MTLNOVEL Chapter 161
The atmosphere trembled, or so I had once read.
Whether it was in a manga or a novel, I don’t know.
People often describe it as the feeling you get when facing an overwhelmingly strong opponent, but honestly… I feel like that’s a bit off.
Because…
“……”
…it’s not just the atmosphere trembling.
When Pandora raised her weapon and came right in front of me, it felt like space itself was distorting, tearing apart.
Even though she deliberately adjusted her fighting style to match mine, not using her original techniques.
“As expected, you’re the ‘Child of Heo,’ aren’t you?”
But still, I don’t feel fear.
All I feel inside me is fighting spirit.
And now… I think I finally understand.
Why I’ve been fighting battles that are beyond reason, unlike others.
It’s because… I lack the emotion of fear.
“A being meant only to fight and dominate… but entrusting all authority to a mere creature without a sense of self was a fatal mistake♪ Did you think you could handle it as easily as eating cake with just that? Even your lack of emotions is incomplete…”
“Who are you talking to?”
“You’ll find out soon enough?”
“「Chaos…”
“First, how about you stop relying on just that one technique?”
“Ugh…”
I don’t understand what Pandora is saying, but I guess being the ‘Child of Heo’ means being a being with some emotions missing.
Why the ‘Child of Heo’ exists, why some emotions are missing… I don’t know, but judging by the nuance, it seems like some transcendent being is involved.
And Pandora, for some reason, seems to be targeting that.
She probably has some plan to use me for something.
To cancel my technique right at the moment I try to activate it with pinpoint precision, what kind of acrobatics is that?
Well, I already knew it wouldn’t have much effect, so I’ll have to think of another way.
First, I need to get closer to her movements and power.
To do that… I need to learn more about this 「Chaos」.
But that’s easier said than done. How am I supposed to figure that out…?
“Shall we get going?”
“Tch…!”
But the priority is to counter Pandora’s attacks.
Activating a technique separately risks getting canceled like before, so I pour everything into myself and my weapon.
I counter Pandora’s attack with a slash of my own.
Before they even touch, the clash of energies creates a shockwave, tangles, and explodes.
“……”
Pandora’s attack ignores the shockwave and explosion, slamming down where I was.
The ground is completely shattered, but that’s not the issue now.
At the very least, if I can’t fight her on equal terms… I have no chance of winning.
Still, pouring everything into enhancing myself and my weapon instead of relying on techniques makes my body feel lighter.
Maybe Pandora is guiding me.
She must have some plan or something she wants to use me for, so she probably doesn’t intend to kill me easily.
“Hmm… You’ve got a good look in your eyes now?”
…I relax my strength and sharpen all my senses.
Beyond 「Rampage」, to 「Chaos」… I have to cross that bridge completely.
To do that, I need to stop overthinking and rely on combat and instinct, right?
Growth has always been like that.
Then, this time, it should be the same.
It’s because I’m overthinking things that I’m still being toyed with by Pandora.
So… I’ll focus on just one thing.
‘Kill Pandora.’
“…? Hmm~ You’ve improved quite a bit… haven’t you?”
“……”
“But~ Being too silent isn’t fun either?”
“…Shut up.”
This time, I attack first.
A rising slash from right to left.
It feels like it’ll be deflected again, but I grit my teeth and pour my strength into it, clashing with Pandora’s weapon.
…Good, it’s worth trying to clash.
I force Pandora’s blade aside, and as she thrusts with the back of her weapon, I dodge and aim a downward slash at her arm.
Pandora underestimated me, but she didn’t let her guard down, rotating her weapon to block my attack with the tip.
I twist it slightly, disrupting her balance, and continue attacking.
But Pandora cleverly uses the hilt to deflect my attack to the side.
“Enough with the probing… don’t you think?”
“……”
…She’s annoyingly perceptive.
Still, I’ve got a rough feel for Pandora’s movements now.
The rest is just adapting to those movements… and crafting a new swordsmanship.
It’s something I’ve always done, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Hmm.”
Once again, I enter the [State of Extreme Focus] and clash with Pandora’s weapon.
The sound of our weapons clashing is beyond imagination—a deafening roar.
In less than a second, no, in an instant, thousands of clashes overlap, distorting and shattering space.
Just swinging weapons is boring, so I simultaneously activate a magical bombardment, realizing just how absurd this is.
But I can’t let myself be overwhelmed.
I push beyond my limits, shifting gears, deflecting Pandora’s weapon and magical bombardment, tightening my grip on her.
My body creaks beyond its limits, but I use minimal recovery magic to keep going, closing the distance bit by bit.
…It feels like I’m being swallowed.
Pushing beyond my limits, breaking my body, and repairing it while fighting Pandora gives me an indescribable high.
And at the same time… something is approaching my mind.
I’ve never felt this before. It’s strange.
“…Hmm?”
Pandora seems to have noticed something off too. She doesn’t stop attacking, but her expression twists.
Whether she feels threatened or just annoyed… I can’t tell.
But it’s clearly a negative expression.
[……!%#^@%$&@%!#^&@$%@^&$%*……]
Ugh… I need to focus on fighting Pandora, but this noise keeps coming.
A strange noise, like something digging into my head.
It’s as if the noise of a packed train has been amplified hundreds of times.
It’s probably not the Fairy Queen.
I couldn’t even communicate during the fight with Clock Hands, so there’s no way she could force her way into this battle with Pandora.
Then what is it?
Why am I getting faster and stronger while being tormented like this?
…Who is interfering with my existence?
[……@#%^&!&!^$$^――――――― Is this your language? Interesting.]
Whose voice is that…?
[You are our child. So, you have the right to receive power from us. If you accept this power… you can kill the hateful enemy before you.]
[……]
A sudden offer.
The statement that I am their child.
This… since I’m called the ‘Child of Heo,’ this must be that ‘Heo’ being.
[Why aren’t you saying anything?]
[…I refuse.]
[…What?]
[I said… I refuse…!!]
But I have no intention of accepting power from some unknown being.
This being… clearly has something in common with Pandora, other witches, monsters, and even demons.
If I’m swallowed by this being… even if I can kill Pandora, it’s putting the cart before the horse.
In the end, I’ll just take Pandora’s place.
So, I refuse.
[……You have no right to refuse.]
“Ugh… Aaah…!!!”
“……”
Damn…! I can’t be swallowed like this…!
…Alright, if I’ve amplified my power this much, I should be able to kill Pandora.
Then… right now, I’ll use 「Divine Demon Slash」 to kill Pandora and focus everything on breaking this being’s interference…!
“Huu… 「Divine… Demon Slash」…!!”
With this strangely amplified power, I create an opening in Pandora.
The forcibly injected power is unpleasant, but I’ll use it as fuel.
Then, right now… 「Divine Demon Slash」…!
“……”
In the midst of the chaos in my mind and body, 「Divine Demon Slash」 begins to tear into Pandora.
Her weapon, her barrier, her body… everything is being torn apart.
…But that’s all.
Even with the sudden power boost, it wasn’t enough to finish Pandora in one strike.
“…As expected, you came out like that~?”
Pandora, her body half-torn.
Her expression hardens for the first time.
But soon, it twists into madness.
And… in that situation, I poured all my power into the incomplete 「Divine Demon Slash」, leaving me unable to do anything.
This is… the worst.
I messed up my judgment because I was too confused…!
“You focused on defense for a moment… well done♪”
“?!!”
……When Pandora’s mouth reached my ear, my vision suddenly went dark.
And my body stopped moving.
I don’t know what’s going on…
“Sorry, but… this is pointless now. 「Chaos」… no, let me correct that. 「Rampage」.”
When my vision returned, I was staring at the ceiling.
My body still won’t move.
My strength… shows no signs of recovering.
But thanks to the necklace I got from the Hero and the Fairy Queen’s blessing, I avoided instant death.
I never thought I’d be saved by something like this…
“Hmm… Still, you’re quite tough~? But, you’re no longer needed. You too… are a ‘failure.'”
“Pan…dora…!”
“Bye-bye♪”
Damn… Even so, it’s meaningless…
Because of a momentary misjudgment, I’m ending like this… so pointlessly…?!
“……”
“Oh? Who do we have here?”
“…It hurts, you bastard…”
…Huh? Hatred is here…
“…Rampage.”
“……”
“…Did you protect her this time?”
“……Yeah.”
“The rest… is up to the Queen and Pretty…”
Queen…? Pretty…?
Ah, you mean the Fairy Queen and Pretty Heart…
But it’s useless.
Even the Fairy Queen… has no way to win against that…
“Rampage!”
“Sis!!”
“Dabin!!”
Damn it… I thought the comms were down, but they’ve located me and are rushing over…
“Rampage. We’ll defend desperately, so please go meet her.”
“…What?”
“…No, I’ll come to you. I’ve just figured out something about the witches’ structure and the outer dimensions… So, don’t worry. Take this and rest well, then go meet her.”
What on earth is the Fairy Queen talking about…?
…………
………
……
…
◇
“……”
This place… a white space?
Where is this?
“What are you looking at? My cute junior?”
“?!!”
Wait, what… why are you here?
Am I… dead?!
“You’re not thinking you’re dead, are you? Huh? Really~? That’s too much~. You should’ve figured it out by now.”
“……Senior.”
“Tch. After so long, all you say is ‘Senior’? You should call me ‘Lunatic’ Senior!”
“…You’re Lunatic Poison.”
“…Ah~ Did I not tell you? Well, whatever!”
If I’m not dead… then what is this?
And why is Senior here…?