A power different from magic. Christine’s support ability surely falls into the realm of superpowers, doesn’t it?
I set Christine down and tried to stabilize her trembling and the support power, but I was blown away by a force from within, crashing into the giant tree behind me.
The ground was gouged out like an epicenter around Christine, and as I stood at its edge, my muscles began to shake, not just my heart.
Just a heartbeat won’t suffice! I needed to channel Mode Five throughout my body to neutralize the support power. The surrounding ancient trees and rocks crumbled into dust, and the blast zone expanded further.
Is it okay for me to stay here? Wouldn’t it be better to escape using Mode Five?! I felt utterly powerless. I wanted to run!
“C-Cristine! Hang in there! Keep it together!”
Even if I ran away, I doubted Christine’s power would diminish. I didn’t know what I could do by staying here. But still, I couldn’t run away; after all, I was a boy.
“… R-Run away…”
A man who runs when told to by a woman isn’t really a man. I thought this as the epicenter widened and the support power grew stronger. Even as I strove step by step toward Christine, I felt myself being slowly pulled away. If I let my guard down, I’d be blown away. After what felt like ten seconds or a minute in this state of tension, I snapped.
“Don’t underestimate me!”
A user of Godspeed isn’t to be trifled with. Don’t concern yourself with stabilizing! A cheater with a con artist’s trick isn’t to be taken lightly either. No matter the risk of my body tearing apart, I lunged forward with an open hand!
But still, I was terrified. Could I even reach Christine? The distance was less than ten meters; if I used Mode Five, it shouldn’t take a second, but wouldn’t I turn to dust in that second…? Scared, I mustered my courage and decided to start a countdown.
Three.
Two.
One.
Zero point five.
Zero point four…
…Here I go!
I released the stabilization and poured all my Godspeed into speed alone. Oh, I had almost forgotten—the super vibration from my left hand would serve as a shield. I thrust my left hand out with full power while activating Godspeed!
Yet somehow, it felt slow. My movements felt sluggish. No, I could tell my body was producing Godspeed. I watched as the sweat dripping from Christine, who was on her knees, froze midair, motionless. My Godspeed was indeed active. Instead, my mind was moving faster than my body, which couldn’t keep up.
Just as I approached halfway, the super vibration from my extended left hand was suppressed, and I felt the energy unraveling from my fingertips. Even though it was a high-performance prosthetic, I felt a bit of pain; it was all happening slowly visually, but in reality, it was just a fraction of a second. The pain lingered only because my mind was quick.
It felt like some transparent force was closing in. This was bad. I was confident that upon impact, I would be blown away just like my left hand. As I attempted to draw back with my left arm, I unsheathed the Magic Sword Zebra with my right hand.
The draw was faster than Godspeed, slicing through that invisible barrier. Passing through its thick, clay-like resistance, I stood before Christine.
“Christine…”
Forgetting the strike and the pain in my body, I stood firm. A strange sense of satisfaction enveloped me, as I considered how far I had come. I worked hard, even if it didn’t feel like it. I had tried, at least…
“Shall we die together…?”
I knelt and stroked Christine’s head. Perhaps this isn’t such a bad way to go… After all, she wouldn’t wish to involve anyone else anymore. The unstoppable power would, eventually, turn against herself.
“… Hehe, you really are something…”
Christine smiled faintly, as if to signal her agreement. Well, the Demon Lord could surely be defeated with Priscilla and the White Lily Corps, and after that, Anne-Liese would manage something.
An “interesting ending” between us and God—this wasn’t it, but as a mercenary, death would come eventually. It just came down to whether it would be early or late, whether I would be satisfied or not.
For now, I was content. If possible, I would have preferred to die in Priscilla’s embrace, but Christine was more than sufficient, size aside. My entire body began to tremble. I closed my eyes and maximized my Godspeed, summoning whatever meager resistance I could muster.
At that moment, I felt a faint stir standing before me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Christine grasping the blade of Magic Sword Zebra, the tip sliding into her heart as she collapsed toward me.
“What! …Why?!”
The razor-sharp blade of Orietta’s Magic Sword Zebra, without any resistance, was drawn into Christine’s chest, and when I tried to catch her, the blade stained with blood protruded from her back.
“… T-This is alright…”
If anyone could manage a blade’s grip, it should’ve been me, who boasted Godspeed. More so, I was the one with the Mind’s Eye; I should have seen what Christine would do…
“Christine…”
Even when I met her eyes, her lips trembled and offered no reply. The strength in her embrace slackened, and Christine leaned against me.
“S-Stop it… Damn it!”
I could sense the pull of Christine’s support power retreating. Even if I cupped her face to turn her toward me…
“…”
That power, which had taken so many lives and defeated even the Sand Dragon, was now vanishing like the flickering flame of Christine’s life.
Is there nothing I can do?! I’m a bearer of Godspeed and the world’s strongest! If I run to Sophia now, will I make it in time?! With Christine, who appeared about to wither away from the piercing of her heart by the Zebra, I held her close.
“… M-Mikael… Please… kiss me…”
Those were the last words she could muster. Her eyes, barely open, glistened with tears. I leaned in and kissed Christine, holding her tightly.
The moment I did, the Zebra that pierced Christine’s heart shattered, and the final surge of her support power exploded in a shockwave that sent me flying like a scrap of paper.
“Ugh!”
My head throbbed… If that’s the case, this isn’t just a dream. Thrown out of the epicenter’s crater, I stumbled toward the center to see the broken Magic Sword Zebra and Christine, who lay battered and broken.
Even if I mustered strength in my wavering legs, all I could manage was a crawl toward Christine, who was lying in the depression.
Christine’s clothes had been obliterated by the shockwave, exposing the scar on her back where the Zebra had pierced through. The once-beautiful Christine was now barely there.
“Christine…”
I shook her shoulders, yet there was no response. With all that power, had Christine really used it on herself in the end?
Tears streamed down my cheeks. Sadness, helplessness, and loss consumed me. Or perhaps there was even more. The memories we shared and the hopes of Christine living on…
Could I truly understand her intangible power and the loneliness that came with it? Had I been there to understand Christine at all?
“Christine… Please… wake up…”
In response to my shaking hand, she offered only silence. I grasped the broken Magic Sword Zebra. Christine, who had lived in solitude until now… I wanted to at least stay with her until the end, so I pressed the Zebra to my throat… A heart attack!!
“G-Glizdin…”
Ignoring my writhing, the goddess of this world stood up. Her beauty was so stunning that my heart momentarily stopped.
“Gosh, Godspeed Mode Six!! Lightning speed! Biding my time while enduring suffering! Clear-minded tranquility! Ten months in a stone! Anything’s fine, just don’t stop my heart…”
“… Good morning, Captain. I feel like I’ve been reborn.”
I feel like I’m about to die. I thought my Godspeed was maxed out at Mode Five, but it seems people can grow with effort… as long as they have a lifespan to match.
“G-Glizdin…”
“… What’s wrong?”
Can’t you see? This hurts! My heart aches! Sad tears have no place here; I need to let out my pain!
“… Captain.”
If only she would easily release me, we could share the joy of living together, but doesn’t it feel like there’s just a bit more “interval” than before?
“My… my organ… is in pain…”
With Godspeed maxed out in Mode Six, the uncontainable support power insists that Christine’s rebirth must be true.
It might be time for a countdown. Until I run out of lifespan, five, four, three, two… two and a half, two and a third, two…
“… It seems you’re suffering.”
With an added “interval,” it feels like it took a moment longer to stop. I was drenched in sweat, convinced my life expectancy had decreased.
“Is Christine alright…?”
Standing before me, the nude goddess offered me a gaze filled with compassion. After being burdened with sand, I had only received her… pity.
“… I’m fine.”
While Christine stood firm, I struggled to remain upright, teetering as if about to fall. Which one of us is truly dying?!
“Thank goodness…”
This time, tears of joy welled up in my eyes as I embraced Christine and moved to give her a blessing kiss before another heart attack hit… Didn’t I just request a kiss from her?! Has she forgotten?!
“… My heart seems to be beating normally.”
Yes, that’s it! Christine must have stabbed her own heart with the Magic Sword Zebra to stop the support power. Being alive after having her heart pierced—am I witnessing a freak of nature?
“What… What does this mean…?”
“… I don’t know.”
Didn’t you understand what you were doing?! Stabbing your heart is an extreme act of self-destruction! What if you really had died?!
“… It’s likely that when I saw Captain’s heart previously, I… manifesting my heart and embedding it in yours… Perhaps that’s it, maybe…”
That’s convoluted! It’s too long, and it doesn’t even make sense. If you’re giving explanations, can you please wait until you release the support power?
Before this dazzling goddess, questions swirled in my mind. You saw my heart? You embedded your heart into mine? Two marks danced in a spiral in the air.
“Christine, could you explain a bit more specifically…?”
I have seen heart manifestation before. That time, it was my heart, and she had licked it right before me. I could understand the manifestation of Christine’s heart, but how did she push that into mine?
“… I don’t know.”
Of course, not! If you knew everything, wouldn’t that be a crime? Moreover, what about Christine’s heart that was manifested and pushed in?
“What happened to Christine’s heart?”
“… It’s probably not beating on its own. I… punctured it. However, as long as your heart is beating, mine should continue to beat as well.”
So that means Christine’s heartbeat depends on mine? If I die, Christine dies too!
“… We’ll die together, hehehe.”
I was at a loss for words in response to the goddess’ smile. But one of Christine’s hearts had already vanished. What did she mean by having seen my heart? I’m too modest to show mine!
“… Hehehe.”
Are there some mysteries best left unsolved?
