Chapter 273

"Please, stop... Shura!"

Reina shouted at the black-haired boy.

In Reina's line of sight... Shura Heizen had raised his right hand.

Shura's right hand had transformed from the shoulder down into that of a beast, with claws sharp as knives glinting dully.

"Don't stop me... My life was ruined because of this woman! Please, let me kill her...!"

In front of Shura, a woman was sitting on the ground.

Beautiful, wrapped in an enigmatic aura, the white-haired woman... was the Songstress, Shedelielya.

"Because of this woman, I was cursed... This 'Artificial Saint' turned me into this monster!"

Shura shrugged off his coat with his left hand.

His body, hidden beneath his clothes, was covered in black beast fur, and the left eye usually concealed by an eyepatch gleamed gold.

Shura's body was cursed. And... the root cause of that curse lay with Shedelielya.

Shedelielya possessed a power similar to that of a Saint, yet fundamentally different—a power better described as an 'Artificial Saint'.

That power was obtained through the curse placed on Shura.

Shura and Shedelielya were twin siblings.

And... their parents were far from admirable people, having used the twins for a certain experiment.

That experiment was the 'Artificial Saint'.

By placing a powerful curse on one of the twins, the other would gain a mirrored, inverted power.

The more cursed and miserable Shura became, the stronger the blessing power Shedelielya, his twin sister, would possess.

"But... the Songstress, Lady Ilya, isn't at fault! This wasn't her wish...!"

Reina pleaded desperately.

Yes... Shedelielya was not a villain.

It was their parents who had given the twins both curse and blessing, and those original culprits were already dead. There was no one left to hate.

"I know... My sister isn't to blame. But the fact remains that my life was ruined because of her...!"

Shura snapped back at Reina's cry.

Shura bore a curse that, when his emotions surged, transformed him into a Monster.

On top of that, the curse affected those around him. Anyone near Shura would also be afflicted and suffer misfortune.

Because of that... Shura had lost so much.

His adoptive parents who had raised him, his friends, his hometown, his place in the world... he had lived while losing everything.

Even if she wasn't the direct cause, it was understandable that he would resent his sister.

"Unless I kill her, I'll never be at peace... If I don't, then what was the point of my life?!"

"............"

As her brother screamed in agony, Shedelielya remained kneeling motionless beside him.

It wasn't that she couldn't move—she simply didn't. She showed no resistance to the claws pointed at her, accepting whatever came.

Perhaps... Shedelielya, too, accepted her fate of being killed by her brother. Even so, Reina didn't stop trying to intervene.

"But... if you kill Lady Ilya, you might die too...!"

Yes... Shura and Shedelielya were mirror twins. If something happened to one, it could affect the other.

It wouldn't end with a simple lifting of the curse. Like a shattered mirror, if one died, the other might lose their life as well.

"Shura... I don't want you to die. Please, just stop...!"

"Shut up, it's too late...!"

Ignoring Reina's plea, Shura prepared to slash at Shedelielya with his claws.

"Stop...!"

But... the deadly claws never tore into the Songstress's body.

Before that could happen, Reina leapt at Shura and threw her arms around him.

"Wha...?!"

In that instant, the beast fur and claws on Shura's arm vanished.

His golden eyes turned brown, and the curse that had been consuming his body disappeared.

"You...!"

"I'll stay by your side... always, always by your side. So please, stop...!"

The curse placed on Shura was the exact opposite of Reina's blessing.

If Reina stayed close and continuously nullified the curse... Shura could be freed from it.

He would no longer transform into a Monster, nor bring misfortune to those around him.

"But... what will happen to you...?"

If she used her power to neutralize the curse, Reina would lose the blessing of the Saint.

And not just Reina. Shedelielya, who became an 'Artificial Saint' through Shura's curse, would also lose her power.

With the two of them losing their powers, the land would be stripped of the Saint's blessing, leading to widespread misfortune.

"Even so... you're important to me. For only you to suffer—that's just not right..."

Reina chose to free Shura Heizen from his curse rather than remain a Saint.

Because of that decision, Reina would be branded a traitor. Shura, the one who caused it all, would become a wanted man.

Even so... the future where Shura suffered alone under the weight of his curse and was consumed by vengeance was averted.

"Let's live together... Shura."

"............Alright."

Reina and Shura took each other's hand and ran away.

The land, now bereft of the goddess's blessing, lost its power, its harvests diminished, and disasters and plagues began to rise dramatically.

Even so, the two chose to live together.

They brought misfortune to many humans, but even so, they gained a love that was undeniably real.