Chapter 180 : Rumors and legends
“Looks like… the coast is clear now…” Lay muttered as he held up Evansmana.
“…Indeed…” (Shin)
Shin was standing next to him, with the God-Slasher in his hands.
He, too, was facing the sky with his God-Slasher at the ready.
Behind them, Reno was laying face down on the ground.
Misa had her head against her chest. Reno had pushed her down to the floor and was holding her in her arms, as if to protect her.
Back then, when the <Sun of Doom> Surgeldonave was shining in the sky, all three of them reacted at the same time.
And they all shielded Misa as quickly as they could.
“…Are you okay?” Reno asked her daughter in a gentle voice.
Misa nodded slightly while staring at her face in blank amazement.
“…You’ve grown so much…” (Reno)
When Reno gently stroked Misa’s cheeks, tears dripped on her fingertips.
“…Are you… my mother…?” (Misa)
As Misa uttered her question in a stupor, Reno gave her an affectionate smile.
“Yes… I finally got to give you a hug…” Reno said as she hugged Misa tightly.
Her body was enveloped in light, turning pale and transparent.
The time limit for borrowing Fran’s body was no more than a few minutes.
“I’m sorry that we kept missing each other…” (Reno)
Tears welled up in Reno’s eyes.
“And I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay with you forever…” (Reno)
“…! Wait…! Don’t go!” (Misa)
Tears were trickling down from Misa’s eyes.
“Please… Not yet…!” (Misa)
The end of her sentence was slurred, and her words were drowning in tears.
“Don’t leave me… Please stay… just a little longer…” (Misa)
With a sad expression on her face, Reno shook her head.
Her body was fading away again.
“But… We’ve… We’ve finally… just met… and I… For such a long time… I’ve…” (Misa)
“I love you, Misa. …And I’m sorry…” (Reno)
Reno’s tears fell on Misa’s cheeks.
However, those tears didn’t turn into tear flowers.
The Great Spirit Mother had long lost her power.
“I may be fading away, but… At least you’re still here. I’m sure Anos will save you. Along with… the poor girl who was your other half too…” (Reno)
Reno held back her tears, then she smiled.
She had the face of a kind, gentle mother.
“…I’m really happy I gave birth to you…” (Reno)
Suddenly, a particle of light rose up and moved away from Misa.
For a moment, when Shin looked up at it, the particle of light took the shape of the Great Spirit Mother.
“Shin… Thank you. Goodbye. And know that…” (Reno)
Reno extended her hand out to him.
When Shin gently grabbed it, she smiled.
“I was happy.” (Reno)
“Reno…” (Shin)
As a single tear dripped down his cheek, he declared.
“I love you.” (Shin)
A warm breeze blew, and Reno suddenly disappeared, as if it carried her light away.
All that remained in Shin’s hand was a teardrop of the Great Spirit Mother… The pure white tear flower that he had placed on her gravestone.
“…Mom…” (Misa)
Tears flowed out of Misa’s eyes without stopping.
They trickled down her cheeks and soaked the floor.
“…Please… I beg you… Fran…” Misa uttered in a sobbing voice.
“Please let me see my mother one more time… You can do it, can’t you? Because… if you could do it just now… you can do it for a bit longer, right…?!” (Misa)
Misa rose up and called for the Love Fairy who had to be somewhere in this room.
While she cried just like a child.
It wasn’t as if she didn’t understand that this was an impossible demand.
But even so, her sadness still ran deep.
“…Just a little longer… That’s all I ask for…” (Misa)
However, the Love Fairy didn’t reappear.
Fran would lend her body only once.
And it only lasted until the one possessing her had conveyed their feelings of love and realized that they had already passed away.
“Don’t ask for the impossible, Misa. The Love Fairy doesn’t possess that much power. The best she can do is bring closure to the tragedy.” (Anos)
Misa gave me a begging look as I slowly walked up to her.
“…Anos-sama…” (Misa)
Misa spoke as if trying to squeeze her words out.
“…This is all… my fault…” (Misa)
Misa tearfully expressed her sorrow
“If I had never been born, my mother… would’ve never died…” (Misa)
“That’s not true.” (Anos)
“How is it not…? My birth caused my mother to disobey her own rumors and legends, and die…” (Misa)
By awakening as Avos Dilhevia, Misa had probably regained the memory of what happened two thousand years ago.
“If only… I never existed…” (Misa)
“Misa, have I ever said anything just to make you feel better?” (Anos)
“……Eh?” (Misa)
While spilling large tears, Misa’s eyes widened in shock.
“There’s no denying that you became the cause of Reno’s demise. No matter what I say or how I gloss it over, it won’t heal your grief.” (Anos)
Misa was staring at me, dumbfounded.
“But when I say ‘That’s not true’, I mean that she’s not dead.” (Anos)
“…! Is this true?!” (Misa)
At the same time Misa raised her voice, Shin cast a strong glance my way.
“Yeah. But before we can save her…” (Anos)
As soon as I said that, a faint light began to leak from Misa’s body.
When I directed my Magic Eyes at her, I could see that her source was about to fall apart.
She couldn’t survive with her source, which was cut off from Avos Dilhevia’s, and only half of an actual one.
“We have to save you first.” (Anos)
I spoke to the Hero, who was standing beside me.
“Lay.” (Anos)
He stepped forward.
“You need to do as her legend stipulates, and destroy Misa with your Sword of Three Races.” (Anos)
Unable to hide her shock, Misa was at a loss for words.
“I wish I could explain why, but we don’t have time for that. Your source could crumble and perish at any moment. So are you ready?” I asked the two of them.
Lay and Misa exchanged a glance, and nodded.
“I believe in you…” (Misa)
Lay pointed the tip of Evansmana at Misa’s chest.
It radiated its divine light on her, and her source disappeared, as if it was purified.
