I held back the nausea rising from deep within me and caught my breath.
[Oh man, what the hell. They’ve even resorted to cannibalism, these crazy bastards.]
Was it the same for Cartia and Frey? They too trembled, grimacing.
“That’s wrong. It’s not cannibalism. Don’t you all get your nutrients from beast meat at a normal dining table? What I did is the same thing.”
Meanwhile, Alstein, who was receiving our disdainful gazes, casually licked the remaining flesh in his mouth with his tongue hanging down to his chest.
“So, what I did was just an act to take in nutrients.”
[Well, it’s not like beasts feel strange about eating humans.]
“Right.”
Crack – Frey’s light step crumpled the ground beneath her. Alstein’s relaxed gaze turned toward her. In sync, the dozens of floating weapons redirected their attention to Frey.
“Not cleaning your mouth after eating is just like a beast. But you know what?”
The weapons wielded by masters who transcended humans all contained overwhelming power. Yet Frey, unfazed, raised her great sword.
“No matter if it’s a beast or a human, you need time to digest after consuming something.”
Alstein’s hand waved through the air. The weapons lined up, positioned to definitely kill Frey without overlapping or hindering each other.
Boom, crash!
Even the tiniest movement stirred the world into a frenzy. The magical power surged, shaking the earth and holding its breath.
“If you eat and run right away, you’ll get a stomachache?”
Like shaking off the pressure that weighed on her, a giggle escaped from between Frey’s lips. Following the direction of that laugh, her legs extended. Gradually, she lowered the raised great sword to lie parallel to the ground.
At that moment, an unknown energy began to gather at the flat great sword of Frey. It collected and condensed, stretching like threads until it reached its limit.
One thread split into two.
Two became four.
Four became eight.
The countless threads scattered and began sharpening violently as they sliced through every flower in the area.
“Noah, watch and learn. This is the Sword Thread.”
Eventually, the now uncountable threads intertwined, weaving a form entirely different from the sword Frey held.
A rough hilt. A crossguard that was broken and blunt. A blade that seemed about to break, shattered and blunted.
But it was sturdier than any other sword, extending straight out.
Just like the great swords held by me and Cartia.
No, even older than that, the ancient great sword rested in Frey’s hands.
“This is the Sword Qi.”
Manipulating it, Frey gently caressed the hilt with a familiar movement. Her other hand grasped the hilt tightly, filled with a resolute will not to lose hold.
Crack – She turned the direction of her outstretched foot, the recoil shooting through her waist and into her arm.
“How about that? I look cooler than that girl.”
With those last words, the Sword Qi wrapped around her sword condensed to its peak. It unfolded. It shone. Boom, bang! – sucking up and destroying everything around, it swung.
Thus, the sword swung by Frey drew a crescent in the air. An indescribably sharp Sword Qi enveloped it. At last, with a massive roar, it was shot forth.
Simultaneously, Alstein’s right hand reached out. Clang! – The barrier surrounding him layered and continued stacking as if it would never break.
Then, his left hand waved through the air. Countless weapons mingled with phantoms poured down toward Frey in unison.
But that wasn’t all. The beast’s maw that had covered the ground slowly began to close, as curses of death engraved with spells tinged the whole world.
Frey’s great aura appeared small against the colossal sea ahead. An onslaught from which there was no escape.
I gripped my great sword to block it. But ahead of me, Frey’s back halted that action.
Unfazed by the approaching disaster, Frey maintained the same smug expression as before and said,
“Stop it, Arthur. I don’t know if your master told you, but you’re using that great sword wrong.”
Standing in the center, Frey ignored everything and steadied her posture. She layered the Sword Qi onto the swung sword once more.
“Or rather, I should say you’re using the great sword you’re holding wrong. My great sword has been paving the way for a thousand years.”
To allow the Sword of Victory to advance.
To open the path to victory.
As if reminiscing, Frey’s gaze, which had been looking into the distance, locked onto the disaster that had approached us.
“So watch closely. This is something even your master can’t teach you.”
Like swimming through water, her body moved effortlessly. It wasn’t a posture to slash; it was a stance for thrusting. As she did, the Sword Qi gathered at the tip of her sword.
What was created was a small orb.
The azure luminary that voraciously devoured the Sword Qi hung at the tip of her sword, radiating a detached light.
An appearance that seemed out of place in a battlefield where death swirled every moment. But the power contained within was unimaginably savage.
Frey, with a determined expression, opened her eyes. She tilted her head back and controlled her breathing. Sweat-dampened bangs fluttered about. Dusty beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks, and the droplet that clung to her chin fell to the ground.
Kaboom!
Frey’s body dove toward the disaster, leaving behind a slender tail of light.
At the same time.
Descend – Cartia, who had been holding her breath and concentrating, took a step forward.
[Why that expression?]
“I was worried since you’re heading there alone—”
[Worried?]
Giggle – Cartia ruffled my hair roughly as she passed in front of me.
And then, calmly, with a more relaxed expression than anyone, she fixed her gaze on the tail of light leading toward the disaster, believing wholeheartedly in Frey’s ability to handle it.
[At this point, she could probably do it even if she woke up from a nap, right?]
Moments later, Cartia’s laughter stopped. The afterimage of the light faded. In the center of the pitch-black storm. As if it would consume the entire world, the light, now faint, reached out.
And then.
[See? She really does it.]
i―――!i
A heat surged to the point of making my whole body feel hot.
Brilliant radiant light burst forth.
From that light, a small crack appeared.
That small crack ballooned exponentially until it finally formed a massive hole.
The light scattered. Like fireworks brightening and then fading from the night sky, like flowers blooming brilliantly only to fall away.
A strong memory lingered before it dimmed.
But it hadn’t completely vanished. Not as resplendent as before, yet remnants of sparkling light stretched on. A luminous tapestry illuminating places far and away was grandly laid out.
[Rest now, since we don’t know what’s next.]
Descend – In response, Cartia took a natural step forward.
Swaying in the wind, she approached the ruins and halted in a place shrouded in deep shadow.
She took a breath.
Adjusted her posture.
One foot forward, one foot back.
With both hands, she wrapped around the great sword to position it in front of her body.
A natural middle stance, though more relaxed than usual.
Yet, it wasn’t light.
There were no openings.
In a flawless stance, preventing anyone from daring to speak, I swallowed hard.
[I’ll start using some strength now, don’t fall for me, alright?]
Cartia laughed at me.
She laughed and made her way forward.
At the same time, her body vanished.
I hurriedly grabbed Frey.
I turned toward the direction Cartia must have headed.
In that moment.
Swoosh-
A colossal line formed in the world.
A long line stretching from the sky to the earth.
As it unfolded, the space distorted around it.
Time stretched, sped up, and twisted, becoming something that could no longer be followed.
Within it, again.
Swoosh-
A horizontal line cleaved through the sea of disaster.
The sea torn like paper revealed that giggle – Cartia’s laughter echoed.
The tapestry of light swayed. Her toes touched it, and at the same moment, a massive ripple erupted. The faded remnants burst forth in radiant light, blooming as if to welcome her.
Cartia walked there.
Where she stepped was not ground.
Where her feet touched was the weapons of the masters.
Stepping over the myriad weapons aimed at her, mingled with illusions, unable to discern which was real and which was fake, she walked upon them.
Her laughter was light.
Her movements were natural.
Yet, the sword she wielded was intense.
The great sword, heavier and sharper than anything else, burst with light as it longed for victory.
She did not look back.
She did not doubt the path she had taken.
Without distrust in her strength, she believed wholeheartedly in the one who would open her way.
Thus, she scattered the achievements she had built into the world.
One sword pierced through.
One sword opened a path.
One sword split the sky.
One sword erased everything surrounding them.
At last, Frey’s back revealed itself.
Toward that, Cartia stepped forward.
Forward, forward.
Toward the opened path.
Toward where victory awaited.
Finally, Cartia stood beside Frey, smiling as she caught up.
Frey, seeing Cartia, also smiled back.
And without either of them needing to take the lead, they raised their swords.
With swords drawn.
They swung towards the long-desired victory.
