The forest keeper looked at her with its yellow eyes, then took her letter and read it.
Then it ripped its big mouth wide open and smiled for a while.
Boo woo—
Soon it lifted a long horn and began to blow towards the forest.
“!”
Deborah covered her ears with both hands as she felt like her deafness was going to fall off.
“Stop it, it’s noisy!”
After a while.
Baseuk— Baseuk—
With a strange sound, the forest began to tremble.
It was a sound that could be heard from hundreds or thousands of meters away. She could feel a broad vibration that covered the entire forest.
Deborah began to feel an overwhelming ominous feeling.
Just like terrified animals before a volcanic eruption or a large-scale earthquake, her instincts were speaking.
Now, something very dangerous was about to happen.
“Hey, what is this vibration…? What the hell was written in the letter?!”
“It says the world ends today.”
Showing its black teeth, the gatekeeper smiled calmly.
“And the messenger who delivered the letter should be ‘delicious’.”
“!?”
Puuk—
A vine pierced Deborah’s stomach.
Deborah was lifted into the air with a painful scream.
Her screams lasted for a while too.
“Aaaaaah!”
However, a stronger scream erupted from the forest keeper’s mouth.
Touk, touk—
Suddenly, with a dagger, Deborah slashed the vine and stabbed him like crazy.
Deborah grabbed her pierced stomach and ran into the woods. Her brain tingled with pain, but she couldn’t stop
“Stay there…!”
A part of the body of the forest keeper who was screaming from behind began to fall, as if it was slowly weathering.
But that attack would not have been enough to completely kill him.
“Haak, haak.”
Deborah glanced behind with bloodshot eyes and ran frantically forward. It seemed as if her intestines were torn apart.
As the monsters who smelled the blood were gathering, yellow eyes began to flash in the forest.
“Damn, damn it…!”
* * *
“The movement of the forest is unusual.”
In response to Ires’ report, Rixus tapped the table, tuk tuk, and said,
“Look closely. It’s close to noon.”
“Yes!”
He could guess what was going on in the forest without having to look.
Noon today.
He knew that when the sun was hanging in the highest point of the sky, the door of Marsephone would open.
Near the Illuminati Mountains, the defense had already been thoroughly secured.
A teleport connecting the nearby forest and the Imperial Palace was also newly established.
The opening of Marsephone’s door was unstoppable, so early yesterday morning, Rixus and Berylia made their decision.
“Why don’t you mobilize the entire troops all night to kill Johann, Rixus?”
This method was a problem for those who lived near the residence of Archduke Marquis.
It would take a massive battle to stop the powers of Toulouse and Johann, and the innocent people would experience hell.
It was obvious that so many people would be tragically sacrificed.
“To protect the people, we have no choice but to kill Johann and Toulouse in an unauthorized place.”
“I think so too, Berylia.”
Then there was only one way.
Immediately after the door of Marsephone opened, Toulouse and Johann would surely go to it.
The only choice was to stop the monsters on that steep mountain and kill the two of them.
In the vicinity of the Illuminati Mountains, there was already the Ghost Army of the margrave and the transnational knights of Valderi’ led by Lucia.
Additionally, the most elite knights of Spinel and Aktoum were gathered.
They couldn’t figure out how many monsters were pouring out, but for a certain period of time, they should be able to stop the monsters from reaching accreditation.
(TL/N: i’m trying to figure out what the author means by ‘accreditation’. before the issues of monsters were made known to the citizens?)
(PR/N: could be? accreditation means recognition so ‘before they were known to the public’ makes sense. The word accreditation just makes me think of school, but i don’t think those monsters are trying to pass their tests.)
But success could not be guaranteed.
Berylia was holding his hand, swallowing nervously.
“Berylia.”
“Yes?”
Surprised, she looked at Rixus. It wasn’t much of a call.
Rixus calmly stared and observed the anxiousness in her eyes, then slowly pulled her into an embrace.
In the warm and familiar arms, Berylia gradually calmed down.
“Don’t worry.”
“…I’m scared.”
“What’s so scary?”
His questioning voice and the gaze looking into her eyes were friendly.
“I’ve been… afraid I’m going to die, that’s the scariest thing.”
It certainly was.
That was the thing she was most worried about in her many lives, and even at the beginning of this one.
“But… not now.”
Berylia looked at Rixus with shaky eyes.
Her hand gently stroked his chest.
“Don’t die, Rixus.”
“….…”
Now, she was more afraid of Rixus dying than herself.
As if reading her mind, Rixus gently stroked her hair.
“I’m not dying.”
The corners of his mouth rose smoothly upwards.
“I’m sure. Never.”
Two large hands gently caressed her cheek.
“And as always, I’m sure… it’s you, Berylia.”
The question of losing him to death, the conviction that made him live a strong life…
There was only one, Berylia.
Berylia was so grateful that she wouldn’t die because of him, and she touched his cheek fondly.
‘Please, even after noon today and after the burning sun has set…’
It would be nice to be able to face him.
That was the only thing she wanted right now.
But when she realized that it might not be the way she wanted it to, suddenly… she was curious about this.
“If the world ends today… what would you like to do last?”
“…….”
Rixus tapped Berylia’s cheek with his finger, lowered his eyes, and kissed her.
The kiss where they shared their body temperature and breath was more intense and affectionate than ever.
At the end of the world, the two hearts that only wanted each other were beating hotly.
And… At last the sun began to burn from the highest point in the sky.