GalaxyTL
* * *
As I promised, we’ve finally reached the epilogue… and yet, what’s with this ominous title!?
——
The autumn sky, a clear, pale blue, without a single cloud.
A Tighi Bug was flying gracefully through that autumn sky, the cool air, its wings sparkling in the sun.
With the cityscape of the royal capital, gradually brightening in the morning sun, spread out below, it was joyously dancing in the air.
As it pleased, freely, freely…
But the life of that Tighi Bug was suddenly cut short.
From the ground, a jet-black something suddenly extended, wrapping around its body!
That something’s grip was strong, and its soft exoskeleton offered no defense… It died without even having the chance to flap its wings in resistance.
What kind of monster could have done this!?
A frog… that likes to eat Tighi Bugs?
Or… a sea anemone… that adapted to life on land?
It’s terrifying, but let’s try to confirm its identity.
Let’s turn our attention to the ground.
And there, we see a single creature.
What’s most noticeable about this creature is… the black fur growing from the top of its body.
It’s glossy, glistening in the morning sun.
But this creature, somewhat unusual for a furry animal, only has fur on its head.
The rest of its body is covered in beautiful white skin.
And its two sparkling eyes are black.
Its body is covered in slightly worn cloth, with two arms and legs extending from it.
The jet-black something that just killed the Tighi Bug was a tentacle, several pairs of which extend from around its shoulders…
Alright, let’s stop there.
In short, it’s Emi.
“…………”
Emi threw the captured Tighi Bug into her mouth, chewing it, and unsteadily climbed the slope.
Grrrrrrrrr…
Her stomach growled again.
“…………”
Emi looked around.
The trees in the surrounding forest were mostly broken, fallen, a miserable sight.
Black smoke was leaking from the ground in places, and even small explosions occurred occasionally.
There were no creatures like that careless Tighi Bug.
Yes, what she’s climbing now is Mihabyushira Hill.
The hill on the outskirts of the royal capital, which was on top of the aerial fortress that she just forcibly dragged down.
…The promised place… with her benefactor, Grandma Numbri.
“…………”
Emi, while walking, kicked up a tree branch lying on the ground, grabbed it, and crunched it.
An overwhelming sense of fatigue.
Her body is heavy.
And a hellish hunger that won’t go away.
She felt like she’d faint.
But…
…Even so, Emi continued climbing the hill.
* * *
Now…
After somehow making her way through the devastated forest, with unsteady steps, what lay before her was a sunny meadow with a good view, under the autumn sky.
In its center stood something like a large stone pillar.
Thinking back, this pillar was probably a part of ‘Soul Conqueror’s’ mechanism… but it doesn’t matter.
Anyway…
…She’s here.
After parting ways with Grandma Numbri late at night…
…After rooting out and mowing down those annoying guys, she’s quite late…
But… she finally arrived.
At the promised place.
“…………”
Emi, still unsteady on her feet, pushed aside the grass and slowly started walking towards the pillar-like thing.
And then, it happened.
Tap.
Something hard touched the tip of Emi’s toes.
“…?”
She looked down.
What was lying there…
…Was a mysterious metal… the color of blood.
Thin and long.
In other words, this is…
…The blade of a sword… although the hilt is missing, maybe because it’s broken.
“…………”
If Emi was in perfect condition, she would have noticed a sense of familiarity with this blade.
But that wasn’t the case.
She’s currently operating at her limit.
She’s barely able to concentrate.
So she ended up…
…Touching the red blade.
Picking it up.
Because…
…A wonderful fragrance… like alcohol… was emanating from the blade.
And then…
The next moment.
<IHIHIHIHIHIーーー!!>
An extremely unpleasant, familiar laugh… echoed in Emi’s mind!