Chapter 149 (2/2)

「Shut upppppp!!」

「I won’t. The reason why? This will be our last conversation.」

「What? …What does that mean?」

A surge of fatigue suddenly coursed through my legs, and I helplessly slumped down on one knee.

「Ah, so the poison has already started, I see. From that soup.」

「P…poison…Minnalis, you, wanted to trick me from the beginning?」

「Didn’t you notice? I was actually wondering what kind of way I could converse with you and keep a poker face. Didn’t you think I held a grudge against you?」

I finally understood the meaning to all this after seeing Minnalis’ surprised face.

Minnalis hadn’t grown at all, and for her to try to kill me though poison meant that she WAS evil.

「…don’t mess with me! You think you can kill me with that weak poison?! Wash it away, 『Clear Body!』!! Take this!」

An evil person can’t be allowed to throw their weight around like this.

In order to defeat her, I must become the hero, now.

I cleansed the poison from my system, and flew at her with a drawn sword.

However, my drawn sword was suddenly stopped as a high, metal sound rang out.

「W, what?!」

「Forgetting yourself, and attacking someone in a town like this is foolish. You are still an immature child.」

She had easily stopped my blade and I reacted with a surprised voice.

I knew it, my instinct knew it. She really is a dangerous woman!

「Sink into the earth, just as these heavy insects wish… 『Summon – Gilmeshia!』」

「Wha, an insect summon?!」

Armored insects the size of a copper coin appeared, a mixture of deep green and red.

These unknown insects emerged suddenly from black holes in groups of 10 and 100s.

「Agh, 『Flaming sword / Inferno!』」

Now that things have come this far, it didn’t matter if this was happening on a city street or now.

I had to lay it all on the line and fight with everything. It would be best if nothing hurt the other customers, and I think they can all get out the door before things become too violent.

(If I can burn all these bugs I can get out, this is too narrow…what?!)

「What’s that?」

But, I couldn’t make my plan happen.

In front of the fire I was throwing were countless bugs I couldn’t exterminate.

And in front of the break between those huge groups of bug was Minnalis grinning.

Finally, all the bugs sprung at me as if I had fallen into a planned trap.

「Dammit, Don’t get any closer! Stay back!!」

I swung my sword wildly about, and the sword couldn’t stop the huge amount of bugs as several of them landed on top of my clothing..

「Ah, they’re heavy! What are these bugs? Gaaaahhhh, dammit! Dammit all!」

I felt like a bucket being filled up with countless stones as they landed on me.

The weight of the bugs on me, caused me to fall on the floor.

Then Minnalis walked up to me and squatted in front of my eyes.

「Damn…doing this to me…you know what will happen right? Someone will come…」

「That’s right. People will gather.」

「?!」

I could feel Minnalis’ hostility coalesce in front of me like a column of ice.

A hostility that felt no sympathy for me whatsoever.

Her smiling face was the coldest and cruelest face I have ever seen her make.

「What?! What are…ugh….agh…」

Minnalis took a purple-poison coated dagger and pointed it at my cheek.

With the fatigue felt throughout my body, I didn’t have the power to throw off the bugs that were pressing down on me.

「This is the beginning preparation for the finale. …I won’t kill you this easily.」

Fwup, Minnalis suddenly stood, and exaggerated her voice loudly.

「Okay, the arrangements are complete. Everyone, come, no holding back.」

After Minnalis called out, countless ghosts came forward.

It was a group of people soaked in grudges that had to be the angry spirits of the dead.

The men and women both with sunken eyes and horrible skin covered with different amounts of blood.

However, their eyes shimmered with evil in that dim store, and they were whispering to each other.

『It’s…their fault…』『Give me…back my…happiness…』『…You’ll know…You will be made…to know.』

「Who are all these…things?」

The strange atmosphere seemed steeped in the opposite of magical power.

I could feel the icy sensation that was chilling my heart and the marrow of my bones in this strange and different magic.

「Everyone…eeeeeveryone here hates you so much they would kill you.」

Who? Who? Who?

I don’t know anything about these…things…that are looking at me.

There was no reason for me to, because…

「Hate? W, what? I mean, who are they? I don’t know who the hell they are!?」

…because out of all the things there, there wasn’t one face I remembered.

However, in that second, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

「YOU, STOP SCREWING WITH USSSSSS!!」「YOU DON’T KNOWWW? DON’T KNNNOW?!」「AGGHGHHHH! DIEDIEDIE!!! YOU TRASH! AAAGHHH!」

Close to my ear the sound of cracking flint, as the screams around me came to a feverish pitch.

「For those of you with nothing in hand, please use these as you wish.」

The smiling Minnalis handed out rusted swords to the ghosts as they one by one took them up.

「Agh! Th…the power to strengthen my flesh 『Metaling Body!』 」

「GIVE ME BACKK MY STORRRE!!」「You, you…MY CHILD!!」「YOU WILL DIE! Why do you CONTINUE TO LIVE?!」

「Eeek! Aghhh, gaah!?」

The wave of violence that was holding back now broke free, they plunged at me without any confusion nor holding back.

The swords they held hit, thrust, and cut me.

My body, now defended by physical defense magic that hardened my flesh like bronze, still felt the dull pain of being hit.

「You, you’re the reason my friend died! You forgot her!」「My brother’s enemeeeey!」「Damn you! I’m not done yet, because of you, you! Dammmittttt!」

I couldn’t understand it.

No matter how it looked, or how I tried to remember, I couldn’t figure out who these men and women angry at me were.

I couldn’t find any reason in their curses for me.

『Heh, heh heh, how does it feel? Keril, to be met with the same pain I was met with?』

(Wha…that voice…in my head?)

『Yes…it’s better this way. I don’t only speak to you, but I can feel your confusion. This is exactly what I wanted, your final despair feels so pleasant… hee hee.』

In the same place as the voice reverberating in my mind was Minnalis’ happy face gazing at me.

「Gwaaahhhh!?」

Just then, one of the swords swung against me broke, and the fragments of it all flew at my right eye.

Before I felt the pain there was a impression of writhing in pain that stung my eyes.

What is all this? ALL OF THIS?

What is it that I’ve done to all these things? Why do they hate me, why?!

「Hee hee…」

A small laugh from Minnalis that didn’t echo inside my mind reached my ear in a strange way.

That mocking voice, cold as an evening snow, echoed like a frigid gale.

『I haven’t done anything. All of them are undoubtedly venting their justifiable anger at you.』

She cried in my head with a purely jovial and pleased voice.

「Venting…! Guwaaaah!」

「What do you mean venting!? You killeeeed my child!」「If you never messed with me, I could have sold whatever I waaaanted! But then you came and I could sell noooothing!」「All I asked you to do is give me one extra poison dispelling magic and my friend wouldn’t dieeee, you, you bastaarrd!」

To that one word I said they became enraged and attacked me blow upon blow.

No matter how much I tried to strengthen myself, I wasn’t completely invincible.

Even in these unskillful blows out of anger, getting hit again and again still leads to damage.

『Yes, venting. There’s no arbitrary person that they’re simply venting about either. Most of them are simply complaining about their own misfortune and just desserts. That’s why I gave them someone that they could pour their anger into. Just like this.』

Outside of her wicked smile, she said no words, but then laughed, saying:

「Now, everyone, this man is the sole reason for the evil that befell you. He is the only one evil here. Hit him with all of your anger, you’ve done nothing wrong, and so you can do no more wrong. Yes, show him your 『justice』!」

「Yeah, YOU’RE THE EVIL ONE!」「LOOK AT THIS EVIL MAN, ALL!」「YOU’RE EVIL! EVIL!」

「No…no! You’re being fooled…」

「Shut UP!」「You’re THE EVIL ONE!」「YOU NEED TO DIE!」

Nothing I could say could reach them, their wave of anger for me simply increased.

Minnalis simply increased their anger like ripples on a pond; larger and larger, wider and wider, higher and higher their passionate rage for me increased.

『Now you see? There’s no real care about what happened to any of them. They only want to kill you, if that’s all they’re thinking together at once. That alone is enough to fulfill their desires.』

Dammit, dammit, dammit!!

All of their violence was increasing in pressure around me, as my own anger seemed to grow to bursting.

「Wh…what the hell are you talking about! Transcend the flesh, 『Transcendent Fire Blade!』!!」

「Whoa!」「Eeeep!」「What the?!」

I was surrounded in a light orange flame, as all the things around me took a step back.

All of my statuses increased, my status irregularties disappeared, as I unleased my ultimate move.

The reaction to my use of it was huge, as it was a technique that I used only when my opponent was super strong.

However.

「Agh…ugh…why? The fatigue in my legs won’t…go away!」

「Hah hah hah, don’t compare my poison to something that anyone can buy on the street, okay? That wasted body of yours can’t do anything in reaction to this, you know?」

「Damn…agh…ahhh…with, this…fatigue, can’t stop…」

「No, it’s over. —suck the fire away, heavy bugs – Gilmeshia.」

「W…what?! Agghhh, hot! My body’s hot! Guwaaaah!」

After just standing up with the heaviness of these bugs still clinging to me, I quickly lost all my power.

Just as she said the bugs began to suck away at the fire surrounding me. The bugs began to heat up, burning my flesh like heated rocks.

「D, damn you! Surprising us like that, die! DIE!!」「YOU BASTARD! BASTARD!」「You should be made to pay, FEEL THE PAIN!」

They then rained down blows on my weakened body, their storm of strikes getting a level stronger.

Their limitless, unceasing hostility, made my heart creak inside.

『This is the end of you.』

「DIE, DIE, DIE!!!」

「Ahg, gah, ugh!!」

The irritating, grating sound of Minnalis’ cold, poisonous voice.

A creaking sound, and the core of my heart that I thought was metal began to break.

『Nothing left, becoming nothing, bearing a sin that shouldn’t exist.』

「Because of guys like you, none of us can be happy!」「S, stop! Agh!」

The crack that appeared in my heart seemed to be filling with a black ice.

『After this attack of violence, your bright future, and pleasant present, and warm past, all will end now. You and your one page hero’s story.』

「Why are you aliiiive, give me, give me back my friend!」

「Why, agh, this impossible, gah!」

Stop, stop it, just stop.

I felt so weak, like I was about to fall apart, then…

『Today is that final page.』

Riiip, riiip, the long sharp nails of the girl cut wounds deeper and deeper into me.

Them riiiiip, the sound of something being cut.

「Let…let…let go of MEEEEE! GO AWAY!! GET AWAY!!!」

I’m not going to let his end like this!

I’m not the type of man to die this easily!

「Hee hee hee! Keep going Keril, I can feel your fear of death increasing!」

「Minnalis! Stop all of this! Just like an evil foe, coming back without changing at all! Stop trying to destroy me!」

「Heh heh, you say that so strongly. Let me in on this action too. Because I can’t hold back anymore either! HAH HAH HAH HAHA!!」

She grabbed an old and dull sword.

「Gaahh! Damn you! Stop!」

「Yes! Look, look, look!!」

「Agh! Gah! No! Stop!!」

「I won’t wait or stop! You were the same back then, right?! This makes me feel really good! There’s no way I would stop, right!? Hah hah hah HAHAHAHAHAH!!!」

She broke through the body I thought I had strengthened, and I could feel a dull, heavy pain.

I couldn’t believe it, when did Minnalis become so strong…it seemed stupid…

「No…I don’t want to die…」

Why did this happen to me?

I just had a few things to tie up, and then I would follow Lucia to Kikitto village.

「I see, sorry…But this is how it is, right? I had the same thing happen to me. Just before she was to be killed by my slave owner, my mother cried 『sorry』over and over and『I’m sorry I can’t stay with you』. But, even as I think of it, there was nothing I could have done… 」

「S…slave owner? What are you saying?」

「Ah…you didn’t know. Well, you knew that I had left, and maybe felt some regret, but every memory, all of it, really gets on my nerves!」

「Gahh, Geeehe, Agghhhh!」

A red line entered into the spinning world.

No, death, like this I’ll die.

I don’t want to die like this.

Just before I was to marry Lucia.

Just before I was promised a good place in the army.

But, but…

「Well, now the pain must be getting duller…everyone, wait a bit longer.」

「Wha? A po…potion? Wha?」

Then, Minnalis took out a potion in front of all the others, and then poured it all over me from my head.

The pain rushing through my body weakened, and the wounds healed, and my consciousness began to blur.

「…helping, me?」

「HELP YOU? Whaaaat?! You really think I’d do something stupid like that?!」

「Wha, GYAAAAAHHH!!!」

A sudden glimmering hope was cut by her cruel words, as she stabbed the dull sword right through me.

I was healed, and then the dull pain returned to my body once again.

「I told you, I won’t kill you easily. You will suffer, suffer, suffer, and lose all hope, and DIE! Hah hah, HAHAHAHAHAH!!」

Why…is it my fault? Why is it my fault?

「While you’re still alive, I’ll pull out your heart. While you’re still alive, I’ll quarter you limbs. While you’re alive, I’ll burn your body! Over and over and over and over and over, as long as time allows!」

I didn’t think I’d end up like this…I didn’t think so…

I just thought that Minnalis was taken away to a far away town.

At first it was a bit sad to see her again, but she had taken Lucia and my apology so quickly.

So…why?

「We’re juuuust beginning, I have a lot of recovery potions.」

Why, why did this happen?

「Spread the pain around, make you cough it up with blood, make you cry insane tears…」

Did, I do something…that wrong?

「You will die with that same sound of my world being broken.」

She raised the sword of one of the dead against me, and that mocking smile reached Minnalis’ lips again.

The form before my eyes was a goddess of death mixed with a sorceress.

「Minnalis…chan? What…are you doing?」

「Oh, Leone and friends. You were a bit too early. Are you skipping classes? Well, still good timing. I finished my first round, hee hee hee.」

I could suddenly hear other mixing voices.

My heart was filled with despair, and I never heard who the voices of the other were.