Our party split into two and charged forward, but the Kirin didn’t act immediately, pausing for a few moments of thought.
After that hesitation, it let out a horse-like neigh and tried to send flames towards me.
This gate was apparently very important.
So it prioritized burning me, who was trying to destroy it.
“Distracted, are we? How leisurely!”
I sensed its intention but ignored it and pushed forward.
After all, the Kirin was about to face an incredibly troublesome guest.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
His face was too menacing to be called a smile.
But it was the face of an Ōni, with sheer enjoyment plastered all over it.
Despite projecting an emotion of joy, his clenched fist radiated an immense amount of magic power.
Before the flames could erupt, his fist met the flames the Kirin was clad in.
A percussive sound, one that absolutely shouldn’t come from flames, echoed out.
“Gahaha! Tough, aren’t you!”
Immediately after, the instructor’s laughter, as if praising its durability, resounded, and mixed within that laughter was the sound of a giant body shifting sideways.
The instructor had probably knocked the Kirin’s massive frame aside with a sweeping blow.
From there, a storm of blows ensued.
This Oni was truly fearless, facing flames that would end you instantly.
“Kill them before they kill you.”
As someone who had been drilled with that basic principle, it was a natural course of action.
However, the fact that these blows continued to ring out suggested it had a very tough armor indeed.
“I’ll ignore the fact that the Kirin-san’s overtime is confirmed and concentrate on my own work.”
As long as the blows continued, there was no problem.
In fact, the more I cornered and pressed it, the stronger that Ōni would become.
It would probably take considerable effort to bring it to the brink of death.
It would be impossible to repel that Ōni with ordinary effort.
I clasped my hands together, a wicked smile on my face.
Once that was done, I would start my own work.
“It’s huge.”
If it was based on the floating castle from earlier, this size was understandable.
Standing before the gate of light, which boasted a size and height that combined several skyscrapers found in central Tokyo, I first remarked on its sheer scale as I gazed up at it.
Meanwhile, I continued to cut down the swarming angels like flies, searching for where to make the next cut.
“Am I supposed to cut the image?”
The gate looked as if it had no mass, and its appearance screamed “magic.”
I searched for a magic circle somewhere nearby, but found nothing resembling one.
“Then, for my trial stroke!!”
If that’s the case, I have no choice but to slash it somewhat randomly.
I focused solely on cutting, stomped forward, and unleashed a horizontal swing that I could give full marks to, my magic power brimming.
“It cut, but… it didn’t disappear.”
For a brief moment, I managed to slice a section of the gate.
However, I was then shown the sight of it instantly regenerating.
“Ah, so it’s that kind of thing.”
Troublesome.
These three words filled my mind.
I tried to console myself by thinking it was better than the Tower of God, which regenerated physically.
“Then, I’ll overwhelm it with numbers.”
Like a rock drill, I created a plane with my slashes.
I intended to slice it from one end to the other, but…
“This won’t work either.”
The moment the slash left, the area regenerated.
“Cutting it in half horizontally… didn’t work either.”
I tried to cleave the gate in two with a single horizontal slash, but even then, it didn’t crumble and regenerated instantly.
“This is problematic.”
Even though I was supposed to be cutting by concept, it instantly regenerated the cut surface.
“What’s wrong?”
Cut, regenerate, cut, regenerate, cut again, regenerate.
I repeatedly performed this task while intercepting the flying angels.
“Do I need to strike at the source fundamentally?”
Just as cutting a lake with a stick won’t drain it, my slashes, while conveying the sensation of cutting the gate, didn’t impart any feeling of damage.
I was certain it wasn’t that physical damage wasn’t getting through.
However, I was also certain that something was fundamentally wrong.
Dodging the attacks of the angels, who attacked with magic, spears, arrows, and even pebbles without regard for means, I observed the gate of light.
At first glance, it looked like pillars of light sprouting from the ground.
And beyond the veil-like wall of light, I felt an abominably powerful force.
“Hmm.”
If that’s the case, this type of spell is similar to the spatial connection type of magic that Valse-san used earlier.
The kind that could potentially upset the balance of the world.
If so, the image of destroying the gate, the being before me, might be too weak.
“Then, I need to delve deeper.”
What I had been doing until now was a mere image of cutting an object.
In fact, I did cut the gate itself.
But I couldn’t cut whatever was connecting the gate.
“I don’t want to do this because it gives me a headache.”
Conceptual attacks are like turning an image into a weapon.
While I stated I could cut easily and executed it, it wasn’t without burdening my body, which was manifesting the attack.
For deeper, clearer, and more potent conceptual manifestations, it placed a strain on my magic power and my brain.
Specifically, trying to cut something with a high conceptual strength would incur a corresponding burden.
In the past, I had “cut off” Valse-san’s space using this conceptual attack.
“There’s no option but to do it, though.”
What I managed then was truly a miracle, and it’s impressive that I haven’t forgotten that feeling.
And, at the same time, it was the moment I grasped its danger.
To cut, I must recognize the target.
The deeper I recognize its concept, the more it connects to the image of cutting. That’s why it places a burden on my brain.
The more extraneous information I mix in, the more strain it puts on my brain.
“Hmm, it’s a little off.”
From a physical perspective, this seemed like a very dangerous act.
I smoothly sliced an angel that had flown in for a trial cut horizontally around its torso.
The opponent, unable to comprehend being cut, feeling no pain, tried to turn and attack, but I severed all the means of transmitting signals.
Its lower half continued forward without looking back, landing on the ground and attempting to walk, but it collapsed a few seconds later.
The upper half, which remained, noticed its lower half had separated as it turned.
Astonished, its eyes widened, and it still tried to attack, so I sliced off its head.
“Just a little more.”
This time too, without letting it feel pain, but by completely severing its transmission mechanism, its upper body remained still, only its face moving.
A slash that causes no pain, yet completely seals the opponent’s functions.
While performing such feats, I felt my senses gradually sinking deeper, both physically and mentally.
Minimize the noise, sharpen the senses.
What I was about to do was an act of cutting the world.
I approached it with extreme concentration.
I used the flying angels for practice cuts.
They didn’t realize they were cut, yes, that’s good for now.
But afterwards, they retaliated.
Yes, it’s off.
And I don’t feel that sensation from my blade anymore.
I can’t cut like this.
I need to go deeper, much deeper.
Again and again, and again, the sheer number of angels was a boon.
I aimed for a sure kill with each strike, piling up the corpses of angels, but the more I cut them, the more they were absorbed by the gate and strengthened.
But, it’s fine.
All that matters is to cut the strengthened gate.
Will a new Divine Beast appear first, or will my understanding of my slashes deepen first?
While I was thinking such irrelevant thoughts, I cut down another angel.
“Bad, too many stray thoughts.”
Focus on cutting.
Concentrate all your nerves on the arm connected to the Ore Tree.
Perceive the faint sensation at the tip of your blade.
Do not perceive the angels as mere objects.
Grasp the concept of the angel and reach for what lies beyond.
“I got it.”
With that in mind, and repeating attacks, I finally managed to cut down one angel completely unharmed.
An angel’s corpse, entirely unharmed, not a scratch on its body, and not absorbed by the gate.
It was unharmed, yet I had cut it.
This is a contradictory expression, but what I cut was not the body, but the angel’s soul.
I cut a non-physical being, the soul, with a physical object, the Ore Tree.
Ever since I got involved in this fantastical world, I’ve been able to clearly recognize the existence of souls.
So, cutting souls itself is something I can do without much hesitation.
The problem is, why would I go through the trouble of doing something so complex as cutting only the soul without damaging the body?
Is it because the aftermath is too gruesome? I discarded such flimsy thoughts long ago.
Is it pity for the opponent? If so, don’t fight.
The issue I have is not a sentimental one like that.
The most important aspect of conceptual attacks is to disregard common sense.
Normally, it’s impossible for a physical object like the Ore Tree to cut something that doesn’t exist as a physical object.
It’s not that it’s too hard to cut, but rather that it simply doesn’t exist there.
I cannot recognize it as an object to cut normally.
Therefore, it cannot be cut.
This is common sense.
However, conceptual attacks become more fearsome the more common sense is discarded.
Thinking “I can’t” leads to a drastic decrease in effectiveness, but believing “I can” and manifesting it…
“Almost there, I can cut the world.”
I’ve been producing corpses that shouldn’t be dead, yet are killed, in rapid succession.
My senses have sharpened, and I can now clearly perceive the fear emanating from the angels, who should be emotionless.
Instead, the contours of the world begin to blur.
This is evidence that I can see everything from a bird’s-eye view and perceive my own existence as a third party.
A contradiction, recognizing myself as someone else while retaining self-awareness.
The transcendence of concepts.
A sharp throbbing headache struck, but at that level, my concentration wouldn’t break.
I began to perceive angels as souls, and the scenery of the world as concepts.
I’m adapting my senses from the physical to the spiritual.
Souls are very vague things.
But ultimately, they exist.
A good example is when Himik once described my soul as being like a great tree.
The blurred contours suddenly become clear as they cross a single boundary.
It’s like a different world.
Not a physical space, but a conceptual one.
A world where meaning is visualized in the ground, the sky, the trees, the rocks, the air, the light – everything.
It’s chaotic, and the human brain cannot process it all as information.
But I must recognize it and search within it.
For the conceptual information of the world.
The dazzling, confused world constantly shifts its contours.
If I don’t perceive the information beyond more clearly than I normally do when cutting, I won’t be able to cut what lies ahead.
If I could focus solely on that, it would be easier, but…
Naturally, the enemy won’t leave me alone while I’m trying to do something significant.
From beyond the gate, some information-overloaded being is trying to emerge.
That’s bad.
Honestly, it feels like a being that would be a hassle to cut.
If this continues, it will appear before I can grasp the concept.
The angels seem to understand this, as they are all attacking me at once.
Well, even if they attack, it will just result in a pile of corpses.
What should I do?
It’s troublesome.
I feel the sensation of cutting through the air with my fingertips, but every one of those slashes is a weapon that reaps life.
Considering the throbbing headache, I still have some leeway.
I just hope I can resolve this before a mountain of corpses is built.
A word for today:
It’s hard when the remaining work is endless.
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Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, but I’m fighting back with secret bases and various other things!!
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