Chapter 4 — Makoto Takatsuki Despairs
My mouth fell open, and a dull noise of shock made its way past my lips.
Sakurai—the Hero of Light—had lost? The same guy who had taken down a demon lord in a single hit...?
“No way...” Furiae murmured. It was impossible to believe...but Sakurai was lying unconscious on the ground behind us. That was our reality.
“Ryousuke!” Yokoyama yelled. She rushed over to him and started pulling out restoratives. He didn’t seem like he was coming around anytime soon though. I heard footsteps tap their way toward us.
“Well, I’ll be taking the moon priestess now.”
Lucy and I reacted to Alexander’s words.
Right Arm of the Elemental. My arm started to glow blue as I gathered mana. “Ice Magic (King Rank): Ice Phoenix!”
“Fire Magic (King Rank): Fire Phoenix!” Lucy cried.
Because I had to borrow mana, it meant that my spell took a little longer to cast than usual—it activated at the same time as Lucy’s chanted fire version.
The huge blue and red birds seemed to intertwine as they pierced through the Hero of the Sun with a massive explosion. That power would have been enough to take down even a dragon. But...
“Bah, how tiresome,” he said, completely unruffled in the middle of the blast.
He wasn’t hurt at all?!
“Do not resist, moon priestess,” he continued, suddenly whirling behind us, so fast that I didn’t even see the motion.
“L-Let me go!” Furiae demanded. There was a pause, and then, “My Charm didn’t work?! Why?!”
Alexander gripped her in a single hand. Sasa and I moved to try and help. However, before I knew what was going on, there was a loud bang—I went flying several meters back. I could taste blood in my mouth and my entire body was screaming in pain. Lucy was crumpled next to me, blood dripping down her lip.
“Lucy! Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine...”
She sounded like she was in pain, but she was at least conscious. Sasa had flown in the other direction. What had he done?
“You! I have a Curse of Vengeance. If you hurt me, the same will happen to you! If you kill me, you will die!”
Right! I forgot about that!
Alexander just scratched his head awkwardly. “Curses have no effect on me.”
“L-Let me go! Damn you, you oaf!”
“Silence, woman.”
“Urk!”
The Hero of the Sun tightened his hand around her throat. What was he even doing?!
“A...aach.”
“See? What of your curse? My neck is completely unharmed.” He guffawed.
The fucker’s getting off on choking her! My anger was about to explode. I was going to attempt to cast elemental magic with the full force of my rage...but someone else moved first.
“Let her go!”
Sasa—wreathed in a prismatic glow—launched a punch into him. She was using her Action Game Player subskill, Superstar. It was her ultimate move.
That kind of attack should work on anyone!
“Oh?”
For the first time, the grin slipped from Alexander’s face. Instead, he looked intrigued.
“Interesting. You can enter my divine realm,” he remarked, blocking her fist.
“Gurgh.” Sasa scowled.
He stopped a Superstar punch?! That skill was supposed to ignore all defenses!
“Huh. Your blow was even somewhat painful,” he said, offering a scowl of his own. “My turn.”
Now his fist started glowing in a rainbow of colors. No, it was burning. It seemed almost like her Superstar skill... I felt a chill run down my spine.
If that hits her...
“Sasa, run!”
“Too late!” the hero sneered.
A moment later, there was a flash—his fist pierced through Sasa’s body with a horrifying crunch.
Lucy shrieked at the sight. “Ahhhh!”
Alexander’s arm was sticking right through Sasa’s chest.
What...happened? I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.
Sasa shuddered, coughing, blood spraying from her mouth.
S-Sasa? No...
“Oh dear. I killed her.”
Alexander’s voice brought me back down to earth. Sasa’s body started to glow white, and then suddenly, she vanished.
“Oh...!” Lucy exclaimed quietly.
That was probably another of Sasa’s skills triggering—Extra Lives. At least, that’s what the part of my brain kept lucid by Calm Mind was telling me. Regardless, I’d already lost my equilibrium.
“Ah...guh...” Furiae was on the verge of passing out. Drool seeped from her mouth. Lucy chanted a spell next to me, words coming out between sobs. I noticed that it was a saint rank spell. It probably won’t do anything to him. No, Furiae will be dead before the spell even activates. Sakurai was still passed out, and Yokoyama didn’t look like she could help.
Noah?
No response.
I cranked Calm Mind up to 100%. Think. Think... There has to be something...
Got it!
An RPG Player selection screen drifted up in front of me.
Surrender your body and defeat the Hero of the Sun?
▶Yes
No
I didn’t hesitate. It was my only option. This was all I could do to take down the bastard that had killed Sasa.
I glanced to my side—Lucy was still chanting, though her body trembled violently.
“Sorry, Lucy,” I whispered.
“M-Makoto?”
Sorry... Noah, I thought to my goddess.
I couldn’t hear her reply.
Baring my enchanted right arm, I placed the tip of my dagger on that spot—on the bit of anima Noah had left behind. This, my goddess’s miracle, had kept the elemental properties contained to my right arm, unable to spread to the rest of my body. But, if that spot was destroyed...
I plunged the godslaying blade into the anima, shattering it.
The blue glow began to encroach. From my arm, to my shoulder, to the rest of my limbs, more and more, it devoured my body.
I couldn’t stop it.
Give me the power to save her and defeat him, I prayed, pouring my life span into the Suicide Magic.
◇ Alexander the Godchild’s Perspective ◇
It should have been a boring job.
Grandpa Pope had told me to capture the moon priestess. He’d said that the wicked deity’s follower would probably interfere. He’d even given me permission to use force—if they didn’t listen to my words, I could complete the job with my fists.
I hadn’t expected the Hero of Light to interfere. That hero of Great Keith had also been surprisingly strong. None of this was going right. My irritation had gotten the better of me, and that was probably why I’d accidentally overdone it...and killed her. She’d vanished for some reason. However, there’d been no time to think about that before something even stranger had happened.
The State-Authorized Hero of Roses had suddenly used Transform. An odd blue glow had surged across his whole body.
This hero wasn’t particularly strong. Compared to the Hero of Light and the one of Great Keith, he was far inferior. Yet despite that, he was currently surrounded by incredible amounts of mana. More and more poured forth, concentrating, compressing, and becoming dense around him.
This might be an issue. I lifted my right arm, gazing at the moon priestess trapped in my grip. I can surely take on the Hero of Roses with just my left.
Mist suddenly coalesced in front of me, transforming into a person. The Hero of Roses. He swung his dagger.
“What?!”
My body was covered in anima—even an orichalcum blade would chip before it even pricked my skin. And yet...
That hero...that dagger...severed my right arm.
Such a piddling blade managed to break my skin? More than pain, I felt acutely surprised.
My arm, along with the moon priestess, fell limply to the ground.
“Fuuri!” yelled the redheaded elf, rushing over to her.
“Urgh...”
The priestess still seemed woozy. The elf shouldered her weight.
Tch. Damn annoyances. I went to strike at them but then remembered that I lacked my right arm.
“Sun Magic: Regeneration,” I cast. The limb sprouted anew, and I flexed my hand to make sure everything was working.
Good, no problems.
I glared at the glowing hero in front of me. For harming me, he deserved the worst punishment I could imagine. Then, he said something.
“××××××××××××××××.”
I couldn’t catch it—they were unfamiliar words. But suddenly, a massive vortex surrounded me, and a pillar of water darkened the sky. Peering at it more closely, I could discern writhing shapes—a massive, teeming horde of water dragons.
Hundreds... No, thousands...?
With my attention diverted, the elf and priestess managed to escape, along with the collapsed Hero of Light.
The dragons wound around me and the Hero of Roses. Was he trying to change where we would fight? Cunning.
Angry, I used my newly regenerated arm to strike at him. An explosion tore through the air, producing deafening shock waves. Around me, the hundreds of water dragons were blasted away. I was satisfied—one punch from me could take down a whole castle, so the Hero of Roses would be nothing but a fine mist now. The fool deserves it for standing against me. My lips twisted in fierce joy.
It was, however, another extraneous death. I’d probably be hearing about it from the old man. I’d need to think up some excuse.
In an instant, the mist reformed in front of me.
“What...?”
It’s not...possible... He had been blown apart, split down to nothing. His body should be irreparable. And yet, he was in front of me once again, glowing blue and riding one of the dragons he had made.
“××××××××××××××××,” he muttered, again, something I couldn’t hear. More and more dragons wound around me. I’d never seen this kind of spell before. It was an odd one... An impressive one too. After all, he had managed to survive a strike from me. Well, this resistance was still pointless.
How tiresome...my Appraisal (Divine Rank) can see all of his weaknesses. As I activated the skill, I felt a touch of pity. Before long, your third-rate magic will be nothing.
Personal Name: Makoto Takatsuki
Race: Elemental Lord of Water *Embodiment of all the world’s water*
Strength: Incalculable
Stamina: Incalculable
Will: Incalculable
Agility: Incalculable
Appearance: Incalculable
Physique: Incalculable
Intelligence: Incalculable
Wisdom: Incalculable
Sanity: Incalculable
Equipment: Godslaying Blade *A dagger made from a fragment of the sickle wielded by Chronos in Titanomachia*
Combat method: Remove all water from the world
What...in...the...?
Almost everything about him was...inhuman. What exactly was I up against? And that dagger! That was a relic! A weapon from Titanomachia! What was it doing in a mortal’s hands?! Whoever gave that thing to him... What were they thinking?!
Even as my thoughts raced, the mana around him was growing and growing. No, it wasn’t simply increasing... It was gathering at an explosive rate.
He hadn’t said a word since he’d launched his attack. The blue figure simply stared at me, expressionless. However, he was clearly hostile. I felt my heart skip a beat. I’d never experienced anything like this before.
“Begone!” I demanded, attacking in earnest. The last time I’d used my full strength, I’d blasted away an entire mountain. I’d held back ever since. But this...
“This is the end!” I screamed, striking him with all that power. The blow broke through the sound barrier, and my aura would explode as it struck. There won’t even be dust left of him.
But my fist stopped, still plunged into his body. The aura that should have exploded...was being held in.
Impossible. M-My aura was...overwhelmed? I have the power of the gods! How can some puny human magic stop me? How is this possible?! What the hell is he?!
I panicked and pulled back.
“××××××××××××××××××××××××.”
I still had no idea what he was saying. Suddenly, a blue-skinned woman appeared at his side. It felt like I could see several of them. Was that...Undyne? Was she lending him power?
My mind flashed back to a conversation I’d had with the Priestess of Fortune.
◇
“Are you listening, Alexander? You are not to face the Titans’ elemental weapons.” Those were the haughty words I remembered her using.
The Titans were a race of gods the Olympians had fought against. Legends said that the Titans had manipulated nature itself—the earth, wind, and so on—giving each element a will of its own and transforming them into weapons. These elements of nature had names: Salamander, Undyne, Sylph, and Gnome.
There were also, apparently, elemental beings who were even stronger. The mortals called them the elemental lords, and the gods called them elemental weapons. These lords were the most devout among the gods’ followers—at least, once they were sacrificed. Their strength was monstrous, and they could be used to destroy the world as a whole. It was said that even a star would be no match for their power.
Therefore, as the war against the Titans ended, the Olympians had destroyed all the elemental lords. Attempting to recreate them was utterly taboo.
“You are strong, but you are a young hero,” the Priestess of Fortune had said. “You need to avoid fighting against the direct followers of wicked gods and against the elemental weapons. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, whatever. I get it.” I’d let her words flow over me, thinking only about how noisy she was. Back then, I’d wanted to meet someone capable of beating me.
◇
And now, the blue figure—the wicked deity’s war machine—was gaining even more mana.
The water dragons numbered in the tens of thousands now, blotting out the sky. It almost looked as if the sky itself was another ocean. The Elemental Lord of Water, embodiment of all the world’s water...fought by removing all water from the world.
I couldn’t... I was going to—
“D-Don’t mock me! I am the Hero of the Sun! I cannot lose!”
Come, Holy Sword!
A shining white sword appeared in front of me—I had received it from the royal family of Highland. Gripping the blade, I poured my anima into it. I hefted it, fingers tightening.
“Die!”
I swung at the hero. He looked down at me. Then, he quietly defended against it—a massive barrier of ice appeared in front of him.
That’s a saint rank barrier?! It’s seven-layered as well. Still!
I let loose a blast that could destroy a demon lord in a single strike. Dozens of ice shards shattered away as my blade met his.
Mine started to crack.
I could feel my face twisting. His barrier had broken, yet I could not get past the relic in his hand.
I had lost the exchange.
“Impossible...” My attacks weren’t working. His mana was still ceaselessly increasing. It was inconceivable. I couldn’t stand against that. I have to run...but where? He controlled all of the water on this planet—no place was safe from his power.
I realized that all of the circling dragons had their eyes fixed unerringly on me. Tens of thousands of eyes glared steadily.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” I screamed as I tried to slice at him again.
◇
The area under the water was dim. This was the abyss, where no sunlight could reach. How many hours had passed? Or had it been days? The Hero of Roses was in front of me, staring like the god of death.
Swirling around us were millions of water dragons. There was no way I could run now.
I couldn’t defeat him. I couldn’t kill him. I couldn’t break him. I couldn’t crush him. I could slice and stab, I could do anything, but over and over and over and over and over he came back.
I had infinite mana, but so did he. This contest would never end... No, that wasn’t true. He had a relic. That made it possible to take my life. The glowing blue figure in front of me, the Elemental Lord of Water...would not stop until I was dead.
Why had I raised my hand against him...?
◇ Furiae Naya Laphroaig’s Perspective ◇
Days had passed since Makoto Takatsuki—my knight—had died.
He had used the elementals to create a storm, vanishing along with the Hero of the Sun. He had saved me when I’d been on the verge of being taken.
These past few days have been...
I recalled, first, the rain—it poured for a while but eventually cleared up. We waited for him to return...to no avail. Princess Sophia searched ceaselessly. She was sure he was alive. As the days passed, though, the light faded from her eyes.
He was nowhere to be found.
Then, one day, she came to us with a statement from Eir.
Makoto Takatsuki is dead.
That was what the goddess said. Princess Sophia’s face was carved from ice, frozen, bearing the weight of it. Her shoulders shook. She told us that she would arrange a state funeral.
I...wasn’t able to say anything.
Aya couldn’t stop crying. Her Extra Lives had brought her back from the dead—the skill had transported her somewhere safe, and she had apparently woken up a little ways from the battle. She’d rushed over, but by that point, there’d been nothing left to save.
At first, she’d rallied, yelling about helping him. She’d even tried to give chase after hearing that my knight had vanished with the Hero of the Sun. We’d somehow managed to stop her. Then, we’d had to keep her from killing the pope. After, she’d gone back to the inn and just cried.
“Takatsuki...why...?”
She’d barely had food or drink over the last few days. People fretted that she would start to waste away, but the lamia queen’s constitution was hardier than it seemed. Her mental constitution on the other hand...
“I’ve had enough... Without him, I...”
Aya was strong, but without my knight, she crumbled. She still wasn’t showing any sign of recovery.
Lucy just kept training.
“He’s still alive!” she insisted, even when Princess Sophia had relayed Eir’s words.
Lucy didn’t believe it. She should have realized, though. She’d almost collapsed into tears but had risen again right away. Now, she kept training her magic, glaring at anyone nearby.
“I’ll find him. I’ll master Teleport and search for him, Aya, Fuuri!”
“Right...I’ll come...with you too,” Aya sniffled in response.
I barely managed to tell them I’d come along as well.
Maybe Lucy’s bravado was a ruse to try and cheer the other girl up. It was almost like my knight had possessed her. She barely slept and just kept training.
Before, she’d been able to successfully Teleport about one in every ten attempts. Now, it was one in three, and without an incantation. Before long, she’d be one of the best casters of Teleport on the continent.
She was strong. Lucy was...such a strong person.
But I...couldn’t do anything.
I didn’t search for him. I didn’t even cry. I didn’t try to get stronger or do anything. I just couldn’t accept reality. Days passed by in a haze.
And for that entire time, none of the three had blamed me even once.
Why? It’s...my fault! It’s because I’m the moon priestess! Because I’m cursed! That’s why my knight died! Why he’s...gone.
Without him, being in our party felt like lying on a bed of nails. I wanted to get away from it all. But that would be an affront to the others and all their strength...so I couldn’t move. All I could do was listlessly let time pass while trying to hold my emotions in, like I was holding my breath.
Six days had passed.
We were gathered in the cathedral of Anna the Holy Mother. Noelle was waiting there for us.
Suddenly, my emotions burst forth like a landslide.
“Noelle! Your hero attacked us!” I yelled, grabbing her by the lapel. She didn’t say anything, just looked away in apparent pain.
She dares to play the victim?!
“Furiae...stop it,” came Ryousuke’s voice.
“But!” I began, but I fell silent at the look on his face. He looked just as sad as Princess Sophia...if not more so.
I let Noelle go. He had been hurt as well because he’d been unable to protect my knight. Right...Ryosuke had known him the longest out of any of us. Of course he was hurt...
Why had things ended up like this? Was it because I’d made him my guardian knight? Did interacting with me bring misfortune to everyone...?
I didn’t know. I had no idea what the answer was.
Clicking footsteps approached. They belonged to the Priestess of Fortune, though she seemed different than before. Her eyes were glowing gold, and there was a surging mana—no, anima?—surrounding her. She also seemed to carry a grave atmosphere.
The priestess had seemed close to the Hero of the Sun, and so I wanted to rail against her as well. Yet for some reason...I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t open my mouth. I couldn’t even move my feet. That seemed to be the case for everyone around me—the mage, heroes, and Ryousuke were all silent.
The air was heavy.
“Everyone, we need to speak,” said the Priestess of Fortune, an indescribable pressure behind her words. “But first...”
She waved her right hand. Immediately, the windows all shut and a massive magic circle started to float in front of the door. Space shifted—the air itself seemed to twist bizarrely.
Was this...a barrier? It felt even higher than saint rank. Was she a mage on this level? I didn’t remember her being so strong. Silence reigned in the face of the pressure she exuded. Even the sun priestess’s breath caught in her throat.
“I would like to convey apologies for...the Hero of the Sun’s rampage the other day... First, allow me to address your concerns.”
The priestess muttered something. What’s happening?
Gradually, a veritable rainbow of magic circles floated in the air. They looked almost like they formed a clock, and they were likely a type of fate magic. I couldn’t parse what this spell was for, but I could tell it was a considerably grand working.
Then, I heard a quiet murmur.
Fate Magic: Miracle of Resurrection.
Magic circles formed in front of her, glowing even brighter. Then, a white figure appeared, floating in them. Gradually, the pale figure gained color.
Th-That’s...
Within the shining magic circles was my knight—Makoto Takatsuki.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login