Chapter 187 - Only Once (11)
The three main competition events.
The individual final has begun.
"Crazy Dog! Cut that bastard to pieces!"
"Just by looking at him, it seems like he's about to die."
"It should have been a final battle between the Demonic Swordsman and Crazy Dog, not that useless one!"
Booooo!
The audience's boos continued.
<He seems to be in bad shape.>
<Even if he takes a recovery potion, it won't improve. That competitor prefers to finish on stage rather than be disqualified...>
I took a step forward.
[ToToEsMiVida (Tazza11): Unbearably exciting! My toto! Incredibly exciting!]
[Hou38: Haha, how cool! It's like honey to bread! Right? Yes, yes!]
[ToToEsMiVida (Tazza11): Kill him! Finish him!]
How noisy.
There are too many low-quality spectators.
I gripped the hilt of my sword more freely and took a step forward.
Aaron remained motionless in his place.
As expected. That's all he can do. It wouldn't be surprising if he were already dead.
"Ah... ah..."
Aaron emitted a heavy groan.
He was leaning on his lance as if it were a cane, but his arms and legs trembled incessantly, and sticky blood dripped from his mouth.
"Do you hate me?"
"No, it's not that."
"Don't lie. I know." I smiled faintly.
If it weren't for me, Aaron wouldn't have to suffer like this.
He would have lived comfortably as an instructor in Taonier. Although he once felt inferior to others, he was now content with his life, like Dika.
I knew well what fate awaited the heroes who went there with ambitions.
How much despair and loneliness they faced, I could see it clearly as their Master.
Still, I persuaded him. I made Aaron end up like this.
There were countless challengers.
Those who endured destructive training with a smile, who didn't flinch at anything, and who were willing to sell even their soul to become stronger.
Some easily endured a year.
Many had no problem lasting ten years.
But when more than a hundred years passed.
'It's easier said than done.'
If they realize they haven't achieved anything all that time.
If they realize there are those who undo their bloody efforts in just a few months.
"Aaron."
"... "
"Surrender. You have no talent." I lowered my sword.
"Go back to Taonier. I'll give you a position as an instructor. Live comfortably there."
"... "
"In front of you, there's only a path full of thorns. There's nothing. If you choose that path, you'll live in pain until the day you die."
Aaron staggered.
I took a step towards him.
"What's the point of getting stronger? Do you want to show off to others? Do you want to boast? Don't seek things beyond your capacity. Every person has their place."
"... "
"If you do your job, you'll naturally rise. I'll also rescue your sister. You can go back home. You don't need to get your hands dirty."
Aaron moved his lips, but only saliva mixed with blood came out.
"Just nod. I'll make things easier for you."
I looked ahead.
On the roof, near a ventilation shaft, there was a young man sitting.
The young man, with his hat pressed down, looked down at Aaron on the stage.
"Answer, Aaron," I said.
Aaron's lips moved again.
"No... I don't want to."
"What did you say? I didn't hear you."
"I don't want to..."
Is that your answer? I smiled faintly.
Then I pointed my sword at him.
"... "
At that moment, I realized Aaron had lost consciousness.
Although he was still standing, his eyes had already lost their shine.
My reflection holding the sword was seen in his eyes.
'I'll show you.'
I tore the ground with my sword.
Zisss! Blue sparks jumped brightly.
[Han (★★★★) has entered Exceed mode!]
Boom!
The marble tiles were torn like tofu.
The flickering flames spread to the end of the stage.
Bang!
I took a strong step forward.
The ground sank, forming a network of cracks that spread in all directions.
Maximum power.
Unrestricted.
Even the best potions seemed ridiculous as blood spurted from all over my body.
Crunch. The sounds of muscles tearing and bones breaking echoed in my ears.
Time slowed down.
1/100 seconds. 1/1000 seconds.
Aaron's eyes were still dull.
Towards that Aaron, a large sword wrapped in blue flames was thrust.
[Sword Spirit Conqueror's Spirit activated.]
You and I were different from the beginning.
Although we were both born with 1 star, we can't even be compared.
I mastered all the guides of this world, backed by talent, will, and invincible strength. In comparison, you...
'You had nothing.'
At first, you just whimpered from behind.
Then, you changed your mind and strove desperately, but even that didn't go as you wanted.
Bang!
The space itself was tearing apart.
The flames devoured everything in their path ferociously.
'Show me.'
Just before the flames engulfed Aaron's body.
"... "
He moved.
With his hands covered in blood, he grabbed the lance.
A light sparked in his empty eyes.
Hundreds of shadows emerged on the stage.
The shadows, each in a different posture of Aaron wielding his lance, but that was only for an instant. The illusion that enveloped the entire stadium was sucked back into Aaron's body.
'... '
Aaron extended his lance.
Thousands of shadows appeared near the blade of the lance.
They weren't just thousands.
My eyes widened.
They were tens of millions.
Like the fluttering of a bee, the shadows surrounding and swirling around the blade of the lance merged with it.
I knew.
To compress tens of thousands, millions, billions of thrusts into one...
Muden's secret weapon, the Deadly Thrust.
'Is it complete...?'
Boom!
A blue flash swept over Aaron.
"... Haah."
I breathed deeply.
The battle was over. It was decided with a single exchange.
The dust rising in the stadium dissipated.
Soon, the devastation of the stage was revealed.
The ground was completely excavated.
Bang!
A giant sign, split in two, fell to the front of the stage.
The audience fell silent suddenly.
If I were in front of the stands, dozens of people would have easily died.
Cof.
I spat out a mouthful of blood.
I wiped it with my sleeve and then shook myself.
'Maximum power.'
Without reservations, I used all my strength.
If the opponent had the strength to wield his lance, even once, it would have been my defeat.
"W-What, what just happened...?"
"Did it end with a single blow...?"
I looked ahead.
Aaron was standing in the same posture with the lance extended.
The ground beneath him was without a scratch.
Only beside him was a V-shaped excavation.
‘It stopped my Spirit of the Sword…’
I smiled bitterly.
Ping!
A late sound of wind and then the leather of my neck ripped.
Crack.
There was a hole in the middle of the blade of my Bifröst sword.
Click.
Click.
The hole expanded, forming cracks.
Crack.
Bifröst, split in two, fell to the ground.
‘This kid…’
How did he do this.
“What just happened?”
“Oh, it seems like a competitor used a special ability. Impressive. It's hard to believe it's only 4 stars. The sword couldn't withstand the power of the ability.”
[ToToEsMiVida (Tazza11): Wow… that's really strong;]
[Hou38: I told you, it's beyond 4 stars.]
[Restio0: Master, you should buy him a weapon. How strong does it have to be to break a sword?]
“Impressive, Crazy Dog! I bet on you well!”
“With that level, even the reincarnation of the Demonic Master, not even the real one, could have survived.”
“Tch, it seems like he did it on purpose. If he had hit, not even a corpse would remain.”
Couldn't resist?
Bifröst couldn't resist the recoil of the Conqueror's Sword Spirit?
What nonsense.
I laughed.
“…”
I lifted the sword.
The top of the blade, leaving the hollow in the middle, had disappeared.
‘…How absurd.’
I barely kept my body standing.
It wasn't over yet. There was still the end.
“…”
Aaron remained in the same posture with the spear extended, unmoving.
His eyes were dull. He had given all his effort.
Just once. That was the maximum strength Aaron could muster.
“I have no words.”
I approached Aaron with my split sword.
“You should take it easy, man. This will affect the mission.”
“…”
“What are we going to do about this? Compensate.”
Aaron didn't respond.
He stared at the place where I stood with empty eyes.
‘He's dead.’
Standing.
I smiled slightly.
You won't know.
When you wake up, you won't know what happened or what you did.
I won't tell you until you find out for yourself.
Now I understand.
Why Niflheim abandoned the World Raid to participate here.
The 5-star summon tickets and the experience of other students were insignificant problems compared to this.
‘I've fallen into the trap.’
I looked up again.
In the stands, sitting, Muden had a deep smile on his lips.
There's no turning back now.
The time Aaron spent must have been a hell he couldn't even imagine.
And it will continue to be so in the future.
As I said, your pain won't disappear.
‘But don't worry.’
The skill you awakened is not just a mere stab.
It's not a cut, nor a thrust, nor a blow. It's not physical, magical, neutral, or penetrating.
No genius, even if there were ten Lidygions, could imitate it.
Karma.
Among the thousands of skills and engravings in Pick Me Up, it's a unique property.
With just that, Muden reached an almost invincible position.
I lifted the broken sword.
Before me, there is someone who has overcome a wall that humans cannot cross.
A monster that has spent thousands, hundreds of thousands, tens of millions of nights.
A genius who, if he knows one thing, knows ten.
But even that genius cannot surpass certain limits.
Although it's said that the lion is the king of animals, it cannot surpass the barrier of life.
This kid was once a rabbit.
But now he's not a rabbit.
Nor is he a lion.
He has become something completely different, impossible to classify.
Aaron.
You're not who I knew anymore.
By the time you return to Taonier…
“Goodbye.”
I lowered the broken sword.
“…”
Thump.
The sound of Aaron falling was heard.
At that moment, a shadow appeared out of nowhere and picked up Aaron's body.
I laughed and sheathed the broken sword.
It doesn't fit.
“Ah, competitor! Cough, cough!”
The referee, buried in rubble, stood up.
His formal suit had turned into rags.
“You're the winner! Congratulations on the victory, congratu…”
I passed by him, touching his shoulder, and he fell as if crumbling.
Such professionalism.
I walked out into the hallway.
Some employees tried to stop me for the award ceremony, but with my current state, that was impossible.
I pushed them aside and headed to the locker room.
<Congratulations on the victory, Master.>
As if waiting, Yurnet's voice tickled my ear.
“Careful, please. I almost lost. If that kid had been in his normal state, I would have been the one to die.”
<Hehe, I trusted that you would overcome that, Master.>
“It's okay. But… Bifröst broke.”
<If it's a property of Karma, natural healing is impossible. We'll pick it up and repair it.>
“I would appreciate that.”
I leaned against the hallway wall.
The sky was yellow.
“And Aaron…?”
<Muden won't let him go easily.>
“I figured.”
He must have felt lonely.
Well, that's a problem for later.
“Give him my congratulations.”
<As you wish.>
I cut off the communication.
I could hear footsteps approaching from the other end of the hallway.
“…It's late.”
I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
