Chapter 88

When I realized it, I was standing on a cloud.

"──Where am I──?"

With a hazy mind, I looked around.

Below me, as far as the eye could see, was a vast expanse of white clouds, like a plain.

My body felt as if it were floating in mid-air, weightless.

Why am I in a place like this...?

The scene before my eyes looked exactly like the "world after death" that my father used to tell me about when I was a child.

I have no memory after the moment I was punched by that monster, which was more flesh than bone.

...

...So, does that mean...

──Am I dead?

So, I must have been defeated by that monster back then.

My talkative father used to tell me that "after you die, you go up to the clouds."

So, this is the world after death, is it?

The surroundings were covered in a pure white carpet, so ethereal that it didn't seem to belong to this world.

No, this isn't "this world" anymore.

This must be "the other side" ... a bit complicated.

"So, I really am dead, huh?"

I was about to accept that, but then I felt a sense of unease.

My body felt as if it were floating, but for some reason, my right hand felt unusually heavy.

"...What's this...?"

Looking down, I saw that my right hand was firmly gripping the 'black sword' as usual.

This...?

Why is this sword here?

Maybe because I used it so much in life, it followed me to the afterlife.

Well, that could happen, I guess.

But then, I noticed something strange.

Even though I was supposed to be dead, my whole body ached.

Also, the air around me felt very cold and thin.

...So, even after death, there's pain, and I can still breathe.

It was unexpected.

But I had never experienced death before, so I accepted that this might be how it is.

I was even a bit impressed that there could be new discoveries even after death.

Then, I felt another sense of unease in my body.

"...Huh...?"

This time, it wasn't just my right hand.

I felt as if my body, which had been floating, was being pulled downward.

It seemed that I was being drawn toward the fluffy white cloud floor.

Strangely, I wasn't afraid.

I'm not good with heights, but the cloud floor looked soft, and the height and falling speed weren't too bad.

Since I was already dead, I probably wouldn't get hurt. Probably.

Thinking that, I felt reassured.

But when I was about to touch the fluffy cloud floor, my body passed through it with almost no resistance.

...What's going on?

While passing through the thick cloud, I thought.

I had expected to land on the white cloud floor and meet some bearded, otherworldly being.

When I was a child, my father, who was still alive, used to tell me stories like that.

I had been looking forward to it, thinking it might be interesting to meet such a being... but it seems that wasn't the case.

...No, maybe.

Could it be that the weight of the black sword in my hand caused me to pass through the floor?

I had many questions.

There are still a lot of things to think about even after death, I thought, watching the clouds flow by as I fell.

After falling for a while, I started to feel a bit uneasy.

My body kept falling, but there was no sign of reaching anything.

And it seemed that the falling speed was gradually increasing.

Where am I heading?

Just as I was wondering that, my vision suddenly opened up.

The sudden brightness made me squint and look around. It seemed that I had passed through the thick cloud and emerged below it. Looking up, I saw that what I had fallen through was indeed a cloud.

Yes, it must be a cloud.

I had never seen it up close before, but it was definitely the same cloud I had always looked up at.

It was moving away from me at an incredible speed.

...What is this?

Lowering my gaze slightly, I saw the outline of mountains in the distance.

It felt like I was suddenly approaching a familiar landscape.

Those mountains looked very similar to the ones I had seen from the carriage window on the way to the city of Misra.

The more I looked, the more familiar it seemed.

No, that's not it.

They're not just similar.

They are the same mountains.

I'm not good at remembering names, but I'm quite confident in remembering landscapes and terrain.

Those are definitely the mountains around the city of Misra.

Those mountains are definitely the ones in my memory.

So, does that mean...?

...What's going on...?

From the landscape I could see, it seemed that I was far above the city of Misra.

"──No way──!!"

I hesitantly looked in the direction my body was being pulled.

"─────────────!!"

At that moment, I regretted it.

I shouldn't have looked.

In the distance, I could see the familiar cityscape and the familiar roof of the cathedral.

I only glanced for a moment, and the city looked very small, but it was definitely the city of Misra.

So, I'm really above the city of Misra...?

──Yes, I'm in the sky.

But, that's strange.

Why am I here?

I was in the depths of the underground just a moment ago.

...Oh, I remember a bit.

When the skeletal monster suddenly punched me from below, I was sent flying upward, and I instinctively used the black sword as a shield while crashing into the ceiling of the dungeon, and then I lost consciousness.

My head throbbed.

So, I must have broken through the ceiling and been launched upward...?

That means... I'm now...

...I've been launched up to the clouds by that monster and am now falling from there.

"─────────────!!"

I looked down again, and my body froze with fear.

And then, I finally realized.

──I'm not dead after all.

"────────!!"

As I began to understand my situation, I almost lost consciousness again.

Looking down, I could see the neatly shaped city in the distance.

That's definitely the city of Misra where I was just a moment ago.

...Why does it look so small...?

This isn't just high; it's beyond high.

With just one punch from that skeleton, how high did I get launched?

And my body is helplessly falling toward the city of Misra below.

The sight alone makes me dizzy.

I feel like I'm about to lose consciousness.

But, I can't.

If I lose consciousness and fall, I won't survive.

As I feel my body accelerating downward, I clench my teeth to endure the fear of falling.

But... it's strange.

I'm not good with heights.

But when I fell from a cliff with a suspension bridge as a child, it wasn't this terrifying.

I thought I could handle it as an adult.

That's what I thought.

But, what is this speed?

This is abnormal.

It's too fast.

I'm falling straight toward the ground at a speed I've never experienced before.

The landscape in my field of vision is blurring and flowing by.

I've never experienced such speed.

Also, for some reason, I haven't felt any wind on my body since I started falling.

It's as if I'm using [Stealth Step].

But I'm not using it on purpose. There's no point... why is this happening?

After falling for a while, I realized the cause.

──This is it. This sword.

The 'black sword' I'm holding is pulling me downward with incredible force.

It's slicing through the air with its bladeless edge, removing all obstacles, and pulling me down.

It's the same situation as when I fell into the depths of the 'dungeon'.

I have no idea what's going on.

But this is really... bad.

──It's too fast.

So fast that the landscape is distorting, and I can't see anything but the point where I'm falling.

I can't even scream from fear.

If I let my guard down even a little, I'll lose consciousness in an instant.

I can't slow down in mid-air.

If anything, I'm still accelerating.

If I keep falling like this, I'll die.

At this point, the only thing I can do is use this sturdy sword as a shield to cushion the impact of the fall.

At least, that's the only way I can think of to survive.

If I let go of this sword now, I'll definitely die.

So, I gripped the black sword with all my might, stared at the point where I was falling, and waited for the moment.

"──────────────────────!!"

I fell with my eyes wide open, letting out a silent scream in my heart.

But I couldn't even scream.

I didn't have the time.

The city of Misra was approaching at an incredible speed.

Just as I saw the large hole in the roof of the cathedral, I passed through it in an instant...

...And on the other side of the hole, I saw a huge, skeletal-like monster.

Why is it there?

I thought it was in the depths of the underground.

And suddenly, it felt like the surroundings were getting dark.

What's happening now...?

I have so many questions.

But for now...

──You're in a good spot.

"Parry"

I swung the black sword with all my might, hitting the skeleton's head with full force, and managed to escape the dire situation.