“Just now...”
When I came to my senses, the world that had been frozen resumed its motion.
Kwaaaah—!
By the time I realized it, Leviathan’s breath had already reached the space right before my eyes.
But—
“...Too slow.”
Words flowed from my lips with an unbelievable calmness.
Things that had been invisible until now came into view.
Things that had gone unfelt were now perceptible.
The flow of mana, the seams between them—everything was so vivid it felt as though I could seize it in my hand.
I raised my sword.
A dark energy seeped over the blade.
A power diametrically opposed to light.
Yet, strangely, it moved as naturally as if it had always been my own.
“...Here I go.”
I stepped forward.
Boom!
As I swung the holy sword wrapped in darkness, the ground beneath me erupted.
In that same instant, I had already sliced through Leviathan’s breath.
Kyaooo—!
Leviathan’s eyes flew wide with shock.
And then—
Slash—
That colossal mouth was cut clean away.
“Too late.”
Crack—!!
The delayed explosion finally erupted.
The severed remnants of the breath scattered in all directions.
And I had already vanished from the spot.
Grrrrrrrr—!
Pain and fury.
Driven into a frenzy, Leviathan began to rampage even more madly.
“...Noisy.”
I stood above it, suspended in the sky.
As though it were only natural to stand where nothing existed beneath my feet.
“Let’s end this already, you damned bastard. Stop smashing the city I worked so hard to build!!”
I raised my sword high.
Light surged from the blade in my hand.
Then, darkness descended, enveloping that light.
Light and darkness.
Two opposing forces condensed into a single, singular form.
My heart thundered against my ribs.
“It’s over.”
Kwaaaaaaa—!!
At my words, Leviathan made one final, desperate struggle, twisting its massive body as it charged straight at me.
But I did not retreat a single step.
“...As a king.”
I brought the sword down toward Leviathan.
“...For the sake of what I must protect.”
And then—
“Eidos!!”
A colossal strike, a swirling vortex of light and darkness, erupted from the blade and tore into Leviathan.
Kwaaaaaaa—!!
Everything was briefly swallowed by the clash of light and shadow.
The waves.
The sky.
The sound.
And even Leviathan itself.
Once the light and darkness vanished, a heavy silence fell, as if the entire world had stopped breathing.
“...Is it over?”
I slowly descended.
There, lying before me, was the corpse of a colossal dragon split cleanly in two.
Leviathan had been completely... subjugated.
The blood of the beast had sprayed across the surroundings, staining my body red.
“...Haa. I’m drained.”
With a sigh of relief, I collapsed to the ground.
I could feel the strength evaporating from my limbs.
“...I guess... it really was too much.”
Then, at that moment—
Thud.
Something fell before me.
“...What is this?”
What had dropped in front of me was none other than a sword.
But it was by no means an ordinary weapon.
It possessed a deep blue blade, and within it, mana pulsed as if it were alive.
A faint, shimmering madness seeped from the steel.
“...Leviathan’s...”
I knew it instinctively.
This sword had been forged from a part of the being I had just slain; it was the very source of the frenzy.
“This is a jackpot...!”
I hurriedly grasped the sword.
Even if it drove its wielder to madness, Hecate would be able to fix that.
“Heh heh heh...!”
As I stood there laughing, clutching my new prize,
“Astellon!!”
a voice rang out from the distance.
I turned around to see Thetis, Hecate, and a contingent of soldiers rushing toward me.
“Are you all right?!”
“...What happened?”
I paused to collect my thoughts, then gave a small laugh.
“...I won, somehow.”
At those words, their expressions stiffened for a moment before melting into looks of profound relief.
In the midst of the commotion, Hecate noticed the sword in my hand.
“...That isn’t an ordinary object.”
“I know.”
“It’s steeped in madness.”
“Exactly why it’s too precious to throw away. So... can you dispel this frenzy for me?”
“...As long as you are the one using it, it's possible.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
While speaking with Hecate, I gazed down at the blade.
I recalled the voice I had heard earlier.
The being in the darkness.
The being that had tested me.
And then—
“...So you’re watching, is that it?”
I muttered softly.
***
[...Hmm.]
Within the darkness, that being smiled quietly.
[Not bad. Better than I expected.]
Beside it, another presence brushed past.
A being whose form was utterly indistinct.
[You saw it, didn’t you?]
[Yes.]
[That child is...]
[Certainly a vessel capable of containing our power. Though it is still weak.]
[That makes it all the more interesting.]
The gazes of the two beings turned toward Astellon on the surface.
[Shall we lend him a little more next time?]
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