102 – 102. Eternity.
One side of the forest was engulfed in ash-gray, frozen in time, while on the opposite side, everything was vanishing under a golden flash.
Crackle! Crackle! Unseen strikes raged, targeting the trees that made up the forest and all living beings within it.
Swish! Though there was no intent to kill, if one existed in the path of the sword, it became a vow of flesh.
Even the swift movements of the forest squirrel couldn’t evade the merciless strikes that neither the sturdy boulders could endure.
And countless swords surged from all directions solely to end me.
“───Damn it! Where did that momentum go! Your fleeing feet are quick!”
From all directions.
Dodging strikes coming at every part of my body, I also had to parry the Makina’s sword charging straight at me.
Clang! It seemed the opposing side had also reserved some strength, as their vigor was greater than before.
I lightly parried back.
“Heh heh, seems your eyes are dull, can’t land a single hit.”
“Ha, all bark, no bite!”
Clang! Clashing swords, creating distance, but the opponent, seemingly relentless, swiftly followed, toying with underwater swordplay.
“───Glare, art of the weapon.”
Just then, intangible strikes from all sides were closing in.
Furthermore, the Deus Makina infused immense power into the sword drawn towards my torso.
At that moment, the divine will, the golden radiance, adorned the sword vanquishing with light.
A vast power that could withstand due to being a sword not made of matter.
A thrust reaching the brink.
Even if it was me, taking that head-on would surely sting.
So, naturally.
It had to be parried.
Though I disliked wasting power, there was no thought of avoiding the fight they had brought.
“Manbaekgeomhwa.”
Reversing all damage and impact received so far.
White swords rose from the ground and sky in various places.
Though not directly manifesting a black and white reversal of the world, it served as a shield.
Clang! Thousands of swords erected around me, like thorns outwardly, blocking attacks.
The strikes from all directions, and even a single thrust, were partially thwarted, considering the power exchange rate, it was quite easily blocked.
‘The amount of power to level a city with just one thrust.’
If I had dodged, a city on the trajectory would have been wiped out, civilians included.
A foolish act.
Facing the foolish sword comparable to a Kenichi, I countered with a sharp shield and immediately prepared for the aftermath.
The jagged blades rising around me were unsightly.
“Unfolding.”
So, crushing them all would certainly be for the best.
“Shadows, the art of punishment.”
Thousands of swords are the ingredients.
To create them as offerings was the duty of the demon king and the presiding official.
The scattered white powder soon became the presiding official.
Before Deus Makina could even draw his sword, a white pillar stood tall.
“─The Swastika White Sword Flower, White Coffin.”
Inside the white pillar unfolds a tremendous pressure and infinite devastation, enough to annihilate all matter.
Fundamentally threatening as it may be, one shouldn’t expect to die from the attack Makina was about to carry out, as it was merely an extension of his usual tactics.
So, adding more here should be sufficient.
Placing my hand on the white pillar, I abandoned the illusion, immediately manifesting the next art.
“Genesis, the art of explosion.”
A new pillar of light rose from the ground.
──────────!!!!
A grand explosion beyond description.
Though everything should have been obliterated, the boundaries were not delayed.
The vivid golden area that split my ashen form and the world remained undisturbed.
“Indeed, quite astonishing.”
As the explosive display that filled the forward vision subsided, Deus Makina appeared unscathed, clapping his hands in admiration, not a scratch on his face or his attire.
Clap clap clap clap─
Makina’s dry smile and emphatic applause felt oddly discordant.
At first glance, he seemed unscathed, but the significantly diminished amount of mana, necessary for rapid regeneration, might have hinted at the vulnerability hidden within.
He was not invincible.
While difficult to kill once, with enough attempts, he would surely meet his end.
There are limits to his vitality and mana.
Before manifesting another art, if his head were to be split into thousands of pieces, he might perish instantly.
“So, what will you show me now?”
Of course, the protagonist seemed confident he wouldn’t die anymore.
Deus Makina glared at me sharply, conjuring another sword out of thin air.
“Only a mere twenty-year-old managed to achieve this. Commendable. The amount of mana, its density, and the perfection of the art are all exceptional. Accumulating this level of ability while evading my gaze is truly remarkable.”
Creating a new golden sword, Makina infused it with mana once more.
The same amount of mana as before.
If a human possessed it, the power imbued in just one sword would be enough to rival the pinnacle of the era.
Vrrrmm─
From Noble mtl dot com
Brandishing the glowing sword, Deus Makina took aim with a fierce smile.
“So, what’s next?”
As she channeled power into her stance, the art materialized in the air before her.
A vast art I had seen long ago.
A brute, ignorant, yet destructive attack capable of wiping out an entire forest area.
For the ancient ogre who had lived for thousands of years, for the monster tasked with the world’s mission as the demon king, there was still this level of reserve.
“My remaining mana and the inner world I’ve constructed are far more substantial. You are not lacking. It’s simply because this body has lived a long time. There is no need to feel ashamed. You are truly exceptional, my one and only companion.”
Makina, with a face full of confidence in victory, extended the hand without a sword and spoke.
“Let’s start heading back slowly now. It may feel like a fair match for now, but how long do you think you can hold on with this momentum? Unlike me, who can be resurrected at any time, if your neck is cut, you’ll die then and there. I don’t want to kill an immature companion.”
The ashen and golden colors, once fiercely clashing like swords, now perfectly divided the world.
“You’ve endured this much. It’s quite remarkable to have held on this long with one exceptional talent blocked. As long as our powers are restrained, the battle will drag on. In that case, the ones who suffer the most will not be you and me, but this fragile world.”
The wicked demeanor of the demon lord suggested a plan to not only drag me further but also to obliterate even the friends who came on this journey with me.
At least, that’s how it sounded like a threat to me.
It’s because of our past encounters. It’s quite an unpleasant tale.
But even facing the enemy, I didn’t lose my smile.
As I raised the corners of my mouth, whether she saw it as a positive signal, Deux Makina smiled even brighter and said, “Let’s go back. Shiki. To our own castle.”
It seemed like it was time to end the farce, as I had no intention of returning to that cursed castle or dragging my friends into it.
“hahahaha, I’d rather not.”
With a firm refusal, Makina frowned.
Since I had confirmed most of his tricks, the preliminary skirmish was over.
Despite being far behind in magical power, the fact that I had discovered the weakness of his territory – the inner world – was a significant achievement.
“So, you’re unable to strike directly, huh?”
Just as Makina couldn’t stop me, she also couldn’t immediately strike my body.
It ended with a blow from the area tinted in golden.
If we were to meet in person, there was a possibility of my magical power and territory being overwhelmed, but at least in terms of ability, I seemed to have the upper hand.
“It’s better for you to go back alone.”
Returning the sword in the water to nothingness, I spread out my relaxed hands.
Even though I refused to go back, Makina narrowed her eyes at my act of disarming.
She licked her lips as if displeased with my response.
“Foolish.”
Spears of light began to glow in the golden area like stars.
It seemed like a large-scale feast and individual attacks, with the majority of spears, were about to come at once.
If I had to face them barehanded, it would be a terrifying sight, but it was fine.
“hahahaha, the foolish one is you.”
It had been a long time since I became a monster to kill monsters.
If I had to kill a god instead of a monster, I would gladly become a god.
Beneath the ceiling still divided in ash and gold, I joined my hands together and chanted.
──────.
Makina, watching me as if praying to a god, blinked her eyebrows and sneered.
“In that case, die believing in that.”
As the woman reached out her sword, a flash erupted.
Attacks from all directions flew, and the large-scale feast in the air began to expand endlessly.
At this rate, Kyoto and its surroundings would be devastated.
That was not what I desired.
Therefore, I decided to switch and insert.
“Development.”
Because what I desired to grasp in my hand was not an ordinary metal sword.
It didn’t have to be a sword.
I could accept any form as long as it could strangle a god’s neck.
A spear, an axe, a chain, a whip, even a bludgeon if it could crush a head.
But in the end, what ended up in my hand was a dagger that closely resembled a Japanese sword.
It is simply an unrealized, symbolic sword.
With that sword, I sliced through the world.
“────Indestructible.”
At that moment, the second hand of the clock stopped.
…
As the always bustling movements disappeared, an egalitarian world emerged for everyone.
Everyone stopped.
Only I continued to flow.
“When exactly did you make up your mind?”
The events that followed were simple.
With the intangible sword in hand, I walked slowly.
Approaching the woman who swung the sword towards a place where I no longer existed, I whispered, “There are abilities that even you cannot match.”
The frozen Makina did not respond.
There is no such thing as ‘absolute’ in the world.
But after countless repetitions of the same thoughts, if that was the result, then so be it.
Just as I forcibly killed a god.
──Will we be able to come together like this next year as well?
I will definitely survive.
In this damn world, striving for perfection became the goal of life.
Determined, I swung my sword.
Thud!
As the devil’s body split in two, golden blood overflowed in the ashen world.