Divine might is calling out to you….
Then just wipe it away cleanly and neatly….
…
Do we really have to go this far?
Are you only begging for mercy now that we’ve come to this?
…
What color is your soul?!
We finally get to meet, and that’s all you want to say? Now get lost.
…
Let’s settle this once and for all after such a long time.
Perfect. Let your blood mark the end of this!
…
Here I come!
I’ll put you out of your misery right now.
…
Heh, you’re still not dead yet.
I don’t live just for your sake, you know.
…
Should we skip the small talk?
Obviously.
Here I come!!
…
When will this grudge of ours ever come to an end?
It’s not too late to beg for mercy now.
…
After all this time, you still dare to show up in front of me like this. Is this your will, then?
With my abilities, pulling off something like this is more than easy.
…..
——————
Name: Hatsuki Tōru
Age: 12
Status: [Wanted — Evidence Confirmed]
Social Status: The wanted
——————
*Status Panel: *
- Attack: ??
- Defense: EX
- Agility: ?
- Magic: ∞
- Strength: EX
- Growth Potential: ∞
- Precision: A
- Spirit Power: A+
- Airheadedness: D
- Wisdom: A+
*Overall Evaluation: * A suppressed beast
——————
[Serious Mode —— in progress]
——————
*Naturally Acquired: *
【Void White · Erasure】 — The user can fire a single white projectile. This attack deals no damage but consumes a large amount of the user’s spirit power upon hitting. The target hit by the projectile immediately loses all current mana, elements, magic power, and their maximum spirit power is reduced by 80%. They also receive 【Vulnerability】 and enter 【Fatigue】.
*This skill has been integrated into 【Seven Divine Might】——【White · Void】
——————
*Tips: *
【Vulnerability】 — Locked skill — Your defense and magic resistance are reduced by 20%, and all damage you take is increased by 50%.
【Fatigue】 — Health recovery rate is halved, attack power is reduced by 25%, movement speed is reduced by 10%, success rate of actions is halved, and you become more prone to drowsiness and dizziness.
…
…..
The scene before me feels hazy and fleeting. My vision blurs with every heartbeat, then sharpens again in an instant. The person in front of me could be turned to dust with a snap of my fingers, and yet, it seems the time isn’t right just yet.
Why am I waiting? This is clearly just making more trouble for myself.
I clench my jaw and grip my hands tightly. Veins bulge fiercely on my skin, but the heavy, suffocating feeling in my chest just won’t go away.
See, this is why I’m still not mature enough… See, this is why I’m just a weak, useless person… But this time, I can’t make excuses for my mistakes anymore.
The so-called consequence of escaping from a sea of suffering is falling into another sea—one even bigger and deeper. I can’t fall into this endless, hopeless cycle again. That would only drain me even more and leave me wandering in endless trouble.
All I need to do is make up my mind, and this will all be over. It would even be fine if I just acted on a tiny bit of thought or even a whim—
All I need to do is take this one step forward. That’s all. Could this be my inner struggle? I guess from the very beginning until now, I’ve only ever been freeing myself from myself. In simpler terms, I’ve just been comforting myself.
“…..”
I see. So that’s how it is.
Without a second of hesitation, I snap my fingers, forcing the surrounding formation particles to shatter instantly. Wrapped in thick gunpowder smoke, I scan for my target like radar using light that passes through souls. The moment I lock onto the position, I stomp the ground hard, spring forward in one leap, grab hold of them without even looking back, and slam them onto the ground in an instant—
I hear it. The sound of bones cracking. That must hurt a lot.
I’m not really sure how other people see me… but one thing’s for certain: I’m strange, I’m frightening, yet I still have just a tiny bit of humanity left in me.
The smoke clears quickly in the strong wind. Under the light of the moon and the street lamps, I see her lying there—motionless, or rather, unable to struggle anymore. I also see the fireworks shooting up into the sky again.
Ahaha, I never thought I’d see them for the second time so soon. But I also never expected the feeling of watching them would be so complicated.
Just like I said before: the strong prey on the weak—that’s the one law of this world that never changes.
And just like I also said: if I wanted to, I could take her down in under a minute.
“Are you going to run?”
I ask instinctively, but she doesn’t answer. Actually, she doesn’t respond at all.
Is she dead? No, her soul is still there. Has she already given up on wanting to live?
Well, that works for me, doesn’t it—?
I hear hurried footsteps rushing toward here. I guess not everyone is completely lost in the celebration, huh?
Oh? A group this organized and disciplined? Who else could it be but the Patrol Corps? Then again, I might just run into some familiar faces from today’s earlier meeting.
“Stop right there, kid! You’ve violated Article 3 of the Feltro Magic Management Act—using magic to harm others! You’re coming with us!”
Ah, a new face. Looks like just a small squad leader.
A standard team of six or seven people. They’ve got the basic combat units like swordsmen. Seems like they’ll be easy enough to deal with…..
I laugh lightly and wave my hand. I start rambling nonsense to justify my actions, all while slowly moving away from her and toward the Patrol Corps.
Looks like I’ve found another reason not to kill anyone.
The guy sees that I keep walking toward them no matter how many times he warns me, so he orders his team to take forced action. But even then, they try to go easy on me…..
“…Let’s restrain her together. And be careful—don’t hurt her. We’re peacekeepers, not executioners.”
Well, it’s an occupational habit. I can understand that.
“Hey there, mister. Aren’t you mistaken about something? Do you really think I need you guys to go easy on me?”
There aren’t any players in this guy’s squad. That means I can go all out. As long as I don’t kill anyone, I can do whatever I want, right?
Well… I guess that depends on whether I actually want to or not.
I reach my hand forward, then quickly expand my force and pull back, yanking the swordsman standing in the front row straight toward me. The moment he’s in front of me, I drop low and hit him with a sweeping kick, knocking him flat on the ground.
There’s a pretty big gap in equipment between the Patrol Corps and the regular Guard Corps. They’ve got different standard-issue weapons, but it mostly comes down to what each person is good at using, I suppose…
Take this guy just now, for example. He wasn’t wearing any metal armor or other stuff that would slow him down. That means he’s probably pretty confident in his speed… and this sword of his isn’t too long or too short. It’s good for normal close combat, but it could also work for assassination jobs.
But precisely because he wasn’t wearing metal armor, I could take him down this easily. Though, even if he had been wearing armor, I’d still have knocked him down anyway.
So, one down. That leaves five more.
“Who’s next?”
I casually toss out a tough question, but I doubt anyone will be in a rush to answer. Their teammate just got taken down like that. Do they really want to be the next one to throw themselves away for nothing?
I glance back slightly. Just as I thought, she’s already gone… She probably ran off while everyone was distracted by the fight. But she’s connected to some mercenary group, so the forces behind her must be pretty substantial.
The people in front of me are still gripping their weapons tightly. They’re not backing down, but they’re not exactly showing any brave fighting spirit either.
In short, we’re at a standoff.
“Everyone, I don’t want to waste any more time. So how about you stop right here.”
“Unfortunately, I was thinking the same thing, kid. You’re coming with us. You’re suspected of harming others and obstructing public officials.”
As the squad leader finishes speaking, he slowly draws the longsword from his waist. He positions his arms and legs just right, quickly settling into a battle stance.
That stance… he’s had training. Looks like I can actually look forward to this a little…..
I can’t help but grin. My fingers twitch restlessly, wriggling like centipedes. I notice the Gale Sword lying on the ground, abandoned by its owner. Interested, I pick it up and casually slash it through the air.
Finally, I point the blade toward the squad leader. The spark inside me is burning out of control—
“Hey mister, how about a duel?”
He looks stunned, like he can’t quite believe what this kid he’s never seen before is actually saying. But still… he grips his longsword, takes a deep breath, grits his teeth, and raises it to point back at me.
“If I’m to be blamed for bullying someone so young, then I’ll admit I’m in the wrong. This duel, blessed by the god who protects our city, Kalates, is absolutely sacred!”
“…This duel, under the protection of those who watch over us, cannot be revoked.” I echo the vow, though honestly, I have no idea who or what Kalates even is.
The gods and demons exhausted themselves in the great war hundreds of years ago and have since gone back to their own realms. I guess Kalates must be one of them too… I wonder if it’s a god, a human, or maybe even a demon.
The oath is done. I stand my ground, while the squad leader grips his longsword tightly and suddenly charges at me. He holds the blade horizontally at his side.
Since I’m just a kid and nowhere near as big as an adult, I naturally need to be careful. In this duel, it ends the moment either side takes any injury.
That longsword is like a bullet in a gun. His arm moves it to the other side of his body, “loading” it. I dodge the “loading” slash, then swing the Gale Sword to the right—
CLANG! — The blade meets the sword. It turns out that after “loading” comes the actual “firing.” I’ve seen this on TV before, so I guess I was ready for it on instinct.
“Guh—!”
He looks surprised. Maybe it’s because I just blocked his proudest move. But he doesn’t just stand there. Worried that he might not be able to hold off my assault, he pushes forward along the blade.
I’ve seen that before too. Even when a blade is blocked by another blade, you can still do something. If the opponent can’t handle your strength, you can just keep pushing forward to break past their block and land a direct hit.
The guy in front of me is probably thinking the same thing. But sorry, I’d rather not have my face scratched up by metal.
I flash forward, stepping right out of his attack range, and land steadily behind him. He realizes it immediately and tries to spin around and swing again…..
After several exchanges, I can tell he’s got some real skill. But it’s still just half-baked. He’s probably still at the apprentice level.
And even after blocking who knows how many times, he still hasn’t given up. Everything that’s happening seems to prove that he’s got an endless supply of strength.
Pretty determined. But it’s time to end this game.
I pull the Gale Sword back in an instant. The squad leader loses his target and stumbles forward, falling right beside me. So I slam the hilt of the sword into his back….
“Kuh—! Ugh… ughh… So… so this is really where I fall short, huh?”
He mutters a few frustrated words, then falls unconscious. I toss the Gale Sword aside and raise my right hand high.
This duel… is my victory.
