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

Chapter 6 Part 11

Translator : PolterGlast

"Damn, that bastard Nozomu!!"

Ken was desperately chasing after Lisa while cursing Nozomu.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

He had thought that if he told Nozomu the truth and crushed him while he was still agitated, he would never be able to get up again.

However, he came to confront Lisa again. Behind him was Irisdina Francilt, the brilliant girl who was on par with Lisa in the same year.

He had heard rumors that she cared about Nozomu,.......

Come to think of it, Lisa's condition seemed to be changing little by little lately. Was it after the special exercise? he remembered that Nozomu was near Lisa at that time as well.

He's the one who always gets in his way ...

His face distorted into an ugly mess from the frustration boiling up from deep inside his chest and the hatred he felt for Nozomu.

Anyway, for now, he has to do something to calm down Lisa.

Ken was moving forward while driven by such impatience when his vision blurred for a moment and the scenery around him seemed to distort.

"What the!?"

Ken rubbed his eyes. But the scenery around him didn't seem to have changed.

(Was it my imagination?)

Ken was stopped in his tracks by the indescribable sensation that suddenly overtook him, but he noticed Lisa's back running away and hurriedly resumed his pursuit.　

"~! I have to hurry ...!"

Out of breath, Ken continued to desperately chase after her. In the depths of his mind, he felt the same fear he had two years ago. The fear that Lisa might disappear.

But on this day, he was unable to catch up to Lisa because she had suddenly disappeared just as he was chasing after her.　

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

On the roofs of one of the houses that lined the street, an old man was watching a blond-haired young man chasing a red-haired girl.

"I see. So the source of the boy's troubles are those two, a boy and a girl. ... But that's not good. It would be bad to provoke him when he is not ready yet..."

Zonne's voice faded into the night.

Zonne, who had been stroking his white beard, suddenly distorted his face as if in regret.

"Well, I guess I'm also responsible ..."

Zonne remembered the time when he had just done a fortune-telling session with Nozomu.

At that time, Zonne had interfered with Nozomu in a certain way.

The purpose was to accurately grasp the current state of Nozomu Bountis.

What kind of state is he in right now, with the power and soul of a dragon inside of him? In order to find out, Zonne wanted to examine the essence of Nozomu Bountis, which was his soul.

That was a ridiculous things to do if one were to think about it normally.

The structure of a soul is extremely complex and delicate, especially a soul like Nozomu's that contains a foreign substance.

There is no one who can completely grasp the structure of the soul, and there is no telling what the consequences will be if someone does anything to it.

Even for a court mage who serves the king of a country, all the techniques related to the soul are extremely difficult.

"But I don't really understand. Why was my technique rejected..."

However, the question on Zonne's face was why his technique didn't work, and he was convinced that it could not have failed.

"Still, it's clear that the boy's soul is beginning to change. The question is how it will change..."

He had felt Nozomu's transformation when he had attacked him with a Metal Dragon in the forest. He thought it might have something to do with it, so he tried to find out using divination, but for some reason, he couldn't read his soul.

He was able to find out a little about his current state by increasing the magic power that interfered with him, but it ended up stimulating the dragon inside Nozomu.

Fortunately, it didn't go out of control, but he had to admit that he broke out in a cold sweat when his presence was transformed all at once.

"...Anyway, I'll keep the blonde kid quiet for a bit..."

Anyway, considering Nozomu's current condition, it was not a good idea to let the blond boy intervene.

With that in mind, Zonne snapped his fingers in the air. At the same time, a magic circle appeared before Zonne's eyes.

The magic circle was made of light and scattered in the air, distorting the surroundings of Ken, who was chasing Lisa.

Then Ken, who was supposed to be chasing Lisa, started running in the opposite direction. It seems that this old man had created an illusion around Ken.

After watching Ken move away from Lisa, he turned his gaze to the forest where he had been during the day.

"That's it for the time being. The rest is up to the boy... Now I have to finish my real business. Oh dear, if the boy hadn't found me, I'd be finished by now..."

Zonne exhaled heavily and muttered.

However, he immediately changed his expression and turned his stern gaze to the forest. His eyes were filled with tension that made it hard to believe that he was an ordinary pervy old man.

"So the key is that little boy, huh..."

Nozomu's transformation was just confirmed. All he found out was that Nozomu himself was still in the process of transformation. He still didn't know in what way he would change, but .......

Zonne looked up at the sky.

The moon and stars in the sky were still shining as they always had.

It's just a matter of time.

But no one could understand what was going through his mind. The wind was blowing his breath away.

"Anyway, ... ugh, Rigurīnaria. Why are you gone ..."

However, at the next moment, he began to cry tears, remembering the erotic pictures he had lost. He looked as if he had just been dumped by his girlfriends. He was completely drained of energy and mental strength.

He slumped his shoulders and started walking towards the forest, ruining the tension he had just felt.

The birds that had been sleeping in the crevices of the roof tilted their heads at the strange sight of the old man.

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

Nozomu, Camilla, and the others were chasing after Lisa, running non-stop through the city at night. Their hearts were beating fast, and they felt like they were suffocating. Even so, Nozomu and the others were desperately trying to keep their feet moving.

Inside of his mind, he remembered how Lisa had shouted at him and ran away. She had rejected him for calling out to her. But to Nozomu, she looked like him before he met his master.

She turned her back on the facts in front of her and ran away. It was just like the time when Nozomu turned his back on the facts in front of him and didn't even realize that he was turning his back on them.

When he noticed this fact clearly, Nozomu remembered that he didn't know the current Lisa.

Nozomu called out to Camilla, who was running next to him, while he kept moving his legs.

"Haa, haa .... Camilla, tell me. What has Lisa been like for the last two years!?"

"~! You, after all this time! Even though you betrayed Lisa, why do you want to know that now? ......!

"I did not betray her!"

Nozomu's cry echoed over Camilla's voice.

Perhaps it was the excitement from moving his body around so much, but Nozomu's words, which he had kept bottled up inside until now, naturally came out of his mouth.

However, the words he spoke backfired on Camilla. She had seen the way Lisa had been hurt due to Nozomu's betrayal for a long time.

For Camilla, Nozomu's words now were unacceptable.

"You've got to be kidding me! If that's the case, then why was Lisa hurt so badly? She couldn't even eat properly, and she was lying on her face in her room all the time! And she's still hurt even now!"

With flames of anger in her eyes, Camilla raised her voice in a stronger tone than before. It was as if she was trying to cover up what Nozomu had just said.

But Nozomu was not intimidated by her anger and continued to speak.

"... I can't say I'm not responsible. It's true that I've been looking away from her all this time. But when I was with Lisa, I never even considered being with any other woman!"

Camilla heard something snap in her head when Nozomu didn't change his claim even though he was shouting at her.

She grabbed Nozomu next to her and pushed him down on the stone pavement with all her might.

"Ugh!"

Nozomu frowned at the shock and pain on his back, but the angry Camilla didn't care about Nozomu.

Camilla raises her hand. She tried to swing her hand at Nozomu, but .......

"Camilla-kun, stop it."

Irisdina, who was behind her, firmly grabbed Camilla's hand which was about to be swung tightly.

For a moment, silence flowed between the three of them.

After a pause, as if to calm Camilla down, Irisdina slowly opened her mouth.

"Camilla, he's not doing what you think he did. At least I don't think so."

"What is that? Such a thing ......"

Camilla's anger was now directed at Irisdina, who was defending Nozomu.

Camilla tried to kick Irisdina's words out of her mind. But Irisdina didn't wait for her to say anything and cut to the heart of the matter.

"So, let me ask you, what made you decide that Nozomu was having an affair?"

"Because Lisa saw it! She saw the person she loved betraying her right in front of her eyes! And then I saw Lisa's face afterward when she was hurt! Do you know how Lisa felt at that time!?"

"So, was it really Nozomu that Lisa saw? What about the possibility of a technique that can disguise a person's face? There was also a possibility that it was another person with a similar face."

"That is……!"

Camilla raised her voice in anger, but Irisdina's eyes remain extremely cold when she saw her like that.

"What are you trying to say!?"

Irisdina's calm demeanor put a damper on Camilla's rage.

"In other words, did you ever think that Lisa-kun was being set up? It was also possible for Nozomu. And if that process were to be done, who would have the most to gain from it?"

"No way! That kind of thing ..."

Impossible.

Camilla was about to say that, but for some reason, her words caught in her throat.

She has been thinking about it, hasn't he been acting strange lately?

The smile on his face seemed to be the same as usual, but there was something about it that made Camilla feel uncomfortable. He used to be protecting Nozomu, but now he's starting to reject him.

Camilla could sense that Ken was losing control of himself.

As if giving a follow-up to Irisdina's words, Feo who was behind the three of them also opened his mouth.

"I agree with Irisdina. I used to think it was natural, but now that I think about it, the time between when the rumor started and when Nozomu was put down was so unnatural. Nozomu is not a person who can do such a clever thing. If he was capable of cheating on his lover, he wouldn't be so worried about it, right?"

Feo shrugged his shoulders while saying something a little awful.

Surely, if Nozomu was a man of the rumors and a player, he wouldn't be so obsessed with Lisa. He would have left Arcazam. There was no reason for him to stay at this school.

"... Then, if that were true! If he cares about Lisa! Why didn't this guy ever say anything? If he were to say he's innocent, she wouldn't have doubted him!"

"It's the same for you guys. If Nozomu was your friend, shouldn't you have trusted him at least a little bit?"

Camilla's eyes wavered as she listened to Irisdina's words. She was clearly shaken.

But even so, Camilla's expression remained rigid. She was shaken, but she still didn't believe Irisdina's words.

That may be reasonable.

(It's Nozomu's fault that my best friend got hurt.)

For the past two years, it had been a fact for her.

Camilla and Irisdina were silent. Their gazes collided in the air as if they were having a debate.

At that moment, however, Nozomu, who had been mounted by Camilla, raised his body. He suddenly began to move underneath her, and Camilla was surprised to see him move. Nozomu stood up and faced Camilla again. She was still glaring at Nozomu, but he confronted her gaze head-on.

"I'll tell you exactly what happened on the run, so let's just go after Lisa. At least for now."

Nozomu started running after Lisa again.

Irisdina and Feo also followed him, and Camilla started running again while squinting her eyes.

"Go ahead and say it."

"As I said earlier, I'm not cheating on her. Ken is the one who started that rumor in my guise."

"Do you have any proof...?"

"No. But a while ago, I found out directly from him. At that time, I also learned that Ken has an ability that allows him to change his appearance, called [Reflective Water Surface of the Heart Mask]."

“…………”

"Ken said, 'I don't want you slowing Lisa down. I'm going to show you who's worthy to be next to her'..."

Camilla listened to Nozomu's confession in silence. The four of them continued to run in silence.

With the sound of their footsteps echoing in the street, Nozomu opened his mouth again.

"Camilla ..."

"What is it……"

"Again, please. Tell me about the last two years of Lisa's life..."

Again, Nozomu asked Camilla about Lisa. Camilla's eyes were as hard as ever, and her expression was rigid.

Is she having a hard time believing Nozomu's story, or is she trying hard to hide her shock?

“…………”

There was no reply, and Camilla continued to move her feet forward in silence.

However, Nozomu did not give up and continued to speak.

Two years of running away. Nozomu has no idea how Lisa felt during those two years.

But he felt that if he didn't try to find out now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

"If you want to hate me, you can hate me as much as you want. I don't care how many horrible words you throw at me. But if I don't know about Lisa's condition now, I can't do anything about it!"

Nozomu's straight voice and gaze pierced Camilla's heart.

She bit her lip and looked down, then slowly opened her mouth.

"... Lisa hasn't been able to move forward since then."

As if prompted by Nozomu's eyes, Camilla slowly began to talk about the past two years.

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

After learning about the past two years from Camilla, Nozomu was running through the city at night as fast as he could. The regret that gushed from deep inside his chest was eroding his heart.

"Damn it ......."

He could feel his face turning red with anger.

For the past two years, Lisa had been struggling with a kind of phobia of love. She always trying to overcome it, but her body refused to accept Ken.

When Camilla told him that Lisa had asked her for advice many times and that she had shed tears each time, Nozomu felt angry with himself.

What the hell had he been doing all this time?

"Nozomu ..."

Irisdina was letting out a worried voice from behind him, but the voice didn't reach Nozomu's ears at the moment.

Nozomu continued to run in a frenzy, still angry with himself.

Eventually, he saw her red hair at the end of the darkness.

"~! I found her."

The moment he recognized Lisa's figure, Nozomu's legs pushed his body forward faster than they could go to move forward even a moment faster.

He tilted his head to see that Ken, who should have followed him earlier, was nowhere to be seen, but she is his priority right now.

Nozomu reached out his hand beyond the darkness. The next moment, Nozomu's right hand grabbed Lisa's wrist.

Lisa turned around with a surprised expression.

"Lisa!"

"~! No! Let go of me!"

Lisa started to flail at the sudden voice and the feeling of being grabbed by the hand. However, Nozomu's hand was firmly holding Lisa's wrist, refusing to let her go.

A small trembling, cold palm.

It would have been easy for the normal her to shake off Nozomu's hand. She should have noticed when Nozomu ran up to her before he grabbed her wrist.

Despite this, he was able to catch her easily. The fact that he was able to grab her so easily showed how agitated she was.

"Lisa, listen to me. I'm ......."

"No! I don't want to hear it!"

The sight of Nozomu, the sound of Nozomu's voice, the look in Nozomu's eyes, all of it struck her as an attempt to deny all that Lisa had been through the past two years.

The things she had assumed, the things she had desperately tried to cover up and not see. As if to tear it all away, Nozomu tried to continue speaking.

"Why are you here? Why are you still in this city? I don't want to see your face! I beg you, go away! Don't make me suffer any more!"

"~!"

At that moment, there was a shock on Nozomu's cheek. Lisa's swinging hand had struck Nozomu on the cheek.

The heat on his cheek penetrated his head, and at the same time, the events of the past two years came back to his mind.

Gazes full of contempt. Scorn, complaints, and ridicules were thrown at him.

The negative memories and emotions came back to him. Was it because of the clear rejection he had received?

(You're the one that made me suffer! You're the one who didn't believe me! You've been tormenting me too!)

For a moment, Nozomu felt like venting his feelings. He wanted to let out all the negative emotions that he had accumulated so far. Just like that time when he slaughtered the Cyclopses.

(Why are you hesitating! You deserve it. You deserve to hurt that stupid girl to your heart's content! Now is the time to make her pay for her betrayal!)

Tiamat's voice echoed inside his head. Indeed, even now, when he remembered the betrayal, he was struck by an indescribable resentment.

A dark urge to make a mess of Lisa and the others. Nozomu could clearly feel it swirling in the depths of his chest.

(It's different from those girls and the fox behind you. What's the harm in destroying them? The girl in front of you no longer needs you, isn't she?)

Tiamat's voice was sweet and whispered in his ear.

The voice soaked into Nozomu's heart like a seduction. As if it were a sweet poison.

"Destroy it. Then you can break away from this girl's curse. Come..."

Tiamat whispered to him that he must destroy Lisa thoroughly. Whenever the dragon whispered, Nozomu's vision gradually turned black.

However…….

"Lisa ..."

"No, no..."

Lisa's voice was simply weak. Her figure was like a piece of paper that would crumble at the slightest touch.

The sight of her made Nozomu's heart ache.

The thing that was tormenting her was something that Nozomu had experienced before.

It was when Ken told him the truth, that he was the one who had set Nozomu up.

At that time, Nozomu was so shaken and angry that he used his power indiscriminately and slaughtered his opponents, even though he was dealing with a demon beast. He couldn't bear to do otherwise.

When confronted with the fact that they had been running away, or turning a blind eye to the fact that they had been running away, people tend to take various defensive measures to protect themselves.

Right now, Lisa was desperately trying to protect herself by running away. Or maybe she had been doing that for the past two years. Just like Nozomu did.

“…………”

(What's the matter, why don't you lay a hand on it?)

Tiamat began to snicker at Nozomu, who was no longer responding to its voice at all.

(Enough……)

(……what?)

(I said that's enough. I'm done with this.)

As soon as Tiamat heard his words, its mouth lifted up.

The expression on its face was as if it was filled with anticipation for what was to come. It was as if it was eagerly awaiting the moment.

Then, Nozomu slowly opened his mouth. What came out of his mouth was .......

"Lisa, I'm sorry ..."

It was a calm voice that sounded like a bell.

"Ah~……"

(Wha!?)

Tiamat's face distorted astonishingly.

Nozomu slowly and gently put his other hand on Lisa's hand and clasped his hand. Her hands were as cold as ice. It was as if she was revealing her true self now.

Both of Nozomu's hands gently wrapped around Lisa's cold hand. As if he were handling something precious that was about to break, Nozomu slowly began to say his apologies.

"I'm sorry I ran away. I'm sorry I didn't notice you...."

It made no difference to him or Lisa that he had run away. So the first thing Nozomu did was to confess his sins and apologize to her.

"I've been running away. If I really cared about Lisa, I should have kept talking to you, no matter how much you cursed me or hit me at that time."

That he didn't try to clear up the misunderstanding. He turned his back on her and left her alone. He used her dreams as an excuse to run away.

"I thought what I did was the best for you, but I ran away and didn't want to face you. I thought that if I continued to train diligently, you would someday believe that the rumors were not true. It was stupid, wasn't it? I want you to see me even though I ran away and wouldn't face you..."

The sins that he had committed against her. Nozomu spoke of it as it is and repeated his apology.

(You! What do you think you're doing?)

Tiamat's angry voice echoed in Nozomu's mind like a thunderclap.

He was so angry that anyone with a weak heart would have collapsed.

However, Nozomu also retorted without losing.

(I never said anything about destroying Lisa! I didn't decide to come to this school to do such a thing!)

(Do you really think you can go back to normal now! It's useless! You are foolish! Your relationship is already broken! Why are you clinging to something like that!?)

Nozomu couldn't deny Tiamat's words about things already broken.

Indeed, the relationship between these childhood friends was broken no matter how they look at it.

(... I guess so. You're right, the relationship between us is broken. You're right about that.)

(If so, why don't you just cut it off! Just destroy it completely! You should just throw that thing away!)

Tiamat told him to throw it away. But Nozomu shook his head at the words.

(Throw it away?　I can't do that. Because then it would be the same as the last two years. In the end, it's just another escape. What's the difference between that and the way Lisa and the others have been taking out their anger on me?)

Anger, cursing, and trampling will certainly give him temporary satisfaction. But what lies beyond that?

Will he be able to smile and laugh with Iris and the others? Will he be able to show his feelings to his master?

He thought the answer was no. Shino, who was betrayed by her sister, abandoned by her relatives, and ran away, seemed to be very happy when she talked about her family.

She must have been angry, she must have hated them. But she must have still had the feeling of love for them in her heart.

After so many years and struggles, she was able to smile and talk about her family. Even though there was a slight hint of sadness in her smile.

(That's why I'll get over it. We're not going back to our past relationship. As you said, I can't go back to the past.)

No mortal could ever go back in time. Not even Tiamat would be able to.

But he might be able to get over the hurt. No, he has to get over it. If he doesn't, he would never truly be able to heal his wound.

(Perhaps each of us can walk a different path while looking forward. That would at least be much better than what we have now!)

Don't be swept away by anger, don't throw it away, but accept everything, including the negative emotions, and get over it. No matter how long it took, he would do it for himself and the people who had supported him.

That was the conclusion that Nozomu came to.

(~! You bastard!!)

"Guh!"

With a sharp, strange voice, Tiamat began to apply pressure on Nozomu.

The immense force tightened on Nozomu's spirit and crushed his soul.

It was as if a vise was tightening on his head, but Nozomu gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

"~~!"

While gritting his teeth to the point of breaking, Nozomu gently clasped Lisa's hand. Nozomu's hand was trembling to his own surprise.

Even though he was shaking, Nozomu's warmth could be felt in her cold hands. The heat gradually began to melt the icy arrow that had pierced Lisa's chest. Lisa's expression relaxed for a moment as she felt her heart getting warmer and warmer. It was as if she had found a lost treasure.

But the feeling that her feet were about to fall off did not leave her head. The words of rejection had subsided, but her body still hadn't stopped trembling either.

"Lisa ..."

Lisa kept rejecting Nozomu. She turned her head and never makes eye contact with Nozomu.

"I see... I understand."

However, Nozomu was not angry with Lisa. He can't be angry.

The way she kept running away was exactly the same as he used to be. So he just held her hand and accepted the way she kept running away.

Lisa weakly tried to escape from Nozomu. Nozomu gently pulled Lisa's hand away, burning the image firmly into his own eyes.

Nozomu continued, carefully placing Lisa's body in Camilla's hands as if he were handling a piece of cracked glass.

"Eh~?"

Camilla sounded like she was in a daze. However, she firmly supported Lisa's body even though she was shaken.

"Camilla, take Lisa to her dormitory. I'm sorry, but you'll have to support her body along the way."

“…………”

Camilla and Lisa stared at Nozomu with wide eyes. Lisa's shoulders were still shaking slightly as Nozomu glances over at them.

"Don't worry, I won't come any closer."

The pain in his head made him sweat, but Nozomu tried his best to smile. But his face was twitching, and it was clear that he was overdoing it.

"Let's go"

Nozomu urged them to leave, and they started walking, walking towards the girls' dormitory.

Soon, Camilla, Lisa who was supported by Camilla's shoulders, Irisdina, and Feo followed behind.

Nozomu slowly stepped forward to keep pace with Lisa, who was supported by Camilla's shoulder. He kept a distance of three body lengths from Lisa, and with Camilla supporting her, he tried to keep his figure out of Lisa's sight as much as possible.

Eventually, they arrived at the main gate of the girls' dormitory.

As Lisa and the others were about to pass through the dormitory gate, Nozomu called out to them.

"Lisa, just listen to me. I was training on the outer edge of the city that day."

Lisa still did not turn around to look at Nozomu. However, she didn't move her feet forward but stood there.

Nozomu also stared at Lisa's small rear view but continued to speak.

"Lisa, you said I betrayed you, but I didn't do that. I'm telling you that I'm not lying."

A moment of silence passed. Lisa eventually disappeared into the dormitory without saying a word back.

At that moment, Nozomu's body tilted unsteadily.

"~! Nozomu!"

"Haa, haa, haa ......"

Irisdina caught Nozomu's body as he wobbled and almost collapsed. She saw that Nozomu's face was completely pale, and he was breathing hard and in agony.

Iris quickly squeezed his face into her chest and put her hand on Nozomu's cheek.

"Nozomu ..."

"Fu~, fu~ ..."

Irisdina gently stroked his cheek.

Nozomu's face was as cold as a dead man's. Irisdina's face distorted painfully at the sight of Nozomu gasping for air.

When Nozomu's breathing calmed down, his face finally began to regain its redness.

"Thank you, Iris. You've saved me again..."

"N-no, umm... are you okay now?"

Irisdina's face finally showed relief when she heard Nozomu's voice. However, the relief was only temporary, and her eyes soon clouded over with worry.

Nozomu smiled and slowly stood up. But Irisdina's gloomy expression remained unchanged.

At that moment, Feo, who was behind Nozomu, called out to him.

"Are you sure about this, Nozomu? You didn't tell her everything."

"Yeah, it's not the same as with Iris and the others. If I tell her everything now, she's not going to accept it. If I try to force it out of her, it might break her..."

The reason why he was able to understand Iris and the others was because they also wanted to understand him. It all started with the clash between Nozomu and Mars, but the only reason they were able to understand each other again was that they both felt the same way inside.

However, when Nozomu tried to force Lisa to come to him, she pulled away. And there was still no sign that she was willing to face him.

"So this is fine. For now ..."

Nozomu looked once more at the door through which Lisa had disappeared, then turned on his heel and walked away.

He had been able to tell her something about himself even though it was only a little bit. With that slight sense of fulfillment, he was ready for what's to come.

“……………..”

Irisdina stared at Nozomu's back.

"Nozomu ..."

She muttered his name, and before she knew it, her hands were clasped hard on her chest.

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

It was already past midnight, and everyone in the city was asleep. The Gloaurum Institute was located next to the Solminati Academy. In one corner of the building, an experiment was about to begin.

A huge and complicated magic formation was drawn on the floor of the room, and six magic stones were placed in the training area. Researchers in white coats were busily coming and going in the laboratory.

At a distance from the white-coated researchers, there was a group of people wearing outfits that were also unsuitable for this place.

They were of various races, including humans and demihuman, but they were dressed in fine clothes.

They were mainly influential people of the city living in the northern section of Arcazam, and they also served as ambassadors sent to the city from various countries.

They were from a wide variety of races, and some of them were not originally from this city, but have come all the way from their own countries. That was enough to tell others how important this experiment was.

Their eyes were glued to the researchers busily working in front of them and the huge magic formation in front of them.

They had probably never seen magic of this magnitude before. Some of them looked curiously and unreservedly. But the majority of them had an indescribable nervousness in their eyes.

In front of them stood a giant man, watching the movements of the researchers and the leading figures of the city with a keen eye.

The man was carrying a gigantic sword that exceeded his height. A warrior clad in silvery armor. Perhaps inspired by the tension exuding from his body, some of the influential people who had just been giving the researchers an impassive look awkwardly hid behind the other influential people.

A young man in a white coat approached him. It was Torgrain, the leader of this experiment.

"Jihad-dono, the preparations are complete. We can begin the experiment at any time."

"All right. We will now begin the experiment. The purpose of the experiment, as I told you beforehand, is to interfere with the remains of the Abyss Grief that appeared in the forest on the outskirts of this city."

At that time, a huge iron box was brought into the laboratory. All the eyes in the room were drawn to the huge box.

Steel chains were wrapped around it, and a magic formation was drawn on one side of the box to seal it.

It still glowed with a faint magical light, indicating that the seal was still intact.

The purpose of this experiment, as Jihad had mentioned earlier, was to find out the true identity of the Abyss Grief that Nozomu and the others had defeated.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the experiment is ready. We will now conduct the experiment..."

Jihad's firm voice echoed in the laboratory.

They have already gathered a certain amount of data from the corpse and magical stones. According to this data, they know that this black demon beast was made up of the bodies of several extremely condensed demon beasts.

This was because not only the bones of four-legged monsters like the Wild Dog were found in the corpse, but also the bones of many bipedal monsters like goblins.

The mess of overlapping muscles was too alien to be a living creature, and it still emitted a black miasma as if it had been contaminated.

Jihad's words were answered by an old man who had the calmest atmosphere of all the influential people gathered.

He had golden hair and a beard mixed with white. His cheeks were deeply etched with the time he had spent in the past, but his eyes held deep reasoning and a strong will.

His costume was more expensive than those of other influential people. He wore the emblem of this Arcazam City, which was a cross between a quill, a sword, and a wand.

His name is Haibao Fōka, and he is the chairman of the parliament that governs Arcazam, a man who is highly respected by all nations.

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Jihad-dono, Torgrain-dono, and everyone."

Dignified words echoed in the laboratory. A word from the chancellor and the tension riose quickly.

Jihad nodded, and Torgrain gave instructions to the gathered researchers. After confirming that a total of six researchers were standing in front of the magic stones placed around them, Torgrain slowly drew a formation in the air.

The next moment, the sealing magic formation on the iron box disappeared, followed by the shattering of the chains that were wrapped around the box. The sound of the chains falling on the floor echoed, and the iron box slowly opened.

At the same time, a tense atmosphere filled the laboratory. Everyone in the lab gasped at the unpleasant sensation as if they were being stroked on the neck with ice.

As Jihad and the others looked on, the remains of a demon beast were finally exposed under the magic lights.

A black, jet-black demon beast. The head was completely blown off and the remains were so disintegrated that it was impossible to guess its original form.

The demon beast should have been long dead by now. However, the remains were emitting a miasma that sent chills down their spine.

Ten years ago, a huge invasion of demon beasts had destroyed three countries in the blink of an eye. An unidentified demon beast that had been spotted at that time. This experiment could possibly lead to the investigation of the cause of that tragedy.

With this thought in mind, Torgrain, who was overseeing the experiment, slowly opened his mouth.

"The experiment will now begin..."

The researchers who had regained their senses held their hands over the magic stones in front of them.

Six magic formations were constructed around the magic formation, and six colors of light (red, blue, green, yellow, white, and black) began to leak from the magic stones.

When the light flooded out of the magic stones, Torgrain activated the magic formation that was drawn all over the floor. The six colors of magical power that had been floating around the area began to gather around the remains of Abyss Grief like a whirlpool.

The vortex of magic power gradually accelerated. Eventually, a squeaky sound like ringing in the ears began to echo.

The purpose of this experiment was to irradiate the magic power of the six attributes at the same time in order to analyze what kind of source material the black demon beast was made up of.

At the same time, the changes in the magic power used for the resonance were also analyzed in order to find out what kind of effect that demon beast would have on the surroundings.

The vortex of magic power that was growing stronger was already creating a resonance that could be called noise.

The instruments used for observation were also functioning accurately. Torgrain carefully manipulated the magic vortex using the magic formation in the center of the room while keeping his eyes glued to the instruments.

At last, the resonance of the magic power reached its peak.

The next moment, however, a jet-black light exploded from the center of the magic power that was shining in six different colors.

"Uwa!"

The researchers were surprised by the sudden occurrence. Due to that, the magic that was being used for the experiment became loose.

In the blink of an eye, the vortex of magic power turned black. At that moment, six arms shot out from the depths of the vortex.

"Kyaa!"

"Gahah~!"

The tentacles that flew out bounced off the researchers around them, grabbed the six magic stones that had been placed, and carried them away in the blink of an eye into the vortex of magic power.

"Haibao-dono, Torgrain-dono! Evacuate with the others!"

With Jihad's voice, the soldiers move. Quickly, the soldiers surrounded the vortex of magic power that had turned black.

The researchers who were safe escaped from the laboratory along with other influential people, and the remaining soldiers carried the fallen researchers out.

The remaining soldiers carried the fallen researchers away in their arms. Jihad slowly readied his partner on his back as he watched them evacuate.

The swirling magic power burst out in front of him, and the figure of a demon beast appeared.

"Gurururu ..."

A black demon beast let out a roar that echoed in the stomach. A jet-black miasma drifted in the air, and countless red eyes, stained with hatred, peeked out from all over its body.

"Gagyaaaa!!"

Abyss Grief stood powerfully on its four legs. Its face, reminiscent of a wolf's, was split open vertically, and its countless rows of teeth, sharp as knives, were bared along with a roar. Its two-pronged, blade-like tail was lifted high in the air, glaring at the prey in front of it.

"U, uua ..."

"A, aau ..."

Its majesty was truly that of a demon beast. In the face of such murderous intent and predatory desire that was pounding down on them, the soldiers were completely stiff.

There was no way that this beast would miss such frightened and immobilized foods.

The black demon beast pounced on the soldier who was the closest.

The sound of the stone floor crushed echoed, and in the next instant, the soldier's vision was filled with the inside of the monster's mouth.

In a few moments, the demon beast's jaws would be closed and the soldier's head would be ripped off and fall into the demon beast's guts.

But just as the demon beast's teeth were about to bite into the soldier's neck, the demon beast's body was flung sideways as it spun around.

"A……"

The soldier who let out a dumbfounded voice saw Jihad standing there with a gigantic sword as big as his own torso drawn. The demon beast that was blown away was slammed directly into the wall and screamed in agony.　

"Everyone back off. I'll deal with this demon beast myself."

Jihad's voice echoed through the war-turned-laboratory, loosening the stiffness of the soldiers.

He can't let this demon beast out. There was only one way in and out of the laboratory.

The soldiers formed a line in front of the doorway, using their own bodies as the last barrier to prevent the demon beast from escaping.

Jihad stepped forward to directly confront the demon beast. Jihad held his huge sword on his waist while threatening the Abyss Grief to stay low.

The two glared at each other. A moment of silence passes between the two.

Abyss Grief was the first to move. The four powerful legs of the Abyss Grief were moving like a gale, closing in on Jihad.

Its open jaws came close to tearing Jihad's body apart, but before the jaws could catch Jihad's body, Jihad had swung the huge sword he was holding sideways.

*Clang!*

The clashing sound of the two echoed, and the two interlocked against each other tightly.

The black demon beast's legs were strengthened and about to crush Jihad, but Jihad, while raising his entire body's energy, confronted the attack head on.

Jihad's giant sword also firmly blocked the black demon beast's fangs, which could easily bite through the iron armor.

Giant Sword [Jaw Drop]

A huge longsword that exceeds the height of Jihad's body, which has become a nickname for Jihad.

It is a sword made from a large amount of a rare metal called [Tangrad] which is extremely hard, and it has been Jihad's partner in the tough battles since before the great invasion 10 years ago.

If a sword were only hard, it would break easily, but this is a gem of a sword that uses technology from the East and incorporates metals with different properties to solve this problem.　

However, this metal is extremely heavy, which is why the giant sword is completely unusable for anyone other than jihad.

After all, even if one were to make a normal sword out of this metal, it would weigh more than twice as much as one made of steel. Such a huge sword that exceeds the height of one's body is not something that an ordinary person can use.

However, Jihad, who is one of the most outstanding users in the continent and has an extraordinary body and temperament, is more than capable of using this giant sword.

"Fuh~ ..."

Jihad exhaled a short breath and put more strength into his entire body. The muscles in his arms, which were like logs, swelled up, and the blood vessels emerged.

The balance of their opposing forces collapsed, and Jihad slightly pushed back the black demon beast.

"Gugyaau!?"

Perhaps it was surprising that it was being pushed back by only one person, Abyss Grief hurriedly tried to regain its strength.

"Fuh~!"

At that moment, Jihad took a half step back, relaxed the power he had put into his arms, and half turned away.

With its opponent suddenly relaxed, the Abyss Grief had no target to hit with its power.

As a four-legged beast, it would not stumble backward, but its paws were strengthening to keep its body from leaning more than expected, and as a result, it stopped moving.

"Hmph!"

There was no way Jihad would let that opportunity slip away. Using his leg as a starting point, he turned his body around and slammed his giant sword into the side of his opponent.

The giant blade dug into Abyss Grief's flesh, cutting through its temporarily regenerated muscles and crushing its bones.

The demon beast was blown away again in the same posture. It managed to get back up after being knocked to the floor several times, but Jihad had closed the gap between them.

"Gaaaaaaa!!"

The two tails swung down towards Jihad.

Jihad's previous blow had destroyed one of the black demon beast's forelegs and although it would regenerate quickly, it probably didn't want to be approached by Jihad until it had regenerated.

That's why the black demon beast's tail attack towards Jihad didn't end with one or two strikes, but three or four. Over and over again.

"There! Mmm!"

However, Jihad was able to cope with its tail attack that could even cut off a large tree.

Delicately and sometimes boldly. The way he moved his giant sword without stagnation to deflect the trajectory of the tail showed that he was not a warrior of power alone.

The two sides exchanged blows for a while, but Jihad decided that taking too much time was not a good idea and made his move.

"Fuh~!!"

With all his energy, he swung his giant sword upward and sent the tail, that swung sideways, bounced upward. However, another tail immediately came at him from the opposite direction. Jihad immediately raised his whole body's Qi and strengthened every muscle in his body at once.

"Haaaaa!!"

While swinging the giant sword upward, he twisted his body, and the rotational movement was transmitted to the giant sword through his arm.

The next moment, the giant sword that had been swung straight upward was swung down at once as if twisting its blade back.

There was a roaring sound, and fragments of the shattered stone floor flew through the air along with the tail of the demon beast that had been cut in two.

The agonizing voice of the demon beast echoed in the laboratory along with the fluttering black blood.　

"Gih~…… guaaaa !!"

However, while holding down the pain of losing its tail, the demon beast tried to swing its other remaining tail at Jihad.

However, it was also cut in two by Jihad's giant sword, which was raised in return.

As it watched its own tail fall to the floor, the demon beast kept roaring with grudges.

There was a clear difference in their abilities. The only way was to escape, but the only way out was behind the difficult enemy standing in front of it.

The tail that was cut off has begun to regrow immediately, but it didn't think the enemy in front of it will allow that to happen.

Perhaps it realized that it was no longer possible to defeat this opponent, or perhaps it was desperate to at least get a shot at it. The black demon beast still opened its jaw and plunged straight into Jihad.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!"

A roar that seemed to squeeze all of its life out of it. Even while receiving a roar that made one's entire body tremble, Jihad gazed at the demon beast in front of him with calm eyes.

He built up his Qi all at once and sent it into his entire body.

The huge amount of Qi that came out of Jihad's body spread not only throughout his body but also to the tip of his giant Jaw Drop.

The Abyss Grief leaped up and tried to crush Jihad with its huge body.

But before the fangs of the beast could catch Jihad's body, his giant sword was swung out with a screaming sound.

The giant sword struck deep into the Abyss Grief's body and cut down on one of the jaws that had spread out to the left and right, cutting the black demon beast in two.

The body of the demon beast had split apart. It was instant death.

Jihad let out a small breath of air while swinging his giant sword.

But at that moment, the beast's crimson eyes glittered.

"Gaauuu!"

"Wha!"

The next moment, half of the demon beast that had been split apart was leaping toward the exit of the laboratory. Jihad immediately swung his giant sword to stop it, but the other half of the demon beast's body leaped at him.

"Tch!"

Jihad clicked his tongue. He used his Jaw Drop as a shield to block the half of the beast, but it stopped him in his tracks.

In the meantime, the other half of the Abyss Grief was pushing forward towards the exit.

The soldiers were surprised by the black demon beast that came out of the ground. At that moment, however, a soldier jumped out in front of the monster.

"Stop it! Don't let it pass through here!"

His voice rang out to his colleagues who were waiting at the exit.

Due to his voice, the other soldiers started to move at once.

They held up their shields in unison and formed a huge wall to block the path of the demon beast.

"Gaaaaaaaaaa !!"

A roar was heard. It was as if told them to get out of the way. The demon beast rushed forward and crashed into the wall of soldiers.

The soldiers were pushed back by the force of the rush. The fangs of the demon beast pierced through the shield and the body of the soldier who had just jumped out in front of the demon beast.

"Guh~!!"

The soldier groaned as the foreign object invaded his body, biting into his arms and torso while making a squealing sound.

However, he desperately pushed down the scream that he was about to shout and tried to push back the demon beast with his colleagues.

"Gi, gigigyau...!"

The demon beast was surprised to find that the soldiers were able to block its body, even if it was only half of its body. It immediately tried to jump away, but with half of its body missing, it was unable to put enough strength into it.

In addition, the soldiers who had come around thrust their swords into the monster's body.

The sword struck at the wound that had been opened in the fight with Jihad, and cut the inside of the demon beast.

"Gi~, gyaau!!"

"Now! Push it back!"

For a moment, the pressure on the shield weakened.

The soldiers who had been holding the demon beast's body all put their strength into their legs at the same time and repelled the demon beast that was trying to escape.

The Abyss Grief staggered backward. However, the Abyss Grief did not give up and was about to charge again. But a huge shadow covered the demon beast.

The beast's blood-red eyes caught the giant sword raised behind it. It had a power of destruction far more vicious than the decapitation blade.

The person handling the giant sword could see half of the demon beast's body smashed at his feet. The moment it looked into Jihad's eyes, the demon beast's body froze.

The glint in Jihad's eyes was a rage that was accompanied by murderous intent. The sight of his wounded subordinate reminded him of the tragedy of ten years ago.

"Be crushed..."

It was a clear death sentence. Without giving the demon beast a chance to move, the Jaw Drop literally crushed half of the Abyss Grief's body on the stone floor.

"Are you okay!?"

When Jihad confirmed that the black demon beast he had crushed had stopped moving, he immediately rushed over to his men.

The soldier who was bitten by the beast was sitting on the floor, and his colleagues were desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

"Y-yes ... somehow"

Blood was trickling from the wound, staining the soldier's armor bright red, but the injured soldier was clearly conscious.

Hearing the soldier's firm answer, Jihad patted his chest.

Aside from being in the forest, this was one of the leading research institutes on the continent, and the medical facilities were well-equipped.

In fact, a doctor carrying a bag of medical tools came in from the entrance of the laboratory. If he was immediately treated by an excellent doctor, his life would not be in danger.

Jihad left the injured men to the doctor's care and ordered the remaining men to report the situation to Torgrain and the others, while he turned his attention to the Abyss Grief he had just defeated.

The body of the black demon beast had begun to disintegrate, exposing the same crumpled body it had when it came here.

However, he no longer felt the same chill that he had when it had been brought here.

"Jihad-dono!"

Torgrain heard his men's report and rushed over.

Is it......really over?

In the end, the only thing left was the lump of flesh from the demon beast, and it didn't move a muscle. However, if one were to look at what happened here today, it was true that this was not the end of it.

As he looked down at the corpse of the Abyss Grief, Jihad's mind kept repeating the unanswerable question.