Chapter 123 (2/2)

Before long, my whole body was transformed into metal.

Unable to speak, unable to move in a slightest, unable to even blink.

And I don’t understand why I am still conscious.

Perhaps because my whole body truly was turned into metal, I don’t even feel pain anymore.

I am just really really cold.

「This is your grave, fall there, Grond. 」

With a voice like it was creeping from the very depths of hell, the Demon Lord delivered his final judgment with a simple copper coin.

A copper coin that flew my way lightly struck me.

Unable to prevent it in any way, I tilted a little and in the next moment fell into the water.

(…?!?!?!?! It huuuuUuUUuuuuUuuUuUuUurts!!!）

It’s melting. it’s melting. it’s melting!

With hissing, my whole body turns into a rough soil.

This is a metal’s pain.

Impossible for a human body, completely incomprehensible for a being made of flesh.

「Ahahahahaha!!! Drown into what you were dreaming about all along and die!!! Just turn into the mud and disappear without leaving a trace!!」

I hear a muffled voice coming from the other side of the water surface.

Along with an instant or maybe with an eternity of pain, it’s hard to say for sure, my everything has turned in a mud.

And when all of the pain has faded away and I was left floating as a soul, chains twined around me and dragged me along.

「『Ah, such a pleasant soul. So unfair, so unfair. So free as a sole soul. You need suffering, you have to suffer, you must taste suffering.』」

「『GuAAAAAAaaAAAaAAAh!』」

The chains bit into the body.

It’s not like it isn’t painful. It was like condensed to the maximum feeling of utmost discomfort.

It was just unbearably agonizing.

It feels like my very existence fades away as it is taken away from me, dissolved in a cold water depths.

It is suffering that makes you think that feeling pain was more bearable.

「『No, no, that is not good at all, being below me you have to suffer more. I will not permit you to have a better lot than me. 』」

「『aAaAaAaaAAah, A, A, Aah…』」

Torn into more and more smaller pieces, rendered into shreds, turned into nothing.

「『Cruel…, You are, a demon… Money, body, and even soul…』」

「Demon? That is not true, for you people, I am…」

Then, the hero showed me a terribly warped smile and jeered at me,

「…A common enemy of the entire human race, 「Demon Lord」, right?」

He pulled the chain of the gallows.

「『GyaAAAAaAAAaaAAAAAaA!!!』」

Raising a scream from literally my very soul, the existence known as Grond is dying.

But even this last agony of my life…

「Kuku, aha, AHAHAHAHA, AHAHAHAHAHHAHAH」

…Ended with a loud laugh from the Demon Lord, without reaching anywhere.

☆

Particles of Grond’s soul scatter in mid-air like sparks from a bonfire.

Envy’s chain wounds up with a rattling sound.

It’s over. It is over.

With this, another one.

「Farewell, Grond.」

Parting words that naturally came along with tears falling down.

「Farewell…, Farewell.」

From my closed eyes, slowly but without stopping streamed tears.

The fury in my heart has completely died down like it was never there.

But for some reason, I felt like it was a calmness different from tranquility or composure.

Smoke from the bonfire and the vapors produced when gold and Grond’s body melted, mixed together and were rising up from the hole and into the sky.

「Finally, I finally avenged you guys. 」

Words that came out, sounded false and empty as if they were reflecting the depths of my heart.

「『Hey, this won’t do, indulging in 「Pride」 right in front of me. I will not permit it.』」

「In 「Pride」?」

「『I am a part of your soul. You won’t fool me with such a display.』」

Envy’s word echoed in my ears.

…Yea, I know. In truth, I understand.

I knew that those kids did not really wish for revenge.

No, even that is just my convenient assumption. I just don’t want them to wish for revenge.

I just don’t want them to suffer from all the ills that come with an attempt to have your vengeance.

There is no way to check the truthfulness of that answer, then, then?

Then what is this feeling?

「Ah, I see. It is just a feeling of guilt.」

It cannot be stopped just by recognizing and voicing it out.

In order to prevent myself from crumbling down, I cover my face with one hand.

I always said so myself. Even if time was re-winded, just as their sins won’t disappear, my mistakes would always come to haunt me.

Due to my fault, I killed them.

Even if it was Grond who actually killed them, the person who allowed him to profit during the first circle was me.

I was unable to save them.

I made them suffer.

I couldn’t rescue them.

I could not do a single thing for them.

「Master…」「Mister Kaito.」

「It’s okay, It’s okay. I already had regrets plenty of times. At this point, I won’t be interrupted by something like that.」

I reply to the two worried voices.

Someday, I perhaps will be killed by this incurable wound.

But for sure, not today.

「I will kill them no matter what. I will throw them all into the pits of hell. No matter what lies ahead.」

So I swore.

Therefore I won’t stop anymore.

That is even more vile treachery and desertion than just giving up.

「…I will follow you anywhere, Master. I will support you for as long as it takes to achieve it.」

「Happy things, sad things, we will accept all of them. 」

「Master is…」

「Mister Kaito is…」

「「the Owner of our revenge.」」

The words of the two that were snuggling closer had no nice hidden meaning.

They were filled only with the reprimanding will saying『We won’t let you run away』.

「Yea, really thank you, both of you. 」

I don’t need support that is just easy on ears.

I want them to stay as chains that bind me.

That is why I gave them words of gratitude.

「Now then, Envy.」

「『Oh, no. I am going to be put to sleep once again, huh. From now on just use me alone.』」

「There is no way I can do that. You lot are too hard to use with all those demerits. Well, you are still on the better side.」

Those demerits can be called the counter-evidence to a great power.

All spirit swords related to the【Sword of Mortal Sin]have difficult activation conditions or big demerits to them.

Taking Envy as an example, during the time of her manifestation, my status is reduced to one third.

Moreover, for the three whole days after using her, I am unable to use any other spirit swords and all healing effects other than natural recovery are nullified.

As long as you fulfill their conditions, no opponent can defend against their power, but it comes with a great price.

「And there is also the Curse of the Holy Maiden. I cannot use you willy-nilly. 」

Even among swords that I use, those that belong to the Mortal Sins have powers on a different scale.

That is why right at the beginning of my betrayal during the first circle, they had those powers sealed.

With a magic formula that the church secretly was developing to restrain Demon Lord, I had huge shackles put upon me.

If I could use my powers freely perhaps the first circle could have ended differently.

「Well, from now on I will use you a lot. Though this time there won’t be many chances to fight evil dragons. 」

I cancel my spirit sword.

Envy’s body turns into particles of light like it is being dissolved.

「『…I see. I am just a sword, so I don’t really understand it. If you are going to call me again then I am happy.』」

Said that, Envy looks at Minnalis and Shuria.

「『I want to be used more. So it will be a problem if Master is not healthy, please give it your all and save him. I am a bit jealous but if he dies it would be even worse.』」

「Eh?」「Fueh?」

Envy gives Minnalis and Shuria a faint smile.

「? Hey, what are you talking…」

Without answering that question, Envy disappeared.

But there was no need to hear that answer.

The next moment blood gushed out from all over my body and I collapsed.

「Guha?!」

「Master!?」「Mister Kaito?!」

「Guhaa, this pain, could it be, that… Goho!!!」

Blood filling my mouth drips onto the ground.

「Master, here is a potion, faster…!」

「Eehm, Eehm, here is an MP potion!」

I move through pain and push away potions that they took out of tool bags in panic.

「No, it fine…, These wounds won’t be healed by that. I count on your follow up.」

「Master!!」「Mister Kaito!!」

（Shit, as expected I didn’t plan, on, that… ）

That was the limit.

As gravitation pulled my body, my mind was dragged into the darkness, unable to resist its clutches.