Volume 6
Chapter 11
"Damn you, Nozomu!!"
Ken was desperately
chasing after Lisa, cursing Nozomu under his breath. It wasn't supposed to be
like this. When Nozomu had confronted him, Ken thought that if he just told him
the truth and crushed him while he was in shock, he would never get back up.
But instead, Nozomu went after Lisa again. Behind him was the talented Irisdina
Francilt, who was said to be Lisa's equal in their year. Ken had heard rumors
that she cared about Nozomu...
Come to think of it,
he had a feeling that Lisa's demeanor had been changing little by little
recently. Was it after the special comprehensive exercise that he first really
noticed it? He recalled that Nozomu was also near Lisa at that time.
That meddling
bastard...
A sense of impatience
welled up from the depths of his chest, along with a hatred for Nozomu, and his
face twisted into an ugly grimace.
In any case, he had to
calm Lisa down somehow.
As Ken's legs were driven
by this impatience, his vision blurred for a moment, and the surrounding
scenery seemed to warp.
"What?!"
Ken rubbed his eyes,
but there was no change in the surrounding scenery. Was it his imagination?
Ken, who had stopped
because of the inexplicable sensation, noticed Lisa's retreating back and
hurriedly resumed his pursuit.
"Damn! I have to
hurry...!"
Ken ran after her,
panting and out of breath. A fear similar to what he had felt two years ago
welled up in his chest. The fear that Lisa might disappear.
But on this day, he
was unable to catch up with Lisa. Because she had vanished completely at the
end of the chase.
***
On the roofs of the
houses lining the street, an old man watched the blond youth chasing the
red-haired girl.
"I see. The root
of that kid's problems is those youngsters... But this is bad. We can't have
him getting stimulated when we're not ready yet..."
Zonne's voice
disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Zonne, who had been
stroking his white goatee, suddenly grimaced in regret.
"No, I might be
partly responsible too..."
Zonne recalled the
time he had recently told Nozomu's fortune. At that time, Zonne had interfered
with Nozomu in a certain way. The purpose was to accurately grasp the current
state of Nozomu Bountis. What state was he in, with the power and soul of a
Dragon dwelling within him? To find out, he had tried to examine Nozomu Bountis's
soul, which was his essence.
This was an absurd
idea by any normal standard. The structure of a soul is extremely complex and
delicate, especially one that contains a foreign object like Nozomu's. No one
had ever fully grasped its structure, and interfering carelessly could lead to
unpredictable results. Even for a Royal Command Mage serving a king, all
techniques concerning the soul were extremely difficult.
"But still, I
don't understand. Why was my technique repelled...?"
However, Zonne's face
showed only confusion as to why his technique had not worked. He was certain
that it shouldn't have failed.
"Even so, it's certain
that the boy's soul has begun to change. The question is how it will
change..."
He had felt his change
before, when he had a Machine-shell Dragon attack him in the forest. Thinking
that the two events were related, he had tried to probe his soul under the
pretense of fortune-telling, but for some reason, he couldn't read it. By
strengthening the magic power he used to interfere, he was able to learn a
little about his current state, but in doing so, he ended up stimulating the
Dragon within Nozomu. Fortunately, it didn't go berserk, but Zonne honestly
broke into a cold sweat when his presence changed so suddenly.
"...In any case,
I'd better have that blond boy quiet down a bit..."
Given Nozomu's current
state, it would be a bad idea to have that blond boy get involved. With that
thought, Zonne snapped his fingers in the air. Simultaneously, a magic circle
appeared before his eyes. As the light-made circle scattered in the air, the
area around Ken, who was chasing Lisa, warped. Then, Ken, who should have been
chasing Lisa, started running in a different direction. It seemed that the old
man had cast an illusion around Ken.
After watching Ken
walk away from Lisa, he turned his gaze towards the forest he had gone to
during the day.
"This will do for
now. The rest is up to the kids... Now then, I have to finish my real business.
Good grief, if that kid hadn't found me, I would have been done by now..."
Zonne muttered with a
big sigh. But he immediately changed his expression and looked at the forest
with a stern gaze. His eyes were filled with a tension that was unbecoming of
his usual perverted old man persona.
"As I thought,
that kid is the key..."
The change in Nozomu
that he had just confirmed. All he knew was that he was still in the process of
changing. He still didn't know in what form he would change...
Zonne looked up at the
sky. The moon and stars floating in the sky were still shining as they always
did. Zonne was struck by their unchanging appearance. But no one knew what was
in his heart. His big sigh was swallowed by the wind and disappeared.
"Even so... Uuu, Rigurinaria.
Why did you disappear...?"
But the next moment,
he remembered the lost erotic art and began to shed tears. His appearance was
as if he had been dumped by a girl. His energy and mental strength were
completely drained.
Drooping his
shoulders, the old man started walking sluggishly towards the forest,
completely ruining the tension from earlier. The birds that were sleeping in
the gaps of the roof tilted their heads at the strange old man's retreating
back.
***
Nozomu and Camilla ran
through the night city, chasing Lisa. Their hearts were pounding like a drum
and they felt like they were suffocating.
Still, Nozomu and the
others desperately moved their legs. In Nozomu's mind, he saw a flash of Lisa
from when she had cried out and ran away.
She had rejected him
when he called out to her. But to Nozomu, her appearance just now somehow
overlapped with his own before he met his Master. He was just turning his back
on the facts in front of him. It was just like back then, when he didn't even
try to realize that he was turning away.
When he clearly
realized that fact, Nozomu remembered that he didn't know anything about the
current Lisa.
Still moving his legs,
Nozomu called out to Camilla, who was running next to him.
"Huff, huff...
Camilla, tell me. What has Lisa been like these past two years?!"
"Ugh! Now? After
you betrayed Lisa, why are you asking now...!"
"I didn't cheated
on her!!"
Nozomu's shout echoed,
overlapping with Camilla's voice. Perhaps because he was excited from moving
his body so much, the words he had been holding back for a long time came out
of his mouth naturally.
But those words, in
turn, infuriated Camilla. She had been a constant witness to Lisa's pain from
Nozomu's betrayal. To her, Nozomu's words now were completely unacceptable.
"Don't be
ridiculous! Then why was Lisa so hurt?! She couldn't even eat properly and was
always looking down in her room! And she's still hurting from it even
now!"
Camilla's eyes burned
with anger and she raised her voice more forcefully than before, as if to
overwrite Nozomu's words. But Nozomu didn't flinch at her anger and continued
to speak.
"...I can't say that
I'm not responsible. It's true that I kept turning away. It's also true that I
kept hurting Lisa. But when I was with Lisa, I never once thought about being
with any other woman!"
Something snapped in
Camilla's head at Nozomu's unyielding argument. She grabbed him and pushed him
down onto the cobblestones with all her strength.
"Ugh!"
Nozomu grimaced at the
impact and pain in his back, but the furious Camilla didn't care about him.
Camilla raised her hand and was about to swing it at Nozomu, but...
"Camilla,
stop."
Irisdina, who was
behind her, firmly grabbed Camilla's raised hand. For a moment, silence flowed
between the three of them.
After a pause, as if
to calm Camilla down, Irisdina slowly opened her mouth.
"Camilla, he
didn't do what you think he did. At least, that's what I believe."
"What?! That kind
of reason..."
Camilla's anger was
now directed at Irisdina, who was defending Nozomu. Camilla tried to dismiss
Irisdina's words, but Irisdina cut to the core of the problem without waiting for
her to finish.
"Then tell me,
what is your reason for concluding that Nozomu cheated?"
"Because Lisa saw
it! The person she loved was betraying her right in front of her eyes! And the
look of utter devastation on her face afterward! Do you understand how she
felt?!"
"Then was it
really Nozomu that Lisa saw? What about the possibility of a technique to
disguise someone's face? It could also have been a different person with a
similar face."
"That's...!"
Camilla raised her
voice, carried away by her anger, but Irisdina's eyes remained perfectly cold
even as she looked at her.
"What are you
trying to say?!"
Irisdina's calm
demeanor put a damper on Camilla's furious heart.
"What I'm saying
is, did you ever consider that Lisa was set up? And Nozomu here was set up,
too. And if that's the case, who would have the most to gain?"
"No way!
That's...!"
Camilla was about to
say it was impossible, but for some reason, the words got stuck in her throat.
Come to think of it, hadn't "he" been acting strange lately? He
seemed the same as always, but his smile felt a little off. His behavior, which
had often defended Nozomu, suddenly turned into a rejection.
Camilla had a feeling
that Ken's attitude was that of someone who had lost all self-control.
Feo, who was behind
the three of them, also opened his mouth, following Irisdina's lead.
"That's right, I
agree with Irisdina. I thought it was normal for the past two years, but when I
think about it now, it's too unnatural how quickly Nozomu was put down after
that rumor spread. Besides, Nozomu isn't the type of person who can do
something so cunning. If he was capable of cheating in the first place, he
wouldn't be agonizing like this, would he?"
Feo shrugged his
shoulders as he said something a bit harsh.
Indeed, if Nozomu were
cunning and loose with women, he wouldn't be so fixated on Lisa. There would
have been no reason for him to stay in this academy, and he would have left
Arcazam long ago.
"...Then, even if
that's true! Why didn't he say anything all this time? If he really cared about
Lisa! If he was innocent, shouldn't he have said so himself?!"
"The same goes
for you. If Nozomu was your friend, shouldn't you have at least believed in him
a little?"
Camilla's eyes wavered
at Irisdina's words. She was clearly flustered. But even so, Camilla's
expression remained hard. She was flustered, but she still couldn't completely
believe Irisdina's words.
Perhaps it was
understandable.
It was
Nozomu's fault that my best friend was hurt.
For the past two
years, that had been the obvious truth to her.
Camilla and Irisdina
fell silent. Their gazes clashed in the air as if they were having a debate.
But at that moment,
Nozomu, who was being pinned down by Camilla, got up. Surprised by his sudden
movement, Camilla jumped away.
Nozomu stood up and
faced Camilla again. She was still glaring at him, but he met her gaze head-on.
"I'll tell you
about it properly while we run, but for now, let's just chase Lisa. At least
for now."
Nozomu started running
again to chase Lisa. Irisdina and Feo also followed him, and Camilla, with
narrowed eyes, started running again as well.
"Alright, tell me
then."
"Like I said
before, I didn't cheat. Ken was the one who impersonated me and spread that
rumor."
"Evidence...?"
"I don't have
any. But a while ago, I heard it directly from him. At that time, I also
learned that Ken has an ability called 'Water Mirror Heart Mask' that allows
him to change his appearance."
"............"
"Ken said,
'There's no need for a dead weight like you next to Lisa. I'll show everyone
who's worthy of being by Lisa's side'..."
Camilla listened to
Nozomu's confession in silence. The four of them continued to run without a
word. As only the sound of their footsteps echoed through the street, Nozomu
spoke again.
"Camilla..."
"What is
it...?"
"I'm asking you
again. Tell me about Lisa's past two years..."
Nozomu asked Camilla
about Lisa again. Camilla's gaze was still stern, and her expression was hard.
Was she unable to believe Nozomu's story, or was she desperately trying to hide
her fluster?
"............"
There was no answer,
and Camilla continued to move forward in silence. But Nozomu didn't give up and
continued to speak. He had no idea what Lisa had been feeling for the past two
years that he had been turning away. But he felt like he would regret it for
the rest of his life if he didn't find out now.
"If you want to
resent me, you can resent me all you want. You can call me whatever you want.
But if I don't know about Lisa right now, I can't do anything!"
Nozomu's
straightforward voice and gaze pierced Camilla's chest. She bit her lip and
looked down, then slowly opened her mouth.
"...Lisa hasn't
been able to move forward since that day."
Prompted by Nozomu's
eyes, Camilla slowly began to talk about the past two years.
***
After hearing about
the past two years from Camilla, Nozomu ran through the night city with all his
might. The regret that welled up from the depths of his chest began to fester
and eat away at his heart.
"Damn it..."
He felt his face turn
bright red with anger.
For the past two
years, Lisa had been in a state of a certain kind of relationship phobia,
constantly worrying about it. She tried to overcome it and muster up her
courage, but her body couldn't help but reject Ken. When he heard that Camilla
had been consulted by Lisa countless times, and that she had cried every time, Nozomu
felt an unbearable anger towards himself.
What had he been doing
all this time?
"Nozomu..."
Irisdina let out a
worried voice from behind him, but her voice didn't reach Nozomu's ears.
Nozomu continued to
run blindly, filled with anger at himself. Eventually, he saw her red hair in
the darkness ahead.
"Found her!"
The moment he
recognized Lisa's figure, Nozomu's feet pushed his body forward at a speed
faster than his limit, as if to move forward even a fraction of a second
faster. He tilted his head at the absence of Ken, who should have been chasing
her earlier, but she was his priority right now.
Nozomu reached out his
hand into the darkness ahead. The next moment, Nozomu's right hand grabbed
Lisa's wrist.
Lisa turned around,
startled.
"Lisa!"
"No! Let
go!!"
Lisa began to struggle
at the sudden voice and the sensation of her hand being grabbed. But Nozomu's
hand firmly held her wrist and he wouldn't let her go.
Her small, cold palm
was trembling.
The usual Lisa would
have been able to easily shake off Nozomu's hand. She should have also noticed
him running up to her before he even grabbed her wrist.
Yet, he was able to
catch her so easily. That fact showed just how flustered she was right now.
"Lisa, listen to
me. I..."
"No! I don't want
to hear it!"
Nozomu's appearance,
his voice, his gaze—all of it was attacking Lisa, trying to deny her past two
years. Nozomu tried to continue his words, as if to tear away everything that
she had come to believe and desperately tried to cover up.
"Why are you
here?! Why did you stay in this town?! I don't want to see your face! Please,
just disappear! Don't torment me anymore!!"
"Ugh!"
At that moment, a
shock ran through Nozomu's cheek. Lisa's swung hand had hit his cheek.
The heat on his cheek
shot through his head, and at the same time, the events of the past two years
flashed through Nozomu's mind. The looks of contempt. The harsh words and
ridicule hurled at him.
The negative memories
and emotions came back to life. Was it because they had taken the form of a
clear rejection?
Who was the
one who tormented who?! Who was the one who didn't believe me?! You tormented
me all this time too, didn't you?!
For a moment, Nozomu
felt like he wanted to lash out with those feelings. He wanted to vent all the
negative emotions that had been building up inside him for so long, just like
when he had slaughtered the Triclops back then.
Why do you
hesitate?! You have the right. The right to torment that foolish girl to your
heart's content! Now is the time to make her pay for her betrayal!
Tiamat's voice echoed
in his head. Indeed, even now, when he remembered the betrayal, he was overcome
with an unbearable fury. Nozomu could clearly feel the dark impulse to ruin
Lisa and the others swirling in the depths of his chest.
She's not like
the girl behind you or the fox girl. What's the harm in breaking her? Isn't
this girl in front of you an unnecessary presence to you now?
Tiamat's voice was
sweet and whispering in his ear. That voice was like a beautiful poison,
gradually seeping into Nozomu's heart as if to seduce him.
Just break
her. Then you can escape from this girl's curse. Now...
Tiamat whispered to
him to thoroughly break Lisa. Every time the Dragon whispered, Nozomu's vision
gradually became darker.
But...
"Lisa..."
"No, no..."
Lisa's voice was just
weak. Her appearance was like a paper craft, as if she would fall apart if he
touched her even a little.
Nozomu's chest ached
at her appearance. The thing that was tormenting her was something he had
experienced before. It was when Ken had confessed the truth to him, that he was
the one who had set him up.
At that time, Nozomu
was so flustered and tormented by anger that he had indiscriminately used his
power on the magic beasts and slaughtered them. He couldn't have endured it
otherwise.
When a person is
confronted with a fact they have been running from, a fact they have been
turning away from, they try to use various defense mechanisms to protect
themselves.
Right now, Lisa was
desperately trying to hold herself together by running away. No, maybe she had
been doing so for the past two years. Just like Nozomu.
"............"
What's wrong?
Why don't you do it?
Tiamat began to get
suspicious of Nozomu, who had stopped reacting to her voice.
It's enough...
...What?
I said it's
enough. It's time to end this.
The moment she heard
those words, the corners of Tiamat's mouth curled up into a grin. Her
expression was one of anticipation for what was about to happen. It was as if
she was eagerly waiting for that moment.
And then Nozomu slowly
opened his mouth. What came out of his mouth was...
"Lisa, I'm
sorry..."
It was a calm voice
that rang like a bell.
"Ah..."
What?!
Tiamat's face twisted
in astonishment.
Nozomu slowly and
gently squeezed her hand back, and placed his other hand on top of hers. Her
hands were as cold as ice, as if to represent her current self.
Nozomu's two hands
gently wrapped around Lisa's cold hands. As if handling a fragile treasure,
Nozomu slowly began to apologize.
"I'm sorry for
running away. I'm sorry for not noticing..."
Both he and Lisa were
running away. So the first thing Nozomu did was confess his own sin and
apologize to her himself.
"I kept running
away. If I had really thought about you, I should have kept talking to you back
then, no matter how much you cursed me or hit me."
He hadn't tried to
clear up the misunderstanding. He had turned away and left her alone. He had
used her dream as an excuse to run away.
"I told myself it
was for your sake, but I ran away to my training and didn't try to face you. I
thought that if I continued to train diligently, you would eventually believe
that the rumors were false. It's a stupid story, isn't it? There's no way you
would look at me when I was running away and not facing you..."
Nozomu continued to
speak candidly about the sins he had committed against her, piling on
apologies.
You! What are
you doing?
Tiamat's angry voice
echoed in Nozomu's head like thunder. An immense pressure was pressed down on
Nozomu, a fury that would have made someone with a weak heart collapse.
But Nozomu also talked
back without being defeated.
I never said I
was going to break Lisa! I didn't decide to come to this academy for that
purpose!
Do you
seriously think you can go back to how things were now?! It's useless! It's
foolish! Your relationship is already broken! Why are you so fixated on it?!
Nozomu couldn't deny
Tiamat's words that their relationship was already broken. Indeed, their
childhood friend relationship was clearly a failure no matter who looked at it.
...That's right.
Our relationship is broken. You're right.
Then you
should sever it! You should break it completely! You should just abandon it!
Tiamat told him to
abandon it. But Nozomu shook his head at her words.
Abandon it? I
can't. Because that would be no different from the past two years. In the end,
that's just another form of escapism. What's the difference from when Lisa and
the others lashed out their anger at me?!
If he lashed out his
anger, cursed them, and crushed them, he would certainly gain temporary
satisfaction. But what would be at the end of that? Would he be satisfied with
that and be able to laugh with Iris and the others? Would he be able to proudly
face his Master?
The answer was no.
Even Shino, who was betrayed by her sister and abandoned by her family and ran
away, looked so happy when she talked about her family. There must have been
anger, and she must have hated them. But she surely had feelings of love for
them left in her heart. After a long time and a long struggle, she was able to
smile and talk about her family. Even if there was a slight sadness in that
smile.
So I'm going
to overcome it. We're not going back to how we were. Like you said, we can't go
back to the past.
A human, who is not a
god, cannot go back to the past. Even Tiamat probably can't.
But they might be able
to overcome the wound. No, they have to overcome it. Otherwise, they won't be
able to truly heal this wound.
But we might
be able to walk forward on our own separate paths. That would be a lot better
than now, at least!
Instead of being swept
away by anger, or abandoning it, he would accept everything, including the
negative emotions, and overcome it. No matter how much time it took, he would
do it for himself and for the people who supported him. That was the conclusion
Nozomu had reached.
You!
"Ugh!"
Tiamat let out a sharp
shriek and began to put pressure on Nozomu. An enormous amount of power
squeezed his mind and tried to crush his soul.
A pain like being
squeezed in a vise ran through his head, but Nozomu gritted his teeth and
endured it.
"Ugh!!"
While clenching his
teeth so hard that they felt like they would shatter, Nozomu gently held Lisa's
hand back. Nozomu's hand was trembling so much that even he was surprised.
Even though his hand
was shaking, the warmth from his hand was transmitted to her cold hands. That
heat gradually began to melt the ice arrow that was piercing Lisa's chest.
Lisa's expression
softened for a moment as her heart warmed up. It was as if she had found a lost
treasure.
But the feeling that
the ground beneath her feet was about to collapse wouldn't leave Lisa's head.
The words of rejection had stopped, but her body was still trembling
uncontrollably.
"Lisa..."
Lisa continued to
reject Nozomu. She looked down and wouldn't meet his eyes.
"I see... I
understand."
But Nozomu didn't get
angry with Lisa. He couldn't.
The sight of her
running away was his past self. So he just accepted her as she was, holding her
hand while she continued to run away.
Lisa was weakly trying
to escape from Nozomu. As he burned that image into his eyes, Nozomu gently led
her by the hand. Nozomu then carefully handed Lisa's body over to Camilla, as
if handling a cracked glass craft.
"Huh?"
Camilla let out a
blank voice, but even in her confusion, she firmly supported Lisa's body.
"Camilla, take
Lisa to the girls' dormitory. I'm sorry, but please support her on the
way."
"............"
Camilla and Lisa
stared at Nozomu with wide eyes. When Nozomu glanced at them, Lisa's shoulders
were still trembling slightly.
"It's okay, I
won't get any closer than this."
Nozomu forced a smile
while breaking into a cold sweat from the pain in his head. But it was obvious
to anyone that he was forcing himself.
"Let's go."
Nozomu urged them to
go home and started walking, his gaze fixed on the direction of the girls'
dormitory.
Eventually, Camilla
and Lisa, supported by her, followed him, as did Irisdina and Feo.
Nozomu walked slowly
to match Lisa's pace. He kept a distance of three body lengths from Lisa and
also kept Camilla between them so that his figure wouldn't enter Lisa's sight
as much as possible.
Eventually, they
arrived at the main gate of the girls' dormitory. Nozomu called out to Lisa and
the others as they were about to enter the dormitory gate.
"Lisa, just
listen to me as you are. On that day, I was training in the outer rim the whole
time."
Lisa still didn't turn
to face Nozomu. But she also didn't move forward and stood still.
Nozomu also continued
to speak, his gaze fixed on Lisa's small back.
"You said I
betrayed you, but I didn't do that. I'm just telling you that much."
A moment of silence
flowed. In the end, Lisa disappeared into the dormitory without saying a word.
At that moment,
Nozomu's body swayed.
"Nozomu!"
"Huff, huff,
huff..."
Irisdina caught
Nozomu's body as he swayed and almost collapsed. Nozomu's face was pale and he
had a pained expression, breathing roughly.
Irisdina immediately
hugged his face to her chest and placed her hand on his cheek.
"Nozomu..."
"Huff,
huff..."
Irisdina gently
stroked his cheek. Nozomu's face was as cold as a dead person's. Irisdina's
face twisted in pain at the sight of Nozomu breathing roughly in pain.
When Nozomu's
breathing finally calmed down, his face slowly began to regain its color.
"Thank you, Iris.
You saved me again..."
"N-no, um... Are
you okay now?"
Irisdina's face
finally showed relief when she heard Nozomu's voice. But that relief was
short-lived, and her eyes quickly clouded over with worry again.
Nozomu smiled and
said, "I'm really okay," and slowly stood up. But Irisdina's worried
expression still hadn't changed.
At that moment, Feo,
who was behind Nozomu, called out to him.
"Nozomu, was that
all right? Not telling her everything?"
"Yeah, it's
different from with Iris and the others. Even if I told her everything now,
Lisa wouldn't accept it. If I tried to force her to open up, Lisa might
break..."
They were able to come
to an understanding with Iris and the others because they also wanted to
understand each other. The trigger was the conflict between Nozomu and Mars,
but they were able to understand each other again because their inner feelings
were the same.
But Lisa would pull
away even if Nozomu tried to approach her. And he still couldn't see any sign
of her willingness to face him.
"So this is
enough for now. Just for now..."
Nozomu once again
looked at the door that Lisa had disappeared through, then turned around and
walked away. He felt a slight sense of satisfaction from being able to convey
his feelings, and he set his mind on what was to come.
"............"
Irisdina stared at
Nozomu's back.
"Nozomu..."
Her hands, which had
been murmuring his name, were now clenched tightly in front of her chest.
***
The time was well past
midnight, and everyone in the city was asleep. In a corner of the Gloaurum
Institute, which was adjacent to the Solminati Academy, a certain experiment
was about to begin.
A huge and complex
magic circle was drawn on the floor of the room, and six magic stones were
placed on the training ground. Researchers in white coats were bustling around
the laboratory.
Away from the
researchers in white coats, there was a group of people who were also unsuited
for this place. Their races were diverse, including humans and beastmen, but
they were all dressed in high-quality clothing. They were influential people of
this city who mainly lived in the northern district of Arcazam, and they also
served as envoys dispatched from various countries. The fact that there were
various races and that some of them had come all the way from their home
countries, not originally living in this city, spoke volumes about how
important this experiment was.
Their gazes were fixed
on the researchers busily working in front of them and the huge magic circle
drawn on the floor. It seemed that most of them had never seen such a large-scale
spell before. Some of them were looking at it with a curious, unreserved gaze.
But most of them had an inexpressible tension in their eyes.
In front of them stood
a giant man, observing the movements of the researchers and the city's
influential people with a sharp gaze. A warrior wearing shiny silver armor and
carrying a giant sword that was taller than him. Perhaps inspired by the
tension emanating from him, some of the influential people who had been looking
at the researchers with an unreserved gaze earlier awkwardly hid behind the
others.
A young man in a white
coat, Torgrein, who was directing this experiment, spoke to him.
"Jihad-dono, the
preparations are complete. We can begin the experiment at any time."
"Understood.
Everyone, we will now begin the experiment. As I have already explained, the
purpose of this experiment is to interfere with the remains of the Abyss Grief
that appeared in the forest on the outskirts of this town."
At that moment, a huge
iron box was carried into the laboratory. The gaze of every person in the room
gathered on the huge box. Countless steel chains were wrapped around it, and a
magic circle for sealing was drawn on one side of the box. The drawn circle was
still emitting a faint magical light, indicating that the seal was still
intact.
The purpose of this
experiment was, as Jihad had just said, to find out the true nature of the
Abyss Grief that Nozomu and the others had defeated.
"Everyone, the
preparations for the experiment are complete. We will now begin the experiment..."
Jihad's firm voice
echoed through the laboratory. They had already gathered a certain amount of
data from the collapsed body and magic stone. According to the data, they knew
that this magic beast was composed of the extremely condensed bodies of
multiple magic beasts. From the collapsed body, they had found not only the
bones of four-legged magic beasts like Wild Dogs, but also countless bones of
two-legged magic beasts like goblins. The chaotically overlapped muscles were
extremely unusual for a living creature, and were still emitting a polluted
black miasma.
The one who responded
to Jihad's words was an old man with a particularly calm atmosphere among the
gathered influential people. He had golden hair and a beard mixed with white.
The years were deeply etched into his cheeks, but his eyes held a deep reason
and strong will. The expensive clothes he wore, which were more expensive than
those of the other influential people, were engraved with the Arcazam crest,
which consisted of a quill pen, a sword, and a staff crossed. His name was
Haibao Foka. He was the chairman of the council that governed Arcazam, and a
person who was respected by all countries.
"Understood.
Jihad-dono, Torgrein-dono, and everyone, please take care of this."
A dignified voice
echoed through the laboratory. The chairman's words immediately heightened the
tension.
Jihad nodded, and
Torgrein gave instructions to the gathered researchers. After confirming that
six researchers were standing in front of each of the magic stones placed
around the circle, Torgrein slowly drew a magic circle in the air.
The next moment, the
magic circle for sealing drawn on the iron box disappeared, and the chains
wrapped around the box shattered. The sound of chain fragments falling to the
floor echoed, and the iron box slowly opened. At the same time, a thick air
filled the laboratory. Every researcher held their breath at the unpleasant
sensation, as if an ice cube had been stroked against their neck.
Under the watchful
eyes of Jihad and the others, the remains of the magic beast were finally
exposed under the magical lights. A black, jet-black magic beast. Its head was
completely blown off, and its collapsed remains were so ruined that its
original form could not be guessed. The magic beast, which should have been
long dead, was emitting a miasma that sent chills down their spines.
Ten years ago, a great
invasion of magic beasts had wiped out three countries in an instant. This
experiment might be the key to clarifying the cause of that tragedy, and the
identity of the unknown magic beast that was witnessed at that time.
With that thought in
his heart, Torgrein, who was in charge of the experiment, slowly opened his
mouth.
"Begin the
experiment..."
The researchers, who
had come to their senses at his words, held their hands over the magic stones
in front of them. Six magic circles were constructed around the circumference
of the magic circle, and six colors of light—red, blue, green, yellow, white, and
black—began to leak from the placed magic stones.
As soon the light
overflowed from the magic stones, Torgrein activated the magic circle drawn on
the entire floor. The six colors of magic power that had been floating around
began to gather around the remains of the Abyss Grief in a swirling motion.
The vortex of magic
power gradually accelerated. Eventually, a high-pitched sound like "Kiiin,
kiiin..." began to echo. The purpose of this experiment was to
simultaneously irradiate the remains with six-attribute magic power and analyze
what kind of elements it was composed of. At the same time, they would also
analyze the changes in the magic power used for the resonance to investigate
what kind of effect the magic beast had on its surroundings.
The intensifying
vortex of magic power was already making a resonant noise that could be called
a loud noise. The instruments used for observation were also working
accurately. Torgrein, while glued to the instruments, carefully manipulated the
vortex of magic power using the central magic circle. And finally, the
resonance of magic power reached its peak.
But the next moment, a
jet-black light exploded from the center of the six-colored magic power.
"Wha!"
The researchers were
surprised by the sudden event. The control of the magic used for the experiment
became loose due to their fluster.
The vortex of magic
power was dyed pitch-black in an instant. At that moment, six arms shot out
from the depths of the vortex.
"Kyaaa!"
"Gah!"
The tentacles that
shot out sent the researchers flying, grabbed the six magic stones that had
been placed, and instantly took them into the vortex of magic power.
"Haibao-dono,
Torgrein-dono! Evacuate with the others!"
Along with Jihad's
voice, the soldiers moved. The soldiers quickly surrounded the vortex of magic
power that had been dyed black. The unharmed researchers escaped from the laboratory
with the influential people, and the remaining soldiers carried out the
collapsed researchers.
While watching them
evacuate out of the corner of his eye, Jihad slowly held up his partner, who he
had been carrying on his back. The swirling magic power in front of him burst
open, and the figure of the magic beast appeared.
"Grrrrrr..."
The black magic beast
let out a growl that shook the gut. A jet-black miasma drifted through the air,
and countless red eyes, filled with hatred, peered out from all over its body.
"Gagyaaa!!"
The Abyss Grief stood
up powerfully on its four legs. The wolf-like face split vertically, and
countless sharp teeth like knives were bared with a roar. The multi-layered,
blade-like two-pronged tail was raised high, looking down at the prey in front
of it.
"U, u, u..."
"A, aaah..."
Its appearance was
truly that of a magical beast. The soldiers completely faltered in the face of
the killing intent and predatory desire that was being pressed down on them.
This beast would not miss such frightened and immobile prey.
The black magic beast
pounced on a soldier who was close by. The sound of the stone floor shattering
echoed, and the next moment, the inside of the magic beast's mouth was
completely filling the soldier's vision. In a few more moments, the magic
beast's jaw would close, and the soldier's neck would be bitten off and fall
into its belly.
But the moment the
magic beast's teeth were about to sink into the soldier's neck, the magic
beast's body was sent flying sideways in a rotating motion.
"Ah..."
What the dazed soldier
saw was Jihad, who was standing still with his giant sword, which was about the
size of his own torso, swung. The blown away magic beast was slammed against
the wall and let out a painful cry of "Gyan!".
"Everyone, get
back. I'll take care of this magic beast."
Jihad's voice echoed
through the laboratory, which had become a battlefield, and broke the soldiers'
paralysis. This magic beast could not be allowed to get out. There was only one
exit to the laboratory. The soldiers formed a line in front of the exit, making
their bodies the last wall to prevent the magic beast from escaping.
Jihad stepped forward
and faced the magic beast directly. Jihad held his giant sword low, and the
Abyss Grief lowered its body and snarled. A moment of silence flowed between
the two as they stared at each other.
The Abyss Grief was
the first to move. Its powerful four legs produced a speed like a whirlwind,
and it closed in on Jihad. Its open jaw was about to tear Jihad's body apart,
but before it could get a hold of him, Jihad swung his giant sword
horizontally.
With a clang, the two
clashed fiercely. The black magic beast put all its strength into its legs to
crush Jihad, but Jihad, with his Ki enhanced throughout his body, was receiving
its strength head-on. Jihad's giant sword was also firmly defending against the
black magic beast's fangs, which could easily bite through iron armor.
The giant sword,
"Jaw Breaker." A giant greatsword that was taller than Jihad and had
become his alias. It was a sword made with a large amount of a rare, extremely
hard metal called "Tangrad," and had been his partner since before
the great invasion ten years ago, having gone through many tough battles with
him. If a sword is only hard, it can easily break, but this masterpiece used
Eastern techniques to fold different kinds of metal together to solve that
problem. However, this metal was extremely heavy, so the giant sword was
completely unusable by anyone other than Jihad.
But Jihad, who was an
outstanding user of Ki and had an extraordinary body and Ki, could use this
giant sword to its full potential.
"Hmph..."
Jihad let out a short
breath and put all his strength into his body. The muscles in his arms, which
were as thick as logs, bulged, and his veins popped out. The balance of power,
which had been in a deadlock, broke, and Jihad pushed the black magic beast
back slightly.
"Gyaaauu!?"
The Abyss Grief seemed
surprised that it was being pushed back by a single human, and hurriedly tried
to put more strength into its body.
"Hmph!"
At that moment, Jihad
took a half-step back, released the strength in both of his arms, and dodged.
The Abyss Grief, whose opponent had suddenly released his strength, had lost
the object it was putting its strength against. Since it was a four-legged
beast, it didn't stumble, but it stopped its movement as it put all its
strength into its front legs to try and keep its body from tilting more than it
had anticipated.
"Hah!"
Jihad was not one to
miss such an opportunity. He used his back leg as a pivot to rotate his body
and slammed the giant sword he had swung into the side of his opponent. The
giant blade bit into the Abyss Grief's body, temporarily cutting through its
regenerated muscles and crushing its bones.
With that same
posture, the magic beast was sent flying again. It somehow managed to get up
after being slammed against the floor multiple times, but during that time,
Jihad had already closed the distance.
"Gaaah!"
The two tails were
swung down at Jihad. The previous blow from Jihad had destroyed one of the
black magic beast's front legs. It would probably regenerate immediately, but
it might have hated being approached by him before it could finish
regenerating. Therefore, the tail attacks on Jihad didn't just happen once or
twice. They were swung down three, four times, again and again.
"Heh! Hmph!"
But Jihad firmly
deflected those tail strikes, which could have cut down a large tree. The way
he moved the giant sword without stagnation, sometimes delicately and sometimes
boldly, to divert the tails' trajectory, showed that he was not just a powerful
warrior.
The two clashed for a
while, but Jihad, judging that it was not wise to waste time, moved.
"Hah!"
He put all his
strength into it and raised his giant sword, batting the horizontally swung
tail high up. But another tail immediately came from the opposite direction.
Jihad immediately enhanced the Ki in his entire body, and strengthened his
muscles all at once.
"Haaaaah!!"
While holding the
giant sword up, he twisted his body, and that rotational motion was transmitted
through his arm to the giant sword. The next moment, the giant sword, which had
been raised straight up, twisted and was swung down all at once, reversing its
blade.
A roar echoed, and the
shattered fragments of the stone floor danced in the air along with the severed
magic beast's tail. The magic beast's painful cry echoed through the laboratory
along with the scattered black blood.
"Gi... Guaaa!!"
But the magic beast
bit back the pain of its severed tail and tried to swing its remaining tail at
Jihad. However, that tail strike was also severed by Jihad's giant sword, which
was swung up again.
The magic beast
continued to let out a roar of resentment as it watched its tails fall to the
floor.
The difference in
skill was obvious. The only exit was right behind the formidable enemy that
stood in front of it. The severed tails were already beginning to regenerate,
but it didn't seem like the enemy in front of it would allow that to happen.
Had it realized that
winning against this opponent was impossible, or had it gone crazy and decided
to at least get a single hit in? The black magic beast opened its jaw as wide
as it could and charged straight at Jihad.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
A roar that squeezed
out all of its life. Jihad looked at the magic beast in front of him with calm
eyes, even as he was hit by a scream that shook his entire body.
He enhanced his Ki all
at once and sent it throughout his entire body. The enormous Ki that welled up
from Jihad's body not only spread throughout his body, but also reached the tip
of his giant "Jaw Breaker."
The Abyss Grief jumped
and tried to crush Jihad with its huge body. But before the magic beast's fangs
could reach Jihad's body, his giant sword was swung down in a diagonal slash
with a thud.
The giant sword that
bit into the Abyss Grief's body cut off one side of its spread jaw, and then
cut the black magic beast in half.
The magic beast's body
was separated and split apart. It was clearly an instant kill.
Jihad, who had swung
his giant sword, remained in his stance. He let out a small sigh.
But at that moment,
the magic beast's crimson eyes gleamed.
"Gauuu!"
"What?!"
The next moment, the
separated half of the magic beast's body leaped toward the laboratory exit.
Jihad immediately swung his giant sword back to stop it, but the other half of
the body pounced at Jihad.
"Tch!"
Jihad clicked his
tongue at being caught off guard. He held up his Jaw Breaker like a shield and
received the half of the magic beast's body, but his legs were stopped.
In the meantime, the
other half of the Abyss Grief continued to rush towards the exit.
The soldiers were
surprised by the black magic beast that had lunged out. But at that moment, one
of the soldiers jumped out in front of the magic beast.
"Stop it! Don't
let it get through here no matter what!!"
His shout echoed
towards his comrades who were waiting at the exit. The soldiers moved as if
they had been startled by that voice. They all held up their shields at once,
creating a giant wall to block the magic beast's path.
"Gaaaaaaaaaa!!"
A roar echoed as if to
say, "Don't get in my way!", and the charging magic beast crashed
into the wall of soldiers. The soldiers were pushed back by the force of the
charge. The magic beast's fangs pierced through a shield and then pierced the
body of the soldier who had jumped out in front of it earlier.
"Gih!!"
The soldier groaned at
the foreign object that bit into his arm and torso, making a cracking sound as
it invaded his body. But he desperately suppressed his scream and tried to push
the magic beast back with his comrades.
"Gi, Gigigyaau...!"
The magic beast was
surprised that its body had been stopped even though it was only half a body.
It tried to send them flying immediately, but in its state of having lost half
its body, it couldn't put enough strength into it.
Furthermore, the
soldiers who had gone around to the side began to stab their swords into the
magic beast's body. The swords that were driven into the wound that had been
created from the fight with Jihad began to carve up the inside of the magic
beast.
"Gih,
Gyaah!!"
"Now! Push it
back!"
For a moment, the
pressure on the shields weakened. The soldiers who were holding down the magic
beast's body all put strength into their legs and pushed the magic beast, which
was trying to escape, back.
The Abyss Grief
staggered backwards. But just as it was about to charge again without giving
up, a giant shadow covered it. The blood-red eyes of the magic beast caught
sight of the giant sword raised behind it. It was a harbinger of destruction,
far more sinister than the blade of a guillotine. The magic beast's body froze
as if it had been paralyzed the moment it saw the human's eyes.
Jihad's eyes were
filled with a raging killing intent. The sight of his injured subordinate
reminded him of the tragedy ten years ago.
"Be
crushed..."
It was a clear death
sentence. The Jaw Breaker literally slammed the half of the Abyss Grief into
the stone floor, without giving the magic beast a chance to move.
"Are you
okay?!"
After confirming that
the black magic beast he had crushed was no longer moving, Jihad immediately
rushed to his subordinate. The soldier who had been bitten by the magic beast
was sitting on the floor, and his comrades were desperately trying to stop the
bleeding.
"Y-yes... I think
so."
Blood was oozing from
the wound, staining the soldier's armor red, but the injured soldier was
clearly conscious. Jihad breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the soldier's
firm response.
In the forest, it
would be a different story, but since this was one of the leading research
institutions on the continent, the medical facilities were well-equipped. In
fact, a doctor with a bag of medical supplies had entered from the laboratory
entrance. If the soldier received treatment from an excellent doctor
immediately, his life would not be in danger.
Jihad left his injured
subordinate's treatment to the doctor, ordered the remaining subordinates to
report the situation to Torgrein and the others, and then turned his attention
to the Abyss Grief he had just defeated.
The black magic
beast's body had begun to collapse, exposing its collapsed body just as it had
when it was first brought here. But he no longer felt the same kind of chills
he had felt when it was brought here.
"Jihad-dono!"
Torgrein came running
after hearing his subordinate's report. Was it... over?
The magic beast, which
had already become a mere lump of flesh, wasn't moving at all, and no signs of
life could be felt from its remains. However, given what had happened here
today, it was a fact that it was an event that couldn't be definitively called
"over."
Jihad's mind was
constantly repeating an unanswerable question as he looked down at the Abyss
Grief's remains.
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