Chapter 55
“The First Blade is the Final Blade—beneath clashing blades lies hell; take one step into the Ashura Path.”
I activated 【First Blade】 in front of the Goblin Colony.
A thrill and an urge to destroy welled up inside me.
Stronger than usual.
Stronger than anything I’d ever felt.
—That’s right. Just like that.
—Kill. Kill. KILL.
Driven by the voice in my heart, I charged toward the colony.
There were countless goblins, but they weren’t my enemies.
They were nothing more than targets.
Nourishment for my sword.
Every time I swung my sword, a goblin’s head flew, and my exhilaration grew.
With every swing, my sword moved faster, sharper, and more precisely.
For the first time, I understood how to move my body.
More.
More and more.
More and more and more.
As soon as I finished a swing, I rushed toward my next prey and sent its head flying.
The rhythm I created ensnared the battlefield.
It was as if I were the star of the stage.
“Ah, so this is the Ashura Path—”
Until now, I’d worried about running out of magic and couldn’t immerse myself this completely.
But now—
I glanced over at Rento-san.
He seemed to trust me, watching over me from a distance.
And—
I could feel my connection to Rento-san.
I could feel his magic flowing into me.
That magic was the force that kept me moving!
As long as Rento-san was there, I could fight forever.
Exhilaration took hold of my entire body.
My body trembled with overwhelming pleasure.
—That’s right. Keep fighting.
—Swing your sword until the very moment you die.
—Cut down everything that stands in your way.
“I wish this moment could last forever...”
But a mere thirty goblins weren’t enough to keep it going for long.
I felt something suddenly slip out of my body.
With no enemies left, 【First Blade】 deactivated.
Normally, I should have suffered the post-technique recovery lag after that, but...
No matter how long I waited, the recovery lag never came.
If anything, my body felt lighter than it had before the battle.
“I want to fight more—so much more!”
It was supposed to be a one-day trial, but I realized I could no longer leave Rento-san.
Until yesterday, I’d hated my Gift.
I’d wished countless times that I didn’t have this Gift.
But now, it was too late.
Once I’d experienced this pleasure, I couldn’t escape it.
I myself am a sword.
A sword with a single purpose: defeating enemies.
I could never live any other way.
I’m grateful to Rento-san.
Because he gave me the path I was meant to follow.
But he’ll have to take responsibility for drawing me down this path.
I’ll follow you for the rest of my life, so make sure you take responsibility to the very end.