Chapter 6 Part 30
Translator : PolterGlast
"Kya
!?"
Shīna
and the others were hit by a sudden feeling of floating, and they felt their
connection with Nozomu's consciousness, which they had felt just a few moments
ago, quickly fade away.
They
were surrounded by light and found themselves standing in the real world.
"What
happened ..."
"Sorry,
but for some reason, my path to Nozomu was suddenly cut off ..."
"Hmm,
it seems that something happened to that boy ... but I don't know what that is
..."
Shīna
and the others were bewildered by the fact that they were suddenly brought back
to reality. Zonne put his hand to his chin and pondered.
In
the meantime, Irisdina and Inda were slumped on the ground, sweating and
breathing heavily.
"Ane-sama,
are you alright?"
"Haa,
haa .... I-I'm... alright ..."
It
was probably because she was deeply in sync with Nozomu and shared his sense of
pain. Irisdina tried to smile at her worried sister, but she couldn't do it
well because her face was stiff with the residue of pain.
"Inda-sensei~,
let me lend you my shoulder~"
"S-sorry
..."
Inda
tried to get up, but her legs were shaking like a newborn fawn and she couldn't
stand up properly.
She
finally managed to stand up with the help of Anri's shoulder, but her legs were
not strong enough so she leaned herself on Anri.
Jihad
was indeed standing up on his feet properly, but his forehead was covered with
grease sweat and his breath was quite irregular.
"Surely
... The pain was so intense that it was unthinkable. It'll be hard if we were to experience it again
..."
Even
Jihad seemed to have endured a lot of pain this time. His voice, normally low
and calm, was now a little strained. Even so, the fact that he was able to
speak properly clearly showed that he had a different "rank" than the
other two.
He
took a deep breath and gave Irisdna and the others a curious expression.
"Anyway,
it seems that not only this old man, but you guys as well, have something to
hide from us regarding Nozomu-kun ..."
"Ugh~
..."
Irisdina
and the others tensed as Jihad's gaze didn't seem to cower.
Nozomu
himself had a troublesome existence, comparable to Abyss Grief, inside him.
It
was true that the situation was unpredictable and critical at the moment, but
Irisdina and the others had talked about something that made them look even
more suspicious.
"Release
of Ability Suppression ... was it? Now that's something I've never heard of
before."
Jihad's
words made Irisdina and the others feel as if their lungs were being
constricted.
The
old man's word "he" also bothered me.
While
looking at them with strong facial expressions, Jihad's words of pursuit
continued.
"I'm
also curious about the word "that guy" that the old man used. It
seems he's referring to a different entity than Abyss Grief ..."
"What?
Did I say something like that?"
Jihad
glanced sideways at Zonne.
Jihad
was obviously looking at the old man accusingly, but Zonne looked away and
whistled as if he had nothing to worry about.
Jihad
seemed to have given up on trying to get information out of the old man and
returned his gaze to Irisdina and the others.
"Do
you mind telling me?"
"Only
if Nozomu-kun allows it ... We can't talk about it on our own."
Neither
Jihad nor Iris Dina looked away from each other.
There
was silence between them.
Jihad
looked away from Irisdina and the others who didn't seem to be backing down and
turned his attention to Anri, who seemed to know more about the situation, but
she, too, smiled and didn't seem to respond in any way.
In
the face of being completely left out of what exactly happened, Jihad honestly
felt like letting out a sigh.
He
thought about forcing his way out of the situation, but the manpower was scarce
and the die had already been cast. In this situation, Irissina and the others
were important personnel, and it was not desirable to cause dissatisfaction and
antagonism unnecessarily.
"But
he's not an enemy of the school."
"I'm
sure he is. At least he's not the kind of person who can pull off something so
elaborate."
Although
the time he spent in contact with Nozomu was short, Jihad somehow knew that
Nozomu was not the kind of person who was good at plotting something.
At
least Nozomu Bountis was not someone who like to show off his power.
Jihad
didn't know what kind of power he had, but the problem was that the people
around him who know about it started making a fuss.
"...
Well, it can't be helped. I'll ask him about it later."
Anyway,
the most important thing now was to deal with Abyss Grief. So he changed his
mind and turned to face the predatory barrier that had unfolded in front of him.
Irisdina
and the others breathed a sigh of relief that Jihad wasn't pursuing them, and
turned their attention to the predatory barrier as he did.
The
color of the barrier was as sickening as ever. But they couldn't see anything
unusual about it.
"Nothing
happens?"
"No,
I don't think so. Looks like the kid did something in the end..."
As
if in response to Zonne's words, a change appeared in the barrier.
The
entire barrier pulsated as if shaking with fear, and the surface of the barrier
began to undulate.
The
predator barrier continued to flicker and shake as if frightened by something.
Jihad, who was witnessing this, was slowly preparing his Jaw Drop.
"It
started ..."
"Tima."
"Yeah,
I know."
Mars
and Tima took their positions. Qi and magic began to converge on their
respective weapons.
It
was pure Qi and magic power. There was no bias towards any particular
attribute.
What
they needed was pure breakthrough power. It should be able to penetrate the
thick walls of the predatory barrier and create a path for the trapped Nozomu
and the others inside.
The
surrounding atmosphere began to scream as the power condensed into a single
point.
"Guu!"
"Mars-kun
... are you okay?"
Mars,
who was about to use a combination technique that required a high level of control,
frowned. Tima's forehead was also sweating as she worried about him.
"Y-yeah.
I'm okay. Let's do it!"
Mars
hadn't used this technique since his combination technique went berserk during
the special training. This was because he realized that he was still not
suitable to use it.
Since
then, Mars had been studying with Tima to control the magic that he was not
good at.
Even
so, he had yet to gain complete control over this combination technique.
However, he had decided to unseal this technique right here and now in order to
help his friend.
"...
Let's go!"
"Yes!"
"I'm
ready anytime!"
With
Jihad's shout, the three of them moved and swung their weapons in unison. At
the next moment, the unleashed power simultaneously bared its fangs at the
predatory barrier.
The
torrent of power that was released gouged the ground and pierced the predatory
barrier like a spear.
A
flash of lightning burst along with a roaring sound.
While
their vision was blocked by the soaring smoke, Irisdina and the others
suppressed their impatience and stared at the other side of the smoke.
================================
Ken
and Nozomu confronted each other three times in the predatory barrier wrapped
in a wall of flesh.
As
Ken raises his deformed right arm, black demon beasts once again emerge from
the wall of flesh.
"Stop
struggling...!"
All
of the black demon beasts jumped at Nozomu at once.
However,
Nozomu didn't care about the demon beasts that were rushing towards him like a
tsunami, he used what little Qi he had left to send it into his legs and
accelerated even further.
In
addition to the excessive use of Qi, the damage that had been inflicted on his
body and mind erupted at once, and Nozomu's body was hit with a sudden sense of
fatigue.
His
vision darkened at once. It was impossible to break through those demon beasts
in such a state.
In
the midst of this desperate situation, Nozomu reflexively thrust out his right
arm.
The
next moment, what jumped into Ken's eyes was the sight of shining chains
shooting out from Nozomu's right arm in all directions and piercing the flesh
wall.
"Gyagaaa!"
"Gugueee…"
As
they screamed in agony, the figures of the black demon beasts collapsed like
mud dolls.
In
addition, the reddish-black flesh walls peeled off one after another from where
the chains had pierced.
The
flesh walls that fell in pieces turned gray and crumbled like sand,
disappearing.
"W-what
does this mean!?"
The
predatory barrier that was supposed to erode and devour its opponent was, on
the contrary, drowned out by Nozomu's chain.
Ken
was bewildered by what was happening in front of his eyes. However, he
immediately thought of the source of the problem and slammed into Nozomu with
fierce killing intent.
"Damn
you ...!"
He
raised his right arm, which had become one with his snake-like sword, and swung
it down at Nozomu with such formidable force.
The
snake-like sword bent in the air and approached to pierce its fangs, but Nozomu
did not stop.
There
was already no way for Nozomu to avoid Ken's [Crawling Snake Fang] and no way
to defend himself. He had no choice but to break through.
Just
as the jet-black snake was about to tear through Nozomu's body, a burst of
light appeared.
A
chain of light entwined around Ken's right arm. The swarm of chains that had
been laying waste to the predatory barrier changed direction and began to rush
towards Ken.
"Tch,
my power ... gah!"
As
soon as the shining chains wrapped around him, Ken's strength rapidly drained
from his body.
The
snake-like sword was fading. The [Crawling Snake Fang] that had been so
intimidating that it sent chills down Nozomu's spine soon disintegrated like
dirt and returned to its ugly, reddish-black right arm.
And
in the meantime, Nozomu was closing the gap right in front of Ken.
"You
bastard! Gahah~!"
Nozomu's
fist plunged deep into Ken's stomach.
In
front of such a human fist, which should have been no more than a mosquito bite
for a being who should have acquired the overwhelming power of a demon beast,
Ken's posture broke. His body bent into a dogleg shape and his jaw dropped. A
hook fist was thrust into Ken's cheek in return. Ken's head was blown to the
side.
Nozomu
swung his fist out and turned his body around. A roundhouse kick with more
momentum struck Ken in the neck.
"Buga~a!"
Ken's
neck twisted. Nozomu's momentum was unstoppable. He swung his leg out, and with
another spin, Nozomu's elbow plunged deep into Ken's side as he stumbled.
"Gegaaa!"
The
impact ravaged Ken's internal organs again, making him gag and his face tensed
up.
"Haaaa!"
Nozomu
didn't stop.
He
struck Ken in the jaw with a palm strike, then slammed his fist into Ken's
torso again. He then kicked Ken on the side of the knee in conjunction with the
movement of his torso to break Ken's posture, stomped on the back of Ken's
still-human foot, and struck his hand into Ken's throat.
Nozomu's
blows continued to hit Ken's vital points without pause. There was no waste in
his movements, and he attacked Ken as if he were dancing.
Ritual Body Technique
[Rinne Kaiten]
The magical power that
had begun to converge on Nozomu's body swirled on his body, drastically
increasing his physical ability. This was all that was left for Nozomu, who had
almost exhausted his Qi.
The storm of fist
strikes gained even more momentum and struck Ken like a storm.
Ken, on the other
hand, was unable to move due to the chains that were entangled around his body.
The feeling of restraint that gripped his entire body was worse than anything
Ken had ever felt before.
Of course, there was
no way that Ken, in such a state, could stop Nozomu's [Rinne Kaiten].
Ken's body screamed as
Nozomu struck him with blows one after another.
"Don't get
carried away ...!"
However, Ken had not
given up.
As soon as he realized
the true nature of Nozomu's technique from the magic power converging on
Nozomu's body, he easily avoided Nozomu's outstretched fist.
The disadvantage of
[Rinne Kaiten] was that it was easy to anticipate because of its limited form.
Ken slammed his left
fist into Nozomu's cheek in return.
"Guh~ !?"
The impact caused
Nozomu to back away, in that gap, Ken swung his deformed right arm towards
Nozomu.
Ken's abnormally
enlarged right arm moved as if to crush a winged insect in its way.
The momentum of the
blow was much slower than before, but its enormous mass could not be ignored.
If it continued like this, Nozomu would be crushed.
"Haa, haa, haa
...!"
In a hazy
consciousness, Nozomu kicked the ground and pushed himself forward while
breathing heavily.
He managed to avoid
Ken's right arm, but his moving momentum was too strong and he collided with
Ken's chest plate.
However, this time,
Ken's right arm wrapped around Nozomu's body as he stopped in his tracks.
"Now, you can't
escape anymore!"
Ken tightened his grip
on Nozomu's body, making a creaking sound.
The strengthening
magic that had been applied to Nozomu's body by [Rinne Kaiten] was rapidly
diminishing.
With the sound of
creaking bones, his blood began to boil, and his vision turned bright red.
"Gu, Gugaa
..."
"Be crushed!
You're in my way!"
"~!"
Nozomu stomped his
feet and put pressure on his waist, focusing all his strength and slamming his
shoulder into Ken's chest plate as hard as he could.
[Oscillation]
It was a pure physical
blow that did not rely on Qi. It was a technique that allowed the impact to
penetrate directly into the opponent's internal organs, and it slammed into
Ken's chest plate.
In addition, the
effect of the strengthening magic from [Rinne Kaiten] was still in effect, and
the impact as if struck by a hammer laid waste to Ken's internal organs.
"Gih~!?
Ga~a!"
The shock that ran
through his entire body disconnected Ken's body from his will and momentarily
stopped his movements.
Without stopping,
Nozomu concentrated all of his remaining magic power into his palms and took
his stance by positioning his palms at the waist.
Then, with both palms
outstretched, he released the concentrated magic power in one direction.
"Guu!"
"Ge~uaa!"
The released torrent
of magic power blasted Ken's body and slammed him against the wall of flesh. At
the same time, the uncontrollable magic power caused a laceration to appear on
Nozomu's arm.
Along with the magical
light, fresh blood danced in the air.
Nozomu grabbed the
hilt of the katana that had been sheathed and pulled it out.
He slashed the black
ball that trapped Lisa.
The black ball burst
with a popping sound and Lisa's body was thrown out.
Nozomu hurriedly
embraced Lisa's body, and the chain that extended from Nozomu's arm wrapped
around her body. It was as if he was gently wrapping Lisa's soul.
When Nozomu put his
hand over Lisa's mouth, he could feel her faint breath hitting his palm
regularly. The quiet rise and fall of her breasts indicated that she had not
yet lost her thread of life.
"Thank
God……"
A voice of relief
leaked from Nozomu's mouth. However, before he could soak in the relief, a
tearing angry shout echoed through the barrier.
"~Aaaaaaa! Give
it back! Give me back my Lisa!
Ken stood up while
sprinkling carrion.
At that moment, a
shock ran over the entire barrier.
"What happened
!?"
"Guuu !?"
Unable to stand on the
ground, which suddenly began to rumble, both Nozomu and Ken involuntarily fell
to their knees.
The vibrations that
ran through the surroundings overran the already collapsing barrier.
Screams squeezed out
of the mouths of the countless beasts that had been captured by the flesh
walls. Along with ear-tearing screams, a crack appeared in the flesh wall and
light illuminated the dimly lit barrier.
Without thinking,
Nozomu took Lisa in his arms and kicked the ground. The place he was aiming for
was the other side of the light peeking through the cracks.
"Wait! Don't!
Don't take her away!"
Nozomu could hear
Ken's shouting coming from behind. No, it was more like a plea than a shout.
Even though he had
done it the wrong way, there was no doubt that Ken was single-mindedly devoted
to Lisa.
Even so, Nozomu didn't
stop.
Even though he could
hear Ken's shouting, he ran as fast as he could toward the light.
The moment Nozomu
threw himself on the other side of the light, the scene in front of him changed
completely.
With a piercing
sensation, the wind blew against Nozomu's cheeks.
A cityscape
illuminated by the light of the stars shining in the dark night. And the
friends who had been calling out to Nozomu were surprised and relieved to see
him.
"Haa, haa, haa
..."
His mouth was full of
ragged breaths and his heart was still beating like it was about to burst.
Nozomu looked down at
Lisa in his arms.
Lisa was limp and
unconscious. Her face was drained of blood and her body was as cold as ice.
"Li-sa……"
Lisa's eyes opened
slightly as if in response to her name leaking out of Nozomu's mouth. Then
Lisa's mouth moved faintly.
Clouded by the
exhaustion and intense pain that assaulted his entire body, Nozomu brought his
face to Lisa's mouth in his arms.
At that moment, Lisa's
hand, which was hanging down powerlessly and helplessly, squeezed the hem of
Nozomu's clothes.
"I'm sorry.
Nozomu, I'm sorry ..."
"Lisa ..."
Nozomu's arm was
tugged with a force that was unbelievable for a weakened human being.
Lisa's eyes were
unfocused. She was repeating her apology to Nozomu in a somewhat depressed
tone.
Eventually, the hand
that had been gripping Nozomu's clothes lost its strength, and Lisa's body lost
its power like a doll with a broken thread.
"Nozomu!"
"This bastard, so
you're alright!"
"Good grief, I
was so worried when I suddenly lost connection to your path."
One after another, his
friends rushed to his side.
But Nozomu remained
silent and looked down at the hem of his clothes, then slowly laid Lisa's body
on the ground and pulled his uniform coat over her.
The hem of the clothes
Lisa was holding. There were deep wrinkles clearly etched on it.
Irisdina and the
others just watched in silence as Nozomu stared at the unconscious Lisa.
His back was not
filled with joy. But it was also not full of sadness or emptiness.
Irisdina couldn't help
but remember the "feeling" that rose up in her heart.
"Nozomu ..."
"Nozomu-kun
..."
"Nozomu-san
..."
His name came
naturally out of their mouths. But before he could respond to their calls, a
tearing scream echoed through the isolation barrier set up by Zonne.
"Aaaaaaaaaa!"
"Tch~! That Abyss
Grief!"
With a crushing sound
as if the air were cracking, the predatory barrier that had been torn to shreds
disappeared completely and the deformed Ken appeared.
Perhaps it was because
the loss of Lisa had made Ken, its host, unstable. The deformed Ken had scars
all over his body, and the skin on his right arm was peeling off like dried
mud.
Irisdina and the
others widened their eyes at its unrealistic appearance.
"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa
..."
Muttering Lisa's name
repeatedly like a broken doll, Ken continued to look for her.
When he saw her lying
beside Nozomu, he began to walk towards her with unsteady gait.
"He really is a
stubborn one, isn't he?"
"But he won't
last long."
"Yeah, let's get
this over with... Nozomu?"
Jihad and the others
were about to step forward with their weapons, but Nozomu stepped out to
interrupt them.
"Anri-sensei,
please take care of Lisa ..."
"Nozomu-kun
..."
Nozomu clutched the
invisible chains that wrapped around his body as he slowly advanced with his
feet.
"Lisa, Lisa
..."
(Gigigi! Gyagauu!)
"Gigigi!
Gagauu!"
Probably he couldn't
even see Nozomu's reflection anymore, Ken just continued looking for his
beloved girl.
But unlike Ken's
intentions, his deformed right arm seemed to have gone into a panic.
(Run, run, run away!)
Crimson eyes
flickering erratically. The eyes turned to Nozomu, Jihad, and the others behind
them. The emotion reflected in the depths of those eyes was pure fear.
It was not about
winning or losing anymore. Lisa, the key to the stability of the host, was
taken back, and there were still many unharmed people left on the other side.
Abyss Grief must be
aware of this. They are desperately trying to get away from this place and are
calling out to their host to retreat.
Ken, however, did not
seem to listen to Abyss Grief.
He grabbed the crimson
eyes that were open on his right arm with his left arm and walked forward,
dragging his arm.
"Ken ..."
Ken's desire for Lisa
was so strong that Nozomu couldn't find any more words to say to him.
Let's just end this.
With that intention in mind, he tore off the chains that bound him.
"Guu ...!"
(Gaaaaaaaaaa !!)
The released power of
Tiamat went wild and the hatred of the giant dragon tried to crush Nozomu's
spirit. The massive force couldn't be contained in Nozomu's body and was
randomly released in all directions, swirling like a tornado.
(Gigi~ !?)
Abyss Grief's crimson
eyes widened. In the face of such extraordinary power being slammed into it,
its fundamental fear was further aggravated.
"W-what? ... This
is ..."
"...~!?"
Meanwhile, Inda stood
stunned in the face of Nozomu's suddenly released power. Jihad also looked
surprised for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and watched the
situation with a stern expression.
Ken's eyes, which had
been staring only at Lisa lying on the ground, facing the torrent of Qi
slamming into him, finally caught sight of Nozomu. His face gradually tensed,
and a clear will began to return to his eyes.
The panicked Abyss
Grief desperately tried to escape from that place, but Ken ignored all the
warnings from his right arm and continued to raise his will to fight Nozomu.
Nozomu, who was
wielding an unbelievably huge amount of Qi, and Ken, who had a strange form in
his right arm. Each time the two took a step forward, the tension that seemed
to be building increased in intensity.
(Run, quickly run
away! At this rate, I will die! I will die!)
"Don't get in my
way ...!"
(Gi, giguga ...!)
Ken frowned at the
Abyss Grief, who was screaming in his ear, and his right arm, which had been
rampaging with a quivering voice, became quiet.
After forcibly
suppressing Abyss Grief, Ken swung his right arm to check his condition, and a
humming sound that split the air echoed.
"Let's go……"
Ken was the first to
move.
The sound of a burst
of bullets reverberated through the air. He had the physical ability of a
monster. He combined this with magic to strengthen his body and attacked Nozomu
at a ridiculous speed.
He filled his deformed
right arm with magic power and hardened it. He strengthened it in like a magic
sword and swung it down with the momentum to cut off Nozomu's body.
Nozomu faced Ken, who
was rushing at him while scattering pieces of crushed floor stones around him.
He raised the katana
in its scabbard and at the same time he hit it with a huge burst of energy. The
next moment, Ken's magic sword and Nozomu's scabbard collided.
The air that burst out
of the colliding swords sent shock waves in all directions, laying waste to the
area.
The wind that slammed
into them made Irisdina and the others involuntarily turn their faces down, but
the two sides facing each other were tightly clasped together, locked in a
fierce battle.
"Guuuu!"
"~!"
Gritting their teeth,
the two of them exerted all the strength they could muster. But the situation
in front of them spoke volumes as to who had the upper hand.
Nozomu's feet were
firmly planted on the ground, and he hadn't taken a single step backward from
the spot.
On the other hand, Ken's
blow, which even added to the momentum of his rush, was completely stopped by
Nozomu.
Ken squeezed out all
of his remaining magic power and boosted his body in an attempt to push Nozomu
away. However, he was still unable to push throught.
"D-damn iiittt~!
Gaha~! Goho~!"
Ken let out a cry of
regret. But the overuse of magic turned on Ken's own body.
The pressure on
Nozomu's arm momentarily loosened as the recoil from the unreasonable
strengthening magic attacked Ken's internal organs.
"~! Haaa!"
The next moment,
Nozomu repelled Ken's magic sword with a burst of Qi.
There was a slight gap
between the two. Ken's eyes widen as he was pushed back, and Nozomu grabbed the
hilt of his katana in its sheath.
A five-colored light
overflowed from Nozomu's body.
The power was so
different from anything people had ever seen. Not only the surrounding air, but
even Zonne's barrier that covered the area was screaming and creaking.
The five colors of
light that had been emitted all fell on Nozomu's katana at once, shining with a
brilliant light.
The two men's gazes
crossed.
Nozomu was trying to
end the past and Ken was trying to carry it on.
In a brilliant flash
of light, Nozomu drew his katana and released it at once.
[Phantom -Flash-]
The power that was
released flashed across Ken's right arm, engulfing it in five different colors
of light. Its existence was literally erased without a trace.
"A~……"
As the residue of
light danced in the air, Ken made a dumbfounded voice.
Nozomu's blow had cut
off not only Ken's arm but also the isolation barrier that Zonne had set up.
In the silence that
followed, Ken looked at his right arm, which had disappeared. There wasn't a
shred of the power he had wanted so much.
Strength drained from
Ken's entire body. He felt as if he were on ice, and a sense of loss struck his
body.
"Lisa ..."
His consciousness was
fading away. In his fading vision, Ken reached out for the woman of his dreams.
But the hand never
reached her, and eventually lost its strength and fell to the ground.
"Nozomu ..."
"Nozomu-kun
..."
Irisdina and Shīna
call out to Nozomu, who was standing with his unsheathed katana in his hand.
The power of Tiamat that had been released subsided before long, and the
silence of the night returned to the area.
However, Nozomu didn't
sheathe his katana but stared at the fallen Ken.
A thought came to
Nozomu's mind. Just a colorless, heavy, intense rush of emotion.
Nozomu and Ken were
both in love with the same person. Even though they had somehow taken different
paths, their feelings could not be lumped together.
While pushing down the
pain in his chest, Nozomu put his hand on his chest and closed his eyes as if
in mourning for Ken.
Irisdina and the
others watched him in silence.
At that moment,
Nozomu's tense spirit seemed to break, and his body tilted unsteadily.
His friends rushed
over to him and supported his body. A single tear flowed from his eye.