“…Cartia?”
crack– The thick voice of Vamilion, who had been walking confidently until just now, came out shrunken.
But who cares.
I tightened my grip on Frey and stood my ground.
bang-! As I violently unleashed my energy, the Milky Way scattered. A moment too late, the divine power wrapping my body added a sense of stability. The mystery of the spirits laid the path before me.
The distance between us closed in an instant.
Without hesitation, I launched Frey.
Aron, reacting late, exuded a power similar to Hermila. His fists clenched. His stance shifted. His breath halted. His sharp gaze followed Frey’s movements, and along that trajectory, Aron’s fist stretched out.
If this continued, my attack would surely be blocked, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t aiming for Aron anyway.
I erupted the blood aura enveloping my entire body. crack– I shattered the arm wielding Frey. As a result, Frey’s trajectory twisted. Before the crushed hand could release Frey, I froze both the hand and the hilt together. With blood aura around my weakening arm, whoosh– feathers scattered as they burst out. The towering flames of hell blocked their escape.
“Vamilion!”
Aron’s shout revealed he had caught on to my plan. Only then did Vamilion shake off his daze and desperately begin to draw his great sword.
It was too late.
swish– With no hesitation, a slash aimed thoughtlessly hit the thick armor. Blood droplets exploded along the cleanly sliced line, splattering like they were poured onto a flower bed filled with the Milky Way.
“Ugh…”
Vamilion staggered back, clutching his wound.
I too stood my ground once more. The blood droplets mixed with the Milky Way floated into the air. I chased after the swirling blood droplets, swinging Frey along the way. Blood droplets oozed out between armor plates as if slicing through paper.
With a staggered posture and troubled breath, Vamilion’s ground gave way beneath him. Divine power pierced through his ankle. His shaky stance tilted.
Soon, Vamilion began to collapse completely. Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward. bang-! With an even rougher unleashed energy, the ground exploded. Amidst the swirling petals and blood droplets, Frey, laced with killing intent, swung fiercely.
At the same time, Aron, who had previously been undetectable, made himself known. His fist lunged towards my abdomen. It resembled Hermila’s but contained a completely different nature. A miraculous power that even distorted the information inscribed in my senses gathered.
In front of such a fist, a radiant barrier of divine power was erected. One layer, two layers, three layers. Hundreds of barriers shot up in an instant. Then, the wind of the spirits wrapped around my body. The earth surged, widening the distance.
The straightened fist shattered all the layers of divine power. The fragments that broke apart seeped into my arm, beginning to mend the broken bones and torn flesh.
As if that weren’t enough, the light spirits hovered gently above my body.
scrape- crack- I brushed off the ice shards stuck to my hand and steadied my breath. I pulled back the blood aura I had recklessly released and corrected my posture.
Before me, in the far distance, Aron, who emitted sharp killing intent, handed a potion to the staggering Vamilion, saying,
“Foe, come. Let’s go to the false paradise—”
“Shut up.”
bang-! Before Aron could finish his words, I planted my feet once again.
There was no need to listen. I didn’t want to hear it.
I didn’t want to show mercy. I had no desire for conversation.
There might be a story behind it, but it was none of my concern.
It was already too late.
They were the ones who tried to forcibly take Rubia. They were the ones who drove Hermila to the brink of death and attempted to kill Heinzel.
Whether nameless or whatever.
They were trying to enter a false paradise, following some strange god.
They moved to kill Rubia.
Bad bastards.
A thick killing intent erupted. Indescribable emotions filled Frey.
As my emotions heightened, the blood aura that had been flaring up quelled. The cold that had been manipulating magical power according to its whims subsided. The movements of the feathers that had been soaring through the air came to a halt. The haughty flames flickered softly.
The atmosphere of Cartia changed.
Feeling it, Vamilion retreated as well.
Flames resembling a lion’s mane erupted from Aron’s body, blocking his path. His breath stabilized, and he found his stance.
Like Hermila’s master, he took on an even more flawless posture.
With organized breath and sharply honed fists.
Aron’s momentum spread out like an impenetrable fortress, seemingly unbreakable.
crack-! I planted Frey into the ground to slow myself down. My body, which had begun to lean forward, simultaneously pulled Frey out from the ground. The increased recoil dragged my body forward.
I harnessed that recoil to strike Frey upward.
With a weightiness that could not compare to before, Frey extended toward Aron.
With a firmly set stance. Legs extended without a hint of wobble, and a neat breath.
From there, the strike was unleashed.
A perfectly drawn fist plunged into the center of Frey.
Carelessly swinging like a wild creature, Frey opened its mouth toward Aron.
―――!!
The powers, each wishing for different outcomes, collided.
In an instant, the winds that surged like a storm devoured the Milky Way. It uprooted everything and snuffed out the light of the stars.
The belated roar shook the ground. Amidst the flowers’ screams, it announced its existence at the end of the world.
Thus, within the diminishing aftermath of the battle.
The Milky Way scattered. The petals vanished.
thud- A small wave broke the silence on the floor, once serene as a calm sea. Following, a thump- a larger wave formed.
“Just as I thought, you do have the qualifications… this is it.”
Aron, looking down at his severed left hand, grinned wickedly. His eyes glimmered with madness.
A sense of unease spread throughout my body.
Just as I was about to swing Frey again to shake it off.
shock-
From my thick great sword, a familiar wave of power was felt in the distant land where it was embedded.
A power I had felt exactly once in the past.
A force that I could never forget, having cut through winter.
The one-eyed man who had sliced the world with an old sword.
The same essence of power as Luchi, who had burned everything just before dying.
The source of that power was—
Heinzel.
That caused my movements to hesitate. A gap was created. It opened up a significant opening.
[Focus!]
Hearing Cartia’s urgent shout, I lifted Frey.
crack- Aron’s left hand barely raised Frey and struck down. My posture gave way. My center skewed. Aron’s knee packed with overwhelming power dug in as my body tilted.
Shattering all my ribs with terrible pain, Aron’s knee shot up high. The nature of the power seeped within me.
“Gah, ugh—!”
Guts, shredded through tightly clenched teeth, spilled out. My breath was forced out. Terrible pain flowed through me.
A horrific agony ignited inside me, like a blaze. Struggling to contain a scream that threatened to burst out, I lifted my head. There before me was Aron’s fist.
crack- Before the blood aura could spread, Aron’s fist hit my temple. My barely grasped consciousness faded. Another jolt of pain stabbed through me, mixing with the force of power.
A pain I had never experienced before forced my body to convulse. Finally, my body began to fall. At the same time, the divine power seeping in me started to push the force of power away. The flames of Brunhilde merged with the divine power, burning the force away.
The earth raised my body high. A gentle breeze supported me, and warm light enveloped me.
“Noah!”
I felt Rubia’s intense heartbeat surrounding my body.
Through the acrid scent of blood, her gentle fragrance enveloped me.
Grabbing hold of the faint thread of consciousness, I raised my body. After staggering several times, I finally steadied myself. I composed my breath and gave Rubia a faint smile.
“I-I made a mistake… Phew… Thank you.”
And once more.
I gripped Frey, aiming at Aron’s direction.
Even then, the power of Heinzel felt increasingly stronger from Cartia.
As if there was no regret.
As if there was no lingering attachment.
As if to finally realize their dream.
It blazed brightly without any regret.
I had said I would arm-wrestle, yet—
I captured the twisted expression.
Ignored the lingering pain in my body.
Set aside memories of the past.
Now, right in front of me—
I focused on killing the bastard who tried to kill Rubia.
“The Leviathan… Haha, impressive.”
Aron, appearing sincerely surprised, let out a hollow laugh as he adjusted his posture.
Despite lacking one hand, his stance appeared flawless. The flames, compressed to their limits, began to take shape.
Behind him, Vamilion, fully recovered, stood alongside Aron.
“Cartia. Please, show yourself.”
Once again, he murmured the name Cartia.
“Actually, I should be the first to reveal myself.”
A completely different, thin female voice echoed from before. The long hair that slipped out from beneath the helmet cascaded down Vamilion’s shoulder.
“Really, it’s been a long time. Cartia.”
A chiseled, stoic face with delicate lines appeared.
Then, the astonished voice of Cartia reached my ears.
[…Frey?]
