Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Dividing - 2
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Velosian flinched and looked at me.
“……! You’re?”
“First time meeting? Not exactly thrilled.”
“Maide Mohan.”
He rolled his eyes intently.
Soon, his pupils stopped.
No, they didn’t stop.
His eyes were trembling violently.
“And…… Impellium.”
I said to Impellium.
‘You’ve been spotted, huh?’
[No.]
‘Huh? But he just said your name.’
[I don’t exist as a soul. He didn’t ‘spot’ me and call my name.]
‘Then?’
[Anyway, I’m outta here. Good luck with the rest.]
What? Just like that?
[I’ve already pushed it helping you this far. Warm tea, kids’ laughter, and my loving wife are waiting for me.]
‘Married life suits you. That room you invited me to back then must’ve been your honeymoon spot.’
[It’s been a while for newlyweds, but the heart’s always in honeymoon mode.]
With that last line that Serein would’ve gotten annoyed at, he vanished.
I slung my sword over my shoulder and said to Velosian.
“Who’s Impellium?”
“You’re pretending not to know now?”
“Then let me rephrase. Why’d you see Impellium in me?”
“That guy roamed freely in the stopped world too.”
Step by step.
I approached him.
And exactly as much, he backed away.
Step.
I hid Trail and Adwin behind me and said.
“Tell me if my guess is right or wrong. Looks like you and Adin teamed up against Impellium.”
“…….”
“And at the end of that fight, you killed Impellium. Am I right?”
“Yes. Roughly. Except for one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“The word ‘fight.’ We just got one-sidedly beaten.”
I let out an involuntary sigh of admiration.
Adin, that monster, and Velosian, far stronger than him.
Impellium fought those two and dominated unilaterally. What the hell was he?
“But you did kill him in the end. How, if it was one-sided?”
“No obligation to tell you that.”
“Say that, and you’ve got no business being here either.”
“Fair point. So what now?”
Step.
I pointed my sword at him.
“I’ll kill you. You’re already worn out, so it’ll be easy.”
“Khkh. Cocky with less than 500k fame.”
“……!”
“Fine. Even weakened, I can smash that smug face.”
“Try it.”
Dash.
I charged at him with Quick Dash.
Quick Dash in a stopped world.
But several times faster than when I’d used it at full strength.
Velosian’s face was already right in front of me.
Whoosh.
I swung my sword.
“Hmph.”
But Velosian blocked my sword with his bare arm.
Clang!
With the odd sound of metal on metal, my sword was slightly pushed back.
He kicked at my gut.
I twisted my side to dodge and kept attacking him.
-Kwaaaa. Pow.
Eardrum-shattering impacts rang out in succession.
That’s when Trail’s voice came.
[Time’s stopped, right? You sure?]
‘Trail. Thanks for holding down the fort without me.’
[What the hell did you do in the underworld to end up like this?]
‘Thanks for the compliment. And for protecting my party.’
[Save the praise till you drop that guy.]
Right.
The fight lasted another five minutes from then…… well, not sure if that phrasing fits a stopped world, but it felt like five minutes.
Velosian was gradually getting pushed back.
According to Trail, past twenty-five steps, clear abnormalities showed in his body.
The stopped world must be a huge burden on him outside that ‘special room.’
But I was fine.
Fighting me for five minutes in an overwhelmingly favorable environment for me was impressive, if you thought about it.
‘That’s why I have to kill him here. He’s too strong.’
Then Velosian took my final attack to his side.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed from his body but hung motionless in the air, not falling to the ground.
In the stopped world, even blood couldn’t move.
“Guh.”
“Now impatience shows on your face. Nice.”
“…….”
“You’ve been dodging around pretty well, but no more.”
I took my stance.
-Truly Tremendous Slash!
In Repia style terms, a curtain of sword strikes unfolded.
Dense enough he couldn’t twitch.
Velosian rolled his eyes desperately to evade, but soon closed them.
“This time, I lose.”
And the next moment.
My sword completely pulverized his body.
From head to toe, turned into minced meat.
With time stopped, the meat didn’t crumble.
What remained was a grotesque pillar of flesh standing there.
[You kill him?]
‘Dunno. I can’t see souls.’
[Hm. If the soul doesn’t go to the underworld, it’s not dead, right? But even for Velosian, once the body dies, the soul auto-sends to the underworld, no?]
‘Says the guy who just came back from there.’
Trail shut up like he had nothing to say.
The underworld I’d seen wasn’t one big world.
Infinite worlds clustered like soap bubbles, as many as humanity’s deaths since we appeared.
No gut feeling Velosian was in any of them.
[By the way, how’d it go? With Serein.]
‘Gotta check. Release the Eye of Omniscience.’
[Oh, right.]
Trail canceled the Eye of Omniscience.
Time resumed normally.
I turned toward the carriage.
But people rushed out first.
Neril, Jenia, Offense, Risel.
“Maide!”
“Maide! The fight?”
“When’d you get back? Why didn’t we notice?”
They surrounded me.
Smack.
Neril grabbed my face with both hands and twisted it around.
“No injuries?”
“I’m fine, let go.”
“I kept ringing the bell till the end, right? Woke up and it was all over.”
Come to think of it.
‘When I stop time, you can’t ring the bell! Last thing in the underworld, the bell didn’t ring, yeah.’
[…….]
‘Say something.’
[Just asking, but if I forgot……?]
‘…….’
[No, I didn’t forget. I trusted you.]
Whatever.
I made it back by a hair.
Neril released my cheeks and looked at Adwin.
Trail was still in Adwin’s body.
“Ah, um. Trail.”
“Yup!”
“Thanks so much for helping.”
“Oh, no need. Such excessive praise.”
Neril gave me a slightly flustered look.
I smirked and said.
“What? Not what you expected?”
“A, a bit. Thought he’d be more like Grayde type.”
“Told you he’s shy plenty of times.”
“Thought you were joking.”
“Anyway, Trail? Time to leave Adwin.”
Trail nodded and said to Jenia.
“Before that, heal this body a bit. As you see, it’s wrecked…… he’ll pass out in pain when I go.”
“Ah, yes. Hey, Adin!”
A short prayer, and golden light softly enveloped Adwin’s body.
Severe wounds, but they healed like a miracle.
Trail said farewell to everyone.
“Then, be happy, all of you.”
“Why say it like we’ll never see you again.”
“Huh?”
“Today showed you can possess Adwin’s body somewhat…… say hi once a day from now on.”
Trail blushed at Jenia’s words.
Neril whispered to me.
“You two are so different.”
“What’s that mean.”
“Exactly what it sounds like. It’s fine. I like your shameless, arrogant type.”
“…….”
“Hehe. Note that.”
My face heated up for no reason, so I fanned it a few times.
Meanwhile, Adwin’s treatment finished, and Trail returned to me.
Adwin panted.
“Huff huff. I just saw the River Redby.”
“No such river.”
“Can’t argue when a guy who literally went to the underworld says so.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Trail bro blocked the pain for me. Should’ve thanked him myself.”
Trail said.
[Tell him no big deal.]
“‘No big deal,’ he says.”
[I didn’t say that!]
Adwin smirked.
“He’s not the type to say that.”
Busted.
Anyway, things seemed wrapped up.
What’s left……
Risel spoke.
“Maide. What about the underworld?”
“Handled somehow.”
“Th-then go see Serein quick!”
For some reason, Neril cut in with a slightly downcast voice.
“Risel, you’re amazing.”
“What?”
“Mime died.”
“……?”
“Yet you’re thoughtfully prioritizing Serein. Impressive and grateful. For real.”
“She didn’t die?”
Of course not. Why would a spirit die?
Did this girl skip the Magna Neros records?
“Just changed to wind form temporarily. Call her in a day or two, she’ll come.”
“…….”
“Think I mentioned it during the Hellname fight too.”
“…….”
“Ah. Face is red.”
“It’s not?”
It was red.
Anyway, we turned toward the carriage.
Then Adwin freaked out.
“Huh! Wh-what’s that?”
He pointed behind me.
Even with time resumed, Velosian’s minced meat stood like a pillar.
“Velosian.”
Jenia tilted her head.
“Huh? It’s meat.”
“Yeah. Don’t eat it.”
“Hahaha. You’re funny, Maide.”
“My last technique did that. Gotta clean it up.”
Then.
Pop.
A screen window appeared.
A red one.
[Idria’s watching. Probably deciding Kaleid’s next destination.]
‘…….’
[For now, soul-talk to Adwin…….]
‘Hold on.’
Got another idea.
I took a deep breath and shouted.
“Idria! I know you’re watching.”
Flinch.
Our group froze.
I winked lightly at them and continued.
“No need to show yourself. Just listen carefully from now on.”
“Maide. What…….”
“We fought Velosian. I’ll tell you why. Listen up about the guy you’re cooperating with.”
I explained why we were in the capital, what Velosian did to Serein…… no, to ‘Pirensha.’
And the battle with him.
Neril nodded in understanding.
“Wise move.”
Next moment.
Crackle.
Space tore.
Idria extended one arm.
Thanks to Trail, wounds already started appearing on that arm.
But her voice trembled not from pain, but rage and sorrow.
“Say that again. What happened to my child by Velosian?”
“Not happened—happening right now, live. Velosian erased half of Pirensha’s soul. That linked pain to my party member, Serein.”
“…….”
“But I…… well, separated Pirensha and Serein’s souls somehow. The world sees them as separate now. Only your daughter feels the pain.”
Idria’s arm twitched.
I said in a subtle tone.
“You sure you wanna keep holding hands with Velosian?”
“Kh. Don’t lie. Pirensha never told me that.”
“Dunno. Maybe a daughter’s heart wanting to help ‘Mother’ in secret?”
“No way…….”
“Take this.”
I turned and pointed at the meat chunk that was Velosian.
“Gotta clean anyway. Might as well dump it on you.”
“Maide.”
“Analyze it. You can’t beat Velosian, but you can confirm if that’s him.”
“…….”
“If it is, you’ll believe me, right?”
Idria didn’t answer for a while.
I added one more thing.
“Don’t worry. Won’t cut my wrist this time.”
“…….”
She finally opened a portal by the meat pillar.
I just watched as Idria scooped up the mince.
Before vanishing completely, Idria asked.
“Why tell me this?”
“Velosian seems eager to help you. He’s strong. Trouble if he supports you.”
“So?”
So what?
“I’m openly trying to split you up.”