Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 26 - Chapter 3.2

We found him straight away. Next to no effort. I didn’t even have to use what little mana I had left, it was that easy. The moment we crossed the ravine and entered the flame-blackened forest, there, in the shadow cast by the charred remains of a great tree, we found Geese lying on the ground. His whole body was charred dark by terrible burns. When I’d cast Flashover, it had burnt the forest and him with it. When I first saw him, I thought he was dead. He was so still he looked like a black boulder. But luckily Ruijerd had found him first, and he’d used his third eye to probe further. Geese wasn’t dead.

“Geese,” I said.

“Hey, boss.”

He wasn’t dead, but it was clear he would be soon, and I wasn’t about to heal him. I was here to do the opposite…although I didn’t want to finish him off straight away, either. 

“Heh heh. Water magic, earth magic, the Magic Armor… I thought up ways to counter all of ’em, only for this to be what gets me. Didn’t know you had a knack for fire magic too, boss. Never once saw you use it.” 

Geese had all sorts of items on him. He wore a blue vest with a brown band around his middle and something that looked like chainmail. It was hard to tell now, when they were practically burnt to a crisp, but they were presumably precautions against all kinds of magic. I guessed it hadn’t been the Fighting God Armor’s power that allowed him to survive Electric back in the Third City of Heirulil.

“And now you’re here, boss, which I reckon must mean my final plan fizzled…” Geese’s scorched cheeks twisted. His final plan? I guess that depended on whether you called sending Badigadi out alone counted as a “plan.”

“If any of ’em, the Sword God or the North God, the Ogre God, the Abyssal King…if there’d been just one more, things might’ve been different… None of ’em listened to me, y’know.”

“Well, none of them were the best listeners,” I replied. Geese seemed half delirious.

“Hah, you’re one to talk. Eris, Atofe. That Ghislaine I see over there? You’re surrounded by folks who don’t know how to listen, yerself.”

“Yeah, well… I guess I was lucky.”

“Nah, that ain’t it. It’s ’cause you did things the right way. Told ’em what was goin’ on, won their trust, and then worked hard to make honest allies of ’em all. And that’s why, when push came to shove, they listened right and followed your orders right.”

He might’ve had a point. Atofe and the Ogre God, who I’d only joined forces with because I’d had to at the time, hardly listened to me at all. Sandor and Dohga were exceptions, but Ariel fit the pattern. If I hadn’t been able to build trust with everyone, there would have been more who refused to listen to me. 

“Turns out just twistin’ things to make a reason to fight, scroungin’ people together, stirring ’em up, then sneakin’ around nudging ’em behind their backs just doesn’t work…”

Neither the Sword God nor the North God had followed Geese’s instructions. At the end of the day, they put their own interests first. That was why I was alive.

“I thought I knew what was what, but I was wrong. Still, I thought I’d pull it off somehow. Only then it turned the one who really didn’t know…wasn’t me.” Geese laughed. “The Man-God, y’know. He was throwin’ a real tantrum a little while ago. ‘Why?! Why?! It’s all your fault! Ya stupid ape!’” Geese flashed a careless, mocking smile. “I mean, what’d he expect? Who’s gonna lend an honest hand to a bastard who tricks and sneers at the folks that work their hardest for him?”

“Then…does that mean you cut corners too, Geese?”

“Is that what you think, eh? Was it that easy for you? I gave it my all, I’ll have you know.” Geese coughed and something black like soot trickled from his mouth. “See, Badigadi and I, we’re unusually softhearted. Who else’d help out a guy who screams at his allies for bein’ useless even now? Softies is who.” 

The black soot we saw now was like a representation of Geese’s soul. I could tell he was growing weaker. 

“Thing is though, boss. Even after all that, the Man-God saved me. Yeah, he did some nasty stuff to me too, but when you add it all up, he saved me.”

When I didn’t say anything, Geese went on. “You wouldn’t get that, eh, boss? You can do anythin’, go anywhere in the world, all on your own. You wouldn’t get what it’s like when you just can’t do nothin’.”

I did get it. Or at least, I thought I did. I understood what it was like not to be able to do what everyone else could. Geese was…me. Me as I’d been long ago, only there was one difference. Back then, I hadn’t even tried. When I came up against a wall, I just ran away. Geese, on the other hand, really didn’t have the ability. In this world dominated by monsters and violence, the most important power was the power to fight, and he didn’t have it. He’d learned how to do everything else, but he couldn’t survive.

“No, Geese, you’re wrong…” I could say he was wrong, but no more than that. I couldn’t say that I understood. I didn’t want to give him an answer. All I could do was deny it. 

“Heh. Hey, Rudeus. If you’re gonna tell me I’m wrong, take some pride in it. You won, y’know? Ya beat me. The world says it’s winners who get to be right and losers are wrong. So stand up straight and tell me, ‘That’s wrong, Geese. That ain’t how it is.’ Then, see, you go on and give me a lecture, seein’ as I’m about to die. ‘Ya shoulda done it like this, ya shoulda stuck with me and never gone over to the Man-God.’ That sorta thing.” With that, the strength seemed to go out of him, and he said, his face empty, “Me, Badigadi, and the Abyssal King are all gone. The Man-God’s got no one left who’ll go outta their way to help him out. He lost. Ain’t no one left in this world who can mess with Rudeus Greyrat. In fact, he said himself that if this was a dud, there’d be nothin’ he could do to ya. So I reckon he’ll quiet down, at least ’til you take him out. Count on it: He’ll be sneakin’ about behind the scenes, though.”

“You’re joking, right?” I said, butting it without thinking. Geese didn’t smile.

“If that’s how ya wanna think, I ain’t gonna stop you. I’m only guessing that he’ll quiet down, no more. Go on wavin’ that ‘Down with the Man-God!’ flag if you like. It’ll be bad for him but not for you, eh?”

I wasn’t laughing either. 

“Hey, now, what’s the glum look for? You’re Paul’s son, aren’t ya? Paul’d look a bit more cheerful if he were around. Maybe not right before he died, though. He really got older while I wasn’t lookin’… But anyways, take some pride in this already! Rejoice a bit, even if it don’t last. How d’ya think I feel when you don’t? Makes me look like a real moron, after I went all over the world gettin’ the Sword God and the North God and the Ogre God to join me, then getting ’em fired up like, ‘Let’s take him down!’ only for it to all fall to pieces. All ’cause I couldn’t control ’em. At the end I took a risk and sent Badi. Look where that got me. At least remember me as a strong opponent, yeah? That’s how I wanna be remembered.” Before I knew it, Geese was crying. Tears were streaming down his soot-stained face. When I saw that, I knew for sure that he hadn’t held anything back.

“Okay. You were strong, Geese. True, I’m standing here now, but if just one thing had gone awry, I’m pretty sure our places would be reversed. This was the hardest, most brutal fight of my life.”

“Heh… Heh heh. Cheers, Rudeus.” 

He had been strong, all right. It had taken me a year to defeat him. For a whole year, I’d prepared…not to mention everything I’d brought to the fight that had been built up over a much longer period. No one could call him weak after all that.

“Geese.” Suddenly, Ghislaine stepped forward. She looked down at Geese. Her bangs hid her face so that I couldn’t read her expression.

“Hey, Ghislaine. Been a while.”

“It has.”

“I’m headin’ on.”

“Yes. Say hello to Paul for me.”

“Gotcha… Maybe, when it’s your time, we can get a drink. I wanna see Paul get drunk again, then stickin’ his face into ya chest and makin’ Zenith sulk…”

“Zenith won’t be going anywhere for a while yet. My time will probably come first.”

“Heh, yeah, I know… Anyway…’til we all…meet…ag…”

Geese fell still. Just like that, something in him was gone, suddenly, even though he hadn’t finished talking.

Ghislaine’s ears twitched, then her tail drooped. “He’s dead,” she said.

Dead. Geese was dead.

***

I beat Geese. I could think that now, but as I’d expected, it didn’t make me happy. I was aware I was in shock. There was something about seeing someone I knew die in front of me that I couldn’t process. He was my enemy, and I’d known I had to take him down…but it wasn’t like I’d loathed Geese with every fiber of my being or anything. If we’d lost the battle and they’d killed Eris or someone close to me, I might have ended up loathing him. I might have felt like this was justice. I took down the bastard. I got my revenge. That sort of thing. But…

I couldn’t deal with it. All I knew was that I was able to numbly ruminate the way I was because I hadn’t lost a single person in the battle who was important to me. I’d met my victory conditions. I’d wiped out the disciples and kept Orsted in reserve. It’d been a hard fight and there’d been missteps but despite that, it was a perfect victory—rare, for me. Maybe I was trying to use the way Geese had died to mess it up a bit. Perhaps some part of me thought that, if I’d been cleverer, Geese might have come back over to my side.

Thinking about it wasn’t doing any good. At the very least, though, I could take his bones home and make him a grave. Next to Paul’s. That’d be good. He’d said something about being together. 

Those were the thoughts running through my head as I watched Geese’s body burn. Ghislaine stared intently at the cremation proceedings. Maybe it was my imagination, but when it was over and we’d recovered the bones, her ears and tail seemed limp. 

“Let’s go home.”

“Yeah.”

We crossed the ravine. 

Whatever else aside, it was really over this time. I was worn out. I barely had any mana left; I was physically exhausted. If I lay down I’d be out like a light. Not that I could afford to sleep until Badigadi was sealed…

I was eager to get back to Sharia, anyway. I wanted to get a good night’s sleep in my own bed and then wake up to eat. I’d have rice for breakfast… Yeah—here in the Biheiril Kingdom, they had soy sauce. I could make a perfect tamagokake gohan bowl. When I got back, I’d eat. I’d eat until I burst. Then, of course, it’d be time for some sexy shenanigans. Rudeus the Celibate had died with Geese. Sylphie…or Roxy…or Eris…who to pick? Scratch that, how about all three at once? Eris wouldn’t like it, but surely it’d be all right to ask her, just this once. Chances like this didn’t come along every day, right? Right.

The post-mortem for this battle could wait until later. For now, I’d forget what Geese had said. Now, it was time to rest. I was exhausted.

“Rudeus.” As I walked, dragging myself wearily along with every step, I heard a voice from behind me. It was Ruijerd. He was walking at the back of our group and had turned to look behind him. Back at the ravine.

“What’s the matter?”

“An enemy.”

“What?”

There was a hand clinging to the edge of the ravine. A hand. A hand. Something was climbing up out of the ravine. But what? Never mind, there was no point wasting words on it. The hand shone gold. It wore a golden gauntlet.

“You’re kidding.”

It was Badigadi.

Surely this was too soon. Wasn’t it? Thinking back, I’d thrown a few of his arms into the ravine, then his body after them. His body had appeared to be practically annihilated, but there could have been a few larger chunks here and there…maybe by pulling together the bits that remained, no matter how minute, he’d been able to fast-track his regeneration. Were immortal demon kings that immortal…?

As we stood frozen, the armor rose out of the ravine. Only, it looked different now. It only had two arms, which was how it had been when I’d defeated it, but the overall design had changed. The helmet was a different shape, and it was shorter, not even two meters tall. It was also holding a sword. An enormous sword. The world’s greatest sword, forged from the King Dragon King. 

No. It isn’t him. That isn’t Badigadi.

“No matter how desperate he becomes, a hero always rises again and turns the tides. That is what I have achieved!”

That voice. The way he said “hero.” There was no way I could mistake that calling card.

“I am North God Kalman III, Alexander Rybak!”

He was alive. Huh! I’d really thought he was dead. His body hadn’t so much as twitched back when I sent him down here, and yet here he was. He’d survived. 

Ah, of course. He had immortal demon blood too. Given time, he could regenerate like Badigadi. 

Except—no. A shiver ran up my spine as it all clicked. This was the “final plan” Geese had talked about. Had this been his plan from the start? Or had he changed tack partway through? I’d thought something was off. I’d thought it was strange when the armor didn’t regenerate. He’d deliberately prevented it from regenerating. Then, Alec had put it on at the bottom of the ravine and restored himself. Maybe yesterday, when Geese was playing dead, he’d been preparing to drop the Fighting God Armor and part of Badigadi into the ravine and resurrect Alec…

Dammit. There was still more I had to do. There was another battle I had to fight. I was sick of this. Couldn’t it just be over? Like, give me a break already! An opponent I already beat once coming back for a second round?

Maybe it was my fault. I hadn’t made sure that Alec was dead. I’d beaten him and thought that meant I’d finished him off for good, only to leave him there. I could have burned him, at the very least! But no, I’d left him there, and now here we were. What else should I have done in that situation, though? What more could I have given than what I already had?

Well…whatever. What was done was done. What was I going to do now? The Version Zero was gone. I had no backup. Ghislaine, Isolde, and Ruijerd, and I remained, with me teetering on the verge of mana drain. I had no weapon and no armor. My hand was empty. There was no hope of winning.

What should I do? How was I supposed to beat North God Kalman III wearing the Fighting God Armor?

Was it time to ask Orsted to step in? As if. What was any of this for?

I had to at least weaken him…but how?

As I gaped at him, Alec looked back at me. He didn’t seem at all surprised that I was here. It was like he’d expected me to be waiting for him. 

“Rudeus Greyrat…” he said. “I apologize for calling you useless. You are a formidable warrior. I would not have thought it from your appearance, but you are a worthy opponent for me. Thanks to you, I have ascended to a new level of power. You have my gratitude.”

I turned my weary body toward the golden armor. If I ran, he’d only catch me. I didn’t even have enough strength to buy time. I’d go down fighting, then. I’d struggle with everything I had left. Focusing only on that thought, I stepped forward—

“Uh?” I was sprawled on the ground.

“I am invincible now,” Alec said. It was seeing the other three fallen around me—Ruijerd, Ghislaine, and Isolde—that made me realize Alex had thrown us all down. He’d knocked us all down in one hit.

“This is my thanks to you for making me stronger, Rudeus. I will let you live.” 

Searing pain shot through me at last. My legs were broken. He was too fast. I hadn’t seen it coming. I hadn’t had the Eye of Foresight open, but still. I hadn’t been able to react at all. Neither had any of the other three. The Eye of Foresight wouldn’t have made any difference. Maybe this was the true power of the Fighting God Armor. When the wearer was stronger, it built upon their strength… Never mind, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t like Badigadi had been weak. He was plenty strong too. It was simply that when the wearer changed, the armor’s performance changed as well. It changed its form to align itself with them… It really was the ultimate armor.

“Farewell,” Alec said, walking away. 

There was no time to be shocked. I immediately said a spell to heal the other three. They were unconscious. Near death, but not yet dead. Was this Alec’s idea of mercy? Damn it all. He still didn’t take me seriously. But hey, that wasn’t a bad thing. After healing the other three, I cast Earth Fortress to cover them, then went after Alec. I had no plan for what I’d do when I caught him. Had Sylphie made it back to the village? What was Orsted going to do? I didn’t have any answers, but Alec was heading toward people I had to protect. Toward Eris, Sylphie, Norn, and all the Superd. I couldn’t allow them to be slaughtered. I had no reason not to go after him. 

My legs weren’t cooperating too well. They trembled, refusing to respond how I wanted them to. But even then, I managed to run. I kept going, following the golden armor.

***

The Superd village was too quiet. It was so quiet I wondered when I arrived if everything was already over. 

“Why?! Why is there no one here?!” Alec bawled. I passed through the palisade gate and into the village and found it empty. The Superd were gone, as were Julie and Aisha, and Cliff and the others who’d been carried back here for their wounds. Even Sylphie, who was supposed to have been relaying my message to Orsted, was gone. Eris, too. There wasn’t a trace of any of them. All the people had vanished into thin air. 

“How can this be?! Isn’t this what Rudeus was defending?!”

It was. I was defending this place. 

This was bizarre. Everyone had been here, right before I left! It had been…how much time had passed? It was about three hours from here to the ravine. I’d used the Version Zero to get there, and I’d been in a big hurry, so it had only taken an hour. Then we’d fought Badigadi, searched for Geese, and come back…so five, maybe six hours? Five or six hours ago, everyone had been here. Being in a hurry I hadn’t looked around much, but I was sure they’d all been here. 

Except—hold up. Hadn’t there been…too many people? Hadn’t there been some people who had no place being here?

“Curses… You had me completely fooled…” Alec turned around. “Rudeus Greyrat!” Fury radiated from him in waves. 

You’ve got it wrong. I don’t know any more than you. 

Why would I have come chasing after such a dangerous opponent if Orsted wasn’t even here? That’d be moronic. I’d have run away into the forest, counting my blessings that he’d let me live. 

“Orsted and the Superd were never here, were they?”

“Um, no, the Superd were… You saw Ruijerd before, didn’t you?” Getting the feeling he might attack at any moment, I backed away. I had no idea what was going on now. Maybe this was all a bad dream. Maybe the Abyssal King had survived or something, and everything since we’d defeated Badigadi had been a dream.

“I was going to let you live. No longer. If you are so desperate to fight me to the last, I shall grant your wish…”

Crap. What’s going on? I had to run. I had no reason to fight, I had to run. I was about to turn around—then, ice ran down my spine. 

My feet stopped moving. Had Alec done something? No, that wasn’t it. He was rooted to the spot too. 

“Wh-what’s this, this cold?” He sounded scared. He was looking around wildly. He had the Fighting God Armor. Why was he so scared?

Why?

Well, because it was a curse. A curse to inspire fear. A curse that specifically didn’t work on me. Only, I could tell that the source of the curse was currently seething with murderous rage, and that rage was tied up in some major trauma for me. That scared me.

That murderous rage took shape as it emerged from the back of the village. Silver hair, and those awful eyes, the whites shining beneath the gold of his irises. He came walking toward us slowly with a terrifying look on his face. 

“Rudeus.”

“Sir Orsted…why…?”

It was Orsted. He had his helmet in one hand and tossed it to me now. I hurried to catch it. 

“When Sylphiette informed me what had happened, Cliff Grimor was already close to full mana drain. I saw that he would be unable to seal Badigadi and the Fighting God, so I went and begged another man’s aid. Hence, my arrival was delayed. Forgive me.”

No, not that, I wasn’t asking why you’re late. I want to know why there’s no one here.

“This, however… This, I did not anticipate,” Orsted said, then looked at Alec, North God Kalman III, who stood there in the Fighting God Armor. “I shall handle the rest.” He stepped forward, and Alec took a frightened step back. I had no idea what was happening. I only called after Orsted.

“But Sir Orsted, your mana…”

“Enough. There has been enough of that,” Orsted said, shaking his head. “I too have made up my mind.” 

“Made up your mind…? About what…?”

He looked at me. His mouth quirked in the thinnest shadow of a smile, then set with almost imperceptible determination. With the most terrifying face in the world, he said, “I wish to see for myself what it is like to fight alongside trusted friends.”

I hadn’t quite followed the beginning and end of the conversation, but for some reason, his words struck me. I understood he’d resolved himself to this battle. 

“Okay,” I said at last. “Then I’ll leave you to deal with the rest.” I stepped back. There was nothing more for me to say. I was supposed to be thinking that I couldn’t allow Orsted to fight, and yet I could feel a little smile tugging at my mouth. I’d misjudged a little. Not one thing in particular, exactly. It was just that Orsted had let me in more than I’d thought. He thought of me as his ally on an emotional level, not just in his calculations. He wanted to fight alongside his friends. Not allies. Friends. From now on, he would not be alone, but with me. He wouldn’t use me, but rather stand at my side. Now I knew we couldn’t lose. I’d thought I’d failed to achieve a goal, but I’d won something else.

“Now then, North God Kalman III, Alexander Rybak.”

“So it’s you… You’re Dragon God Orsted.” When Orsted called his name, Alec raised the King Dragon Blade Kajakut. He was wielding both the Fighting God Armor and the King Dragon Blade. They made for a devastatingly powerful combo. He wouldn’t consider tossing just one of them to the side, would he? Was there anything I could do here?

“Perfect.” Orsted, it seemed, thought differently. As Alec raised his blade, a smile of confidence flashed across his face. That smile was terrifying enough to turn everything around it to ice. 

“With both the Fighting God Armor and the King Dragon Blade, there’ll be no excuses when you lose, will there?”

“You—!” Alec was out for blood now. “Do you mock me?!”

“I do not.” Orsted put his hands together and then slowly drew them apart. Something emerged from the palm of his left hand: it was a sword, and when I saw it, my knees began to knock together. I’d only seen that sword once before. Orsted had only called it the Dragon Blade. All I knew was that it consumed a massive volume of mana.

“My sole desire is to beat you down utterly and to break you.” He held the sword out, pointing it at Alec’s eyes. 

Alec’s fury rose to the surface, the air crackling with his wish to see Orsted dead. He raised the King Dragon Blade.

“Try it, then!” he shouted. 

Dragon God Orsted faced off against North God Alexander in the Fighting God Armor. The true and actual final battle had begun.