The one who stood in front of Misha…Was her younger brother — a commander of Reunion, Skullshatterer.
Though he had been captured by Rhodes Island and his actions were restricted, he still chose to shield his sister with his own flesh and blood.
This was something the attacker hadn't expected. Even though his blade had sunk deep into the youth's chest, the boy glared at him fiercely, refusing to budge a single step — even in death.
"Сукин сын! (You little bastard!)"The attacker cursed furiously, yanking the dagger free and flinging Skullshatterer aside with a powerful swing of his left arm.
"No! Alex!!"Misha screamed and tried to rush toward her brother, but a towering figure blocked her path.
"Ты труп! Сукин сын! (You're dead, little girl!)"The brutal Ursus soldier's face was completely hidden by a strange mask, yet Misha could still feel his bloodthirsty, merciless gaze from beneath it.
He raised his right hand high. The dagger, still wet with her brother's blood, gleamed coldly with a murderous light.
"Run, Misha!!"Amiya's shout was shrill and desperate.
She and Exusiai had reacted quickly, unleashing a barrage of attacks at the enemy — but the strange black cloak the Ursus soldier wore seemed resistant to both physical and magical strikes. Their attacks didn't even faze him.
Then — a flash of light tore through the air.
"Умрёт! (Die!)"The dagger came down hard.
—Slash!
But the blade didn't land.
The soldier looked at his right hand in confusion. His weapon had never failed him before.
But this time… it was gone.
Not just the dagger — his entire arm below the elbow was missing.
(What… what just happened…?)
Blood sprayed across his face. Agonizing pain kicked in a second later, and his pupils dilated in shock.
He finally understood.
His hand hadn't disappeared — it had been sliced off. But when? By what?
There was no time to think.
A wave of searing pain surged from his chest, spreading to every nerve in his body. He looked down slowly.
A black-scaled fist had pierced through his back, emerging from his chest — gripping a still-beating heart. His heart.
The hand clenched.The heart was crushed.And the mercenary's consciousness vanished.
Scene break
"Aaaahhh—!!"Amiya screamed.
She had to — anyone would scream, finding themselves drenched in blood and shredded viscera.
Levi had not only punched through the attacker's chest and crushed his heart — he had grabbed the man's left ribs and, like tearing open a food wrapper, ripped his body apart.
Chunks of flesh, bone, and organs exploded into a mist of gore, painting the battlefield in crimson.
The assailant had died the moment his heart was crushed, but his torn-in-half body still stood for a few seconds before collapsing.
Levi ignored the corpse. His gaze was fixed on the necklace he had pulled from the man's chest.
It was a very distinctive necklace — shaped like a blade.
"'Emperor's Blade'… W, you actually dared let one of those sneak into your ranks?"He tossed the necklace to the ground. His voice wasn't loud, but the fury in his tone was unmistakable.
Far away, W's face twisted into an ugly grimace.
She hadn't known. She had thought he was just another cannon-fodder mercenary — she never imagined he'd been hiding that deeply.
"Ugh… aah…"A faint groan interrupted everyone's thoughts.
"—Alex!!"Misha suddenly came back to her senses and sprinted toward her brother.
"Ugh… cough cough... Sis…"
His wounds were dire. The dagger had pierced straight through his chest, nearly destroying his heart. Just speaking caused blood to gush from his mouth.
"No… don't talk… don't talk…!"Misha trembled as she tried to cover his wound with her hands, but the blood surged like a fountain. Her small palms were no match for the mortal injury.
"Cough cough... Sis… it's no use… I'm done for…"
He gave a faint, bitter smile and stopped her futile efforts.
"I've always… wanted to say something… and now… I can…"
"Don't… don't leave me… Alex!"Misha tried to keep her voice calm, but she couldn't stop the quiver, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. "I'll get help… I'll find a doctor…"
Skullshatterer gently shook his head.
"No… Sis… listen…"
"I always knew… about your situation… I knew all along…"
"But I never had the strength… or the courage… to save you…"
"And then that man… he actually rescued you…"
"Sis… did you know… when I heard it from the Patriot… I was so jealous of him…"
"I kept thinking… if only I were as strong as Regulus Harvey… maybe… maybe you wouldn't have had to suffer so much…"
Misha shook her head fiercely. She tried not to cry, but tears kept falling.
"That man… he's taking you to Rhodes Island, right…? Good… that's good…"
"You won't have to… get dragged into our mess anymore…"
I hope you'll be happy.I hope you'll live a life full of peace.
Maybe he'd never allowed himself to think that way before — or maybe he just refused to. But now, standing at the edge of death, memories flashing before his eyes, the boy named Alex finally saw it all clearly.
She was his sister.His only family in this world.
"Regulus Harvey!"With the last of his strength, the boy screamed:"Take care of my sister! You hear me?! Don't let her suffer anymore!"
Levi looked at him for a moment… and then gave the slightest nod.
"Good… that's all I needed…"
Relieved by Levi's silent promise, Skullshatterer took one final breath. He knew this man wouldn't break his word.
He gave his sister one last, lingering look. His lips moved, but no sound came.
"Goodbye… Sis…""I'm… sorry…"
His blue eyes captured his sister's image one final time — and slowly lost their light.
The Ursus boy's head tilted gently to the side, his gaze frozen on the sky above.
Skullshatterer — Alex — was dead.