Chapter 65

"This guy is such a pain in the ass."

I grumbled as I saw Kagerou, who remained unscathed even after taking a hit from Kuromaru.

"It won't work, I told you."

Kagerou swung his sword as if to retaliate. I blocked it with one hand and punched him in the stomach with the other. However, the sensation was dull. It seems this black armor absorbs all energy and nullifies it. My attacks are ineffective because the kinetic energy is being nullified, but even magical attacks infused with mana didn't work. It seems even mana is being absorbed. In simple terms, it's like he's covered in a powerful shock-absorbing material.

"It's useless!"

"Whoa!"

I dodged the sword by leaning away. This is a tough one. There's no way to turn the tide. Even if I hit him with all my strength, it won't do any damage. If I use my full power, I might shatter him, but I can't say for sure... If I attack Kagerou with all my strength, he will die. That's not good. Right now, I'm not losing, but I'm not winning either. I was planning to finish him off quickly and help the others, but that plan is in shambles.

"Hmph... As expected of a man recognized by the Master, you're different from those bugs!"

"Huh?"

"Didn't you say something about the Five Great Demon Generals?"

Kagerou's expression was mocking. Could it be...

"You... What did you do?"

"No matter what you ask, I only killed them. Their large bodies and the small woman's corpse should be lying on the dirty ground, right?"

"..."

The Five Great Demon Generals lost? It must have been Ide and Lily, given their builds. They are strong, but it makes sense. If this guy was wearing this armor, even they wouldn't stand a chance. The fact that I can't damage him proves that they had no way to hurt him. So, what he's saying is true...

"Don't be sad, I'll make you suffer the same fate soon!"

"...Shut up."

I dodged the sword and kicked Kagerou in the chest, forcing him to retreat.

"Hmph! This is nothing—What?"

He realized it. The fact that he was kicked and put some distance between us. The fact that he felt the impact.

"...You're being too noisy. What are you doing?"

"W-What—"

I punched Kagerou in the face before he could say anything. He fell on his butt and finally understood. His armor couldn't withstand my attack.

"Take this!"

"Ugh!?"

I slammed Kuromaru down. Kagerou, trying to block it, was blown back by the impact. Damn it. Anger is boiling up inside me. This level of attack isn't enough. I need to use enough force to destroy him...

"Haha! That's more like it!"

I raised Kuromaru calmly as Kagerou got up. It's still not enough to finish him. My mana flowed into Kuromaru, making it glow white and thick, causing the ground to tremble with the intensity of my mana.

"—Die."

Kagerou's face turned pale for a moment as he wrapped himself in a new black aura.

"This double-layered armor is tough... but I won't take your attack again—"

Ah, shut up. I want to silence you right now, no, I will silence you. The mana I poured into Kuromaru had reached its peak.

For a moment—everything went silent.

"—<Flying Sword: Absolute>"

A line of light ran across the ground.

"Good, you're alive."

"Haa... haa..."

Kagerou was standing. He had deep cuts from his shoulder to his leg, spewing blood into the puddles, but he was still standing.

"You must have shifted the tip of your sword to protect your head."

At his feet lay the severed blade of a one-handed sword. From the feel of it, it must have been a high-quality weapon like Kuromaru. And the shadow armor, to think it could even prevent a clean cut. I must have cooled my head at the last moment and held back a bit, but I didn't expect it to suppress the damage to this extent. This guy is definitely strong. He's probably the strongest among the black-robed ones.

"Even my <Limit Break>... isn't enough for you..."

The severed armor shattered and fell. At the same time, Kagerou collapsed to his knees, looking up at the sky.

"Kill me."

It was a voice of complete resignation.

"If I could have finished you off here... it would have been good."

"You're too greedy, fool."

If you want to kill me, bring fifty Kagerous. I don't plan on losing.

"Anyway, as you know, I don't kill."

I didn't expect to get so angry just now. I didn't think I would even consider killing him. I am angry, but not to that extent. I want to get to the others quickly. They might still be alive. At worst, I can save them.

"I need to hurry, but it would be a problem if you died. I'll treat your wounds, so stay still."

If you die, it will be a problem for me. I'll treat these wounds quickly. He doesn't seem to be resisting, so I'll heal him and tie him up.

"...Why don't you take lives?"

"Huh?"

As I was thinking about what to do next and casting a healing spell, Kagerou's voice brought me back to reality.

"The Master told me you don't take lives. From the moment you came to this world until now... why don't you kill people?"

"..."

...Why is that, anyway?

When I killed Fuyuma, I decided I didn't want to carry any more lives. But even before that, I didn't kill people. In this cruel world, I stubbornly refused to exchange lives. I didn't kill even the most evil people. No matter how much they annoyed me, I didn't kill them.

If I were asked why... why do I not kill people?

If it's because of my life in Japan in my previous life, I can't remember. But if that's the case, I think I would have told someone. I would have said, "This happened, so I don't take lives." I don't have that memory. This reason... the reason I don't kill people, is etched deeper... deeper than my heart or my memory. I can't recall it right now.

"I don't know myself."

I said this while tying Kagerou with a mana-infused rope. I also took a magic stone from my magic bag and embedded it in the rope. This is a magic-sealing stone; he won't be able to use any magic for a while.

"Anyway, you're lucky it was me. You would have died if it was someone else."

"...A defeated me has no value in living."

Kagerou lowered his head.

"We are created beings. We were made as weapons to destroy multiple races and as tools of war... If we lose, we lose all value."

"..."

What's with this guy, suddenly getting so heavy? I don't want to hear this kind of talk. It's boring and leaves me speechless. No matter how hard I try, I can't sympathize. I'm the kind of person who can't be sympathized with.

"...I don't know your situation... but I think being alive is better than being dead."

Death brings an unescapable fear. I know this because I've died once. When I was tricked by the Distynia and forcibly sent back to Japan, I felt my body dissolve in the vast flow of mana. Eventually, everything dissolved, and my consciousness faded. It was terrifying. Even I, who had become the strongest and feared nothing, felt fear. I don't want to experience that again.

"First, you need to get the demons to forgive you. I'll defend you a little. Then, go eat something. You're probably hungry, and that's why your thoughts are negative. Being full is the source of happiness, you know?"

"..."

Kagerou didn't say anything. He must have a lot on his mind.

"Hey... I need to find and heal them soon..."

"...They're dead."

"Who cares. They're alive."

My intuition tells me so. They are tougher than humans.

"Tell me where they fell, or—"

"—Kagerou, you can't stop fighting until you die."

"!?!"

I reacted to the voice behind me and swung Kuromaru without holding back. The person smiled.

"Look—The Master is in trouble."

However, the one I cut was...

"...Thank you, Kagerou. Thanks to you, I was saved, and Setsu was able to take a human life."

Blood splattered. Kagerou, looking at his chest, collapsed. I had severed his heart and lungs, and he was slowly losing his body heat.

"Come on, Setsu—Show me."

Fuyuma was smiling at me, ignoring the Kagerou he had turned into a wall, and looking at me.

Kagerou died.

I killed him.

No, it's because Fuyuma turned him into a wall. No, that's not right. It was my blade, my blade that killed him.

I killed him with my own hands.

I took a life, with these hands, I, I, I—

"A... Ah... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"