Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Author’s comments: Wrath’s (Kyouya’s) perspective
My own body is rampaging of its own accord. I watched that somehow as if it was someone else’s problem. As if I was having an out-of-body experience, watching my body as if from an overhead perspective. Then again, unfortunately my field of vision is only what my original body can see, so it is not possible to understand everything from that overhead perspective though. In other words, it’s more like having an out-of-body experience emotionally rather than literally.
The reason why I have the luxury to afford thinking about such worthless things, is entirely due to the fact that I can’t do anything else. Having activated Wrath, my body won’t listen to what I tell it in the slightest. To go further, while I have the mental image of it being like trying to handle a runaway car with broken brakes, unfortunately it’s like I am sitting in the rear seats and a driver’s seat doesn’t even exist. Even Heresy Nullity cannot eliminate the demerit of using Wrath. Perhaps my body will never return to obeying my own will. In which case, I would only be able to watch like this until I die.
However, I would have no regrets about that. At the elf village, I couldn’t beat two ancient dragons without using Wrath. Therefore, if I was going to have a fight with ancient dragons, I had intended to use Wrath without hesitation. If there was one concern that I had, it would be that once I’ve activated Wrath I would no longer be able to distinguish between enemy and ally, but fortunately there are no allies nearby.
Due to the circumstances I was able to begin the fight. Then, all I had to do was rampage as much as I wanted.
I don’t know how many times this has occurred anymore, but the leopard dragon leaps at me and I tear it to pieces. It seems that the leopard dragon has run out of MP, and is unable to do anything except straight-forwardly leap at me while no longer even being clad in lightning. The claws and fangs that it unleashes are sharp, and that flexible leopard-like physique is quick and nimble. Without even using lighting when against an average human, the high status values alone would be enough for it to dominate, most likely. However, my status values with Wrath being activated, surpasses Ariel-san even in her heyday. A leopard dragon that is inferior in status values, is simply an ordinary opponent.
「NUUUOOOHH!」
However, that leopard dragon acted as a decoy, allowing the Fire Dragon to knock my body from behind. I was struck by the foreleg and… no!? The Fire Dragon has grabbed my body. Then, with the impact from that strike, he plunges into the magma with me. My body burns. No matter how high my status values might be, there’s no way that a living being would take no damage while inside magma. Surpassing what the automatic recovery of HP can handle, the damage steadily accumulates. However, my body did not panic about that, ripped apart the foreleg of the Fire Dragon that had grabbed me, and escaped from the magma.
I jump out of the magma. As though waiting for that moment, wind bullets came flying at me. There is a direct hit on my head, shaking my brain. Even with high status values, an attack like this will do damage no matter what. On top of that, are the harmful effects from the brain being shaken. With the impact of the wind bullets combined with the concussion, my body sinks into the magma once again.
Perhaps due to Faint Nullity, the concussion quickly subsided, and my body quickly jumped out from the magma again. Once more the wind bullets are fired at my head, but if you know they’re coming then it’s easy to deal with. I wave my right arm, knocking down the wind bullets. In addition, I swing my left arm as well, to cut up the Pteranodon dragon that had come at me. However, the sword that was in my hand, had lost its blade. The counter-attack on the Pteranodon dragon ended in a miss, and my body was kicked into the magma for a third time. Perhaps having finally learned that getting out from the same place is dangerous, my body swam through the lava, then climbed ashore a short distance away.
The swords in both my hands have lost their blades. Even if my body could withstand the magma’s temperature, it seems that my blades could not withstand it. I throw the hilts away, and take out spare swords from my Space Storage. I’ve already used up almost all of the magic swords that I made before the battle. These are now the last of the spare swords. In addition, in the combat just now my HP was significantly reduced.
Even though Wrath increases all my status values by a factor of 10, this is not the case for HP, MP and SP. Even if the maximum value increases, the current values are carried over at the time when Wrath is activated. While HP and MP will gradually increase due to automatic recovery, SP doesn’t even get that. In addition, I don’t have the concept of preserving my MP when I’m being dominated by Wrath. My MP is getting close to empty. Also, my HP has been steadily reduced due to the repeated attacks from the ancient dragons. It’s not just my HP. Due to someone hiding somewhere, little by little my status values have been decreased. It’s like a debuff from a curse. It’s happened slowly, but I’ve been cornered.
The ancient dragons charge towards me once again. Included with them, is the leopard dragon who should have been slain earlier. Shun comes into sight at the edge of my vision. In this battle, the key player has been Shun. Because Shun revived the ancient dragons endlessly, I wasn’t able to attack him either.
I’ve not once had a level-up. In spite of the fact that I’ve defeated ancient dragons many times. It shouldn’t be possible to defeat such powerful ancient dragons and not go up in level. It’s probably the case that when revival is a possibility there are special rules in place. Since a level-up uses a portion of the energy recovered by the System, unless the soul is recovered by the System then that can’t be received I guess. Normally experience points are gained the moment the opponent is defeated, but when the possibility of revival is close by, then perhaps that award is postponed. In other words, unless I defeat Shun who can use revival, then I’ll never gain any experience points no matter how many ancient dragons I defeat.
If I can kill Shun first and foremost, I will be able to gain an advantage in this fight, but unfortunately, while being dominated by Wrath it seems that I prioritise the first opponent that I see. While I knew that Shun was trouble, I had left him alone. No…. perhaps… I had been hoping for that somewhere in my heart.
I was sure that I had resolved myself. Resolved myself to slay my former friend. However, somewhere in my heart, perhaps I am refusing to do that, which is why I have been avoiding it. In that case……
「GAAAAAAHHHH!!」
That weakness… must be cast aside.
「Oh no!?」
Breaking through the encirclement of ancient dragons, I dash towards Shun. With a pale face like he could collapse at any moment, Shun’s face stiffens. In front of him, Kanata stood in the way. Kanata raises both hands, wrapping herself and Shun in something like a barrier. My sword strikes against the barrier-like thing, and astonishingly enough it is repelled. However, the barrier was also cracked. And I am a dual-wielder. The other sword slams into the barrier, breaking it.
「Nii-sama!」
However, in the moment when I am hindered by that barrier, yet another person rushes into the space between Shun and myself to stand in my way. A girl who is apparently Shun’s younger sister in this world, along with a small white ancient dragon who can grant the divine protection of dragons, had cross blades with me before. However, that was purely because she had the support of the other ancient dragons. In a one-on-one situation, she is no match for me. I slam my two swords into Shun’s younger sister at the same time. Shun’s younger sister blocks them with her sword, but despite bracing her legs she is knocked back flying. With this, there is no one protecting Shun.
I raise my two swords. Then, with great force, without hesitation, I swung them down. Shun immediately pushes Kanata away, stepping forwards to protect her. But, that’s all he could do. He doesn’t have time to avoid my attack. Consequently, I cut down my former friend… or so I thought.
「?」
In front of me was Shun, unharmed. I looked at my hands in confusion, to see that I had two swords with broken blades. Out of MP. Due to that, Magic Granting had expired. Then, it seems that my weapons without Magic Granting couldn’t withstand my full power even though they’re magic swords.
My body responded quickly. I thrust out my swords with their broken blades towards Shun. Even without the sword blades, it is a strike with my full power. Just hitting Shun in the face would be enough to kill him.
However, another person quickly twined their arms around mine. Then, my field of view spun.
For a moment, I didn’t understand what had happened. While my field of view was spinning, I could see the figure of the man (?) who had been besides Shun the whole time in a strange posture. That is the pose of someone doing a shoulder throw. In other words, I had been thrown over the shoulder.
Then, while being thrown through the air, the leopard dragon bit into my windpipe. It seems that due to the debuff my defensive power has been lowered enough that they can break through it, and the fangs dig into my neck. While being bitten on landing, I once again strike the leopard dragon with all my might. The leopard dragon’s body slams into the ground, with the fangs that had been stabbed into my neck leaving a large spurt of blood.
…Dammit. My HP is decreasing rapidly. I have no other weapons. My MP is also gone.
…This is it, huh.
My body collapses.
「Kyouya……」
Shun, don’t make such a face.
「…don… fa…」
Hahah. Perhaps because my throat was torn, I couldn’t speak properly. Hmm…? My voice responded to my thoughts? Perhaps on the verge of death, Wrath has deactivated? Hah, hahah! What luck! Then, there is one thing that I must do.
「I… offer… my… self…!」
I cannot afford to make a mistake here, so I make sure to pronounce each word properly. Each time I spoke blood would overflow from my mouth, but I’m sure I spoke the words properly.
「!? You what!?」
The person who had thrown me over his (?) shoulder is astonished. However, Shun and Kanata don’t understand the meaning of what I did it seems.
From the very beginning, I had intended to do this. If it ever seemed like I was going to die during this fight, especially in the case that Wrath deactivated. I have killed many people in this world. That is, my sin. Sin requires punishment. Thus, I shall give up everything for the sake of this world, including my soul. That is, my atonement.
Shiro-san, Ariel-san, Sophia-san. I’m sorry. Please, take care of the rest. This is, as far as I go.
Then, my body turned to dust and disappeared.
