Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 176

“Ahaha… I was so lonely not seeing you all this time…”

Blanc buried her face in my chest and nuzzled against it.

“Damn it! Get off!!”

I punched her head with all my strength.

But only my fist hurt… Huh?

“Ah, as expected.”

Though slight, Blanc’s head did move to the side.

That’s impossible.

Could she be just playing around?

“Mmm….”

While I was bewildered, Blanc pressed her nose against my neck and took a deep breath.

A chill ran down my spine and I instantly snapped back to my senses.

“Wh-what are you doing?!”

“Haah… What are you doing yourself?”

Blanc’s voice was cold as ice.

“Just what happened for you to end up like this?”

What nonsense is she…

“Why are you becoming something not human?”

“Ah….”

My vision blurred.

Ah, right.

That’s right.

I am no longer human…

“How annoying… Eugene is my hero… But at this rate you’ll become a Beast.”

“Don’t… be ridiculous. I won’t become something like a Beast!”

Get it together.

There’s no time for this.

Right now Sephira and Bari are…

“Bl…anc.”

A eerily strange voice that sent chills down my spine.

When I turned to look, there was Bari, even more twisted than before.

Joints bent at odd angles and skin cracked all over.

Through those gaps, withered black branches sprouted out, making her look like a mix between human and tree.

And above all, her hand.

Bari was gripping Sephira’s limp neck.

No… could Sephira already have been defeated…?  

That’s impossible.

That’s truly impossible!

“Urgh…”

Fortunately Sephira seemed not dead yet…

But she had completely lost her strength and couldn’t even put up the slightest resistance.

“Hehe… So you ended up like that? Defeated by just one high-ranked and one lower-ranked hunter?”

Blanc spoke to Bari while pinning me down with one hand.

“Shut up…”

“You only managed to subdue that white girl because she was distracted? It’s ridiculous how she kept looking this way.”

Ah… So that’s why Sephira…

Because I was caught by Blanc…

“Move aside… That person… is mine to take…”

Bari staggered as she approached.

Though twisted, her purple eyes stared straight at me with unmistakable clarity.

“…Heh. I have a good idea.”

Blanc grinned.

Then she suddenly stood up and charged at Bari.

“What…!?”

Bari tried to raise both arms to defend herself in surprise after dropping Sephira, but perhaps due to her already mangled state, Blanc’s fist drove precisely through her defensive arms.

With a sound like an old tree breaking and water bursting, Bari’s arms caved in around the fist and went flying backward.

“Gaaah!? B-Blanc!!!”

Bari screamed as she tumbled pathetically.

Her arms remained crossed in their defensive posture as they were pushed inward toward her chest.

If it had been a blade instead of a fist, it would have pierced straight through.

“Ahaha, it was my wish to punch your kind this satisfyingly. Well, except for Snow White.”

“Why would you do this!!”

“When else would I get to see a human kill you? Besides Snow White, of course.”

“Are you saying you’re human!? Don’t make me laugh!”

“When did I say I would do it? I said a ‘human’ would.”

Blanc turned to me.

“Now, I’ll give you a chance. Kill Bari right now.”

“What?”

“There’s a possibility now. Take her out while you’re still completely human.”

I glanced at Bari.

She was in a state that the word “pathetic” could hardly describe.

After being ambushed twice from the sky and crashing to the ground, now Blanc had also shattered both her arms.

As Blanc said, there was a possibility now.

I could… kill a witch.

“If you won’t fight, you’ll die by my hand.”

Blanc sharpened her claws.

“If you become not human, I truly won’t be able to hold back then. I waited so long, and this time I was really sure it was true… If even you betray me, I don’t know what I’ll do. So I’ll just rampage however I want. I’ll break and kill everything I see while doing whatever I want.”

Blanc’s bright red eyes spun around wildly.

While wielding the strongest power in this situation, she was also more anxious than anyone.

Because of me.

Because the one she had waited 500 years for happened to be me.

And now that I was becoming something not human.

Her threat to go berserk was probably serious.

And I…

“…This is insane.”

Everyone’s insane.

Everything’s gone mad.

I checked my weapons one by one.

No rifle, but two pistols instead.

Three throwing daggers.

Hand Cannon.

Raven Dagger.

And… smoke grenades.

Enough.

I drew my pistol.

“Yes. That’s right…”

Blanc grinned as she stepped back.

“Damn it… Blanc… How dare you do this…”

More branches sprouted from Bari’s body.

This must be Bari transitioning into her Phase 2.

Every witch has two forms.

One is their usual beautiful woman appearance. And the other is their hidden, grotesque monster form.

“N-no… Go back in…”

Bari seemed to be desperately trying to force the branches back into her body.

Though not mentioned in Blue Paper Moon’s setting materials, for some reason the witches really hated transforming into their Phase 2 monster forms.

Though that form was clearly stronger, when they transitioned to Phase 2, they would all spout lines of hatred and rage at the protagonist for making them take this form.

I charged forward while firing my pistol at Bari’s shoulder.

“Ugh!? Stop it! At this rate I’ll really…!”

Bari curled up while one-sidedly blocking the silver bullets.

She had no intention of fighting me and was just desperately resisting the transformation into her Phase 2 form.

And I went over the plan in my head one more time.

…Alright.

Though there’s absolutely no guarantee it will work, it’s better than not trying.

While advancing, I quickly glanced at Blanc.

Blanc had backed quite far away and was watching the situation.

Of course, this distance probably meant nothing to Blanc, but it was better than being close.

When I got fairly close to Bari, I set off a smoke grenade.

Then I poured all my magical power into [Acceleration].

“…!”

Something’s different.

This isn’t the usual sensation of [Acceleration].

Could this be… [Bullet Time]?

That’s Red Hood Karen’s Mark exclusive effect…

No, this isn’t the time to worry about that!

I ran as fast as possible through the smoke to get right in front of Bari.

Bari was still in the same spot, but perhaps wary of my approach, she had one hand stretched out.

Perfect.

“…”

Without a word, I placed Raven Dagger in Bari’s hand.

“…!?”

I could feel Bari’s shock.

Though her face wasn’t clearly visible in the thick smoke, I could feel the trembling through her skin.

Based on her reaction… it worked.

I turned my back on Bari and went to where I had seen Sephira collapse earlier.

Though still limp, she was breathing properly.

She must have been hit by Bari’s Phase 2 skill [Soul Drain].

[Soul Drain] was one of Blue Paper Moon’s strongest grab skills – though tricky to use, if you caught an opponent properly it had the powerful effect of both immobilizing them while healing yourself.

I picked up Sephira and ran in the opposite direction from Blanc.

I never intended to follow Blanc’s words in the first place.

*    *    *

When the smoke cleared, Blanc was momentarily stunned by what she saw.

Eugene was already far away carrying Sephira.

Though she thought she knew Eugene’s top speed, what she saw now was much faster.

Of course… she could still catch up in seconds.

“Haha… Yeah. So that’s how you want to play it?”

Red curse energy rippled around Blanc as creature ears, tail, and claws emerged.

Her eyes grew sharper and her expression turned aggressive.

“Haah, this is really… fortunate!?”

She swung her arm wide to deflect incoming black chains.

On the chains’ side was Bari, the branches protruding from her body slowly receding.

She held a strange black dagger in her hand.

“This is truly fortunate. Don’t you agree?”

“What is fortunate about this?”

Bari replied in her usual calm tone.

“I truly went through something terrible. I almost became the first sister to be eliminated.”

“Did Eugene give you that dagger? I’m so jealous you even got a gift?”

Blanc smirked.

“Tch…”

“Aah, I’m really glad. If Eugene had done as I said, you would have died. No… This time it might have been my mistake. How foolish of me not to trust Eugene. He’s clearly the hero I’ve been waiting for all this time.”

“Your strange tastes are nauseating. But… this time I ended up owing something to that.”

Bari glanced at the Raven Dagger in her hand.

During the great war 500 years ago, she had ordered a Beast that could be called Ragnarok’s sibling to guard the Western Temple.

This dagger was probably made from that Beast.

Moreover, it wasn’t just processed from its body – it maintained the fundamental essence that could be called its core of existence.

Such an item was suitable as an ‘offering’ to a witch.

Whether Eugene knew… No, he probably did know, but thanks to this offering Bari was barely able to regain stability.

Though she couldn’t even begin to guess how he knew about making offerings to witches, there was no time to worry about such things right now.

“Now then, shall we continue what we were doing earlier?”

The Raven Dagger crumbled into purple powder that seeped into Bari.

“Haah…”

This satisfaction.

Bari felt fulfilled receiving an offering after 500 years.

Yes.

This is the kind of being I originally was.

Not just me, but all us sisters were once beings called gods.

Of course, we all ultimately moved according to Noah’s will, but…

“No, I’m done.”

Blanc shrugged.

“Why? Couldn’t you kill me right now?”

“There’s something strange underground. Did you bring it? That Spider Queen?”

“My. You noticed. Your ears are still good like a creature’s.”

“I think I’ll run away with all my might like Eugene. So see you next time.”

Blanc also turned her back in a different direction from Eugene and ran with all her strength.

After Blanc instantly vanished into a tiny dot in the distance, Bari sent a mental command to stop Arachne who had arrived underground nearby.

“Haah…”

After everyone disappeared, Bari sighed deeply and fell backwards.

Then she looked up at the night sky.

The blue moon.

Noah’s power flows from that moon.

Noah.

Our father and master.

Please tell me.

That I am your true successor.