With a quick flourish, I reveal my trump card.

Its sleek build seems to be made of bone, and its twisted form grants it an ominous appearance despite its pristine form. The inscriptions on its surface only have a dull glow, and all manner of Trace Elements flutter in the air around me.

Indeed…

This is the gift Brad gave me upon his demise, the Armament, which I inherited alongside his will.

Even after I returned it to his village, the Chief said it was mine.

I considered giving it to Ciel—no, to the Vey'lithars—as a token of goodwill, but changed my mind after thinking it through.

Although its true name is in the Vey'lithar tongue, the villagers had something else they called it.

—The Flute of Salvation!

Brad died after using this flute for barely ten minutes, but it managed to save all of our lives. I was taught its use by the Chief, and I was also informed of its limitations.

Most importantly, I learned of its price.

'It was only meant to serve as a last resort, but it appears I have no choice.' With a deep sigh, I command Obsidian Steed to keep its distance from the three Direwolf Kings, while I keep my focus on one of them.

Then, I place the flute between my lips, feeling its chilly feel rest on my flesh.

I inhale deeply, letting out my command.

Suddenly, warmth begins to rise from the flute. The inscriptions start to glow brilliantly, and what resembles white smoke rises all over it. The feeling is comfortable at first, but almost as quickly as this soothing sensation seeps inside me, I feel a clutching sensation.

Something within me is being grabbed… pulled away.

It is what the villagers called 'essence.'

With my current understanding, I know it to be my very existence!

My existence is being used up!

That is the price!

'Brad only lasted ten minutes because he was a mortal. As a Leviathan, I should be able to last longer because of my higher existence, but I have no idea how long it will be.'

Still, I proceed!

Without even an ounce of hesitation, I lock eyes with one of the Direwolf Kings and designate it as the object of my control. Once this has been established, I release soft air from my lungs and begin to play the Flute of Salvation.

A soothing, soft melody leaks out, pulling the three Cadre 5 Magivores into a daze.

Two of them quickly snap out of it.

But the third one—my target—becomes perfectly ensnared in it.

I feel an incorporeal link between us, and although I sense its stubborn will resisting, it is unable to overcome mine. My existence is also just slightly higher than its own, which protects my mind from corruption.

If I were a mortal, I would have to wrestle control of this creature.

'Yet it's still so stubborn!' Astonishment dots my features. 'Could Direwolf Kings have unnaturally high egos compared to other Cadre 5 Magivores, or is it that the Thorn Overseer Vine had a rather low one? How could Brad have resisted something like this for so long?'

My respect for that man increases by the day.

But now isn't the time to dwell on sentiments or nostalgic memories.

In fact, now is no time at all.

"Guh!" I can feel my existence slipping away, and at a much faster rate than I anticipated.

At this rate, I won't even last ten minutes.

But how is this possible?

I'm a Leviathan, yet it appears I won't even last as long as Brad.

Could it be that the effectiveness of the Armament has reduced due to Brad's use of it, making it so that more existence has to be consumed for optimal effect? It could also be because of the much stronger ego of the Direwolf King.

However, if I am to guess… I'd say it's likely because of Ciel.

She's controlling them, which means my battle isn't merely with the will of a Cadre 5 Magivore, but also that of a Leviathan! It all makes sense, considering how Ciel's existence is better defined than mine, even though we are both in Rank 1.

My Existential Compulsion doesn't work on her Magivores due to this, and even with the Flute of Salvation—most likely an S Grade Armament—I can barely hold on.

Ten minutes, no, definitely less than eight…

… That's my limit!

I must hurry.

'ATTACK! ATTACK AND KILL THEM BOTH!' My thoughts desperately echo towards the Direwolf King under my command, causing it to loudly howl before pouncing on the other two.

In the fraction of a moment, a powerful current charges from its elongated tail. It produces a condensed burst of lightning that charges at one of its targets. In the same moment, it releases a powerful Air Cannon, far more powerful than the one used before, and sends it towards the second one.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

Loud cries pierce the air as both attacks connect, sending the Direwolf Kings sliding back.

I smile in relief.

'They can harm themselves with their attacks. It's to be expected, since they're of the same Cadre, but I just had to be sure.' I command the Direwolf King to attack once more, which it does without any hesitation.

This time, it sends the Blinding Ray of Destruction towards the two, while releasing spikes from its fur to target their bodies.

While they're still recoiling from these attacks, it sends a stream of poisonous gas towards them, but I quickly tell it to stop after realizing that it isn't any good against them.

'They must have strong resistance to the poison they secrete, which means I need to attack them with heavy blows!' I clench my fist while continuing the melodies. 'It's a good thing the Direwolves have a strong bond, which means they won't attack their fellow—'

Before I finish my thoughts, the other two Direwolf Kings growl angrily, their gazes turning especially fierce as they glare at their own kin.

'Don't tell me—!'

I quickly command the Direwolf King to cease its attack and flee.

Thankfully, this order came right on time, as both enemies launched simultaneous attacks that would have overwhelmed my single pawn if I hadn't told it to move out of the way.

Damnit!

It appears I judged too soon.

Ciel is the one in control of these Direwolves, and she must have noticed that one of them went rogue. Although she loves the Magivores, she isn't foolish, and she knows I am going to use it to cause more damage to the remaining two before killing it myself.

To reduce the damage, her best bet is to put the Direwolf down before it can cause more damage.

'But it won't be as easy as you want!' I smile to myself.

Unlike Ciel, I'm at the current scene of battle, which allows me to make the most optimal decisions as quickly as possible. She would have to use Clairvoyance to see everything happening here, which I imagine would be very difficult to do while she is also controlling two Cadre 5 Magivores. Let's not forget that she's already very weakened after pushing herself for three days, and I also have to consider the distance between this place and the Sanctuary.

All these factors tell me that Ciel can only issue vague, less specific orders compared to my own precise controls in the current situation.

"HOOOOWWWWLLL!!!"

She must have realized this quickly, since the two Direwolf Kings suddenly turn away from the traitor and glare at me with deep murderous intent. It doesn't even take me two seconds to realize what their new objective is.

'Eliminate me to reduce the threat, huh? You think I'll let you?'

Although I'm trying to avoid using Conceptions at the moment so I can switch to Tracing, I still have Obsidian Steed with me at the moment. I'll keep maintaining my distance from these two while commanding my Direwolf King to bombard them with attacks.

In fact, it's even better if they come after me.

That will leave them open to my strongest card—the Direwolf King.

Once again, it appears Ciel noticed this, as the Direwolf Kings change their approach, the two of them separating from each other.

'Ah…!'

My eyes narrow as I watch one of them come towards me while the other approaches my Direwolf King. It's the worst of the three possible scenarios, and I was hoping she wouldn't implement this strategy.

If they went after my Magivore, they would all do damage to each other and perhaps even two would be killed, leaving one injured. If I'm lucky, I could somehow evade that one's attacks until time is up and I use Tracing to leave.

If they went after me, I'd use my Direwolf King to attack, and since these Direwolves have low endurance and a weak surviving spirit, they would die from constant bombardments.

Afterward, if there's enough time, I can make the Direwolf King kill itself.

This is the most positive outcome.

But—

'If they divide us like this, I'll be too focused on evasion to properly control the Direwolf King, which puts me in a passive position. The Direwolf pursuing me will not sustain any injuries, since I can't harm it, and as for the other two facing each other, they will be evenly matched without my expert control. At most, they'll kill each other, which still leaves me with one healthy Cadre 5 Magivore to deal with.'

This is truly the worst-case scenario.

But I haven't given up!

'I have to use Frontflow…' I sigh deeply, quickly realizing how impossible it is to escape the Direwolf King while relying on my base abilities.

Unfortunately, this means my Obsidian Steed will run out of time sooner and return to its normal form, but no other alternative presents itself currently. With Frontflow, I can at least maintain some degree of control over my Magivore while evading the one pursuing me.

But things become more difficult once I realize the horrid truth…

'My existence is fading faster with every use of Frontflow!' I cough out blood, already growing pale as I shudder atop my rapidly flying steed.

It's already a struggle to evade all the assaults of my opponent while also dealing with the drain of my existence and controlling the Direwolf King simultaneously.

My head begins to pound.

It hurts!

It feels like my skull is being cracked open.

This unspeakable pain spreads throughout my body, invading my insides.

I can't explain the agony.

A chaotic swirl… a deluge of sheer torture…

Everything coalesces into tumultuous devastation within this final struggle as I struggle to endure

—To last a little longer.

Voices.

I begin to hear voices in my head.

They rise from my sea of consciousness, whispering things I cannot understand.

These words appear to be in a strange tongue, and they contain things which I do not comprehend, but clearly interpret as forbidden.

Within these voices is a clear one.

It calls me by name.

'Javier Aditi…'

Who is the person?

Whose voice is it?

It sounds so familiar, yet so distant.

'… I choose you…'

Right then, as though to serve as a distraction from the overwhelming voices, a miracle happens that tips the scales in my favor.

One of the Direwolf Kings falls, killed by my own wounded pawn.

I nearly celebrate before my Obsidian Steed suddenly returns to its miniature state right as my use of Frontflow ends. Before I know it, I am trapped hundreds of feet in the air as I make a rapid descent to the chaotic ground.

It will take some time before Frontflow can be used again.

Time, which I suspect… I no longer have.

Not because of my impending death.

No… Something else.

"Guack!"

I spit out more blood, my pale face leaking out crimson ichor from all my orifices. Tears of blood float in the air, as do the red streams from my nostrils, ears, and mouth.

In that moment, I lose connection with my Direwolf King.

I didn't even have the chance to give it one final command of suicide.

But so what if I did?

It's too late.

My body will soon crash into the ground, and I will die.

Even a Leviathan cannot survive this fall.

My Existence is faint already, with barely a flicker left.

All it takes is a little huff, and the leftover flame will be snuffed out.

There is still a completely healthy Cadre 5 Magivore a distance away, and its jaws are open to fire a Blinding Ray of Destruction at me.

The same ray that turned everyone else into skeletons and devastated this vast expanse.

I stand no chance.

Everything was working against me from the start.

But… hope?

Why do I still have that hope?

Why do I have this assurance… that somehow… things will work out…?

Just then, right as I am about to lose consciousness and ultimately meet my end, I hear the last of the familiar, whispering voice.

The calm, fleeting tone only has one thing to say.

'… Heathcliff.'

[A/N: I'm pretty excited for what's coming next…]

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