My Illusion Is Survival - Chapter 76
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 76
“Got you.”
“Urgh!”
The moment I heard the voice, my throat was immediately seized.
“Ugh, let… go, ah!”
I clawed at the hand gripping me as I felt suffocated, but it was useless. The creature watched me with amusement, and like a corpse’s hand, it felt nothing from the scratches I inflicted and remained perfectly fine.
“Let… go… of me!”
“El, pis!”
Someone called my name. Azel, collapsed on the floor, was reaching his hand toward me.
However, his hand with bulging veins could only barely grasp the edge of my clothes and couldn’t tear the creature away from me.
‘Azel.’
Soon my vision began to blur.
‘I thought stopping the regression would be enough. What have I been doing all this time?’
Since this was a creature that even Azel couldn’t handle, no matter what preparations I had made, they would have been useless, yet regret came to me now.
“What a bland ending.”
Just as I was about to close my eyes in resignation.
Crackle!
With a fierce spark, the creature’s hand fell away.
“…Tch!”
Cough! Cough, -cough!
While I collapsed on the floor coughing, the creature was looking down at its hand where sparks had flown.
‘What happened?’
The dead thing’s fingers were burned black.
“Ouch.”
The creature looked down at its burned fingers with a dissatisfied expression and suddenly muttered to itself.
“This is why it’s difficult.”
‘…What is that supposed to mean?’
Then our eyes met. The creature smiled at me as if trying to hide its displeasure.
“Surprised? It’s not something to get your hopes up about. I’m originally not supposed to directly intervene in this world.”
“Can’t… intervene?”
Speaking wasn’t easy, perhaps because I had injured my throat earlier.
“I’m not allowed to directly interfere with your life and death. What do you call this… Ah! Rules. Yes, it’s like the rules of the world.”
“…Then just get lost. Don’t bother people for no reason.”
“I can’t do that. The goal is right in front of me now.”
The creature suddenly approached Azel instead of me.
“What are you planning to do!”
The creature sat down beside Azel who had collapsed on the floor, and disgustingly cupped both hands to its mouth and whispered.
“You’re going to do it, Azel. I can’t, but you can.”
“Get away from him!”
Those crescent-shaped eyes that seemed to mock us were revolting.
“Shut, up.”
Azel, who still had some consciousness left, glared at the creature. However, his unfocused eyes and powerlessly trembling body were clearly not normal.
‘I can’t let him go berserk like this!’
The signs of dark red smoke surrounding Azel were ominous.
Then the creature embraced Azel’s body.
“Follow the voice in your head.”
“Azel!”
“Don’t reject the power and accept your destined fate. You’re already sick of the life you’ve repeated dozens of times.”
“Don’t touch him, you bastard!”
I hastily got up and rushed at the creature, but before I could even reach it, my body was flung away.
“Elpis!”
I rolled several times and was thrown far away, so my whole body hurt. Still, I couldn’t leave Azel like this.
“Don’t touch him. Don’t torment him anymore!”
“Elpis!”
At some point, I couldn’t see clearly anymore. Tears that hadn’t flowed even at death’s door finally covered my eyes.
It wasn’t because I was hurt or afraid.
‘Damn it! I’m so damn frustrated!’
Frustratingly, there was nothing I could do.
Then the creature’s hand grabbed Azel’s face. The creature forced Azel to look at me.
“Look. Do you really think that woman can save you?”
I couldn’t see Azel’s expression because of my tears.
“She’s just like other humans. The most important thing is only her own safety. Her words about saving you are probably lies too. Such a thing isn’t possible.”
Every word the creature spat out clawed at my heart. It was right that I considered my own safety most important, and at this moment, I had no way to save Azel.
Just then, Azel’s voice was heard.
“You, you- can’t directly kill Elpis, right?”
His completely cracked and hoarse voice was already abnormal.
“That’s why you’re trying to use my hands, isn’t it?”
“So what. What changes just because you know that?”
“It changes. A lot.”
Suddenly, laughter tinged his calm voice.
“…Azel?”
Just as I unconsciously called Azel’s name,
Thud.
“What are you doing?”
The creature’s voice, which had been filled with mockery throughout, suddenly hardened.
An ominous premonition struck me.
“What the hell are you doing-!”
The air froze, and an angry roar that seemed to tear the world apart pressed down on the atmosphere. However, that wasn’t what was important to me.
“Azel?”
I hurriedly wiped away the tears that had been covering my eyes.
Somehow quickly, I had to confirm the identity of the sound I heard.
“…Azel?”
Finally, I could see.
Azel’s upper body was soaked in blood.
“What have you done! Why! What is that human worth!”
Even the dark red smoke that had been enveloping Azel was gradually dispersing, so the creature’s screams no longer reached my ears.
As if only he and I were left alone in the world, I couldn’t see anything else.
“How much effort did I put into this! Where am I supposed to find another human like this!”
The angry roar erupted again. Without being conscious of it, I approached him on my knees. My aching body forgot all pain for this moment.
“…Why?”
Why, exactly?
The hand I finally grasped was still warm.
However, Azel’s hand couldn’t hold mine back.
“Why did you,”
At the end of my dazed gaze, I caught sight of a sword with only its hilt visible. The blade was embedded completely in Azel’s chest, and his chest was still and quiet without the slightest movement.
“Why did you do this!”
“…el.”
Then a small word was heard.
“Azel!”
The breath that couldn’t complete my name was like a candle before the wind. It was so weak it seemed ready to go out at any moment.
“Why did you do that? I said this was our end. I told you we could never meet again!”
“…It’s, okay.”
“…!”
“Rather than hurting you with my own hands, this is better.”
Those words that flowed out like a sigh weren’t what I wanted to hear.
“You said you didn’t want to be alone! You said you wanted to stay together!”
“…I’m, sorry.”
This wasn’t something that could end like this.
“It’s not about whether I can meet you or not! You can’t even go back! The regression, the regression is already-!”
Even at the truth that finally burst out, Azel’s body was already motionless.
“Azel?”
I called his name once more, but it was still the same.
“Azel?”
The body in my arms wasn’t breathing.
“Azel, Azel! Wait. Just a moment, please. Azel. Please, just a moment.”
The words I repeated over and over were all Azel’s name. Like someone who had forgotten how to speak, I couldn’t even think of other words.
At that moment, a thunderous shout poured out from beside me.
“It’s because of you! If only you weren’t here, my plan would have succeeded!”
Crackle!
Sparks flew from the approaching hand once again.
“Aaaah! This damn spark!”
The momentum of the guy getting angry because things weren’t going his way was threatening, but it didn’t matter. Azel was more important.
“Wake up. Please open your eyes.”
The warmth in my arms was trying to escape from me.
‘This is our end?’
Just this?
“…You’re lying, right? It’s all just lies. Wake up, quickly.”
Please open your eyes.
Even to my pitiful tears, there was no response. As if it was really all over.
“I can’t lose you like this.”
“What are you doing hugging a dead guy!”
Then the guy’s hand finally reached me.
Crack! Crackle!
Stronger sparks than before shot up from his hand, but the guy didn’t care.
“Even if I can’t kill you, I need to break this anger.”
Two eyes with a cruel light were persistently glaring at me.
But then, something amazing happened.
Tssssss-!
Bright light was suddenly shooting out around me.
“Time?”
It was Gaspata’s blessing.
“How is this possible.”
The blessing that couldn’t function at all against the guy was now emitting strong light and enveloping me.
“You-!”
Then, for the first time, a voice was heard.
[Turn back time.]
It wasn’t Azel’s, the guy’s, or even Gaspata’s.
[Before it’s too late, hurry.]
The voice of unknown origin was echoing not in my ears but inside my head.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————