The dry, earth floor became a sticky, blood-soaked mess.
The corpse, with its limbs cut off, was rendered in gruesome detail.
Burst organs, a perfectly intact lung, liver, heart, and entrails hanging like leaves on branches.
All of it was depicted.
I slowly inhaled.
A fishy, bitter, sour, and foul smell invaded my nostrils.
I licked my dry lips.
I didn’t taste the disgusting flavor that matched the smell.
I listened intently with my numb ears.
A scream echoed, a sound of someone dying without being dead yet.
I clenched my throbbing hand.
I could feel Frey’s weight, a bit heavier than before.
I killed a person.
Of course, it wasn’t my first time.
I just hadn’t thought of them as people; I’ve killed quite a number of them thus far.
But I didn’t realize it.
I couldn’t acknowledge it.
No, I was just turning a blind eye.
Only now could I accept it so calmly.
Thanks to the green bracelet.
Because it was said to have magic that forcibly stabilizes the mind.
It surely works well.
Chillingly good, truly.
I feel no emotion at all.
I touched the green bracelet, which was said to become a shackle on me someday.
Is this the right thing to do?
No.
I’ve come too far to distinguish right from wrong.
I don’t want to argue about justice.
I don’t want to impose my beliefs.
Rubia hated Erden.
Sirin hated Erden as well.
Lucia, Heinzel, Charlotte, and Yuria too.
I… don’t know.
I just want to trust Rubia.
I want to protect Rubia and make her happy.
So.
The conclusion I reached to protect Rubia is right, just, and a belief.
But… if this thought is all determined by the green bracelet—
[Hey.]
“…Yes?”
I awkwardly lowered my hand and tilted my head at Cartia’s call.
After a moment of silence, Cartia let out a small sigh and spoke.
[I told you, two times. Adults really don’t listen. Did you come out to be an adventurer without writing a letter home? How worried your parents must be. You little shit.]
It seems she’s leading me into this thoughtless conversation after sensing my emotions…
That behavior was so funny and grateful that… I couldn’t help but tease.
“B-But, my parents aren’t here…”
Well… it’s half a joke, half the truth.
[…Really?]
“Yes…”
After a brief pause, Cartia hesitantly opened her mouth.
[Um… I’m sorry. Really… really sorry.]
“It’s okay, it’s okay…”
Silence returned.
Then… after a while.
Cartia cleared her throat and raised her voice forcibly.
[By the way, how does it feel to swing it in reality?]
A half-destroyed mountain scene played in my mind.
“It’s amazing, but… I can’t really swing it much…”
My nose was already bleeding and my head felt like it was tightening.
[If you just use it like an ordinary sword, there wouldn’t be a problem, but you swing it like an idiot, so that’s why.]
“…More nagging.”
I pouted my lips and trudged toward my great sword buried in the dirt.
At that moment.
Magic surged out from the broken magic circle amidst the thick cloud of dust.
[It was definitely broken, wasn’t it?]
I quickly wiped the blood flowing from my nose and cut through the magic that was charging towards me.
Zzzt- Boom-!
The air tore apart, flames extinguished.
Then I slammed the hilt into the chest of a knight charging from the right, swinging the great sword toward the mages.
An intangible energy was released along the sword’s path.
Swish-
Upper bodies were cleanly severed and exploded with blood. Without stopping, I twisted the great sword’s trajectory and plunged it down.
The brains of the assassins hiding underground burst and soaked the ground.
“Argh!”
I dodged the spear that coiled around like a snake and kicked up a cloud of dirt with my toes.
“Ugh?!”
I punched the knight, who was covering his face with one arm, right in the chest.
Crack-
I felt the broken ribs stab at his heart and spun around to kick the gut of the one charging from behind.
“Gah-!”
After desperately dodging the blood pouring from his dirty mouth, I trampled on the knight’s gut.
“Graaah-!”
[Doesn’t something seem off? The magic circle is broken, but the magic was completed, and this guy is moving with a broken spine. Suspicious…]
“…So true.”
I brought down my great sword and smashed his head.
[Let’s think about it later; for now, let’s kill those mages first.]
“Agreed…”
I expanded my senses and traced the location of the mages.
Twelve in total.
Fire-!
The moment a fireball shot from the left, I kicked off the ground and charged forward.
Without swinging the great sword trailing behind me, I slammed my knees into a mage’s chest.
One down.
I spun around, pivoting on my falling leg, extending my arm to swing the great sword.
Two down.
Immediately afterward, dozens of spells were launched.
I pinned Frey to the ground and used the corpses lying around to block the incoming magic.
The sound of squelching flesh faded, and I threw the headless corpse toward the mages and charged after it.
Frey, arriving shortly behind the head, cleaved through the screaming mages.
Three down.
I drove the hilt into the face of a knight charging from the right and slammed him to the ground.
I ripped off the armor the knight was wearing and hurled it at a mage casting a high-level spell.
Four down.
[The skull exploded, and half the upper body was torn apart, yet he’s still alive. Are kids these days like this?]
I shook my head and smashed the knight’s head into the ground.
At the same time.
Like before, I infused my magical power into the great sword.
Stomping my feet, I scattered it toward the ones staggering in place.
Crash-!
With a sound that felt like space was being torn apart, a rough wave surged forth, engulfing the knights and mages.
“Phew…”
As I held my throbbing head and took a breath, I looked up to see two masters climbing the crumbled mountain.
At this speed… about three minutes.
[They should have died long ago. Tsk… this is definitely…]
Divine Power.
Weak divine energy lurked within their bodies.
[Especially that master. He’s clearly a nobody, but the aura he gives off is strange.]
Nodding in agreement with Cartia’s words, I fiddled with the green bracelet that was squeezing my wrist tight.
It was trembling and cracking…
If I kept swinging Frey like this, the green bracelet was gonna break.
“Phew…”
Reluctantly, I scattered Frey in the air and picked up my great sword, which was buried in the dirt.
“…What is that?”
A guy, sitting down and pointing a finger at me, shouted.
“What the hell is this power!!!”
“Ugh…”
It hurt enough without him yelling, but now it was doubled…
I frowned while tapping my throbbing temple and brushed off the mud on the great sword.
“Heretic!!! You wield the power of the evil god!!”
[Wow, he’s really noisy.]
“I am Mern, the priest of Erden! I shall burn myself to execute the heretic!!”
Mern, who was sitting on the ground, seemingly trying to shake off his fear, stood up while shouting.
But.
No matter how much… he took that hit head-on.
“…He seems too weak.”
[Right? Those coming up from below seem a bit stronger… but this guy is really…]
“Gahhhhh!”
He started charging at me with his dual swords extended.
Then came a ridiculously flashy attack with his twin swords…
[He really is just a dumbass, isn’t he?]
I twisted the great sword in my right hand and deflected one of his strikes.
“What?!”
With my left hand, I struck his ribs.
A strike learned from Sirin, focusing the force on one point without spreading it out.
Wham-
“Guuuuh-!”
Mern’s body didn’t float in the air or fly back.
All the strength was entirely focused on that body.
[Looks like you’re controlling your strength well now?]
“Ah, I just didn’t adapt earlier.”
Still, since he’s technically a master, he had magical power wrapped around him to protect his vitals…
But it was too feeble.
Again.
I clenched my fist tightly and slammed it into the trembling knight’s gut with all my might.
Smash- Crack- Thud-
My fist penetrated the magic surrounding him and crashed into his ribs.
I then grasped the broken pieces of ribs.
Riiiiip-
“Gughh… ugh…”
The shattered bone fragments fell with a thud—entrails spilling out.
Yet he still wasn’t dead, gathering his own insides back inside.
And slowly.
Weak divine energy began to heal his body from near his heart.
The divine energy that only Rubia could use.
The divine energy that should be used only by Rubia.
The one that always gently enveloped my wounds.
Was now healing these bastards.
It irritated me.
It bothered me.
It was dirty.
It felt unpleasant.
It was corrupt.
Disgusting.
Ridiculous.
It made me feel nauseous.
I wanted to kill them.
With my hands.
Tear off their limbs.
Rip out their teeth and tongue.
Pull out their entrails.
Stuff them in their mouths.
Make them feel the slow approach of death.
I will do that.
The bracelet trembled and tightened around my wrist.
The magical power within me began to rampage madly.
The fragments of Carpen and Tylant resonated.
A voice in my head warned me to stop.
Ignoring it, I reached out.
I tore apart the left arm gathering the entrails.
I ripped apart the right arm that was mending the belly.
I stomped down a leg buried in the ground.
Smashing the jaw, I plucked out one tooth after another.
As I was about to rip his tongue…
Whoosh-!
Two arrows suddenly flew in from behind and blocked me.
[Noah.]
“…Yes.”
[You’re gonna go tell Rubia everything, aren’t you?]
…This can’t be.
[As I’ve said, don’t get drunk on your power. Stay human until the end.]
I nodded and stood up.
I brushed off the flesh stuck to my hands and pulled out the pieces of entrails stuck between my nails.
“I-I’m sorry…”
[Whenever Rubia’s involved, you really lose it, huh? If something happens to Rubia, won’t you destroy the world or something?]
I didn’t answer and straightened my posture.
[…Are you really gonna do that?]
“C-Couldn’t be.”
[Wow, this guy is really something. Someone needs to keep a tight leash on you.]
“W-What do you mean by that…”
A leash?
A leash… a leash.
“…Not a bad idea—ugh!”
Before I could ponder further, another arrow flew in.
Bam-!
The moment it hit the ground, it exploded.
The blast knocked me back significantly.
“Now, now… this really looks like a devil at work.”
A man with a great sword muttered, glancing around.
“Urgh, shit… Mern! Are you dead or what?”
The bowman clicked his tongue as he looked at Mern.
“Grrk… ugh…”
“Whatever, if you’re gonna die, make sure to give it your all and fight to the last breath.”
“Don’t scold him too harshly, he’s inexperienced.”
“Eh, if he grew strong through cheap tricks, he should earn his keep, right?”
The faces of the masters approaching through the muddy ground turned toward me.
“See? If we take his great sword away, he becomes a total idiot. That’s why you can’t take him lightly. He truly is weak.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
[Definitely different from using dual swords, huh?]
‘Exactly…’
They’re definitely strong.
Both of them are stronger than Kalt.
[Do you think you can win?]
‘… I could win, but they’re already coming close. About ten minutes or so…?]
[Thought they’d use teleportation, but they really seem to be having a hard time, even Sirin.]
‘Of course. Heehee…’
I chuckled softly and raised my great sword.
At that moment.
A surge of divine power burst forth from Mern’s body, warping the scene.
Like when Kalt entered his second phase… it seemed like something was about to begin.
“Phew…”
I held the great sword inverted.
Stretching my arm as far back as I could.
“Whew-!”
I stepped forward.
Crack- The mud disappeared, and the ground erupted.
The expressions of the two masters twisted.
Mern still flailed his mouth wide open toward the sky.
Cartia began to laugh uncontrollably.
Taking in all of that scene in my mind.
I swung my right arm forward.
Riiiip-!
The sound of space tearing apart echoed as my great sword shot forth.
And at the same moment.
Boom-!
Mern’s body exploded on impact with the thrown great sword, leaving no trace behind.
I extended my hand forward, summoning Frey, and recalled Sirin’s teachings.
Sirin’s classroom lesson number one.
Kill the enemy when they transform.
An excellent teaching indeed.
