Chapter 503: The End of the Great Grassland of Beginnings 2

The End of the Great Grassland of Beginnings 2

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“H-Hey… Hey!? Are you okayーーー!?”

Kalamaruyu, stunned for a moment, quickly regained his composure, crouched down next to Shimegamamo, and called out to her.

“Huuu… Huuu…”

“!!”

He could hear her faint breathing.

Her chest is slowly rising and falling.

She’s… still alive!

Kalamaruyu frantically took out a potion from his backpack, and was about to use it on Shimegamamo.

…It’s a cheap potion that even he can afford.

He doesn’t know if it’ll heal someone with such severe injuries, but—

It’s better than nothing.

But.

“Stop it…”

Shimegamamo muttered in a weak voice, and extended the vines wrapped around her arm, slapping Kalamaruyu’s hand.

“Ah!?”

The impact made Kalamaruyu drop the potion bottle.

The bottle spun as it fell, hit a piece of Kodorokizo ore rolling on the ground, and shattered.

The potion, their last hope for healing, slowly seeped into the ground and disappeared…

“What did you do that for!!”

Kalamaruyu yelled, his face pale.

But Shimegamamo didn’t seem to care about his anger.

“It’s fine… This is… retribution… So I… should just die.”

She muttered, staring blankly into the distance, her eyes unfocused.

“There’s no life that deserves to die!!”

“That’s… the rule of the human world.”

Shimegamamo, her face contorted in pain, chuckled sarcastically.

“But I’ve killed too many. So I should die. That’s also… the rule of the human world…”

“What are you talking about!? …Hey!!”

Shimegamamo’s voice gradually faded.

Her life is coming to an end.

“Lastly… brother-in-law.”

Here.

“My last remaining… family.”

Shimegamamo glanced at Kalamaruyu, who was trembling, about to cry.

“I… wished that you… would never die.”

Smiling, she continued—

“I’m so glad… I could save you…”

And then she quietly… closed her eyes.

“…Until the very end! Until the very end, how selfish can you be…!”

Kalamaruyu yelled.

Sadness and anger.

Overwhelmed by a feeling of helplessness.

He slumped his shoulders, trembling quietly.

Saint Ad, the three brothers—they were all silent, watching him.

They have no words for him.

The Great Grassland of Beginnings, at the beginning of the night, is enveloped in silence.

Only the occasional breeze, blowing—byuu—

Gently rustled the grass.

The incident in the Great Grassland of Beginnings ended like this.

Everyone thought so.

But.

…It was at that moment!

SHUUUUUUUN!!

With a loud, wind-splitting sound!

From the sky, where the stars twinkle…!

Something that looks like a seed… shining golden, like a shooting star… fell down!

“What!?”

Because of its incredible speed, no one there could react.

The golden seed, falling down unhindered, went straight… straight!

Without hesitation!

Towards Shimegamamo’s body… and then it was sucked into her body, and disappeared!

And then, at the next moment!

“AAAAAH!? GAAAAAH!?”

Shimegamamo, who should have been dead, opened her eyes wide, glowing golden, and screamed!

“W-W-What!? What’s happening!?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know, but—!”

“Let’s go, Sensei!”

“Something’s wrong! This is bad! This is really bad!”

The triplets, rushing towards Kalamaruyu, who was frozen in fear, pulled him away from Shimegamamo.

“AAAAAH, AAAAAAH… !?”

Shimegamamo’s scream doesn’t stop.

And along with her screams.

Crack, creak, snap!

Such bizarre sounds echoed from her body.

Those are the sounds of ‘replacement’.

Her body, shining golden—

…Is being replaced… by plants.

Her arms and legs transformed into clusters of thick vines.

Her chest, where there was a huge hole, was tightly packed with moss.

Low-growing grass started to sprout from all over her body.

“Aaaah, a… Ah…”

When her screams subsided.

Shimegamamo had completely lost her human form.

Only her head remained the same.

Her body… has transformed into something like a bizarre ‘plant-human’… still shining golden.

“…………Hmm.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Shimegamamo, moving her arms and legs, which had turned into vines, stood up.

And then, after touching her body, checking its condition, she stopped moving for a moment, and then—

“I see… I see!”

She smiled happily, and looked at Kalamaruyu and the others, with her golden eyes.

“Truly… a night… to rejoice.”

And Shimegamamo, smiling gently—

DON—

Stomped on the grassland.

“““““!?”””””

And then, in an instant, the surrounding plants grew.

Thick, thick vines extended—

And bound Kalamaruyu…

The triplets…

And Saint Ad…

…Tightly, restraining them!