Chapter 457 Controlling Illusions
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Hiroya’s POV)
”You’re doing something strange. No choice… I’ll carve you up.”
The woman raised her left hand while scratching her head, looking annoyed.
The moment she did, the surroundings were enveloped in a pitch-black barrier.
”If you’re going to face me, you’ll have to do it in ‘my field’.”
She jumped back, creating distance between us.
’My Lord… be cautious. This barrier is not magic.’
Lilith spoke to me with an unusual seriousness.
I lightly jumped and moved side to side to check my body’s movements.
(It doesn’t seem like my movements are being hindered…)
’Hmm… So is there any force acting on the man?’
”You’re pretty careful. Don’t worry. It’s not a barrier that does anything to you. I just have to ‘cut out the space’ from that entrance hall to prevent the other people from getting in.”
The woman holds 2 hatchets and looks around.
”Look, it looks spacious and easy to fight, right?”
As the woman says, it’s certainly broad.
…More than the entrance hall I used to stay in until recently.
”If I slam it, will this barrier disappear?”
”Until I undo the barrier with my own will, until I lose consciousness, until I die…. Until then you will not be able to leave here.”
”Well… I’ll finish this quickly and get some help from the old man’s guys, I suppose.”
I sank my body low and put my hand on Yamikirimaru.
”I’ll go then!”
The woman leapt.
* * *
(Gargantua’s POV)
”Where did Hiroya and the woman go?”
Suddenly, I felt a powerful force behind me, so I turned around and found that Hiroya and the woman were surrounded by something black spherical… and disappeared instantly.
──Hiroya and the woman.
”…Don’t worry. That woman──Rebecca’s power. She must have moved to another space and fought there.”
Giacomo, who was facing Shinji, answered me with greatsword in his response.
”Are you worried that you can’t see your son…?”
”No. ──He’s already surpassed me.”
Shinji is closing the distance with Giacomo, step by step.
(Shinji seems fine. I should focus on the enemy in front of me…)
I climbed the stairs towards the big man holding a spear above.
* * *
”──What!?”
I dashed up the stairs and swung my great naginata at the enemy, but there was no resistance at all.
(An illusion…?)
However, as the opponent leaped back to the second floor and thrust at me, I blocked it with my great naginata…
(The opponent’s attack is… not an illusion!?)
──Thud!
I felt a heavy impact.
(What is going on?)
I stepped into the ‘S-rank domain’ and swiftly circled behind the opponent.
The big man immediately turned around and unleashed a flurry of spear strikes.
(He’s definitely responding at S-rank speed…)
If this is an illusion created by the enemy, it shouldn’t be possible.
Whether the real body is S-rank or not, the illusion cannot enter ‘that domain.’
(Either way… does that mean the real body is elsewhere?)
I need to find it, but I can’t ignore this illusion either.
After all, ‘the attack is real.’
There’s no killing intent… but without a doubt, the high-speed thrusts aimed at my body are being deflected by the grip of my great naginata.
(It’s easy to block. I can handle it with my speed. But…)
I seized the opportunity in the opponent’s attack and swung the butt of my weapon down towards the opponent’s head.
──Clang!
I pierced the big man, and the butt of my great naginata struck the floor.
My attack isn’t getting through at all.
(In any case, I should try whatever attacks I can.)
”Raijin Kizan (Thunder God Slash)!”
I concentrated magical power into my great naginata.
Instantly, lightning wrapped around the ‘blade,’ and the ‘back edge’ began to shine golden.
(The magical power is stronger than before!?)
There are far more lightning bolts than usual.
It must be the effect of Master Toldo’s sharpening.
While marveling at his skill, I swung my great naginata down at the big man.
The lightning unleashed from the tip struck the big man directly.
(As expected, it has no effect… but what is this…?)
The figure of a large man wrapped in lightning flickered for a moment.
Such a phenomenon had not occurred from the direct attacks earlier.
(Did my magical power… interfere with the illusion that the main body is likely controlling?)
Instantly, I unleashed “Raijin Kizan (Thunder God Slash)” once more.
The lightning struck, and his figure flickered again.
And…
(I sense ‘intent’… is it being sent from somewhere to control this ‘illusion’?)
”Then…!”
I deflected the increased thrusts while channeling my magical power.
Though the number of attacks had increased, their lack of precision clearly showed the enemy’s panic.
”Enjin Ranbu (Flame God Dance)!”
This time, I swung the great naginata wrapped in flames.
Aiming the tip at the enemy, I surrounded him with swirling fire.
(With this…!)
Beyond the swirling flames, the figure of the large man gradually thinned while flickering.
And the ‘intent’ I felt earlier grew even stronger.
”──!”
The strength of that ‘intent’ made it easy for me to track him.
As I turned around, I hurled the great naginata at the wall behind me.
I felt a powerful ‘intent’ emanating from there.
”Gobfu!?”
As the flames subsided, only the spear lay on the floor.
Looking towards the direction of the scream, I saw a small man impaled on the wall by the great naginata.
”Y-You… how dare you harm my ‘shadow’!”
The small man cried out, groaning in pain, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
”Is this illusion… your creation?”
”N-No! The ‘shadow’ is not an illusion! It’s my… my partner!”
I approached him and pulled the great naginata from the wall.
Like a puppet with its strings cut, the small man collapsed to the floor.
”I thought it was a magic I had never seen before. Did that large man manifest from the power you were born with?”
Such beings are rare.
Those born with ‘anomalies’ that are neither skills from their profession nor magic.
This small man is likely one of those exceptional existences.
”Why do you not fight yourself? If you call it a partner, why let only that ‘shadow’ fight?”
”I-I… I do not possess… the power of rank S…”
The small man, holding his heavily bleeding abdomen, gasped for breath and answered with difficulty.
”You don’t try to change your own weakness, and only let your created partner fight… That’s what we call ‘cowardice.’”
I drew my tachi and pointed the tip at the crouching small man.
”No, you was controlling the illusion manifested by your own power… with ‘thought.’ It can be interpreted that you was fighting yourself. For someone like you… this is my final mercy. I will free you from that pain and suffering.”
I swung the tachi down towards the small man’s neck.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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