Chapter 263: The Desperate Echo of the Next Life
In an instant—all the beams of Higanka abruptly extinguished, as if an invisible force had completely stripped them of their existence!
Usagi's body trembled violently, her lungs seemingly clamped shut by an unseen hand, severing the flow of air in an instant!
"Haa... ugh... ah..."
She clutched her chest with both hands, her delicate fingers digging uncontrollably beneath her clothing, pressing so hard that her knuckles turned white. The suffocating sensation surged like a tidal wave, her lungs hollowed out, incapable of drawing even a shred of oxygen!
Her lips parted helplessly, only to close again, her throat locked in place. No matter how widely she opened her mouth, she could not inhale. Her eyelashes trembled, and in her pupils reflected the battlefield's still-burning embers, yet the world seemed to drift far away. All sound had been mercilessly stripped away, leaving only the deafening thud of her heart pounding within her ears!
Usagi's body trembled uncontrollably, a broken whimper escaping from the depths of her throat. Her knees buckled, and she swayed like a fragile scrap of paper in the wind, on the verge of collapse.
Dry Blood State—
The most fatal weakness of the Aka Clan. The power of the crimson spider lilies came from blood, and once it was exhausted, blood would cease to flow, oxygen would no longer circulate, and her body would instantly enter a near-death state.
Air...
She opened her mouth, desperate for a single breath, only to find her chest unable to expand. Her lungs felt locked in an iron grip, and a piercing ringing filled her ears, distorting her vision into a blur of bleeding colors.
Her strength, her life... was slipping away, little by little.
Meanwhile, not far away, Rinro stood drenched in blood, his breath ragged, his gaze wild with the madness of one who had survived the brink of death. His dragon scales were shattered, his wounds gaping and charred, with blood constantly seeping from the scorched cracks. Yet he paid no mind, simply tilting his head toward the night sky, a twisted smirk creeping onto his face.
"Heh... hehehe... AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
His laughter echoed through the darkness, ghastly and deranged, like a beast from the abyss roaring defiantly at fate after teetering on the edge of life and death!
"I don't know who did it... but to think someone could force you into Dry Blood State."
His laughter grew wilder, his pale face trembling from pain and exhaustion, yet his eyes gleamed with crazed delight.
"This truly is—thank the heavens! Heaven itself has granted me this chance!!!"
Rinro's voice ripped through the night, resounding across the silent plains.
Usagi slowly lowered her head. Her vision had blurred completely, and the colors of the grassland dulled, as if the world itself was fading into an empty canvas. She could no longer feel her legs; her blood had come to a complete halt. Her body was mercilessly sinking into the abyss of death.
She knew she had lost.
But... she was unwilling to accept it.
A hint of despair and sorrow flickered in her eyes as they fell onto her empty palms.
The ones she had fought so hard to protect, the battles she had waged with such determination...
Now, they were nothing but a ridiculous joke.
Rinro's breath was cold as frost, his dragon-scaled arms lifting slightly, his killing intent rolling through the air like an unstoppable blizzard. The blood-red moonlight reflected in his icy pupils, capturing Usagi's pale face within them.
He chuckled coldly, his voice carrying a tone of absolute finality. "My subordinates have indeed killed all of Gabrielle's obstacles. I don't know why you're here, nor when you arrived. But there's no doubt about it—coming to me in this state is nothing short of suicide."
Usagi's thoughts shattered in an instant. A deafening roar filled her mind, twisting and distorting her world into chaos. Slowly, she lifted her head, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief, as if struck by lightning. Her entire body quivered.
It was Rinro's doing...?
He was the one who killed that woman?!
Hayato had only been fighting those who threatened her, and those people... were Rinro's subordinates.
All along, she had believed that the horrifying entity deep within Gabrielle Valley was responsible for the massacre, that its overwhelming presence was unstoppable. She had thought that if Hayato didn't leave, he too would be swallowed by that relentless storm of death. That was why she had fought with him, why she had forced him away, why she had driven him off—to keep him from being caught in the slaughter!
The sky was steeped in heavy blood-red hues, the setting sun casting a crown of ruin upon the barren battlefield. Usagi lay still on the ground, her vision fading, the sounds around her distorted as if she were submerged beneath an ocean of shifting currents. Her fingers curled slightly, reaching for something unseen, only for it to slip through her grasp.
The pain in her chest was far deeper than any wound. It was a suffocating agony, as though her soul itself was being torn apart. She struggled to remember what exactly she was losing, but her mind was a chaotic mess, like snapped strings of a harp, pulling her consciousness into an abyss.
She had made her choice. She had only wanted him to survive.
So why?
Why, at this moment, do the tears refuse to stop? Why does her heart ache as if it will shatter?
She should be relieved. Relieved that he had escaped this deathtrap, relieved that he would not perish here...
Yet, the emptiness in her heart was more devastating than death itself.
She had grown used to that figure standing before her time and time again. Used to his smiles, his shouts, his madness, even his ridiculous backward glances. Used to the comfort of his presence. And now, she had pushed him away, forever erasing him from her world.
Her unfocused eyes flickered. A faint smile curled at her lips, yet it was far more heartbreaking than any cry.
"Hayato..." she murmured, her voice trembling, as if all the misunderstandings and pain had finally come crashing down upon her. She let out a soft, bitter chuckle, a strange sense of relief settling in her heart—at least, Hayato had escaped this whirlpool of death.
But Rinro did not notice this shift. Seeing Usagi remain motionless, showing such a strange expression, his brows furrowed. It seemed as if she had already accepted death.
He let out a low, cold chuckle. Frost exploded from his body, dropping the temperature sharply, freezing the air itself. His shattered dragon scales regenerated, razor-sharp and metallic, slicing through the night with a piercing whistle.
His arms twisted and deformed, fully transforming into the talons of a dragon, each movement brimming with lethal intent.
"This is the end!!" Rinro declared icily, his claws slashing toward Usagi with unstoppable force.
Usagi watched as Rinro lunged toward her, an indescribable weight settling in her chest. Her breath quickened, her heart pounded. This was the moment between life and death. Yet her gaze remained calm, as though she had already accepted the inevitable.
"If there is a next life... I want to say... I'm sorry, and..."
Before she could finish, Rinro's dragon claw, wreathed in apocalyptic fury, tore through the air toward her! The overwhelming force struck her like a tidal wave, sending her flying like a ragdoll. Her body, broken and bloodied, tumbled across the grasslands, each impact bringing searing pain.
A crimson arc painted the sky, and she crashed to the ground, her blood soaking into the earth. In that moment, all sound faded from her world, leaving only her ragged breathing and the wild thundering of her heart.