I had always lived my life half-heartedly.
That was why I always thought people who lived their lives diligently, steadily, and sincerely while looking forward were amazing.
I respected them. I wondered where that passion, that heart, and that sincerity came from. Whenever something happened, I would quickly lose interest; I hadn't exactly lived a life of hard work.
Even the Mystic Code in my hands, the Spider Hand, was born more from the old man's passion than my own. I had merely been his assistant.
In that sense, this could be called the old man's memento. And yet, here I was—bleeding, bones breaking, caught in explosions, body sent flying, and finally dying—still trying to fight.
It was painful, agonizing, scorching, and desperate. Even though it felt like my mind was about to snap, I was still trying to walk forward.
I was actually curious where this driving force came from.
I had always thought of myself as a more cynical person.
I thought I wouldn't care much even if humanity perished.
I thought my only reaction would be something like, 'Ah, I see...' But surprisingly, I was quite ordinary. I screamed like anyone else, felt despair like anyone else, hurt like anyone else, and tried to struggle like anyone else.
I was actually glad to find that I had this kind of stubbornness in me. Having finished all my preparations, I took a breath as if in meditation and slowly opened my eyes.
The communication line was still open, and the Director's dissatisfied face was visible in the air.
"Don't you think it's about time you cut the feed? At worst, there might be scenes that require age verification. Since there's been no romance in my life, it'll just be grotesque."
[I’m going to make sure you follow my orders. Every time I look away, you find some way to slack off and fail to perform your duties properly. So I will watch. Whether that mission ends in success or failure.]
"You're quite tough."
I spoke with a relatively sincere, bitter smile.
The Director had made up her mind. Whether she understood my resolve or had simply given up, she judged that she couldn't stop me.
But she was saying that even if I were to die here, she wouldn't look away. Come to think of it, was there a similar scene in the original story?
When Mash was being unilaterally beaten by the King of Knights, Fujimaru Ritsuka looked away. But the Director told Fujimaru Ritsuka not to look away and to watch properly.
The Director was afraid of Mash, but she never once looked away from her.
Her methods were somewhat violent and narrow-minded, so I didn't necessarily think the Director was a 'good' person. Even the Doctor, who was by her side, had said she was a bad person if he had to choose.
I agreed with that point.
However, her 'evil' was so weak that she was little more than a small-time villain. Her misdeeds were of the level where she could wash her hands of them and cross back over whenever she felt like it.
[Can I ask one thing?]
"Sure. My heart feels like it's about to burst, so give me something to relax. At this rate, I'll have a heart attack before Berserker even gets here."
I had already downed an entire bottle of the sedatives and painkillers the Doctor had sent. If someone asked if I wasn't ruining my health, I’d answer that if I didn't take them now, my life was going to be ruined anyway.
The Director looked at me in silence for a moment before speaking.
[You saved me. I’m grateful for that. ...But, how did you know? I won't deny that Lev is suspicious at this point. This might just be a conjecture because I don't want to doubt him. I don't think you, who are pouring your entire body and soul into this, are the culprit. I’m just curious. ...Back then, you said the Rayshift experiment had to be stopped, didn't you? Did you know? That the bomb would go off?]
...Oh boy, I didn't think this through.
I couldn't think of a proper excuse. Ca-Caster-emon...!! Why aren't you here?! Your Master is in a real-time crisis right now!!
I asked her to relax me, so why was she making my heart pound even harder? Did she really have to ask that now? Fortunately, it didn't seem like she suspected me.
That was because most of the reasons I gave for Lev being suspicious applied to me as well. If Lev was suspicious, then so was I. The Director simply looked at me as if her eyes were searching for the truth.
...I can't dodge this. I thought about it earlier anyway, and it wasn't something I strictly had to hide.
"Actually, I... Gack, Cough!"
[Are you okay? My stomach isn't in great shape from stress, but you're physically in bad condition, so be careful.]
Suddenly, my throat felt dry and parched as if I were lacking moisture.
Wait, I felt like I experienced this just a moment ago? As I tilted my head at the strange sense of déjà vu, a heavy Thump!! echoed from the front.
There was some distance, but I heard it clearly. I didn't think it was 'nice,' but it was a good opportunity to avoid answering the question. As the sound grew closer, my heart felt like it would explode.
It felt like my brain was refusing to think.
But refusal was just refusal. If I didn't use my brain against a beast overwhelmingly stronger than me, my body would turn into a lump of meat in a single blow, just like last time.
[Straight ahead!! He'll appear in ten seconds!!]
"Director, do you know why legends are called legends?"
[What?]
"They say a legend is something you want to believe exists. Then, do you know what a myth is?"
I crouched down and put strength into both hands. I would do my absolute best. I would do everything I could. The only magecraft I could use was 'Transmutation Magecraft.'
Even if I supplemented it with Mystic Codes, I was ultimately a magus who was a one-trick pony for transmutation. In that case, I would use it to its absolute limit. I would use it so persistently that he'd think, 'He's using that again,' making him find me annoying with this alone.
I would prove that the blood of the weak, shoved into the mouth by the fangs of the strong, might just be poison. With heavy Thump! Thump!! sounds, a muscular giant appeared from the front.
The size and pressure, which made Benkei look like 'nothing' in comparison, were truly worthy of a supreme hero.
"They say a myth is something you doubt even exists. ...Now then, Mr. Mythical Hero. From here on, it's No Entry!! Please come back later!!!"
I placed my hands directly on the ground. With a Sizzle, my Magic Circuits rapidly activated. Heracles charged forward as if he didn't even care about such things.
I didn't know if he truly didn't see me or if he just wasn't interested because I was too weak, but if he was going to break through head-on like that, I was grateful.
It seemed like he would be easy to bait. Right now, Heracles was nothing more than an incarnation of destruction, crushing everything in his path. I took a deep breath and whispered quietly.
Metamorphose On <Transmutation Start>
"Here I come! Great Hero!!!"
Thump! Thump!! I pushed Heracles directly to the side. With a Crash!!, he smashed through boulders while being shoved away.
What, he crushed them while being blown away?
Heracles landed stably and lifted his head. Gasp, I unknowingly forgot to breathe. I felt something intense from those bloodshot eyes. My entire body froze, refusing to move properly.
Fear instantly dominated my brain and chest. I calmed my breathing.
Caster, my friend... If I don't pull this off here, how can I face you?! Even if I die here and move on to the next loop, could I proudly respond to your words of 'I believed in you'?!
No, impossible! I will survive here! I will survive no matter what! I won't die! I won't die! If there's someone who told me not to die!! I can't die yet!!
"■■■■■■■■――――!!!"
He leaped forward with a roar. Zip!, I used my Mystic Code to fire threads and move rapidly. Even though it was in ruins, this was a place where mountains of buildings once stood; there were plenty of things to hook onto.
If I focused solely on running away, catching me—who even had a Mystic Code—would be difficult for anyone who wasn't exceptionally confident in their speed. Where is Heracles? The moment I turned my head, I saw a hand.
Whoosh!! I moved even faster, the hand narrowly brushing past my hair. Is he following me right now?
Heracles roared again.
"■■!! ■■■■―――!!"
"Ah, seriously..."
My heart pounded to the point of pain. This was a mythical hero—and even then, the one I was facing was a minor version covered in debuffs and demerits like it was a festival.
Despite that, I had no confidence in winning. Forget winning, I could understand it even if I died a second from now. A single blow—it was safe to say I'd die if I allowed even one hit.
To me, his normal attacks were instant-death skills.
Dodge. Dodge as if your life depends on it. Dodge if you don't want to die. Dodge if you don't want to die and start over. Dodge! Dodge!!
'He's too fast!! I'll be caught at this rate!! In that case!!'
I moved toward the place where I had pre-installed threads. I had set up quite a lot of steel threads. No matter how strong Heracles was, it would take some time to...
Snap! Snap!! Forget getting caught; he was running through them and snapping them all naturally. I thought that even if the power of Mystery was thin, they would at least hold out for a little bit?
To think they'd snap the moment they touched Heracles. Even if they had the strength of wires, that was only useful in human society; among those monsters, it was as good as nothing.
...In that case.
Tug. I grabbed a thread and touched a wall as I ran past. And the moment Heracles tried to pass through there, I activated it.
Boom!! I pushed him sideways just like that. Mystery or not, physical force remains. With this, I can buy time...
Crunch!!
"Urgh!!!"
Something hit my ear and tore it away. The bleeding...!! I’m already dying from blood loss as it is...!! What did he just do?!
Did he kick a rock?!
What is that crazy guy doing when his reason is all worn away and only instinct remains?! No, is he performing the 'method of catching prey' that remains in his instincts because only instinct is left?
Either way, the problem was that he had gained a long-range attack method. But unlike Heracles' main body, it wasn't special.
Just a bit fast, just a bit strong...
Wait, that IS special?! It's instant death if it hits, anyway?!
"Do you have any intention of speaking in human words..."
"■■■■■■■■―!!! ■■■■■――――!!!"
"I guess not!! It's a shame, but let's talk next time..."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
He was kicking and throwing rocks just like that. It seemed he realized he didn't necessarily need to hit me himself.
Damn it, Plan B it is! I didn't know if my body would hold out because the mana consumption would be too high, but it was better than nothing. Oh, I was surprised by the state of my ear.
Among the Runes Caster had given me, there was one that stopped bleeding. Thanks to that, the blood loss wasn't severe compared to the wound on my ear. But from what I heard, you couldn't use multiple Runes at once.
In other words, if I wanted to use the power of another Rune, I had to be prepared to bleed. It couldn't be helped; if I just kept getting further away and Heracles decided to go back, the plan and everything else would be over.
Zip!, I clung to a building wall and fired a thread from my hand.
The target was... Heracles' feet.
Grab. I shortened the thread and pulled hard. Fortunately, it wasn't that big. Heracles, whose balance on one foot was broken, stumbled momentarily.
Good, now! I quickly circled back and approached Heracles. Front! Front!! He's aiming for my head! He's going to aim for my head! He definitely is! React!! React!!
Rune of Awakening, enhance my reaction speed. At the same time my ear started bleeding again, all my senses seemed to sharpen. Following that, I activated the Chaldea Mystic Code's effect, Emergency Avoidance.
While stumbling, Heracles seemed to look at me quietly and blankly for a split second.
And then he thrust his twitching fist forward.
Smack!!! It grazed past, crushing one of my eyes. A single eye in exchange for dodging a Great Hero's attack—that's a bargain.
'Move now! If you don't move, the second one is coming!!'
Zip! Zip! Zip!!! I tied them around Heracles' neck.
I stopped the Rune of Awakening and used the Rune of Fortification. I grabbed the thread with one hand and placed the other on the ground.
The target was only one place; this was a gamble with my life. If possible, I could buy a considerable amount of time. There was even a possibility that Caster would arrive in the meantime. That was why I bet everything on it.
Grip. Using the force of the ground rising up, I threw Heracles, who was tied to the thread, backward. Creeeak. A sound that should never come from a waist echoed.
Cough! I collapsed, vomiting blood at the same time I threw him. Not yet, I can't stop yet.
...I have to move. The opponent is Heracles! There's no way this is enough to...
Whoosh!!
"Aaaaaagh!!!"
In the midst of that, he threw something again. It hit the top of my foot. Run, run for now...!! Run!!
Splash!! Heracles fell into the water. I had come this way on purpose. This water wasn't that shallow.
In that case, if I pinned him to the very bottom, even Heracles would take time to come up because of buoyancy. He wouldn't be able to come up all at once. I placed my hand on the water.
"As long as I don't die, it's fine, damn it."
Boom!!! I transmuted the water to push Heracles even further down.
In a place where his limbs weren't completely free and the physical force of buoyancy was acting, even Heracles had no choice but to be unilaterally driven into the ground.
But I must have said it. This remotely used Transmutation Magecraft consumed an overwhelming amount of mana as the distance increased. Crunch. Blood flowed down from my eye.
"Aaaaaah!!! Aaaaaaaagh!!!!!"
[Wait, stop!! Stop!! Hey, can't you hear me?! You're going to die at this rate!!]
Not yet, not yet! He's a Great Hero! I have to make sure he's buried in the ground!!!
The color of my fingertips began to change. I couldn't see them, but my toes were probably the same. My cells were screaming as they suffered from necrosis.
I didn't even know if my screaming was a battle cry or a scream of pain anymore. My brain was malfunctioning, giving me the illusion that the pain wasn't that bad.
Thump!! Feeling that Heracles had reached the riverbed, I collapsed backward.
It was hard to breathe.
[Director, his status is abnormal! He's hyperventilating!]
[Director! Confirming mana depletion, vascular injuries, and skin necrosis up to the second joints of his fingers and toes!]
[There's still a chance for his crushed eye to recover! But if we delay and treatment is late, there's a high possibility he'll lose his sight forever.]
[Multiple fractures, and his muscles aren't in a normal state either!]
Hearing it like that, seriously, why am I still alive... After hearing all the reports, the Director shouted at me in front of the screen.
[Don't die! Breathe slowly! You're bleeding, but it's not enough to kill you yet! Can you use the Chaldea Mystic Code?!]
It wasn't time for the Chaldea Mystic Code yet. Instead, I used the Rune I received from Caster.
Rune of Healing. Shimmer. As the light flickered for a moment, my breathing became a little better, if only slightly. I placed my hands on the ground and moved as if crawling to lean against a wall.
No matter how much I had driven Heracles into the ground, it wouldn't be strange for him to come back up at any moment. I had to hide quickly and prepare to keep him in check again. I tried to force my unmoving body to stand up.
As I tried to rise, my body screamed from everywhere, telling me to stop. It was fine for now, but once the adrenaline rush stopped, massive pain would overwhelm me.
I had to get at least a little further away from this spot. With that thought, I stood up. Gasp. Just standing up made me feel like I was going to die. My vision was red, which was unpleasant.
My ears were muffled; I couldn't hear sounds properly.
[...way! ...un!!]
'What did you say?'
One ear was gone, and my mind was hazy, so I couldn't hear properly. What did she just say? Boom!!! Suddenly, I recognized a loud sound.
It was a sound that even I, with my muffled ears, could hear clearly. Only then did the voice from the communication reach my ears accurately.
[Run away! Quickly!! Berserker is!!!]
When I looked back, Heracles was standing there. He came up? Just how deep do you think that water is? I sent him all the way to the bottom.
...And he came up in this short amount of time? The time I spent trying to get up wasn't even a minute. In terms of time, it was barely 20 to 30 seconds. He came up from that deep water in that time? Heracles clenched his fist.
Dangerous. I have to move. At this rate, my body will be sent flying again, and I'll die. I can't die the same way as last time after coming all this way.
Whoosh!! Unable to dodge the swinging attack, I blocked it with both arms almost instinctively. Along with a Rune of Protection, I activated the Chaldea Mystic Code's Momentary Enhancement.
Crack!!!! I took the swinging arm directly and was sent flying. I defended with my arms, but this should be described as being 'hit' rather than 'blocked.'
Whoosh. My body momentarily floated and then flew backward rapidly. Thud! Thud!! and Crash!! and Urgh. I could only stop after hitting a wall.
'M-My arms...!!'
Both arms were turned in directions they shouldn't normally go, and bones were protruding. I had no sensation of being able to move my arms, but conversely, the pain was vivid.
When I lifted my head, I saw Heracles in the distance. ...This is insane. Did Heracles just hit me and send me flying all the way to the other side of the river?
It felt like every bone in my body was shattered. My body wouldn't move. Every time Heracles took a step, it felt like my death was approaching in a physical form.
After coming this far, after doing all this, am I going to die the same way?
[Can you move?!]
"N... o. It looks like it'll be difficult."
I answered, forcing out my strength. There was still no reaction from Caster.
Damn it... I don't want to die. Even though I was a mess, injured, and on the verge of death, my heart hadn't changed. It wasn't about dying and trying one more time. I didn't want to die.
Only that emotion dominated my head. No matter how many times I experienced it, the primal rejection of death that a living being possesses—the feeling of not wanting to die—continued to burn within me.
Flash!! Suddenly, something soared into the sky. I saw something like a flame in the distance.
...Ah. I smiled quietly. ...The timing was so perfect that I was actually moved.
Heracles also seemed to recognize something upon seeing those flames, as he suddenly leaped forward.
"By the power of the Command Spell... I order you!! Come, Casterrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!"
It was a miracle my throat wasn't crushed. I could still speak.
Voom! The Command Spell glowed red, and someone appeared. He immediately aimed his staff at the leaping Heracles.
"Burn, wooden giant. Become the cage of flames! Wicker Man <Cage of Scorching Flames>!!"
Whoosh! The flames spread greatly, and the wooden giant, Wicker Man, appeared behind Heracles.
Just like with Benkei whom we fought before, it seemed he intended to trap Heracles inside. But the opponent wasn't Benkei. Grip! He grabbed both arms of the Wicker Man that was trying to pull him in, attempting to escape.
No, he can't escape now.
But as if he had expected that, Caster had already reached the front of Heracles.
"Farewell, Berserker. It's a shame it ends like this."
Caster didn't hesitate and aimed his staff once more.
Whoosh!! The flames took form and pushed Heracles. Heracles, who was in an unnatural posture, couldn't hold out and fell into the Wicker Man.
Boom!! Roaaaaar!!! Along with the sound, the crackling of fire could be heard from within the Wicker Man. Caster landed and looked at me.
Seeing my state, he let out a Hah, as if it were absurd, but he spoke with a laugh that felt pleasant rather than unpleasant.
"You're a warrior, Master. ...I believed in you. You did well to survive."
For some reason, those words made me feel like I was going to cry. Tears seemed to well up.
"I-It was nothing. I could have held out even lon... ger."
I tried to bluff uncharacteristically to hide the fact that I was about to cry, but it seemed Caster had already seen through it all.
Caster approached me and quickly grabbed both of my arms.
"Hmm," he observed and said.
"They're completely shattered. Even if I heal them, a full recovery will be difficult."
"It's fine. If they move... that's enough."
"Haha, that's the spirit! That's my Master! Just bear with it for a bit. I won't let the story end with you dying from injuries after coming all this way."
"Yeah... I'm counting on... you?"
"Hmm?"
I doubted my eyes. Something was standing amidst the flames of sin that were burning even the Wicker Man itself. Caster also saw it, gripped his staff, and went on guard.
And he had a bewildered face. That's right, it wasn't just me. How could Heracles, a Berserker whose status had already plummeted and who had no life stocks left...
How could he be standing like that? With his red eyes glowing, Heracles looked this way.
...Huh? He's looking at me, not Caster. He's watching me quietly.
"........."
"........."
Heracles quietly moved his mouth. It wasn't the usual beastly roar. The movement of his mouth definitely formed 'language.'
And as if he had said everything he wanted to say, he gradually began to scatter into particles and disappear. Kindly, benevolently, and strongly, he just looked at me without a word.
If he had charged at us instead of standing still the moment he was hit by the Wicker Man, he might have at least been able to take us down with him. And yet, he just stood there, simply...
He acknowledged me.
Whoosh... As a slightly cold wind blew, Heracles' body completely turned into particles and vanished.
After confirming that Heracles had disappeared, Caster finally lowered his guard and looked at me. I didn't have the ability to understand language just by the movement of lips.
It wasn't that I heard a voice, either. Despite that, I could clearly tell what Heracles was saying.
'Keep going,' he said...
That was how it sounded... no, how it seemed.
"Kid...? Kid!! Master!"
I had to answer, but I couldn't move. My mouth... wouldn't move...
The voices of Caster and the Director mixed and echoed in my head. As I was losing consciousness, it felt like someone was patting my shoulder.
That arm, which felt encouraging, was heavy, strong, and kind.
...Unable to hold out any longer, I lost consciousness right then and there once again.
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