Chapter Seventy-Three
Some time had passed since the battle began.
In the midst of the fierce fight, where a single second felt stretched into dozens, Ryuuzas, who had been dealing with the controlled magicians and monsters, suddenly spoke.
“…Having a bit of talent or being a quick learner… this is beyond that level.”
It was as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“…I wonder what Zenoah would say if she saw this? A genius? A prodigy? No, that wouldn’t be it. At this level, even those words are too lukewarm. This is… the realm of monsters.”
His fighting style was like that of a seasoned warrior. He looked like a warrior who had spent a considerable amount of time in the crucible of battle, at least half a lifetime for someone of advanced age.
That’s why he chuckled. No, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Because he had witnessed the disparity. Because he had grasped the abnormality.
He chuckled, his throat vibrating, because he wasn’t confident he could maintain his composure otherwise, faced with this reality.
“This… makes no sense. Why can you use it so well? How can you predict and avoid attacks so perfectly? That night, when I saw you, I thought you were extraordinary. I thought you were an amazing kid. But… but it wasn’t to this extent, was it? Huh!?”
It was originally something that shouldn’t have been possible, but the transformation was so dramatic that it was as if he had become a different person. Precisely because Ryuuzas didn’t know the circumstances, he couldn’t understand. He couldn’t keep up.
Julius always had the best ‘example’ within him. What he lacked was his own ability. What was inferior was the pure physical ability to embody that ideal.
Therefore, the moment he observed and learned ‘Shroud’ from Zenoah, a clear difference in combat ability arose. It wasn’t just that he gained mobility; rather, he became able to imitate the ideal in his mind in reality, to an almost identical degree. With that, there was no reason he couldn’t win, no matter who his opponent was. That was all there was to it.
Therefore—
“—”
The clash of swords continued relentlessly, as if there was no difference in skill, assaulting my eardrums and shaking the air. Even though Alstead enhanced his physical abilities to the limit with his magic and rained down attacks like a hailstorm, no fatal wounds appeared.
A strange situation arose where Alstead, who seemed to have the upper hand in experience, skill, and everything else, couldn’t break through. Faced with this fact, anxiety gnawed at him.
However, precisely because he had experience.
Being an excellent warrior was, in this case, a disadvantage. The situation didn’t improve at all.
In the ever-shifting battle, what was the most appropriate action? Because he understood that and continued to choose it, Julius was able to counter him…
Because he had thousands of battle memories in his head. And because he was Julius, the one who had witnessed, admired, and continuously tried to imitate the memories of a man who had consistently chosen the best course of action in those battle memories.
That’s why it didn’t work. He could only inflict minor lacerations.
…However, the limit of his body, due to the heavy strain, was fast approaching. No matter how much he mastered the techniques, his body couldn’t keep up.
It was so much fun, so exhilarating, so exciting—and yet, so frustrating. I was so close. I knew I was almost there, but I couldn’t reach it. I couldn’t help but smile wryly, knowing that my limit would come before I reached it.
And while gasping for breath, I once again created the ever-increasing sound of clashing swords.
I knew from ‘Shooting Star’ that if I used techniques beyond my capacity, my body would reach its limit first. It was self-evident. However, I couldn’t choose not to do it just because I would reach my limit.
After all, I knew better than anyone that I had to surpass my limits to become stronger, and that was something I had affirmed in the past.
“…Give me a break.”
I was used to pain. So, as long as it was just pain, I wouldn’t even consider it. However, it was a different story if my body wouldn’t move as I wanted.
…But even so, I couldn’t lose. My limit was fast approaching. Even so, now that I was facing him, I couldn’t lose, and I couldn’t show any weakness.
Therefore, even as our swords clashed, I laughed weakly, a joyful expression on my face, showing my amusement.
“This is so much fun, but it’s a shame my limit is so close…!!”
I had a firm awareness that I was steadily progressing, step by step. I felt myself getting stronger. I felt like I was getting closer to my ideal, able to do things I couldn’t do before.
“Just… die… already!!”
Swords clashed forcefully, leaving my arm numb, and the attacks continued relentlessly, one after another. But it didn’t matter. I forced my screaming body to move and countered every single attack. Surpassing the limits of my reaction speed, I dealt with everything using the battle instincts cultivated over a lifetime by the man once called the Star Slayer.
“Damn it…”
Persuasion through words was impossible.
Breaking through with strength hadn’t worked yet.
Therefore, Amses gritted his teeth and spoke, a look of fury on his face. Were the crimson tears dripping from the corners of his eyes due to anger? Or was it the price of his magic?
But dismissing it as not even worth considering, Amses gave instructions to the monsters filling the sky.
“This isn’t something you can interfere with, someone who doesn’t understand anything and refuses to try…!!”
He must have underestimated me. But that couldn’t be helped. If you excluded the Star Slayer’s memories, I was just a swordsman. Amses must have assumed I was within the realm of opponents he could handle, even though I could use a cheat-like technique like ‘Shooting Star.’ His miscalculation was that I had learned the movement technique called ‘Shroud’ from Zenoah Almerida.
“—! Change of plans!! I’ll crush you here. I was planning to unleash them in the middle of the royal capital, but I’ll crush everyone here. If you want to fight so much, I’ll give you what you want. I’ll face you with all my might…!!”
The roars of the monsters intensified. And the murderous gazes of countless monsters were directed at me.
A slight chill ran down my spine.
“…Wait, haven’t their numbers increased? How much did he prepare?”
Lilea said, feigning a smile, as if dumbfounded. It was an attitude that suggested she would take them all on if they attacked.
Hearing her characteristic words, I also smiled.
If he wanted to unleash all the monsters, so be it.
If they wanted to stand in my way, so be it.
Then I would simply shoot them all down.
“…Beautiful.”
I unleashed the Star Slayer’s technique—‘Naglfar.’
The sun was blocked by the overwhelming number of monsters that filled the sky, and the surroundings darkened as if dark clouds had gathered. Thanks to that, the light stood out even more.
Each of the light-emitting attacks etched their presence like stars twinkling in the night sky.
That must be why Sofia murmured, “Beautiful.”
“I like this kind of composition. This kind of straightforward, endurance-based composition.”
The one who fell first lost. The one who gave up their stubbornness first lost.
It was simple, but honestly, I would have preferred if he didn’t. I had been constantly fatigued since my fight with Zenoah. I had already unleashed ‘Naglfar’ multiple times. If there was such a thing as a limit, I had probably already surpassed it.
However, these were all things that were, well, too late to worry about. So, I would fight until I collapsed.
“‘Falling Star, Naglfar.’”
I swung the sword I had created with ‘Sword Creation.’ Twice, thrice.
The blades flew towards the monsters, cutting through their countless breaths and heading straight for their targets.
Roars. Death throes. The sounds of collisions and destruction.
Ignoring all of them, I continued to swing my sword. In all directions. Expanding to cover everything—the army of shining blades clashed with the army of monsters.
“I was right to not let you go after Oliver…！ I had a bad feeling, but I didn’t expect it to be this accurate.”
Dust clouds and blasts rose from where they collided. It expanded endlessly, indiscriminately engulfing the surroundings.
Amses was saying something—so what? I didn’t know. I couldn’t hear. I didn’t care. Even replying was too much effort. I didn’t want to waste even that much energy right now.
Expand.
Expand, expand, expand, expand, expand, expand, expand, expand, expand, expand—
“Fuha…”
A sharp pain shot through my body. I forced a twisted smile, trying to maintain some semblance of composure.
Looking at the remnants of ‘Naglfar’ melting into the sky, I poured all my remaining strength into it, down to the last drop of blood.
A Star Slayer not only had to slay stars, but also be a blade that could cut through anything and everything. Because I couldn’t betray that. I couldn’t make it a lie.
Therefore, therefore—
“—‘Unwavering Origin’—!!”
I played my trump card. A trump card I had never shown anyone before.
I chanted, spreading my arms wide, and brilliant lights, like stars, appeared everywhere as if in response.
“‘Starry Night Sky, Planetarium.’”
Countless shimmering lights, like stars, appeared in the sky, mingling with the shadows of the monsters, even though it wasn’t night.
The Star Slayer in my memories had unleashed this instantly without any preparation, but I needed to prepare. I needed to use ‘Naglfar’ to scatter its remnants around me.
Only then could I use it.
“—”
Amses seemed speechless at the fantastical sight.
I understood why.
I understood why he was so surprised.
After all, I wasn’t blessed with magic like ‘Collector,’ like the Magician Hunter.
In this world, one could only use one type of magic. That was the unwritten, absolute rule.
There were some exceptions, but those exceptions were created by magic itself. That’s why creating something magical without borrowing any magic power must have been beyond common sense.
The countless star-like blades were something that only a magician could create, something that couldn’t be explained without using the word “magic.”
“That’s why they praised him. Everyone praised him, admired him, and in the end, no one ridiculed him.”
You will one day achieve your dream of slaying the stars, a feat impossible for a human—everyone said so.
“And since I’m one of them, I can’t just die here, can I?”
I raised my battered right arm, which even lifting caused pain, towards the sky. Then, slowly lowering it, I uttered a single word in my heart: “Rain down.”
Amses hurriedly started to close in on me, trying to eliminate the user, but it was already too late. It was already beyond my control.
Even if he killed me, it wouldn’t disappear.
That’s why.
“Too late.”
I smiled triumphantly, hearing the sizzle of burning flesh and the thud of falling stars piercing the ground.
A single streak of red on my cheek. As Amses hurriedly jumped back to avoid the attack that came faster than I could perceive, I collapsed backwards, unable to support my unsteady body.
[Translator – Vine]
[Proofreader – Lust]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/Eh2ayfR4FB
