Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

Volume 4 Chapter 8.2

Risking One's Life Till One Burns Up Part 2

Translator : PolterGlast

In the darkness, Ken stood silently before the childhood friend he had captured. Seeing the anguished expression on her face, his thoughts, which had been hazy just moments before, quickly became clear.

(Ah......)

He felt a sense of loneliness in his heart.

Then, he finally realized. What he desired was something else.

[Let me go, let me out of here!]

In his head, the Mefi he had absorbed was desperately pleading with him, but he ignored the voice and suppressed it, saying that he did not care. The voice of one who no human should ever be able to resist was easily hushed.

Instead, this time, the beast's voice echoed. The existence that kept him alive. The will of the heretical demonic beast.

He was forced to understand, whether he wanted to or not. Without the power of this demonic beast, he would not be able to live, and eventually, this demonic beast will crush his soul and devour everything that lives in this land.

(In the end, this is no different from when I was being used by Mefi......)

"Lisa......"

Once again, he called out the name of his childhood friend. A scene from his childhood flashed back into his mind. The first friends he made after being neglected by his family. The one he had been longing for.

[In the end, neither you nor I could support Lisa. We both gave up our right to do so.]

The voice of his other childhood friend came back to him. He felt his gut churn with anger upon hearing those words, but at the same time, he also felt a sense of understanding.

"......It's too late now."

Yes. Everything is already too late.

Then there is only one thing he could ...... hope for.

"You've come......."

His heightened senses detected that man's presence.

The cold sensation from before has disappeared, and in its place is a feeling of elation.

This is the last. Knowing that naive guy, he might be a little indecisive. But if I use this extra thing I've captured as bait, I'll be able to fire him up.

There is no hope. And that's fine. The future doesn't matter anymore.

I'll kill him....... I'm willing to sacrifice anything for it.

And so, he turned his back on his beloved childhood friend and muttered "good-bye" in his heart.

†

Nozomu ran out of the medical facility, ignoring the staff members who were flustered by the sudden appearance of the hemisphere.

A sticky humidity began to entangle his entire body.

Shaking off the air that clung to his skin, he ran ahead to see a huge shining wall and a huge black hemisphere.

Perhaps the erosion had progressed further than before, the wall of light flickered erratically and seemed to be gradually fading away.

And about 30 meters away from the wall of light, a large number of city personnel had gathered, who had rushed to the site after learning of the situation. Among them were people Nozomu knew well.

"Nozomu-kun!?"

"You woke up!?"

Jihad and others were surprised to see Nozomu rushing toward them.

Among them, Irisdina was the only one who seemed somewhat absent-minded.

"Nozomu......"

"Iris......"

When her eyes met Nozomu's, she shuddered for some reason.

Her eyes were filled with bewilderment and ...... guilt. Nozomu was wondering why she had such a lonely look on her face, but before he could ask her, Fadrey stepped in between them.

"Sorry, but we are in an urgent situation. Let me continue. As I said before, before the Isolation Barrier is breached, we will make the underground magic circle that is deploying the barrier go out of control and blow it up. There will be some damage to the facilities in the surrounding areas, but that can't be helped."

The City Isolation Barrie is deployed by infusing the source elements drawn from the dragon veins into the magic circle that is spread out beneath the city. This was planned and installed at the time of Alkazam's construction as a prototype ritual magic city, and is still being expanded and adjusted throughout the city.

With such a super-large scale magic circle, the power stored in it is extraordinary.

If it were to explode, the buildings on top of the magic circle would be obliterated without exception. Naturally, the lives of the people there would be annihilated like dust. The aftermath alone would cause significant damage to the adjacent areas.

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"If you do that, Shina-san, Lisa-san, and the others will die~!"

[You damned old geezer!]

"There's no other way. The Isolation Barrier won't last much longer. Once it is completely eroded, it will be impossible to even make it self-destruct. It is better than the city itself collapsing."

Naturally, the teachers, including Anri, and Razward protested, but Fardrey dismissed their arguments with a firm stance.

Jihad, the representative of the school side, was silent. He stared at the jet-black hemisphere in frustration, perhaps torn between his position as a teacher protecting his students and his position as a representative of an organization.

Nozomu, too, was feeling a rough discomfort at Fardrey's words. His breathing became shallow and a strong urgency came over him. Irisdina looked at him with a somewhat uneasy expression.

"Nozomu?"

Nozomu walked past the arguing adults and went straight to the Isolation Barrier.

The words of the old man who had just made contact with him came back to his mind, followed by a strong sense of unease.

The risk of going out of control, and a dragon that has been in the city before he knew it.

Having been made aware of so many important things, the future became ...... tremendously scary.

(But even so......)

It is okay to run away. That was his Master's words that saved him.

Also, the people who rescued him when he was consumed by the rage of anger. That's why.......

"Would you please ...... undo the barrier?"

Quiet but determined words.

While everyone present was surprised, Fadrey, under Nozomu's intense gaze, spoke up solemnly.

"I can't do that. That black hemisphere is unilaterally devouring even the City Isolation Barrier. Naturally, once caught, one won't even be able to escape, and both body and soul will be devoured. You are no exception."

Following Fadrey's words, the guards guarding him surrounded Nozomu.

"Nozomu! Fadrey-dono, please stop!"

Irisdina raised her voice, but Fardrey ignored her words and raised his hand to order the guards to restrain Nozomu. But before he could bring his hand down, an unexpected voice echoed around them.

[Nozomu, you won't come?]

"Ken......."

A low, yet provocative tone of voice. With a clear and rational voice, Ken provoked Nozomu.

[If you're going to abandon them, then do as you please. But Lisa, Camilla, that elf and the entire city will be obliterated.]

As if to confirm his words, the City Isolation Barrier, which was supposed to be at odds with the Predatory Barrier, trembled. The sparks that should have been flying through the barrier disappeared. Fadrey's eyes widened upon seeing this.

"Don't tell me, you've already seized control over the City Isolation Barrier?"

[Only you may come......]

While Fadrey was surprised, Ken led Nozomu toward a hole in the City Isolation Barrier. The hole, as small as a needle, spread out in the blink of an eye, becoming a large semi-circular hole that several people could pass through side by side.

Seeing that Ken had clearly seized control over the City Isolation Barrier, Fadrey, having realized that his countermeasures were already impossible, shifted his gaze to Nozomu. His eyes were trying to see through everything inside. Nozomu met his gaze head-on, and Fadrey let out a deep sigh.

"In this case, I have no choice but to entrust it to you......"

Hearing Fadrey's words, the guards backed down.

As soon as they were out of the way, Nozomu glanced at Razward and Tima, who were with Irisdina and the others, and lightly tapped his ear with his finger. As they widened their eyes at the earring still attached to his ear, he headed for the black hole that had been bored into the barrier.

"Nozomu......!"

Irisdina cried out involuntarily.

Nozomu smiled lightly at her concern and stepped into the darkness of the abyss.

"......!"

The moment Nozomi entered the barrier, a pitch-black darkness filled his vision. What followed was a feeling of coldness, as if he were on ice. He winced as he felt the heat draining from his body, but regained his composure and continued onward into the darkness.

[I never thought you could move within this barrier that devours not only your body, but even your soul. Normal humans would have collapsed before they could even take a single step, and would die and become my food. What in the world have you absorbed, Nozomu?]

Ken's voice echoed from the darkness once again. Although his voice was calm, there was a hint of both surprise and amazement in his words.

[No, wait. This is not from the spirit you've absorbed. So this is your own power, huh? What a prick.]

"What are you talking about?"

[You haven't noticed, huh? Well, whatever. Besides, you won't be able to worry about it anymore anyway.]

However, his tone of voice quickly changed to one filled with hatred.

While letting Ken's meaningful words stream forth, Nozomu just kept moving forward in the darkness.

As he did so, eventually, a small light began to flicker from the depths of the darkness. The flashing light, like a firework, grew stronger instantaneously, filling Nozomu's field of vision with flashes of light.

He raised his hand and squinted, and after a few seconds, the light faded away like a receding tide, clearing his vision at once.

"Is this ...... Oire Village?"

And before Nozomu's eyes was a small village nestled in the mountains, bathed in twilight.

At the same time, the cold sensation he had felt earlier disappeared. Apparently, this predatory barrier has a two-layered structure, and the erosive power that devours even souls is not at work here.

[Nostalgic place, huh? But to the current me, this place is just an awful place......]

Mountains drew a wavering line in the darkening sky, and the houses spread out at their foot. A nostalgic place to call home.

But there were no lights in any of the houses, and they gave off a coldness reminiscent of inorganic stone sculptures.

Just on the other side of the village, a single large, black tree towered as if piercing the sky.

The hill where the lone pine tree used to stand, the playground of their childhood. Ken's voice was echoing from there.

"Over there, huh?......."

Nozomu made his way toward the lone pine tree. On the way, he passed through the village, but there was still no sign of anyone.

He walked alongside the river that ran through the center of the village and went straight to the road that led to the lone pine tree.

Suddenly, a modest house caught Nozomu's eye. It was a small house made of wooden posts, grass roof, and mud walls. It was Nozomu's house.

He knew that this was not the actual house where he grew up. Still, he stopped in his tracks.

[Your house, huh? ....... Come to think of it, when you came to this school, your parents were really against it. I didn't experience any such thing. If you want to go, just go. My family spoke to me so indifferently, as if to say, "Let the cow off the leash".]

Perhaps remembering the old days, Ken's voice, which had been disturbingly eerie earlier, turned somewhat distant and somber.

[My other siblings didn't say anything either. Because they would have more food to feed themselves. I guess it was more convenient for them to be without me.]

"That's not true......"

[Really?]

"If they didn't care about you, do you really think they'd raise you until you were fourteen?"

Although Oire village was still better off, Nozomu had nevertheless heard stories of famine-stricken villages selling their children. Ken's family was certainly a big one, and his parents were always busy working and taking care of his other young siblings, but they were by no means cold-hearted people.

[Your opinion doesn't matter to me. Besides, this past is meaningless now. I've already cast the die. So, I have no intention of going back.]

Ken dismissed Nozomu's words.

However, Nozomu couldn't help but notice a hint of slight attachment and sadness in his voice.

[And did you forget? If you don't hurry up, we're going to run out of time.]

But there was no time to ask anything back. It was true that Ken had taken control of the City Isolation Barrier, and the Predatory Barrier was still in place. If left unchecked, it was only a matter of time before Ken would devour Arcazam as a whole.

Swallowing the words that rose to his throat, Nozomu once again proceeded along the narrow path. He reached the top of the hill, which was his destination.

The sight before him took his breath away.

A huge tree pierced the sky. A single pine tree, once a symbol of the playground, has been transformed into a blackened and ominous object. In front of the tree stood the childhood friend he was looking for.

[You're here at last.]

"Ken, where's Lisa?"

[She's safe. For now. And so are these two.......]

Ken turned around and showed Nozomu the base of the black pillar that had been half-hidden. Nozomu's face broke out in shock. There he saw Lisa, Shina, and Camilla, with half of their bodies entrapped in the pillar, crucified. All three were limp and unconscious.

"Ken, you......!"

"Nn......"

Just as he was about to pounce on Ken reflexively, Lisa's body jerked.

Her closed eyes slowly opened and her face lifted.

"Nozomu, Ken......"

[Lisa's awake too. Shall we begin then? ......]

Ken suddenly raised his right hand. The black source elements converged, and a single long sword appeared.

The sword has a luster reminiscent of black oil bubbling up from the ground. The blade, clearly a convergence of water elements, looked foreign even to Nozomu, and emitted an eerie presence.

A blue light mixed with the black source elements. Nozomu's mind recalled the insect spirit called Mefi.

"Ken, the spirit you contracted with -......"

[I ate it. Thanks to this guy's power.......]

While saying so, Ken pointed to his left chest. A multicolored magic stone peeked out from a gap in his tattered uniform. It looked familiar. It was the Abyss Grief magic stone that Shina and Nozomu had defeated before.

The magic stone was almost completely embedded in the skin, but from the surface of the stone, multiple tubes, reminiscent of black blood vessels, were crawling out and burrowing into the skin. The stone itself was beating continuously, almost resembling a heart, and each time it beat, a vivid light was transmitted through the blood vessels into Ken's body.

(Was what that dragon said true?......)

[She's been deceiving me all this time, so it's nothing to fret about. And also, the old man who has been using me is probably scratching his head right now. Just imagining it makes me feel better.]

"The old man who has been-......?"

Before Nozomu could finish his sentence, the jet-black tree shook with a loud tremor.

The entire village of illusion turned reddish-black, and then the same-colored source elements converged on the tree. The black tree devoured the gathered elements. Tubes reminiscent of blood vessels emerged from the thick trunk and began to throb. The sucked-up source elements become a huge crimson mass inside the giant tree.

"That's ......."

[It is a mass of source elements absorbed by the Predatory Barrier. This tree is the center of the barrier. Once it reaches a critical point, it will have enough power to blow away Arcazam along with the entire dragon veins.]

A brilliant colored light overflowed from Ken's left chest, followed by a burst of black source elements from his entire body.

The gush of source elements covered Ken's entire body and eventually transformed into full-body armor that radiated a dull luster.

[Nozomu, I finally have the power I've always wanted.]

Spirit armor. The armor that Ken previously wore by assimilating with Mefi. Compared to before, it looked more sinister, and from both eyes of the distorted helmet, blood-red eyes were peeking out. Its features were the same as those of the Abyss Grief that Nozomu had defeated before.

With the power of a spirit and a deformed demonic beast in his hands, Ken pointed the tip of the long sword at Nozomu.

[This time ...... I will definitely kill you.]

The sharp, piercing eyes and murderous intent that made one's whole body shiver. A determination to completely ...... oppose him.

In Nozomu's mind, he recalled the scene in the sewers, when he was about to be swallowed by the raging water, how Ken brushed away his hand.

"Ken, just what the hell did you really want? Are you ...... really serious about this?"

Nevertheless, Nozomu still asked. Because he wanted to know. No, he had to know.

There must be a way to turn back. Even after committing a great crime.

But what came back was still rejection.

Ken's jet-black long sword swung out, the blade split and extended like a whip, attacking Nozomu.

"~!?"

Nozomu drew his [Mumei] and reflexively slashed away at the oncoming serpentine sword.

[Even after reaching this stage, you are still pestering me with every little thing. I don't give a damn about your feelings.]

A strong impact was felt in return. Ken spat on Nozomu's words with a look of contempt and disgust on his face as he grimaced at the numbness running down his arm.

[Fight me. Kill me, with everything you've got. That's all you can do now.]

Many questions came to Nozomu's mind. But there was one thing he was sure of.

Ken would not stop unless by force.

"Nozomu......"

Making up his mind after hearing Lisa's mutter, Nozomu put his hand on the invisible chains that wrapped around his body and tore them off.

[Roaarr―――――!]

Along with Tiamat's roar, an enormous amount of Qi erupted from Nozomu's body. The enormous amount of Qi swirled and surged, blowing away Ken's source elements that were floating around inside the barrier.

"I get it, Ken. Let's end this. Everything, about us......"

As if in response to this declaration, [Mumei]'s pattern of ripples shone brightly.

The blade lifted, leaving a shimmering white trail, and Ken also readied his black serpentine sword.

Then they both kicked the ground at the same time. In the blink of an eye, they reached each other and swung their weapons.

A darkness that devoured even the soul. A roar that blew away the darkness. The final battle has begun.

†

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