To Be a Power in the shadows part 2

chapter 106

Milia and Claire reach the top of the Red Tower and push the door open.

"SID!"

Spotting the corpse of a black-haired young man lying on the ground with blood flowing from his chest, Claire dashes over.

Then she embraces him without a second look. Tears burst from her reddened eyes.

"This can't be! I'm begging you, open your eyes!! Sid!? Sid? ...... Nn?"

Claire suddenly calms down and takes one good look at the corpse.

Her tears stop.

"This isn't Sid."

"Eh? He's not?"

"Where's Sid? Is he safe?"

Claire looks around restlessly.

That moment, Milia screams out.

"――CLAIRE!!"

"...... Eh?"

It happened much too fast.

When Claire looks down, she suddenly realizes that the young man's arm is protruding from her abdomen.

Blood bubbles out from Claire's mouth.

"Goho...... what...... is this...... Sid......"

"CLAIRE!!"

Claire crumples to the ground.

Then the young man who has blood flowing out from his chest moves.

There was no mistake; he had indeed been dead.

However, right now he is getting up on his own two feet, and red tentacle-like protuberances are coming out from his chest.

The tentacles squirm revoltingly while extending to envelope his entire body.

"Ahh...... this can't be...... don't tell me......"

Milia recognizes that presence.

The red tentacles eventually envelope his body in its entirety, then bursts away.

And then.

From within the dancing sprays of blood, a beautiful, naked woman appears.

Crimson hair and similarly colored eyes. Pure white skin and perfect proportions for a female body. That figure matches exactly with the memory of Elizabeth the Queen of Blood within Milia's mind.

Elizabeth clutches Claire, who still has a hole in her abdomen, and bites into her neck.

"u, aa......"

Sound falls from Claire's mouth.

She appears to be unconscious, but she is still alive.

However, Milia can do nothing but watch Claire being drained of blood.

Because Milia understands.

It is carved into her very instinct.

She understands that before the revived Elizabeth, anything she does would be a mere exercise in futility.

"Claire...... aa......"

Then the Claire who has turned deathly pale from loss of blood is casually tossed aside.

Elizabeth's beautiful eyes settle on Milia. Those eyes are not registering Milia as anything other than food.

"a...... Elizabeth-sama......"