Chapter 207 (2/2)
In front of me, with his violently ragged breathing, beaten signs all over his body, and large amount of blood coughing out from his mouth, Shiro sprawled on the ground while looking at me.
“……Ah, ahahahahaha……. Really, you’re so strong……. This is my defeat………. So I’m going to die…… This is one thing that can’t be helped……”
There was no such thing. With my thorough apotheosis, I could definitely heal him.
But I wouldn’t do that.
Shiro had put us through so many troubles, and even dragged my wives into those troubles. I had no intention to forgive him.
“……That’s right…… I’ll attend your deathbed.”
“…….A-as I thought…… Wazu-kun, you’re really kind…… You stay by my side……until the very last moment……”
“Because I haven’t heard your reasons.”
“……That’s true…… You’re right……”
Along with those words, Shiro looked as if he was recalling all the moments that had passed in his life. He softly closed his eyes.
“……It’s not a complicated tale…… in this kind of world….. The mundane, common tale of a person…..
…….Born to a common family, just like anyone else……
…….Lived day by day, just like anyone else…….
…….Got his whole family assaulted, just like anyone else…….
…….Being the sole survivor, just like anyone else…….
…….Resented the world, just like anyone else……
…….Started all over again, just like anyone else……
…….Stayed alive, just like anyone else…….
…….It’s just something like that…….
…….Just with different……methods…….than someone else…….in his position……. Wazu-kun, if…….that happened to you……. What would… you do? ……….People precious to you…….got unreasonably endangered……. Would you…….curse the perpetrator…….or this world instead?”
I had no answer to his question.
If one day something happened to Sarona and the others……I would definitely, undoubtedly, destroy this world……by using every last bit of my power.
Shiro called us [similar yet different]……
That was because I had Sarona and the others for me.
But Shiro, he had nobody else.
That was the only difference between us…… But that difference was what set us worlds apart.
If Sarona and the others didn’t have any feelings for me, and I met again with Aria in that condition, I would undoubtedly thread the same path as Shiro.
I would curse the irrationality, I would probably strike down the hammer of judgment to this world……
But that was the reason why I wouldn’t sympathize with Shiro.
Because Shiro and I were different…… Because we had already thread different paths in our lives……
“……”
“……ha, hahaha, ha….. So you won’t say anything to that…… But that is fine for me too…… Because we are [similar yet different]…… so we’re not the same……. we’re different…… and that’s why we keep crossing each other……”
Shiro laughed weakly.
“……..That’s why, this is…… my final parting gift………… Do your best…… to have a go……… against the very embodiment……of this world’s irrationality……”
Shiro slowly raised his arm over his head.
“……so much better if…… this unreasonable world…… can just disappear…..”
As if he gathered his final resolution, he balled his raised hand into a tight fist, and Shiro struck his own chest with that fist.
In that moment, there was a kachink sound from the spot he struck, a sound of something broken apart. And along with that sound,
Ghrooooooooooaar……
the ground was quaking. I got a terrible feeling emanating from the depth of the grotto.
Meanwhile, I confirmed that Shiro, from whom I could never look away, he had really died. Only then I looked at the depth of the grotto.
I had no words to say to him.
Because, no matter how similar we were, this guy was still my enemy……
I looked at the depth of the grotto and started running towards it.
Credits:
The noh mask effect by
Isecai’s Notes:
This is the noh mask:
It’s a frozen mask that shows different emotions depending on the minute angle that the actor behind it shows you. The blog linked above talked quite a lot about it.
If I make mistakes with the names, please let me know. 😀
This is a commissioned chapter. <3 Thank you, Tomas!
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