Chapter 12: Farewell

As a trained assassin, Mary’s limbs stiffened upon hearing Via’s voice, as if an invisible hand gripped her heart.

This feeling was…

Pressure?

Her hands trembled slightly; liquid slid down her cheeks.

“…Sweat?”

After a brief hesitation, pitter-patter raindrops fell from the sky, slapping Mary’s face.

She looked up; a curtain of rain shrouded the land.

“No, this is rain.”

The cold temperature restored her calm.

How could a mere assassination target make her sweat?

“Via, no matter how you bluff, it’s useless. As a stain, you must vanish.”

Mary habitually flung her dagger.

Via flipped the bloodied blade, flicked her wrist, deflecting the incoming arc.

“How can you have such reaction speed?”

Mary was baffled.

Luck?

“Find it unbelievable? So do I.”

Via’s mind was somewhat chaotic.

The near-death crisis had unlocked past-life memories.

The feared Demon King, humanity’s terror—reborn as a human girl?

A pink-haired one!

Shouldn’t she have cursed Selina and gone to hell together?

This felt more like hell.

Of course, she had a million complaints, but first: deal with the enemy.

“Now…”

Via narrowed her eyes.

Innate mana scarce, plus exertion, little remained.

Current strength: Black Iron.

Mary hid her power: Silver.

Black Iron vs. Silver—no win chance.

“Fireball!”

Via knew Mary wouldn’t stand still; she cast basic Fireball first.

“Pathetic Fireball!”

Mary swung her dagger, arcing light, slicing the seemingly harmless ball.

It exploded on split, strong winds forcing her back.

“What?”

Mary endured the fiery gale, retreating several steps to stop.

Her arm burned—wounded by the blast.

Via’s exquisite mana control was like another person.

Increasingly strange.

She looked up—Via had vanished from sight.

“So the Fireball distracted me.”

Mary stopped toying; must end Via quickly to avoid surprises.

“You can’t escape.”

…

…

“Huff… huff…”

Via braced her knees, gasping.

“Shouldn’t have holed up in the library—need more exercise… stamina gone…”

She lowered her head; blood from her hand stained stockings, spreading to the ground.

An assassin would track the blood.

Fortunately, heavy rain and mist should mask her, buying time.

She reached her destination.

Before the pink-haired girl lay Hank’s corpse, gnawed by the Great Horn Lizard.

“Good, still here.”

Via regulated breathing, reached for Hank’s body.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Five flying blades cut through rain and thick fog like predatory snakes, lunging at fragile Via.

She stepped back to dodge.

The blades’ paths shifted, unpredictable as real vipers, targeting vitals.

“Magic Shield.”

Via whispered, draining all mana, casting Magic Shield.

Clang!

The shield dimmed, vanishing after blocking Mary’s attack.

“You cast Magic Shield so fast? When did you become a battle mage?”

Mary hooked her fingers, recalling the blades.

Her assassination art: Serpent Swarm.

Controlled via threads on blades, launching inscrutable strikes to bite enemies.

No matter—Via’s mana depleted, no magic or holy arts, stamina exhausted, pendant gone. Death certain.

“You can die now.”

“Heh.”

Via sneered, stuffing something from Hank’s corpse into her mouth, swallowing.

“…Are you insane?!”

Mary was dumbfounded.

The pink-hair swallowed a monster core raw!

Unprocessed core mana was unstable—direct ingestion caused explosion.

Suicide?

“Urgh…”

Via frowned.

She felt the core’s mana rampaging inside, about to burst her.

In ten seconds, she’d inflate like a balloon and pop into chunks.

For quick mana: this extreme method.

“Be…have…!”

The former Demon King treated cores like post-meal snacks.

Via used past-life experience, guiding the mana in a special circuit.

“Not good!”

Mary sensed trouble.

Over ten seconds, Via hadn’t exploded; Mary controlled the five blades, infusing purple mana, unleashing killer move.

“Serpent Devour!”

“Magic Bullet Loading—”

Facing lethal assault, Via raised her right hand, aiming forward, left supporting wrist, like controlling a potent launcher.

The core’s chaotic mana, forcibly gathered at her fingertip, formed a thumbnail-sized black orb.

The unassuming sphere absorbed surrounding light, darkening space.

“Fire!”

Boom—

Deafening explosion; Via’s bullet uprooted earth into the air, carving a massive channel through the rain, crushing five purple serpents, slamming Mary.

“Aaaaaah!!”

Mary took it head-on, blood spraying from her mouth; uniform burned by mana, heavy impact hurling her far, crashing wretchedly, legs’ bones shattered.

Pushed this far by Via.

“I’ll kill you!!”

Furious Mary dragged her injured body, trying to stand.

Immobile but could still attack.

“Look behind you.” Via reminded.

A massive shadow loomed over Mary’s wounded form.

She turned—pupils quaking, lungs emptied.

The—

Great Horn Lizard.

Shocked, she looked back at Via, understanding.

Via came not just for mana—but to lure the ferocious lizard with blood scent.

“Mary, taste your own ‘accident’.”

Via waved pleasantly, bidding her roommate farewell.

“Bye-bye~”

“Lady Sylvia… ah… I…”

“Roar—!!”

The lizard’s bellow drowned Mary’s terrified words, engulfing everything in the rain.