Volume 3 Chapter 6.2
Once Again,
The First Step Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Nozomu, who was blown
away, crashed into Shino's hut. The support pillar broke and the hut collapsed
without time to escape.
Meanwhile, the giant
figure that had knocked Nozomu away soared, whilst inverting its body.
[Cracked-Crown Giant
Centipede]
The giant centipede
with a carapace resembling a cracked crown on its head looked down at the
collapsed hut while moving its ominous jaws, and began to clothe itself in
purple electricity with an eerie cry.
*Chk-chk-chk......*
In the next instant,
multiple thunderbolts were unleashed. The swarm of crawling, wailing purple
lightning headed towards Shino's hut, which had just collapsed.
The lightning ignited
the building materials made of grass and wood, and in the blink of an eye,
fires were set alight, leaving Nozomu buried alive.
"Nozomu!"
While Irisdina
screamed in grief as the hut was engulfed in flames, the [Cracked Crown] did
not even pay attention to them, but instead pointed its four pairs of eyes at
the hut it had set ablaze.
"This is bad, we
have to help him quickly!"
Irisdina and Mars
tried to rush to the burning hut to rescue Nozomu.
However, as if to
hinder their attempts, Thunder Rain unleashed by the [Cracked Crown] attacked
them.
"Ai!"
"Hold them
back!"
Feo and Tima blocked
the swarm of purple lightning that was heading toward them.
Five thrown talismans
shone and formed a five-layered barrier while deploying a magic circle in
mid-air.
The five-layered
barrier instantly shattered in the face of the [Cracked Crown]'s Thunder Rain,
but in the meantime Tima, using her vast magic power, deployed a more powerful
barrier. She somehow managed to block the countless purple lightning that was closing
in on them.
"Kuu......"
However, there was not
enough time for her to deploy a sufficient magic barrier.
As a result, she had
no choice but to forcibly strengthen a low-level magic with magic power, and
the burden of this hit her body as a recoil.
*Gigigi......~!*
While Tima was in
agony, [Cracked Crown] tried to unleash a follow-up attack.
But before it could do
so, a whip struck one of its eyes with great force. Whether because its
eyeballs were tough, the giant centipede did not seem to feel any pain or itch,
but the sudden impact distracted the giant centipede's attention.
"No good, huh~~.
I can't even put a scratch on it, this kinda makes me lose confidence~~."
It was Anri who swung
her whip. She was trying to turn the [Cracked Crown]'s attention toward herself
by delivering one blow after another.
From her side, a woman
dressed in a maid's outfit, Mena Manat, rushed past her like a gust of wind.
She drew her rapier
and fired a piercing thrust at the flexible outer skin between the giant centipede's
joints.
With a light sound,
the rapier pierced into it, and then she slashed it open by cleaving it, but
she frowned when she felt a heavy sensation returned to her hand.
"I did manage to
slash it, but it's no good. My weapon won't last like this."
These were the muscles
that powered a body frame of more than a hundred mels. Naturally, it has very
dense muscle tissue.
Any weapons that tried
to slash such rock-like muscles would be severely worn out.
Mena, who has
excellent swordsmanship, knew that with her current weapon, the blade would
break in a few more blows.
"Ojou-sama, we
will draw that demonic beast's attention. In the meantime, take Nozomu-sama
-......~!"
"Norn, please go
over to Nozomu-kun~~!"
"Alright. Don't
overdo it, Anri!"
"Sorry, Mena.
Somia, come this way!"
Irisdina and the
others rushed to Shino's hut, which was on fire, leaving the [Cracked Crown] in
the others' hands.
"Nozomu, can you
hear me!?"
"Damn, the fire
is too strong!"
Irisdina tried to
extinguish the fire by conjuring water with her magic, but it was not enough to
extinguish the blazing flames.
"Raz,
please!"
[ Aiyo, leave it to
me! ]
Razward drew on the
power of the spirits and created a huge ball of water that could extinguish all
the flames surrounding the hut with a single shot. However, the moment Razward
released the water ball, it instantly dissipated.
[ Oi oi oi, why is
there spirit power in this demonic beast's magic!? ]
"Raz, use my
magic power as well!"
Borrowing Shina's
magic power, Razward created an even bigger water ball, but that water ball
also dissipated the moment it was completed.
[ Damn, it's no use!
The spirits won't listen to me! This is ...... the power of a water spirit that
is stronger than me. ]
"How come
......."
"We have no other
choice then!"
Meanwhile, Mars was
attempting to use his greatsword as a lever to dislodge the debris by thrusting
it into the beams of the hut.
He couldn't afford to
waste more time. Smoke was already enveloping the area around the hut.
Nearly half of all
fire deaths are caused by suffocation from smoke inhalation.
"Guuu......"
Despite putting all of
his Qi and strength into it, the collapsed debris wouldn't budge.
Irisdina and Shina
also applied reinforcement magic to their entire bodies and, placed their hands
on the burning rubble. Just like what Mars did, they began trying to dislodge
the roof that was pinning Nozomu underneath.
'"O- oi!"
"Kuuu!"
"~......!"
Intense heat and
stabbing pain struck the girls' hands.
Mars shouted at the
girls for their reckless behaviour, but they were completely unconcerned about
such things.
Nozomu might die if
they were to stop here. A frustration that exceeded even the pain of the burns
was stirring Irisdina.
For Shina, the image
of Nozomu about to be burnt by the flames overlapped with her nightmare of
twenty years ago.
A forest engulfed in
flames and a house being burnt to the ground. Family members were reduced to
lifeless corpses in front of her eyes.
He might become like
that as well ....... The pain in her hands didn't even matter when she thought
about such possibilities.
"Hurry......!"
"Please ......
move ......!"
Irisdina and Shina
desperately tried to move the debris while praying. However, as if to trample
on their wishes, the purple electricity released by the [Chapped Crown] came
pouring down on the three of them.
"Damn it! What
the hell is going on!"
For some reason, the
giant centipede was aiming not at Anri and Mena, who were attacking it, but at
Irisdina and the others.
While uttering cursing
words, Mars hurriedly pulled out the greatsword he had thrust into the gap
between the rubbles and withdrew from the spot with all his might, carrying
Irisdina and Shina in his arms.
In the next instant, a
swarm of purple lightning rained down and hit the place where Mars and the
others had just been. The [Cracked Crown] intervened between them and the
burning hut, flaunting its huge body and chomping its jaws as if to mock
Irisdina and the others.
"Fuck. It's not
letting us help Nozomu!"
A spirit power that a
mere demonic beast could not possibly possess. Mars felt frustrated at the
demonic beast's action that hardly seemed to be driven by impulse or instinct,
meanwhile, Irisdina stared at the giant centipede with determined eyes as she
drew her rapier.
Next to her, Shina was
readying her bow and pouring the power of spirits into her arrows.
"We can't afford
to waste time on this demonic beast! We have to make it retreat by any means
necessary!"
In response to
Irisdina's fiery emotion, [Magic Sword・Lunar Eclipse] was activated, and her rapier shone jet black.
In retaliation, an
overwhelming number of thunderbolts flashed along with the gaze of immense
malice to crush their fighting spirit.
◆
".........~Ugh!"
In the pitch-black
vision, flickering flames and crushing debris. The collapsed beams pressed down
on his entire body, and a strained groan escaped from Nozomu's mouth.
Furthermore, prevalent
smoke impeded his breathing. Every time he breathed in, the smoke irritated his
mucous membranes, causing a strong headache.
"~! .........Gu,
ugh......"
In the gradually
darkening vision, Nozomu reached out his hand as if to ask for help.
What crossed his mind
was the image of his friends, who had just accepted him.
The bonds he has
finally acquired. The people whom he had made in his loneliness, the people he
never wanted to lose.
The joy that had been
rising within him just a moment ago has turned into an intense sense of
frustration, and his whole body is burning in the heat of the flames.
That [Cracked Crown]
is still out there. Even in his hazy mind, he could tell that they were in
danger.
（I don't want to lose them. I don't want it to end
here! )
The bond that has been
reconnected and the outburst of a strong will to protect it.
With strong
determination, he poured all his strength and Qi into his left hand, which was
caught in the wreckage.
His muscles bulged
with an unpleasant sound, and the rubble between his arms moved slightly.
"Ugh! Gah! *Cough
cough*!"
But that was as far as
Nozomu could go.
His breathing was
disrupted by the smoke, and his Qi fizzled out. Despite his desperate thoughts,
his body was as heavy as lead, and anger welled up inside him.
[ Do you want me to
help you? ]
A heavy voice
resounded from the depths of his ears.
Perhaps it was because
he had released his ability suppression, the dragon's intention was clearly
conveyed to him.
[ But it's probably
too late now. Those humans will not survive against that giant centipede. By
now they have probably been reduced to minced meat and turned into pitiful
corpses. ]
A cruel revelation
pierced Nozomu's heart.
[ That giant centipede
has its mind controlled by a spirit. You remember it, don't you? The little insect
that restrained you. And in the end, you can do nothing about it. You are
merely a human being after all. This is the limit to what you can do...... ]
(Don't be ridiculous!
I won't let that happen!)
The lives of friends
with whom he could finally begin to exchange feelings disappear because of his
own weakness.
Faced with this
unacceptable reality, a powerful rage erupted in Nozomu's heart.
To the point that even
he himself could no longer control it......
"Oooooooooo!"
With a scream, he
exploded his power without hesitation and forcibly pulled his left hand out
from under the rubble.
He then slammed his
left arm into the ground, ignoring all the tearing skin and gushing blood.
[Qi-jutsu・Light of Annihilation]. Tiamat's source element-imbued
Qi blasted away the rubble that restrained him.
"Haa haa ......
hi~yuu, hi~yuu ......."
Rebuking his fading
consciousness, he raised his freed body.
And then ...... he was
utterly shocked by the sight that greeted his eyes.
"This is not
true......."
The people he sought
to protect. Everyone had died.
Irisdina, Mars, Tima,
Somia. Shina, Mimuru and Tom.
Nozomu was speechless
as the scene he had seen in his nightmares became reality.
[ Look, over there,
they are the culprits of all this...... ]
A giant centipede,
clad in blue source element.
Alongside it, two
people, one man and one woman were standing across from the [Cracked Crown].
"You
guys......."
Nozomu's thoughts were
tainted with anger the moment he recognized them.
Ken and Camilla. The
culprits behind all of Nozomu's downfall.
The two looked down at
Nozomu and the corpses of Irisdina and the others, with eyes full of disdain.
The appearance of two
people who [shouldn't be there]. Under normal circumstances, he would have
noticed the incongruity.
But the death of
Irisdina and the others erased his rationality.
"Ooooooooooo!"
His anger brought on
more rage, completely erasing rationality from his mind.
Then, with a
beast-like howl, Nozomu drew his katana and charged towards his hateful
opponents.
◆
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