#041 Self-Destruction
#041 Self-Destruction
'What the—?'
The moment Witch Bel collapsed against her, Rosemas suddenly couldn't comprehend what she was doing.
'Is she insane?'
And no wonder—who in their right mind would deliberately lose consciousness and faint while surrounded by enemies on all sides?
She herself had, of course, considered pretending to be frail and throwing herself into Lucius's arms.
But that was something you did in a genuinely safe situation where weakness posed no risk—never in a situation like this.
'Could she be staging a crisis on purpose?'
To awaken the Holy Sword's power?
That made no sense.
This wasn't an act of feigned weakness.
She hadn't formed a particularly close relationship with Bel up to now, but Bel was not the sort of person to suddenly faint from shock in a situation like this.
'There's something going on. She didn't faint on purpose—there's a reason she had no choice but to faint.'
In the first place, hadn't she personally grabbed hold of both Lucius and Rosemas, then taken Lucius's hand as she collapsed?
As if she were lending Lucius her strength.
'What in the world is this?'
Rosemas began running through every possible scenario in her head.
Some of them were truly absurd for this situation—scenarios that could only cost her all the faith and trust within Lucius's party.
Still, there was one assumption—hard to believe, but hard to deny.
-Witch Bel must have fainted because she has a way to break through this crisis.
The belief that Witch Bel had acted with some kind of plan in mind.
Of course, with Lucius holding a Holy Sword, there probably wouldn't be any major problem—but she began seriously wondering just how Bel intended to resolve this predicament by fainting now.
The enemies' weapons were spread out in every direction.
If she herself went all out, she could handle them somehow.
But before that, the witch had moved.
Before she could even step forward, the witch had pulled Lucius's hand toward her and immediately fainted.
And then.
Whoosh.
Lucius's unusually blue eyes began slowly tinting with a crimson light.
"......Swift."
As if the witch's power were being transmitted into Lucius.
As if, even to the point of losing consciousness, she were entrusting her body to anyone—giving Lucius her power.
RATATATATAT!!
The enemy urgently ordered a volley.
Bones began pouring in from all directions, and because she had hesitated, she missed her chance to respond.
But.
"Whirling Wind."
With a single light word, a blade-wind began swirling around Lucius.
It didn't touch Rosemas at all. It didn't touch Morgen either.
It became only arrows of wind that intercepted the bone bullets fired from every direction.
A warm, gentle wind for his allies.
And at the same time, a storm that harmed no ally.
He had merely stepped forward once, yet the level Lucius displayed was nothing short of divine.
And then.
Rosemas saw it.
The wind gathering around Lucius in an instant.
Even without drawing the Wind Holy Sword, the same wind as when he had come to rescue her was blowing around Lucius.
"Gale Thunderclap."
With a light word, Lucius vanished.
SLICE.
Riding the wind.
Treading upon the wind.
The wind's trajectory, leaping here and there, was filled with a vivid crimson light.
Crack.
In the span of a single blink, every automaton had been cut down and destroyed.
She couldn't believe it.
No—she didn't want to believe it.
The overwhelming power that had flashed crimson eyes and bounded in every direction, sweeping away the automatons in an instant, was on a level Rosemas couldn't even hope to imitate.
No, honestly, it didn't matter if she couldn't imitate it.
Except.
The light riding on Lucius's wind being crimson—that alone was utterly revolting.
"......."
Rosemas felt a chill toward the witch cradled in her arms like a corpse.
Had this witch trusted Rosemas and entrusted her body to her?
Had Bel entrusted her body to Rosemas simply because they were comrades, or was she certain Rosemas couldn't lay a finger on her no matter what she did?
"......."
It was utterly revolting and infuriating, and it seemed like everything would end if she just moved her hand slightly against the small girl before her.
'She's like a corpse.'
Right now, the witch had no strength at all.
As if she would simply keel over and die if touched—so utterly devoid of strength that Rosemas wondered if she wasn't dead rather than unconscious.
Somehow, the life steadily draining from her body made it seem as though she truly was dying.
The more power Lucius exerted, the closer Witch Bel seemed to draw toward death.
"...No way."
Perhaps the witch was fighting together with Lucius from within him?
Perhaps she was giving Lucius power with her own life as collateral?
Like a spirit.
It was too early to jump to conclusions, but it felt as though a spirit dwelling in a human body had abandoned that human body and taken residence in the Hero's body instead.
"Tsk."
Rosemas bit her lower lip.
'Why?'
She could easily defeat the enemies by using the Holy Sword's power, yet she was hiding the Holy Sword's existence—
"Ah."
Adventurers' Guild receptionist Hora Morgen.
To her, the existence of a Holy Sword might be something that had to be hidden even at the cost of her lifespan.
Because the current Lucius was merely an incredible swordsman hiding his strength—not someone using a Holy Sword.
"......."
Rosemas quietly pulled Witch Bel into her arms.
Whatever attack might come, she resolved to take it in Bel's place.
"......Too strong."
Though, of course, it didn't seem like that would be necessary.
Whoosh.
Before she knew it.
Riding the crimson light and wind, Lucius stood before her—before Bel.
And then.
As all the automatons exploded, Rosemas caught a glimpse of Lucius's profile beyond the passing wind.
Grin.
Lucius was smiling more refreshed than ever before.
* * *
'Look at that bastard panicking.'
Shax, startled by the destruction of all his automatons, couldn't even properly pull the shotgun's trigger.
"Uh, uhh...."
He was so shocked that he didn't even notice his own beard had been lightly singed by the explosion's flames.
I casually turned my head back.
"Are you all right?"
Playing the kind Lucius was somewhat taxing.
But it was only taxing—not difficult—so I could be as kind as I pleased.
'They're Lucius's comrades, after all.'
Right.
"Don't worry. I...will protect you all."
I even flashed the refreshing smile Lucius didn't normally wear, sending the two of them a signal to relax.
"I've eliminated every other variable. The only one left is that black mage. Rosemas, Morgen. Protect my master."
While I was dwelling within Lucius, the most dangerous thing was obviously my own body.
Defenseless.
While I was fighting, who knew what someone might do to my body?
There was a way to dwell in Lucius's body forever, but if Lucius realized his body had been taken, I'd be expelled immediately.
In a battle within the Mental World, the most important factor is the amount of mana capable of sustaining a Spirit Body—ether.
Lucius is the master of a Holy Sword, and my mana is, to put it bluntly, worth less than a mouse's tail.
No matter how great my technique, if the Holy Sword Hero uses Holy Sword power recklessly, I cannot win within his Mental World.
So.
While Lucius continued to trust me.
Before the mana in my body ran dry.
I would take down Shax.
Bang!
I kicked off the ground and leaped forward in a single motion.
Shax aimed his shotgun at me and pulled the trigger, but the shotgun no longer worked on me.
How should I counter that?
Plenty of methods came to mind, but the most reliable option was definitely....
'I'll just cut them all down.'
In one strike.
'O wind.'
I loaded the Holy Sword's power drawn from my body onto the steel sword.
Just as master-level swordsmen used Aura Blade, I infused the sword with the Holy Sword's power and brought it down in front of me.
Swish!
A light strike.
The bullets flying toward me were split vertically by the wind and scattered left and right.
Truly, buckshot.
Far from killing the enemy, they only struck innocent walls and destroyed automatons.
"H-hiik?!"
"Too slow."
I swung my sword wide at Shax's shotgun.
Slash!
The shotgun split in two in an instant, and before the bastard could retreat, I immediately thrust my sword downward.
Stab!
"Guaaak?!"
Before aiming the blade at his throat, I first drove the sword into his foot to keep him from fleeing.
'First eliminate the enemy's means of escape so he can't run.'
I quickly withdrew the sword, then this time slashed upward from below.
I cut the tendon of his other ankle, rendering both legs immobile, and at the same time twirled the raised sword around and finally aimed it at the bastard's throat—
No, at his head.
"Move carelessly and I'll split your skull."
It was harsh language unbecoming of Lucius, but it was quiet enough that the two behind me wouldn't hear, so it was fine.
"You bastard, what were you planning here?"
"I, I...."
The bastard glanced at me, then grinned.
"Haha, you fool!!"
"...?"
"Did you think I'd tell you anything?! To a bastard whose face says he has so many questions for me!!"
That was true.
I was considering how to restrain Shax.
'I can't restrain him with the Wind Holy Sword.'
It wouldn't work in Lucius's body.
I needed to return to my own body to restrain him with magic; right now, that was impossible.
If I have Lucius maintain this position, have Rosemas bring my body over, return to my body, and then cast magic—
"Hahaha! Foolish! Foolish!"
Shax spread both arms and mocked me.
"Bone, Explosion!!"
"...!!"
No way.
"You bastard...!!"
I hastily withdrew my sword and held it vertically before me.
Infusing the sword with the Holy Sword's power, I simultaneously leaped backward.
"Hahaha!!!"
Shax's body began bursting from within.
"Huhaha! Glory to Acedia! Glory to the Demon King Belphegor!!"
KABOOOOM!!
The bastard blew up his own body.