I was stunned when our weapons clashed. The maddened centaur used that opportunity to quickly close our distance, bringing its scorching flames right in front of me.
—Damn it. Like this I can’t even get near it anymore.
Making the most out of our clashing weapons, I pushed the centaur back, then as I gathered ether into my arms, I repelled the centaur.
“Abominable… Human…” The maddened centaur seemed lost for a moment, as if it was hallucinating of a place not here. When it woke up, it came charging again. Its strength seemed endless. No matter how much I cut it, I just can’t seem to hurt it. I never thought this battle would be this difficult.
More and more fire burned as the centaur attacked, the temperature around it gradually rose until that annoying wall of fire came to view.
It seems the more I cut it, the longer it spends hallucinating. Technically, that’s an opening I should be able to use, but the heat is making it hard to approach. Right… In other words, I can’t do anything right now.
After being stunned for the umpteenth time and recovering, the centaur turned to me. “Filthy… Goblin…”
The centaur already looked no different from a blazing flame. The flames from inside the wounds I’ve cut could be seen wavering. How could someone turn into a monster like this?
Is it obsession? Or a terrifying grudge?
There is probably no one who hates the humans as much as this centaur.
—But even then… I won’t lose.
If I withdraw from this fight, this mad monster would surely hurt the people following me. Besides, didn’t I vow to destroy everything that blocked my path?
Gritting my molars, I held my long sword tight.
—Let’s do this!
I glared at the enemy before me.
“GURURUUuAaAaAA!!” My World Devouring Howl signaled the start of my counterattack. Ether filled my legs as I kicked off against the ground and leaped like a beast.
The wall of flames approached.
“Let my body be inviolableShield!”
Black flames covered my body as I charged into the mouth of hell with my sword wielded to my right. The centaur’s spear descended to greet me, but I stopped my body and dodged. The force behind that spear as it grazed me was like that of a huge tree.
—EnDurE iTTTt!
I gripped my sword as tight as I could to keep myself from trying to cover my face from the heat or run away from this hell. The spear only grazed me, but the force behind it caused blood to drip down my cheeks.
Still, I endured and stepped forward with my left foot with so much power it seemed I was trying to crush the ground.
“Turn Me into a BladeEnchant!”
As soon as the centaur’s body came to view from beyond the flames, I let loose my sword from below!
“GYaaaAAga!” The centaur staggered.
Meanwhile, the centaur’s flames started to eat through my body the moment I canceled Shield. The heat was enough to drive me mad, but I endured it even as the oxygen around me burned up, sending slash after slash against the centaur.
“GYaaAGAGAAAaaaAAa!?”
—Still not enough!?
Again I struck with my sword, but when I stepped forward, something blocked one of my eyes. In the next moment, I felt the pain of heat, then my head swayed… Did I get hit!?
In that hell long past the point of ‘hot’, the heat quickly changed into pain.
As I staggered, the enemy reassumed its stance as it held its spear. It seems that’s what hit my face just now.
The pain of the heat coupled with the lack of air stopped me in my tracks.
Despite still staggering and still in pain, I forced myself to take a breath. When I looked up, I saw the centaur’s spear.
I’m going to lose, I thought. But as soon as I did, Reshia’s figure flashed through my mind.
—No, not yet!
I can’t lose!
I will win and take everything!
The Soul of the Berserk King awoke.
Pain and anguish seemed to vanish as the maddened soul of the berserk king howled in fury.
“GURUuuaAaAa AaAAa!!”
The descending spear was flicked away as my sword met it, but by doing so, my sword finally broke. I threw it away. Only, two swords were left.
I looked at the enemy with the other half of my vision.
Black flames appeared from the base of my two swords, climbing up them as the black flames wrapped around their blades. At the same time, anger and battle intent screamed within my mind, demanding that I slay the enemy before me. My lips curved into a smile. It was the joy of battle, the happiness of dancing at the edge of death.
“GYaaARUAAaA!”
I met the descending burning spear with one sword. Naturally, I couldn’t win with just one hand, so the flaming sword struck down my sword along with my shoulders. The smell of burnt flesh filled my nose as I released that sword.
Joy tried to fill me, but I pushed it back to keep my sanity. I grit my teeth hard enough it seemed they would break, all in an effort to keep me from losing my mind.
The spear continued to burn my shoulders, but I ignored it and moved onwards with my remaining sword in my left hand.
“GURUuuuAAAaAAa!!”
The part the burning spear touched had already started to char, but still, I stepped onwards.
Pain ceased. I stopped even the black flames that sought to burst out of my wounds, gathering all of my power into my sword.
“Turn Me into a BladeEnchant!”
From the left to the right, I swung my sword, cutting at the boundary that separated the human body from the horse. Like that the Man-Eating Tiger was cut with its flame.
Flames came pouring out of the upper human body as it fell along with its lower horse body, but the flames were already starting to peter out.
◇◆◇
“Why…” The man asked.
His life had long come to its end, his eyes hollowed, but still he mustered the last of his strength to turn to me and ask.
“Why… Can’t I win?”
The part I’d cut had already charred. The fact that he was still able to talk despite that showed just how miraculous his vigor was. It was as if his obsession wouldn’t let him die.
“I ate the corpses of my friends, I threw away… my pride… I became a demon… I lost everything, and yet… Why can’t I… win? Why can’t I… avenge my friends!”
Those words were the cry of a man who’d sworn vengeance. The cry of a man whose dreams were crushed.
I answered him. “Because my flame is still burning bright.”
If there was a difference between us, then it’s the difference in resolve. His decision to throw everything, to throw even himself away… If there was a difference, then that would be it.
“What does a goblin…” The man asked.
I replied. “I have a dream. A dream to one day conquer this world and everything in it.”
I buried my sword into the ground beside the man’s face.
“I won’t lose. I will take everything, the humans, the demihumans, even the elves… everything.”
The man looked shock for a moment, his eyes opening wide. Just a little, he seemed to laugh.
“Big words… for a… goblin… But, I see… Before I knew it… I had… burned out…”
The man looked at his reflection on my sword that stood beside him as he breathed his last.
Despair stood before him, but it was not despair that made him stop. It was he himself. He was the one who chose to give up.
The demihuman who stopped walking because of despair became a flame and burned away.
But I kept struggling and continue to do so until now. My flesh burned, I couldn’t even breath, but still I walked onwards. That is why I won. Victory did not move my legs, but because I never stopped, I found victory.
“Farewell, demihuman of the flames.”
As I carved the image of the demihuman that burned with his despair into my mind, I left the place.
When I looked up, the hour of the night god had already passed, the body of the fire god hung from the sky once more, shining its light upon the world.
◆◆◆◇◆◆◆◇
Level has risen.
37 => 45
