Chapter 39: Holy Knight vs Hero (Ultimate Form) (End)
A torrent of Divine Qi erupted from the many arms on my back, billowing like steam.
“B-B-Bastard…”
Ryuguin took a step back, then another.
“That’s a harsh way to put it. I think it looks pretty cool.”
More than that, though. His very existence was monstrous. Given the countless atrocities he had committed, calling him a monster was hardly an exaggeration. With a self-centeredness that pushed others away, he had become a being that was no different from a monster.
As I approached, Ryuguin steeled himself and shouted.
“──Clock Strike!!!”
My vision blurred. Light speed. Flashes. Countless. Unrestrained. All directions. I continued to deflect Ryuguin’s lightning-fast attacks with over twenty arms packed with Mana, my left arm and the right arm conjured with Light Magic.
Was it seven seconds? Eight seconds? It felt like a long time for both him and me. But—
“Twelve hits…”
Ryuguin’s body bent at an awkward angle, his chest, abdomen, both shoulders, arms, and right side contorting grotesquely.
“It hurts, it hurts, why…?”
“I thought you’d look a bit more pained, but you seem just fine. No broken bones, either.”
“It hurts! I was supposed to become ‘the strongest’… I had the power and speed to overwhelm you!”
“To say that with skills that fall for such simple feints is quite bold.”
Ryuguin, still reeling from the damage, spoke with genuine confusion.
“Such monotonous, brute-force attacks can be adapted to quickly.”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”
“Give it up, Ryuguin. This is the last time I’ll say it. Surrender quietly and atone for your sins.”
His eyes were still alive with defiance. Yet, he forced a strained smile, trying to hide it.
“Yamada, we’re just two friends from the same hometown, right? Can’t you save me out of that bond? I promise I won’t do anything bad anymore. I swear it. Absolutely. So please, let me escape.”
“…”
Perhaps sensing something from my expression, Ryuguin desperately continued.
“I’ve done terrible things to everyone! I swear it’s true! What a foolish person I am! I’ve done something irreversible! Thinking about everyone makes my heart ache, and I can’t stop crying! I truly regret it!”
I shook my head.
“Ryuguin, I’m actually regretting something too.”
Ryuguin raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“That I let you run free.”
“Yamada!!!”
With gritted teeth, Ryuguin spread his arms wide, his expression resembling that of a tragic hero as he squeezed out his words.
“It’s true! I regret it! I hate violence! If we stop the violence and talk it out, we can surely understand each other! We’re comrades from the same hometown—no, we’re humans living on the same planet!”
His shapely mouth spewed forth shallow lines in rapid succession. His frantic demeanor was that of a clown.
“If I can escape from here, I’ll prepare anything you desire! Women! Money! Art! Rare items! Delicacies! Anything! Anything at all! I’ll repay you, so please let me—”
“Enough, Ryuguin. I have no intention of letting you go, and this is where it ends for you.”
He had done as he pleased until now. He had to atone for his sins.
“More importantly, you said you ‘hate violence.’ I hate violence too.”
“If that’s the case—”
“But you see, there are times when you have to clench your fists.”
That’s right. This is a matter of our resolve.
“───And that time is now.”
“Why don’t you understand?! I truly regret it!!”
As Ryuguin’s whining subsided, I shouted,
“Clock Strike!!!”
In an instant, I reached maximum speed. He turned his back to me and leaped toward the barrier, striking his sword two or three times. I stored the black Gram in my Magic Bag, deeming it unnecessary.
“Out Strider del Sole.”
There was no way our Divine Qi barriers would break. Finally realizing this, Ryuguin steeled himself, facing me as he kicked off the ground.
Light speed. Same world. Perfect super-accelerated combat. I could now perceive everything about him. His breathing, even the sound of his heartbeat.
“──────!!!”
I deflected all of Ryuguin’s attacks.
“Kiieeeeeeeeeee!!!”
He unleashed a primal scream as he swung down with all his might.
There was no way he could hit me. From here on, it was my turn.
I struck his sword with my fist, shattering it in two. Without missing a beat, I unleashed a barrage of blows with my many arms—one, two, three, four, five, six—pummeling his body. He contorted his face as he was sent flying like a withered tree caught in a storm, crashing into the Divine Qi Barrier.
“Ugh! Ugh! Ughhhhhh!!!”
A violent spark erupted, illuminating the surroundings. Ryuguin emitted smoke from his back but somehow managed to stand. Fear was evident on his face. But I didn’t feel sorry for him at all. Moreover—
“I guess I’m not such a great person after all.”
This was no longer about righteousness. It was pure revenge. But I had no intention of stopping. Yes, I was angry.
Angry at his misdeeds. Angry at the suffering he had caused. Angry at the tears of everyone. Angry at their pain—
“…Ugh, u-uh, you’re amazing, so please let me escape from here… I’m begging you.”
Ignoring his pleas, I lifted and restrained Ryuguin with several of my twenty-plus arms. Reflecting my anger, my arms thrashed about violently.
“Scary!!! Monster!!! Please, just let me go!!!”
Seeing my arms grow thicker, sturdier, and more flexible, Ryuguin screamed in terror.
“You’re the real monster for not seeing people as people.”
“Shut up, you mob! Yamada—guhhh!!!”
That’s enough. Close that noisy mouth.
I slammed my right fist into his face with all my strength, but he remained fixed in place, unable to fly back due to his restraints.
“I know well how persistent you are.”
Everything he had done was a scheme he had plotted since the beginning of the summoning. I understood it all.
“You’re lucky that not only Mika is here today, but Sensei is as well.”
“Hyah, hyah, hyah! Hyahhhhhh!!!”
“I know you can survive even if I cut off your head, and that if I heal you instantly, you can withstand anything. So I won’t say something as lenient as ‘half-kill.'”
“───!!!”
“What I’m about to do is ‘99.9999% kill.’ I’ll keep hitting you until ‘you’re just not dead.'”
“Please, I’m begging you! Stop it!!!”
“Ryuguin, be grateful for your Limit Break.”
I hurled Ryuguin back into the Divine Qi Barrier. Ironically, he crashed into it in the very pose of a crucifixion he had mentioned earlier. A fierce spark illuminated the area.
“Hyiiiiiigggggggg!!!”
Good for you, Ryuguin. You always wanted to be ‘crucified,’ right? Ah, power surged through all my arms like never before.
“This is a full-frontal rush!”
I unleashed a relentless barrage—strikes to the face, chest, abdomen, shoulders, arms, and thighs, each blow landing with precision and force, a symphony of destruction.
In reality, it lasted less than ten seconds—
All sorts of punches rained down on his back, left shoulder, thigh—everywhere! I struck him relentlessly, hitting his face, abdomen, chest, knees, and every part of him over and over again. It was a barrage of blows, a symphony of impact that echoed in my mind, a chaotic rhythm of fists meeting flesh.
But that was merely the perception of time stretched to its limit in a state of light speed. I unleashed countless punches upon Ryuguin’s body.
Eventually, the Out Strider del Sole was released. As I took a breath, the Arm of Light sprouting from my back dissipated into particles and vanished.
“Finally, it’s over.”
Before me lay Ryuguin, unconscious and crumpled like a discarded sack.
Upon closer inspection, there wasn’t a single unscathed part on his body. He was contorted in ways that a marionette with severed strings should never be, his face barely resembling its original form. Just then, as I tightly bound him with Light Magic, I felt a jolt against my back. It was Sena, leaping onto me—though she wasn’t alone.
A moment later, Mika, Ange, and Eris followed suit, tears streaming down their faces as they clung to me, their bodies pressed against mine. I could say I was embraced.
Then came Anon and Orphe, who joined the fray, and amidst the chaos, I finally grasped the reality of the moment.
“I won.”
I raised my arm high, letting out a triumphant shout.
───────────
Thank you for your long-standing companionship.