He began with her legs.
[Uuuuuuu.]
"Bear with it even if it hurts."
[Ok…..]
Her legs were in a very serious state. Her flesh had been crumbled, muscles torn, bones twisted and broken, and even her bone marrow was flowing out. The damage made him wonder how she was even alive, and made Yu IlHan's heart ache. He couldn't even imagine how much pain Liera herself was undergoing.
However, when the armour melted into the legs, the bones became sturdier and healed as if time were flowing in reverse; new muscles sprouted, 'red' blood flowed over them, flesh covered the gap, and skin grew over it.
[You, this... how?]
"I thought you might do something so reckless. This equipment wasn't to strengthen you, but a device to help you recover after storing your records. The fifth option is the nucleus and is the entire meaning of the armour."
[....]
Something like that was possible? No, before that, was it so simple to recover a higher existence of 6th class like her? She wanted to ask too many things, but the pain from the recovery shut her mouth.
And that was very wise of her. The technology behind it required Yu IlHan to explain for at least 6 hours, going on about the blacksmithing he had learned as well as magic engineering and other magic languages.
"Strictly speaking, it isn't returning you to the past state. This is helping you settle as a lower existence after extracting the records of you as a higher existence without much pain, by remembering the structure of your body."
[You knew... I would do this?]
"Of course."
[Then you knew of my feelings too...]
"No, not that...."
Yu IlHan shut his mouth about that part. In truth, he was thinking about such a case with a 50% probability. However, the cowardly Yu IlHan could not erase the thoughts 'what if she didn't?' from his head.
So, he fooled himself into thinking that a 6th-class angel from Heaven's Army might be close to him but did not have any feelings for him, and that she was only treating him like a blood-related brother, as a big sister.
The matter with Na YuNa added to that thought. One coincidence does not happen twice, so there was no way Liera would like him. Such a strange thought process had solidified in his head.
[...Idiot, bad guy.]
"I'm the criminal….."
Yu IlHan could not raise his head in front of Liera. If he did not realize after all that had just happened, he wasn't human but a flea.
Liera perhaps felt that he had realized enough and laughed even in the midst of suffering. Meanwhile, Yu IlHan's blood flowed and drenched her armour, and in the process of the armour melting, it was recovering the other parts of her body and not just the legs.
[Did you kill it for good?]
"Yup. I killed it for good and collected the body too."
[Sheesh, that greed of yours…..]
No matter how much of a bitch that thing was, it was still a 6th-class. It would be strange if he didn't collect it. Yu IlHan was shameless, and Liera smiled bitterly. His unchanging attitude was both his drawback and his strength. And she liked that side of him as well.
Now, her two legs, knees, and thighs were recovered, and her waist was slowly being reconstructed. No, in fact, a more fundamental and large change was occurring throughout her body.
The white blood signifying an angel had all left the body, and red blood had replaced it in her blood vessels. The newly formed heart accepted the blood and pumped it throughout the body, which would then resonate with Yu IlHan's blood, supporting the creation of the new body.
The traces of the light pink armour were all gone as well. Liera touched the glossy skin growing beneath her dead skin and felt her armour was gone.
[Too bad. It was an armour that IlHan made.]
"I'll make you a better one anytime."
When the recovery reached a certain point, the blessing of the god of love also came into play. Going beyond just clinging to her life, it became able to interfere more freely with her body and began developing her body with a power that could be called holy.
Before, the interference was small as she was already a higher existence, but now that she had fallen to a lower existence, the story was different. It was making her suitable for one blessed by the god of love!
In fact, her destroyed older appearance was helping her be born anew. New wine should be poured into new wineskins, perhaps? Although the process was unimaginably painful, the blessing of the god of love and Yu IlHan's power led her to a completely new realm.
"Uh... Ah….."
From some moment, her voice became different as well. Before, her voice sounded like it was ringing from above no matter how much he faced her up front, but now, her voice sounded like she was really whispering into his ears.
Yu IlHan liked this more, but Liera didn't seem purely happy about it and became panicky while stroking her neck.
"Wow….. this feeling. It's been such a long time. I really returned to a lower existence."
"How do you feel?"
"My body feels uselessly heavy~."
"And here I just revived you….."
Well, she fell from 6th to 4th class, so it would be a lie if she said she only felt happy. She was prepared to throw away everything for Yu IlHan, but, facing her 4th-class self after everything that had happened, she felt conflicted. It was understandable. Reality was always different from ideals.
"I'm cold."
"Want a blanket?"
"No, I want to stay like this for a moment."
With everything that covered her body gone, including her armour, she was obviously naked right now. Her body, which had been torn apart and unsightly during battle, had long since regained its original glossy, elastic appearance.
No, perhaps she looked more attractive than before. Although it was embarrassing to look at that part, Yu IlHan suspected her chest had grown larger, and, in fact, it had.
This was all the great powers of the god of love. Everything was to receive more love from the person of the opposite sex that she loved! 1
"Fuuu."
However, her face still had some dead skin left. When Yu IlHan stroked her cheeks with his hands, the dirt fell away, revealing her glossy white skin. Yu IlHan made a small smile as he looked at Liera's clean face.
"There, pretty again. I think you're prettier now."
"Such embarrassing words…"
Liera's cheeks turned redder than a tomato from the heart-strike, but Yu IlHan still had a leisurely expression.
"Today I'm invincible. I spouted so many embarrassing lines while watching you fight it, while making you recover, and in other situations as well, so nothing would change even if I say one or two more lines. Although I do have the confidence to roll around in suffering faster than Sonic when the night comes…."
"Fufu…"
Liera never stopped smiling for some reason. For her, she was happy that Yu IlHan was alive, and she was alive as well, facing him right now.
Yu IlHan wanted to punish her, who was smiling without knowing anything, but he decided to hold off. It was no wonder, since he also liked this situation where the two were facing each other.
"And so….."
It would have been for the best if she just kept smiling, but suddenly, her two red eyes narrowed.
"Your answer?"
"Huh...?"
To think she'd stab from such an angle! A drop of cold sweat ran down Yu IlHan's back. He thought that he answered enough, but it seems it was his misunderstanding!
"Answers."
"Uh, like I said, I already..."
"I want a proper answer. Properly, definitely, unmistakably, and undeniably! truthfully!"
"...How are you so confident? What if I say no?"
"Fufu."
Liera made a cute smile that made him want to eat her up, and opened her mouth to say some frightening words.
"Then I will carry things out by force."
"It's a rapist! There's a rapist here!"
"It's fine, there's no one other than us here on Earth right now. It's not a crime if I don't get found out."
"I'm here. Me! And forget about being caught, a crime is still a crime!"
It was even scarier since her eyes looked completely serious. Yu IlHan looked down at Liera's face. When she grabbed his hands to stop him from running away, they ended up laughing.
"But….."
Then he spoke. At that moment, another woman's face flashed through his mind, but the feelings he had for that person were insignificant compared to his feelings for Liera.
"I'm glad that you don't have to commit a crime."
"...Huh?"
The millennium that went beyond just making them familiar with each other, when they shared everything and began to understand each other deeply; as well as the few years they endured together, believing in each other even while the surrounding situation was hectic.
Now, there was an emotion in the realm that was way beyond the shallow emotions of novelty, pettiness, boredom, and familiarity that linked him to LIera.
"I also like you very much. So.... I ..love ..you."
Born cowardly, stupid, shy, and idiotic, Yu IlHan couldn't bring himself to approach her first… but if Liera was looking at him, he thought he had to do his best to face her head-on.
He couldn't run away at this point.
"...."
But now that he actually found the courage to confess, he could not hear a reply. It was no wonder since Liera didn't know how to act after hearing Yu IlHan's direct confession.
Her current feelings were similar to an ordinary salarywoman who bought a lottery ticket while wishing to become 1st, but still thought that she had no chance, and actually won the jackpot.
"Huguuuuuuuu."
She twisted her body, trying to hide her face, but the hands she had grabbed earlier became her own undoing, and she couldn't turn around.
"Hiuugh."
"Please say something I can understand."
"I feel like dying because of embarrassment and happiness."
"I just revived you, so don't go dying again, sheesh. Moreover, who was it that wanted me to say it?"
"I didn't know you'd be so direct!"
He did think that the him of today was invincible, but people really shouldn't do what they're not used to. Yu IlHan also found it unbelievably embarrassing. He wanted to roll on the ground right now. However, Liera didn't let go of his hands even when embarrassed, so he couldn't do anything about it.
[Go on, kiss.]
Someone urged them on in that predicament. Lifting their heads, they saw the Flying Fortress overhead.
"What do you mean a kiss….."
[It's a scene suited to this situation!]
Mystic's voice sounded very pouty, and it looked like she didn't like having to just watch without being able to do anything. No, perhaps she was just annoyed while watching Yu IlHan and Liera filming a romance drama.
[Go on and kiss her, master. Or else I'll just drop the flying fortress on you!]
"How dare you tease me when you don't even have a body."
[And just because of WHO was it? Huh!]
He ignored Mystic. Then, looking down at Liera twisting in embarrassment, he composed himself with a short, deep breath.
"Yes, I can't stay passive forever."
[Huh? Huuuuh?]
Catching that muttering, Mystic's voice became higher. However, Yu IlHan took the next step without hesitation. He grabbed Liera's hand firmly with one hand, took her chin in the other, and lowered his head to…
"I, IlHan?"
"Shh."
Liera, who never imagined that the other side would approach first, was surprised and lip-attacked by him. With that, Liera couldn't say anything anymore.
[...Ah, goddammit. It's so annoying.]
[I shouldn't have said to kiss!] – Mystic, who was flirted right in front of, made the Flying fortress go berserk and break-dance in the air. Meanwhile, Orochi, who had likewise watched everything unfold, quietly muttered within the Infernal Dragon's body.
[This is going to be quite a sight, alright.] (Orochi)
And as such, the two of them lived happily ever after, occasionally enduring the teasing from the flying fortress, but still, happily ever after.
-FIN-
Just kidding – KouKouSeiDesu