MHGA Chapter 154. The Demon That Bewitches Hearts
When... Kairo Retsu and the others arrived in front of the cell, they were already stunned by the scene before their eyes.
At this moment Senshi and the rest were enthusiastically crushing blocks of ice into shaved ice, then drizzling all kinds of syrups and mixed fruit over them before handing the bowls to the other villagers of the Golden Country.
"What is going on?" Kairo Retsu scratched his chin, unable to make sense of it.
"Why did you suddenly start eating shaved ice?"
"Guildmaster!" Marcille squeezed up to the side of the cell, a little flustered. "Where's Laios? Didn't you see the Winged Lion? Why isn't Laios here?"
"Ah... Laios is dueling the Winged Lion one-on-one right now."
Kairo Retsu crowded up to the side of the cell, looked at the shaved ice Senshi was making, and licked his lips. "Come to think of it, that fight we just had was really rough..."
"We fought that enormous Shah Dalamadur, it was so hot near the Shah Dalamadur, and we battled for so long without even a sip of water..."
Kairo Retsu rambled on like this.
Kazuma shot him a glare. "You just want to eat shaved ice, don't you! You jerk!"
"Why shouldn't I eat it!" Kairo Retsu said righteously. "I racked my brains so hard, and now I just want a cup of shaved ice! Am I not even allowed that?"
"Eat! Get the large size! One each! Otherwise people will think we can't afford it!"
Kairo Retsu continued, "When we head back to the Gathering Hub later, I'll have Granny Felyne prepare a huge pile of shaved ice for us! We'll eat till it feels like we took a trip to the Arctic!"
"At such a critical moment, eating shaved ice..." Naofumi Iwatani's expression was a bit delicate. "I can't help feeling it kills a lot of the final-battle atmosphere."
"But it does feel very much like Laios's party's style," Joseph remarked. "I want a shaved ice too! With condensed milk!"
"Ah, then I'll have red beans," Naofumi Iwatani raised his hand as well.
"Shaved ice..." Tanjiro Kamado touched his head, puzzled.
A kid who sold charcoal from the mountains hadn't eaten many good things... nor had he ever eaten shaved ice in the heat...
"Hey! Laios is fighting a decisive battle with the Winged Lion right now!" Kazuma quipped. "So add extra syrup to my banana shaved ice!"
"You people have zero sense of urgency! And you still have the nerve to call me out!" Kairo Retsu was rather incensed. "Give me two! One blueberry and one strawberry!"
"Okay."
Senshi earnestly mixed the syrups, while on the other side Chilchuck, Juro, and Namari were hard at work grinding the ice...
"As expected, these Hunters are just a bunch of weirdos!" Kabru covered his face, already wanting to give up.
"Kairo Retsu, is Laios really going to be all right? How did he end up dueling the Winged Lion, when he clearly—" Marcille asked, a little anxious.
But Kairo Retsu had already taken his blueberry-flavored shaved ice from Senshi, then thought for a moment and said, "Because Laios has earned the right, of course."
"We've already done what we needed to do." Kairo Retsu stuffed the blueberry-stained ice into his mouth, letting the crushed ice melt in his mouth and carry away the heat from his body.
"The people inside the Dungeon have united, and long-lived races like elves will, after this, realize that if they keep their former attitudes toward humans or monsters, it will cause serious problems."
"Now there are no extra choices left—only what Laios has to do." Kairo Retsu said, "Although the Winged Lion kidnapping you was outside the plan, fortunately Laios persuaded it and made a wager with it. Laios has already entered the Winged Lion's body and begun the final duel."
"The final outcome depends on Laios's results." Kairo Retsu clenched his fist.
"No matter how I hear it, it feels uneasy..." Kabru covered his face, not daring to listen on. "Is the world really not going to end..."
"We believe in Laios!!!" Kairo Retsu clenched his fist, face alight with excitement, but...
Behind Kairo Retsu, the Hunters—other than Tanjiro—were all giving him side-eye.
What Kairo Retsu was saying now was really for these people to hear.
In the Hunters' original plan, there was a contingency for Laios failing.
Right now Laios was inside the Winged Lion's belly—if he failed, Laios would cart...
Though the Hunters had no way to deal with the Winged Lion, the Palicoes could.
Every Hunter must keep one thing in mind!
Palicoes can do anything!!!
"Let us look forward to Laios's victorious return." Kairo Retsu spread his arms, a radiant smile on his face. "Let's see what kind of world Laios and the demon will make of this!"
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When... at the very moment Laios was swallowed into its belly by the Winged Lion's claw, he felt himself arrive in another space.
It was a ruin very similar to the Dungeon's architectural complex, but the ground here was littered everywhere with the remains of all kinds of creatures.
Laios had some impression of this place.
This was the place from the [Future] manga Kairo Retsu had shown him, where he and his companions ultimately faced the Winged Lion.
It was also the place where the Winged Lion finally destroyed the humans of the past.
"Winged Lion, are you there?"
Laios walked forward through this area.
"Laios."
Soon, atop a high mound formed of bones, the Winged Lion's figure appeared there as well.
It reclined upon that hill of bones, looking down on Laios standing at the foot of the hill. "How do you find this place?"
"Hmm..."
Laios looked around. "This should be the ruins of a city destroyed by the Dungeon long ago. In the end you still chose this place for our talk..."
"You really do know me well."
The Winged Lion stood up on the hill, and its appearance had also changed in several ways.
Although its original template as the Winged Lion could still be seen, Laios also noticed that horns like a monster's had grown from its head, and a third eye had appeared at its brow... compared to the simple form of the Winged Lion, it was closer to a monster.
The Winged Lion... had always approached humans in the form others most wished to see.
Before Thistle it appeared as a harmless Winged Lion cub, growing along with Thistle's desires.
Before Marcille it became a near-human form—like a tall adult male—having zeroed in on how, after losing her father, Marcille resolved to change human lifespans.
And now, facing him, the Winged Lion's form was closer to that of a monster.
"Laios, you have exceeded my expectations."
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