Volume 4
Finale
"So, what do we
do?"
Nozomu stood up and
asked Tom, searching for any sign of the magical beast beyond the bush where it
had vanished. Shina and Mimuru seemed to have finished their bickering, as they
also approached, wary of the bushes.
"Hold on a
second... Shina, I want to confirm something. You tried to fight alone because
you had some plan, right?"
"W-well..."
Perhaps bothered by
having charged ahead alone, Shina stammered with an awkward expression.
"Come on, Shina!
Don't be so coy!"
"Kya!"
Mimuru smacked Shina
on the back, urging her to speak, and Shina let out a cute yelp.
"Um... I was
planning to use Spirit Magic..."
"Just as I
thought..."
"…Huh? I don't
think I've ever seen Shina use Spirit Magic before…"
Tom seemed to have
known that Shina's trump card was Spirit Magic, but then Mimuru interjected.
"Yeah, I haven't
either... Shina? Can you use it?"
"Um, that
is..."
Shina faltered.
Perhaps concerned about not being able to form a contract earlier, she lowered
her gaze, looking dejected.
But then, particles of
light caressed her cheek as if to comfort her.
"Ah…"
She looked up, and
around her, particles of light emitted by spirits gathered. Each one drifted
feebly, a tiny light that seemed like it could vanish with a breath, but the
gradually gathering light was somehow gentle and warm.
"...Looks like
it'll be alright."
"Everyone…"
Shina's eyes welled up
with tears at the kindness of the spirits who, despite her unilaterally
commanding them for nearly ten years, still joyfully accepted her.
"Alright! Then
let's—" "Tom, it's coming!" "Huh?"
Tom, relieved by the
sight of Shina and the spirits, was about to continue speaking, but at Nozomu's
voice, he shifted his gaze back to the bushes. The black magical beast returned
from the bush with a tremendous roar.
The spirits were still
trembling faintly, glowing weakly, seemingly still frightened, but the
particles of light now stayed close to her.
"Oh, come on~.
It's back already? I kicked it with all my might, but it revived too
fast..."
"What are you
talking about? It's not surprising for a magical beast of that level, is it?
Tom, Mimuru, and I just need to buy some time, right?"
Mimuru cursed at the
magical beast's unexpectedly quick revival, but Nozomu calmly retorted. Thanks
to Mimuru and the others, he was able to take a breather, and Nozomu had
regained his composure.
"Yeah. That's
true, but..."
"Understood. I'll
leave that to you..."
Tom nodded in
affirmation. From his previous conversation with Tom and Shina, Nozomu
understood that the trump card was Spirit Magic, and he decided to buy time for
its activation.
Once a Spirit Magic
contract was made, it would exhibit tremendous defensive capabilities depending
on the spirits and the caster's mental strength. The issue was the
compatibility with spirits, but judging from Shina's demeanor just now, even
without a formal contract, such a large number of spirits gathered voluntarily,
so compatibility shouldn't be a problem. Besides, Tom seemed to have another
idea.
This was much more
reliable than Nozomu releasing his Ability Suppression and relying on Tiamat's
still unstable and dangerous power.
"Shina, come
here."
"Eh, eh?"
Tom pulled Shina's
hand, who was still in a daze, and moved back. Nozomu and Mimuru moved forward
to take their place.
"Mimuru. Your
attacks didn't affect that guy, so provoke it and divert its attention. And
whatever you do, don't try anything reckless."
"It's fine! I've
got a plan this time!"
Nozomu knew that
Mimuru's attacks had no effect on the magical beast in yesterday's battle, so
he instructed her to use her speed and athleticism to divert the opponent's
attention. She smiled as if to say, "No problem at all!" and then
took out a burlap sack from her pocket.
"That is…"
"Ei!"
As Nozomu gazed
suspiciously at the bag she took out, she then plunged her hand into the bag
and smeared the red powder she took out onto the blade of her knife. A magic
circle, which wasn't there yesterday, was now drawn on her knife.
After smearing the red
powder on the knife blade, she continued to channel magic power into the knife.
Then, the magic circle carved into the knife glowed, its blade turned red, and
it began to make a sizzling sound.
"...I see."
Nozomu let out a sound
of understanding. In fact, what she had smeared on the blade was a fire-element
catalyst, the same one Tom had used yesterday when casting a spell against the
black beast, incidentally blowing Nozomu away.
Nozomu remembered that
it was a very strong catalyst, and indeed, the catalyst reacted to the Ki she
channeled, and it was clear that the blade was quite hot.
"Well, I alone
can't do anything to that guy, but this can burn through its hide! And there's
one more thing!"
When Mimuru said that,
her body began to transform. Brown fur grew on her slender limbs, and her claws
extended. Her facial features became sharper, changing into the keen eyes of a
cat targeting its prey.
"I see, Beast
Transformation…"
Beast Transformation
A common unique
ability among Beastmen, such as the Wildcat tribe.
It awakens the beast's
blood sleeping within them, transforming their physical bodies.
The changes in
abilities due to physical transformation vary among Beastmen, and generally
differ depending on the race, but for the Wildcat tribe, their agility and
instantaneous power are enhanced.
Indeed, since it was
difficult to contend with that magical beast through sheer force, it was
necessary to find countermeasures through other means. In some races, Beast
Transformation can diminish reason and cognitive abilities, but Wildcat tribe's
Beast Transformation doesn't have such a lack of cognitive ability, so her
choice can be considered correct.
"Grraaaaa!!"
The magical beast
charged towards Nozomu and Mimuru. Nozomu and Mimuru also charged head-on,
intercepting the magical beast. In the center of the clearing, the two
individuals and the one beast crossed paths.
"Take
that!!"
Mimuru, superior in
instantaneous power, engaged the magical beast before Nozomu.
Dodging the two
approaching tails with her Beast Transformation and Ki-enhanced physical
abilities, she thrust her glowing red knife into it and swung it with full
force. The intensely hot knife seared through its black, murky hide.
"Gugyauuu!!"
Perhaps thinking that
Mimuru's attacks wouldn't work based on yesterday's experience, the magical
beast roared in unexpected pain, and its movements momentarily dulled.
In that opening,
Nozomu charged from the opposite side. He channeled extremely compressed Ki
into his sheathed katana and drew it with a sharp roar.
The unleashed Ki
Technique: "Phantom Void" deeply cut through the magical beast's
hide. Nozomu then, with a returning strike, unleashed the Ki Technique:
"Dust Severance" along the same trajectory as the previous Phantom
Void.
"Gugiyaaaa!!!"
The magical beast's
agonizing roar, its hide torn and its insides gouged out, echoed through the
forest.
The black beast, its
numerous red eyes blazing with hatred, lunged at the two who had wounded it.
"!"
"Whoa!!"
Nozomu dodged the
magical beast's attacking jaw by crouching and avoided its slamming claw with
Flash Step. Mimuru was attacked by two tails, but she dodged the first by
jumping into the air, and then, twisting in mid-air, dodged the other pursuing
tail with cat-like agility.
The magical beast,
perhaps enraged by being wounded and its attacks not landing, was completely
focused on Nozomu and Mimuru, completely ignoring Shina and Tom.
Nozomu and Mimuru
chuckled at this and charged into the magical beast to buy more time.
***
"Shina, stand
here and call out to the spirits."
"H-hey…"
When Nozomu and Mimuru
began fighting the magical beast in the center of the clearing, Shina and Tom
had moved to the edge of the clearing.
"Anyway, just
focus on talking to the spirits. I'll support you."
"B-but…"
Saying that, Tom began
to draw something on the ground. Shina kept uttering confused sounds as he
explained things to her in a one-sided, rapid-fire manner. It seemed there was
still something bothering her.
"It's alright! I
won't let that thing touch you even a single finger!"
"No! That's not
it!"
Tom, thinking she was
worried about the magical beast, called out to Shina to reassure her, but that
was not what she was worried about, and she raised her voice.
"Why?! Why did
you come?! I hurt everyone so much! If I hadn't been so reckless, everyone
would have been safe! You always act tough and complain about people, but when
it comes down to it, why do you try to help me when you can't do
anything!?"
"Shina…"
Shina poured out her
true feelings. The scream of a girl bound by her past echoed.
"Ahhh! Gosh!! Are
you an idiot!?"
"...Eh?"
Mimuru's voice cut
through that chain.
"Always
complaining about every little thing, endlessly. I don't even know why
myself!"
As if answering Shina,
who had spilled her true feelings, Mimuru also expressed her own feelings.
The magical beast's
greatsword-like tail and claws attacked her relentlessly. If she let her guard
down for a moment, she could die instantly, yet she wouldn't stop speaking her
mind.
"I just hate it!
It's frustrating!! I can't accept it!! Because it can't be helped, can it!! I
can't help but care!! When I care about someone... I can't possibly think of
reasons why I care about someone I like!!"
"Mimuru…"
She didn't need a
reason to like someone, and it was foolish to think of reasons to care about
someone you liked. It was her usual straightforward way of expressing her
affection.
At Mimuru's words,
more tears welled up in Shina's eyes.
"Me too. It's
frustrating, I can't accept it."
Echoing Mimuru's
words, Tom also spoke his true feelings.
"Besides... I
want to know. Both Mimuru and I want to know about you, Shina."
"About...
me?"
Shina repeated Tom's
words in a daze, and Tom also nodded as if affirming her words.
"Yeah. I want to
know more. Because we're friends and comrades."
"Mimuru,
Tom…"
"Th-that's why!
When we get back, you're going to tell us everything about it! That's your
punishment, Shina! We're not letting you escape!!"
She was frantically
dodging the magical beast's attacks, but a smile floated on Mimuru's face. It
was a smile utterly out of place on a battlefield like this, yet that smile
warmly permeated Shina's heart.
The warmth that
permeated gently warmed her heart, melting the ice that covered it. Just as the
spring sunlight melted the snow accumulated during winter.
The melted ice water
became new nourishment, giving her a new reason to fight. The desire to respond
to the feelings of her current comrades.
"…Tom.
Please."
"Yeah. Leave it
to me."
Her face, when she
looked up again, still bore traces of tears, but she was looking straight
ahead.
***
I unleashed my magic
power. I activated the contract magic again. My released magic power once again
spread throughout the clearing, and I began to convey my feelings to the spirits.
(Everyone…)
The spirits gathered
around me. I spoke to each and every particle of light drifting around me.
The gathered spirits
seemed happy to see me, but they were still hesitant to fight, seemingly afraid
of that magical beast.
(…You're scared,
aren't you? I am too.)
Without blaming the
spirits, I spoke gently to them. My face, I think, was not my usual stern
expression, but smiling more kindly than usual.
I knew it now. That
the spirits and I were both afraid.
I was truly happy. The
arguments with Mimuru, and the three of us spending time together after that.
But I couldn't bring
myself to say that I was happy. Because if I thought I was happy, I felt like
my helplessness and frustration from that time would fade. My resolve. The
thought of forgetting to reclaim my homeland and avenge everyone.
(But I don't want to
leave things like this. I don't want to repeat it. My friends, everyone who
liked me and protected me, I want to protect them now…)
I didn't want to go
through that again. I didn't want to experience that frustrating, body-tearing
feeling again.
And more than
anything, I wanted to respond to the people who liked me. I wanted to protect
the people who protected me.
There were precious
people around me. They were fighting for me.
Mimuru, Tom, and the
spirits of this forest.
Also, someone who
helped me.
Nozomu Bountis.
The person I detested.
My current impression of him is… a kind-hearted person, perhaps?
At the very least, he
was certainly too kind compared to others. I don't think there's anyone who
would put their life on the line like that to help someone who had insulted him
so thoroughly. At least, I don't think I could.
People who had worked
so hard for me. At the very least, I couldn't show such an unsightly appearance
in front of them anymore.
For that reason, too…
(So please… lend me
all your strength. And just a little is fine. You don't have to suddenly become
strong. Right here, right now, let's all become just a little stronger
together?)
Abandoning my former
self, who tried to become strong alone, I would become just a little stronger
with everyone, stronger than my current self.
The next moment, the
spirits rose around me like a tornado.
***
"Alright!
Success!!"
Tom, watching the
rising light, was certain that his strategy had succeeded.
At Shina's feet, where
she was communicating with the spirits within the light, was the magic circle
Tom had drawn.
In his hand was the
map of the surrounding area that Nozomu had given Shina and the others when
they escaped yesterday.
The move he had made
was to draw a magic circle around her to support Shina's contract magic.
Spirit Magic first
required making a contract with spirits through contract magic, and its power
depended on the spirits present.
Therefore, he had used
the map given by Nozomu to transcribe the surrounding area onto the ground
around her, and used that to assist Shina's contract magic.
That map, representing
the forest and rocks with stones and tree branches, and the river with water
from a water bottle, was literally a kind of "altar" used for ritual
magic.
By means of the altar,
an incredible number of spirits, far more than Shina could gather with her
magic power alone, gathered around her. The spirits enveloping her had now
become a torrent of light, rising around her.
Tom was not good at
combat. So he did his best with what he could do otherwise.
He gave Mimuru the
catalyst he had in powdered form and drew an enchantment magic circle on her
knife. To help Shina's contract magic, he mobilized all the knowledge he had
and the map Nozomu had made.
"This is all I
can do… Everyone, the rest is up to you."
***
"Kuh!"
Mimuru and Nozomu
continued to dodge the magical beast's relentless attacks. The magical beast's
attacks continued to intensify, perhaps because it was enraged, and the two
were driven into a defensive battle.
Perhaps because she
had blurted out such a strong declaration earlier, Mimuru's mind was distracted
by Shina's situation. And in that opening, the magical beast leaped and tried
to bite Mimuru.
"O-oh no!"
The next moment,
Mimuru broke out in a cold sweat as the magical beast closed in, but Nozomu
charged from the magical beast's side, supporting Mimuru.
"Hmph!"
Nozomu used the Ki
technique: "Phantom Void - Clad", imbuing his katana with an
extremely compressed Ki blade and sweeping it horizontally, but the magical
beast leaped backward, avoiding Nozomu's slash.
"Y-you saved me…
Thanks! Nozomu-kun!!"
"You're too
careless! If I was a little slower, you would have been a goner!!"
"Sorry, sorry.
It's fine since I'm okay! Besides, I'm on a roll today!! I feel like I could
even beat Jihad-sensei right now!!"
"I think that
might be a bit of an overstatement…"
Mimuru replied
cheerfully to Nozomu's criticism.
Considering what
happened yesterday, her movements should have been stiff from tension, but now,
there was no sign of that. Instead, she was surprisingly calm. For Nozomu, who
knew how difficult it was to do that in a battlefield environment where one
wrong step could mean death, Mimuru was both incredibly reliable and
astonishing.
(Indeed, her movements
are completely different from yesterday. Is this her true self…?)
He quickly glanced at
Shina and Tom. Tom was doing something on the ground, and Shina was releasing
her magic power and making a contract with the spirits.
Around her, the
spirits who had been worried about her gathered, drifting and frolicking
happily around her as if cheering her on.
The next moment, a
tremendous torrent of light rose. Shina had contracted with the spirits.
Particles of light
swirled like a tornado. The spirits moved wildly, but there was no intimidating
or oppressive feeling like from the black magical beast. The particles of light
were playing with Shina and the spirits like innocent children.
Amidst the dancing
light, Shina, gently embracing the light with both hands, was a fantastical
sight, also due to her own appearance.
(Helping and
supporting each other… huh.)
Nozomu was betrayed by
the best friend he thought he could trust with his back, and he had lost the
person he wanted to support. For him, who was unable to step forward due to his
own anxiety and fear, the sight of Shina and the others now, facing each other,
stepping forward, clashing, and gradually becoming stronger, shone brighter
than anything else.
***
Entrusting herself to
the voices of the spirits, Shina confronted the black magical beast before her.
Perhaps due to
remembering the event ten years ago, her hands naturally tightened, clutching
the bow she held, but as the particles of light caressed her cheek as if to
say, "It's okay," she relaxed her cheeks.
"Thank you.
Please, I'm counting on you."
Shina thanked the
spirits who had encouraged her, then returned her gaze to the magical beast.
The dark feelings that
had accumulated in her heart for ten years, the stagnant feelings like the
magical beast before her, now felt incredibly clear and bright.
"Gyaaaaaah!!!!"
The magical beast,
noticing Shina, charged. She asked the spirits around her, and the spirits
gathered between her and the magical beast, forming a barrier of light.
At first glance, from
the magical beast's gigantic body, it seemed like a thin wall that could easily
be broken through, but the charging magical beast was easily repelled by the
light barrier, which in turn sent the magical beast flying backward.
"Gah!
Grrrrr…"
The magical beast,
having been thrown back, quickly regained its posture and glared at the light
barrier.
Shina's slender finger
glided through the air, pointing at the glaring magical beast. Then, the light
barrier instantly transformed into countless spears, which surged towards the
magical beast.
"Guooon!!"
Against the onrushing
light spears, the magical beast opened its gigantic mouth and unleashed a
pitch-black orb with a roar.
The black roar and the
light spears clashed, scattering a roar, dust and smoke, and particles of magic
power light around them.
Since the light
barrier protecting Shina had disappeared, the magical beast charged towards her
again.
But it was blocked by
something that suddenly burst out from underground.
"Gagyaaaaa!!"
What burst out were
countless tree roots. The protruding tree roots directly received the magical
beast's charge and began to constrict its body with tremendous force. A groan
of agony escaped the magical beast's gigantic mouth, but the opponent was also
quite formidable.
The black magical
beast bit into the tree roots wrapped around its body, tearing them apart with
its jaws. The tree roots binding its body also snapped one after another as the
magical beast struggled to escape the restraint.
Despite borrowing the
strength of the spirits from this entire area, the magical beast gradually
broke free from its restraints.
But Shina didn't
panic.
She once again sent
her fingers through the air, and tree roots burst out from underground again,
coiling around the magical beast's gigantic jaws, which it had opened to break
free from its restraint.
"Gabyiaaaa!!!"
The tree roots,
wrapped around each of its left and right jaws, pulled, preventing the magical
beast from moving its face further and forcing its gigantic jaws open.
The magical beast
resisted desperately, but the tree roots tightly lodged in the gaps between its
fangs had almost completely restrained its jaw.
Shina readied her bow
and nocked an arrow. She drew the string taut, aimed at the magical beast's
mouth, and chanted a spell.
Magic power filled her
arrow, and it began to emit light. It was the "Divine Punishment of the
Star Sea" she had fired at the magical beast yesterday.
But this "Divine
Punishment of the Star Sea" was clearly different from the previous one.
As Shina imbued magic
power, the spirits also gathered around her arrow.
Not just the arrow.
Spirits also gathered around the bow she held, emitting an aurora so intense it
was like another sun had appeared at midday.
"Gi,
gaaaaaa!!!"
Perhaps terrified by
that aurora, the magical beast constrained by the tree roots thrashed even more
violently, becoming desperate.
The black magical beast
was feeling fear for the first time. That fear, trying to reject its clearly
approaching death, temporarily drew forth power beyond even the magical beast's
limits.
Its already enlarged
body began to grow even larger, and the tree roots that had been restraining it
snapped one after another. Furthermore, the magical beast's tails thrashed
around, tearing through the brittle tree roots one after another.
Shina's magic was not
yet complete. Too many spirits had gathered, and it was taking time for the
magic to gain sufficient power.
But a half-hearted
attack would be meaningless. Since they didn't know the magical beast's
weakness, they needed power strong enough to obliterate the magical beast
itself. And considering the magical beast's tenacity, half-hearted power would
be meaningless.
While Shina was trying
to complete her magic, the magical beast had almost completely broken free from
its restraints.
Only the tree roots
tangled around the magical beast's jaws remained, and the magical beast's tails
were lifted high to break this last restraint.
If these tails were
swung down, the magical beast would instantly be completely free and would
immediately attack Shina.
Spirits were still
gathering on Shina's arrow, and there was just not enough time for it to be
completed.
Finally, the magical
beast's tails were swung down, and at the very moment it tried to cut through
the last restraint.
"Like I
said!!"
"I won't let
you!!"
Nozomu and Mimuru
charged from both sides of the magical beast. The two charged and passed each
other, crossing behind the magical beast, then flashed their respective
weapons.
Nozomu's Ki technique
"Phantom Void" severed one of the magical beast's tails from its
base, and Mimuru's knife also slashed the other tail.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
With both tails
severed, the magical beast's scream echoed as blood splattered from its wounds.
The intense pain momentarily made the magical beast's mind go blank, but the
next moment, seeing the sight that jumped into its eyes, the magical beast
opened its countless eyes wide.
***
Shina put all her
magic power into it and glanced at the arrow around which the spirits had
gathered.
Her cheeks relaxed at
the fierce yet gentle light, but the next moment, her face returned to its
usual dignified expression.
The magical beast that
had stolen her homeland was before her. Although it was a different individual
from the magical beast that had actually attacked her family, she had thought
she would burn with even more intense hatred. In fact, that's how it had been
just a moment ago.
But now, a calm wind
blew in her heart.
She looked at her
precious comrades once more.
Mimuru, Tom, Nozomu,
and the spirits. While thanking the comrades who had supported her, her heart
was enveloped in warmth and happiness, even if it felt out of place.
She released the
bowstring she had been holding.
The arrow, imbued with
aurora and literally becoming a second sun, flew straight towards the black,
defiled magical beast. It plunged into its wide-open gigantic mouth, then
exploded with a flash, obliterating half of the magical beast's body.
The halved magical
beast's body crumbled, collapsing with squelching sounds.
"…Haaah~~~~"
Shina exhaled deeply,
relaxed her stance, and looked up. In her eyes, she saw her comrades running
towards her and the spirits joyfully frolicking around them.
She, too, ran towards
her comrades.
"Everyone~~!!
Thank you~~~~!!"
With a face full of
smiles.
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