## Chapter 213 – Sector 5 (End)
“Heart, take care of Clara. And absolutely do not interfere.”
Heart, snapping to attention at Charlotte’s words, struggled to carry Clara on his back and retreated.
Spade scoffed at Charlotte’s attitude.
“You seem quite angry. I guess touching those two was a problem… It’s not like it was a deadly poison anyway, why are you so mad? Oh, but without the antidote, they’ll be in considerable pain for a while.”
Charlotte inwardly felt thankful that she showed no remorse. It made it easier to deal with her without an ounce of guilt.
“You touched my most precious people. Forget about dying peacefully. I’m going to cut off all your limbs, twist your neck, and feed you to the dogs.”
“If you can…”
Before Spade could finish speaking, rough, dark red thorns erupted from the ground, chasing after her. Charlotte didn’t take any particular action, merely watching Spade’s movements with her arms crossed. As if responding to her gaze, attacks aimed at Spade’s neck came from all directions.
The forest that had protected Spade until now had become Charlotte’s means to target her. Countless branches twisted into polearms, and the ground beneath her feet suddenly turned into a quagmire, from which spears would emerge.
‘Annoying…’
All she felt until now was annoyance, just that much. Though there were many, none were fatally threatening, and the speed was by no means impossible to dodge. Spade thought complacently.
‘It’ll be over soon.’
No matter how strong one’s magical power, it was normal to tire if they continued to use such a wide range of abilities. And targeting her neck the moment that opening appeared was the only chance of victory Spade could think of.
But the number of attacks was steadily increasing, and the places where she could set foot were gradually disappearing. Moreover, the types of attacks weren’t limited to just that.
When Charlotte snapped her fingers, a circular creature with a huge, gaping mouth appeared from below, swallowing the spot where Spade had just been. She barely managed to evade it, but Spade was shocked to see the ground cleanly carved out as if it had never existed.
‘Crazy… is this even possible?’
Spade glanced at Charlotte’s face. A serene face without a single drop of sweat. Could she continuously launch such attacks without even a change in expression?
She realized belatedly.
She wasn’t even in the same league to begin with.
Miscalculation.
She had heard rumors about Charlotte, but she mistakenly thought it would be a good match since they were of the same rank. Spade, who had some pride in her skills, made a careless judgment, leading to the current situation.
This power was comparable to those two monsters outside of the norm.
Spade couldn’t even properly extend an arm, desperately dodging the countless spears raining from the sky, the chains flying from all directions to bind her limbs, and the unidentified creatures and dark red thorns rising from the ground.
There was nothing she could do. Like a prisoner on the guillotine, she was in a pathetic state, waiting for death to slowly approach.
No, she couldn’t end it here.
Making a decision, Spade took out a small pill from her pocket and swallowed it whole.
Sensing the changed atmosphere, Charlotte watched the situation for a moment.
Soon, *Kugugung*—! With a sound that shook the ground, Spade’s body began to contort. Her body, which had been swelling in a grotesque manner, grew to a size that easily surpassed most trees. Spade’s flesh, which had been twisting erratically like a balloon filled with too much water, gradually regained stability.
Her lower body was in the form of a huge white snake tail, but her upper body remained as Spade.
Regression, returning to the original form of the race, was known to be possible only for some demons. Charlotte wore a surprised expression at that form, which was now rare to see.
Spade looked down at Charlotte and said,
“The games are over.”
But Charlotte’s spirit didn’t falter. Rather, she sneered as if she was dumbfounded.
“Does just making yourself bigger mean I’m supposed to be scared?”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a thick purple smoke emerged from Spade’s mouth, covering the surroundings. It wasn’t the suppression poison she had used on Aser and Ryu, but a poison made purely for killing. She didn’t seem to care that Clara and Heart were nearby.
Charlotte glared and quietly opened her mouth.
“Are you planning to kill everyone? Even Clara-nim, who you like so much?”
Charlotte’s words didn’t reach Spade’s ears. Regression using the power of a pill, not her original ability, was already causing her reason to gradually fade. However, her instincts were sharper than ever. Moving through the trees at a speed that didn’t match her massive size, the highly toxic poison spread rapidly, and it was already right in front of Charlotte.
Charlotte sighed briefly and opened her mouth.
“If that’s your answer.”
In that instant, the ground began to tremble. With a clanging sound, the chains that had risen from all directions shattered the ground and moved towards a single target. Before long, Spade, with all paths blocked, was sent flying into the air by a giant fist that had sprung from below, and the chains quickly ensnared her entire body, not letting her escape.
Spade, whose reason was half-gone due to the regression that far exceeded her abilities, could tell.
Charlotte’s attacks until now were simply to inflict pain on her. A kind of venting for touching her precious people. But the current Spade would only cause more damage if left alone.
Spade’s body was suspended in the air, bound by chains in a pitiful state. As if mocking the chains that were gradually tightening around her body, a giant scythe fell from the sky like a guillotine, separating Spade’s lower and upper body.
Before she could even scream, Charlotte approached Spade’s upper body, which had fallen to the ground, and stepped on her head, sending only a cold gaze. Spade’s greatsword, which Charlotte now held in her hand, was now aimed at her neck.
“It’s over now.”
“Wait…!”
Just as Charlotte’s hand was about to reach Spade’s neck, Clara threw herself to shield Spade. Charlotte, who had stopped midway, said in a troubled tone.
“Clara-nim, please move.”
“Clara-nim…”
With a determined expression, Clara slowly lowered Charlotte’s hand and opened her mouth in a calm voice, turning her back to her.
“I’ll do it. No, let me do it.”
Clara understood Charlotte’s silence as agreement, turned her back to her, and stroked the cheek of Spade, who was collapsed in front of her, barely breathing.
“You’ve suffered a lot, haven’t you?”
“No, there’s nothing particularly difficult…”
“No, it’s my fault for not realizing until you became like this.”
Clara looked up at the sky for a moment. It pained her to have to send Spade away under such a dark sky. She wanted to show her the sunlight one last time.
“Are you sleepy?”
Clara had already laid Spade’s limp head on her lap. The feeling of the warmth that had always welcomed her slowly fading away was beyond words. Tears that had begun to flow from Clara’s eyes gradually fell onto Spade’s face.
“I’ll follow you soon…”
The increasingly blurred vision was definitely not because of Clara’s tears. Spade captured Clara’s image in her eyes for the last time in the darkening vision.
“If I go like this, I’ll be able to occupy a corner of your memory forever… That’s not so bad either.”
“Yeah, I’ll remember you forever. Just rest now.”
With those words, Clara closed Spade’s eyes. Charlotte could only watch the scene from behind. As a result, she was the one who ended Spade’s life, but she judged that it was better than Clara dirtying her own hands.
Spade’s hand drooped down, and Clara didn’t move at all. The first words Clara said after carefully laying Spade on the ground and getting up were words of gratitude to Charlotte.
“Charlotte, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I probably…”
“You don’t have to say it.”
Charlotte gestured to Heart, and Heart immediately put Clara’s arm around his shoulder to support her. Her legs seemed to have lost strength, making it difficult for her to walk. She could vividly feel her trembling over Heart’s shoulder.
Clara closed her eyes and leaned on Heart, lost in deep thought.
This wasn’t the first time she had experienced something like this.
Was it a sin to give love generously to everyone? She clearly thought she loved everyone equally, but if someone appeared who felt lacking in the process, how should she act? If she poured more affection on those who felt thirsty, it would bring conflict to everyone who was currently satisfied.
It was impossible for her to love one person more. But if tragedies like this continued to repeat, would it be better not to love anyone at all?
She barely swallowed the question inside. It would never happen, but if the same thing happened again, she would eventually collapse on her own.
She hadn’t forgotten her duty for the sake of everyone else in the Demon Realm, but killing a child she cherished with her own hands was eating away at her mind.
In the end, the blood on Clara’s hands was never washed away until the moment she returned.
