Chapter 48

This is the second part of today's two-part post.

If you haven't read the first part, please start there.

□ Vengeful Maiden Nemesys

Immediately after blocking one of Goozmaze's strikes with 《Counter Absorption》, the giant fist that swung past caught Ray's body.

Holding the greatsword, Ray was sent flying sideways.

Passing through the trees, he flew more than ten meters, like a broken leaf in the air.

The scene reminded Ray of the truck accident in his memory.

It was like the time Ray died for the first time at the hands of the ＜Superlative Killer＞.

"Ray!!"

Even as I called out, Ray did not respond.

He had already lost consciousness.

And as Ray's unconscious body was about to be slammed into a tree,

"!"

I deactivated my weaponization, returned to human form, and caught Ray's body, closing my eyes tightly.

Then, after a brief moment, a strong impact and pain shot through my back.

Shaking the tree I had collided with, I fell to the ground.

"Ugh... ah..."

The pain did not subside even after landing on the ground.

It seemed that the impact of being caught between the larger-bodied Ray and the tree had caused cracks in my ribs.

But Ray should not be feeling any pain now.

So, it doesn't matter.

"Ray!"

I called out, but Ray showed no signs of waking up.

Checking his status, his HP was below ten percent, and numerous 【Fractures】 and 【Unconsciousness】 were displayed as status abnormalities.

I took out an 【HP Recovery Potion】 from Ray's item box and sprinkled it over his body.

His HP recovered slightly, but none of the status abnormalities disappeared.

The wounds were too deep.

Moreover, it would be better to drink the potion rather than sprinkle it, but Ray, who had lost consciousness, would not drink it even if I brought the bottle to his mouth.

"... Forgive me!"

I put the 【Recovery Potion】 in my mouth and poured it into Ray's mouth.

I repeated this three times, making Ray swallow the entire bottle of potion.

Eventually, perhaps due to the effects working from the inside, Ray's HP recovered to about thirty percent, and the minor 【Fractures】 healed. The HP decrease also stopped.

Although he had not regained consciousness, it seemed he had crossed the line between life and death, and I sighed in relief.

However... would I be able to face Ray properly later?

"... This is not the time to think about that!"

We were not out of danger yet.

The approaching ground tremors and oppressive presence suggested that Goozmaze was getting closer.

If Goozmaze found Ray, who was unconscious, he would surely be killed.

Yes, he would be killed.

"I won't let that happen."

I won't let it happen.

I won't let my Master, Ray, be killed by such a thing.

"... Ray"

My Master, still unconscious, lying at the base of a tree.

I gently stroked his cheek... and turned away.

"I'll buy some time."

I trust my Master.

After losing to the ＜Superlative Killer＞ at sunset, we made a vow.

At that time, we were both weak and could not resist.

So, this time, we decided to become stronger together and win.

We can fight together now.

Surely, my Master will wake up soon.

So, I will buy the time until then.

If I do, we should be able to win.

"... Let's go!"

I transformed my right wrist into a black blade.

It was a bit smaller but had almost the same strength as when Ray used it.

And before Goozmaze could spot Ray, I appeared in front of the approaching enemy.

"I won't let you pass, Goozmaze!!"

"DISSSSIIIIUAAAAAAA!!"

The eyeballs on Goozmaze's entire body were focused on me.

There was no reaction from the counter inside me. It was not being driven by the resentment of the 【Great Death Spirit】 now.

In other words, it would target me, a living being, more directly.

I would engage it to buy time until Ray woke up.

"Quickly!"

Relying on the blade in my right hand, I attacked Goozmaze.

What I needed to do was what Ray had been doing.

Attack, draw the enemy's attack, and keep dodging.

Goozmaze was a threat in terms of toughness and power, but not in speed. So, I could dodge.

However, there were clear differences from Ray.

The biggest difference was that my blade could not deal any damage.

Without the silver light, I could only inflict shallow cuts on its body.

My stats were also inferior to Ray's.

Additionally, I had used up all the stock of my skill, 《Counter Absorption》.

On the other hand, the enemy's attacks were fatal to me.

If I took a direct hit, my body would shatter.

One mistake and it would be over.

Still, I continued.

If I gave up, the possibility of Ray waking up and winning together would be zero.

That was something neither I nor Ray could accept.

I would not give up the possibility.

This resolve has been with me since I was born.

It must also be in Ray.

This is what connects Ray and me.

◇◇◇

□ ??? 【Paladin】 Ray Sterling

I immediately realized I was in a dream.

I was in my ＜Infinite Dendrogram＞ avatar form, but everything was hazy, like a lucid dream.

Despite that, I naturally understood the surroundings and my condition.

For example... I could clearly see "myself as a child" running in front of me.

"This is... that time, isn't it?"

I understood that this dream was about a past event.

I also knew the time.

It was the summer of 2035, nearly ten years ago.

Of course, ＜Infinite Dendrogram＞ had not been released yet, and my brother and I were playing other games.

My brother, who was sixteen at the time, was into retro games and martial arts.

He trained at an old-style dojo run by a friend of my sister's family and steadily improved his skills, eventually becoming a well-known U-17 (under 17) competitor.

As for me, my daily routine was to play retro games with my brother and occasionally watch his matches, which I enjoyed.

On match days, I would head to the venue with a sense of excitement, just like now.

"What is this?"

I, in the form of my ＜Infinite Dendrogram＞ avatar Ray, was following my younger self.

"..."

Moreover, there was something unfamiliar next to me.

To put it simply, it was a silhouette.

A human-shaped silhouette floated in the middle of a typical summer scene in Japan.

The color was a mix of red and black, giving it a somewhat ominous feel.

In the middle of a typical Japanese summer scene, I, in armor, and the silhouette were walking.

The oddness of this scene, which would look strange to anyone, was one of the reasons I knew this was a dream.

There would be no such bizarre scene unless it was a dream.

"..."

"Say something, Silhouette."

"sa, i, ge, n"

saigen... reenactment?

Is this your doing?

The silhouette sounded female, so I thought it might be Nemesys for a moment, but it didn't seem to be her.

"ki, tai"

No, I'm the one who wants to ask.

"ju, n, ban"

In turn... do you mean we should take turns asking questions?

"... OK"

It seemed I could communicate with the red-black silhouette, and we decided to exchange information.

"ano, ko, do, ko, i, ku?"

"The venue for the tournament where my brother is competing. At that time..."

I knew where my younger self was heading and what happened there.

I also knew what would happen next.

"At that time, it was the U-17 tournament of 'Ankra'."

"An, ku, ra?"

The red-black silhouette tilted its head in curiosity, but it was my turn to ask.

"Next is my turn. If this is a dream, what's happening to me? I remember I was in combat with Goozmaze. Is it a penalty death?"

However, I felt this dream was still inside ＜Infinite Dendrogram＞, so it probably wasn't a penalty death.

"i, ke, te, ru, ... ki, ze, tsu"

Unconscious, huh.

...Hey, if that's the case, you could be killed at any moment.

"An, ku, ra, na, ni?"

"Unlimited Pancration. It's a deathmatch-style martial arts tournament with no weight classes, no restrictions on techniques, and no rules except for the use of weapons and threats. The only ways to end a match are by KO or submission. It's commonly known as Ankra."

It started around 2027 and became a popular martial arts tournament.

A manga-like competition where anything goes, from karate, judo, boxing, kickboxing, sumo, wrestling, Muay Thai, capoeira, and old-style martial arts.

Despite its brutality, it has been controversial but remains popular to this day.

"..."

The silhouette seemed excited.

Does it like martial arts?

Or deathmatches?

"Your turn. You said reenactment, but you didn't know about Ankra, did you?"

Nemesys knew some of my memories from the beginning.

"ki, o, ku, ... sa, i, ge, n, ... i, ma, ... hi, ts, yo, u, da, ke"

It seems to be reenacting only the necessary parts of my memories.

However, this thing, which can search memories but is not an Embryo, is... who is it?

I could ask directly, but...

"ko, re, ka, ra, na, ni, o, ki, ru, ...?"

It didn't know and was reenacting it.

"Watch for a few more minutes, and you'll see. Now, have you and I met before?"

"ar, u"

We have.

"i, ma, wa, ko, cchi, zu, tto, i, sso, ...?"

"What...?"

"ko, cchi" refers to ＜Infinite Dendrogram＞, right?

While in ＜Infinite Dendrogram＞, we've been together... the only one who fits that description is Nemesys.

"ko, do, mo, hi, to, ri, a, bu, na, i, ...?"

"Children are not in danger. Even ten years ago, there were security systems on public roads, so there was no risk of kidnapping."

...When did security guard machines become widespread?

I think they were already around when I was born.

"so, re, de, mo, ko, do, mo, hi, to, ri, ...?"

"During the summer break, it was a weekday for adults, so I was the only one who went to watch. ...That's two questions, isn't it?"

"Rei, mo, ni, kai, ki, ku"

...This thing is getting better at conversation, even though it speaks in broken sentences.

"How do I wake up?"

"mi, o, wa, ta, ra, o, ki, ru"

"What do I need to see to wake up?"

"Rei, no, ne"

ne... root?

"naze, i, ma, no, Rei, ni, na, tta, ka, mi, ru"

"..."

The reason I became the current me.

If that's the case, I can understand by seeing the events that will unfold.

"It's about to happen."

I pointed to my younger self walking in front of me.

My eight-year-old self was already very close to the venue.

Just crossing the crosswalk would bring him to the entrance.

My eight-year-old self was waiting for the signal to change, but at that moment, a younger girl was next to him.

The girl had a child's accessory in her hair, but it fell off when the wind blew.

The accessory rolled, and the girl tried to pick it up—just as a truck was coming straight through the green light.

Two seconds before the girl and the truck collided, my eight-year-old self ran out and grabbed the girl's hand to pull her back.

But it was too late, and he was too weak.

The strength of a child was far too feeble, and it was impossible to escape to safety before the truck hit them.

In that instant, all I did was add another victim.

Then, a moment later, a person jumped out from the opposite sidewalk, holding my younger self and the girl.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible to make it in time.

Even if the person had jumped out from the opposite sidewalk after seeing the girl run out, it would have been too late.

But the person made it in time.

With astonishing leg strength, the person closed the distance in an instant and managed to save the girl.

The miscalculation was the extra burden of me.

Because I had also run out, the person had to carry two people.

And the person managed to jump with both children, but it was a bit too late.

I remember.

After a brief moment of floating, another impact was added.

I was spun around on the ground while being held.

During that time, I did not feel any pain.

The person who held us protected us.

Screams rose.

The screams of the passersby.

I, on the other hand, had no words.

I couldn't have said anything.

The person who saved us was my brother.

He had come to meet me, thinking I would be arriving soon.

And my brother, who happened to be at the accident scene, saved me and the girl.

The cost was his right leg, which had been hit by the truck.

It was visibly swollen and bruised, and clearly broken.

My brother was supposed to compete in the final of the tournament.

But... his leg was shattered just before the important match.

...All because I, who could do nothing, tried to save the child.

To be continued

The next post will be tomorrow at 21:00.

(=ↀωↀ=) < Even though it's a cliffhanger now, it will continue tomorrow.

(=ↀωↀ=) < What will happen to Nemesys and Namani-san?

(￣(エ)￣) < I'm just in the past, so I'll live normally... Namani-san!?

※Tomorrow's posts will be a two-part conclusion.