Desecrated Shrine IV: Imitation of Power
At the moment when Ferno was kicked away by Gugi, time rewound. The aberrations birthed from the blood and flesh expelled from Gugi’s body were being dealt with by Fana, who had already completed over ninety percent of the task.
Of course, she wasn’t alone. Stella, having gathered her thoughts, supported Fana by igniting her sword with flames through magic, while Rio and Fon, accustomed to the acrid stench, set torches and oil ablaze with both hands, allowing them to respond at this rapid pace.
The ease that came with fighting alongside multiple allies was different from before. This allowed Fana to keep track of Ferno, who was battling at a distance, and she caught sight of him being sent flying by Gugi’s spinning kick.
“Duck!!!”
Seeing this, Fana felt a surge of certainty that he was alive, yet an unsettling worry crept in as she called out to him, preparing to move away from the spot. Just then, Gugi, having kicked Ferno away, shifted a massive lump within its belly up to its throat, preparing to expel it toward the burning remnants as a target. Fana roared in response.
Believing that there was no one who couldn’t act immediately upon hearing that sound, and knowing it to be true, Fana discarded one of her torches and drew her remaining iron sword, taking a stance to counterattack.
Doo-pah!
The sound echoed all the way to where Fana and the others were, accompanied by a mass of blood, flesh, grass, and earth that had been expelled. It was a lump containing those who had not yet fully perished, still trapped within Gugi’s stomach. If possible, it should have been received with compassion, but the size of the mass was such that it could crush all life at the landing point in a single blow. Therefore, instead of relying on her strongest defense, Fana aimed to unleash a destructive strike, honed through mimicking Ferno’s movements, to shatter the mass.
…Though it’s worth noting that Fana was completely unaware that the lives within that lump were still alive, and it was impossible for her to realize this.
“Phenomenon Imitation!”
She readied her two swords, focused on her target, stepped forward, and began her incantation.
Due to her innate differences, Fana could not match Ferno’s attack power, which was superior in both defense and resilience. However, she had learned from a certain incident that mere defense would not always suffice to protect what she wished to safeguard.
The blade cracked, Fana’s eyes locked onto her target, and sound was swallowed.
Thus, Fana trained to mimic Ferno’s full-powered strike, refining the imitation method he had devised through battles with the Demon Lord’s Army Executives. This technique required her to consume her weapons, perform incantations like magic, and expend her own physical strength—all without any assistance—to finally recreate that strike.
A silent swing, the air grew still, and a shockwave erupted.
The phenomenon of destruction that Ferno unleashed was consumed by the weapon that served as its origin due to the act of imitation. To invoke a phenomenon that ordinarily could not occur, incantation was necessary, just like with the manifestation of miracles through magic. Because it was an event in a realm she could not reach due to innate differences, she had to expend her own body to wield it.
Yet, the moment it was accomplished, the target would be destroyed.
Fana’s two iron swords shattered, rolling across the ground, as the mass descending from the sky cracked and crumbled, plummeting to the earth in a cascade.
Watching this, she discarded the broken swords, retrieved a Potion, crushed the stopper, and drank its contents.
“…Incredible.”
“Here it comes, brace yourselves.”
Fon, who had been observing the scene behind Fana, murmured in awe, but Fana, discarding the remnants of her shattered swords, drew her last one and spoke. The three behind her, surprised by the time it took for the mass to transform, stood up, and as they beheld the grotesque forms of the shattered remains, they gasped in shock.
“‘What in the world…?’”
The humanoid figures bore arms and legs that resembled elongated claws, with features akin to beastly tails and ears. Their skin was absent, replaced by a chaotic mix of earth, grass, bones, and blood, making it clear they were aberrations. Fana recognized them as enemies that needed to be dealt with, and even Stella, who had been stunned, rearmed herself, acknowledging them as foes.
However, for Rio and Fon, their recognition of the aberrations was different. They remained in shock, their minds filled with questions of why and how.
“‘Is that…?’”
“…Dad?”
“…Is that really you?”
To the two of them, the approaching aberrations perfectly overlapped with the comrades, friends, and family they had lost six months prior. No matter how they looked, these aberrations seemed to embody the proud warriors who had fought valiantly and fallen.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Whoosh!
“‘Ouch!’”
Fear, anger, sorrow, hatred, joy, and inspiration… A whirlwind of emotions left Fon and Rio paralyzed. Noticing their state, Fana lightly tapped their foreheads with her fingers. The two, still dazed, could not withstand it and fell back onto the ground.
“Are you awake now?”
“…Yeah, sorry. Thanks for that.”
“…Sorry for causing you trouble.”
“It’s fine.”
Accepting their apologies, Fana turned to face the approaching beast-folk aberrations, positioning her sword horizontally as she spoke to her still-dazed companions.
“Those are enemies. No matter how they appear or the circumstances of their creation, they are foes that bring harm to the living. If you have any thoughts, then kill them. There’s no such thing as a beautifully happy ending like in stories; it simply doesn’t exist.”
With that, she cut off the conversation and walked toward the aberrations. As she advanced, one of the aberrations that had broken through the front lines lunged at her with its claws, but Fana’s raised sword cleaved it in two, sending its remains rolling to the ground.
“Kill with compassion. Kill with sorrow. Kill with anger. Kill with hatred. Kill with love. If they appear before you as enemies, then the greatest salvation is to slay them as foes. Now! Stand up!! And kill!!!”
As she cut down the oncoming aberrations, Fana wove her words. These were the lessons etched into her heart. They were the words that had been thrust upon a girl who once dreamed that justice would always prevail, believing that if she persevered, happiness would eventually come.
The response to Fana’s declaration came as an aberration slipped past her, only to be cut down, its remains igniting in flames.
“…I must say, that’s impressive.”
“Just repeating what I’ve heard. Besides, the old me was far worse. At least your reasons for stopping are better than the old me.”
“…I’d like to hear about that.”
“About the past? I’m not in the mood to discuss it sober; let’s save it for a drinking session.”
With their perceptions restored, Rio and Fon began to efficiently dispatch the aberrations, with Rio slashing and Fon setting them ablaze. Meanwhile, Fana and Stella, handling any stragglers and the remnants, exchanged words with a hint of relaxation.
Fana’s expression turned complex as she recalled her past self, far more foolish and shameful than now, while Stella pondered just how bad it had been. Rio continued to slice apart the aberrations, with Fon assisting by dousing the remains in oil and turning them to ash.
With no further reinforcements arriving, the two had regained their composure, and their movements became more fluid, allowing them to handle the aberrations with remarkable efficiency. It was then that Fana noticed the absence of Gugi, the main target they were currently dealing with.
“…By the way, where did that frog go?”
“Didn’t see it over there… huh?”
“Nowhere to be found… wait, it’s above us. And it hasn’t fallen yet?”
“…Looks that way.”
“…”
“…Rio! Fon! Fall back for a moment!!”
““? Understood.””
Fana glanced around, a sudden premonition tugging at her senses, and her gaze shot upward. There, beyond the mist and clouds, she spotted the shadow of Gugi, thrashing about on its back. The size of the shadow was steadily increasing, indicating that it was falling. Realizing the urgency, Fana called out loudly to Rio and Fon, who were moving closer to the landing point, urging them to return.
Just seconds later, Gugi burst through the clouds and mist, its back grotesquely dented from the impact. A question flickered through Fana’s mind: how was it falling in such a free-fall state, lying on its back? Just as they prepared to brace for the impending shock, a shadow suddenly interjected between them and Gugi. The moment Fana recognized the figure, she halted her stance, a wry smile creeping onto her face as she muttered,
“You’re just as foolish as I am for doing this.”
Despite being at a distance where they shouldn’t have been able to hear, the shadow responded.
“This time, I shall accept it without complaint.”
The figure that had interrupted was none other than Ferno, who had miscalculated his kick and sent Gugi soaring into the air. With a swift motion, he unleashed another kick toward the descending Gugi.
“…Incredible.”
“…Truly beyond my imagination.”
“…What a remarkable ally we’ve gained.”
The shockwave generated by Ferno’s beautiful high kick collided with the impact of Gugi’s massive body as it fell, creating a powerful explosion that rippled through the surroundings. The sight of Ferno handling the situation with such ease left the three—excluding Fana—dumbfounded, their expressions painted with astonishment.