Chapter 145
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Kubel's Duel
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Sudden reverberations of the sacred, majestic voice of the god, and the invisible barrier trapping me and Charhela... Faced with this unexpected turn, the barbarian warriors were instead ecstatic.
"Raaargh! Lord Kubel! Lord Kubel is watching the duel!!"
"Aaaah!! A duel of glory!! A duel overseen directly by the God of Beasts and God of Warriors!!"
"In the name of the warrior!!"
"We shall live lives of battle without regret!!"
"Our lives are named battle!! The meaning of my life is battle!!"
Watching them raise their voices almost to the point of madness, I worried their vocal cords might tear.
"What... What the hell is this...? Alzen! Do you know something!? Did you do something to the totem...!?"
On the other hand, the thoroughly flustered Charhela tried to interrogate me, but I had no time to entertain her.
"...You, Kubel? Explain what the fuck this farce is right now."
I spat the words up at the totem statue, but no answer came.
"This...!"
I focused my mind on the 'Absolute Ring Set' and activated it targeting the totem.
But neither the ring nor the totem budged.
I couldn't tell if the ring's power simply didn't work or if the totem wasn't a valid target to begin with. But locking eyes with the statue's condescending gaze, I could only heave a hot sigh amid my boiling rage.
"...Ha, you, fucking... piece... of... shit...!"
Red-hot fury surged through my mind like lightning, too intense to even form proper words.
It resembled a trauma-ridden flashback, laced with pain.
My molars ground into my gums; my fists clenched until blood seeped out, trembling violently.
The memory that surfaced was from the early days after possession.
The time when I feared whatever 'something' had dragged me into this world.
The terror that some entity up high, with irresistible power, might watch me, meddle, and turn me into a puppet—it engulfed my entire body.
Just like how it had forcibly pulled me into this world and possessed me into 'Starnassila Alzen.'
Just like how it had granted me the power of death regression.
Yes, just like this very moment, with this damned god Kubel trapping me and Charhela and forcing a duel!
"...Alzen?"
"Heh, ha, haa, you bitch...!"
The hatred and madness I thought had faded through adaptation and acceptance to this life prickled like thorns, stabbing my heart, head, eyes, and mouth, bursting forth with heat.
I had no idea what they wanted from me.
No clue why I had to do it.
No idea why they were doing this to me.
These so-called divinities spout nonsense about causality and fate without a shred of explanation, just laying out the board and crushing us with their authority!
Powerless, I could only be swept along.
From start to finish... Yeah. I'd consciously ignored it, but truthfully, I looked no different from a puppet.
"Crunch! Grrrind! Huff! Haaah—!!"
I clutched my aching heart and tried to down some booze, but my clenched teeth wouldn't part, clacking futilely.
"Alzen, are you okay?"
"...Heh, hehahaha... Charhela. Looks like that dog-fucker's eager for our duel."
At Charhela's question, I forced my mouth open with great difficulty. Her face hardened.
"Blasphemy. Alzen. Mind your manners before the divine."
"Ha! Manners? To that dog-fucker? To me? How fucking dare he!?"
I lifted my trembling head in rage and glared up at the totem.
"Just as I thought. Gods are utterly untrustworthy! Ha, fuck...! Should've cursed out that goddess to my heart's content when I had the chance...!"
"...Who are you?"
"...What?"
At her out-of-left-field question, I turned. Charhela eyed me warily, fists clenched tight.
"I've felt off since we first met... but this is too different."
"Different how? Huh? What's different?"
"...Not a single habit matches the Alzen I remember. Stance, gaze angle, limb movements, facial muscle range. All of it. It's like... you're a completely different person."
"So?"
"...Who are you."
I stared at her repeating the question in a much lower voice, then finally gulped down the booze in big swigs.
I emptied the bottle in one go, tossed it aside, and staggered.
The potent alcohol scrambled my brain, vision swirling, reason chipping away in chunks.
My mood improved a bit.
Fear and dread faded; baseless confidence and fighting spirit welled up fiercely.
With that, I could manage a smile, at least.
"Puhah!! Hahaha! Right, the genius swordsman. Remembering even her little brother's quirks from years ago... How romantic."
"...I asked who you are."
"And if I tell you, what can you do about it?"
I spread my arms wide, baring my teeth.
"Fine. I'm not Alzen. I'm a stranger who took over Alzen's body. Now what?"
"Sigh, haaa..."
She raised her fists, aura coating them as she glared.
"What did you do to Alzen?"
"Hahahaha! Yeah! That's the question! No one's asked that yet despite knowing! Finally, some normal conversation! But sadly, I can't answer! Because I don't know either! I didn't want to enter this body!"
"...Not your choice."
"Kek, yeah. Not a speck of my will involved. Pure force."
"...I won't kill you. But I'll sever your limbs and toss you to the Duke's family."
"Ha! Hahaha! Gonna fight!? Just like that dog-fucker wants!?"
"What's that matter? Kubel is a great divinity. The noble one who remains on earth, protecting the northern nomads and honoring warriors."
"Heh, is he? So impressive~. That's why he toys with inferior human souls on a whim? Huh? Shoving one soul into a stranger's body."
"......"
It probably wasn't Kubel who possessed me, but that didn't matter.
They all looked the same to me.
Her expression darkened further at my full-throated sarcasm. Lightning crackled around her.
"I don't fail to understand your grudge against the gods. But I won't forgive blasphemy against the one I worship."
"How noble. So? Gonna do it?"
"...I'll end it quickly. As painlessly as possible."
"...Ha."
Snap.
The sound of alcohol's blade severing reason rang clearly within me.
"Fine—!! If you wanna die that bad! I'll kill you first—!!"
I could hold back no longer, spewing my rage as I activated the 'Absolute Provocation Ring.'
"Kuh!?"
Bzzt-crackle!
The moment red light seeped into her body, Charhela—engulfed in lightning, no, her very form replaced by blinding bolts—charged at me in a split-second burst.
Speed is mass, is power.
Just being fast exponentially amps destructive force.
A lead pellet thinner than a finger pierces steel at supersonic speeds; how devastating would her fist be, far larger, heavier, laced with aura?
Fwoosh!
"What!?"
But her mighty punch, flung with full force, grazed past my body, wrapped in the violet glow of the 'Absolute Evasion Ring,' missing entirely.
"Twice over, you bitch. Die."
Bwoom-kaboom!!
The black energy of the 'Absolute Counter Ring' whipped like a barrage of lightning, piercing Charhela's form.
"Guhk—!?"
No— to my eyes, it pierced clean through, but astonishingly, it didn't.
Blocked by aura?
"Tch..."
It would've been nice if that one hit ended it... but honestly, I hadn't expected it to.
I knew all too well a master-class fighter wouldn't go down that easily.
"Whooooa!! The challenger landed a hit on the Great Chieftain!!"
"How!? Is he a hidden powerhouse despite appearances!?"
"Fight!! Fight!! Fight!!"
"Share blood!! Our life-or-death struggle will lead us to glory!!"
"Regardless of status!! Regardless of position or direction! We are warriors!!"
I let out a hollow laugh at the barbarian warriors ecstatic over my hit on their chieftain.
Even as their leader took a blow, their fervor was hard to fathom.
"Lord Alzen...!"
"Kuh...!"
Meanwhile, Murel and the others strained to shatter the barrier holding us, but divine authority wasn't so easily overcome.
"Hoo..."
I didn't know to what extent Kubel wanted this duel... but whatever, to fight Charhela, I'd need every tool I had.
"Let's see..."
My current combat options: 'Curtain of Sacrifice,' 'Invitation of the Forgotten,' and 'World Tree Bracelet.'
...Obviously, none sufficient alone.
Shifting costs with 'Curtain of Sacrifice' might sustain the fight... but my companions could get gravely hurt.
'Invitation of the Forgotten' wasn't suited for direct melee; 'World Tree Bracelet' would help some, but not against a master.
"Damn it..."
So, only this left.
I glanced down at my left arm, flawlessly wrapped in pristine white 'Silk of Atonement.'
I'd rather not reveal it, but no choice.
Staggering, I lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and eyed Charhela rising slowly. An idea struck.
"Ah, but will this even work...?"
It probably would.
It had worked on the lingering demonic energy, plague, and authority from Demon King Otilib's clone even after its death.
But adapting it for combat was another matter.
"...Well, gotta try everything I can."
If I die, so be it.
Save point wasn't far; just respawn and retry.
"Heh, hahaha! Alzeeen!! No, mystery man in Alzen's body! You're more fun than I thought!"
Meanwhile, Charhela, fully risen, grinned purely unlike before, bouncing with excitement.
"How'd you do that!? My body moved on its own and countered with that insane attack! With Kubel's totem here, no tricks should work—how!?"
"Hooo..."
I exhaled cigarette smoke in silence. She smirked wickedly, curling her lip.
"Right, wanna check firsthand? Fine then...!"
Bzzt-crackle!
She'd taken real damage from my attack—breath ragged, limbs quivering—but her momentum burned fiercer.
"Battle maniac."
"Ahahahaha! Yes!! That's why I live!!"
Bang!
With a sharp whoosh, her figure vanished from sight.
Flutter-whoosh!
Immediately after, long white fabric billowed wildly, swirling around me.
The 'Silk of Atonement' that had wrapped my left arm seamlessly unraveled, dancing through the air.
"Hahaha! What trick is th...!?"
Her eyes flew wide as she swept aside the white cloth with lightning and lunged.
Reflected in those eyes: my grotesquely demonized arm.
...It took little time for the heat-shimmering wasteland to cool completely.