Chapter 74

"Setsu... Are you really going?"

"Yeah, I've gotten pretty strong, and I want to see the world."

In the room we were given in the castle of Distenia, I faced Setsu. He was apparently leaving the country tonight.

"Let me ask you one more time, are you not coming with me?"

Setsu asked me that. But... I couldn't...

"Sorry, I'm still... scared."

"......I see."

I couldn't leave like Setsu. My combat power was still low, and I couldn't properly control the holy sword. If I went, I'd just be a burden to Setsu.

"But, if... I get stronger... will you come for me then?"

"Yeah, sure."

Setsu extended his hand. I took it.

"Wouldn't it be nice to go on an adventure together someday?"

"Yeah."

"Then... see you."

Yeah, see you... With that, Setsu jumped out the window. I... stayed behind in Distenia alone.

---

"Shot!"

"Ugh...!"

I bent my body sideways. Something shiny passed where my body had been, followed by a loud explosion.

"No way... Hey..."

The top of a distant mountain exploded and disappeared. No magic could easily destroy a mountain at that distance. That giant gun did it with a single pull of the trigger. Or rather, just by pulling the trigger.

"This isn't the time to be thinking about that!"

Several large bullets were fired. While kicking off the air, I focused on dodging them. Each one was fast, barely within my sight to dodge.

"Ugh... Can't hit me... Then... how about this?"

"Wh-what?"

The gun, which had been aimed at me, was now pointed downward. There they were...

"Damn it!"

I kicked off the air with all my might and jumped between the gun and them.

"Shot!"

I used the Black Circle as a shield to block the bullet. An unpleasant sound came from my beloved sword. The force of the bullet was strong, and I was pushed to the ground.

(I have to stop this momentum...!)

I reinforced my arms with magic and pushed against the bullet. I finally stopped its momentum just above the ground and kicked it upward.

"Ugh..."

I was then slammed into the ground, struggling to breathe. Damn, I used a lot of mental energy...

"Hmm... You're still good... How about rapid fire?"

"Are you serious?"

Fuyuma kept the gun aimed and was charging it with magic. If he fired dozens of those, I wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Damn... I have no choice..."

I reached out into the air. By the time I did, a barrage of light bullets filled my vision.

"Devour them... <Hunger Fang>"

The story of Setsu escaping the human kingdom spread quickly.

"That man is not a hero...! Capture him the moment you find him!"

The king was furious. It made sense; he had taken three of the future kingdom's combatants with him. Losing a hero was a significant blow.

"Lord Fuyuma, do you know where that man went?"

The princess asked, but I didn't answer.

"Who knows? He was gone when I noticed..."

"Finally got away, huh... Setsu."

"Damn... I didn't think I'd have to use this so soon..."

I managed to make the Glutton devour everything just in time. I was slightly injured, but it wasn't a problem.

"Glutton... can you still eat?"

I spoke to the Glutton in my hand. It seemed unsatisfied and stuck out its tongue from the mouth in the center of the blade.

"You're still a scary sword..."

"I'm starting to look cool, though... Anyway, here's your payback!"

I raised the Glutton and channeled magic into it.

"<Flying Sword: Devour>!"

"Wh-what!?"

Fuyuma quickly jumped to the side, but it was too late. The black <Flying Sword> took his arm.

"Damn..."

Fuyuma groaned in pain, holding his bleeding arm.

"Seems like that big gun is pretty heavy. It's slowing you down."

"Guess you noticed."

Fuyuma smiled wryly and poured magic into his missing arm. Light particles gathered and quickly regenerated it.

"Regenerating limbs really drains your magic."

Fuyuma tested his new arm. The <Blessing of the Holy Sword> regenerates the body but also consumes a lot of magic. Losing a limb is even more draining. Anyone else would quickly run out of magic and become combat ineffective.

"Well... since you're getting serious... let's end this."

"Wait... already?"

"Basically, both the holy cannon and what I'm about to do are extremely draining. So I'll end this quickly."

If that's the case, I have no reason to object. A quick resolution would be less troublesome.

"By the way... you haven't seen this yet, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Another realm I reached in the five years you were gone."

I didn't know about <Form Change>. How much power has he gained in these five years?

"Here I go... <Limit Break>"

"---What?"

Fuyuma's magic power exploded. What did he say? <Limit Break>?

"Why... can you use it?"

His magic focused on the holy cannon, making it swell. It transformed to cover his entire body, with gun barrels attached all over. Another giant barrel was attached to his other arm, making him look like a fortress.

"<Fortress of the Holy Cannon>... surprised, aren't you? That I mastered <Limit Break>?"

"Yeah... really."

I felt an overwhelming power. My instincts warned me of the danger from each barrel. This is... bad.

"Try this on for size."

"---"

One of the barrels fired. The bullet was absorbed into my stomach, creating a hole. I didn't see it. It was completely invisible to my eyes.

"Ugh..."

Blood flowed from my mouth. The <Blessing of the Holy Sword> regenerated me, but it took a lot of magic.

"The power and speed of the Shot are not to be underestimated. But that's all it is... simple, yet strong, I think."

"Damn..."

It's really strong. An attack so fast I can't see it, this is more than just a threat. The situation has quickly turned to the worst.

"Let's keep it up!"

All the barrels aimed at me.

"Damn it!"

I moved away to avoid hitting the others.

"Yuki... he's on the defensive."

"With that much firepower, even Setsu would be in that state."

Elka watched Setsu, who was dodging bullets nonstop, with worry.

"But... Yuki can win, right!?"

"..."

"It might be tough."

Grain spoke.

"That <Limit Break> is powerful because it's simple. You can't get close because of the many barrels, and you can't stay away because the aim is too accurate... Without a way to break through, it's impossible."

"Then... Yuki should use <Limit Break>---"

"...He can't."

"...What?"

Grain looked pained. Everyone who knew Setsu before was looking down.

"Setsu can't use <Limit Break> for some reason."

"That's... impossible..."

"The cause is unknown. He practiced many times, but he just couldn't use it."

Tia's words shocked Yūhi. Without a way to break through, there was no hope.

"But... Setsu will be fine."

Desastor said.

"I've never seen him lose. So, he'll be fine."

It was a baseless statement. But it was filled with absolute trust in Setsu. Yūhi felt embarrassed for worrying about Setsu. What was needed now was trust, not worry. None of the people here, including Yūhi, could even step into that battle.

"Yuki... hang in there..."

---

"Damn it!"

"Getting tired, aren't you?"

A bullet grazed my cheek. I felt a burning pain. While kicking off the air, I was drenched in cold sweat. This was tough. If I made even a small mistake, I'd be riddled with holes in an instant.

(What to do... need a way to turn the tide...)

I held the Glutton in my right hand and the Black Circle in my left. The Black Circle was useless for offense, only as a shield in emergencies. The Glutton was my only reliable weapon. If I could land a hit, I could defeat him. But I needed a clear opening.

"Need to... create an opening...!"

"Hey! You're dodging too much!"

The number of bullets increased.

"There! Impact!"

"Ugh!"

My right shoulder was blown off. My right arm and the Glutton fell to the ground. I couldn't lose the Glutton.

"!"

I kicked off the air with all my might, diving down. I forced my arm to regenerate mid-air and grabbed the Glutton.

"There!"

But Fuyuma didn't miss. He quickly aimed and pointed the gun at me.

"<Lock On>!"

Not just one barrel, but all of them were aimed at me.

"<Blast>!"

A super-thick beam was fired.

(I can't afford to be frugal with the Glutton now!)

The Glutton has a concept of being full. If it eats too much magic, it can't eat anymore. If it eats this scale of a beam, it would probably be half full. I didn't want to use the <Curse Magic> if I could avoid it. But there was no choice now.

"Open wide!"

The mouth on the Glutton's blade opened wide. I channeled magic into the sword and swung it at the beam. The Glutton started to devour the beam. But...

"Ugh! Can't keep up!"

The beam was too massive. The Glutton's mouth wasn't big enough. This was...

"Damn it!"

The sheer energy overwhelmed me, and I was easily swallowed up.