Chapter 114
"When I learned that gathering 10,000 gold was the only way to break this world's system, I was so damn happy. I thought I was finally a little closer to my goal of beating the god who created it, so I built a casino and did all sorts of miserly things."
Even as he said this, Kagami kept slamming his fists into the barrier, his expression unwavering despite the damage his entire body must have been taking.
"But then I went to a certain place and learned part of how this world works, and finally realized that money wasn't what really mattered. In the end, I was still just acting according to this world's system, and nothing was changing. ...Honestly, I realized it far too late."
Kagami should have had no room to say things like that. He should have long since exceeded the amount of damage his body could withstand. And yet he kept striking the barrier without flinching, amid thunderous crashes and the dull sound of flesh tearing.
"Somewhere along the way, I got things wrong. I was trying to change the system little by little while still preserving it. But then I realized that wouldn't work. If you think that system is wrong... you have to face it head-on, or nothing will get through to them. Nothing in reality will change. Even though I was unhappy with the way things were, the one most bound by those assumptions and doing nothing about them... was me."
At that moment, faint cracks began to appear in the barrier, which sent the force of each blow right back at him. The king, who understood better than anyone how impossible and extraordinary this was, wore an expression of astonishment bordering on terror.
The barrier had cracked, but it hadn't broken. Kagami's body was already a horrific wreck. It was clear that just a few more punches would kill him. Yet seeing Kagami continue to fight despite that, the king experienced awe for the first time.
"Running away... won't get anything started."
The flesh on his arm was torn, and his body was so badly wounded that its skin had changed color with blood. Despite the pain, so terrible that it was despairing just to imagine, Kagami kept driving his fist into the barrier.
"So I'm done running away. I came to face you and tell you that this is wrong. This world's system... this world's shitty common sense... I...!"
As he spoke, Kagami's fist became wreathed in a faint orange glow. With his battered body, he gathered his strength and lowered his stance as if preparing for one final blow—
"Smash it to pieces!"
The recoil from Kagami's final blow didn't bounce back. The shock wave from his fist pierced through the barrier and unleashed a blast powerful enough to make anyone recoil, shattering it.
"How... can this be possible? ...But even if the barrier in the other tower where Kururu is isn't as strong as this one, it still exists. Your battered fist can no longer break through it... That was astonishing spirit and tenacity, but you fell one step short."
He had turned the impossible into reality. The king could feel his heart pounding as he witnessed it. But limits always came, in the end. Seeing Kagami reach his, the king murmured those words with a hint of disappointment.
And the king's words were true. Kagami's fist no longer had the strength to hit anything. He was so unsteady that even one more blow from the barrier's recoil would kill him. He had no strength left to break through the barrier around the other tower.
Given time, he would recover thanks to his Skill. But there wasn't enough time to wait for that before Kururu's brainwashing was complete.
"Kagami-dono! There's no time...!"
"Menou! Pour every last bit of magic you have into the strongest spell you can use, and fire it at me!"
"W-what?! If I do that, Kagami-dono will...!"
There weren't even a dozen seconds left before Kururu's brainwashing would be complete. Menou knew that, but couldn't bring herself to attack Kagami when he looked ready to collapse. He was so weak that even one of Menou's attacks might kill him.
"Just do it! Trust me... trust your friend!"
But when Menou saw Kagami plead with an expression more serious than ever before, a chill of dread seized Menou, as if not casting the spell now would be something to regret for the rest of their life. So Menou trusted his words, gathered every last bit of magic in hand for an explosive spell, and, though Rex was holding Menou down and keeping Menou from moving, managed to stretch out an arm and fire it at Kagami.
Kagami murmured, smiling faintly, "That's good," and—
"Even in this battered state... there's still... something I can do!"
With that, he punched the ball of magic containing Menou's explosive spell with all his strength, as if batting it back with his battered fist.
The ball of magic containing the explosive spell didn't detonate. Instead, it struck Kagami's fist.
"W-why didn't it explode?"
Menou had no idea what was happening. But from Kagami's desperate expression, Menou quickly realized he was trying to bat the incoming spell back with his fist.
Sure enough, the ball of magic Menou had fired gradually changed course, heading toward the other tower.
"Even Skills I can't use... if I combine them...!"
As he said this, Kagami turned his gaze toward the other tower. Remembering Estella's words about how many of a Villager's Skills were useless, he poured every last bit of strength he had into that one blow.
"Don't underestimate a Villager's Skills!"
The culmination of Kagami's Skills: first, with Will to Counterattack, he added the force and momentum of his punch to Menou's spell, sending it ricocheting toward the other tower. Then, at the moment he launched it, Kagami flicked Menou's magic with his finger.
With the power of Super Finger, Hyper Finger, and Ultra Finger, the momentum added by his punch was boosted even further. Miracle Finger kept him from injuring his hand any more, while Perfect Finger made his aim precise. Menou's ball of magic shot toward the other tower with such force that the space it passed through seemed to warp.
An ultimate long-range attack, with power that could only be unleashed by Kagami, a Villager: with his restrictions lifted, he used someone else's power to flick his finger.
Soul of the Villager
It didn't lose momentum as it smashed through the barrier and pulverized the other tower. Without even exploding on impact, it continued onward, slicing through the air before vanishing into the sky.