Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

Chapter 6 Part 27

Translator : PolterGlast

The blood that spurted out spread like a red carpet under Ken’s kneeling feet.

"~!"

"A-, aaaaaaaaaaa!"

Ken’s screams hit Nozomu’s ears. Nozomu frowned painfully at the sight that made him want to look away.

The wound was so severe that Nozomu could tell at a glance that Ken was in critical condition. Ken’s right arm was almost severed. He was desperately trying to hold the wound, but blood was spurting regularly from the cut surface.

As Ken crouched on his knees, Barrozza and the other military police officers tried to subdue him.

Two of them pushed Ken down so that he couldn’t resist and then tightened his arms. After that, they tied his almost severed right arm tightly around the wound to stop the bleeding.

"A, aa. M-my arms ..."

Ken kept groaning as he was pushed down to the ground. Nozomu just watched his former best friend being seized in silence.

At that moment, Jihad, clad in silver and white armor, emerged through the military police surrounding him. Behind him were Inda, Shīna, and the others.

It was not clear whether they got the message from the messenger or they moved after hearing Camilla’s message. Either way, Jihad and his men also seemed to have been able to find this place.

Jihad had already heard that the perpetrators had been subdued, and he walked over with a look of relief on his face, but when he saw Ken being subdued and bleeding, he had a stern look on his face.

"So you did take him down ..."

Jihad silently approached Nozomu and tapped him on the shoulder.

"A......"

Nozomu finally noticed Jihad and the others and turned around.

His mouth was tightly closed and his eyes full of sorrow. Jihad could see that Nozomu was desperately trying to suppress the emotions swirling in his heart.

It was reasonable. No matter how much he was framed, Nozomu was not so despicable that he would not feel anything after hurting someone who had once been his best friend.

But as soon as Nozomu noticed Jihad and the others, his eyes went back to the crouching Ken. He bit his lip but did not turn away.

It was as if he had made it clear to himself that this was his decision.

"Thank you for your hard work. And I’m sorry I left it to you."

"No, it’s okay......"

Perhaps understanding Nozomu’s inner thoughts, Jihad did not say much. Instead, he put his hand on Nozomu’s shoulder to support him.

Jihad nodded in a comforting way as he spoke words of encouragement, and then he walked toward Ken. As if on cue, Irisdina and Shīna rushed over to Nozomu.

"’Nozomu, are you alright?"

"Let me see your wound. I’ll take care of it."

After Irisdina and Shīna rushed over to him, Nozomu was receiving medical treatment. When he glanced to the side, Irisdina had Somia on her side.

"Nozomu-san... are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I’m okay."

Somia’s eyes were filled with concern for Nozomu, despite the danger she had been through.

Nozomu tried to reassure Somia, but he couldn’t smile through his tense face.

Nozomu’s current appearance was very similar to the time when he had gone out of control and almost hurt his friends.

At that time, Nozomu was frightened when he realized that he had been misled by Tiamat’s illusion and almost killed his friends. Irisdina reached out and gently touched Nozomu’s cheek, repeatedly saying that it was alright.

"Nozomu ..."

Irisdina called out Nozomu’s name as if to reassure him.

Perhaps also aware of Nozomu’s condition, Shīna slowly entwined her fingers around his hand.

"Are you alright......?"

The faces of Irisdina and Shīna, who were looking at him anxiously, spread across Nozomu’s field of vision.

Behind them, he could also see Mars and the others. They didn’t speak to him, but he could see in their eyes that they were all worried about him.

The warmth of his hands spread slowly. The heat spreading from where they touched slowly eased the tension from Nozomu’s tense face.

(Ah, I’m alright now.)

Nozomu nodded as if to say so, and slowly turned his gaze towards Lisa. Her eyes no longer showed the sadness she had before.

She was shocked to see Ken looking up at the sky with a blank expression as he was held down by the military police officers.

"Lisa ..."

"~!"

Lisa’s shoulders jerked. She had turned pale as if blood drained from her face. In the depths of her trembling eyes, Nozomu could clearly see the color of fear.

The anger and hatred that she had directed at Nozomu until now had all turned and dug against her own heart.

"A, uu......"

Lisa backed away from Nozomu as he walked toward her. But her legs, which were stiff as rocks, could only take one step back and could not move any further.

Lisa’s heart was pounding wildly every time Nozomu slowly moved his legs forward. And she felt a searing pain in her chest.

As if to endure the pain, Lisa tightened her own chest with both hands.

Lisa’s body was extremely tense. Her breath became ragged, her shoulders stiffened, and her eyes blurred as if a sandstorm was dancing in front of her. Her stiff body trembled and she felt as if she would fall to the ground at any moment.

And finally, Nozomu stood in front of her.

"Lisa ..."

"..."

An unavoidable reality and truth. In the face of this, Lisa could only look down.

Nozomu’s low voice struck Lisa’s ear. His voice was somewhat weak, but they were still clear in her ears.

She bit her lip in anticipation of the word "traitor" that would be directed at her next.

Nozomu slowly opened his mouth in front of Lisa, who continued to look down.

Lisa could not say anything. It was she who had been foolish, and she was the one who betrayed Nozomu. So she had no choice but to endure. That was the only thing she could allow herself to do.

With that in mind, she closed her eyes tightly and prepared herself for abusive words from Nozomu that were sure to come.

"I am......"

Nozomu opened his mouth again. But then, a strange sensation ran through Nozomu’s entire body.

"......What the."

Nozomu felt a tingling sensation as if a candle was being shone on his back. When Nozomu turned around, he saw the young military police officer he had been talking to just a moment ago.

"Jibin ... -san?"

Outside of Nozomu’s line of sight, Barozza noticed Jibin’s appearance and said something to him.

"That is......~!"

Shīna, who was behind Nozomu, opened her eyes in surprise.

Among those present, she had an extremely high ability to sense spirits, and she sensed that the spirits were suddenly moving in a panic.

Her memory of an unforgettable enemy came back to her mind. It was clothed in a skin as black as sludge, with a vitality that allowed it to transform in a way that no ordinary demon beast could.

"Everyone be careful! That is ...!"

Before Sheena could say a word, Jibin rushed towards Ken, who was pinned down by the military police officers.

=======================================

As he was being held down by the Military Police Officers, Ken looked at Nozomu and the others in front of his eye, as if he were looking at something far away.

"Lisa ..."

"Be quiet!"

He didn’t hear the military police officer yelling at him at all. He couldn’t even feel the pain in his arm now. He tried to reach out, but being completely pinned down, Ken couldn’t even move his arm.

"Lisa, Lisa ..."

The only thing that kept coming out of Ken’s mouth was his incessant need for her.

Barozza, who had been watching Ken from afar, exhaled heavily as if he couldn’t stand it.

"Such a pity, if you ask me. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do what you want anymore. I have to put you in jail quietly..."

Barozza frowned at the sight of Ken who just repeated the name of the woman he was longing for like a puppet.

There was not a single thing that made him feel good in this incident. All he could see was the darkness that lurked inside people and its cruel consequences. But it was something he had to do.

He had already given first aid to the arm that Nozomu had sliced open. The wound on his chest was not that deep. However, his arm was cut so deeply, even if he could miraculously connect his arm, he would probably have some kind of aftereffects.

He will be taken to the headquarters for interrogation. After that, it would be up to the higher-ups to decide what to do with him.

"Come on, get up!"

After the military police officers finished tying up Ken’s arm completely, Barozza pulled his arm to make him stand up.

As he did so, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.

He turned his head and looks behind him to see a shadow approaching from the back of the street.

A young man wearing the same armor worn by military police as himself. The figure was that of a younger colleague whom Barozza knew well, though he could not see his face because he was facing his head down.

"Jibin, you’re late. Thank you for contacting the others."

“............”

Jibin walked towards Barozza.

Barozza had left Ken in the hands of the other military police officers and had gone to contact the investigation headquarters, but Barozza tilted his head at Jibin who walked up to him.

"Oi, are you okay? You’re not going to tell me that you’re exhausted from running to the investigation headquarters, are you?"

Barozza spat out a joke, but he raised his eyebrows because Jibin didn’t seem to answer at all.

In the meantime, Jibin approached Barozza step by step and walked past him without saying a word.

As he walked by, Barozza could see that Jibin’s neck, peeking through the gap in his armor, seemed to be drained of blood.

"Wait, are you sure you’re okay?"

Some kind of bad premonition was rapidly building up inside Barozza.

A feeling that cannot be described in words. Cold air crawled up his spine, and Barozza hurriedly grabbed Jibin’s shoulder.

“............”

"Jibin ...?"

However, Jibin didn’t even look at him. As it is, he advanced his legs as if to shake off Barozza’s hand.

Beyond Jibin’s line of sight was Ken, who was standing before the military police officers and facing Jihad.

"I’m going to take you to the investigation headquarters, and you’re going to tell them about your ability, the [Reflective Water Surface of the Heart Mask], and everything you’ve done with it. In the meantime, all of your rights at the school will be revoked. You will be held in custody until we can figure out what happened and decide what to do with you."

"Lisa, Lisa ..."

He didn’t seem to answer Jihad’s call and just kept muttering Lisa’s name like a broken clock.

His eyes did not have the light of madness that they used to have but were only filled with resignation and emptiness.

"... Take me to him."

"Haa! ...... Hmm? Jibin, what’s wrong with you?"

The military police officers who were detaining Ken noticed Jibin approaching.

"You are ...~!?"

The moment Jihad turned around and recognized the approaching Jibin, who was facing his head down, his stern appearance was tinged with shock.

Jibin, who had been looking down, looked up and his eyes widened. His eyes had turned a frighteningly dark color.

At the same time, a strange feeling of death swept through the area.

"Everyone be careful! That’s ......!"

Shīna, who correctly identified the abnormality of Jibin, shouted, but before the military police officers could get into position, Jibin leaped at the officers who were detaining Ken.

"Wha~ !?"

"Gagyaaaaa!"

An inhuman scream came out of Jibin’s mouth. The military police officers who were detaining Ken could not move freely because both of their arms were blocked and they were holding a human being.

But there was a shadow that intervened between them. It was Jihad, clad in full body armor made of mithril.

Jihad leaped in front of Jibin, who jumped at him, and swung his log-like arms.

"Fuh~!"

"Gagyaau!"

Jihad’s fist dug in deep and blew Jibin’s body away.

Jibin slumped and fell. But even as he slammed into the ground, he kicked the ground with all four of his limbs and leaped at Jihad with beast-like agility.

The Jaw Drop was still carried on Jihad’s back while Jibin loomed before him.

Looking at Jibin’s corpse-like pale appearance, Jihad’s experience as a veteran was ringing a loud alarm bell.

As his instincts told him, Jihad drew out his giant sword and swung it out without hesitation.

The blow that could kill even the giants was aimed right at Jibin’s body.

A super-heavy weapon that was not suitable for close-quarters combat. The skills he had mastered made it possible to handle it.

It was an instantaneous slash wielded at an unbelievable speed. The blow that accurately hit Jibin’s body cut his body in half down from the shoulder, and at the same time, pieces of the shattered stone floor flew up along with a roaring sound.

It was clearly a lethal blow. But the upper half of Jibin’s body, which had been flying through the air along with the debris, suddenly leaped as if it were jumping through the air.

"Wha~!?"

It jumped over Jihad’s head, then leaped on the military police officers who had been holding Ken and pulled them off with incredible strength.

"Uwaa!"

"Giya~!"

The military police officers were being blown away like dust in the wind. It had lost the lower half of its body, but it was still so powerful that it was hard to believe it had only one arm. It was clearly not something a human being can do.

In front of the military police officers who were shocked by the unbelievable scene, Jibin pushed the captured Ken down to the ground by force.

"W-what is this!"

"Gagigigigi ..."

Jibin, who had gotten on top of Ken, held Ken’s neck with his remaining left arm. Ken struggled, but Jibin’s arm around his neck didn’t falter.

"Release me! Release me! Gugah~!"

As Ken tried to resist further, Jibin’s fingers tightened around his throat, and Ken’s eyes widened as he struggled to the suffocation accompanied by extreme pain.

In the next moment, Ken’s eyes saw an unbelievable sight.

Blood spurted from Jibin’s chest along with a cracking sound, and it revealed itself.

A blind snake covered in black scales. Its appearance was reminiscent of deep-sea creatures.

A hint of death sprinkled from its small body, and countless blood-red eyes opened from the scales that covered its body.

And the countless eyes looked at Ken, who was being laid underneath. Its eyes were like a predator’s before a long-awaited dinner.

"Hih~! Aaaaaa!"

The snake’s eyes squinted as if it was grinning. Ken let out a scream as if he sensed the intent glowing behind those eyes.

"W-what is that !!"

"I-I don’t know, but something’s not right!"

"Kuh~! It is still alive! Stop it at all costs!"

Mars and the others, who had heard the stories but had never seen Abyss Grief directly, shouted in agitation.

Faced with the fact that the Abyss Grief was still alive, Jihad rushed forward with his giant sword raised, rushed by the sense of danger that welled up in his heart. The military police officers that surrounded him were a second behind, but before they could reach him, the Abyss Grief had thrust its jaws into Ken’s chest.

"Gi~! Gyaaaaaaa!"

A scream echoed through the air.

A scream that made them want to cover their ears. However, the blind snake seemed to find it comfortable and made a merry sound as it slithered into Ken’s body.

At the same time, black veins began to spread from the spot where the Abyss Grieff had burrowed.

Ken’s body convulsed. They could easily imagine that whatever was happening, would be irreversible if they leave it any longer.

"Kuh~! Forgive me!"

Jihad decided that there was no more time, and he swung the Jaw Drop in an attempt to kill the Abyss Grief.

It was a blow without any restraint. The blade of the giant sword was covered with a dense Qi, and a direct hit would return everything to ashes.

But before Jihad’s blow could reach the Abyss Grief. Jibin’s upper body moved.

"Gagyaau~uu!"

While dropping blood and guts on the ground, he grabbed Ken by the collar and threw him with his unbelievable arm strength.

Ken’s body flew in a parabola and fell to the ground beyond the encirclement of the military police officers. It was, oddly enough, very close to Nozomu and Lisa.

"Kuh~!"

Jihad’s jaw drop couldn’t catch Ken’s body, but instead slashed Jibin’s upper body to pieces.

Meanwhile, Ken’s body fell to the ground, and after a few seconds of convulsions, he eventually stopped moving altogether.

"... Ke, Ken?"

As if in response to Lisa’s worried voice, Ken jolted up.

But his expression was hidden by his bangs, and it couldn’t be seen. However, an inexplicable sense of urgency and pressure enveloped the area.

As if rushed by this sense of urgency, the others reached for their respective weapons. Nozomu, too, found himself grabbing the hilt of his katana.

Ken looked up. His dark eyes pierced through Nozomu and the others.

In the next moment, Irisdina and the others moved.

The jet black magic bullets, pale light-tinged arrows, and blue lightning that formed in an instant rushed towards Ken. Irisdina’s immediate deployment, Feo’s attack magic, and the arrow that Shīna fired.

But then, with a banging sound, a crack appeared on the stone floor, and Ken disappeared from the place.

Nozomu and the others saw Ken’s figure flying through the air. The skin peeking out from underneath his clothes, which had been torn by a flood of magic bullets and arrows, was torn in several places, and countless red eyes appeared as blood gushed from the wounds.

"Damn it! What the hell are you!"

Along with a shout of anger, a sound of an explosion echoed, and Mars approached Ken who was in the air. It was a leap that utilized the recoil of Qi-technique [Dust Hammer] and the strengthening of the body by Qi.

When Mars swung the greatsword with the momentum of his straight-line lunge towards Ken, Ken raised his left arm.

Normally, there was no way that a human being’s weak arm could block a blow from a greatsword with such momentum. If the slash was made by raising the physical ability through the Qi technique, it would even be possible to cut off the torso as well as the arm.

However, the feeling that came back to Mars’ hand was not a pleasant one, like chopping wood, but a sensation as if he had driven a rusty axe into the ground.

"Wha~!?"

The feeling that his arm felt caused Mars to let out a startled voice.

Swinging a greatsword with such force that it slammed into Ken’s arm but failed to cut it off, completely stopping Mars’ movement.

Moreover, a black blood-like liquid leaked out from the wound where the greatsword had embedded itself, and it clung to the skin like sap. It made Mars hard to move properly in the air especially when he couldn’t stand on his feet.

In that gap, Ken pulled himself closer to Mars and used Mars’ body as a springboard to leap again.

Beyond that, Lisa was standing there, stunned, unable to keep up with the sudden situation that had occurred in front of her.

The moment he saw her, Ken’s tense expression turned even more frightening.

A suspicious light dwelled behind his black-painted eyes, and the crimson eyes that grew all over his body caught Lisa’s figure at once.

"Hih~!"

It was hard to tell whether Ken’s smiling mouth showed fear or joy. All Nozomu and the others could tell was that something fatal to him had completely broken.

"Lisa, get back!

"A~......"

Nozomu pushed Lisa away, who was standing still, and Nozomu drew his katana. The katana blade was already shining with a sharpened blade of Qi.

"I won’t let you~"

"Settle down!"

Meanwhile, Anri and Inda were taking action to obstruct Ken’s path.

Ken leaped again, but a glowing whip and chains entwined around his body. It was Anri’s Qi technique and Inda’s restraining magic.

The skills and techniques of those two who were outstanding in the school had succeeded in restraining Ken’s body in the air.

"Gagyaaa!"

The scream that came out of Ken’s mouth was the same as that of Abyss Grief. It was an unpleasant, oppressive, and fear-inducing scream that was unlike any other creature in the world.

When Nozomu heard the scream, he frowned painfully.

However, Nozomu did not hesitate to swing his blade. The extremely compressed air blade that flew at high speed hit Ken’s torso, which had turned into an Abyss Grieff, and cut his body in two.

However, the next moment, a black, sludge-like liquid gushed out of Ken’s body.

"Wha~!"

As if a sack of water had burst, the liquid spewed out, scattering a foul-smelling miasma, slipped past Anri’s whip and Inda’s restraining magic, and fell at once toward Nozomu.

"T-this is bad ..."

The sludge spread its body towards Nozomu, it was impossible for him to avoid it.

The black curtain was slowly approaching in front of him. Nozomu couldn’t imagine what would happen if he were swallowed by it, but his superior survival instincts were ringing alarm bells like never before.

A chill ran down his spine, instantly freezing him to the bone. His heart was beating like it was about to burst, rushing every muscle in his body to move.

But it was too late. He was exposed to a critical situation and immediately put his hands on the invisible chains that bound him, the chains of Ability Suppression.

"Don’t!!"

However, before he could break the chain, a cry could be heard from behind him.

Immediately after, Nozomu felt his arm being pulled with ferocious force.

Then he was floating in the air and felt the wind caressing on his cheeks.

It was then that Nozomu’s eyes caught sight of a black curtain moving away from him with a red-haired girl with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Li, Lisa ..."

Silence, as if all sound had disappeared. In the midst of this, the gazes of Nozomu and Lisa met.

In spite of her pale face and thin, weak hands, her body-filled magic power could easily throw off Nozomu’s body out from where the black curtain had descended.

Lisa’s eyes were swaying in tears as she stared at Nozomu with her shocked expression, but her gaze was different from before, and she was staring straight at Nozomu.

"I’m sorr-......"

Their gaze crossed for a moment, and her words were about to come out.

However, the silence was broken before Nozomu could hear the end of her voice.

In an instant, Lisa’s figure moved away. As the shock of being slammed into the ground hit Nozomu, the rotting liquid that poured down like a landslide swallowed up her figure.

The sludge that had swallowed Lisa pulsed once then swelled into a dome and began to glow a dark gray color as the miasma rose up. It was like a cocoon.

"Lisaaaa !!"

Nozomu screamed after forcibly raising his swaying body and tried to plunge into the jet-black cocoon without thinking twice.

He raised his Qi, squeezing every last drop of Qi out of his body, and reached down to tear off the chains that bind him.

"Wait a minute, brat."

However, just as Nozomu’s hand on the invisible chain was about to put all his strength into it, a voice from above interrupted him.

Then, a shadow landed in front of Nozomu’s eyes. Nozomu’s eyes widened at the sight of the figure.

"What are you doing here, old man..."

"Good grief, this is going to be a bit of a hassle for me...”

An old man with wrinkled cheeks and pure white hair. He was an old man with a cane that could be found anywhere.

He appeared before Nozomu’s eyes as if he had just forgotten his house key.