Chapter 82

"Well, next is the God of Destruction, right?"

"……"

Even with the sword that flows with purple miasma pointed at him, Destroyer does not even glance at Felibus. His eyes are fixed only on the house where Setsu disappeared.

"Daydreaming, huh? You're so confident. With your current state, even I could defeat you—"

"Hmm…"

"!"

"Is that all you think… a mere sword can defeat me?"

Felibus instinctively put some distance between them. The God of Destruction he knew was a symbol of overwhelming power, capable of causing everything to crumble just by approaching. Now, there is no trace of that. There shouldn't be any trace of it…

(What am I afraid of…? The current God of Destruction might even have less divine power than me. Yet… I can't even imagine winning…)

"You don't need to be so afraid. I am not the one who will defeat you."

"Huh?"

"Look, he's come out."

From the house with a hole in it, Setsu appears, kicking aside pieces of wood. His clothes are torn in places, and he seems to have taken some damage, but his steps are steady.

"Ha… Next is my turn, right?"

◆◆◆

"You seem to be in good spirits."

"Of course."

What are you grinning about? I'll have you executed by tickling, Straw.

"Hey, what's with that herbivore face? Is my safety so unexpected?"

"…I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd be this energetic. But what do you plan to do with that broken sword? It's so dull that even if it hits me, it won't cut."

To call it dull… well, since you named yourself a holy sword, you must have the power to back it up. And I just experienced it.

"True, Black Circle can't defeat you. But my weapons aren't just this one."

"…?"

I reach out into the void and call out.

"Take this, <Hunger Fang>!"

The space splits, and a sword hilt appears. I grip it and pull it out, and the miasma that flows from the split gathers to form a blade with a large mouth.

"W-What is that…?"

"It's the same as you, a holy sword."

I thrust the Great Eater at Felibus. I'm quite hungry now. This should be enough to devour.

"Is that… a holy sword…?"

"?"

You're saying something I don't understand. Since we're both holy swords, you should at least remember the name.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Don't let your guard down… I'm coming at you!"

"!"

I swing the Great Eater widely. Felibus tries to dodge, but I tear off his arm at the root.

"How vicious…!"

"Yah!"

Felibus dodges my consecutive attacks, spraying blood from his shoulder. I don't understand why he's bleeding.

"Seah!"

"Ugh!"

I use Black Circle as a decoy, making him guard against it. Then, I take advantage of the opening to thrust the Great Eater. Felibus, with a large chunk of his side torn off, jumps back.

"…I see, you're strong."

"Praise won't get you anywhere. You should be offering your life instead."

"…"

Felibus glares at me silently. His eyes are calculating, as if he's waiting for the right moment to turn the tide of the battle. If I can end this in one move—

"What's going on!?"

"What was that noise!?"

"It's coming from this direction!"

Something I completely overlooked is happening. Men from the village are running towards us. This is bad; I can't protect them all.

"You bastards! Don't come here!"

"Ah! You're the one from earlier—"

I shout, but the men, who don't understand the situation, keep running towards us. I have a bad feeling and move in front of them.

"Perfect opportunity! You were distracted by something unnecessary!"

"Damn…"

If I stay here, I can protect them. But this isn't a good strategy. I should have finished him off in one blow.

"――――――――<Draw>"

He mutters something. His body changes rapidly, his legs swelling into a distorted shape. His lower half eventually becomes a massive, tentacle-covered blob, like an octopus pot.

"<Draw>… the form a holy sword takes when it draws its blade from its sheath. It means exactly that, but for holy swords, it's a state of complete liberation, revealing their true form. His abilities have become even more vicious."

"Wow…"

Is this monster evolving to spread more disease? Or was it controlled before? I have the worst feeling.

"Before it gets complicated… one hit!"

"Too slow. <Sick Mist>"

"Whoa!?"

Black mist spews from the holes in Felibus's octopus pot. I swing the Great Eater to dispel the mist that's falling on me… but.

"Cough…"

"What… is this…?"

"Cough… cough…"

The men, who were directly hit by the mist, are hunched over, coughing up blood. What is this… it's poison.

"My <Sick Mist> amplifies any disease inhaled, making it several times more virulent. It affects both genetic and infectious diseases equally, but only fatal ones."

"Extremely evil…!"

"What are you acting so smug for?"

"!"

Suddenly, I can't muster any strength and kneel on the ground. I can't resist the nausea rising in my throat and end up spitting blood. Red rashes appear on the back of my hand, and my whole body itches intensely. My body feels like it's burning, and I collapse face down, unable to move.

"The pathogens are in the air even if you don't inhale the mist. The moment I reached this state, your defeat was certain."

"Damn… it…"

This is bad, my consciousness is fading. Those men… they're not moving. Are they dead? Did they die?

Stop it, this is too much. Who's going to clean up after this? Don't die so easily.

(What… am I thinking about now?)

If I destroy that freak, these men might be saved. If it doesn't increase my workload, it's faster to defeat him.

(What… is this thought I've had all along?)

"Why… can you stand…?"

(Huh…?)

I realize I'm standing on two legs. My body feels incredibly light. What's happening?

Well, whatever. Everything is irrelevant now. I'll just get rid of him… that guy.

"You… are… what…?"

"…"

I take a step forward. No one reacts. Even though I'm right in front of him, Felibus doesn't even see me. I slowly thrust the Great Eater into his chest.

"Wha… What…?"

"――――――――Goodbye."

The only sound is the sound of chewing. The Great Eater mercilessly devours his frozen expression and distorted face.

By the time the Great Eater is full, there's nothing left.

◆◆◆

"…Good work, I guess."

"Ah…"

Straw pats my back, and the weight of my body slowly returns. Strangely, my body feels incredibly good, as if the pain I just experienced was a lie.

"…"

"…? What's wrong?"

"No… nothing."

That feeling of everything being irrelevant… I've felt it before. When I was called to a strange place by my mother…

"Hey! Are you really okay!?"

"! Ah, ah… don't worry."

I dismiss Straw's skeptical gaze and head towards the fallen men. His gaze is painful on my back, but I'm more concerned about the villagers' health. I hope defeating Felibus solved the problem…