Chapter 286: Reduction (2)
Chapter 286: Reduction (2)
Translation: Godtl
Frondier felt it the moment he swallowed the mana crystal.
'Ugh...!'
At first, it was like a single drop of water settling inside his body, but soon it surged like a tidal wave, spreading uncontrollably.
This mana had originally been his own. Unlike when he had absorbed the Dragon Heart, swallowing the crystal didn't give him the feeling of losing something from his body.
Only.
"Aten! Fall back!"
Frondier shouted.
Aten had already stepped back, putting distance between them, but that alone wasn't enough. If things continued like this, there was a risk of getting caught in the backlash.
Crackle! Sizzle!
Frondier stretched out his hand. The explosively growing mana surged outward from his body, sparking violently.
'Not here.'
Frondier quickly assessed the situation and leaped into the sky.
"Headmaster! Move as planned!"
He didn't forget to relay the order to Osprey in the midst of it all. Osprey nodded and immediately followed suit.
Whoosh!
Frondier ascended to the sky, reaching the same height as Belphegor.
The mana crystal was far more effective than he had anticipated—it settled in as if it had always been Frondier's own mana, swelling endlessly without restraint.
The problem was that Frondier's vessel wasn't prepared to contain such an overwhelming volume. Like water overflowing from a cup, the mana exceeding his capacity crackled and burned the surrounding air.
The real issue was that this wasn't just water—it was mana.
'If this continues, the mana will trigger a massive explosion.'
To think he'd self-destruct without even using the desperate measure he had devised to defeat his enemy. That was absurd.
He couldn't expand his vessel right now, so he had to find a way to utilize the leaking mana somehow.
'But I can't just recklessly expend it because it's overflowing. To defeat him...!'
Indiscriminately consuming mana against Belphegor was dangerous. Belphegor would undoubtedly exploit any opening.
More than anything.
"Hey."
Belphegor's gaze locked onto Frondier.
"Do you really think I'll wait forever?"
"......!"
The moment Frondier met Belphegor's eyes, he felt it.
The Sin of Sloth.
His power once again began to corrode Frondier's body.
"Ugh...!"
"Your endurance is impressive, but that doesn't mean you're unscathed."
Belphegor's cold stare bore down on Frondier.
"Let's see if you can control that absurd mana while resisting my Sin."
"So that's why you waited...!"
"Indeed. I knew you'd do something foolish."
Even as he spoke, the weight of Sloth intensified. Frondier gritted his teeth.
The power of Sloth didn't just affect the mind—it directly influenced the body as well. Just as the Emperor's decline wasn't merely a matter of willpower, muscles stiffened, nerves locked up, and thoughts grew sluggish.
'Damn it, this mana is even crazier than I expected.'
The mana filling him now was incomparable to what he had gathered on his own. Was this synergy? He had assumed it would be a simple additive effect, but it far surpassed his expectations.
He had anticipated Belphegor's interference, but failing to foresee the sheer potency of the mana crystal he himself had created—what a disgrace.
Crackle! Sizzle!
The sparks grew fiercer. Belphegor only applied the Sin, making no move to approach Frondier.
Pride in wielding his Sin was one thing, but more likely, he was wary of the impending mana explosion. If he got too close now and got caught in the blast, even Belphegor would be in danger—especially since he had already taken significant damage.
'Lazy bastard...!'
Resisting Sloth alone was hard enough, but now he had to control the overflowing mana at the same time.
His body, succumbing to Sloth, craved a death-like sleep.
"......Haha......."
Then, Frondier let out a strange laugh.
Belphegor, having suffered enough at Frondier's hands, found that laugh irritating from the start.
The sparks grew fiercer. Belphegor only inflicted the Sin of Sloth, never approaching Frondier.
That was partly due to the pride of wielding a Cardinal Sin, but in this situation, it was likely out of concern for the mana explosion. If Belphegor recklessly approached Frondier now and got caught in the blast, even he would be in danger. He had already taken considerable damage.
'Lazy to the bone......!'
Enduring Sloth's effects alone was no easy feat—let alone while simultaneously controlling mana.
The body, being eroded by Sloth, craved a death akin to sleep.
"......Haha......"
Then, Frondier let out a strange laugh.
Belphegor, having already suffered terribly at Frondier's hands, found that laugh alone deeply unpleasant.
"What's so funny now?"
"Nothing. Just."
I must pay the price for my own sloth.
It felt eerily familiar.
Frondier's life after the Possession was exactly like that.
A world doomed to perish. Frondier, called the Human Sloth.
If he didn't keep moving forward, he would die. If he didn't grow even a little, if he didn't reclaim quests and events, if he didn't refine his weapons and skills—
Sloth was death itself. Frondier had lived sprinting toward the approaching cliff while wearing the mask of sloth.
At first, he thought he was atoning for the original Frondier's sins.
But even if he had possessed someone else—anyone—he would have moved the same way. Even if he had possessed Aster, the game's protagonist, he would have run just as tirelessly.
And so, at the end of this long journey, Frondier realized one thing about himself:
No matter who he had become, Frondier would have run.
The desperate struggle to save a doomed world didn't have to be Frondier de Roah's burden.
"......But."
I'm glad it was me.
You always fight alone, Human Sloth Frondier.
I told you, didn't I? I'll protect you with my life.
Knights of Roah! Clear the path for Frondier!
Frondier! Join my house!
I wanted your forgiveness. Even in my dreams, I recreated you just to hear those words from you.
You don't believe in fate, so you don't believe in me either?
Don't forget. I'll always be right behind you.
He remembered the moment he entered this world.
The time when he was called "Frondier" and racked his brain over who that even was.
The time he realized the truth—that he was an incompetent character mocked as the Human Sloth—and despaired.
But after all this time, looking back—
At what Frondier had, what potential he could unlock, what surrounded him—
In the end, it was because he was Frondier that he could stand here now.
Control it.
I won't allow my younger brother to be swept away by mere emotions.
"Sloth is no different."
No younger brother can surpass the elder.
Frondier gripped the Black Lotus.
Though he had always manipulated his bracer to regulate the Black Heaven—
"No time for control now."
Crack!
With a strangely nostalgic feeling, Frondier crushed the Black Lotus in his hand.
KWA—AAAAA—!!
The Black Heaven poured out like a dam bursting, flooding forth like a raging river. The Fragment of Helheim was nearly comparable to a lake, so the description wasn't far off.
Frondier channeled the surging mana into the entirety of the Black Heaven.
In an instant, his overwhelming mana enveloped the Black Heaven completely, transforming the substance—originally moved by the Mana of Helheim—into a bizarre new form.
"......What is that?"
Belphegor's low murmur at the sight.
Frondier's own mana and the absorbed Mana of Helheim reached a boiling equilibrium. Frondier wrapped the entirety of the Black Heaven around his body.
It covered him, and from his back, the endlessly growing mana stretched outward, forming wings on either side.
"Fabrication was forbidden, wasn't it?"
After speaking, Frondier extended his right hand.
"Then did the gods foresee this too?"
Fabrication
Black Heaven
Menosorpo
Simultaneous Deployment
The Mana of Helheim moved the Black Heaven, while Frondier's mana activated the Menosorpo.
[Grade - Legendary]
Excalibur Alpha
The Black Heaven, a material that took on the form of design.
The Menosorpo, which materialized the illusion of mana into reality.
Frondier gripped the sword born from their fusion in one hand.
KWA—AAAA—!!
Just gripping it unleashed a typhoon-like gale.
Frondier pointed Excalibur's vivid blade toward Belphegor.
"Do you recognize the difference?"
At Frondier's question, Belphegor was speechless.
Difference?
If anything, only the outward appearance remained the same.
'......That sword—it's the same one King Arthur wielded.'
This Excalibur is no longer just an independently existing weapon.
Legendary swords imbued with Divine Authority are powerful in their own right, but their influence varies depending on who wields them and what stories they carry.
The sword now in Frondier's grasp exists having absorbed all those narratives. Undoubtedly, it's the textbook definition of a "Complete Excalibur."
"...That's too mighty a weapon for the likes of you to wield."
Belphegor's eyes grow solemn.
Perhaps King Arthur could manage it, but Frondier's swordsmanship doesn't reach that level.
Belphegor spoke.
"If it doesn't touch me, it's meaningless."
"...Is that so?"
But Frondier was never a swordsman to begin with.
Fabrication, Black Heaven
Rank - Protagonist God Rank
Mjolnir
Another Mjolnir being born in Frondier's left hand. Belphegor watched the spectacle with visible disgust.
"Try dodging this, Slothful Devil."
Frondier now held two absurd weapons in his hands. Moreover, his mana had grown even more ferocious than before.
And more than that.
'...He's pouring all that ridiculous mana into Excalibur.'
It seemed Frondier intended to end this with a single strike, channeling most of his amplified mana into Excalibur.
Though the sword grows explosively stronger with more mana, one might worry whether Excalibur's vessel could even withstand this much without shattering.
Frondier knew full well. That his martial prowess couldn't match Belphegor's.
Whether divine weapons or legendary arms, no matter how magnificent the weapon, it's nothing more than a flashy ornament if wielded incompetently.
That's why Frondier always forces Belphegor to make choices. Like before, but this time the concept is entirely different.
That Excalibur must never make contact. Mjolnir is dangerous too, of course, but Excalibur means instant defeat upon contact. It's not just about raw power—Excalibur, the sword of a "Hero," is inherently lethal to Belphegor, a "Devil."
Frondier's question about noticing the difference was both provocation and threat. This Excalibur was clearly different from before.
'...What I need to watch for are those mana sword strikes from earlier.'
Belphegor steeled his nerves.
The sword energy Frondier unleashed from all directions. The combination of Mjolnir and Excalibur made these strikes particularly dangerous. Any careless movement could leave him unable to dodge the high-speed sword energy.
Moreover, Frondier could create weapons anywhere to launch sword energy, so Belphegor had to maintain awareness of his entire surroundings.
'...This one might become humanity's next Hero...'
A fleeting thought passed through Belphegor's mind.
'...No, pointless speculation. Even if Frondier were a true Hero...'
He quickly shook it off.
"Fine! I'll entertain you! If you can't stop me, all resistance is meaningless!"
Belphegor channeled mana into both hands. In an instant, magic took form—blue flames in one hand, his Aura concentrated in the other.
Though he couldn't merge them like Sybil's "petals," Belphegor could wield both simultaneously.
"Try to kill me! Frondier!!"
His flames were the embodiment of his magical power. Even if Frondier launched sword energy, Belphegor could sacrifice an arm to deflect it. A severe wound, certainly, but his remaining hand would carve out Frondier's life.
"...Hup!"
Then, as Belphegor braced for sword energy, Frondier charged straight at him, weapons in both hands.
There was no sword energy—just an utterly primitive, full-body tackle.
'What is this?! Is he planning to restrain me with weapons in midair like before?!'
Belphegor's instant thought proved wrong—the air showed nothing.
Instead, Frondier seemed to have poured even the mana he'd use to create weapons entirely into Excalibur, which now approached bearing a monstrous concentration of power defying all reason.
The meaning was clear.
'...This.'
Frondier intended to gamble with Belphegor until the very last moment.
Mjolnir in his left hand, Excalibur in his right.
Now.
Which would it be this time?
"You filthy bastard!!"
Belphegor's outburst was precisely accurate.
Frondier was no Hero.