Chapter 109 (Self Edited) – Putting an End
It was overwhelming. That was Sylvia’s honest impression when she saw the battle.
However, that one-sided development was normal in a sense. After all, Kurt had acquired the power of the Evil G.o.d, even if it was only a fragment. Even though she felt that instinctively, she didn’t think that it was a lie. So, what she felt was justified.
Unless Kurt wasn’t the one to be pushed into the corner.
“Ugh… It can’t be… This is the power of the Evil G.o.d, right!? I obtain only a fragment, but… why am I being pushed…!?” (Kurt)
“That’s because you only have a fragment, isn’t it? Anyhow, it’s just a borrowed power.” (Soma)
“…d.a.m.n it, are you playing with me…!” (Kurt)
Together with a shout, the darkness overflowing from Kurt’s body increased its density. Countless tentacles attacked Soma all at once, but.. there were countless attacks to counter it. As for Sylvia, it was hard to see the slashing attacks, but she could see the tentacles getting wrecked by the traces of sword flashes.
There were more sword flashes after that. However, it might because it was the power of the Evil G.o.d, the tentacles were regenerated one after another from the place where it was cut off. Every time the tentacles were cut, it regenerated at the same speed as if it wasn’t giving up. While the sword flashes and remnants of tentacles fluttering, the faces of the two were exactly opposite even though they were in a similar situation.
Kurt had a mixed expression of anger and jealousy, and Soma looked composed. The light and darkness of the battle might had been obvious at that time.
The situation seemed to be evenly matched at first glance. However, it was a fact that she wasn’t mistaken.
The first who attacked was Kurt, but at this point of time, it was clear that he was on defensive. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t prevent Soma’s slashing attacks. The evidence was displayed every time Soma slashed. Little by little, the number of wounds on Kurt’s body was increasing.
It had been the same since a while ago. No matter how much Kurt’s tentacles wriggled, or increased in number and density, Soma went against all of it. The overwhelming sword techniques didn’t allow Kurt’s tentacles to come closer. Its’ physical and intention were certainly severed.
When she looked at such a scene, it looked as if Kurt was weak, but it was a complete imagination. She certainly understood at first glance. It was enough to kill Sylvia even with just one of Kurt’s tentacles. No… perhaps, she would be overkilled.
Since there were many of them, a country could be easily destroyed.
That wasn’t a joke or something similar. It was something close to the conviction that she felt instinctively. She had this feeling since earlier… the overwhelming death that she could still feel even now wasn’t something that could be ignored by intention or misunderstanding.
No, it should be like that, but–…
“Why it looks simple for Soma-kun to cut the tentacles? I mean, isn’t weird to be able to cut it normally?” (Sylvia)
“Honestly, I also agree with you, but well, it’s Soma. It’s always like that.” (Hildegard)
The headmaster, who said that, didn’t hide her amazement from her expression or her voice. If that meant that he was a strong person, the headmaster should be one of the strong people, but the headmaster was also surprised.
She suddenly remembered that there might be a similar situation at that time. Originally, she shouldn’t have asked about that question, but… was it because she had a leeway? When Sylvia realized that, she asked the headmaster about it.
“Come to think of it, you have known Soma-kun for a long time, right?” (Sylvia)
“Hmm? Yeah… well, that’s right, you can say that. According to my sense, it doesn’t feel a long time, you know. So, why do you ask that?” (Hildegard)
“No, I mean… I wonder what kind of feeling you could get from Soma in the past. I can’t imagine what kind of person was Soma at that time…” (Sylvia)
“Hmm, even if I explain about him in the past, I didn’t know him for long, but… well, that’s right. At least as far as I know, that guy has always been like that. for a long time.” (Hildegard)
“Oh, I see…” (Sylvia)
Somehow, that was the feeling that Hildegard had since Soma was born. She understood that there was no such a thing, but…
“But… yeah, there’s only one thing that is definitely different from those days.” (Hildegard)
“Eh… that is?” (Sylvia)
“Hmm, it’s his strength.” (Hildegard)
“Aah…” (Sylvia)
When Sylvia was told that, she realized that was indeed the case. That was certainly true.
To be honest, she could say that she didn’t understand Soma’s strength. Even if she was at the end of the royalty line, she had met so many people, but… no one could be compared to how overwhelming Soma was.
Nonetheless, his strength didn’t born naturally. In the past, he was even more…
“He used to be a lot stronger in the past.” (Hildegard)
“Eh..!?” (Sylvia)
Even though Soma was still in the midst of battle, Sylvia let out a shout unintentionally. Well, it was a matter of course. Although she couldn’t understand how strong Soma was now, what did Hildegard meant that he was way stronger in the past.
“Th-that is a joke, right…?” (Sylvia)
“Unfortunately, that is true. If he uses the power he had at that time, this battle would have ended long ago. And we don’t have to wait and see.” (Hildegard)
“Wait and see…?” (Sylvia)
When she thought about it after being said so… surely, Kurt’s a.s.sault was getting a bit more intense, but Soma corresponded to all of them. In other words, he had some leeway.
However, she didn’t think that Soma was cutting corners or not taking Kurt seriously. It was because Soma had a very serious expression.
“Uhm, why is that…?” (Sylvia)
“It’s simple. That’s because Kurt obtained that power earlier. Because of that, I don’t know how much power he can exert. Perhaps, the person himself also doesn’t know. In fact, he seems to be getting used to his power little by little, and that’s why he needed to figure out.” (Hildegard)
“Is that so? But then, wouldn’t it be better if Soma defeats him before he get used to that power?” (Sylvia)
She didn’t think that he couldn’t do that. Of course, in term of strength, Soma wasn’t the type that takes pity just because people knew him.
“Well, yeah… but if it isn’t the power of the Evil G.o.d, Soma also would have done that too.” (Hildegard)
“What is so bad about the power of the Evil G.o.d? Surely, it is scary but… if it’s Soma, I think he would be fine… right?” (Sylvia)
“That’s true if he is the one. Perhaps, there’s no problem. Nevertheless, if you consider about it, there is no way he can prepare to counter that power. It is nothing but the power of death and destruction.” (Hildegard)
Honestly, Sylvia didn’t understand the meaning of those words. If it didn’t pose a risk to the overwhelming Soma, no matter what kind of thing the enemy had, Soma could do something about it.
However, if the headmaster of the Academy said so, what was Soma doing now was probably something necessary–…
“Well, somehow, it is a needless worry.” (Hildegard)
“Eh?” (Sylvia)
“He basically already see the bottom of it.” (Hildegard)
Together with the words, his scarlet yes were narrowed. Beyond that eyesight, countless sword flashes were breaking through the jet black tentacles. It didn’t seem like there was any difference.
But, as if Soma heard that mutter, immediately after that, there was a movement seen from Soma. When they thought why Soma took a quick step, his arm was greatly swung, and Kurt’s body was slashed diagonally.
“Gahh…!? You…!” (Kurt)
“Sorry, but I’m almost done confirming stuff… so it’s time to end this.” (Soma)
“Don’t you dare…!” (Kurt)
Blood didn’t come out from the body that was torn up. What came out was something of jet black. Moreover, the number and the momentum of the tentacles increased, but… Soma did nothing of it. It didn’t end there. Soma also slashed Kurt’s right arm.
Not only that, there was a big slashing attack up to the middle of the torso and his left foot. Then, he deeply slashed Kurt’s body…
“It…it can’t be! I just got this much power…!? I finally… finally…! But, in such a place…! (Kurt)
“I wasn’t sure why you needed the power, but… you made a mistake. After all, borrowed power is just a borrowed power. There is no meaning if you become stronger because of it.” (Soma)
“Sh-shut up…!” (Kurt)
The moment he shouted that, the darkness that covered the surroundings overflowed at once… However, it was easy to think that those were the same thing as he had before. They all disappeared instantly. That wasn’t a level of slashing and tearing. There was no trace of everything. It had disappeared.
“Honestly, I feel bad about doing that, but I have no choice. That’s too bad, sorry.” (Soma)
“Are you kidding me…! This power of mine… this power…!” (Kurt)
Even so, Kurt still hadn’t given up. He moved in order to do something, but it was meaningless at the next moment.
All four limbs were cut off from the torso, and the torso was cut by half. Everything happened in one moment to the point there wasn’t enough time to let the darkness overflowed.
As the last sword flash shone…
“This is the end.” (Soma)
In that moment…
“–It’s fine already.” (Hildegard)
The neck was decapitated.
There were no living creatures whose neck was severed. It was the same divine providence that when someone gained the power of the G.o.d and that was to throw away his human appearance.
But at that moment, an unprecedented chill ran through Sylvia’s back. What she felt until now seemed to be a small matter, but….
“–Tsk!” (Hildegard)
Perhaps, it was almost at the same time when Soma made a moved and when Sylvia felt that chill. Soma slashed until there was no remain of Kurt’s torso.
That didn’t meant that he was trying to stamp the corpse. The chills were getting worse. Around the place where the torso was, the darkness, which was more than earlier, spread explosively.
At that moment, Soma leaped away from that spot. In a few moment, he got down by the side of Sylvia. However, Sylvia held her breath because Soma had a bitter expression. Something that she had never seen before. It wasn’t just Soma, Hildegard was also the same. At the same time, there was a feeling of impatience.
“…Sorry. I failed at the very last moment.” (Soma)
“No, that can’t be helped… I didn’t expect that happened at the last minute.” (Hildegard)
“Eh… uhmm… what does that mean? What happened? What’s going on?” (Sylvia)
“…The power of the Evil G.o.d is not something that can be manipulated. To put it simply, people can’t handle the power of the G.o.d. Nevertheless, Soma had been very cautious because there was a possibility, but we judged that there was no longer to worry. And that wasn’t wrong… at least, that was enough to deal with the power of the Evil G.o.d. Even if Kurt could pull the power out, he still could manipulate the concept of death and destruction to a certain degree.” (Hildegard)
“That mean, if he drawed more power, his body and the soul can’t stand it. Once I confirmed that, I should be able to handle it even if the power was pulled out to the limit, so I finished him off, but…” (Soma)
“…But?” (Sylvia)
“At the very last moment, he removed the restraint. If the power is pulled out without caring what would happen to the body and soul, the power would overflow and run wildly.” (Hildegard)
“And the result is… if I could give the decisive blow for a moment early…” (Soma)
“Didn’t I say that we couldn’t predict that? In that condition, I don’t think the soul will remain or even stay in the loop of reincarnation, you know. It’s not something you can do even if you want to do it.” (Hildegard)
Sylvia gulped when she heard it and looked at their serious expression. She didn’t understand the detail, but… for the time being, there was something impossible happening, and she realized that it was something really bad.
“But, Soma-kun, you defeated him immediately after that, right? Then, the problem is…” (Sylvia)
“There was no problem if the power was completely stayed within Kurt, but it seemed that most of the power still remained. And now, there is a hole in it. You can call it a bonus. In this situation, it will blow up in less than an hour… No, it is quite satisfactory if it ends up until the academy. The worst is the blow may involve this country and the surrounding area. In return, that power will be completely gone, but… well, nothing is comforting me here.” (Hildegard)
It was obvious at a glance that she wasn’t lying. The chills were only increasing every moment now. If that thing blew away… what had been mentioned earlier would surely happen.
But, when she knew it, there was nothing she could do. It was because the way to deal with such a thing was–…
“…Phew. Well, it can’t be helped then.” (Soma)
“…Soma-kun?” (Sylvia)
Sylvia spoke to Soma because she was worried if he had given up, but she got no response. Soma turned to Hildegard, and he shrugged shoulders.
“I’m sorry, but I have to entrust you for the rest.” (Soma)
“You…” (Hildegard)
“Aah, I don’t want you to misunderstand. I have no intention to die, you know? It’s just that… well, I don’t know what will happen later. So, I’m going to leave that to you.” (Soma)
“…I don’t think it’s necessary for you to do that.” (Hildegard)
“No, half of it is our responsibility, right? If someone else can do it, by all mean, I would like to change role with that person, but unfortunately, there isn’t any.” (Soma)
“But…” (Hildegard)
“Hildegard.” (Soma)
“…I got it. But I’m sorry to have you to clean up the mess. So… make sure you come back, and say it with your own mouth, alright? Of course, to me as well.” (Hildegard)
“Well, that is one difficult promise, but… I’ll try my best.” (Soma)
Sylvia still hadn’t had the idea what they were talking about, but there was one thing she could understand. She had a very bad feeling.
Then, when she wanted to say it–..
“Soma-ku–…” (Sylvia)
“–Sylvia.” (Hildegard)
The words she tried to utter was interrupted by the headmaster of the Academy. The scarlet eyes that penetrated her body didn’t allow any more words.
“We will leave first. Well, other than using that magic tool, you don’t have to do anything else.” (Hildegard)
What did she mean by ‘we’? Who were that ‘we’? No… what on earth Soma was trying to do?
She wanted to ask that, but… she couldn’t say under the eyes that was asking her to use the tool. She held Maria’s hand, who was lying on the ground, and extended the other hand toward the headmaster.
She wasn’t sure who was trembling.
“Well then, see ya later.” (Hildegard)
“Hmm, see you.” (Soma)
When Sylvia noticed, Soma had already turned his back toward them. Moreover, she didn’t know what kind of expression he had on his face now, and then…
They left Soma as it was, and left the dungeon.
—
“…Phew.” (Soma)
After confirming the presences at the rear had disappeared, Soma exhaled a breath. Honestly speaking, he had no choice but to think of what he did.
What he said to Hildegard was unmistakably his true feelings. He had no intention to die.
But he didn’t know what would happen if he didn’t try it.
Nonetheless, it was also true that there was no point in what he said just now. He already decided to do it. In that case–…
“I just need to do this, right?” (Soma)
While muttering, he walked toward it and he was getting closer.
That was the true power of the G.o.d. It held the authority of death and destruction.
This situation wouldn’t be concluded even if Soma touched it. Moreover, it was running wildly.
Then, Soma thought one more time what he should do… and yet, there was no change in what he was going to do.
“Well then…” (Soma)
It would be at the limit of barely touching it. Soma reached the point where he came too close. If it was from this spot, it would be somehow manageable.
He lifted his right arm over his head as he grabbed the sword. Soma took a deep breath and exhaled.
There was no need to think about unnecessary things. He only need to do one thing. Everything that pa.s.sed through his mind… all of them were sc.r.a.ped off.
“I wonder what will happen…” (Soma)
Nevertheless, he swung his arm down while unintentionally letting out that mutter. And then…
— The Rules of the Sword – G.o.d Killer – Dragon Killer – Divine Protection of Dragon G.o.d – Absolute Slash – Sword of Ten Thousand Demons – Single Mind – Serene State of Mind – Limit Break – Overdrive: Decisive Secret Technique.