The Sword and The Shadow
Chapter 619: Leybecca's Death

Leybecca's Death

"Leybecca! Leybecca! Are you alright?" Leguna struggled to sit up to check on her wounds. Even with a cursory glance, he could tell that the whole surface of her skin had been utterly burnt up. Not only that, many muscle groups of her body were charred as well. No living being could possibly live with those kinds of injuries.

"I… I'm fine…" Surprisingly, she still managed to stand up. Her voice was unbearably hoarse from the burning, but she still managed to stand and hold onto her dagger.

"No… No!" Leguna crawled forwards in an attempt to grab her leg. "Don't go! Stop! You're not his match!"

"I know…" She slowly began to walk away from him. "But only by going this can the result you desire be achieved."

"I don't want anything! Come back!" He felt himself going insane. Why would she attack Nidhogg so pointlessly like that? What was she planning to do? He had never wished for her death, so why did she have to do it?

She didn't say a word and slowly accelerated towards Nidhogg.

"No!" he cried the loudest he could, "Don't go! Nidhogg, if you dare harm her…"

Wham!

Nidhogg gave her a light punch to knock her away. With a leg stepped on her head, he asked, "What happens if I hurt her?"

"I'll kill you!" His eyes glowed threateningly.

"I'd like to see you try." He grabbed her left arm and ripped it entirely off her.

"Aaaagh!" she cried out in pain.

"No! No! Do it to me if you have to! Don't hurt her, or I won't let you off!"

Nidhogg didn't say a word and merely lifted his leg to kick and break her right leg.

"Nidhogg you darned motherf*cker! Stop! Give her back to me!" he roared as he continued to crawl towards her.

"As you wish."

Holding onto her head, he lifted her and thrust his left hand through her heart.

At that moment, everything froze. Leguna watched blankly as Nidhogg's hand poked out of her back. It was holding onto something out of which fresh blood spurted continuously. Leguna's mind blanked as all sorts of memories flashed across it.

The endless darkness, the submission of the ants, the powerful, but lonely existence, and the loyal servant…

Bam!

Nidhogg tossed Leybecca to Leguna and snapped him back out of it. He hurried to her side and cradled her in his arms like he did yesterday.

"I really didn't want you to see my ugly self like this."

She was so badly burned she was now blind. She reached her right hand out and tried to touch his face.

"I'm here," he said, guiding her hand to his face.

"I know you have many questions," she whispered, "I'm going to die, so I might as well let everything out. Actually, I'm…"

"No, Leybecca. Enough. That's not important," he said on the brink of tears.

Who is she? Why's she so clingy? Why does she look the same as me?

The questions had bothered him for quite a long time and he had always wanted her to give him the answers. But now that she's willing to reveal it all, he no longer needed those pointless answers. They were all pointless in comparison to her life.

Did who she was matter? Did how similar she looked to him matter? No, they didn't at all. All he knew was that she treated him well, and that she was about to die soon.

"There's shadow essence inside my chest," she weakly said, "Take it."

"What? No! I can't do that! You'll die!" He shook his head fervently.

"If you want to live, do as I say."

He hesitated, then stretched out his hand to the left of her wound and traced around in it until he found a hard rock.

"Take it," she said with a smile, "If you're willing, keep it. And… sorry for lying to you this one time."

After he extracted the shadow essence, she stopped moving. Her hand that had been touching his just moments earlier slumped weakly, knocking against his chest and thigh.

Leybecca was dead.

The moment she passed, the fragments of memories once more appeared in Leguna's mind. It was the same endless darkness, the same submission from thousands of other beings, the same loneliness. In those memories, the distinctions of his identity seemed to blur. The existence that was worshipped by thousands of beings seemed to be him, and the loyal servant appeared to be Leybecca. She was the one who had accompanied him through the endless aeons. She was his slave, servant, friend and partner throughout the endless flow of time.

And now, that partner who had stayed by his side all that time was dead.

Anger burst out of the depths of his psyche like an erupting volcano. His eyes turned pitch black as he laid her down lightly and stood up slowly. His broken leg had recovered without anyone noticing and his power continued to soar thanks to Host of Darkness.

NitherlicLowly aemetteant… Thuyou dyrstlaehtededare dyrfanhurt minmy ambihtheraservant?

NitherlicLowly aemetteant… Thuyou dyrstlaehtededare dyrfanhurt minmy ambihtheraservant?

NitherlicLowly aemetteant… Thuyou dyrstlaehtededare dyrfanhurt minmy ambihtheraservant?

That thought kept repeating in his mind. He felt his consciousness blur, but his hate didn't fate in the slightest. He raised Host of Darkness's level nonstop all the way to the ninth stage!

It was the first time he had used it to that extent. From Nidhogg's point of view, he no longer looked human. He was two meters in height and covered completely in the same black armor as Leybecca had been, but his looked even more domineering. Two small horns sprouted from his head and his skin color had turned entirely black, even the whites of his eyes. His formerly pitch-black eyes now gave off a threatening red glow.

He could still barely hold on to his awareness, but he had no control over his body at all. He looked at Nidhogg from afar as a voice began to mutter nonstop in his mind.

NitherlicLowly aemetteant… Thuyou dyrstlaehtededare dyrfanhurt minmy… eaxlgesteallafriend? he questioned Nidhogg. He felt like he was being taken over by another will. However, he managed to change how he referred to Leybecca at the last moment.

He felt even dizzier. He opened one hand and closed another. Leybecca's transparent dagger split into two all of a sudden and turned into two identical longswords. They slowly levitated into his hands.

The moment he gripped onto those swords, he disappeared completely like Leybecca had before.