118 – 118. Full Power Unleashed.
Racing towards the end.
The anxious and exhilarating sensation, mixed with the impending conclusion, rang in my head like an alarm.
If I were to lose, what would happen if all the efforts made so far were in vain?
If such fear did not exist, it would be a lie.
If my efforts, traces, and loved ones were to vanish as if they never existed, everything I had done would be meaningless.
There was clearly a weak part in me as well.
How could I not have the desire to share the ending with everyone, the desire to rely on someone.
I, too, didn’t want to die, and I wanted to choose a path that could increase my chances of survival.
But what I ultimately chose was a selfish and altruistic path more than anyone else.
Not someone else’s will, but my own choice.
Having made such a choice, the weak me had to appear perfect and relaxed on the surface.
Even if that wasn’t the case in the future, even if my character deteriorated at some point, at least at this moment, I had to be more perfect than anyone else.
I had to overcome it gracefully.
Therefore, I intended to do so.
“Development.”
As Deus Machina reached out into the air, the space revealed under the dark sky began to stir.
Soon, the ground trembled, the sky shook, and even the false stars in the sky seemed to waver as if they might fall.
Something big is coming.
─ Shall we stop it?
That was a matter even the innocent Yongyi-Arian could discern.
If she used all her power, she might be able to offset it, but it wasn’t a situation where everything was at stake yet.
Both parties already had some idea about each other’s strengths and abilities.
It would be wise to save the power of the dragon and the yokai that Machina was unaware of.
Deciding so, I raised my sword into the air and gathered my hands, chanting.
“Black and White Reversal.”
I unfolded another realm.
“Black.”
At that moment, shadows seeped into the black blade, imbuing it with a power to reverse the state of the target.
If even the endlessly regenerating Machina were to be cut by this blade, her recovery ability would be nullified.
“It was originally Kenichi’s role to do this.”
Since he wasn’t up to the task, it had come to the point where I had to do everything.
This, too, was something I chose.
Whatever I do is bound to be better than what foolish Kenichi would do.
“It seems there’s no other way.”
I, holding the swirling black shadowy sword, smiled as usual, chanting.
“I have no choice but to cut through all of you.”
Black and White Reversal.
The shadow imbued in the sword spread further, darkening the ground beneath my feet and creating a domain.
The domain of the shadow that would engulf everything.
“I wasn’t this foolish before. Truly a pitiful sympathizer.”
In contrast, the woman enveloped in radiance looked down at me with a contemptuous expression.
“Seeing you, I feel nothing but human folly.”
At her gesture, the space stirred and then fell still.
When the trembling of the ground and sky ceased in an instant, that moment felt rather awkward.
The moment the defection achieved by Deux Machina fell upon the earth was about then.
“Crushed to death just like that, free fall from the sky.”
Thud-thud-thud-thud──!! The pitch-black sky and the bright red full moon shook violently.
Losing balance, they tilted and began to convulse.
The descent, getting closer to the ground gradually.
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─…Hey, can we stop it?
In the awe-inspiring spectacle, Yong Yong exaggerated unnecessarily, and the Goblin King Shutendouji fell silent.
They never intended to intervene, but they were clever friends who knew the right timing.
“It will be sufficient.”
Although not entirely displeased.
It was much better than having the three apprentices jumping around declaring they would do it.
As the captain of this ship, I smirked twistedly and gripped the sword.
“Unfold.”
The blood shed by me so far, the sense of loss. The power of the demons I hunted and accumulated throughout the country. The impact absorbed in the recent battle.
And now, even the celestial power and destructive power invading the realm of shadows.
I poured all into my soul.
Clang-!
From the shattered mirror fragments, a white sword was forged. Countless branches of swords. The flower of a pure white sword.
─Release.
A white sword rose in the black area.
“Manbaekgeomhwa (卍白劍花).”
At that moment, the universe vividly appeared.
From the entirely black-painted earth, a pillar of a white sword rose and pierced the sky.
It was a sword that even the flesh of gods would hold.
There was no reason it couldn’t pierce the sky, so the countless branches of swords pierced the crumbling abyss and supported it.
Only in the pitch-black sky, there was no mouth to hear the screams.
The Deux Machina leading him just frowned with a more impressed expression and let out a sigh.
“hahahaha, it seems unexpectedly doable, doesn’t it?”
I laughed leisurely and said, and Machina scowled.
“Not at all.”
It seemed to me like he was angry.
The enraged god shattered the pillar of white that held up the sky by swinging the sword himself and soon led the great deity to the land of darkness.
He swings the sword at me.
I welcomed it gladly.
***
Clang-clang-claaang──!!!
In a world covered in the darkness of black, each clash of blades brought forth thunder and flashes.
To those wielding the dark sword, how they felt, one could not know, but to Shutendouji as a third party, the swordsmanship was as dazzling as to make one’s eyes hurt.
There were only two, but to him, a powerful being – a war of gods.
To the goblin king who venerates strife and strength, there was no more beautiful sight than now.
The pink-haired sorcerer may have shown potential, but compared to them, he was endlessly lacking.
Ever since the clash of souls in the previous bureau, he knew of the power of this white-haired exorcist.
─Yes, this is it! This is what a struggle is all about!
The Goblin King, Shtendoji, shouted with exhilaration in his voice.
Though the dragon within the depths of the man’s soul murmured along, it went unheard.
For this very struggle, he was conceived and clung to the girl’s soul until the bitter end.
He had already died in the past.
Living as a goblin driven by desire and lingering regrets, he had only held on until this moment.
The Goblin King, Shtendoji, realized that the time had come to expend the souls and power he had accumulated.
─Sorcerer!!! Use me!!! Burn the demon before you with your own self!!!
At this exuberant cry, the man with the dragon’s soul, Ichimaru Shiki, smirked.
From the moment his soul touched the previous one, he knew it was a more valuable piece than he had initially thought.
A substitute to consume in place of friends.
Even as the opportunity presented itself, there was no reason to hesitate in using such an item.
─Ah, I shall too! I shall join in!
Following the goblin, the man heard the dragon’s call and promptly made his decision.
Expanding upon the black-and-white reversal, he would now exert influence in another realm.
Utilizing the power of yokai amassed through nationwide exorcisms as a foundation.
Upon this, he built a palace with the energy of the Goblin King Shtendoji, adorning it with the power of the dragon’s veins.
“Unfurl.”
Gathering the powers of gods, yokai, and humans, Ichimaru Shiki gripped the sword.
From the pitch-black ground he trod upon, colorful spirits rose, emitting a chaotic array of colors.
Soon, the man was engulfed in the froth of chaos, and despite the ominous signs, Deus Machina swung the sword even more vigorously, yet the light did not fade.
“Polarity Unfurl.”
It was not colorless.
The dull colors gained a sheen, and swords rising from the froth displayed various hues of red, gold, blue, and green, each radiating a colorful light towards Machina.
Possessing a brilliance no less than anyone else, Machina was astonished by the sudden radiance and parried the swords.
However, the incoming light swords were countless, and despite his rapid movements, it was almost inevitable that one would pierce his torso.
Slash!
A pink sword, resembling someone’s hair, pierced Machina’s body.
Distorting his face in pain, he immediately shattered the sword stuck in his abdomen.
“How dare you──!!”
Before her enraged eyes, the wall of brilliance soon dissipated, revealing a deity.
His snowy white hair burned brightly and dispersed, his breath carrying immense power.
The white robe enveloping the man’s body overflowed with sanctity.
“I can’t maintain this for long. So, shall we quickly conclude our fight?”
With a formless entity in his grasp, Shtendoji, the man with distorted space, as usual, spoke with a smirk on his face.
“Release all power.”
An amulet containing all inner will and emotions.
Heart Sword.
There, the man who had infused the souls, light, and even his own power of all specters intoned,
“Bankai.”
At the moment when everything inside him was liberated, with a swift slash─! Makina’s torso was bisected.
“…Aah.”
The god’s body being effortlessly cleaved away and the bewildered expression on that face.
Yes, this is the end.
Having reached the destination of a long journey, one might feel relieved, yet Ichimaru Shiki never let go of his sword.
Instead, he seemed even more vigilant.
In that stance, Makina, who was staggering on the ground, twisted a faint smile.
“…This won’t work, huh?”
Even as she collapsed, Makina raised a finger.
In that instant, a faint dotted line was drawn on Ichimaru Shiki’s torso.
“Spatial Severance.”
bankai 😭