Divine Form.
According to that guy, I have attained a Divine Form.
I didn’t complete it during the fight with ‘myself’, but after the battle, when I accepted ‘my’ power, it crystallized into the Divine Form just like now.
Saying ‘Divine Form’ makes it sound special, but it’s really not. It’s just that the power I was using got a bit stronger.
Honestly, I only realized what the Divine Form was when I faced the Nameless One. Since the essence of their power is similar to mine, I couldn’t help but know.
And then, there’s the small space around me, painted in a bloody red color. This too, is a Divine Realm.
Divine Realm… Divine Realm.
Honestly, I was a bit unsure if this was really a Divine Realm, but seeing that guy say it with his own mouth makes me think it must be true. Otherwise, I would have been embarrassed, so thank goodness.
The way to unfold the Divine Realm was simple.
I just had to draw the entire area using my energy, understand the powers that make up this space, their flows, and, well… graph this and that to reproduce it exactly, and it would be done.
…It wasn’t easy. I almost felt like my head would split open during the unfolding process.
There was a lot to think about, I had to fight the Nameless One, understand the information drawn with energy, and unfold a Divine Realm that was identical to it…
Still, perhaps due to my diligence.
I unfolded a perfect Divine Realm without making a single mistake.
Of course, compared to the Nameless One’s Divine Realm, it’s ridiculously small, but I did it on purpose.
If I had made it the same size as theirs, I’d probably get killed instantly, so I only made it big enough to protect my body.
…Honestly, I’m not confident enough to unfold it to match the size of the Nameless One’s Divine Realm. Even if it’s a daydreaming parasite, it seems like it’s still a god of sorts. The skill in handling Divine Form seems quite exceptional.
Of course, it’s weaker than me.
“You arrogant, human brat!!”
Before I knew it, the Nameless One, having regenerated their body, shouted at me from a distance, BAAANG!
At the same time, it unleashed all sorts of unique abilities, Divine Power, and intangible powers… the power of Time! BOOM BOOM.
Naturally, it had no effect.
The moment those things touched me, they shattered into pieces as they hit my Divine Realm.
By the way, I need to quickly change that form.
Seeing that weird voice come from Rubia’s appearance is seriously bizarre. Plus, having lost one arm makes it extremely grotesque.
What could I use to change that?
If I tear off its limbs, wouldn’t it be too inconvenient not to change its appearance?
Yeah. That method sounds good.
As long as I don’t ruin the body, I just need to pull it out carefully.
Once I made my decision, my actions were swift.
THWACK!
With a kick-off, the Nameless One’s form was right in front of me. I swung my fist immediately.
CRACK! Of course, I wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice. Its wings wrapped around its body and blocked my punch. Along with that, the tentacle-like feathers seized my hand.
I figured that if I hit while clad in the Divine Form, they’d die in one hit, so I only swung with my bare fist and ended up like this.
I swung harder this time than before, but it seems like they’ve already adapted.
I need to get used to controlling my strength quickly.
With a POP, I tore my fist free from the grasp of the wings. The disgusting feathers that clung to me were swiftly brushed off as I raised my knee. THWACK. Once again, the dozens of wing pairs, moving freely like octopus tentacles, blocked my knee.
“Get lost!!”
With a shout of desperation, KRUMBLE! A massive chunk of Divine Power erupted from within its wings, shooting toward me.
Naturally, I thought it would shatter upon reaching my Divine Realm, but it didn’t. KABOOM! That chunk of Divine Power slammed into my body.
As a result, I was pushed back, SWHOOSH!.
Blood erupted from my mouth. Even the wounds that had barely healed opened again.
Still, I didn’t take that hit without any gain.
“What the heck… when did…”
In the moment of being pushed back, I shattered half of the wings it had. SNAP. I tore off half of its left arm too.
“You filthy vermin, how dare you, how dare you!!!”
The Nameless One, realizing that its broken wings and arm weren’t regenerating, shrieked in a sharp voice and began to thrash about.
The Divine Realm trembles. It moves as if trying to kill me. It’s hard to breathe. Moving my limbs feels heavy. My thoughts aren’t connecting properly. Everything here denies my existence.
The discomfort that disappeared after unfolding the Divine Realm has wrapped around me again.
If it had come at me this strongly from the start, it would have been easier for it to deal with me, but why were they holding back?
No, I’ll think about that later. Right now, getting rid of this discomfort is a priority.
I exhaled the suffocating breath.
I focused my mind, and released the tight energy I had been holding in a bit more. Like turning a faucet.
No, like opening a dam.
CRACK-POP-
In this white world, my bloody red energy spread. Like an incoming tide, my energy quickly diffused, beginning to stain the previously pure white Divine Realm with a dreary hue.
The once-white space contorted. Following that, the face of the Nameless One twisted as well. Their wailing intensified. The rampage of Divine Power became more violent.
Now, the Nameless One’s offensive was no longer ignorable. It was a desperate struggle that couldn’t even be called an offensive. Standing at the center, I lifted my Great Sword. I swung it non-stop to repel the calamities pouring down like a torrential rain, moving forward slowly.
At the same time, KRUMBLE! from beneath my feet, the now even more turbulent red energy erupted. I held my breath and controlled the flow. Not too much. But not too little either.
Just enough to bring despair to that guy.
As their strength and mine began to balance out.
The wings of the Nameless One spread wide.
A sinister sound echoed from the halo hovering behind it. It sounded like a human’s dying gasp being squeezed out.
That sound soon took shape, becoming a terrifying monster that seemed to embody all the negativity in the world.
If I had to describe its form, it looked like a gigantic potato hotdog with centipede legs and butterfly wings.
Moreover, it reeked. The smell that invaded my nostrils felt horrendous, almost enough to make me think it was its main attack.
Then, a crack appeared on what used to be a featureless face.
Mouth. Mouth. Mouth. Mouth.
Mouths sprouted from every possible orifice.
Endless gaping black maws reminiscent of an abyss opened towards me.
Seeing that, I instinctively realized.
The End.
That is the End that has destroyed this world countless times before ‘my’ own End.
The appearance may be different, but its essence is surely the End.
I must kill it. I charged at the End.
This time, I didn’t use my fists. I swung my Great Sword.
There was no need to control my power. I focused solely on breaking this massive body.
BANG! Swinging with all my strength, the Great Sword shattered the body of the End, but it didn’t stop moving.
Just before the Great Sword touched the ground, I twisted my waist to absorb the recoil. As the Great Sword soared back overhead, THUD! I stomped down and drove it toward where the End had vanished.
Then.
[KKKKKKKKKKAAAAAAAA―!!]
As if to say my expectations were confirmed, the form of the End that had disintegrated without shape instantly regenerated. Thus, POOF! as its body regenerated, it was blown apart once again by my Great Sword.
Complete annihilation. Still, the unsettling feeling the End evoked remained. Not letting my guard down, I charged toward the Nameless One.
Arriving right in front of it in an instant, I reached out to pull out its arm that had been partially torn off.
But, ZAP! A chilling energy coursed up my spine. Right away, I withdrew my outstretched arm and swung my Great Sword widely. It was meant to create distance, yet that didn’t happen.
CRACK!
The Nameless One blocked my Great Sword with its own arm.
Despite how much it hated me, why in the world? Before I could even question, smoke began to rise from the corpse of the disintegrated End. The smoke formed a shape, the form became the End.
One. Two. Three.
From the fallen arms, the End kept splitting, and amidst that, the Nameless One spoke.
“I must kill it before it grows stronger.”
It wasn’t the same frantic scream as before.
It wasn’t a voice filled with rage either.
It was a voice stripped of all emotions.
I didn’t just listen to that voice.
I didn’t just stare at its calm face.
I twisted my waist and swung the Great Sword. SWISH. With a clean sound, both of the Nameless One’s legs rolled on the ground.
Then, I forcibly held the recoil of the Great Sword and lifted it. CLANG! The tentacle protruding from the backbone of the foremost End flicked against the Great Sword. Without stopping there, I spread the Great Sword.
SWISH! Cutting down the tentacles of other End rushing after that, I held my position.
WHEW! The wings of the End flutter. A foul stench wafted. And then, DRENCH. Its mouth opened wide. Screams pierced the air.
Forgotten ancient beings, dead and forgotten.
Their horrible cries.
It began to shake my Divine Realm.
I bit down and drove the Great Sword into the jaw of the End. SQUELCH. Along with a sound like stabbing the Great Sword into a muddy puddle, the head of the End exploded.
Holding my breath against the repulsive odor, I took a deep breath.
And then, THUD! Just as I was about to slam my Great Sword down to smash the jaws of those following behind.
The Great Sword stopped.
I didn’t stop.
The End’s Divine Power had firmly latched onto my Great Sword.
I turned to break the tentacles of the End that shot out from the front, looking back.
The Nameless One lay motionless on the ground. Still, there was no particular emotion on its face.
And, it spoke.
“Let’s kill.”
Let’s kill.
Let’s kill.
Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill. Let’s kill.
The words accelerated gradually. The voice of the Nameless One, which was now no longer audible in human language, suddenly cut off.
Following that voice, the movements of the End also came to a halt.
Then, they all raised their heads simultaneously.
In an instant, the sky brightened.
I too, raised my head following their gaze.
There, the sun was rising.
Not a black sun.
But a complete sun unleashed by the Nameless One, who had released all its power.
