Avangarde Arena Ruins
“Vanish!”
【The Deletory of the Tyrannical, Invulnerable King Vandalsia!】
Boldly, Vandalsia erased all the platforms within the Absolute Divine Territory. Of course, he intended to erase me along with them, but I had anticipated that. In fact, it was Vandalsia who fell into my trap when I pretended to ready my Sonic Ripper. I knew that if I simply unleashed a Catastrophe, he would dodge it, so the only option left was to erase the ground beneath him.
“W-What! Let go!”
So, before the platforms were erased, I charged at Vandalsia and grappled him in an instant. The floating Vandalsia served as my platform. He had transformed into a monstrous creature, many times larger than me, his neck and torso fused into one grotesque form. His stout body was stretched out, with limbs thicker than tree trunks, making him quite repulsive. However, this transformation allowed Vandalsia to erase a wider area, including intangible things like strength and speed.
【Rua’s attack! Dealt 2,625,422 damage to the Tyrannical, Invulnerable King Vandalsia! HP 0/462,000】
“—!”
I struck Vandalsia, who had been my platform, with a full-force blow, and I felt the impact. Yet, the body that should have been obliterated by my slash shimmered faintly and reformed. In less than a second, Vandalsia’s body returned to its original state. Instead of trying to shake me off, he attempted to separate us in another way. My hands slipped across Vandalsia’s skin, heading toward the bottom of a massive pit.
“I have erased friction from my body… Now, there is no platform left! Furthermore!”
【The Diskare of the Tyrannical, Invulnerable King Vandalsia!】
Instead of a white sphere of Catastrophe, the entire pit was enveloped in a membrane of light. The dark bottom of the pit glowed a brilliant white, and that was the trap Vandalsia had set for me at the bottom. He realized it was impossible to directly hit me with his Vanishing skill while I was moving around, so he resorted to this method.
“Fall to the depths of the underworld!”
If this continued, I would be swallowed by that light in mere seconds. I was in a dire situation, one I had never anticipated.
“This is the end…”
Predictions are always off the mark. In this fleeting moment, my mind raced through everything I could do, everything that had happened in the past, both in battle and in daily life. I wondered if I could devise a skill to break free from this situation. Even if it wasn’t a skill, was there some other method? Each time I found myself in a pinch, I had managed to think my way out. I wasn’t consciously doing this; my body was acting on its own. Recently, I had begun to understand what I was doing after thinking deeply about it. Even in the Abyss Cave, I had been doing this all along.
【Rua’s Sonic Boost!】
“Alright… I did it, I did it!”
Using the recoil from my Sonic Spear, I propelled myself upward. By repeating this in quick succession, I was able to move through the air. Yes, I had gotten the hint when I defeated Lafoule. When I unleashed my Sonic Spear against the ground back then, I had experienced a recoil that propelled me. The Sonic Impact also had a significant recoil, and I had always wondered if I could negate it, but it turned out I could use it to my advantage. I was impressed with myself.
“Y-You little brat!”
I couldn’t flutter about like Kurinka, moving gracefully, but by repeatedly jumping in a straight line, I could go anywhere. It was tiring, though, so I didn’t want to do it for too long. I released Sonic Spears in quick succession, leaping with a whoosh. This movement seemed to infuriate Vandalsia even more, as veins bulged on his forehead.
“What is this girl doing, coming at me one after another! Then let me take away your escape route!”
“Ha!”
【Rua unleashed a Sonic Ripper! Dealt 2,420,919 damage to the Tyrannical, Invulnerable King Vandalsia! HP 0/462,000】
My Sonic Ripper, launched preemptively, engulfed Vandalsia once more. Of course, Vandalsia didn’t remain idle. In the Abyss Cave, he had countered my Sonic Ripper with a Catastrophe, and he attempted the same here. But back then, I hadn’t known my own strength. I hadn’t added the Power of Destruction to my attacks, but now it was different. I negated the Vanishing power and tore Vandalsia apart.
“Ugh! Once, twice, thrice!”
“Ugh, this is troublesome.”
“Before me, even death itself vanishes! Thus, it is impossible for anyone to kill me! Not even a Divine Being! Yes, that is why I have aimed for this!”
“W-What are you talking about?”
Even if I asked, he wouldn’t answer. The fact that he could erase his own death was something I hadn’t anticipated. So he truly was immortal.
“And you have one more opponent to be wary of! Alcist!”
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I already have plans to deal with that thieving cat. And she won’t die easily; she’ll feel the creeping terror of death.”
【The Self-Righteous, Elegant Malignant Prince Alcist’s Suicide Life!】
“…! Ugh, cough!”
The moment I breathed, a piercing pain shot through my body as if I were being stabbed by spears. Even while using Sonic Boost, each breath felt like it was shattering me from within.
“Ugh, ugh! W-What!”
“How do you like my Suicide Life? You tried to take away what others love. Let me teach you how grave a sin that is, how unforgivable it is. You probably don’t even know what love is, so I’m not kind enough to explain it to you with words. Instead, you’ll learn through pain and death. It’s quite rational, isn’t it?”
【The Tyrannical, Invulnerable King Vandalsia cast Catastrophe! Rua deftly dodged!】
I finally spat blood from my mouth. Even while I was doing this, Vandalsia relentlessly pursued me. I couldn’t see Alcist; there was no sign of him, yet he was surely there. If Alcist’s words were true, I would find out soon enough.
“I have become the poisonous gas that can kill you. In this world, there are creatures that cannot be killed by any poison. Such creatures possess antibodies against all harmful substances. But now, there is no creature I cannot kill. How many poison antibodies do you have? Ten? Twenty? Even if it’s a hundred, I can crush them all. I crush one, then two, and the poison will constantly change form to kill you. Yes, it evolves within your body! Ahahahaha! Scary, isn’t it? You can cry if you want; I will never forgive you!”
Yeah, that’s how it is. Alcist has transformed into a universal poison gas that can kill me, drifting everywhere. He suffocates me, and Vandalsia attacks. On top of that, Vandalsia can erase his own death. I could hold my breath for a few minutes without issue, but…
“Ugh, cough, ugh…”
“Hahaha! That’s right, that’s right! I love that expression! You are now learning about love! You don’t understand the weight of love, yet you try to take away something precious! There’s no way a child like you can continue living!”
“Hah, hah, ah…”
“Ah, that’s not it! No matter how much you pretend to be strong, this situation won’t change! Don’t you understand that?!”
“Okay, got it!”
“Got it? No, no, no, no, no!”
【The Self-Righteous, Elegant Malignant Prince Alcist’s Suicide Life!】
Why had I been able to survive in the Abyss Cave? Why had I endured the status ailment attacks from the Comet Wolf Brigade? Why was it that status ailments didn’t affect me? Without understanding, Alcist’s gas began to invade through my nose, ears, and mouth.
“Then this time, I’ll unleash something even more powerful! It must hurt, you want help, you want to beg for your life, don’t you?!”
“Ugh, maybe a little…”
“Always pretending to be strong!”
“Stop it, Alcist!”
Ignoring Vandalsia’s command, Alcist continued his assault on me. It seemed he was solely focused on killing me in this gas form. There might be other methods, yet he was fixated on just this one. I had already adapted to this gas.
My body, which had adapted to the gas that destroyed necessary parts, rendered his attacks meaningless. If he wanted to destroy me, I would simply destroy him back; my body was now made to dismantle Alcist’s gas. Thinking this way made me feel like a monster, and it was a bit sad.
“I am always right! No matter what, I am right! I cannot be inferior! No, no, no! It cannot be!”
“Stop saying that! Alcist, can’t you listen to your father?!”
“I am right, right, right, right!”
I took a deep breath. Even if Alcist could become anything, there had to be limits. The moment I destroyed the Alcist gas that had entered, the maddened voice grew fainter and fainter. Alcist was on the verge of vanishing.
“Correct! Correct! Correct… C…orrect…”
It seemed even Alcist was beginning to understand the danger of what he had recklessly done, gathering his dispersed form back into one. The original shape of Alcist wobbled as he walked through the air, barely making it to the edge of the Absolute Divine Territory.
“I, Fiann, shall… my Fiann, shall…”
“Stop! Don’t come any closer… You lost to Lua-chan. So, it’s over.”
“I… swore to make you happy… but it seems I can’t… So, at least… let’s die together… in the Underworld, together, in happiness…”
Alcist, who had stumbled and fallen, plummeted into the abyss without touching the Absolute Divine Territory. The strongest of the Evil Nobility, the prince who had always gotten his way, met a truly anticlimactic end. But I couldn’t feel sorry for him.
If Alcist had fought calmly instead of stubbornly, he might have put up more of a struggle. The reason he repeated the same mistakes, as if nothing had ever gone wrong for him, was simple: a lack of experience. The Evil Nobility had been satisfied with merely transforming their bodies into monsters. They thought that was enough to make them strong, and that’s why they ended up losing. Vandalsia was no different.
【The self-righteous and beautiful sickly prince Alcist has quietly breathed his last!】
“…Why?”
From Vandalsia’s quiet murmur, I couldn’t sense any sorrow over Alcist’s death. It was merely a simple question. I had thought he cared for the Evil Nobility, that perhaps a fragment of humanity remained within him. But there was no way he would grieve.
“Even Alcist has fallen! And why won’t it break?! Why is it that a mere girl can—! Even in the depths of the abyss, it was the same! Even sealed, I was easily defeated! Why?!”
If he had truly unleashed that rage in a shout, it would have had enough power to terrify everyone present. But now, no one feared him anymore.
“Why am I repeatedly defeated?! By a mere girl! What is happening?! Yes, I shall crush you with the full might of my army! Gather, my subordinates!”
“That’s pointless. The monsters that were in the arena were all defeated by the people of Kashiram, and even without that, your numbers have dwindled due to your own rampage.”
“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!”
“You’ve been suppressing and controlling with that power, but if it doesn’t work anymore, no one will listen to you. No one will gather under you.”
“Shut up! I said shut up!”
“Then, I will end this. The lonely king.”
I possessed the power of Vanishing that could negate even death. Perhaps because of that confidence, Vandalsia was expanding the Catastrophe and Vanishing powers like never before. He spread his arms wide, poised to release something into the air.
“I shall erase everything but myself! The ruler is always me alone!”
“Indeed! All futures are now decided!”
“Belmund! Where have you been until now?”
“He has been watching! My prayers have reached him! Now is the time for the Nation of Vandalsia to rise!”
――――Let the curtain rise on a new era!
The remnants of the great hole were illuminated so brightly that they were clearly visible. I had known since the Comet Wolf Brigade that the familiar voice wouldn’t come to our aid. This was the worst; I didn’t know what it was, but whatever it was, it was giving power to Vandalsia.
“Ooooh! Wooooo! Hahahaha! Power is overflowing! No, it’s about to burst forth!”
“I shall lend my strength, albeit weakly!”
“If I can erase him, I shall worship and praise you! For the first time since being born into this world, I shall worship the Divine Being! This is Vandalsia!”
There was no transformation process like during the End. The moment the light shone, everything was already over. Vandalsia and Belmund had taken on new forms and challenged me. The previous muscle-bound appearance had swelled even further, now several times larger. Twelve wings formed from intertwining muscular tentacles. His lower body had become serpentine, lacking legs.
【The tyrannical and unholy Vandalsia has appeared! HP 780,000】
【The King of Destruction, Belmund, has appeared! HP 502,000】
“Ooooh, Gwaaaaaaaah! Uuuuuuu…”
As for Belmund, his form was a mass of purple flesh with faces sprouting all over. Countless tentacles growing from it were truly grotesque.
“Why… why would you lend your power to Vandalsia?!”
The one I shouted at naturally offered no response, only directing a devilish, terrifying face towards me. It was that thing; it could only be that thing. I should have taken it down if it was going to lead to this.
“What has happened…?”
“Your Majesty, this place is dangerous. We must prepare to retreat.”
“Not a chance. We have a duty to witness this fate.”
“At the cost of our soldiers’ lives?! I must say, I can no longer stop trembling! My pride, having earned the rank of S, has been shattered in this single moment!”
“Are you saying I am not the same, Weiss?”
“Y-Your Majesty…?”
“Ask the soldiers. Those who wish to flee may do so.”
I could faintly hear the exchange between the kings of Kashiram watching from a not-so-distant position. Balbus intervened amidst Weiss’s frenzied shouting.
“That was settled before we departed. In other words, this battle is one that everyone desired.”
“Oh? Quite the popularity you have. I wish I could have a bit of that.”
“I am here for you, Lord Balbus.”
“Now, if I were to command you to fight alongside me against that thing, would you follow, Nice?”
“That’s a foolish question.”
“I see, I am fortunate then.”
People who would fight alongside me, who would follow me, who I could trust. Those present here had that. Even the soldiers and Beastkin. The Giant Race must be bound by a strong bond as well. The kings and Weiss, Balbus and Nice, lovers, family, friends. I thought this was a truly happy thing. Because just a little while ago, I had nothing like that. My mind was solely on fighting, consumed by thoughts of revenge.
“Lua-chan, win!”
“Of course. I want to think about things like where to live and so much more.”
But because I had moved forward, I had gained Kurinka, whom I loved dearly. Even the name Roel felt nostalgic now.
“What are you fools doing?! It seems you are completely unaware that your era ends here!”
“The one ending is you.”
If I could negate death, then I would simply destroy the Vanishing. I had just thought of a skill with maximum power. Just like when I broke through the Absolute Divine Territory, I focused solely on destroying him now. To break, to erase his existence from everyone’s memory.
“This will end… ugh… Guhah!”
“…?”
“W-What? My body… it feels like I’m losing control of it completely…”
Vandalsia, who should have been granted power, was suffering from something. Just when he was about to unleash his greatest skill. But I couldn’t afford to care about that.
“Hahaha, it seems the bill has finally come due.”
“N-Necromancer! Was it your doing?!”
“Don’t blame me for your reverse grudge. The very idea of resurrecting the dead is absurd and unrealistic. Any issues that arise are to be expected.”
“You little pest! I must erase you first!”
“That’s fine, but do you really have the luxury to focus on me?”
“You, youuuuu!”
Juo appeared boldly beside Lord Daigami, grinning as he watched our battle. I wanted to tell Lord Daigami to erase him, but that would probably be impossible.
“Your body is begging to die. You had such a big face leading the Evil Nobility, and yet you end up like this. Hahahaha! No matter how strong you are, death is the end! You lost to me! You are dead, and I am alive! The King of Destruction dies before a failure like you! How satisfying! Hahahahahaha!”
“I shall erase everything! This world and all!”
【The tyrannical and unholy Vandalsia unleashes the World of Delete!】
“Let me show you my technique. A single strike more powerful than Sonic Impact. Recently, Disballade taught me something like this. He said he is the one who brings despair. I don’t want to easily give such a terrifying thing, but I won’t give that guy a moment to despair. This technique will obliterate the existence of Vandalsia, transcending death itself.
“Take this!”
【Lua unleashed the Desalt Spear!】
Quieter than Sonic Impact, faster too. Even I couldn’t comprehend what had been unleashed. It wasn’t just fast; it was pure destruction that surged forth. I had been taught that destruction itself is a divine nature, a concept, so I suppose it makes sense. The invisible destruction had already completed its task by the time it was unleashed.
【The Tyrant God Vandalsia has been destroyed! HP -】
【The Destruction King Belmund has been destroyed! HP -】
There was no violent wind pressure like Sonic Impact, nor was there any flashiness. I didn’t even feel as if I had pierced through something. So when it was all over, what remained was nothing but a clear sky. I was grateful that Vandalsia was positioned high above. After all, it seemed he had flown quite far, as the clouds in that sky had completely vanished.
“Hah, hah, hah… I-I’m exhausted…”
I was so drained that I could barely muster the will to maintain Sonic Boost. This was bad. If I fainted here, I’d fall straight into the abyss. I had no idea how deep Vandalsia had been erased, but it was clear I wouldn’t escape unscathed.
“Ah, ahhh! You! Damn it! You did it, didn’t you?!”
Glare, who was being held by the Dragon God, looked frustrated. But the Dragon God still wouldn’t let her go.
“Lua-chan!”
“Kurinka…”
I was saved by Kurinka, who had transformed into a dragon and swiftly flew to me. She caught me on her back and gently carried me to a safe place. Even so, I was so drained that I could barely stand and was on the verge of losing consciousness.
“…Your Majesty. Is it over now?”
“That Lua has exhausted herself to that extent. That must be the result.”
“Yay, you did it, Lua-chan! Yes, she’s out cold! Let’s draw on her face!”
“Wait, Elmera! That’s going to be scary later!”
“I did it, I really did it… Just as Shin thought…”
“Hah, I can’t believe I survived fighting such a girl.”
“That’s because you’re the Demon Lord!”
It was all quite noisy, but I didn’t have the energy to respond. I felt like I was being doodled on by Elmera, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“You fools! Do you mock the lives that were risked in battle?!”
“What’s with you, Balbus? You’ve gotten quite the mouth since I last saw you. Oh, and your face is big too.”
“I will not tolerate such insults.”
“Yikes, this cat is scary.”
“Whoa! I don’t really understand, but I feel saved! Victory dance! Whoo! Whoo!”
“Shut up, gorilla! I’ll trip you!”
“The Giant Race, no. As beings living in this world, I wish to express my gratitude, but it seems there’s no time for that.”
There seemed to be a large number of people gathering. The King, Weiss, and the Beastkin. Even with Kurinka’s Heal, my fatigue wasn’t fading. It felt like the recoil was greater than Sonic Impact, which meant I couldn’t use it often. But someday, I would definitely master it.
“Everyone, quiet down! Let’s allow Lua to rest!”
“That’s right, well, in this state, we’ll handle the cleanup. Right, Tiferia?”
“Of course, Eeks. Yes, I understand. Yes.”
“Heh heh heh, your celebratory mood ends here.”
That voice was Glare. What is she saying? Dragon God, hurry up!
【The Death Angel Zaniel announces the end of the world!】
I sensed an ominous presence, but my body still wouldn’t move properly. If Kurinka’s regeneration took this long, I must have been severely drained.
◆ Shin Report ◆
I was mesmerized, and it wasn’t just a report.
For some reason, tears wouldn’t stop flowing.
Are these tears of joy?
Could it be that this Shin is not about Lua at all?
Wait a moment…
Something is coming this way…