Akatsuki Translations

“Aah!!” -Ur

Ur swung his dragonfang spear as if to shake off the dull, heavy, and gruesome sensation of slicing through flesh and severing bones. At the same time, he cut off Aesula’s head,

Blood spurted from the cross-section of the severed head. Ur, who was showered with it at close range, couldn’t move and fell to his knees on the ground.

“Haa…! So exhausting!!”  -Ur

“Ur-sama.” -Shizuku

Shizuku ran up to him. Ur moved away from Aesula’s corpse and let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll purify your blood and heal your wounds.” -Shizuku

“Thanks… But still…” -Ur

While leaving the treatment of his body to Shizuku, Ur looked back. Aesula’s body, still crucified by Shizuku’s magic. His headless body hung limply.

The blood spurting from the cross-section of his neck continued to defile his once beautiful vestments with blood. And at his feet, his fearsome-looking severed head lay rolling.

Looking at it, Ur muttered.

“…As I thought, it doesn’t feel good. Killing isn’t something you should do.” -Ur

“Yes, indeed.” -Shizuku

Shizuku offered a prayer with a sad expression. Knowing that offering a prayer for the one they killed was nothing but hypocrisy, she still prayed. Ur also followed suit.

“O Stars, I commit this body, and return it beneath Thine grace… Now, to deal with the aftermath.” -Shizuku

“Yeah, we can’t leave the corpse behind.” -Ur

The sadness had already been wiped from Shizuku’s expression. Ur could tell she was forcing herself, but he respected her intentions.

“I’ll use magic to burn it away, leaving not even bones behind. We won’t leave any evidence.” -Shizuku

“This isn’t even on the level of a crime. Well, I don’t think they’d be able to find a corpse hidden outside the city, but–” -Ur

“Yes, that wouldn’t be good if they did find it.” -Shizuku

In an instant, Ur and Shizuku jumped back.

A voice other than Ur and Shizuku’s had echoed at the scene.

“Ahaha, quick reaction. Well, it’s natural since you killed Aesula-sama.” -Yog

A woman was there. A beautiful half-naked woman with shimmering green hair. She looked childlike, yet also like a bewitching woman of a tender age. Unclear like a heat haze. Her uncertain appearance and empty eyes were eerie and ominous.

“…Where did you pop out from? You.” -Ur

It was true that he had let his guard down a bit after killing Aesula, but he had continued to deploy his 【Magic Eye of Future Vision】 at all times and hadn’t neglected his vigilance, having learned from his reflection in Uuga. However, he couldn’t catch any sign of this woman’s appearance at all.

Even in his future sight, there was no vision of the woman approaching.

She had suddenly popped up out of nowhere.

“Ur-sama. Please be careful.” -Shizuku

“Shizuku.” -Ur

“That person, there’s not a single sound of a human from her body.” -Shizuku

It was unclear how much information her “ears” were picking up, but the intensity of the hostility conveyed through her expression and voice was greater than when she faced Aesula, indicating the level of threat.

“Oh my, how awful. I’m a proper human, you know? I’ve disengaged the workings of my body to a certain extent, but I haven’t tampered with my soul or anything.” -Yog

Laughing as she stroked her exposed skin, she then narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at them. More precisely, she turned her gaze toward Shizuku, who had declared her to be not human.

“I’m different from you. Right, Shizuku-chan?” -Yog

“You know about me?” -Shizuku

Shizuku asked in return. A slight, sharp tension ran through her.

On the other hand, the woman just laughed and raised both hands.

“I can guess, but honestly, I don’t know much and I’m not interested either.” -Yog

“If you’re not interested, I’d like you to disappear somewhere quickly.” -Shizuku

“I’m interested in you, boy.” -Yog

Saying that, the woman’s gaze shifted from Shizuku to Ur. More precisely, to Ur’s right arm, now exposed, the arm cursed by the Dragon of Sin.

“Ufufu, fufufufufu!! Hey, what happened to that?! I can’t believe it, but isn’t that the arm of “Lust”?! How do you have such a thing, and how are you still alive?!” -Yog

“Just an accident. Who are you anyway?” -Ur

To the question, the woman clapped her hands as if she had forgotten.

“Me? I’m Yog, the 【Dragon that Devours the Sun】. Nice to meet you.” -Yog

“Not nice to meet you. Please go somewhere else. We’re busy here.” -Ur

“To erase Aesula-sama’s corpse? Hey, I’d be troubled if you do that.” -Yog

“Then what?” -Ur

With those words, the presence of the woman named Yog changed. The deranged atmosphere became even thicker. A pitch-black magical power, like peering down a cliff from the dark night, overflowed from the human-shaped woman.

“I’ll have to save you too–” -Yog

Saying that, Yog turned her palm toward them, and,

“–Oh?” -Yog

faster than she could finish, her head was severed.

“【Magic Severance】” -Diz

Behind her, the 【Hero】 Diz had displayed a sword technique that could not be traced. While Ur, Shizuku, and the sliced Yog herself were at a loss for words, the only ones who could move were Diz and–

“【Degradating Creation ・ Imitation: Celestial Sealing Blade】” -Diz

《Alright!! 》-Akane

Akane.

Akane, who had taken the form of the sword wielded by Diz, changed her shape. It was the same as the dagger Ur had used when capturing Kalkara. It pierced straight through the severed head of the woman and then restrained her head.

《I did it~!》-Akane

“–I’m surprised. This child, is it a spirit-bound, Hero-sama?” -Yog

The sealed severed head, amazingly, was still talking even in that state. It was unclear how it was talking with just a head, or how it was even alive in the first place, but just like when the head was attached, it stared at Akane with a grin and widened eyes.

“More importantly, why are you here? You went to where that Divine Beast-chan was, didn’t you?” -Yog

“I hurried back. There’s no way I’d let you roam free when you’re here.” -Diz

“So you were waiting for me to appear? Fufu, ufufu, you let Aesula-sama die for that?” -Yog

“Hmm, I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.” -Diz

Diz looked around. Naturally, there was no corpse there, beheaded and bloodied, separate from Yog. It had disappeared at some point. Instead, there was blackened charcoal and Shizuku standing silently beside it. Ur kept his mouth shut so as not to say anything careless.

“Wowwww, how terrible. You’re horrible people.” -Yog

“Not as much as you.” -Diz

“How rude, I’m just trying to save you.” -Yog

“Was what you did to those Nameless also your salvation?” -Diz

“That’s right,” her face smiled. It was a cheerful smile. Ur had only witnessed it from the side, but she was affirming with a smile that giant lump of flesh, that poorly made clay sculpture with a large amount of human parts attached to it.

“It’s better, isn’t it? It’s a much better way to live than being used by Zerudia.” -Yog

“It’s not for you to decide that.” -Diz

As if unwilling to continue the conversation any further, Diz ended it. He lowered the severed head he had been holding up to eye level and turned his gaze to Ur and the others.

“Are you both alright?” -Diz

《Are Nii-tan and the others okay? 》-Akane

“Well, somehow–” -Ur

“I won’t get involved in what you did. I didn’t actually witness it, after all.” -Diz

Interrupting Ur’s words, Diz continued.

“In the first place, Aesula, that man, went out of the city, outside the human survival zone, of his own will. Despite being a Shinra, he foolishly went alone. Any accident can happen here, and even if he goes ‘missing,’ that’s his own responsibility.” -Diz

“…” -Ur

“So, never mind about him. However–” -Diz

Diz grabbed Ur’s shoulder firmly. It was so strong that it hurt.

“A Shinra’s disappearance will definitely cause chaos. Depending on the situation, I may not be able to protect you. Because I’ll have my back against the wall. So–” -Diz

“I know. This is what we decided.” -Ur

Touching Diz’s hand, Ur nodded. It was all with full knowledge. Beforehand, he and Shizuku had thoroughly discussed the possibilities of this happening. That’s why there was no hesitation. Diz let go of his hand and rubbed her forehead.

“…Should I have decided sooner back then?” -Diz

“I don’t think you need to take responsibility for even something like this.” -Shizuku

《That’s right. Diz, you’re working so hard that it’s worrying.》-Akane

Shizuku spoke to comfort him, and Akane followed suit. Ur also agreed. It was too unreasonable for Diz to take all the responsibility for this incident. It was clear to anyone’s eyes that if she hadn’t been there, the current situation would have been much worse.

“You’re all so close. A bunch of awful kids who kill people.” -Yog

The one who chimed in there was Yog. Ur didn’t feel like arguing, wondering how she of all people could say that. More than that, he thought she had a point. No one there objected to the word “awful.”

Instead, Diz lifted Yog’s severed head again and asked.

“You have a point, but shouldn’t you be worrying about yourself? From now on, we’ll be squeezing information out of you, and once that happens, you won’t last long, right?”

“Oh my? Thank you for your concern, but you know. I’ll be fine.” -Yog

In response to Diz’s probing, the head-only Yog laughed. It wasn’t a carefree smile. It was a gruesome smile that seemed to tear the corners of her mouth. A smile that mocked the entire world.

She said,

“Because Gradol was already saved a long, long time ago!!!” -Yog

“……–Shizuku!!!!” -Diz

Diz shouted. At the same time,

“――――――GA、PE』

Beside Shizuku, from the blackened ashes, a birth cry echoed.