The pounding of my heart has been relentless since a while ago. It’s undoubtedly because my body is being pushed to its limits, demanding more oxygen.
The current situation, where my brain is being overused, is being maintained by the body reinforcement from my magic crest and an excessive supply of magic power.
“Hoo, hoo, hoo.”
As I steady my ragged breathing, I aim to perfect my slash. “Just a little more, just a little more,” I tell myself, continuing to swing my sword at the ore trees, their forms no longer resembling anything from my original world.
I lost all sense of time long ago. In this world where time flows slowly, sounds also reach me with a delay, and the surrounding noises are nothing more than a cacophony. The instructor’s booming laughter is no longer audible, and the visual information I receive is like an impressionist painting with added contours to a mottled pattern.
However, by shedding my human sensibilities, I’m beginning to receive information I shouldn’t. I sort moving objects based on their hostility towards me and the magic fluctuations I can still sense, ensuring I don’t strike allies.
Has it not arrived yet? I cut down what I assume to be an angel, and I can feel my senses drawing closer, but I haven’t obtained the necessary information.
“Don’t go too deep!! You won’t be able to come back!!” Valse’s warning message arrived at that moment.
“Can we still communicate via telepathic call?”
“I’m barely managing to maintain that by adjusting things. You’ve stepped into a domain far more dangerous than back then.”
The fact that I can clearly recognize someone’s voice after such a long time indicates I’ve indeed set foot in a perilous area.
“From the outside, what’s my situation?”
“Your slashes are tearing space apart, and it’s constantly repairing itself. Little by little, the light gate is also becoming distorted.”
“At this pace, how long until it’s destroyed?”
“Perhaps two days.”
“My body won’t last that long.”
Hearing it pointed out by a third party makes me acknowledge it even more, confirming that I’m pushing myself recklessly and sealing my fate for a lecture.
“Even if you’ve incorporated the dragon’s blood, the dragon’s durability has its limits. Biological beings are generally powerless against that conceptual durability. It’s only because your soul is unusually sturdy that you’re able to withstand it.”
I’m convinced I can still go further. The conversation with Valse-san, who is acting as my lifeline to ensure I don’t go too far to return, is proving invaluable. Thanks to it, I’m becoming able to clarify information more and more.
“Are you planning to become a god?”
“I don’t want to become such a troublesome being.”
“Then come back when you’ve reached a reasonable point. It can’t be helped that your soul is undergoing various transformations, but if you continue like this, you’ll stop being human entirely.”
Under normal circumstances, even visualizing this information would be considered abnormal.
“Hey, Valse-san.”
“Yes?”
I’m not particularly attached to remaining human. Among Suella, Memoria, Evia, Himik, and Keiri, none of my wives are human. My two instructors are an Oni and an Undead. In my workplace, apart from testers like Kaido, most of my colleagues are non-human.
“Lately, I’ve started to think that being human might be alright. What do you think about that?”
“…If it’s you, you might be able to become a high-ranking Spirit of Slashing.”
“Are there any?”
“No. There are some who are similar, but that top position is vacant.”
Thanks to continuously working in such an environment, my prejudice against other species has greatly diminished. Well, even I would prefer not to become a wiggling tentacled monster that can’t speak. I’ve largely accepted the possibility of looking like my instructors.
As I confessed this while fighting, I received a reply with a nuance that suggested sheer exasperation. I’m sure Valse-san is shaking her head in dismay right now, perched on the head of the white snake.
“A Spirit, huh? Maybe I could become one after I’ve seen off Suella and the others. You know, like a guardian spirit protecting one’s descendants.”
“If there were a Spirit like you, the Spirit World would be in an uproar.”
Although I can’t see it in my visual information, somehow I feel as if she’s utterly resigned and telling me to do as I please.
“In that case, please treat it favorably then.”
“You bet. I’ll teach you the know-how of this world then.”
Thanks to that, I’ve secured a potential place of employment for when I become a non-human, though I’m not sure if “next life” is the right term.
“…”
I’m about to lose the luxury of having such a leisurely conversation. Information overload. The backlash from continuing to see the world with such clarity has finally hit. I was confident in my body’s resilience, but a streak of blood trickled from my nose. Ah, it seems my body has sent out a warning that it’s reached its limit. Even if I tell myself I’m alright, I can’t transcend physical limitations. I’ve only achieved the ability to stably cleave space; I haven’t yet reached the point of being able to cut the very concept of the world. My current state is akin to having to run about 1500 meters while suffering from oxygen deprivation and dizziness, on the verge of collapsing from anemia, just to step into that realm.
But I can’t stop. My body is telling me that if I push myself any further, I could collapse at any moment, yet my body is giving me contradictory answers, indicating it can still go on. The struggle is solely with my brain’s processing power. My physical body itself insists it’s still fine.
“Focus the magic reinforcement on your brain. With your current physical abilities, you can afford to be a little less agile. For now, concentrate on acquiring the senses.”
Perhaps sensing this, Valse-san sent me advice on the magic flow, and I immediately implemented it. I shifted the concentration of magic, which had been evenly distributed throughout my body, to my brain. My body felt slightly heavier. However, my agility hasn’t decreased. It felt like the burden on my brain was being redistributed to my body. I have more than enough余裕 to vanquish the angels, I could even hum a tune while doing it.
“Also, make the magic flow smoother. There should be some unstable parts. With your current abilities, you should be able to perceive them.”
However, she pointed out that if I have the luxury of humming a tune, I should eliminate the parts that are causing the strain. Thanks to the heightened activity in my brain, I’m beginning to recognize my own body as information. The flow of magic is particularly noticeable. My magic, which moves at high speeds, should normally maintain a flow that wouldn’t be problematic. Yet, from Valse-san’s perspective, even the slightest irregularity is hindering the sensation I’m trying to grasp. Where is it? Where could it be? Constantly using all my visual power to grasp the depths of the world’s concepts, with one of my five senses impaired and unable to rely on the others, I can only try to correct the magic flow using only my sense of touch.
I find one point and correct its flow, only for another part to become irregular, creating a game of whack-a-mole. Ah, this is so troublesome. What’s problematic about this is that the more I fix it, the better my body feels, rather than worsening. This forces me to realize, at the last moment, that I’m still immature. Valse-san’s advice, which requires continuous effort, is something I can’t afford to ignore, even if it only provides a minuscule improvement at critical junctures.
However, I may not have much time to continue following her advice. The powerful source of information is gradually overflowing from the light gate. Honestly, facing it in my current state would only result in a loss of time, and I’d rather not. But for the enemy, leaving me unchecked must be even more unbearable. Amidst the cacophony, a particularly grating sound mixed in. Ah, it’s coming out. It’s not a Kirin. It’s another Divine Beast. Judging from its outline, it seems like a flying creature… a bird?
“Another troublesome one has appeared.”
“What is it?”
Seeing the creature about to burst from the light gate, Valse-san’s voice uttered a disgusted sound.
“It’s a Phoenix.”
“Ah, so that’s a Divine Beast too.”
A prime example of a bird that cannot die. Scattering embers, the bird soared into the sky momentarily and looked down at me, a troublesome grilled bird, or rather, a fiery bird. Merely flying, it’s a menace that can cause forest fires. Fortunately, my slashes have cleared these trees down to their roots.
If it would just stay put quietly, I’d leave it alone. “Yes, and it has a remarkably aggressive personality.” “…The cowardly ones should live longer, though.” “Regrettably, its regenerative ability is among the highest of the Divine Beasts.”
After scanning its surroundings for a few seconds, it chose me as its target and began to dive towards me. Even before it approached, I could feel the heatwaves, so the temperature around it must be abnormally high.
“Wow, an angel’s soul is burning.”
“Impressive, isn’t it? There’s no creature that disregards the surrounding damage like that.”
As if to prove it, it incinerated the angels in its path, raining down not only embers but also ash. Even if I send it a gaze that begs it to go away, condemning its troublesome nature, all I receive is a cacophony that sounds like a majestic bird’s cry, as if in defiance.
“Indeed, you are absolutely right.”
Amidst this information processing, to send in a Divine Beast that’s causing information overload. I pushed off the ground, enduring the headache. My muscles swelled, I dug my toes into the earth, and then reinforced all the surrounding rocks with my magic. This created a rudimentary, albeit solid, rock formation. It’s not a tatami-gaeshi, but something similar, creating a wall before me. I don’t expect a Divine Beast to be stopped by such a thing.
“Here we go!!” This is a catapult. I kicked the lifted rocks horizontally towards the Phoenix. They shattered and scattered like buckshot, flying towards the Phoenix, which was descending as if ignoring the laws of physics. Each piece is imbued with my magic, so there’s no worry of it melting from the Phoenix’s heat. Thus, an impromptu footing is created. The troublesome aspect of flying opponents is that they make places without easily secured footing their main battlefield. With my brain operating at full capacity, I don’t have the luxury to deploy extra magic. What I can do is simple. Jump and slash. That’s it.
“You think it’s that easy? Is the opponent a Divine Beast?” Such things are irrelevant. I, who am trying to cut through the world, would be presumptuous to doubt my ability to cut down a mere beast. The opponent is an immortal bird. A creature legendary for reviving as flames even when killed. But you see. If I slash away its immortality itself. “It’s just a big bird.” My blade is precisely in the process of specializing in severing everything. I leaped towards the Phoenix at maximum speed, in the shortest path, straight up. Using the scattered rocks as my springboard, I felt like Ushiwakamaru. I repelled the heatwaves with a wall of magic. With my current power, I could probably survive re-entry into the atmosphere with just my living body. “Never wake again.” I probably don’t sound like myself, speaking in a cold, detached voice. With that, I severed the immortal bird’s head in one stroke. It was probably complacent, relying on its immortality and Divine Beast potential. Without feeling a threat comparable to Feri, I killed the supposedly immortal bird.
Today’s word: What cannot be done can be made Possible.
Thank you as always for your thoughts and typo corrections. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review, rating, or bookmark. I am currently serializing another work, “Pandora Pandemic Panic.” The Pandora’s Box has been opened again, but we’re fighting back with secret bases and other means! Please give that a try as well!
