon her, letting her be killed, her death would be a minor matter, but the entire world going down with her would be a catastrophe.
Natsuki wasn't so cruel as to let the whole world be devoured by a devil. She had her own connections in this world.
Saigo had grasped her weakness and was exploiting it to constantly torment her. Never in her life had Natsuki encountered someone—no, something—as vile as this. Devil, indeed!
"Please, Lord Zarathustra, I'm begging you! Stop Aya Tokoyogi!" Natsuki finally decided to throw caution to the wind. Using her soft, childish voice, she shouted loudly, not caring how embarrassing it sounded.
After all, there was only Aya Tokoyogi here. If she had to make a fool of herself, so be it.
"What are you two whispering about? Are you looking down on me?!" Aya Tokoyogi, seeing Saigo and Natsuki murmuring to each other and completely disregarding her, flew into a rage.
The dark knight once again raised his sharp sword, the magic concentrated within it powerful enough to shatter the ground beneath.
"Well, since Natsuki-chan has earnestly begged me, I suppose I can't just stand by and watch anymore. I guess it's time to get a bit serious," Saigo chuckled softly. He raised his hand leisurely, and immediately, the pitch-black flames around him flared up.
The terrifying black flames, carrying the aura of aging and decay, instantly wrapped around the dark knight's sword.
Like parasites clinging to bones, the black flames swiftly devoured the magic within the long sword.
Then, the decaying black flames seemed to possess an infectious quality, creeping up along the sword and engulfing the entire body of the dark knight.
Simultaneously, Saigo's body turned to mist, causing anything that came into contact with the mist to instantly age and weaken.
Rocks capable of bearing the weight of eons crumbled to dust, and the vibrant grass withered and died.
The air turned into a deadly toxin, and even the bright moonlight dimmed, as if even the rays of the moon could be affected by the aura of aging and decay.
The power of aging and decay finally revealed its terrifying might. Anything that came into contact with this aura began to wither and rot.
Aya Tokoyogi's guardian resembled a rusted bronze bell; its black armor was corroded, and even a simple gesture like raising an arm became incredibly difficult.
Crack... crack...
The gears eventually lost their lubrication under the influence of decay. The witch's guardian, as if feeling the terror and pain of aging, let out a silent wail.
Boom!
In the end, the dark knight crumbled into pieces, its skeleton scattering on the ground. The decaying aura entwined around it spread further, corroding everything nearby.
"Ah..."
As a guardian bound by a witch's contract, when it was destroyed, the witch connected to it would also suffer severe damage.
Although a guardian is merely an embodiment of magical energy, capable of being reborn as magic reconstitutes over time, the connection forged through the contract inflicted real harm upon the fragile witch's body.
"This strange power..."
Aya Tokoyogi looked in terror at the barrier created by the Black Bible, noticing it dimming under the influence of Saigo's aura of aging. The ability to make magic itself "die"—this was something Aya had never heard of or witnessed before.
Even Natsuki Minamiya's azure eyes flickered with a moment of fear. She could not fathom the catastrophe that would unfold if this aura of aging were to spread across the world.
As a witch who had signed a contract with Saigo, Natsuki understood the terrifying nature of this power. This aura could spread through contact with matter, making it more frightening than any virus.
It could be said that if Saigo desired, he could unleash the aura of aging and decay right here and ignore it. After a certain period, due to its spread through matter, the majority of living beings in the world would perish.
Only the strongest would survive, or those who managed to shield themselves within a confined area could barely stave off the effects of aging. However, the world would be utterly engulfed in death.
"Look at that beautiful face of yours—so breathtakingly enchanting. Why, then, do you wear such an expression of despair at this moment?"
The devilish hand, formed from Saigo's dark flames, seized Aya Tokoyogi's slender, pale neck, lifting her entirely off the ground.
Asphyxiation caused Aya to writhe and struggle in the air, her legs kicking back and forth beneath her kimono.
She grasped Saigo's hand with all her might, desperately trying to draw breath. However, as soon as her hands touched Saigo's body, the aura of aging and decay seeped into her skin, staining it with dark markings. The excruciating pain of rapidly weakening made her whimper, crying out in agony.
At that moment, Saigo suddenly leaned in close to Aya Tokoyogi's glistening earlobe and whispered something. Hearing his words, Aya's fiery eyes widened in shock, and she even forgot about the pain and her struggles.
