Final Battle ⑪

Late!

Lars (Kyoya) perspective

His body was moving on its own.

He observed it from a detached, almost indifferent standpoint.

As if he had left his body, viewing it from above.

Though, regretfully, his field of view remained limited to what his original body perceived—he could not achieve a full, overhead perspective.

The sensation was akin to astral projection.

The luxury of such idle thoughts was possible only because there was nothing he could do at this moment.

His body, having activated Wrath, refused to obey.

He had imagined it would be like steering a runaway car with a broken brake—unfortunately, he was not even in the driver’s seat. He was relegated to the back seat.

Even the Outer Path Invalidation could not eliminate the drawbacks of Wrath.

Perhaps my body will never return to my will again.

All I can do is watch like this until I die.

There is no regret there.

In the elven village, victory against two ancient dragons was unattainable without fury.

Therefore, if the conflict were to become a battle against the ancient dragon, she had no intention of hesitating before using Wrath.

The sole concern was that unleashing wrath would erase distinctions between friend and foe. Fortunately, combat could begin without allies nearby.

Then, there's nothing left but to rampage without restraint.

Again, the number lost track of, she severed the charging panther dragon.

The leopard dragon no longer seems to have MP left—it attacks blindly, without even summoning lightning.

Claws and fangs lashed out with precision. The body moved with the suppleness of a leopard—swift, fluid.

A normal human would have been overwhelmed merely by raw stat superiority, even without summoning lightning.

But my stats, activated by rage, surpassed even Ariel’s peak condition.

The leopard dragon, outmatched in stats, was nothing more than a target.

—Nnghh!

Yet the fire dragon, using the leopard dragon as bait, struck from behind, slamming my body into the ground.

Not a foot-based takedown—!

The fire dragon had seized me.

And, riding the momentum of the impact, it plunged me—whole body—into magma.

Burning.

No matter how high my stats, diving into magma bare-skinned without damage was impossible.

HP regeneration exceeded, yet damage accumulated steadily, inch by inch.

Yet my body did not react in haste. It severed the front paw of the fire dragon gripping it and broke free from the magma.

Emerging from the magma.

A wind bullet struck without warning, aimed directly at my head.

The impact shook my brain.

Even with high stats, such attacks inevitably caused damage.

And the secondary effects from the brain trauma were no different.

The shock of the wind bullet and the concussion caused my body to sink back into the magma.

Thanks to the skill that negated unconsciousness, the concussion resolved quickly. My body surged out of the magma again.

The wind bullet came once more, aimed at my head. Knowing it would come made the counter easy.

I swung my right hand, deflecting the wind bullet.

Then, with my left hand, I swung again—cutting through the approaching pteradon.

But the sword in his hand had no blade.

The counter against the pteradon ended in a miss. His body was kicked again, sent tumbling into the magma for the third time.

Learning from the danger of rising from the same spot, his body swam through the magma and emerged onto land at a slightly distant point.

In both hands, a sword with no blade.

His body could withstand the magma’s heat, but the weapon could not.

He discarded it, drawing a spare blade from his auxiliary sheath.

The magic sword prepared before battle was nearly depleted.

This spare blade was the last.

And the exchange of attacks had significantly reduced his HP.

Even if all stats multiplied by ten through rage, HP, MP, and SP were exceptions.

Maximum values increased, but current values did not rise beyond the numbers set at the moment of rage activation.

HP and MP gradually recover at an increasing rate, but SP does not even reach that level.

The notion of conserving MP does not exist for me, dominated as I am by rage.

MP is nearing depletion.

HP is also decreasing, slowly but steadily, due to repeated attacks from the ancient dragons.

Not just HP.

Somewhere hidden, an unknown spellcaster was gradually reducing my stats.

A debuff, akin to a curse.

Slowly, steadily, I was being driven into a corner.

The ancient dragons attack again.

Among them is the panther dragon, which should have been cut down earlier.

Shun’s figure appears at the edge of vision.

In this battle, Shun held the key.

Because Shun endlessly revived the ancient dragons, I could not press forward.

No level-up has occurred.

Despite having defeated the ancient dragons multiple times.

There should be no case where a dragon of such power is defeated without gaining a level-up.

Likely, there is a special rule in effect when a revival method exists.

Level-up is granted as a portion of energy collected by the system. If the soul is not collected by the system, that portion cannot be obtained.

Normally, experience points are acquired instantly upon defeating an opponent. However, when a revival method is nearby, this judgment is delayed.

Thus, experience points will not be granted regardless of how many ancient dragons are defeated unless Shun—possessing the revival method—is eliminated first.

Eliminating Shun first would grant an advantage in this battle. Unfortunately, my priority, under the influence of rage, is the opponent currently before me.

Despite knowing Shun is a complication, I have left him unattended.

...No, perhaps I am wishing for it somewhere deep inside myself.

I should be prepared.

The resolve to kill my former friend.

Yet somewhere within, I am rejecting it—perhaps that is why I avoid doing it.

Then...

"GAAAAAAAH!!"

That sweetness must be discarded.

"Too late!?"

Breaking through the encirclement of the ancient dragons, I rush toward Shun.

Shun’s pale, wavering face stiffens.

Before him, Yatata stands in blocking stance.

Yatata raises both hands, enveloping himself and Shun in a barrier-like shield.

My blade strikes the shield—unexpectedly, it rebounds.

Yet the shield cracks.

And I wield dual blades.

The second blade strikes the barrier—shattering completely.

"Brother!"

But in that instant, blocked by the barrier, another figure had already dashed between me and Jun.

The girl, Jun’s sister in this life, stood beside the ancient dragons, protected by the small white dragon’s blessing, matching my strength.

Yet that was only possible with the support of the other ancient dragons.

In a one-on-one confrontation, she was no match for me.

I swung both blades at once, aiming at Jun’s sister.

She blocked with her sword—but lacked the strength to hold. She was sent flying backward with force.

Now, no one remained to protect Jun!

I raised both blades.

And with full momentum, without hesitation, brought them down.

Jun instinctively shoved Yuta aside, stepping forward to shield me.

But that was all he could do.

He had no time to evade my attack.

So, I should have cut down my former friend.

“?”

There, Jun stood unharmed.

Looking down at his own hands, he found two blades, their edges shattered.

MP depleted.

The magic infusion had severed.

Without magic infusion, even a cursed blade could not withstand my full force.

My body reacted instantly.

I thrust the broken blade directly at Jun.

A full-force strike, even without a blade edge.

A hit to the face would have been enough to kill Jun.

But a different arm wrapped around mine.

The world spun.

For a moment, he did not understand what had happened.

In the spinning vision, a man who had remained near Jun stood in an odd posture.

That was the stance of a back throw.

I had been thrown.

And mid-air, as I was being spun, the leopard dragon bit into my throat.

The debuff had finally reduced my defense to a critical threshold. Fangs sank into my throat.

I landed still impaled, then drove a full-force blow into the leopard dragon.

The dragon’s body crashed into the ground. My neck, still pierced, erupted with blood.

...Damn it.

HP was dropping rapidly.

No weapon left.

No MP.

...So this is it.

My body collapsed.

"Kyoya..."

Don't make that face, Jun.

"...right..."

Ha. My breath is gone. Can't even speak.

...Huh?

I can speak on my own will?

Is this death's proximity dissolving rage?

H—Ha!

This is a miracle!

Then my course is clear.

"S—s—s—s—s—set...!"

I must not fail here. Each syllable, carefully formed, spoken with precision.

Blood spilled from his mouth each time, but the words had formed properly.

“!? You!?!”

The man who had thrown me over his shoulder—stunned.

Shun and Kadu did not comprehend the meaning of my actions.

From the beginning, this was the plan.

If I were to die in this battle, and my rage had dissipated.

I had killed many in this world.

That was a crime.

Crimes required punishment.

Thus, I would expend this soul—completely, for the sake of this world.

This was my atonement.

Shiro, Ariel, Sophia.

I’m sorry.

The rest is up to you.

I have gone as far as I can.

And I dissolved into dust.