Chapter 47

"Hey, stand up. I'll show you what you've done with your own body!"

I spat out these words, seething with murderous intent, as I looked down on Ono.

More. I had to make this guy understand just how terrible his actions were. I couldn't rest until he did.

Ono's cronies were hastily applying first aid, but Ono, dragging his feet and with little strength in his arms, was regaining his fighting spirit.

"Damn it! You're getting too cocky! I'm the strongest ability user here!"

"Are you pretending to be a king with powers you stole from others? Meguru would probably despise you for that. What's the point of being so arrogant with borrowed powers, the origins of which you don't even know?"

... Even as I said it, I felt sick to my stomach.

I don't know who gave us these powers or for what purpose, but they should have chosen better.

Giving such power to someone who doesn't hesitate to kill will only lead to a bad end.

No, maybe that was the goal all along.

"I'm the strongest here! You, a bottom-feeder, can't even touch my noble existence! Don't get too cocky!"

Ono, enveloped in flames, was about to launch an attack using his classmates' abilities.

Fire, water, wind, earth, curses, light... basically, convenient powers.

He tried to grow trees at high speed to entangle me.

Ah, so he took the cultivation ability from the class representative?

Was he planning to use it after we left the forest?

Hey, class representative! Your ability isn't suited for attack, is it?

"Hmph!"

I slashed through the trees that tried to entangle me.

Ridiculous.

What's so strong about that?

As Taniizumi said, it's really ridiculous.

What's the difference between you and Taniizumi?

... Ah, there is a difference.

Ono is a murderer, and Taniizumi is a ruler.

A ruler is better than a murderer.

"Not yet! Don't get cocky just because you cut down some trees!"

Ono gripped his broken sword, summoned flames, and reconnected the broken blade... no, he regenerated it from the materials.

"My master is stingy with points and delays the completion time, but I, with my massive point earnings, can complete the sword quickly!"

He even took the forging ability from Shigenobu! What does he think he is, showing off like that?

"That's Shigenobu's ability! You thief!"

"Ha! The one with more abilities is the greater one. Don't get too pleased just because you have a slight advantage!"

Ono, using martial arts, lunged at me with a punch.

First, I dodged the incoming magic with minimal movement, then I engaged in a sword clash and cut his sword again. I countered with a boxer's punch and sent him flying.

"Damn! That sword is the key to your attacks!"

Ono threw glowing coins at the Metal Turtle's sword, activating some ability.

A light-based ability.

He must have thought he had a chance if I let go of the sword.

"Can't deflect them!?"

"Sorry, but magic attacks... and abilities don't work on me!"

I launched a counterattack at Ono, who had used an ability on me, at a speed that surprised even me.

"Take this! It's not enough yet!"

He took a defensive stance, so I slashed at his arm with my sword.

Blood spurted from Ono.

"Ugh... It hurts... It hurts! Why would the strongest me feel pain...!"

"What's so strong about you? If you were truly the strongest, you could protect everyone! You could bring everyone back!"

Ono writhed in pain.

That's right. Make him suffer more.

The people you killed suffered even more!

"No matter how many abilities you stack, you won't become the strongest. I won't let you! The fact that you were cornered without using your abilities is proof of that!"

Did the combat group rely entirely on their abilities in battle?

The battles in the other world... the fights with Meguru and Shigenobu are now helping me corner Ono.

"Ono, by your own standards, you committed an unforgivable sin by getting your hands dirty with heinous murders. And you, who can't even defeat the base group's grunts with everyone's abilities, have no value!"

"Ah!?"

When I raised my sword high, Ono let out a frightened cry.

"I'm not the bad one. You guys are the scum! I was trying to save you, but you didn't even show gratitude, and you didn't offer the girls!"

"Meguru and the others don't belong to you!"

I thought he would still resist... but looking around, I saw that the barrier containing the combat and base groups had been destroyed.

It wasn't so strong that the combat group couldn't break it, but Ono's magic power must have run out after all the battles.

All that's left is to corner him!

The question is whether he has the ability to consume points from the stolen abilities.

I grabbed Ono by the collar, lifted him up, and prepared to thrust my sword into him as the final blow.

"Go! Do it, Hashihara!"

"Right! Kill Ono!"

Everyone was cheering me on.

It's their right.

How many people have died?

You killed Meguru!

Do you think you can be forgiven just by dying?

"St-stop! Please!"

"Please, no!"

I could hear Ono and Otsuka's pleas.

They sounded pathetic.

Haha... I'll silence you right now.

"Kosei-kun"

At that moment, I heard Meguru's voice in my head.

... Meguru hated it when someone hurt or oppressed others.

If I killed Ono now, I couldn't face Meguru.

... I threw Ono to the ground and turned my back on him.

"... Return everyone's abilities immediately. Then, get out of here! Never show your face again! Disappear from our sight right now!"

I know it sounds lenient.

But... this isn't something I should do out of a momentary urge to kill.

Meguru would say that.

"... Don't turn me into a murderer..."

I managed to hold back the surging killing intent, using Meguru's last smile to me, and said it with a strained voice.

Meguru had the courage to confront Ono, who had terrorized everyone.

She must have been scared.

She must have been terrified.

She must have wanted to run.

But if Ono and Otsuka were going to kill everyone, I could kill them without hesitation.

Honestly, I can't forgive them.

I want to kill them right now.

But...

If Meguru were still alive, I think she would scold me.

I can only follow her will.

The matter is settled.

If Ono promises never to involve himself with us again, I'll give him this last... truly last chance.

"It's too lenient! If you don't kill him, everyone will die!"

"He won't repent! He'll run and seek revenge!"

"You can't be forgiven for killing people!"

Everyone in the class was shouting.

I know that!

I want to kill this guy too!

But... at least... let me try to fulfill Meguru's wish...

"Kosei..."

"Hashihara..."

"Kosei-kun"

Everyone was calling my name.

Among them... there was no one I truly... liked.

Realizing it only after losing them... I used to think the protagonists in stories were foolish... I never thought it would be my turn.

This is all my fault.

I was a bystander... and that was wrong.

I was deluding myself, thinking Meguru would forgive me.

I underestimated the situation because Shigenobu understood it.

If only I had taken it more seriously, maybe I could have done something!

"Kosei!"

I heard Shigenobu's desperate voice.

Honestly, I knew what would happen.

Ono wouldn't run at this moment.

Still, I wanted to take a small chance.

Meguru would have taken even the smallest chance.

"Dieeeeee!"

"Pay with your life for hurting Keisuke-samaaaaaa!"

The moment Ono and Otsuka attacked me.

"Meguru... I'm sorry"

I... seem to have become a murderer who killed classmates.

A massive amount of earth appeared in front of me, covering the spot where Ono and his cronies were.

"Ughh---"

"Ah---!?"

"... If you had immediately followed my instructions and fled, you wouldn't have been hit. Ono, you and your cronies kicked away your last chance."

That's right. During the fight with Ono, I was casting a teleportation spell on the ground, specifying the location.

It was a deadly trap to inflict serious injuries, not necessarily fatal ones.

I cornered Ono, calculated the remaining time, and gave him a choice.

If Ono had run, I could have avoided becoming a murderer.

But the result is clear.