The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 69

“I’ll pray for you and the baby. Stay calm, even if you’re in a hurry. Watch out for the gaps between the rocks.”

Veronica bid Hannah farewell.

When she deliberately mentioned the baby’s name, a faint light returned to Hannah’s dried eyes. Veronica forced the stiff muscles of her mouth to lift into a smile. She was about to move without waiting for a response.

“Veronica.”

Hannah’s tear-choked voice stopped her. Slowly turning around, Veronica saw Hannah’s deeply sunken eyes.

“Earlier, thank you so much.”

“……”

“For holding me. For telling me I wasn’t alone.”

“…No, it was nothing.”

“The baby,” Hannah paused, her voice catching, “If it’s a boy, I’ll name him Felix. If it’s a girl, Veronica.”

“……”

“No matter what, they’ll live a happy life.”

Veronica’s eyes widened. The simple word “gratitude” was not enough to describe the hot surge of emotion that filled her chest. She felt tears threatening to fall. She recalled the last look on the woman’s face in Aseldorf. She didn’t deserve this gratitude. But there was no excuse to refuse it either.

Her lips parted slightly, but she ended up just bowing her head and turning away. She had heard the plan in a rough outline. Once she and Leon left, and once the surroundings became safer, Hannah and Oscar would leave this place.

Veronica recalled the statue of God, which depicted Him holding both a longsword and a dagger in His hands. God opens His eyes toward the smaller, weaker blade. If only one group among those splitting into two could receive God’s gaze, she hoped that Hannah and Oscar would be blessed.

“We’ll definitely meet again.”

With a promise, she said her final goodbye.

While Leon climbed onto the rocks first, Veronica tilted her head back, looking up at the cracked ceiling. The air was cool, and the sky was brightening from the far east.

“My ankle might slow me down. I’ll apologize in advance,” she said to Leon as he reached out to help her up.

He pulled her up, almost embracing her, as he replied, “It doesn’t matter. If it gets too annoying, I’ll just carry you.”

“You can joke even in a situation like this?”

“Did it sound like a joke?”

After setting her on the rock, the man drew his sword without further ado. Veronica recoiled slightly at the sight of the Bahamut charging toward them, only to be sliced in half diagonally. He had pulled her up so casually even with enemies approaching.

“Starting off like this makes it impossible to stay quiet.”

“Wasn’t the plan to lure them away in the first place?”

“But the idea was to get as far away as possible before starting.”

As Veronica grumbled, she locked eyes with a Bahamut that was rolling its eyeballs, and she fell silent. Her spine stiffened, and her hand instinctively grasped her sword. Oscar’s sword was heavy for her. Sweat gathered in her palms from the tension.

“Destroy the heart. Just focus on that.”

The man, standing back to back with her, offered his advice. At that moment, the Bahamut she had locked eyes with abruptly stopped before launching into the air. Veronica swung her sword almost reflexively. Its body was far more straightforward than its devious head. Her limbs moved as she had practiced hundreds of times. It was like a dance.

Would this really work without holy power or sword energy? Could she pierce through the aura enveloping their bodies?

Time seemed to stretch as her sword and the Bahamut’s trajectory unfolded slowly. Just before making contact, ripples spread through the air like water, and the tip of her sword penetrated the center of the wave. A dull thud echoed as her sword pierced the red eyes, and blood sprayed like a fountain as the world returned to its original speed.

“Whoever taught you must be a master; your form is perfect.” Leon, who had been watching, commented as he turned his head.

Veronica caught her breath and replied, “I taught myself. But where are we going?”

“…Going too far out would make it troublesome to return. See that church over there?”

“The one with the open door? I see it.”

“Then run.”

The conversation was brief. The scattered Bahamuts began to turn their attention to the two humans who had suddenly appeared. Every five steps, another one pounced at them. Depending on the direction it came from, either Leon or Veronica would handle it. Leon swung his sword for most of them, but Veronica also had no time to rest.

Slice, slice—cutting, slashing, piercing. As the tension grew unbearable, Veronica gauged the distance to Hannah. Then she opened her eyes, like during the extermination.

Look. The human who has been watching you is right here. The one you’ve been searching for is right before you again.

The reaction was even greater than she had anticipated. Even the Bahamuts searching for survivors below dropped from the piles of stones and stood upright. All eyes turned to her. Their red irises expanded and contracted in rhythm. It was like the moment she had first assimilated. They all rushed at her at once.

Her blood boiled explosively. Perhaps because they were connected, she could predict their movements a step ahead. Blood. Killing. Hunger. Thirst. Her mind became a jumbled mess. She killed, and killed, and killed again.

At some point, she sensed something had gone wrong, but it was too late to stop. Her consciousness blurred. She wasn’t even sure if they were heading toward the church they had planned on. The world was soaked in blood. The blue sky and white clouds were all tinged with crimson.

“Why… Why is everything red…? Is it like this for you too?”

Veronica turned around, confused, but the person she was talking to had vanished. She was alone.

“Leon!”

No answer came from anywhere. With no choice, Veronica turned forward again and screamed. Right in front of her stood herself, with red eyes shining brightly. It was a fear unlike anything she had felt before. More terrifying than any monster, the sight of her own face filled her with the deepest dread. Was it because her uniqueness was being threatened?

When she swung her sword, there was a dull sound, and her own head flew off. Her head rolled across the ground, and the body collapsed. Seeing her own corpse was far more grotesque and brutal than she could have imagined. Veronica dropped her sword and stumbled backward until her back hit something.

“Leon?”

She spun around, her mouth wide open. She had bumped into herself again. Front, back, left, right—more “Veronicas” filled every direction her eyes could reach. She screamed, and they screamed in response, mouths open wide. They multiplied, spreading, pressing against her until she felt crushed. She couldn’t breathe.

She struggled, pressed by the overwhelming sensation, until they began to melt into a sticky mass. They all turned into red blood, flowing at her feet. Becoming one. Becoming one. Becoming one.

Face. Soul. Give them to us too.

Complete assimilation.

At that moment, Veronica understood perfectly why they sought her. From the start, there had been nothing to gain from the human records. All the answers lay with them. Feeling their desperate thirst, Veronica clutched her chest. Tears of pain streamed down her face. Ah, you… you…

She sank into the lava of blood.

***

“You’ve bought us enough time. Stop now.”

Leon realized something was wrong when they reached the church that had been their destination. She wasn’t responding to his words. Far from responding, she suddenly dropped her sword with a loud clatter and crouched down, trembling. Something was definitely wrong.

Slashing through the Bahamuts swarming like an avalanche, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her, only to see her eyes, pulsing like a heartbeat. She stared somewhere with her eyes wide open, not blinking. It felt like she was about to leave him, headed to some distant place he could never reach.

He recognized those eyes. The eyes of someone rampaging during assimilation. He shouldn’t have agreed to this damn plan.

Leon slung her over his shoulder and picked up his sword with his free hand. Without hesitation, he slaughtered the approaching Bahamuts as he carried her into the church. He set her down and closed the door.

Even as the heavy door groaned shut, the creatures kept throwing themselves at it. He could see their bodies clinging to the stained glass. Though sturdily built for an outlying church, even the grand cathedral wouldn’t last long under such an assault.

Leon parted her lips and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He had done the same in the midst of the flames during the extermination. The only difference now was that the woman in his arms remained completely limp, like a puppet. She lay with her eyes and mouth open, utterly still. Outside, the pounding on the door grew louder.

“Don’t forget. Not until you die. My name. And that I didn’t want to die.”

With a strong premonition stabbing at his heart, Leon spoke coldly, “You think I’d let you die?”

Kissing was the most basic means of transferring holy power. But Leon knew what he had to do to truly save her. Something unforgivable, the greatest corruption for a priest.

Amidst the pounding of the demons, he reached for the collar of her clothing. But his hand stopped mid-air. This wasn’t just a matter of abandoning his beliefs—it was an act that would negate his entire life.

“Forget the past. From today, your name is…”

“The Fourth Commandment of the Priests: Creation lies only in the hands of God.”

“Thus, a child born without God’s blessing shall be called ‘Berg.'”

“Damn it.”

Leon slammed his clenched fist down beside her head.

At that moment, the church door shattered with a thunderous crash. A massive shadow fell over the two of them. It was more than twice the size of a human, its joints protruding as if its skin were stretched over bones. In its hand…

Leon slowly turned his head. Its tilted “face” loomed right in front of him.