Mr Devourer, Please Act Like a Final Boss

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Chapter 30

As consciousness hovered at the edge of awareness for a while, footsteps echoed in.

Faintly registering the movement, Renee laboriously lifted her eyelids.

The approaching presence grew louder, indicating someone was drawing near. Renee focused her senses. It seemed human, judging by the absence of demonic aura. Not only Renee but Amer, too, halted his cries upon hearing the footsteps.

Renee silently felt around her thigh. She fumbled with the garter, extracting the remaining blade hidden within. This would rid her of the sensation of the metal pressing against her thigh. It was the last blade.

“…Leader?”

Amidst the tension, a strange male voice was heard.

With a clatter, the man dropped the staff he was holding.

The metallic rod clattered noisily to the ground. Renee squinted slightly, glancing at the man. Perhaps her right eye had lost function entirely, as her vision was blurry. Amidst this, the only clear thing was the green shock of hair.

The human with green hair likely belonged to this Mage Tower as he addressed Amer as the leader and was holding a staff.

What was intriguing, however, was the man’s remarkable composure. He seemed prepared for the situation to a certain extent. He must have encountered numerous colleagues’ corpses on his way up to this level. He appeared to have a fair estimation of what might have occurred.

“Leader! What happened? Y-your wrist…”

“Ha…im?”

“Yes, it’s Haim. Leader, what in the world has happened…”

The man referred to as Haim began to speak, his words faltering. Amer, overcoming spasms, barely raised his arm. The direction his severed wrist pointed towards was Renee. Haim stared at Renee, leaning against the pillar, for a few seconds.

“You were there at that time…”

Renee didn’t respond, just glaring at Haim. Haim didn’t continue speaking either. Just locking eyes was enough to fit the jumbled puzzle pieces together. Having grasped the situation, Haim turned back towards Amer.

“Leader, can you hold on?”

“Haim, it hurts… It hurts, quickly… Ah, please… Save… me, my wrist, my wrist, my wrist…”

“Calm down, you’ve lost too much blood.”

“That bitch, that bitch… kill her…”

“Leader, pull yourself together and listen to me properly.”

There was urgency in the voice. Haim pulled something out of his arms.

“Do you see what this is?”

He would have held it out right in front of Amer’s face. Yet Amer only shook his head. Whether gradually nearing death and losing sight, or regardless of Haim shaking ‘that item’ in front of him, Amer only kept shaking his head.

“What… is… it?”

“It’s a high-grade magic stone embedded with an escape spell. With just this, we can get out of here. But my mana is too low to activate it. Leader, you have to infuse mana into it.”

“What… do you… mean?”

“I don’t have time to explain in detail. Escaping from here is urgent. There’s no way I can defeat an opponent you couldn’t. Leader, just live for now. Whether you seek revenge or not!”

Saying that, he placed ‘that item’ onto Amer’s chest.

Amer, hesitating for a moment, slowly nodded. Casting without a wrist was impossible, but infusing mana was something he could manage. Amer slowly poured mana into the item Haim had handed him. It seemed like pouring out all the remaining life force. That was Graumitz Amer’s final straw to grasp.

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Renee just stood by, observing.

She was too powerless to intervene. She couldn’t clearly understand the situation.

But before all that, Renee was certain.

That man known as Haim.

─He’s definitely not on Amer’s side.

Contrary to his voice, there was no trace of concern for Amer in his expression. When their eyes met, it wasn’t the expression of an adversary but one of jubilation. After realizing Amer’s sight had faltered, Haim overtly smiled. When making a proposal to Amer, he couldn’t contain his laughter, suppressing it as he grinned.

Above all, the last thing given to Graumitz Amer, the magic stone.

Renee gagged as she saw the stone Haim handed over. A retch escaped, bringing up nothing but bile since she hadn’t eaten.

—There’s no way that stone contains a ‘high-grade escape spell.’

Can one forget something meant to be forgotten? Inside that dark-hued stone was a squirming, fetus-like form, much like what had been inside the ‘Crimson Love Stone.’

“…Demon.”

“Huh? Uh? Ugh, ugh… cough… cough…”

As Renee muttered, Amer retched.

What came out of his mouth was a clot of dark crimson.

“What?… Wh-why? How… why, AHH!”

He screamed in agony. A surge of black mana seeped out of the magic stone and pierced Amer’s body. Through his nose, mouth, even his eyes—Amer’s body absorbed the black mist as his body convulsed. He seemed to squeeze out all the blood from his body endlessly.

“…Haim?”

As soon as he asked the question, Amer’s pupils started spinning. His dimmed vision couldn’t locate Haim or anything else, as his pupils looked in different directions.

Finally, amid the blood-drenched lips stuttered a voice.

“…You… can’t be…”

“You seem to be in pain. Well, since you’re about to die soon, would it be alright if I tell the truth? And also to formally greet Miss Ren here. I’ll tell you the truth I’ve hidden.”

“What? No, no! Ugh, it hurts. Oh, oh! Haim. Wh-why? Why… Haim… what… why, AHHHH!”

He laughed. Haim laughed. His laughter held no pretense. Amer’s screams were music to Haim. Turning to Renee, Haim spoke.

“Haim Saryuvelle, a poor disciple who’s responsible for our leader Mr Amer… A spy pretending to be…”

Before receiving a response, Amer’s neck twisted halfway around. Observing death with the gaze of a street acrobat admiring tricks, Haim added:

“Mr Amer has made too many enemies. Why would the Graumitz main family send a spy to monitor their beloved protege? Why would they order the immediate elimination upon showing any suspicious signs? Why would a finished deal like Miss Ren come seeking revenge? Isn’t that right?”

A thunderous noise pierced the ears. Thud! Crack! Amidst the resounding and the bones of Amer reassembling, Haim’s voice was nearly drowned out.

“…Where are the fangs?”

“What? Mr Amer didn’t tell you?”

As Renee, witnessing such a scene, asked in a low voice, Haim glanced at Amer. Amer lay sprawled like a discarded rag, seemingly devoid of a single drop of blood. The ground was a lively crimson. Bent in a grotesque posture, she was silent, as if already dead. Haim sighed.

“The fangs were auctioned off to the Raize region. Such weapons are of little use in the Mage Tower. It’s far more profitable to replenish resources from the auction money.”

“…”

“Anyway, I’m grateful to Miss Ren here. Since you’ve done my work for me, I want to repay you… But that’s that and this is this. Dissolving this situation might lead Miss Ren to chase after me, you know?”

If the situation had come to Haim eliminating Amer, he would have used assassination as a method.

He wouldn’t have chosen assassination for no reason. Amer is not an opponent to be underestimated.

Moreover, the silver-haired girl is a presence that severed Amer’s wrist. Judging by the smooth cut on the severed wrist, it seems like it was done in a single strike.

Ending it with one strike. A formidable opponent, even if appearing exhausted, is not someone to be taken lightly.

Haim was no match for Renee.

However, if it’s a demon that used Amer as a medium, the story would be different.

“Then, this is it.”

With a smirk, Haim fled downstairs. Amer’s corpse slowly floated in the air. The distorted and contorted figure, bending and twisting in various ways, would make anyone think it wasn’t human if they hadn’t witnessed the process.

The ground trembled. The Mage Tower was in turmoil.

From Amer’s corpse, loathsome purple things spread in all directions, then gathered again. Indistinguishable limbs, whether arms or legs, emerged from the purple liquid. Dozens of teeth, not chosen carefully, protruded through the grotesque skin, and a sinister extra eye glared at Renee through the stretched skin.

The demon that emerged from the corpse let out a howl. Renee’s silver hair fluttered in the sound waves. Her right eye, damaged during the fight, barely made out the form of the demon. It wasn’t a shape she particularly wanted to see in detail, and at this moment, she was relieved that her right eye was damaged.

Renee muttered quietly.

“Pathetic.”

It was a word directed at the demon in front of her. A word to the painfully deceased Amer. Simultaneously, it was a word to herself.

There was no chance of winning against such a demon. At least, not with a body as battered and weaponless as Renee’s was now.

So what would unfold next wasn’t going to be a grand battle. It would simply be a tragedy in which one helpless maid would be horribly ripped and shredded apart. Because she is powerless. Because right now, Renee Rello was the most powerless there is.

In fact, if she had decided to escape, she would have found an opportunity somehow.

─Here, Renee was paying for her sins.

There was no meaning to her remaining life anyway.

She didn’t want to become more pathetic.

─It’s erasing the ‘real traces.’

Here.

Forever.

The demon that was dripping saliva roared again. Countless legs extended from its body, reaching Renee in an instant. Among the tentacle-like numerous hands, the longest and thinnest one headed towards Renee. Renee, trying to endure the discomfort, bit her lips. Something slimy touched her forehead. The voice resonated as if carving letters directly into her head. It wasn’t a language that could be understood, but the certainty that she would die soon was palpable.

Certainly, she could feel that she would die.

Is this it? Is this where Renee dies?

Dying in such a disgraceful manner by a despicable creature. It feels like a punishment, doesn’t it? Is this what karma dictates as Renee’s fault in this incident?

The truth is, she knew. She was aware that this whole thing was her fault. Devourer likely despises Renee. Yes, Renee is a sinner. That’s right. This seems like the fitting death for a sinner like Renee.

─Even so.

“…Those filthy hands.”

Smelling of Devourer’s scent that still lingered on Renee’s body.

“Don’t dare to put it on me…!”

She pulled out the dagger she had been gripping tightly.

It happened in an instant. Renee swung the dagger towards the demon in front of her.

First, she thrust the dagger into the center of the repulsive and large pupils that stared at her. The demon let out a scream. Viscous fluid poured out with a squelching sound. The light pink dress was stained with mucus.

After pulling out the dagger, Renee, with the remaining strength, pushed the dagger under the demon’s chin. The demon had no heart. The only place that seemed like a vital spot was the throat.

‘Even if I die, I’ll take you with me─’

But one dagger was not enough.

In response to the demon’s counterattack, Renee’s body floated into the air.

Between the diminishing sight, dozens of demon arms came into view. Hundreds of fingers were visible. Sharp claws resembled stakes. Hundreds of stakes were aimed at Renee all at once.

It was an intention to pierce through her, leaving her torn apart.

‘Ah.’

─It wasn’t enough, as expected.

She closed her eyes. Sadness settled on her thick eyebrows.

Unfortunately, there was no lantern-like thing coming to her mind.

It felt like there was no sense of crisis in death, so she wondered if this was what it was.

Closing her eyes and ears, she recalled Devourer.

‘Mr Devourer, will you really be sad if you find out that I’m dead?’

It was a situation reminiscent of when Renne was first saved. When her body and soul were parched, unable to find meaning in life. That’s when Devourer appeared, dark and obscure but to Renne, a dazzling light.

Renne recalled what Batory said. The Primordial Core was fighting against the subjugation force,, wasn’t that it? By now, everyone must be busy. They might not be able to come. Even if they could, they wouldn’t, right?

Renne thought she would die without regrets, but something stirred within her.

For the last time…

“…Mr Devourer.”

I wanted to see you.

Even with closed eyes, Renne vaguely felt the shadow emanating the stench completely obscuring her view. It truly seemed like the end now.

She thought it was really the end.

A deafening roar temporarily paralyzed her ears.

Then, a rush of air pressure followed. Faint light seeped in, and it seemed like the foul-smelling shadow from right in front of her had disappeared. The direction of the wind, the pattern of the waves, she could sense them.

The demon didn’t vanish. It had been blasted away by an immense energy collision.

While questioning the situation, she also doubted her own senses. This sudden sensation was absolute, to the extent that most creatures, when trying to comprehend it, would simply go mad. It was something darker than black, deeper than the abyss. Even the darkest entities rarely possessed this kind of power.

There was only one being capable of such a thing.

Renne knew the source of this energy. It belonged to someone who was not supposed to return.

In the instant before she could open her eyes, Renne felt the warmth of arms gently catching her as she fell. That warmth, so gentle, delicately placed her on the ground, maybe to avoid causing more harm.

Renne trembled. If she were in a space with others, she might have been overwhelmed by emotion and cried.

Even though her eyes still didn’t open, she was certain.

Was this really happening, was it not a dream?

Mr Devourer.

Phase. 9

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