Chapter Fifty-Nine
“…Manipulating the mind, huh.”
I quietly repeated the words directed at me.
…Magic really could do anything.
Having been born in a remote village, I lacked knowledge of so many things, and I couldn’t help but have such a thought about the events unfolding before me.
“Certainly, as you said, it’s best not to stimulate him unnecessarily. But…”
Then, I shifted my gaze from the magician to the ‘Magician Hunter.’
“That’s right, that’s right, I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them. It’s not wrong. Nothing is wrong. So, so, so, so, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!!! All of them, all of them, everything, everything, everything—”
“—It seems like it’s already too late, even without stimulating him.”
I gave a wry smile in response to the resentful voice.
“If we leave him like this before he calms down, won’t he stab us to death the moment we turn our backs?”
“…”
The ‘Magician Hunter’ continued to spin an endless stream of words, turning all his resentment into speech. And the gleam in his eyes, directed at us, was dangerous. His clouded eyes, clearly overcome with conflict, were being dyed with the impulse to kill.
“…This is troublesome.”
The magician, who had warned me not to stimulate him, seemed to be witnessing something that surpassed his experience.
With a grimace, he spoke.
“…Indeed, as the kid said, this is bad. Normally, those whose minds are manipulated are tormented by the clear discrepancy between their original memories and the manipulated ones, but in his case, he’s snapped in a bad way. …Does this mean we have no choice but to fight and silence him…?”
However, he soon shook his head slightly, denying his own words.
“…No, the odds are too bad. Even if it’s two against one, there’s a high chance we’ll be counterattacked if we fight seriously…”
However, it was clearer than day that any attempts to persuade or reason with the ‘Magician Hunter,’ who continued to repeat words endlessly, wouldn’t reach him in the slightest.
Therefore, the only option left was the use of force.
An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Killing intent for killing intent.
A common, unspoken rule among those who wielded swords and engaged in combat.
Wasn’t that all it was?
“But we have to do it. If we don’t, we’ll be killed.”
“Ha… Are you not afraid, kid? How can you look so happy when you’re being directed with such enormous killing intent?”
Of course, I was afraid.
I was still composed enough to gauge the difference in skill between us in this situation. But even so, there was a part of me that wanted the excuse of “it can’t be helped.” I couldn’t lie about that feeling.
“…Honestly.”
He was utterly dumbfounded by my attitude. Eventually,
“Listen, kid. For now, make him focus all his attention on you. Then I’ll take care of the rest.”
In other words, buy time by making him so focused on me that he couldn’t think of anything else. A very simple and clear order.
“Understood.”
I agreed.
Staring at the ‘Magician Hunter,’ who was emanating a burning rage and waiting for the opportunity to strike—
“Well then—”
I spoke from the bottom of my stomach.
Since it had ended halfway, as long as I could follow through with this burning desire, anything was fine. Therefore,
“—Let’s continue!!”
With a joyful grin, I raised the weapon I still held into the air—a single horizontal flash.
A seemingly meaningless action.
However, the meaning of that action immediately took shape, baring its fangs ferociously at the ‘Magician Hunter.’
The remnants of magic power released from the swing. It shimmered like stars scattered in the sky—and then rained down towards a single point.
At the same time, as soon as he judged that a definite killing intent was directed at him, the ‘Magician Hunter’ left the spot with beast-like agility. A speed I couldn’t even properly perceive.
But,
“If I can’t follow him with my eyes, I just have to spread it in all directions…!”
A scream-like voice, “Do you have no consideration for me…!!”, reached me from nearby, but there was no need to worry.
In fact, he had already avoided the ‘Falling Star, Naglfar’ unscathed when the ‘Magician Hunter’ was still rational, using some unknown method.
Therefore, there was no need to hold back.
“Shoot it down—”
Once again, I spun around, swinging the weapon in my hand horizontally as if to tear through the empty air. Ignoring the creaking of my bones, I uttered the words, a tempting move…
“—‘Falling Star, Naglfar’—!!”
Countless falling stars instantly covered the area before me. There was no gap through which he could slip unscathed, except for one spot.
And I grinned with joy.
“I knew it. I knew it, I knew it!! I believed you would definitely do that!!!”
The best move against ‘Falling Star, Naglfar’ was to close the distance to zero in an instant.
Because only right next to me, a harmless space without falling stars was created.
And sure enough, a human figure leaped before me in an instant. But that was expected.
I knew that the ‘Star Slayer’ in my memories had also been exploited for that weakness countless times whenever he used ‘Falling Star, Naglfar.’
…But that’s why there were things I could do.
“But there’s no way you wouldn’t have countermeasures for such an obvious weakness, right!?”
In a flash, I slightly raised the sword I gripped tightly—and swung.
With a speed that could only be described as divine, I unleashed a series of slashes: a diagonal slash, a reverse diagonal slash, to the right, to the left, up and down, all in a single breath.
Truly like a summer insect flying into a fire.
Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—
I continued to swing without pause, pouring into my sword emotions I couldn’t deny even if they were called curses. Feeling the distinct sensation of my attacks being blocked, again and again, endlessly.
“You’re strong!! Much stronger than me!!! But you’re not strong enough for me to give up on defeating you, are you!?”
I screamed, giving in to my emotions. Elated, caught up in the heat of battle, I crossed swords again and again, continuing to swing even though I knew the weapon in my hand was about to break.
And after what felt like dozens of seconds stretched into a single, long, long second, filled with fierce exchanges, a distinct snapping sound finally rang out nearby.
At the same time, the corners of our mouths lifted.
Strangely, it wasn’t just one of us, but both me and the ‘Magician Hunter.’
“—Die.”
His weapon was cracked.
Perhaps judging that he wouldn’t be able to properly receive the blow that was already approaching, a cold voice, devoid of any emotion, shook my eardrums.
Certainly, even if I used ‘Sword Creation,’ if I honestly went through the steps of releasing my sword and creating a new one, I probably wouldn’t be able to intercept the attack in time.
But what if I could omit the act of “releasing the sword”? And what if, in response to an attack assuming I would block with the sword in my right hand, I dealt with it using the sword in my left?
“—You die.”
And instead of the place he would have expected, I created a sword and swung it into the empty air from the completely opposite direction, a circular arc of sword light.
Just for a moment.
Delighted by the look of surprise on the ‘Magician Hunter’s’ face, I followed through with the swing. The impact that followed felt weak, lacking power, a thin, hard sensation.
But just before his sword, which couldn’t react to the blow coming from an unexpected direction, was deflected, a distinct discomfort enveloped me.
“—Gah!? M-Magic now…!!”
—‘Gravity Control.’—
The ground cracked and began to cave in with a creaking sound. Seeing this, I immediately recognized the true nature of the discomfort that had struck me.
However, even if I knew what he was doing, I still didn’t know how to deal with it.
A heavy pressure weighed down on my entire body. My knees buckled. With a grimace, I tried to swing through with the sword that had collided with his weapon, even though my momentum had been completely killed by the sensation of being pressed down from above by something invisible.
It was far from a fatal blow, and even though I knew the attack probably wouldn’t reach him, I didn’t break my stance.
“—Well done, kid. Thanks to you, I can send this guy flying…”
In the blink of an eye.
Seizing the opportunity, the magician moved behind the ‘Magician Hunter’ in a matter of moments. He spoke as he extended his right palm towards the man’s body.
And soon,
“Go cool your head a bit—”
Words tinged with irritation were spoken. The ‘Magician Hunter,’ whose reaction was a moment too slow because he was too focused on me, hurriedly looked over his shoulder,
“—‘Forced Teleportation’!!”
“Wha—”
The next moment.
The ‘Magician Hunter’ vanished from before me without a trace, as if he had never been there.
“My magic is ‘Forced Teleportation.’ It’s the ability to send anyone I touch to any location I choose. I couldn’t let him rampage in the city any longer.”
…Well, there’s a limit to the distance I can send him, so it’s only a temporary measure, he said.
Hearing his magic for the first time, I finally understood.
The ‘Magician Hunter’ had at least ‘Accelerate’ and ‘Perception Obstruction.’ Even just touching him probably wouldn’t have been easy under normal circumstances.
“Anyway, thanks, kid. If you hadn’t interfered, I would have been killed. Without even knowing that he was being manipulated by someone.”
I had simply acted as I pleased, as I wanted.
So there was no need for him to thank me.
Thinking that, I slowly rose from my near-kneeling position, burdened by the unusual pressure.
“For now, I have to go see Zenoah…”
Having said that, the magician looked at me with a look that suggested he wanted to say something.
“…Come to think of it, I haven’t told you my name yet, have I?”
He seemed dumbfounded that I had taken the words of someone whose name I didn’t even know seriously.
“Sorry for the late introduction, but I’m Ryuuzas. As I’ve already said, I was in the Knights Order five years ago. And I was the Vice-Commander there. Well, I’m Zenoah’s predecessor.”
The way he erased his presence, and the uncanny skill he displayed by avoiding ‘Falling Star, Naglfar’ unscathed, even though it wasn’t aimed at him.
He had been the Vice-Commander.
Thanks to those words, the questions I had been wondering about were resolved, and I understood a lot of things. And I realized once again.
Fortunately, the world was still a vast place.
[Translator – Vine]
[Proofreader – Lust]
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