Chapter 195 Unattractive, Yet Incredibly Cute
Fiona lets go of "Black-White".
BOOM!! A heavy sound echoed, and "Black-White" crashed to the floor.
Without worrying about that, Fiona walked towards Aaron, who had collapsed in a pool of blood.
One step, [God's Descent] was undone, and the golden light in her eyes disappeared.
Two steps, [God's Body] was undone, and her body, infused with aura, returned to normal.
Three steps, her legs trembled, and she almost fell. Her throat constricted. Her body lost strength, and she almost collapsed.
――It's scary to confirm.
It's scary to confirm Aaron's face, which is lying motionless with his back to her. It's scary to confirm that he's not breathing, that his heart has stopped.
Her breathing gets distorted. Her voice trembles like a sob. Tears flow down her cheeks. She remembers the day her father died. It's an irreversible fate that can't be taken back. The feeling of immense loss is overwhelming, and her heart feels like it's going to flip over.
"No...!!"
She muttered, denying reality.
But she already knew. The scene before her eyes was the reality.
Aaron's body, lying motionless, was shrouded in a black, dark aura. It was a deathly possibility unlike anything she'd seen before. It was undeniable proof that Aaron had died――,
(――――Wait, no!!!!)
In that instant, she realized.
The black, dark aura surrounding Aaron's body, visible only to her, was a sign of his possible death. The fact that she could still see it meant that Aaron hadn't died, but rather――,
"Aaron!!"
She rushed towards him.
She knelt down in the pool of blood, making Aaron lie on his back. She gently closed his eyelids, and his face, devoid of emotions like a doll's, rested on her laps. She placed her fingers on the nape of his neck.
Thump, thump, a weak but certain pulse.
(He's still alive!!)
Why is there a pulse when his heart should have been pierced?
She wiped the blood off the center of his chest with her palm. And there, she saw no hole—
"Black, [Chaos Strength]...!?"
She realized that a small, black aura-based [Chaos Strength] was unfolding only at the center of his chest.
[Chaos Strength] is a Battle Technique that forcibly uses aura to maintain the human body in its normal state. In other words, it's a technique that uses the remaining aura to connect the pierced area and avoid death. However—
(The black mist hasn't cleared yet...!!)
The black mist surrounding Aaron was growing thicker by the minute, bringing him closer to death. Was it because the magical energy left in Aaron was running out, or was it due to the massive blood loss?
(A potion... won't make it in time...!!)
Fiona's honed senses, almost like a premonition, told her that even if she used a potion to heal him, it would be too late. After all, potions didn't have the effect of restoring lost blood.
If he was bleeding out to the point of near-death, simply healing the wound with a potion wouldn't be enough.
However, there was no one around who could use healing magic. And time was running out.
"It's okay..."
Still, Fiona whispered.
As a "Priestess," her honed senses told her that she had a way to save Aaron.
Following that sensation, Fiona closed her eyes, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and prayed.
She activated her skill.
'Sword Dance Maiden' final skill―――[God's Descent]
[Selection――――――――magic god: Healing God]
She opened her eyes.
Her pupils were shining gold.
For a few moments, Fiona's consciousness became hazy, like a dream, and she understood how to use magic. She grasped the highest level of sacred magic and the way to use expert healing techniques.
In the next instant, the magical energy emanating from Fiona enveloped Aaron, who was lying down, and transformed into magic.
Sacred magic―――[Anima Tears (Tears of the Goddess)]
* * *
It's already been over 2 years since then.
During the previous Stampede, Aaron, who had single-handedly defeated the Ignitor and many other monsters, was lying down in a corner of the Necronia Central District.
The battlefield wasn't within the "Boundary" of the [Seal Temple] or along the "Grand Temple Avenue" surrounding it. It was already several hours after the Stampede began, and the Ignitor and other central monsters had invaded the Central District, crossing over from the "Grand Temple Avenue".
That's why the Central District city streets became the battlefield.
The damage to the buildings was extensive.
Many buildings had collapsed, turning into mountains of rubble, and the Central District, devoid of humans, was like a deserted city.
Aaron had exhausted his strength shortly after defeating the Ignitor.
As he continued to hunt down the monsters that had lost control, fueled by his rage, and finally exhausted his magical energy, the [Chaos Strength] was released, and his arms and legs each "dropped" to one. To make matters worse, all the wounds on his body opened up, his bones shattered, and his internal organs ruptured, leaving him dysfunctional.
He remembered lying in a pool of blood in a deserted alley, gazing up at the sky with a hazy consciousness.
――This is... I'm dead, aren't I?
That was an absolute certainty.
Even if a top-notch healer with superhuman skills were here, his wounds and bleeding would be impossible to treat.
Aaron didn't feel any negative emotions about his own death. On the contrary, he was surprised that he had lived longer than he thought, more than ten years without dying. He was amazed that he had managed to survive this long without dying.
As his consciousness began to fade, he thought to himself, thinking it was the end.
(Damn... if I die, Lion's gonna be pissed, too...)
Just as his consciousness was about to fade away, he sensed something.
A warm, gentle sensation poured down on his body, spreading through him, and loosening his tense muscles.
He recalled that feeling in his dream.
Now, he had the same sensation enveloping his entire body.
――――I opened my eyes.
Golden light particles were pouring down on him like rain.
For some reason, Fiona's eyes, shining golden, were staring down at him. Tears were overflowing from her eyes, dripping down onto his cheek.
"――――."
Fiona's face was a mess, with tears and snot all over it. Her usually composed face was twisted in an ugly cry. It reminded him of the expression on the faces of Lion's little daughters just before they burst into tears.
That Fiona realized Aaron had woken up and opened her mouth.
"You... aren't fooling around, are you!!!!"
"......"
Somehow, he understood why Fiona was angry.
It was because he had let go of "Black-White" back then. Maybe if he hadn't done that, Fiona could have found another way to save him. Now, he's thinking that maybe she had some kind of healing magic that could have helped him.
If that's the case, it's possible that he didn't trust Fiona.
Or maybe she's angry because he seemed to give up his life to save hers.
In reality, he didn't intend to die at that moment, and he was determined to resist until the very end. But if he had died anyway... for Fiona, the result would have been that he died because of her.
(That's true... it's a pretty reasonable thing to be angry about.)
Aaron put himself in Fiona's shoes and imagined how she felt, and he couldn't blame her for being angry.
Even so, if he were in the same situation again, he would probably make the same choice. But...
"......Sorry."
The apology spilled out of his mouth sincerely.
As he did so, he looked up at Fiona's face with a strange feeling.
(Maybe... it was Fiona who saved me last time too...)
He suddenly thought that.
(If that's the case... I'd have been 'saved' 3 times...)
He couldn't help but laugh, a slightly bitter laugh.
Is it possible for one person to be saved 3 times by another person?
What in the world could that miracle be, he wonder...
As he's thinking that, Fiona gives him a dirty look, sniffles loudly, and starts complaining.
"...Hey, are you laughing at me...?"
"......Sorry."
Her miserable face, covered in tears and snot, cracks a bitter smile. But he couldn't bring himself to tease her.
It's because her face, all scrunched up and unattractive, yet incredibly cute.
"...Thanks, I owe you one, seriously."
And with that, he laughed like his usual self, with a bit of arrogance.
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