Maseki Gurume – Vol 6 Chapter 9 Part 6

It’s Ko-Fi’s Supporters’ chapter (119/128), enjoy~

ED: LonelyMatter

Part 6

“Good thing Mother told me about this.”

Then, he produces tree roots from the ground. He was forcing it out of nothing, through the cobblestones.

This was the first time Ain had ever created roots in this way. He instinctively felt like he could do it now, and he surrounded Chris to protect her.

He was worried because he couldn’t produce it when he was in the royal capital and with Olivia. Now, he was surely feeling strong enough to do it, so he was able to do it.

“It can’t be helped. If you’re weak, you’re no better than me.”

Or should it be called a broken automaton?

The words of the first king, Gail, shook Ain’s heart strongly and uncomfortably.

“Don’t be so haughty, Hero King.”

After uttering the most impious words, he raised his black sword high into the sky.

The black sword was charged with jet-black magic that contrasted with the silvery-white of Gail’s armor.

But perhaps the black sword was nearing its limit. The creaking sound of the black sword was not enough to withstand Ain’s own magical power.

(Sorry, Marco. I can’t stop anymore.)

But he would not allow it to break here. Although baseless, he could be sure of it.

“As you wish, I will indulge in the power of the Demon King.”

After saying that.

A thirst and an inexpressible hunger overcame him.

“I’ll surpass you right now.”

A place away from this battlefield.

In a corridor that stretches out as you turn around and leave this building.

A ball of light emerged from the many magic stones.

The power leaking from the stones was condensed to the point where it can be seen, creating an unrealistic landscape.

The balls of light fly in unison and surround Ain.

The power of the ancient warriors dissolved into Ain’s body, the Demon King.

…..With this, I can fight.

He regained his vitality as one worthy of facing the Hero King.

The hunger was subsiding, and the feeling wasn’t bad at all.

“Let’s go.”

Ain closed the distance in an instant.

He did not intend to leave even the slightest trace of the newly recovered vitality that was surging throughout his body. It would be absurd to leave any energy left over. If he did so, the outcome would be defeat.

He will not think about backing out.

He turned his jet-black aura head-on and flashed it at the silvery-white light in front of Gail.

Then, he felt as if Gail had smiled as he did so.

“Zeaaaah!”

The jet-black sword fight continued.

“Hah!”

With no time to catch his breath, he peeled off Gail’s silvery white.

It appears to become brittle in this way. The movement was slow, and gradually the speed got faster and faster.

“I’ve been tired of waiting,” said Gail.

“Not yet, still not yet!”

“I like the night. Because it carries with it a hopeful morning.”

“Fall down already ── Fall down!”

“So is the darkness. Let the light be thicker, a pathway to illuminate all.”

Not responding to Gail’s out-of-context words, Ain was impatient in his heart.

Not yet, or not enough?

What more power was needed to attach soil to the Hero King?

…..I can’t give up.

Squeeze it out. Is there any other power available to me yet?

In the midst of a momentary attack, he desperately repeats his thoughts.

…..Yes, that’s right.

I have the power, just one more step.

He was not sure how to use it, and he had only had one opportunity to actually exercise it so far. The power of “Great Magic” that he used to restrain Lloyd in order to depart the castle when the Sea Dragon appeared.

Even now, he was still not clear on how to use it.

Still, he could see in that picture what it could do.

“Even a single blink of an eye would suffice.”

Even a blinding moment is powerful, especially in this battle.

He is reaching out his hand.

Pray that the Hero King will be able to see through the great magic.

“───.”

His vision shook as he consumed more magical power than expected.

But the result was ── his prayers were answered.

In the arms, in the legs.

Gail’s limbs were bound by the purplish-blue chains that appeared out of thin air and stopped moving.

Normally, binding magic was not to be feared if one is equipped with equipment made of monster material.

However, the skill used by Elder Lich seems to be unusual. Combined with Ain’s power, it even affected that first king Gail.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

He was hoping for this one moment.

The restraints would be broken anyway; he knew that. But if only he had this one moment.

…..The sword will reach him!

A sound similar to shattering glass echoes through the air, and the chains that sealed Gail are torn apart by his power.

Only it was too late.

There was no way he could react in time to the black sword that Ain was swinging down.

The sword flash finally reached the Hero King’s shoulder.

“Guh… not yet! It’s not over yet!”

The counterattack also wounded Ain, but he was not fazed.

“Hah!”

Withstanding the shaking of his vision, he restrained Gail’s body repeatedly.

Strike after strike; he continued to attack steadily.

Little by little, he felt Gail’s light diminishing. His sword was now able to react sufficiently to Gail’s sword strikes.

However.

“──Light.”

That attack was coming.

The attack that was hopelessly sacred that will purify you whether or not you want it to.

Snowflakes of light began to dance, but they were thicker than the last time.

It was not hard to imagine that even more magical power was contained.

“Hah… hah…!

Will he be able to prevent it this time?

Even if he could prevent it, Chris, resting in the back, would still be──.

“I won’t let you.”

He closed the distance and pointed his sword at Gail.

“Scrape away.”

The snow of light quickly melts into the sword held by Gail.

“This is the sinful sword that struck down my sister.”

He was aiming at Ain alone. In other words, the attack was different from the previous one.

The Demon King’s inevitable strike, Gail’s special strike, was aimed at Ain.

…The two were facing a force that was hopeless in any way, but Ain unexpectedly kept his composure and did not break his concentration on the sharp sword.

He held his hands above his head during a momentary pause in the attack.

“───”

Another use of the power of great magic that he knows.

He had no idea what it would be like to destroy the magic that had been unleashed. But as soon as he exercised it, something unusual happened to the particles of light that had been dancing down.

In the blink of an eye, they became just particles of light and no longer had the power that Ain should have feared.

The falling particles were like diamond dust. They shimmered like a revelation that was about to bring the curtain down on their battle.

“The winner will be… me.”

Despite his words, Ain is in a defensive posture.

It wasn’t long before a blinding thrust struck, and the entire body of Ain, which was on the defensive, was pressured with a physical strength that transcended human knowledge.

The tip of the sword aimed at Ain’s chest was caught by the black sword. Ain gritted his teeth and let the blood of his entire body boil.

The muscles heated up to the point of almost burning, creating the strength to withstand the pressure.

The magical power that Ain wore was gradually extinguished. The black sword creaked as well, signaling that the limit was not far away.

“I will repeat it.”

What if Gail had not been exhausted?

He didn’t want to put it into words, but the result would probably have been a loss.

“The winner is…”

So, if they were worn out, with the exact opposite result.

“That would be me──!”

Soon after, this rivalry reached a stalemate.

Ain exerted the last of his strength to produce an illusory hand and struck Gail’s sword hard from the side. Finally, to Gail, who was clearly out of position.

With a thump──.

He bumped his body, and the black sword was thrust into his body.

Soon Gail’s body became transparent.

Not a refraction of light or anything, not even a metaphor.

“…..”

Gail looked at Ain’s chest, then at his own chest, a look of satisfaction on his face.

“──I’m counting on you.”

It was so simple as if the previous battles had been a lie.

Leaving behind a calm voice at the end, the body vanished like a mirage. All that was left was the sword he had been wielding, and after it left his hand, it fell to the cobblestones and pierced them.

“Hah, hah… hah… hah…!”

Sitting up, Ain was busy trying to catch his breath.

The black sword let go due to the limit of his grip, and he thrust it into the cobblestones in the same manner as Gail’s sword. The sight of it made him want to turn away in misery. Not only was the blade in a sorry state, but it was on the verge of shattering before he knew it.

It was cracked horizontally and vertically, and it was a miracle that it had remained unbroken until now.

He wondered if even the master craftsman Mouton would be able to fix it…

The strength drained from his body as he thought about it, and he collapsed onto his back. 　

Then.

“…Eh?”

The sword left behind by Gail became particles of light that drifted through the air and clung to the black sword.

They entered the cracks, wrapped around the hilt, and covered the handle.

The cracks that should have appeared on the sword’s blade disappeared, and the jet-black color was polished even darker.

At some point, the light particles disappeared, and what appeared was Gail’s sword itself. The entire sword was still black, as were the remnants of the black sword, but its appearance had certainly changed from that of the original sword.

“How it could be, I don’t know.”

But maybe he has gained new powers. He didn’t know what that was of the first king, but it must have been something to do with him.

Well ── it’s time to get up.

Ain reached for the black sword in its new form and rested his center of gravity on it like a walking stick.

The destination was the tree roots that wrapped Chris.

As he approached, he swung the black sword and sliced through the roots, and when he saw her inside, he patted his chest.

Thank goodness there was no wound. He managed to gather his strength, pick up the body, and took her out of the darkness surrounded by the tree roots.

Then he laid Chris on his lap.

“The door hasn’t opened yet.”

He had expected it to open once the Gail was taken down, but there was no sign of it at all.

“What should I do now… eh, shaking.”

As he contemplated his next move, it happened without warning.

The walls cracked, and the stained glass shattered. The intense shaking hit Ain as the pillars, walls, and even the cobblestones cracked.

The sensation of his feet grounding on the cobblestones disappeared, and a feeling of floating surged through him.

The area collapsed.

Using an illusory hand, he desperately held on to what was left of the ground and clung to Chris with his back to the ground.

When he looked down, he saw that he was not in the sky.

Waiting below was a swirl of white, dazzling light, and neither the continent Ishtar nor the sky was spreading.

The falling debris touched the light and turned to dust in the blink of an eye.

…..That could be a mass of sanctuary power.

He expected it to be a torrent of the power of the broken magic that purified everything. If this was not a mistake, he would not want to be swallowed by it, no matter how holy the power.

The two of them have magic stones in their bodies, and if they do poorly, they will be considered…

Even the nondescript rubble turned to dust, which was something he definitely wanted to avoid.

…..I can’t let us fall.

Having come this far, he would not accept such a thing.

“Just hang on; I’ll take you outside in a minute.”

He gently called out to her as she was comatose and cracked the whip for what seems like the umpteenth time on his body.

It is heavy as lead and also painful.

Before he could scold his legs for not obediently listening to him, he simply ran silently away.

──The door was open, and the path outside was still there, crumbling.

He jumped, clung to it, and followed the path to the upper level.

As Ain progressed, the area only collapsed as he followed.

(If only the stairs remained.)

Then they could get out.

He didn’t think about the limits of his physical strength and only hoped that he could get Chris outside, no matter what happened.

And yet…

His footing was not good, and he knew he was nearing the end of his rope.

In the center of the staircase leading to the top, after passing through an unknown number of doors.

At the center of the staircase that leads to the top.

Finally, he steps off and fell forward.

The treading on his arms is almost useless.

“Still… not yet! You still can move, Ain!”

He crawled away from the approaching collapse.

However, the collapsed ceiling struck his leg. A sharp pain rushed through his unprotected body and wickedly robbed him of any remaining vitality.

Ah, his eyelids were heavy.

He bit his lip hard to hold on, but he could only move his body a little.

“Kuh…”

He stretched out one arm as far as he could and grasped the stairs, but he couldn’t look up anymore.

Is it all over?

That moment when he was about to give up──

“Come on.”

A familiar voice poured out from the top of the stairs.

Someone’s hands, stained with dust, covered in blood and sweat, were wrapped around Ain’s.

“Just a little more.”

You are──.

Ain looked up and saw no one in sight.

Thinking it was an auditory hallucination, he looked around and saw that there was.

“Wait! You are…”

There was a woman advancing toward the end of the staircase.

She was a petite woman wearing a white and silver dress unknown to him. Her hair, azure with silver on it, dominated, beckoning her upward.

Ain looked at her back and naturally stood up and moved his feet.

When he moved them, he found that they were filled with vitality, as if it had been a lie just a moment ago.

…..He doesn’t understand.

Although he doesn’t know, he has no choice but to go on.

He ran up to her with great vigor, but he just couldn’t catch up with her back.

When she came closer, she moved away, and when she moved away, she seemed to be close by.

Even in the midst of this mysterious phenomenon, the sense that he was getting closer to the outside continued to grow.

Eventually.

“We’re almost there…!”

When he reached the first row of paintings he saw, his cheeks relaxed for the first time in a long time.

She was standing in front of the door to the outside, almost within reach.

“You saved us!”

Then she turned around.

“Have a good day.”

Her dominant bangs hid most of her face, but she was shown a mouth much like hers, which should not be here.

Ain’s eyes widen in surprise, but she disappears like a mist.

…..What the hell was she?

He thought about it, but he quickly huffed and ran.

He could only escape from the onrushing collapse just before it swallowed him up.

When he managed to get out, he could finally escape the looming threat.

Although he climbed up the stairs with faint hopes.

Outside, contrary to his expectations, was a gray world. The Elven houses that could be seen in the distance were the same black and white as before they entered the shrine, and it was clear that they had not regained their color.

“Hah… hah…”

He was saved. But didn’t it make sense?

He was looking at Chris, tormented by many emotions but remained on his back.

Thank goodness, she’s just sleeping.

Ain put her down as she breathed, and positioned himself with his sword like a staff, walked a little, took a glance around, and wistfully thought.

Even the Red Fox would be defeated.

He looked up at the sky and asked for forgiveness.

He renewed the strong determination in his heart.

Suddenly, as if in response to his determination, the black sword leaked light. The same white silver that Gail was wearing illuminated the area.

Ain noticed the light and raised it high to the sky.

──He will accomplish whatever it takes. He will do whatever it takes for the good of this Ishtalika.

The first thing that comes to mind is a flash of light.

──Because!

The silvery-white light that the black sword wears is not much different than that of the Gail.

──Return to normal already!

The black sword, held in the opposite hand, was thrust into the cobblestone pavement.

Centered on Ain, a silvery-white light forms a glint that pierces high into the sky and bursts forth in a flash of lightning. The light shimmers like a drop on the water’s surface, and dazzling ripples run several times to the horizon.

Then.

The water flowing over the waterfall is fresh and reflects much.

The lush green of the trees.

The azure blue that covers the sky.

The sound of water and the rustle of trees reaching the ears also return to this world.

And the skin of Chris, who sleeps right beside him, is smooth white porcelain, and his hair has regained its golden color.

“Haha… I don’t really understand it all anymore.”

He said that even the sanctuary was colored.

He also has no idea what it means that the light was caused by the sword thrusting it and that it was restored to its original state.

But let’s skip the details.

“──Really, the sky’s the limit.”

Surely the Sith Mill was back to normal.