Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Progress - 1
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The distance between us closes in an instant.
‘Trail!’
[Yeah. Eye of······ Omniscience?]
Why the rising inflection?
That’s when it happened.
Whoosh.
His sword flies toward my headband.
I’d been counting on the Eye of Omniscience to freeze time, so I was a bit short on reaction time to block it.
“Urk.”
Swoosh.
With no other choice, I pull my body out of range of his strike.
Trail’s voice rings out.
[It didn’t work?]
‘What are you talking about?’
[Something’s blocking the Eye of Omniscience. The ability didn’t activate.]
I tilt my head.
Click.
Padania slings his sword over his shoulder and speaks.
“Trying to stop time, were you?”
“You bastard.”
“I heard about it from Lady Idria. She said it must be Bion Kunze’s ability. So I prepared a countermeasure.”
“Countermeasure?”
As expected, he just smiles in response to my question.
But I scrutinize his sword and realize it myself.
“That sword...?”
“Hmm. You noticed. I even changed its appearance.”
“The Hero’s Sword······.”
“More precisely, the ‘true’ Hero’s Sword. It’s been 200 years since I last used it, so it feels a bit awkward, but no major issues.”
The true Hero’s Sword, said to have been kept in Padania Brook’s tomb.
But what Kaild took from there was the fake Hero’s Sword.
I’d wondered where the real one went, and it turns out Padania himself had been carrying it around.
Well, damn.
“The Hero’s Sword is a holy relic bestowed by the gods to combat the Demon King. And every Demon King has their own unique power······.”
“The true Hero’s Sword has a function to overcome that power. It seals one ability of your chosen opponent.”
“Right. It’s a bit stingy, though—the seal breaks if you move beyond a certain distance. And it can’t seal two or more abilities at once.”
“······.”
“But in a head-on clash like this, it’s more than enough to stop that time-stopping cheat.”
This is a pain.
[Who knew the true Hero’s Sword had a function like that? It’s giving me chills.]
‘You have hair?’
[······I said no because I’m a soul, right? Yeah?]
‘Not that impressive anyway. Like I said, put some distance between me and that sword, and I can use it again.’
[Still, from the way he’s talking, it sounds like you need at least a few hundred meters. At that range, it’ll look like you’re running away. What now?]
What now?
Clang.
Shing.
I toss aside the sword I was holding and draw the fake Hero’s Sword.
Padania smirks.
“Fine. I’ll let you have that much if you want even a shred of a chance.”
“Hah. Kaild was like this, and so are you. Why are all fake heroes so damn obnoxious?”
“······Aren’t you a fake hero too?”
“I’m already the real deal. Even if the oracle was a total mess and I don’t have the Hero’s Mark.”
I take my stance and continue.
“I don’t think heroes are handed down from the heavens. Humans make them.”
“······.”
“Come at me.”
Clang. Claaang!
Sparks fly from our swords.
His sword trajectories are dazzling.
What seems aimed at my head targets my waist instead, what seems for my waist goes for my legs.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, he’s a cut above Kaild in his invincible days.
Swoosh.
His sword whistles chillingly toward my head.
I lean back, and from that position, deliver a kick to his armor.
Crack!
The thick armor crumples like nothing.
“Urk. What is this, a siege weapon?”
“Thanks for the compliment!”
I bend my knees deeply.
Then launch upward at him with tremendous force.
“Show me your face······ Huh?”
Wobble.
My speed drops exponentially.
Something’s pulling me from behind!
My momentum grinds to zero, and instead, my body starts drifting away from Padania.
‘He used that ability.’
[What the hell is it?]
‘Take a look behind you. See anything?’
Trail soon groans.
[A black sphere the size of a fingernail is floating there.]
‘It’s not a sphere. It’s a hole.’
A black hole.
That’s Padania······ no, the special ability of the First Finger, Consumerus.
That tiny hole sucks in everything.
Everything that shouldn’t fit into a hole that size.
It still defies common sense and the natural order.
“Your stance is broken!”
Whoosh.
Consumerus’s sword thrusts toward my gut.
I pour all my strength into my legs to resist the pull from behind.
I manage to avoid getting sucked into the hole, but my posture’s too poor to properly defend against his sword.
“Guh.”
The best I can do is twist my body slightly.
Blood sprays from my side.
Neril’s gonna chew me out again.
“You even managed to twist away in that situation. But what about this?”
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Black holes pop up all around me.
Each one starts yanking me with absurd gravitational force.
“Tch.”
Whenever I swing at him, a hole appears right by my sword.
When I try to kick, one shows up by my leg.
When I dodge his sword, one appears in front of me, pulling me toward Consumerus instead.
I put on a show of resisting the pull in near-acrobatic fashion, dragging out the grueling fight.
It seems to shock Consumerus.
“Unbelievable. How is this fight lasting so long?”
“These holes are bullshit cheats.”
“As long as the audience doesn’t notice, it’s fine.”
“Same mindset as Kaild.”
“That’s pretty insulting. Let’s end this.”
A hole three times larger than before appears beside Consumerus.
Its pull is three······ no, dozens of times stronger than a normal one!
“Now. Stick your neck out.”
“In your dreams.”
Thud!
Instead, I add my Quick Dash to his pull.
The distance between us closes at a speed I could never reach normally.
‘Time for a new technique.’
In that split second, I flick my wrist as it thrusts toward his gut.
It’s like I’ve used ‘Bind and Slash’—time seems to freeze.
Interest flickers in his eyes.
He’s seen it before.
It’s one I deliberately showed when the screen was red.
‘Slash somewhere else!’
[Hah.]
My sword bends like a flexible fish toward his helmet.
“Heh. I’ve already seen that one!”
“Wh-what?”
Swoosh!
Swish.
In a brief instant, our swords cross.
Dust kicks up high into the sky, then slowly settles.
And the ‘result’ is revealed.
Thud.
My headband hits the ground first.
At the same time, a crack splinters across Consumerus’s helmet.
And then.
Thud thud.
His helmet splits in half and falls.
“Th-that’s!”
Kaild jolts in his seat.
No, he doesn’t just jolt—he leaps to his feet.
One thought fills his mind.
‘I’ve been had.’
Maide Mohan screwed me over again!
‘Doesn’t that idiot Consumerus realize? This is a dire crisis!’
He moves to rush into the arena.
But he can’t.
Slick.
A dagger is already pressed against the back of his neck.
“Don’t move.”
“Offense?”
“It’s not just any dagger. It’s coated with instant-kill poison—even a graze will drop you.”
“······.”
“I hoped it wasn’t true, but you really let me get the drop on you. You’ve weakened a lot, Kaild.”
Kaild grits his teeth and rolls his eyes.
Jenia, Offense, Serein, Adwin, Risel.
His old party members.
But one’s missing.
‘Where’s Neril?’
His body trembles.
“No way. Is Neril prepping Avent View?”
No one answers.
And that silence is the most chilling affirmation.
That’s when Serein speaks.
“How about we just kill him here?”
“I’d love to say······ sure.”
Jenia picks up Offense’s trailing words.
“Maide said no killing. Kaild’s reputation is too high right now.”
“Hmm. True, he’s overwhelming Maide.”
“Yeah. Killing him now would just make Kaild a martyr.”
Kaild wants to shake.
But the dagger at his throat won’t allow it.
Pat pat.
Serein pats his shoulder in the most infuriating pose.
“Pissed, huh? I got pissed traveling with you too. More than once.”
“······.”
“Why don’t you say something, Risel?”
“I’m good.”
“Old times’ sake?”
“Nope.”
Risel continues with a smirk—one side of her mouth curled up, something she never does normally.
“Not even worth the words.”
“Risel sis gets scary sometimes.”
“Ah. Sorry······.”
“Hehe. But humans are multifaceted beings by nature. No need to hide it.”
Kaild thinks.
He has weakened, that’s true.
But at the same time, these guys have gotten way too strong.
‘Why? What happened?’
Just traveling with Maide makes you this strong?
Now he truly realizes.
Overwhelming Maide’s reputation means nothing.
Unless he kills these guys, it’s all for naught.
‘But how······ how do I take down powerhouses like this?’
He racks his brain desperately.
This won’t do.
At this rate, I’ll never beat Maide.
Unless there’s some breakthrough.
‘Right. Idria alone won’t cut it. Even that Demon King couldn’t beat Maide.’
He needs a new ally.
An absolute ally.
That’s when Serein speaks to Kaild.
“So, ‘former’ leader. Wanna watch together? See how well the real hero pulls off a scam.”
Even with his helmet shattered, Padania doesn’t bother hiding his face.
“Take a good look.”
“······.”
“Is this Padania’s face?”
“Wipe your blood. I grazed your forehead when I cracked the helmet.”
“Didn’t you expect this after seeing Ophelia and Hyren? Lady Idria’s power can change faces anytime.”
“Not listening. You’ll regret it.”
I glance at my blade.
His blood trickles down it.
Swoosh.
The dust fully settles.
Padania pulls back from me.
Then he shouts loudly toward the territory folk.
“Everyone, pay attention!”
“Gasp.”
“Focus on this Maide Mohan’s forehead. See if he truly bears the Hero’s Mark!”
Countless eyes from the territory folk turn to me.
Padania raises his voice again.
“As you can see, there’s no mark anywhere. The one on his forehead until just now was fake!”
“······.”
“This wretch tried to deceive the entire continent. The second oracle was fake too!”
The territory folk start murmuring.
The noise is so loud I can’t make out individual words yet.
Padania turns to me with a satisfied look.
“How’s it feel to fall from grace, Mai······de?”
Padania’s eyes go wide.
And right on cue, a spectator’s voice rings out.
“Hey, there is a mark.”
I chuckle.
Then I lift my hair and speak.
“Why ruin someone’s hairstyle?”
“You, how······.”
“As you can see, the mark is clearly etched there.”
I can’t see it myself, but Padania’s expression and the crowd’s faces tell me.
The Hero’s Mark is definitely on my forehead.
Thud.
Padania stumbles back a few steps from me.
“How? I clearly cut off the headband.”
“You’re too rigid.”
“What?”
“Why assume it has to be a headband?”
“B-because······ Defir said engraving new magic is impossible! Neril would’ve forgotten the inspiration by then.”
“Right. But she remembered. Simple as that.”
I recall two days ago when Neril came to me.
Her face, on the verge of tears, wondering if this was right.
But reminiscing now isn’t ideal.
I say.
“The new magic wasn’t on something flashy like a headband. It was on something else.”
“Wh-where?”
“Here.”
Thud.
I lightly tap the blade of the fake Hero’s Sword.
Padania’s face twists.
“Engraved the magic circle on the blade. You can cut the headband, but you wouldn’t smash this too. Idria made it sturdy.”
“You bastard.”
“But can you really afford to be so casual?”
“What······.”
“Look at the crowd’s reaction.”
Creak.
Padania turns his head, like opening a rusty door.
Thud.
His legs give out, and he collapses.
He’s heard the murmurs.
“Isn’t that Lord Padania?”
“Nah, no way.”
“No, it’s the face straight out of the history books.”
“How······ is a figure from 200 years ago here?”
Padania’s mouth gapes.
“Ugh. What the hell is going on?”
“I cracked your helmet and grazed your forehead just now.”
“So?”
“So? What Neril engraved on my sword is basically illusion magic.”
“······.”
“As she marked me with the Hero’s Mark, anyone cut by this sword sees the face of ‘Padania Brook.’ It’s a one-time use, just for you though.”
Fire sparks in his eyes.
“Grrr. Smash that sword now!”
“Have you lost your mind? Telling me to destroy my master’s creation.”
“You little—”
Thud.
Suddenly, a black hole appears in the air.
It binds my limbs with gravitational force from all sides.
I smirk and say.
“Hey. You really think we’re evenly matched?”
Before regression, the First Finger gave me real trouble.
But now, the pull he’s generating is weaker than back then.
No, correction.
I’ve gotten stronger since then.
“I was just playing along to shatter your mask.”
“Arghhh. Maide!”
“Time to wrap this up.”
I lightly flex my limbs.
The pull vanishes like a lie.
To be precise, the pull is still there.
It’s just too weak for me to feel anymore.
“Maaaiiiide!”
Despite the clear gap in overwhelming skill, he foams at the mouth and thrusts his sword at me.
I easily twist aside, then reach into my bosom.
And grasp the Withering Jewel.
Splat.
I slam my fist into his gut.
My fist punches straight through his stomach.
When I pull it back out, the jewel in my hand is soaked in blood.
As if it had been inside Padania’s belly from the start.
“Cough.”
“No! That’s!”
I contort my facial muscles with all my might.
Then shout in feigned shock.
“Isn’t that the Withering Jewel?”