Chapter 125: The Tales of Cinder [19]
Princess Cinderella’s eyes reflected a moment from the past. For a second, she saw someone else in Mitsuki—but her dull gaze and emotionless face showed nothing beyond the inevitable judgment reserved for those who entered the kingdom.
Rain slid down her ash-covered face, evaporating into thin strands of vapor the moment it touched the heat of her body, as if even the weather refused to linger on her for long.
Poised elegantly atop the tip of the tower, she swung her first sword, launching a massive blade of fire. The rain evaporated upon contact with the flying slash as it surged toward the duo at overwhelming speed, leaving behind a distorted trail in the air—as if reality itself melted in its wake.
Marco jumped and rolled across the slanted roof to evade it, but due to the rain, he slipped, barely managing to grab onto a tile before falling into the abyss. His fingers clung desperately to the slick edge, his nails scraping against the wet stone as the wind lashed his face.
Mitsuki, on the other hand, took the attack head-on, unable to match his companion’s reaction speed.
At the last second, he turned intangible through ash and leapt heavily toward Marco to help him. His body dissolved into dark particles that trembled under the rain before reforming with a dense, brittle sound. Fully reformed, he used a brief burst of strength to grab Marco by the wrist and throw him upward—just as the system notified him of something.
[ The skill "Premonition Lv. 1" has been activated. ]
Marco used the momentum Mitsuki gave him to block all four of Cinderella’s swords in a single attempt. The clash produced a metallic roar that echoed through the nearby towers, accompanied by a burst of sparks that mixed with the rain, forming a brief orange flash in the gray downpour.
That gave Mitsuki a brief moment to recover, allowing him to move to the princess’s side with difficulty. His steps were heavy, as if each movement dragged tons of exhaustion and pain behind it.
He aimed and fired—but Cinderella vanished. She was above them. She had leapt so high and so fast that it was nearly imperceptible, leaving only a faint distortion in the air and the delayed sound of wind being cut.
But it was also the perfect opportunity for someone who had just joined the battle from the other side of the castle.
Arrows flew, tearing through the rain and striking directly into the princess’s chest. Each impact created a liquid shockwave that splashed the air with fragments of compressed blood.
She was pushed back by the blows, which left large dents in her rusted armor and a few faint scratches across her ash body. The cracks in her form glowed faintly red before stabilizing.
She landed on the slanted roof and glanced toward the one responsible.
From the opposite side, Azel wore a serious expression as he formed more arrows with each drop of blood falling from his wrist. His breathing was uneven, and each heartbeat seemed to drain more life from him.
"I’m running out of blood," he said.
Marco nodded.
Mitsuki tightened his grip on both his shotgun and sword. The cold metal contrasted with the unnatural heat coursing through his body.
’Even though we’re pushing her back, it’s not enough. We need something more—a final push.’
[ Physical Status: Critical. ]
That system message was just as concerning. It was obvious just by looking at his health points.
[ HP: 1 / 400. ]
Despite leveling up during the hunt before reaching the castle, it still wasn’t enough. Practically, his body was one hit away from death. Each heartbeat echoed like a war drum announcing his end.
Without giving them time to think, Cinderella attacked Marco, appearing before him in a blink. She swung her four swords in powerful cross slashes that, upon the first clash, sent Marco crashing through the roof into the depths of the castle. Wood and stone exploded on impact, vanishing into the darkness below.
Mitsuki had no time to defend himself. The moment Marco fell, the princess turned to him.
Instinctively, he became intangible and propelled himself to the left—but the slowing effect of the rain worked against him, halting him before he could reach the edge he intended to land on. The ash clumped together, heavy and sluggish, like wet mud refusing to obey.
His foot slipped on the edge—and at that exact moment, a sword pierced through his abdomen.
Cinderella grabbed him by the neck and lifted him while driving the blade deep into his insides. The wet sound of metal piercing flesh was swallowed by the rain.
Mitsuki lost the ability to breathe. His voice choked deep within his throat as what little blood he had left filled his lungs. The edges of his vision began to darken.
A couple of arrows struck her face, but the princess didn’t flinch. In fact, she allowed them to pass through her head. There was more than enough ash in Mitsuki’s body for her to regenerate.
Azel dropped to his knees—exhausted and pale. He had no blood left to create arrows, nor to remain conscious. He gripped his bow tightly in frustration. He needed to stand and help Mitsuki, but his body had reached its limit.
’Damn it! Damn it all! Why is she still this fast in the rain?!’
There were no words to describe the absurdity of what he was witnessing. Mitsuki, weakened, released his weapons and grabbed the crystal blade with both hands to prevent it from going deeper. His fingers trembled, slipping along the bloodied edge.
She looked at him in silence. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke:
"You are... an impostor..."
Mitsuki breathed heavily.
"Do you... really think... that... matters to me?"
"It should matter... In this world, the false are erased beneath my blades."
Mitsuki coughed up blood. The metallic taste filled his mouth.
"Is that... part of the feeling... that keeps you bound to this world?"
She remained silent for a moment. As the ash clinging to Mitsuki’s body transferred to her arm, slowly healing the wounds on her head, she made one of her swords vanish and gently caressed Mitsuki’s cheek with her fingers—so delicately it sent a chill down his spine. Her touch was both cold and warm at once, like touching living ash.
"No... it is not," she replied.
She shifted the sword slightly—and suddenly twisted it inside Mitsuki’s abdomen.
A few drops of blood escaped his mouth as he choked. His body arched faintly from the pain.
In the distance, Azel weakly formed a light arrow and fired—but it did absolutely nothing to Cinderella. She didn’t even seem to notice, her gaze fixed entirely on Mitsuki.
"There is nothing that binds me to anything. I decide when I die... Not even ash can stop me."
Wrapped in the agony of his final hit point, Mitsuki began to close his eyes. The golden glow flickered faintly, as if signaling the inevitable end by extinguishing Limit Break.
But as death reached out to claim him, a fleeting memory of Arthur overlapped with the monster staring at him with a coldness that could freeze the ocean.
The difference between this woman, corrupted by ash, and the girl from those memories was too vast. Everything consumed by misfortune became bleak—distantly understandable, yet unbearably tragic.
Then, with a trembling hand, Mitsuki released the blade and gently touched the princess’s face.
With broken, suffocating words, and a dry tear sliding down his bloodied cheek, he whispered:
"I’m sorry, Cinder... I couldn’t reach you in time..."
The princess froze, as if the world itself had stopped turning. Even the rain seemed to soften for a brief instant, as if reality held its breath.
At the same time, Mitsuki saw the final moments of Arthur Pendragon before he became an ash statue atop that lonely hill—he saw the last thought of the Prince of Misfortune, smiling beneath the sunlight as if hoping tomorrow would be a better day.
It was only a brief and sorrowful tale from a distant past—nothing more than a shadow of what once was. A shadow wrapped in ash, mystery, and solitude.
In that moment of distraction—triggered by words that felt so familiar—Marco appeared behind her.
He emerged from the darkness within the castle with a violent leap, breaking through wood and stone, propelled by pure desperation.
He swung his sword with perfect precision, tracing a clean arc through the air—cutting Cinderella in half in a single instant and freeing the agonizing Mitsuki, whose torso was torn open, flesh hanging grotesquely.