The melted taste of perdition. Vriligant felt his vision crumbling as he held it to his tongue. The ground began to rise slowly, closing in on him.

　The heart was lost again, the body knew it was time to die, and now both wings were gone.

　Vriligant had lost his majesty as a demon, and now waited only for his time to decay. The time of the fall was here.

　So this is the end. Is this what the end is?

　Vriligant's body was numb with a loss he had not felt even when Althea had taken his heart. Here and now, an era was coming to an end.

　The myth of the dragon that dwells in the heavens and conquers the ends of the earth.

　Vriligant's existence was a reenactment of that myth, and the Dragon People honored him with awe. Sometimes they hated him, but they still spoke his name.

　--Our king. Vriligant the Amagi Dragon.

　Now his majesty crumbles on Mount Bephemus. No, like the Titan King Flimsulat, his body was originally destroyed during the Battle of Altia.

　Only his dragon knew no end yet. And the end came in the form of a man.

　The dragon of heaven falls. A huge body collapsed a corner of Mount Bephimus, throwing out its wings and limbs.

　--Here, the myth of the Heavenly Dragon was shattered.

　The great fireball of the red dragon was pressing down on him, and his destruction was inevitable.

　Vriligant's huge eyes flickered only slightly.

　It was miserable. Just when he thought he had finally regained his stature, there he was. Not a shred of the majesty that had once conquered all of Heaven remained.

　But then again... Vriligant thought one thing without emotion.

　There are those in this age who would kill you. Like Althea, the giants, the spirits, the cogs...

　He wished he had been born in the age of myth. Then he could have met them in a more intelligent form.

　Vriligant opened his jaws wide. He looks to the heavens as his entire body decays. The sky beyond the reach of his fingertips.

　--A moment later, a supreme dragon's roar pierced the heavens.

　Vriligant let out his final roar, piercing everything between himself and the heavens. The dragon howled as if to imprint itself on the world, as if to show its existence. For a moment, the red copper flickered.

　Then Vriligant stopped moving. There was no magic left in its body, not even its heart. There was no way it could be alive.

　The only thing Verriganth could think of was that he saw a man in his vision.


　I'm sorry.


　He hadn't talked too much for nothing.

　The jewel Agathos narrowed his eyes at the fading source of Vriligant.

　Vriligant is immortal by nature. But that thing had killed it. As soon as he understood, Agathos felt the power drain from his body.

　At first, he thought he'd gotten on the wrong horse, but it turned out to be a good thing. Agathos felt like he could praise the man for now.

　He turned to Fialaat, who was sweating beside him as he continued to manipulate his magic, and opened his mouth.

It's over, Fialaat, it's over. I'm surprised. You've got a good eye for men, don't you? I thought for sure you were blind. And you did a great job. Hold her hand.

"H......, huh?　What?

　Fialaat responded to Agathos in a dazed state. It's not like he's safe.

　It couldn't be helped. He had been single-handedly manipulating the magical meridians that spread like blood vessels within Vriligant's body.

　Sometimes he would carve the meridians, sometimes he would make them burst with magic, and sometimes he would let the magic run wild.

　It was a feat only possible with Fialaat as the heart. Vriligant's body would have had no freedom because of her.

　But of course, Fialaat was not safe, since she was forcing the movement of magic to stop or speed up.

　The load on his body must have been enough to burn out his mind. Agathos exhaled and said to Fialaat, whose eyes were moistening.

"Good. Go to sleep. This world is falling apart. Next time you wake up, you'll be outside. Now that Vriligant is dead, the source will sleep too. Then this other world will never exist... okay, go to sleep, Fialaat.

　It seemed to Fialaert that these were strangely powerful words. But he could no longer connect with his consciousness. Even to say the words was too much for him.

"I'm glad you're okay ....... Agathos. See you later at .......



　That was all he could spell out. His eyelids closed too heavily, and Fialaat fell down on the spot. It was strange that he was still standing.

　Agathos lightly adjusted himself and stroked his eyelids.

...... Yes, yes. See you later. Fear Alert.

　Once again, Agathos exhaled.

　This is fine for Fialaat, but I have one more job to do. With a slight twist of his exhausted body, Agathos stood up easily.

　Then he crawls his eyes into the fading darkness.

　This darkness is emptiness. The very source of Vriligant.

　But also a usurper who would take everything away. If he plunges himself into this darkness, he will eventually be stripped of all his heat and become one with Vriliganth.

　If the heart, the phialat, had not been found, Agathos would have been one of them before long.

　For a brief moment, Agathos looked at the sleeping Fialaat.

　Then he simply turned on his heel. His gaze turned to the silent darkness.

"You don't understand, Fyarad. I'm a demon. You shouldn't worry. It's stupid to be glad you're okay. How can I worry about anyone else? I don't understand. Maybe until the day I die.

　And with only a few jewels, Agathos plunged into the darkness.

　Immediately, I feel the heat draining from my body. Agathos could see that the magic power that was about to be depleted was being lost in the blink of an eye.

　But this was the only moment Agathos had.

　Fyarados had regained his self, albeit temporarily, even though he was the dragon's heart. Then he would not share his annihilation with Vriligant.

　But not Leu, who was taken from him. Her soul is now completely under the possession of Vriligant.

　Then, as soon as Vriligant is gone, her soul will be gone too.

　There is no time like the present. Now is the time. Vriligant's hold on her is weakened. Agathos believed that there was room for a single demon to enter the original.

　In the emptiness, the jewel beside him cracked and shattered. Each time, Agathos felt the loss of life.

　The goal is still far away.


　◇ ◇◇◆


　The soul that was Leu felt a coughing sensation.

　I'm not sure what it is, but I don't understand it anymore. The only thing he felt was a horrible pain, as if his whole body had been crawling with poisonous insects.

　It hurt, it hurt, it hurt.

　I don't even know if I have a body anymore, but if I do, my stomach, my arms, hurt.

　Does it hurt, is it hot, or is it cold? I don't even know anymore. There was just a mass of disgust all over me.

　Suddenly, even though his memory was fuzzy, Leu thought.

　Maybe I should have died sooner if this was the case.

　Life is an intermittent cycle of suffering. As long as you are alive, there will always be discomfort and pain. Nevertheless, we have to keep struggling to take one step after another.

　In that case, wouldn't it be much easier to strike the yoke of life with a single moment of death?

　Leu was in the midst of a runaway train of thought. His mother's curse to live for the sake of others had no meaning now that he had lost everything.

　There was nothing good about being alive at all.

　For a moment, in a blur of thought, Leu had a vision.

　--A jewel of the highest order. No one could overshadow her, she was all that was left of the color. Such a scene.

　For a time, I was with her. Those were the only days I enjoyed. It was definitely my salvation.

　It was nothing, Leung realized. I just wanted to be with her, even though I said I did it for someone else. Every day with her was brighter. More than any other life.

　Just as he was about to burst into tears, he heard a voice.

"You're an idiot, you know that? You're thinking nonsense right up until the moment you die.

　There was a light.

　In front of him was a strange woman with a red head of hair, but Leu knew it was Agathos. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her before.

"Agathos ......?

　Her lips called the name languidly. Leu doesn't know why she's here. He doesn't even understand where he is.

"Yes, it's me. How beautiful. That's what supreme beauty looks like. Be overwhelmed by the joy of being seen. Come on. You can't just sit here like this forever. Hurry up and get up.



　Oh, that's definitely her, with her distinctive tone and long-winded speech. Leu stood up, feeling her expression relax.

　Strangely enough, his whole body, which had been in a lot of pain just now, felt nothing now. I'm feeling a little tired, but I'm feeling better.

　So I was able to stand up easily. Because of my light steps, I can even see the glow ahead.

Agathos, let's go. I'm sure they're waiting for us.

　Even those words were escaping her lips. He didn't care why he could see Agathos.

　Agathos shook his head and said.

I'm not going. You go.

　Agathos continued to speak before Leu could make a sound of dismay. She had a smile on her cheeks, wondering what was so funny.

I'm not a goddess, you know. I'm just not made to save people.