Chapter 47
Chapter Discussion
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Of course, the world didn’t always go as planned.
“You damn bastards!”
“Ghk!”
The immense divine power pouring out of ‘Mercy.’
The ominous divine power prickling against my skin soon took shape and began attacking us.
A speed far greater than before.
“Tch… My body’s slow!”
And we had become much slower.
‘Mercy’s’ power was restricting our dodging, defense, and attacks.
Severely.
“This is bad…”
‘Mercy’ probably wasn’t in any better shape either.
No matter how powerful his ability was, we could still resist it, and if he was attacking two Swordmasters like this, he had to be staking everything on it.
And that wasn’t all.
“Gah!”
“Ian?!”
Somehow, Ian managed to get close to ‘Mercy,’ but then he attacked himself.
More precisely, his attack missed, but the explosion ended up engulfing him.
Tch. Had his power gotten stronger?
“I’ll kill every last one of you!!”
“Is ‘I’ll kill you’ the only thing you know how to say?!”
“Shut up!”
Spheres filled the sky and came flying at us.
“Tch…”
It was getting hard to keep blocking them.
We were getting slower at blocking, and sometimes even when we managed to block, we still took damage.
Nothing ever goes easily.
“Haaaaah!!”
“What?!”
To make matters worse, ‘Mercy’ himself began attacking me, swinging his staff.
“Damn it!”
Ian hurried over, but the spheres held him back, and ‘Mercy’s’ staff swung at me.
“Die!”
“You think that’ll kill me?!”
Of course, it wouldn’t work.
No matter how restricted my movements were, I could still block an attack like that.
The problem was the spheres flying at me from behind.
Even after cutting down countless ones, a huge number of divine-power spheres still remained, hurtling toward me.
‘Mercy’ in front, spheres behind.
Caught between a rock and a hard place. Seriously.
“Hah!”
-Clang!
“Ghk!”
First, I knocked Mercy’s staff aside.
‘Mercy’ himself was far weaker than us. I couldn’t attack, but knocking aside a weapon we’d crossed was easy enough.
“Hup!”
-Crack!
At the same time, I froze time and cut down all the spheres flying in from behind.
As wide an area as possible.
Countless spheres were sliced apart in a moment lasting less than a second.
Ian could just blow them all up, but I couldn’t do that.
Even after cutting down that many, there were still plenty of spheres left.
Tch. How many were there?
“Grr…! I’ll kill you…!”
“Don’t talk shit about Plia!”
“Gaaaaah! How?!”
Then Ian, who’d been cutting down the spheres behind me, caused a massive explosion that engulfed ‘Mercy.’
…I thought explosions didn’t work on him?
“Phew… Plia, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but… how did you do that just now?”
“Huh? Oh, I thought of it as blowing up the spheres instead of that guy. I deliberately cranked up the power.”
“Ohhh.”
I see. Since he wasn’t trying to attack ‘Mercy’ himself, Mercy’s ability didn’t apply.
“That was clever.”
“Haha. It was nothing.”
Maybe I could use that method somehow, too?
“Don’t ignore me!”
But maybe because the attack had come from so far away, ‘Mercy’ hadn’t suffered any major injuries.
Persistent, isn’t he? Guys like that aren’t popular, you know.
“DIIIIIEEEEE!!!!”
From behind ‘Mercy,’ even more powerful spheres appeared… again?
“Is that the only attack you’ve got?”
“Shut up! I merely eliminated all the other useless ones! My attacks are perfect!”
“Perfect? Your opponent keeps blocking them. Maybe they’re perfectly wrong?”
“Shuuut uuuup!!!!”
It seemed that was the only attack ‘Mercy’ could use. Well, that or just swinging his staff around.
I can’t believe they sent such a simple-minded guy…
I was completely underwhelmed.
Of course, ‘Mercy’s’ power was pretty overpowered, and those spheres weren’t weak either…
But I guess our abilities were a bad match.
“Hyaaaah!”
-KWA-GWA-GWANG!!!
Ian blew them up once, and they all vanished.
“What the hell?! We didn’t have this information!!”
‘Mercy’ kept firing attacks with an indignant look on his face.
Poor thing…
“Um…? If you surrender now, I won’t kill you mercifully.”
“Bullshit! If that guy weren’t here, you’d be dead!”
Hmm… It was true that I’d have been in danger without Ian…
“Still, I don’t think I’d get killed that easily by someone that simple.”
“You bitch!”
‘Mercy’ charged at me, swinging his staff, but there was no way such a straightforward attack would work.
Just looking at him, he had the right stance when swinging his staff, but his movements were incredibly straightforward.
His swings were so textbook-perfect that I almost wanted to invite him to teach at the academy.
…Why’d they send such a scrub? Maybe they’d misjudged Ian’s ability?
It hadn’t been long since Ian had awakened as a Swordmaster, and the only thing people knew about him was that he had a power related to focused energy…
They might not have expected him to be a bomb maniac.
“Why… Why is this happening…”
“You should’ve done your homework before picking a fight.”
‘Mercy’s’ power was certainly tricky, but it wasn’t impossible to deal with.
No, if anything…
“Hah!”
“What?!”
I slashed exactly where ‘Mercy’s’ neck was.
‘Mercy’ hurriedly dodged, but…
That proved it for sure.
“What?! How did you attack me?!”
“I never attacked you.”
“What?”
I hadn’t attacked ‘Mercy’; I’d simply cut through empty air.
Mercy’s neck just happened to be there.
Too far-fetched? Powers are basically a collection of contrivances to begin with.
Then we can beat them with contrivances too.
…
“Hng…!”
A sword trembling ever so slightly, and breath caught in his throat.
“Kyahahaha! What do you think you can cut with an attack that slow?”
A clear, ringing voice that echoed like the sound of jade chimes.
But the cruelty steeped in that voice filled its listeners with fear.
Luke was currently locked in a fierce battle with ‘Purity.’
Whenever Luke swung his sword, ‘Purity’ dodged at incredible speed.
Likewise, ‘Purity’s’ attacks were blocked by Luke’s sword, but Luke was beginning to feel anxious.
“I’ll make you pure, you filthy thing!”
Two daggers shot toward him like blades.
Luke instinctively knocked them aside with his sword, but one dagger he failed to avoid grazed him, tearing his clothes.
“Ghk…”
Normally, it would’ve been an insignificant attack, but the small wound badly shook Luke’s mind.
‘Purity’s’ power. It erased the self by erasing memories and emotions.
“How does it feel, old man? To have everything you thought was precious—your memories, your emotions—disappear?”
Hearing ‘Purity’s’ question, filled with madness, Luke’s pupils trembled.
Because, just as ‘Purity’ said, he could feel himself forgetting something.
‘Damn it… Important things… So many things I thought were important are growing hazier…’
His memories didn’t disappear all at once.
But gradually, surely. Like ice melting away.
The gaps soon became doubts, making Luke hesitate with his sword.
“Kyahahaha! You’re hesitating with your sword now, aren’t you? Can’t remember someone precious to you? Hey, what about your family? Your friends? Do you remember them?”
“Shut up…!”
Even when he swung his sword in anger, he kept missing.
“Die!”
The dagger lunged at him.
He could dodge it.
No—he could have dodged it.
But the confusion caused by the gaps in his memories slowed Luke’s movements,
“Hah!”
"Gaaah!“
and in that opening, ‘Purity’s’ dagger stabbed Luke in the abdomen.
“Guh…!”
A dagger buried in his stomach.
The pain alone was overwhelming, but what hurt even more was…
‘This is the first time I’ve felt pain like this. …No, is it the first time?’
He thought this was the first time he’d ever felt pain.
For Luke, who had been through every hardship imaginable, an injury like this was something he could ignore, but not now.
His memories.
His past.
His experience.
The years he’d spent overcoming pain were being erased.
“Heeheehee! How does it feel to have a dagger stuck in your gut? It’s your first time, right? Feeling pain like this?”
“Stop…!”
Even as he staggered, Luke gripped his sword and stood up.
Yet his eyes trembled without pause.
‘Who… am I fighting for? What did I do yesterday…? Before that… who was I?’
The sword had lost its gleam,
and his cutting motion had become a mechanical repetition.
Naturally, there was no way ‘Purity’ would let an attack like that land.
“Hahahaha! What’s wrong? Tired already? Your movements have gotten so simple! Where’d all that fancy technique go?”
Under ‘Purity’s’ merciless attacks, Luke’s body and mind were being worn down,
and then, at last—
-Clatter!
The sword fell from Luke’s hand.
A metallic sound rang hollowly through the air.
“Oh my? Puhahaha! A Swordmaster, of all people, dropping his sword!”
‘Purity’s’ laughter didn’t reach Luke.
How could laughter reach someone who didn’t even know who he was?
“Grr…”
His memories, his emotions, everything drifting away,
he was forgetting himself.