294 - - a mourning woman-a burning man

Riccoli silently stops the sound of his flute as the crowd of the dead fills the room before his eyes.

A large number of burning corpses controlled by the labyrinth master's tentacles.

Each one overlapping and solidifying to form a large human figure.

It is not clear what the logic is at all, but it seems that the dead are spliced together to form giants that can move just like human beings.

Each of them takes a few steps forward and holds out both hands to Rikoli and the others, who are still alive.

The wights do not make a single sound, perhaps because their vocal cords have been burned out.

But their gestures are filled with unspeakable hunger and resentment.

Judging from their slow movements, the corpse giants do not seem to be such fearsome opponents.

However, the large body of the dead seems to take a long time to defeat by swinging a sword.

If it is as good as the one the flame head uses, it will regenerate even a little bit of damage.

And the longer it takes, the longer it will take...

The legs of the labyrinth lord lying on the ground have been cut off from the knees down.

But the cross section is slowly rising, writhing eerily.

Sensing that his time is running short, Riccoli quickly checks to see if his companions are still in sight.

Perhaps because the surprise attack from the ground is gone, Kugase sits down flat on the burned ground, breathing heavily.

The twins, who had cleaned up all the tentacles growing from the seeds, were breathing hard as well.

But they do not look frightened at all in the face of the large number of the dead who are still crawling around, as if they have some secret trick up their sleeves.

Two men sit on the shoulders of the clay figures.

Moldamo does not look flustered, but calmly stares at Ricoli.

Kanadeji's cheeks relax a little at the sight of the two men, who look the same as usual.

Barconia, beside him, was looking around with a sad face, but he lifted his stick and nodded his head broadly, as if he had noticed his eyes on him.

He seems to be planning to do something.

Sora and Mu, also on the clay figures, do not look tired at all.

In fact, they are more energized by the arrival of the corpse giants.

Licori let out a breath of exasperation at the cheerful appearance of the girl who had been using various magical techniques, though she could still understand the child who was just singing merrily.

And next to her.

Yuril, who must have released the upper branches twice and poured enormous amount of magic power into her face, did not have a single bead of sweat on her face.

He still seems to be able to fire enough magic to destroy a crowd of wights without a care in the world.

However, it would be better to have him conserve his strength to finish off the main body of the Lord of the Labyrinth.

Finally, Licori reflected on her situation.

His arms are cramping up from blowing the whistle for almost two hours straight.

Sweat is dripping down his face constantly, but his throat is parched.

I feel a sense of loss and a pain in the back of my head from the excessive use of magic power.

But I can still play, play and sing.

And now is the stage that Kanade Shi wishes for no more.

"Can you go?　Sis."

At her sister's question, Riccoli gave a small shake of her head.

In the past, she would have sounded more urgent, but now Rummella has the composure of a leader.

Licori felt half reassured and half sad for her sister, who is overcoming her weakness of heart at the last moment.

"I guess you don't need me around anymore. ......"

Muttering a few words, Kanadeishi quietly held up the lyre he had replaced.

His eyes, usually half-open, widened to their fullest, his voice rang out in a clear, clear tone.

"Now I will return them to the heavens. They will probably fall down, so leave the rest to me!

The sisters Licori and Rummella are among those who survived the fall of the border town of Bossalia.

But it cost the lives of thirty-eight priests belonging to the temple of the almighty.

Licori does not have the same memory as her sister, but she cannot forget the fact that there were people who died to keep her alive.

For almost two years now, she has played every night to mourn the dead.

And then, I noticed that a new branch has arisen on top of the "Requiem.

The name of this new branch is "Senpen Bunka".

"It is the light of the moon, illuminating the cruel traces of the battlefield...".

A neutral voice, not unlike that of a woman, overflows from the back of Licori's throat.

The plucked strings echoed a penetrating sound in the depths of the earth.

"Why did the mighty take up the sword?

The corpses all stopped in their tracks in front of the melody that held magical power.

The master of the labyrinth shakes his tentacles in sudden revolt, but the giants refuse to budge, as if rooted to the ground.

This time, a gentle, aged-like voice sings softly, as if enveloping the crowd of the dead.

Friends and wives, fathers and mothers, and beloved children. I wish..."

Licori's voice, sometimes low, sometimes high, changes in quality as it echoes through the hollows of the earth's depths.

At the sound of her words, one of the dead suddenly peels away from the giant.

As soon as he falls to the ground, his body crumbles away like a lump of earth.

"O you who guard the peaceful life and hold the unfulfilled promise..."

As the music gradually gained in volume, another wight left the giant.

Several more followed.

"The battle is already over, and now a new path is born ahead..."

No one moves except the dead, and the audience quietly listens to the song and watches the proceedings.

And the giants began to slowly disintegrate.

One by one, the wights that had formed their bodies returned to the earth.

As their limbs disappear, their torsos, no longer able to support them, also fall to the ground.

Then, the wights that had formed the head disappear, holding out their hands to the sky.

All that remains are tentacles clawing vacantly in the air.

"Let us be guided to the eternal peace..."

The magical singing and stringed music echoes through the air, and at the same time, all twenty corpse giants vanish.

After witnessing the result, Riccoli falls down right behind him with a radiant face.

Moldamo's hand, just in time, supports his slender body.

It seems that Mordamo had somehow gotten out of the clay figure and was waiting behind Kanadeji.

Without a pause, the next voice rings out.

"Here I come, Lord Yuril!　Now is the time for you, tree of heavenly splendor, to shake your branches and spread your leaves!

"Ten, kogasu..."

It was the chanting of the Balconian prayer.

Immediately, one of the faces at the base of the labyrinth master's neck began to imitate inorganic voices.

Although he has lost all his men, the four heads that return their magic to the one who unleashed it are still in tact.

The twins and Kugase look on in surprise at the sudden outburst of the flame wielder.

To the vanguard, Barconia signals with her hand to move away.

Looking closely, we see that the body is already at the wall, in a position where no one will be caught up in the magic.

"--

"Wagami no--"

A tremendous swarm of flames leaps toward the monster, pouring into both of its legs as it is returning.

But instead of watching the result slowly, Barconia began chanting quickly, as if he had forgotten how to catch his breath.

Naturally, the head next to hers imitated her and started spinning out words, but the first head had not yet finished his chanting because it was triggered so fast.

"--!　From the tree of liberation, come and burn!"

"From the Ki of Kaiho--"

"--!　O red fruit of the flame tree--!"

"Enju no--"

Terrifying firepower is unleashed in rapid succession toward the chief of the demon tribe.

It is obvious that the power of the flames cannot even scorch him.

But that is not what Balconia is aiming for.

When the four heads began chanting, the first head had not yet finished the prayer.

A small gap of time.

The voice of Yuril echoed sharply.

"Moonlight, bind--!

Balconia watched and tugged at his moustache in a gesture of gratitude.

Immediately afterward, a tremendous whirlpool of flame returned and engulfed him.