My middle finger, a declaration of war against God, was complete.
Even though my battered body screamed in pain, the impossible act of giving God the middle finger cleared my mind. My heart pounded, and my tension was rising in sync with it. It might be an inappropriate emotion, but I was enjoying myself right now. The surroundings were in an uproar with Valse-san’s appearance, while only God remained calm.
“…”
That God.
“Hut!”
He suddenly vanished from before my eyes, and I “saw” the scenery ahead.
“You’re quite impatient, aren’t you, God?”
“…”
Without doubting that vision, I instinctively raised the Ore Tree. Immediately after, my Ore Tree was struck by an impact. Looking at the tip of the Ore Tree’s blade, I saw God swinging down the Holy Sword exactly as I had seen in my future sight. With future sight, I could anticipate God’s movements, making it easy to block even a single strike from God with my battered body. The three-second limit was practically meaningless in this battle. On the contrary, it gave me an advantage. After all, how many actions do you think an opponent takes in one second? Enough to make counting a chore. Normally, a human’s actions would be limited within three seconds, but my opponent was God residing within the being called a Hero.
“Ka-hah!”
He probably intended to instantly kill me, Valse-san’s summoner, and then eliminate Valse-san herself, but that wouldn’t happen. I could see a fierce smile forming at the corner of my mouth. Even after overwhelming my physical abilities by unleashing the dragon’s blood within me, I couldn’t defeat him. And yet, now I could. Was this a glimpse of my magic aptitude of ten?
“Shall we go, Valse-san?”
“Yes, any time, Contractor-san.”
The Ore Tree and God’s Holy Sword grappled, but this was just the starting line. The real battle was about to begin. Pushed by Valse-san’s reliable voice, I…
“Now, let’s kill each other, God!”
I disregarded my body’s condition, channeled all my magic into it, and repelled the Holy Sword. The power of the impact that repelled it momentarily changed God’s expression. Ah, you probably didn’t expect this. To be blown away by the attack of a human you were easily handling just moments ago.
“Father!? Reinforcements now!”
“Oh, you shouldn’t interfere, should you?”
Seeing Valse-san appear and my sudden awakening, Nisia probably sensed trouble. She spread her wings and tried to attack me, but a giant snake’s tail swung down, blocking her. Reacting to the movement, Nisia was momentarily frozen and slammed against the wall, then crushed and impaled on the wall by the snake’s body.
“There. That’s all. Contractor-san, with this, only that idiot over there can use the God Flame, so do your best.”
“Hahaha! That’s a lot of expectations!”
Without even looking at the scene, I was pushed by that voice and lunged at God, entering into an exchange of blows. When you hear “future sight,” you might imagine it flowing like a video, but it’s a little different. While it sometimes flows like a video, there’s no time to leisurely watch such images during combat. Even with Accel Senshi accelerating my consciousness and shortening my thought time, I don’t have time to see everything. So, in what form is it sent? Simply put, it’s a flashback. The scenery flashes by in an instant, and I understand its content. This repeats over and over.
“…”
Because of that, I can fight God sword-to-sword, but the information processing is difficult. Unlike when I was in a rampage, my own judgment is more important than instinctual intuition. The time to judge exists in terms of seconds in my subjective experience, but conversely, I’m fighting God with human techniques in a situation where that’s all I have. I charge with all my might, feinting attacks, searching for the real threat with future sight, and layering further attacks. While God’s face, creased with a hateful frown, is visible, I naturally wear a smile. Each time our swords clash, sparks fly, and my thoughts urge me to accelerate further. I’m lacking blood, lacking oxygen, my bones creak, my muscles scream. If only I were in perfect condition. In the first place, if it were just to buy time for Suella and the others to evacuate, there would be no need for such a tenacious assault. The weaker parts of my heart desperately appeal to me. But.
“Does that matter?!”
I can’t hear those voices! God doesn’t even twitch an eyebrow at my sudden shout. He just dodges and deflects my approaching blade, then counterattacks. Not just swordplay. He also unleashes magic, attacking with a time lag, but I deflect it all. And then…
“What?”
“Finally, your smug facial muscles are working?”
A strike during the melee, a mere graze from the Ore Tree, a crimson flash that runs through it, red blood dripping from my cheek. This is undoubtedly proof that I have wounded God. I smile with satisfaction at God’s expression, a mixture of shock and bewilderment, and take another step forward. In fact, what should I do? Suella and the others are already trying to escape through the entrance. Even if they escape this floor, I intend to buy them time until they reach the evacuation facility, based on the future I foresee. Without stopping to pause between attacks, I don’t loosen my rapid swordplay.
“What did you do?”
Is it that surprising to be able to fight on equal footing? Is it that incongruous to fight with ease, unlike at the beginning?
“Why would I tell you, idiot?”
However, I won’t do anything to help the enemy. It’s not that I have the luxury of余裕; I just don’t need to desperately cling on anymore. I can’t afford to say something that might lead him to come up with more troublesome ideas. However, thanks to the strengthened contract with Valse-san, the magic consumption is not at a level that causes much concern. Both future sight and Accel Senshi are functioning without problems. Even while fighting in close combat, I can sense Valse-san stopping the opponent’s long-range attacks. This allows me to hesitate less when advancing.
“Blasphemy!!”
Through future sight, the information is updated in my mind, and I counter God’s downward strike with a thrust. The Holy Sword itself appears blurred, and I’m barely keeping up with its outline, yet my Ore Tree slips past the opponent’s attack, its tip thrusting towards God’s eyeball. God’s scream is irrelevant; I just aim to pierce straight through. I thrust with the dexterity of threading a needle, thinking that the eyeball, which cannot be trained like a human body, will be unable to defend itself.
“Don’t get arrogant, human.”
That thrust was stopped. Indeed, it was stopped by white flames, halting my blade. Meanwhile, God’s Holy Sword is coming back.
“Which one!?”
I stop that Holy Sword with a Stop Barrier. The Holy Sword, fixed in mid-air, stops, and God cannot move his arm even a little. In that opening, I quickly withdraw my Ore Tree and swing it towards his neck. But.
“Hut!”
It is stopped by white flames again. The President’s attacks are not stopped, but mine are. Valse-san’s abilities are extraordinary, but the drawback is that they don’t directly translate into attack power. Valse-san said that her offensive power would also be resolved once she returned to normal, but there’s no sign of that.
“It’s alright, believe.”
I falter for a moment, and Valse-san sends a telepathic message as if she could see right through my heart. I don’t know what her intention is with those words, but until that time comes, I’ll fight with all my might. At the very least, I want to land one hit on the President’s face before he arrives! Thinking that, as the Stop Barrier dissolves, I clash my Ore Tree blade against God’s Holy Sword, which he swings freely.
“Kiki.”
Then, an unpleasant sound echoed. And a smile appeared at the corner of God’s mouth as if he were sneering.
“It seems the weapon’s limit came before yours.”
I ignored the sneering words of God and, seeing a momentary flash on the Ore Tree’s blade, noticed a crack. Even I, in this situation, was flustered. I was so worried about my own body that I hadn’t paid attention to my partner.
“You made me struggle quite a bit, but this is the end. I will also obtain that woman’s vessel.”
God’s voice, confident of victory. The scene I saw in my future sight flashed in my mind for a moment.
“Dokun.”
But it was not someone else who denied that nightmare. It was my partner. A strong heartbeat, a strong magical fluctuation. It pulsed strongly, as if the crack in its body meant nothing. Don’t falter, don’t be afraid. Tremble, strike. Sending magic into me as if to push me to fight, it urged me on.
“Don’t end this so easily!”
That simple encouragement was more reassuring than any widespread agreement, and it spurred my heart on. An all-out strike with no holds barred. Even if it further increased the cracks on the Ore Tree’s blade in recoil, I didn’t hesitate to push God back and go on the offensive. Crushing rubble with my step, further cracking the ground, gritting my teeth, and whipping my creaking body, with the will to cleave God with all my might, I launched an all-out attack, completely without restraint. Each swing added another crack to the Ore Tree’s blade. Two swings added three cracks. Three swings added ten cracks. The Ore Tree, which looked like it could shatter at any moment, still lost none of its sharpness. It pulsed with magical energy, as if showing its life against the gleaming Holy Sword, further encouraging me.
“Break already, damn it!”
Both my partner and I were battered in appearance, and God, frustrated that a single human with a single sword wouldn’t break, finally raised his voice. The impact of our clashes, which made my hands tingle, still didn’t weaken my grip. Another crack appeared with a “kiki,” but I ignored it.
“Will a mere weapon like you break me?!”
I had completely forgotten that the opponent was God. I only recognized him as a strong enemy. I only recognized him as an enemy I couldn’t afford to lose to. Gradually, extraneous thoughts began to fall away. My hair was clipped, my ear was grazed, the spurting blood was irrelevant. I tried to cut off his nose with a returning slash, but he dodged it. With a Tsubame-gaeshi, I aimed for his neck, but the Holy Sword was inserted and blocked it, adding another crack to the Ore Tree’s blade. But, strangely, there was no panic. Even though the fact that my combat power would drastically decrease if I lost my weapon, as it was nearing its limit, was true, the more we clashed, the less I felt my partner would shatter.
“Why! Why won’t you break! Why won’t a mere human’s weapon break?!”
In fact, God was more agitated. We clashed, sparks flew, and with each clash, the Ore Tree’s small cracks increased. But its core remained unshaken. It was a sensation only I, the wielder, could understand. It felt as if all the damage from the attacks was concentrated on the surface of the Ore Tree. I didn’t have concrete proof, but a baseless certainty that something was there welled up from the depths of my heart. Then, after countless clashes between the Ore Tree and the Holy Sword, a corner of the Ore Tree’s blade finally crumbled. God, finally seeing a chance to finish it, smiled and prepared a full-power attack, which I saw in my future sight. That attack would have to be blocked by the Stop Barrier. But I didn’t choose that.
“Let’s go! Partner!”
“Ou.”
Because I saw it. I saw it in the future.
“What!?”
I bet on the new form of my Ore Tree. With its cracked blade, I directly clashed against God’s Holy Sword attack. The impact was so strong that all the cracks should have shattered. My blade should not exist beyond that. But, denying that nonexistent outcome, God’s Holy Sword was received. From the shattered Ore Tree emerged a single sword. Carrying a mirror-like silver blade, despite its slender body, it stopped the two-handed Holy Sword that was meant to cleave through everything, and its blade was undamaged. Rather.
“My Holy Sword is chipped!?”
That blade had cut into the Holy Sword’s blade.
“Humph!”
Regaining our positions in a stalemate, I pushed and blew God’s body away. Surprised that his Holy Sword was chipped, God was easily pushed back. In my hands, the Ore Tree, no, my partner, had transformed.
“Partner.”
“Do you have a will?”
“In the process of being reborn into this form, I was granted individuality by an ancient dragon.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise at my partner’s voice, which now boasted a length comparable to a Great Sword. A clear voice reached my ears.
“Somehow, this has become interesting, you.”
“It’s thanks to my partner. There aren’t many who have nurtured themselves this far.”
For some reason, I felt an urge to laugh, and I let out a laugh right there. Even in the middle of battle. God was wary, and for now, he wasn’t trying to attack me.
“Hey, partner.”
“What is it?”
And now I understood Valse-san’s words.
“Is there anything you cannot cut?”
“A foolish question.”
My partner answered without hesitation, as if asking what questions I would ask to confirm that.
“With me and my partner together, there is nothing we cannot cut!”
“Hahaha! That’s right! Without a doubt!”
Ah, thank you, God. The fact that you are the first target for my trial cut is undeniable; there could be no more satisfying opponent.
“Ah, yes, partner! If the opponent is God, he must be quite satisfying to cut!!”
We are united. It feels like finding the missing piece of a puzzle.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“Ou!”
Slowly, I turned my partner’s tip towards God.
“Now, God, are you prepared to have your head taken?”
“Even if you are not.”
I ran magic along its blade.
“I’ll take it!”
And I took that step forward.
Today’s word:
Even if the planned method doesn’t work, prepare another.
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*The first volume of this novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on “Shōsetsuka ni Narō,” with the addition of an unpublished interlude.
Please consider purchasing the new releases as well!
A manga adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
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