Chapter 68

Suddenly, a black sword appeared before his eyes.

The moment he tentatively grasped it with his right hand,

“……!?”

He instinctively understood.

This was a power far beyond his current stage.

(Heavy….)

It wasn't physical weight—rather, the overwhelming 'density of power' was translating into a sensory weight.

This black sword, like the darkness itself, was a mass of violent and overwhelming power.

Then,

“Za… ha ha ha ha! Incredible, what a brilliance! Indeed, my eyes did not deceive me! I have never seen such a 'sparkle' before!”

Zaku, his eyes gleaming at the black sword, began to laugh maniacally.

“Come on, show me the extent of your power! —<Cataclysmic Fire Spear>!”

He seemed to be testing this power by releasing a spear of scorching heat.

To cut it down, he lightly swung the sword, and in the next moment—a tremendous shockwave was generated, easily slicing through the flame spear.

“Wha!?”

Furthermore, that single strike continued without losing any of its power, heading straight for Zaku.

“Bu, <Cataclysmic Fire Shield>!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Zaku opened his eyes wide and deployed a massive shield of flame.

However, it shattered cruelly without lasting even a fraction of a second.

“Gah…!?”

Zaku's body, having received just the shockwave, was marked with deep sword wounds.

(What… what kind of power is this…!?)

As he was amazed by the overwhelming power,

(What… is this…?)

Suddenly, a severe fatigue swept over his entire body.

Just by holding the black sword, his vitality was being rapidly drained.

(I see, so this is what 'duration' means….)

This absurd rate of consumption made it clear that a prolonged battle was impossible.

(I need to end this quickly….)

Then,

“Za… za, ha… ha… I didn't expect it to be this much…!”

Zaku, who had taken a significant hit, staggered but a wicked smile appeared on his lips.

“But it's not over yet…! Allen, your power should be more than this! Show me more—more sparkle!”

He thrust his greatsword into the ground, and over a hundred crimson foxes were born.

“Fox Fire—Flame!”

Following his command, the fox fires gathered above Zaku's head—forming a massive flame orb like the sun.

“Za ha ha ha! It's time to end this! Sparkle's raw gem, Allen Roadel!”

“—Yeah, you're right.”

The battle with Zaku had already taken a considerable amount of time.

He needed to end this quickly to save Reia.

Moreover, his body couldn't withstand the black sword's consumption much longer.

“Show me the power to overcome this one strike!”

He raised his greatsword high and swung it with all his might.

“—<Cataclysmic Sun Wheel>!”

A massive flame orb, like the sun, was released with tremendous force.

Facing the scorching heat that threatened to turn the entire room to ashes, I unleashed my full power.

“Six Blades—Nether Boom!”

At that moment,

The darkness that overflowed from the black sword enveloped the Nether Boom—black slashes raced through the air.

“Haaaaaaa!”

“Noooooo!”

The darkness and the sun collided fiercely—then the pitch-black darkness swallowed everything.

“Noo…!?”

The black Nether Boom, still boasting immense power,

“Za… ha ha ha ha! Magnificent—sparkle's raw gem!”

devoured Zaku and left the massive research facility half-destroyed.

“Haaa… haaa… It's… over….”

The black sword, having completed its task, silently disappeared.

Exhausted, I took a deep breath,

“…Ouch!?”

A dull pain shot through my palms.

Looking down, I saw the skin peeling off, and blood seeping through.

Probably from the shock of releasing the black Nether Boom.

Indeed, that black sword was a power far beyond my current capabilities.

Having somehow defeated Zaku,

“Wait for me… I'm coming, Reia…!”

I dragged my heavy body and made my way to the underground of the research facility.

■

As planned, Thor successfully created a copy of Reia,

“This… monster….”

He collapsed like a rag, and next to him lay the deactivated copy of Reia.

“Hmm, it took more effort than expected….”

The unharmed Reia clapped her hands and sighed.

“<Imitation Art>—a highly versatile and fearsome ability, but the performance of the 'copy' is a bit lacking… Probably around 60 to 70% of the original's specifications.”

Having ended the battle without a scratch, Reia said,

“—Now, let's hurry.”

She followed Allen and Rose and ran to the depths of the research facility.

After a while, they reached a large room with a gaping hole.

There, they saw numerous fallen swordsmen and a withering cherry tree.

And there, Rose was just about to finish off three enhanced swordsmen.

“Gaaaaaaa!”

“Sakura Hua Itto Ryu Secret Technique—Mirror Sakura Slash!”

In an instant, the two clashed, and the last petal fell.

“Gah…!?”

“Guh… Even with the Spirit Crystal丸….”

“Can't… win…!?”

While the three enhanced swordsmen collapsed, Rose stood firmly on her two feet.

“Haaa… haaa… I… won….”

The cherry tree disintegrated into particles and disappeared, and the crimson sword vanished along with it.

Rose had defeated all the enemies just before the <Crimson Cold Sakura>’s duration ran out.

She was then hit by a strong dizziness and intense fatigue.

Her vision swayed, and her sense of balance was severely disrupted.

“Wha…?”

As she fell sideways,

“—Whoa, are you okay?”

Reia immediately supported her gently.

“T-Teacher… Yes, I'm fine.”

“That's good. However, to handle that many enhanced swordsmen alone… You've really grown strong.”

Reia said thoughtfully,

“More importantly, we need to hurry to Allen’s place! Zaku is incredibly strong; he can't win alone!”

Rose, who had experienced Zaku's strength firsthand, strongly urged.

“You're right, let's hurry.”

After that, Reia helped Rose and started moving at high speed.

They ran through the winding corridors and reached a large room with a steady light.

There, they saw an unbelievable sight.

“Wha!?”

A massive flame orb, reminiscent of the sun, had been devoured by pitch-black darkness.

Allen's single strike was truly beyond the norm.

Not only did it consume the sun, but it also half-destroyed the research facility with a deafening roar.

“….”

Faced with the 'overwhelming destruction' that surpassed human limits, Reia and Rose were left speechless.

Reia's gaze quickly focused on Allen's black sword.

(No doubt… That black sword is his weapon….)

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

(If he is being controlled by that thing… it could be disastrous….)

The significant vulnerability due to her being a spirit core—the 'initial rigidity'—had already passed.

(Allen has grown at an incredible speed and is much stronger than before. If the one controlling his body is that thing… Can I stop it alone…?)

The image of her two comrades who supported the golden generation of Thousand Blade Academy flashed through her mind.

(Damn… If I could borrow their power now….)

Reia, unusually, was thinking such weak thoughts.

She was that afraid of the spirit core within Allen.

Then,

“Are you… ‘Allen’?”

Reia, having made up her mind, cautiously asked.

“—Teacher, Rose too! I'm glad you're safe!”

Allen turned around with a carefree, gentle smile.

“Phew… Yeah, you seem to be safe too.”

Reia heaved a sigh of relief.

Then, she immediately asked about the black sword.

“—By the way, about that black sword earlier, did you manifest a soul weapon?”

“Probably just a part of a soul weapon… It will take a lot more time to fully manifest a proper soul weapon….”

Allen scratched his cheek as he said this.

“…I see, I'm rooting for you.”

Reia gave a complex smile and replied briefly.

(Allen Roadel, you truly have a terrifying talent. I didn't expect you to grow strong enough to take power from that thing in such a short time. Your mental strength is already at a monster level. Indeed, overcoming the '100 million years button' was no small feat….)

On the other hand, Allen had a tiny, grain-like sense of accomplishment.

(To fully manifest a soul weapon, I probably need a lot more training… But I've grasped the 'feeling'…!)

Mastering a soul weapon was not impossible.

Just knowing that was a significant gain for him.

“—Teacher, let's hurry. According to Zaku, Reia is being held right below us.”

“Right, let's hurry.”

Thus, Allen, who had single-handedly defeated the formidable enemy Zaku Bonbarr, headed to the deepest level of the research facility with Reia and Rose.