Volume 2
Finale Part 3
Before my very eyes, my precious friends were being hurt, and all I, Somiliana, could feel was frustration.
Tima-san and Mars-san,
who had become covered in wounds trying to protect my helpless self.
Onee-sama was still
fighting, but her beautiful body was marred by several cuts.
Ignoring such a
sister, the incarnation of death descended before me, intent on reaping my
soul.
My body trembled at
the approaching death, and my voice was hoarse.
Scary.
That fear clung to me
along with the chains of the grim reaper that bound me, and an icy coldness
stole the freedom of my limbs.
The great scythe was
swung down, about to tear my body apart.
"!"
I squeezed my eyes
shut tightly, as if to escape the pain that would lead me to death. It was the
only thing I could do, like trying to run away from reality by closing my eyes.
...But no pain came,
no matter how long I waited. Feeling strange, I opened my eyes, and there,
instead of the grim reaper, was the back of a man.
A back that couldn't
be called particularly large.
But to me, it looked
larger and more dependable than anything else.
***
After laying Ena down
in a vacant room and grabbing the weapons, Nozomu returned to where Somia and
the others were fighting. What he saw was Rugato's familiar about to swing down
its large scythe.
Nozomu instantly
channeled his Ki into his katana, and with Phantom Void, he severed both of the
familiar's arms, then bisected its body with a returning stroke.
"Nozomu...
san?"
Somia called out to
Nozomu as if to confirm his identity, but he couldn't afford to answer. Against
the opponent he now faced, even a moment of carelessness could be fatal.
Rugato looked at
Nozomu, who had cleaved the contract familiar in a single strike, with a
surprised expression.
"...What? To
think that the contract familiar would be defeated with a single blow..."
Irisdina and Tima also
had their eyes wide open. Only Mars looked on with a dumbfounded expression.
Nozomu lowered Mars's
greatsword, which he had been carrying on his back, and kicked it towards Mars.
The greatsword slid
across the floor and reached Mars's side.
"Tch... you're...
late..."
Mars grumbled but
picked up the greatsword. However, his hands were covered in blood, and his
legs were trembling. Even to an outsider, it was clear that continuing to fight
was impossible.
"...Sorry."
"…………Hmph."
"But the contract
familiar is defeated. With this, the contract is..."
As Nozomu muttered
this, the fragments of the armband that had been the familiar's core, which he
had shattered, floated into the air and began to gather.
"What!"
The fragments that
gathered in the air were dyed jet black and began to pulsate like a black ball
of light.
From that sight,
Nozomu and the others could tell that the grim reaper was trying to revive.
"W-why…………"
"That familiar
will revive as many times as my contract exists."
"...Do you intend
to take Somia-chan no matter what?"
"Yes. That is the
order of my master."
Rugato replied instantly
without hesitation. He had absolutely no doubts about the actions he was about
to take. Nozomu's voice naturally became rough at his attitude.
"Why! The people
involved now know nothing about a contract from 300 years ago! Do you really
think such a contract will be recognized!? In the first place, the content of
the contract is only to return the Eternal Flame Furnace! Not a single word
about taking Somia-chan's soul is written!!"
Nozomu didn't
understand the obligations of noble houses or the circumstances of the Francilt
family 300 years ago.
But he couldn't
possibly accept unilaterally making Somia, who knew nothing, a sacrifice and
completely passing everything onto their own children.
"To be honest, I
was not informed until just now that the Eternal Flame Furnace had fused with
Lady Somia's soul. My master does not place much importance on this contract.
Or rather, I should say she has no interest in it..."
"Then!"
"However, the
contract has already been made. Once made, it is absolute."
Rugato stated clearly,
not waiting for Nozomu's words.
"Certainly, the
Eternal Flame Furnace has fused with Lady Somia's soul, and it is likely
impossible to separate them now. However, that does not mean our contract never
existed. If a contract once made is broken, it will damage the trust and
prestige of both parties involved, and in some cases, it may create an opening
for opposing forces to exploit. Although she has no interest in it, my master
would not remain silent if the contract were unilaterally violated. The
Francilt family, too, would likely want to avoid this secret agreement becoming
public..."
"I don't care
about any of that! Let Somia go!"
Rugato's polite words
contained a threat, but Irisdina dismissed it outright.
For her, her younger sister
before her was an irreplaceable treasure, more valuable than the people of her
house who were drowning in money and power.
"……………………"
Seeing her reaction,
Rugato's demeanor changed.
"…………In my
country, strength is valued above all else."
In the Dizart Empire,
from the very reason it was founded, the stronger one was, the more they were
respected and revered. Even if one suffered a loss, if the opponent was strong,
it was forgiven. Such were the customs of that nation.
"If you refuse to
acknowledge this contract…………"
Magic power overflowed
from Rugato's body. His attitude clearly conveyed, "This is your final
warning."
He would undoubtedly
kill Nozomu and the others if they resisted any further.
"Prove to me that
you are stronger than I am!"
Rugato declared,
"Use your strength to nullify this contract!"
Facing the serious
Rugato, Nozomu also readied his katana. Irisdina came to Nozomu's side and
spoke to him.
"...Nozomu-kun.
How many times can you use that technique from before?"
"...Not many.
Maybe a few more times at most."
Nozomu's Ki reserves
under suppression were low. No matter how much he conserved his Ki, he wouldn't
be able to unleash many techniques that would work against his current
opponent.
"...It's
frustrating, but I can't defeat Rugato. You're our only hope. The black orb
Rugato has is probably controlling the contract familiar... Please. Destroy the
black orb he possesses."
"...Understood.
I'll go."
Nozomu answered
Irisdina's earnest request, but his voice trembled slightly.
His opponent was a
formidable S-rank warrior, the same rank as his own master. Fighting with
hesitation against such an opponent was unthinkable.
(Fight now. Because
there's no other choice!!)
Forcibly suppressing
his own doubts by using the current situation as an excuse, Nozomu applied body
strengthening to himself and dashed towards Rugato.
Rugato's ten fingers
danced in the air like playing an instrument, drawing arrays once more. Ten
magic bullets were fired from the arrays drawn in the air, heading towards
Nozomu.
The ten approaching
magic bullets tried to pierce Nozomu, but they were blocked by five magic
bullets that flew from behind Nozomu.
Irisdina, who was
behind Nozomu, activated five "Magic Bullets" with instant
deployment, neutralizing Rugato's magic bullets.
However, she could
only neutralize five of them, and the remaining five were closing in on Nozomu.
While charging at
Rugato, Nozomu concentrated his Ki on his legs and unleashed it.
Ki Technique,
"Flash Step - Curving Dance -"
Nozomu weaved through
the gaps between the five magic bullets and closed in on Rugato. He immediately
swung his katana, but Rugato quickly drew a magic circle and formed a blood
sword. He held the sword in his right hand and blocked Nozomu's attack. Nozomu
had expected his attack to be blocked, so he continued his relentless assault
without pause.
Downward slash, upward
left slash, right horizontal slash, left horizontal slash.
He used every muscle
in his body efficiently, linking his movements without any stagnation.
In response, Rugato
swiftly blocked with the blood sword in his single hand. His movements were
certainly fast, but unlike Nozomu's, they were linear and uneven. Rugato was
probably not very skilled in close combat. In pure swordsmanship, Nozomu had
the upper hand.
However, Rugato, with
his extraordinary physical abilities, didn't care about such a difference in
skill. He compensated for unnecessary movements and even moved by calculating
the time spent on those unnecessary movements, completely blocking Nozomu's
continuous attacks.
It was the work of
overwhelming experience.
"Kuh!"
Nozomu's face
distorted at not being able to break through despite being in the opponent's
unfavorable range.
Rugato drew a circle
with his left hand, the one not holding a sword. Seeing a magic circle drawn at
his feet, Nozomu instantly retreated with Flash Step.
At the same moment
Nozomu moved away, dark flames erupted from the magic circle. If he had stayed
there, he would have been roasted to the bone.
With the distance
opened, Rugato rapidly fired magic bullets at Nozomu. Since Nozomu couldn't
deflect the magic bullets head-on like Mars, he struck the sides of the magic
bullets, deflecting their trajectories.
However, because of
the large number of magic bullets, he couldn't deflect them all and repeatedly
used full-speed movement with Flash Step before being overwhelmed.
Rugato tried to pursue
further, but this time Irisdina attacked from the opposite side, so Rugato
parried with the blood sword in his right hand.
"Haaaaaaah!"
Irisdina swung her
rapier in rapid succession. Her movements were fluid and completely devoid of
wasted motion. The blade faintly glowed, as if imbued with enhancement magic,
and magic elements and sparks scattered every time Rugato parried with his
blood sword.
Confirming that Rugato
had stopped moving, Nozomu sheathed his drawn katana. Immediately after
sheathing it, he channeled his Ki into the katana and compressed it to its
limit in just half a second.
Rugato, who had been
clashing swords with Irisdina, also noticed this and deployed a magic circle
with his left hand. He erected a double-layered magic barrier in half a second.
Nozomu drew his sword.
The extremely compressed Ki blade flew at high speed and struck the magic
circle Rugato had deployed. The Ki blade tore through the first barrier and
exploded halfway through the second. The structure of the spell was fatally
destroyed, and the barrier dissipated like mist.
Nozomu swung his sword
back and attacked Rugato, but Rugato's left hand moved quickly, and the
constructed magic circle created a blood sword.
He used the blood
sword to receive Nozomu's "Phantom Void - Return -," which Nozomu had
unleashed in pursuit, by pouring an immense amount of magic power into it.
The three of them
grappled, sandwiching Rugato from both sides, but Rugato, despite using only
one hand, couldn't be pushed back by Nozomu and Irisdina.
"Ha!"
"Uwa!"
"Kuh!"
Rugato exerted his
strength for a moment and spun his body, sending Nozomu and Irisdina flying
like toys.
Releasing the blood
sword, Rugato immediately constructed arrays with both hands. He showered the
two of them with countless magic bullets.
The two somehow
managed to fend them off, but it was clearly a losing battle of attrition.
Nozomu's Ki reserves were rapidly depleting because he was using full-power
body strengthening, and the number of times he could use Phantom Void was
gradually decreasing. Irisdina, too, had been fighting at full power until now,
and the signs of fatigue were evident.
Before they knew it,
the two had been separated by a considerable distance. They had no more energy
left. They had to decide with the next attack.
Nozomu concealed a
certain plan in his heart and spoke to Irisdina.
"Hah... hah...
Irisdina-san, how many more full-power attacks can you manage?"
"Phew... Let's
see, maybe one more time at most."
Nozomu conveyed his
plan to Irisdina so that those around them couldn't hear. She was initially
surprised, but then...
"…………I'll clear
the way. The rest... I'm counting on you."
"…………Understood."
Once the confirmation
was done, Nozomu charged at Rugato with Flash Step. Magic bullets immediately
approached, and Nozomu tried to evade them with Flash Step - Curving Dance -,
but the number of magic bullets was too great, and he was hit.
"Tch!"
A sharp pain ran
through the area where he was hit, and blood flowed, but Nozomu bit back the
pain and continued to evade.
On the opposite side,
Irisdina was similarly continuing to evade the rain of magic bullets. It was
the same one-sided development as before, but Nozomu and Irisdina had
anticipated this.
The problem was how to
escape that rain of magic bullets and engage in close combat. The method was
already formulated in Nozomu's mind, but the problem was his Ki reserves. The
technique he was about to use was a powerful technique beyond his capabilities
under ability suppression. Using it once would deplete almost all of his Ki.
Using it in his current state of combat fatigue could even kill him.
Returning the sheath
to his waist belt, he raised his left hand and slammed a massive amount of Ki
into it. Because several times the Ki of his previous Phantom Void was
concentrated on one point, his left hand emitted an intense light with the Ki
it was enveloped in.
"Hm!"
Rugato's expression
changed at that sight, but Nozomu didn't care and slammed his left hand into
the ground.
Ki Technique,
"Annihilating Light Impact."
The next moment, the
ground at Rugato's feet burst open, and a torrent of light enveloped Rugato.
"Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"
Ki rapidly drained
from him, and his vision darkened. The release of Ki beyond his limits was
putting even his own life activities in danger.
Annihilating Light
Impact had the largest effective range among his techniques. If he could trap
Rugato within this range, the latter wouldn't be able to attack him and would
have no choice but to focus on his own defense.
Irisdina was already
preparing for the next step.
Several magic circles
floated around her rapier, and a black magic light surged violently on the
blade.
What she did was quite
simple. Overlaying of enhancement magic. By applying enhancement magic multiple
times, she would ultimately unleash explosive power. It was the same type of
technique as Nozomu's "Wheel of Reincarnation".
However, its
activation time was unbelievably fast and accurate. Maximizing the power of
Wheel of Reincarnation required a considerable amount of time, but she, with
her instant-cast ability, activated enhancement magic at a speed incomparable
to Nozomu's.
Magic Sword,
"Lunar Eclipse Night."
Eventually, her magic
was completed. A single magic sword had been created there. The area around the
blade was enveloped in jet-black magic, emitting waves of darkness, but the
rapier's blade itself shone white, like a comet shining in the dark night.
Irisdina stepped
forward. Nozomu released Annihilating Light Impact at the moment she swung her
sword. The comet enveloped in darkness sliced through the remnants of the
torrent of light.
"What!"
Irisdina let out a
voice, her movements completely stopping at the unexpected situation. Rugato
was not in the space she had cleaved. Her wholehearted magic sword had only
futilely sliced through empty air.
"Wh-where...
kyaa!"
A magic bullet that
had approached from her blind spot struck her as she frantically looked around,
blowing her away. Four magic circles unfolded around her as she was blown away,
and those magic circles summoned chains, binding her.
"W-what in the...
guh!"
Nozomu was confused by
the unexpected situation, but in the meantime, he was similarly bound by magic,
just like Irisdina.
When Nozomu looked
around, black shadows were flying around.
Looking closely, he
saw that they were bats. The bats that had been flying around eventually gathered
in one place, and from there, Rugato appeared. He had transformed his own body
into bats to escape the range of Annihilating Light Impact and had seized the
opening to restrain Irisdina.
Nozomu reached a
conclusion based on the fact that Rugato had transformed into bats. He was
probably...
"A
vampire…………"
"Yes, that's
right. I am a vampire."
Vampire.
There were various
races on the Arcmel Continent, but this was a race said to possess top-class
latent abilities.
Extraordinary physical
abilities, immense magic power, extremely long lifespans, and a wide variety of
unique powers. The ability to transform his own body into bats just now was
also a unique power of vampires.
Although their numbers
were small, their abilities were extremely high.
However, precisely
because of the height of their abilities, they were feared and persecuted for
having to drink the blood of others to live.
In fact, the Dizart
Empire itself was a country founded by races that had been persecuted in this
way.
Nozomu looked at
Rugato again. His crimson eyes were certainly one of the characteristics of a
vampire.
However, everything
was too late now. Everyone had already been restrained or incapacitated, and
there were no more moves left to make.
Ignoring Nozomu and
the others, who could do nothing, Rugato headed towards Somia.
***
The old man headed
towards Somia, and I could do nothing but watch.
"Kuh! Let go! Let
go!!"
I desperately tried to
undo the magic binding me, but it wouldn't budge. Did this magic have the effect
of suppressing the opponent's magic power? I couldn't even gather my own magic.
As the old man
activated his magic, the contract familiar revived.
"Ah... stop it,
please stop..."
Remembering what the
familiar before me would bring, the blood drained from my face.
"Stop! Please
stop!! If you want a soul, take mine! So please, don't take Somia away!!"
I pleaded desperately,
but the old man and the familiar showed no signs of stopping. As the familiar
reached out to Somia, her soul slowly floated out. It seemed the connection
with her body hadn't been completely severed yet, as a part of her soul was
still connected to her body, but Somia's face was lifeless.
"Ah... sto...
stop it…………"
My most precious
treasure. The reason I hadn't lost myself in that house of swirling desires was
because Somia was there.
Somia, who always
followed behind me, calling me "Onee-sama, Onee-sama." My
irreplaceable little sister who always smiled and told me she loved me.
Somia's death.
Faced with that, my
body collapsed. I couldn't muster any strength and could only continue to watch
the scene of my sister being killed.
Please. Anyone, I'll
do anything. My body, my soul, I don't care if I have to offer it all!
So... so please...
"Someone...
please. He... lp…………"
***
Nozomu bit his lip.
There were elements
that allowed him to infer that Rugato was a vampire. However, he had overlooked
them, and it had led to an irreversible situation.
No, if he had released
his ability suppression from the beginning, Mars and Tima might have avoided
unnecessary injuries...
Only regret tightened
his chest.
It was always like
this. He couldn't do anything important.
He couldn't step out
of his relationship with Lisa. He was afraid of being rejected if his
dragon-slaying power was known, and he couldn't talk about himself to the
people who worried about him. In the end, it was all about protecting oneself.
Master had risked his
life to teach him not to avert his eyes from the fact that he was running away.
He had become aware that he had been running away until now, but even at times
like this, he couldn't move forward.
When he raised his
eyes, he saw Rugato standing beside Somia and Irisdina-san continuing to
scream.
As Rugato drew a
circle, the familiar, which had become a black ball of light in the air,
revived. It went to Somia's side and reached out its hand of white bones
towards her.
Then, a white ball of
light slowly floated out from Somia-chan's chest, who was speechless with
terror.
That light was
connected to Somia-chan's chest by a similarly white, glowing cord. That was
probably her soul.
Somia-chan's face
turned pale, and she lost consciousness.
It was truly the face
of death... yes, the same as Master's at that time.
Even now, remembering
that time made him sad. He couldn't save Master. Even after gaining power, it
wasn't enough to save Master.
But he had no regrets.
Master had smiled at
the end.
He had said, "I
am satisfied." The person himself had said he had no regrets.
He was still sad that
Master had died, but he had been able to accept Master's feelings.
So, what about now?
Was it okay to just watch Somia-chan die like this?
Somia-chan, her soul
extracted and lifeless. Irisdina-san, hanging her head.
Of course not. At
least, he couldn't accept this ending!!
At that moment, he
faintly heard a voice.
"Someone...
please. He... lp…………"
What he heard was
Irisdina-san's hoarse plea. A voice so weak that it was unimaginable coming
from her usual self.
The moment he heard
that. Before he knew it, he had blown away all his previous anguish and
released his ability suppression.
***
Explosive power
ravaged the surroundings. The torrent of Ki, easily sweeping away my magic
power, rampaged as if saying, "Don't do as you please!"
"What!!!"
I hastily turned my
gaze to the source of the raging power, and there was the boy who had cleaved
the contract familiar in a single strike.
The boy tore apart my
binding magic as if it were scrap paper and vanished from the spot.
The next moment, the
boy was above the familiar.
The sword he had held
at his hip was drawn, and the familiar was cleaved again without even realizing
it, dissipating into mist.
I hurriedly distanced
myself and looked at the boy. His appearance hadn't changed, but the power
emanating from him had increased by leaps and bounds.
Certainly, I was
impressed by his skill. Excellent swordsmanship and outstanding Ki control. The
contract familiar, created by my former master, was a powerful familiar
reaching A-rank.
Considering that he
had defeated it with a single blow, I understood that he possessed a weapon
worthy of caution, but even so, I didn't think he could defeat me.
His movements were
precise, but too slow. His skill and his physical abilities were mismatched,
too disjointed.
But his movement just
now... even though I hadn't let my guard down, I couldn't see his movement.
Looking at his
companions, their faces were also frozen in astonishment.
They, too, seemed to
know nothing about this boy's current state.
I recognized him as an
enemy to be defeated immediately. Using all ten fingers, I activated multiple
spells simultaneously.
A storm of magic
bullets assaulted the boy, but he retreated with Flash Step. His speed was
unbelievably fast, and only afterimages remained in my eyes.
The fired magic
bullets didn't even graze him, striking the walls and floor, only raising
futile rubble.
I continued to
activate magic relentlessly. Not only firing magic bullets, but also erupting
flames from the floor and manipulating blood swords to slash at him, but he
moved in high-speed, complex curved trajectories, evading or parrying all the
magic I unleashed.
I couldn't believe
that sight. I had never seen anyone move so fast and perform such complex
curved movements.
I could tell that the
Ki Technique he used was Flash Step, but with such explosive acceleration, he
should only be able to move linearly!
My magic's accuracy
dulled slightly due to my agitation. The next moment, he charged at me without
hesitation.
Ignoring my magic
interception, he closed the distance between us and swung his blade.
I instinctively
blocked with my blood sword and tried to push him back, but...
(Kuh!! I can't push
him back!)
Even though my racial
specifications should be far superior, I couldn't push him back.
No, rather, I was
beginning to be pushed back, and his blade was gradually closing in.
Thinking that I would
be overwhelmed if things continued like this, I overcharged the blade of my
blood sword with magic power and detonated it.
I was blown away by the
force of the explosion, and countless wounds appeared on my body, but as a
vampire, injuries of this level would heal quickly. I tried to increase the
distance further during that opening, but the boy cut through the smoke of the
explosion and slashed at me.
Considering the boy's
skill and current abilities, I had no chance of winning in close combat. I
concentrated my magic power on my legs and retreated, while also firing magic,
but it was still evaded and parried.
Since I wasn't
particularly skilled in close combat, I prioritized increasing the distance and
poured all my magic power into increasing my speed.
We were slashing at
each other while moving at high speed, but the boy was completely winning.
While I moved in straight lines and the shortest distances, the boy took curved
paths, so his movement distance should have been longer than mine, yet he
caught up and attacked me unilaterally.
"Gu! Ugh!
Gah!!"
The boy's slashes,
which came at me like a coiling snake, were extremely fierce, and lacerations
were etched into my body as I couldn't parry them all.
"Damn it!"
And finally, my
destination was seen through, and he cut me off.
My feet were stopped,
and I was forced into a direct sword fight, but I was no match for him at all.
While more lacerations
were etched into my body, I instinctively transformed my own body into
countless bats. The boy's slashes cut through the air without catching any of
the countless bats.
I sent the bats
towards the boy as they were. Countless fangs and claws attacked the boy, but
he skillfully used his sword and scabbard to shoot down the bats.
However, overwhelmed
by the sheer number of bats, the boy gradually sustained injuries.
The bats swarmed to
swallow the boy as he was. But the moment the boy slammed his fist into the
ground, aurora light burned away the bats.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Literally burned to a
crisp, I returned to human form from the bat state. Smoke rose from my entire
body, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Overwhelmed by the intense
pain, I lost consciousness for a moment, and when I came to, the boy had
finished preparing for a follow-up attack.
A massive amount of Ki
was being sent into his sheathed sword.
I felt an
unprecedented chill and deployed a barrier with all my might.
What I deployed was a
quadruple-layered magic barrier that could withstand even high-level magic.
Normally, the only attack that could break through this barrier would be a
large-scale ritual magic.
However, that was not
the case.
His blade was drawn,
and at the same time, the ultra-compressed Ki blade that was released
effortlessly bisected the quadruple barrier, along with my body, the black orb
I held, and the contract.
***
The Ki Technique
"Phantom Void" bisected Rugato-san's body. It seemed to have bisected
the black orb along with him, as the familiar that was trying to revive
disappeared, and at the same time, the chains binding Somia-chan also vanished.
Irisdina-san also
seemed to have been freed, and she hurriedly rushed to Somia-chan's side.
Her expression, which
had been tense at first, softened with relief after confirming Somia-chan's
condition, so she seemed to be alright.
I turned my gaze back
to Rugato-san and walked towards him. Even though he had been cut from his
right shoulder down to his left hip, he was surprisingly still alive.
"Fu... fufu. A
vampire of my caliber... won't die... unless... the heart... or brain... is
destroyed..."
I was surprised, but
also relieved. Even though it was one-sided, killing someone didn't feel good.
The problem was whether he would still target Somia-chan...
"Fufu, please
rest assured. You... defeated me. That's why... I won't... try to take Lady
Somia. ...Besides... the magic tool to control the familiar and the contract
were destroyed together. With this, the contract is effectively... impossible
to fulfill. The rest... will be decided by discussions between the Wajiart
family and the Francilt family."
Hearing Rugato's
words, Nozomu exhaled and finally lowered himself to the ground, feeling that
it was finally over. He glanced over and saw the Francilt sisters holding
hands, happily coming towards him. Putting aside the difficult task of
explaining his power, he was simply happy that he had been able to protect
their smiles.
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