Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Until It's Over, It's Not Over (5) #9 Their Side of the Story: Lisen de Roa's Side of the Story.
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“Ugh….”
Consciousness was starting to return.
It was cold. The wind was blowing hard.
Where was this?
-Where else? On top of the flagpole. And you're in the sorry state of a flag that can't even flutter in the wind.
Ah. Right.
Lady Aris had spouted nonsense about falling for that Nerkia guy, and in her rage, she'd caught me, beaten me senseless, and knocked me out?
Even so, Lady Aris.
Tying a person to a flagpole!
“First. The crime of betraying the academy.”
That was when I heard Lidan guy's voice from nearby.
“Ugh….”
I turned my head slightly and saw lights in red and blue, green and brown, as well as yellow, white, and other colors mixed together.
“Spirits.”
That meant all the spirit users who'd unleashed Elemental Roar had come inside.
“And the sinner they speak of.”
Spot on. One person. Only Nerkia.
“Heh, serves you right, Nerkia.”
Daring to have five girlfriends? Me, Lisen de Roa.
There's no way I could forgive that?
Thanks to you, I only named the most incredible people as your lovers?
Ridiculous nonsense, but deny it here, and those guys would never believe me?
And the trial that began…
Ended in a conclusion completely different from what I'd expected.
“If that's my sin… if being their lover is my sin! Then that sin, its punishment. I accept it!”
-Wow, Contractor. Do you have precognition too? I don't have that ability. You didn't secretly contract with another god behind my back, did you?
I heard Loki's exclamation.
I heard it, but I couldn't understand it.
Nerkia, what bullshit was that guy spouting?
As far as I knew, I'd only mentioned the most beautiful and famous people from each academy.
I even named the lady from a marquis family guarding the borderlands, who didn't even attend one of the four great academies.
And that was true?
Five lovers, and all of them included?
“It's a lie….”
Lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.lie.
Yeah, a lie.
No way it could be true.
Five lovers.
All from great families, all exceptionally talented… beauties?
Are you… some legendary hero or something?
The protagonist of a harem novel?!
-Loki.
-Yeah? What's up, Contractor?
“Bring it on.”
I could see Nerkia boldly declaring war on a swordmaster and a hundred spirit users.
…Annoying as hell.
-You said you made a god-killing spear because you wouldn't settle for less, right?
-Uh? It's not bamboo, so not exactly a spear… but yeah, pretty much.
-That feeling. I'm understanding it intensely right now…. So I want to kill that annoying bastard too.
-Ah~ But isn't it a bit much? Even in our world, there were guys called heroes, and this guy's vibe doesn't pale in comparison at all?
Really?
-I heard heroes often die by the wrath of the gods?
-True. Some were descendants of gods, some were worshipped as gods themselves. Lots of them started thinking they were gods.
-Yeah, then… doesn't that guy need divine punishment too?
-Huh? But you're human, aren't you? You're not asking for my help, are you?
Yes, this is my rage.
Not Loki's rage, but mine—the rage of someone who's never had a girlfriend even once.
A human's rage can't become the wrath of a god.
-Then… I'll abandon being human, Loki!
-Ugh? My power?!
I gathered Loki's power by my own will.
Possession—taking in a god itself to borrow its strength.
But that wouldn't sate this rage.
Then. I'll become a god myself and unleash the rage.
How does a human become a god?
My professor, who's an elf but not human, showed me.
As a student of Yuglasia Academy.
Using the Incarnation technique taught by the professor would do it.
-Is this guy crazy?
-Crazy! Do I look sane right now?
-I admit it. In my history as a newborn god, no one's been crazier than you! Kuhahaha!
Loki, cackling beyond laughter, spoke to me in a voice that sounded extremely pleased.
-Go ahead! Use my power however you want and vent your rage!
Immense power began surging in.
Beyond Loki's power, other powers as well!
-This power?
-I'm not that strong among the gods in raw power. But… my children were strong enough to topple those called the strongest gods. This is my children's power. Contractor, can you handle it?
I remembered hearing about it from Professor Niserwin.
Loki's children.
Banargand Fenrir.
The world serpent Jormungandr.
And the goddess of Hel, Hel.
Monsters each treated as great demons.
Did Loki's Incarnation require bearing that power too?
If so…
-Of course I can handle it!
I accepted the power. The aftermath?
If I can beat that Nerkia to death, I feel like I could even contract with the Silver Devil.
And so, an eternity seemed to pass.
-Crazy bastard, you actually took it all in.
I became a god.
“Shadows.”
I sliced the ropes binding me with shadows.
Even as the ropes connecting me to the pole snapped, I didn't fall to the ground.
I could borrow the power of Loki's children through the shadows.
“Yeah, I'll kill you.”
“Lisen….”
My eyes met Nerkia's.
“Nerkia!”
The moment our eyes met, the thread of reason snapped.
“You bastard, I'll kill you!”
“Show us the rage you've held back all this time!”
The lightning spirit king spat bolts, which I devoured by turning shadows into Fenrir.
“Die. Die. Die. Die!”
Around the shattered Fenrir amid the lightning, clones summoned—Fenrir's lesser wolves.
Over ten wolves lunged in an instant, but Nerkia easily blocked them with spirits.
“Reaper's Scythe.”
A scythe superior to Loki's.
The scythe of Hel, said to reap souls with each swing, borrowed through her power.
“Urk.”
Nerkia realized the scythe's power was stronger than usual and dodged instead of blocking.
'Still sharp senses.'
Even compared to Karen, with whom I'd spent long years before Yuglasia, Nerkia was harder to fool.
That ghostly instinct for dodging pranks that might hurt him.
And that instinct saved him again.
“But… if you can't dodge, it's a different story!”
Suddenly, the world was dyed in darkness.
“You planning to kill everyone?!”
A colossal shadow of darkness blotting out the falling sun.
I unleashed Jormungandr's power, which could envelop the world itself.
“Hup!”
“Wait?!”
The giant serpent's tail whipped Nerkia, sending even Lady Aris flying through the air.
“Attacking your own side too!”
Lady Aris spun midair and landed, glaring at me, but it couldn't be helped.
Sacrifices of the herd are necessary for the greater good!
“Die, Nerkia!”
I tried to grab Lisen with Jormungandr's tail, but he dodged by a hair's breadth.
But Jormungandr's abilities weren't just its size.
“Wait, you're really trying to kill me? Using poison too! That completely violates the rules!”
The ultimate venom that had slain even Thor, the thunder god contracted with Hirto, one of the first-year divine summoners.
That was Jormungandr's true power!
“Power of water, purify!”
“You think a mere spirit can detoxify this?”
They tried purifying the venomous smoke from the tail with water spirits, but no way it could be perfect.
Venom that killed gods.
Detoxify that with spirits?
-If that's possible, he'd deserve to be called a hero. No, in your world, they're called Heroes, right?
And Nerkia did it.
“Haaaaap!”
“You really a Hero, you bastard?!”
He neutralized the god-slaying venom with spirit power!
“Spirits can do anything!”
“Don't make me laugh! Maybe a spirit king of water, but top-grade spirits detoxing that venom?!”
Damn, what is this? I feel like the villain fighting a Hero.
I respect you villains!
Fighting guys who defy the world's rules every day?
“Then, I'll crush and devour you physically!”
I switched the shadow from Jormungandr to Fenrir.
Slightly smaller than Jormungandr.
“Devour him, Fenrir!”
Power to swallow heaven and earth. To chew up the king of gods!
“Urk!”
“Yes!”
Had he used too much power detoxing Jormungandr's poison? Or couldn't cope with the sudden change to Fenrir?
Nerkia couldn't react and was swallowed by the giant wolf's maw.
“Finally, I killed Nerkia with my own hands!”
-Not yet. Heroes aren't done until it's over!
It was Loki's words, but honestly, no way Nerkia could escape from there—not even the greatest god could.
That's what I thought.
“He's coming out?”
With a massive light that dispersed the shadows, holes pierced Fenrir's upper and lower jaws, and Nerkia burst through.
-Damn, our eldest. Got a hole in his mouth again…. Why do you keep punching holes in other kids' mouths?
…Seems it'd happened before.
“Come forth, God-Slaying Branch.”
But Nerkia's stamina was clearly depleted.
His spirits, numbering no less than those of the hundred spirit users, now numbered fewer than ten.
Especially the top-grade spirits, his strongest forces besides the spirit kings—their mana was exhausted, not a single one left.
Only spirit kings and two high-grade spirits remained, the rest mid- and low-grade.
“Pierce. Misteltein.”
“Strike, Spear of Lightning!”
No room to dodge or block Misteltein, so Nerkia poured his last strength into offense.
“I'll block it.”
Think calmly.
Everything's gone the way I don't want.
He detoxed venom that killed the strongest gods, survived the maw of the wolf that devoured the greatest god.
Then he could block Misteltein, which slew even immortals.
“Yeah, I was wrong to think of killing him with god-slaying power.”
He's human.
I became a god inheriting Loki's power, and that's where I messed up.
He's human. Kill him like a human.
“Loki's Shoes, Jester's Scythe.”
I drew my usual weapons.
Aim for the moment after Misteltein and the Spear of Lightning clash, when the smoke clears.
Slash his throat at a speed he can't react to, and it's over.
Even if he shows Hero-like abilities, decapitation means death!
“Now… then… urk?”
The smoke from Misteltein and the Spear of Lightning's explosion began to clear.
Yet I couldn't charge to kill Nerkia.
I could only clutch my heart, forcing strength into knees that threatened to buckle.
“Urk….”
“Damn….”
Groans erupted from the mouths of the hundred spirit users watching our fight.
Many knelt, hands on the ground.
Because Nerkia was…
Hitting us with attacks far too cruel!
“Your wounds are severe! Are you really okay, big brother?”
I saw a beautiful girl with teary eyes supporting Nerkia.
“Cough….”
“B-Big brother?”
Sounds of people collapsing everywhere.
I wanted to spit blood and fall too.
“You don't have to fight for us anymore. It's our fight.”
And there was Arsia's vice president, biting her lip and glaring at me.
A blatantly lovey-dovey couple, plain as day.
“Ugh….”
But that sight, shining so brilliantly, I couldn't keep looking.
“Big brother fought for us… so I'll fight too.”
“D-Don't….”
Chills ran over my body from the dialogue, but I felt my power weakening.
“I'll… fight for you too.”
“Don't….”
My trembling hands nearly dropped my weapon.
“Now, big brother….”
“Nerkia, you….”
“N-No….”
But cruelly. They said it.
““I'll—no, we'll protect you!””
Words that sank a hundred summoners—no, a hundred singletons.