abcnovels
Chapter 118
Chapter 118
Chapter 118
With a thundering roar, the last spell that Rinne released burned the giant Dragon to the ground.
It destroys the earth, and it rises a cloud of dust to rob her sight.
“…… This is not good.”
Contrary to Sukuna who collapsed from the recoil of full-powered [Meteor Impact], Rinne, who had just released magic, still had leeway to look around.
That’s why she noticed. The giant Dragon hasn’t fallen yet.
It was the largest thunderbolt she could unleash at the moment, and it was powerful enough to shave off more than one HP bar of the giant Dragon.
Drago’s [Starlight Slasher] has injured the giant Dragon leaving only 2.5 bars of its HP; from that point, Sukuna and the others were trying to shave off about 0.5 HP bar in the four and a half minutes while protecting Rinne.
And finally, Rinne’s attack had shaved what was left of the third bar to the entirety fourth bar.
And from here, only one bar is left.
That’s right. The remaining HP giant dragon has exactly only one bar.
With that, Rinne and her group reduced the giant Dragon’s HP enough to start its final phase.
If they can organize the raid a little bit better, her attack could have worked as a finishing move.
Or at least, if Drago, Erumi, and other stray players still survived, they could manage to do something and deal damage, that’s why it’s not impossible to defeat it.
But this raid party was falling apart too fast.
In the first place, it was already impossible for four people to cut down more than half of the remaining total of Dragon’s HP.
Yet, they managed to do that. And since they did, all they can do is to face the wave attack that would once again scorch the ground.
And what’s more, this time they broke through two bars in one go.
Rinne no longer cared what will come, and a look of resignation is painted on her face.
Like the first and second times, This time too, the giant Dragon has barely moved from the center. The wave will be released from the point where the Dragon is standing, and this Dragon is still holding his ground around the field’s center.
If the Dragon keeps its gauge breaking behavior the same as before, it will soon attack with its wave surge.
Considering Rinne’s position, she won’t die from the wave if she puts up a barrier; of course, that’s a calculation that considers the damage decay from how far the waves travel.
Even considering that the power is increased by two gauges break, the barrier she put up should indeed be able to withstand it since she was positioned on the edge of the field.
But that’s just for Rinne alone.
Sukuna, who is still suffering from a 30-second skill stun penalty due to the recoil of [Meteor Impact], will not be able to survive this.
The moment she realized it, Rinne hurriedly ran to Sukuna’s side. Unlike last time, this current wave would probably come after the Dragon finished its charging sequence.
As if to agree with her thought, there is a sound of something creaking, breaking, and crumbling. The sound is much louder than the first time; it’s totally different from a small sound that only Sukuna could hear.
Noticing the Dragon is still charging its energy, Rinne ran to Sukuna as fast as she could.
She almost stumbled several times because of the scattered debris, but still, she did not stop running and embraced Sukuna.
Sukuna’s weight feels so light in Rinne’s hand; even though Rinne’s status is specialized in magic, she’s still more powerful than the real Rinne.
While chuckling to her inner joke, Rinne took Sukuna further to the field’s edge, as far as she possibly could.
Yes, as far away as possible. To let Sukuna survive.
“Rin-chan?”
“It’s okay. it’s okay.”
Rinne replied gently to Sukuna, who called her name in a forced strange voice because she was still stunned from her attack.
Rinne still had a little bit of MP left, now, all she can do it put up one more barrier and one electric shield. That’s it; those spell is all she could manage.
Even if she drank an MP potion, MP recovery is much slower compared to HP. It won’t help to face what will come soon, and should she survive. She won’t recover enough to defend against the Dragon’s assault since all the hate would be focused on Rinne right now.
That will force Sukuna to protect her useless self. Rinne was sure of that since she understands who and how Nanako Niyado is.
Then what should Rinne do?
Her answers are to perish here so as not to be a burden to Sukuna. She will use her life to protect Sukuna’s.
Rinne cast two defensive spells on the still stunned Sukuna: a barrier and an electric shield.
The single barrier that repelled the wave surge won’t be enough for the current one. That’s why Rinne cast two spells on the Sukuna. Her MP was already gone, and Rinne was unable to do anything else.
With two spells on top of each other, Rinne covers over Sukuna as if to protect her. She truly was trying to protect Sukuna from as much damage as possible.
“Nana.”
“Wait, Rinne…!”
“Take care of the rest.”
After the two defensive magic engulfed Sukuna’s body, a tremor ran through the field.
Along with the roar of the giant beast, a wave surge that burned in all directions is unleashed.
The wave surged through like the wind that calls for death. It wiped clean Rinne’s HP, who stood defenseless.
??
“……a……”
Without meaning, a voice leaked out.
Rin-chan is gone.
Her death is very dull. It was so easy.
She died protecting me.
–It can’t be helped; the opponent was just too strong.
Someone muttered that in my mind.
Yes, it could not be helped.
There was only me and Rin-chan left.
There were supposed to be 30 of us, and we were supposed to fight together.
But only 15 arrive.
That’s why it cannot be helped.
Truly, it cannot.
–It’s just a game. Isn’t it?
Yeah, it is.
There are many of life we had in this world.
Yes, that’s true.
This is a game. That is the truth.
That’s what I whisper to myself.
In order to gain a conviction that I cannot achieve.
I stand up for no reason at all and look at the giant Dragon that killed Rin-chan.
As I stand there in a daze, the giant Dragon once again charging its breath.
It’s the same breath that asks for two players and [Kagenui] sacrifice to finally stop.
If I touch that thing, I’ll be vaporized in an instant.
I know this, but I can’t move my body.
I can’t put my strength into it. And my vision is turning red.
–hey, what will you do now?
[Someone] is muttering something, but I can’t even hear it anymore.
My heart sank to the bottom of despair.
Dying.
…dying.
Everyone is dying in front of me.
I can’t reach them. I can’t protect them.
Even if I wanted to protect them, I couldn’t.
And it was okay.
Because the only thing I wanted to protect was Rin-chan, what happens to the other players is none of my business.
As long as Rin-chan didn’t die, I was fine with that. As long as I could protect the small world I wanted to protect, that was all that mattered.
I forced myself to accept it.
I couldn’t move unless I did so.
That’s how I always suppress, suppress, suppress, and suppress it.
Even then, I couldn’t protect what I wanted to protect after all of that.
If so, then what is the purpose of my power?
For a long time, I’ve entrusted the trigger of a power that could burn even myself to Rin-chan alone.
It was all for the sake of protecting Rin-chan.
And only when she says [it’s okay] will I wield the extreme violence that resides in my body.
The world of WLO was a place where such things were allowed.
This world was such a place for me.
Then, In this world without Rin. What would that make me?
–How the hell am I supposed to use this power?
My vision is turning bright red.
I’m scared.
My heart is creaking, and it’s begun to fall apart.
I’m scared.
I feel the urge swallows up everything.
As everything is dyed in red. REd. ReD. RED.
The urges that filled my heart were burning through my mind like scorching magma.
–You finally remember?
[Somebody], huh.
No, that is “me” of that snowy day.
The “me” who was standing there with tears streaming down her face.
While muttering heartbreaking words.
That’s right.
I know this feeling.
I know the name of this feeling.
Why did I forget it?
Why did I remember it?
What comes back is a distant memory.
What I had forgotten was the urge to destroy.
And what emotion I felt on the day my world was destroyed.
–If this keeps going, everyone will be killed.
“Do-don’t….”
The overflowing emotions made me speak out unintentionally.
Without even realizing it, I give in to the emotions that dictate my body.
The memories are flashing back, memories that I had forgotten.
Before my eyes, the memory of losing everything comes back.
I couldn’t protect it. I couldn’t protect it. I couldn’t even protect what I wanted to protect.
My father, my mother, crushed, red, gone…
That’s why I don’t want to lose anything anymore.
After I remembered that much, I realized the true nature of the emotions that had burned in my heart throughout this battle.
And I enjoy the feelings that still well up in my heart.
It’s been a long, long time since I could remember.
That day when my mother and father died.
I was covered in tears, and this dark but pure feeling I had was not sadness.
It directed itself to this unreasonable world.
And to my powerless self who could not protect anything.
It was a wave of clear, transparent anger.
–You know what to do, don’t you?
Yeah, I know what to do.
Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.
It’s easy.
No need to think about it.
” “Just destroy everything.” ”
The voices of “I” and “me” overlap.
I felt as if a piece that had been missing for a long time had fallen back into place.
?
Protecting Sukuna, Rinne fell.
The giant Dragon stopped attacking after the surge as it had done before; it quietly stopped its movements as if to dissipate the excess heat.
Seeing such a desperate scene, someone who had been watching the battle to destroy the apostles gulped.
In the city of beginnings, in Dualis, in Trillia, in Fias, in Griffith, in Zeronoa, and even beyond all the cities that had nothing to do with the events after the Seventh City.
The battle to defeat the apostles was forecasted by the Eye of God monitor-like projection in the air. Was it for entertainment or to encourage people to evacuate?
In particular, the city residents up to Zeronoa, who might be affected by this battle, were watching the scene while holding their breath.
The remaining amount of HP gauge of the giant Dragon was a exactly one bar.
And the only player left is Sukuna.
And that Sukuna was unable to move, probably due to the shock of Rinne’s death.
As time passed, the giant Dragon begins to move again, even before Sukuna does. And it’s started to pool the light in its massive mouth. Preparing itself to once again releasing a breath of extreme light.
The cruelest of all attack, which had finally dispersed by sacrificing two players earlier, is now directed at Sukuna.
A raid battle with only 15 players, an impossible fight. And that fight will soon be over, and the giant Dragon, Ars Nova, would descend on the city of beginnings.
The players, the viewers, all who watched the official live broadcast, and the residents who watched the Defeat the Apostle battles in every city understood, this is dead-end.
All of them are unconsciously clenching their hands in anticipation of the tragedy that would occur in the city of the beginning.
But.
As if to mocking the world.
Darkness overflowed from beneath Sukuna’s feet. A creepy, dark, heavy darkness enveloped Sukuna’s entire body.
With a scraping sound, the darkness dyed Sukuna’s avatar. Her horns became redder and longer. The white of her eyes turned black, and her blood-dyed eyes became darker and deeper.
*Crackling*
With a small sound, a black crack appears on her white skin.
The cracks spread all over her body, and the darkness leaked and fizzled out from the gaps.
“A— ha!”
A sinister voice was heard.
The demoness (Sukuna) laughed quietly as a feeling of joy enveloped her entire body.
Her figure was reminiscent of a legendary Kishin.
Sukuna’s avatar is transformed into a form most suitable for activating the skill.
“What the hell is that ……?”
The muttering of the NPC boy who had witnessed the battle in the city of beginning triggered an uproar.
Because it was the question of every player’s heart, and it was the same for the inhabitants of this world.
The transformation took a less than ten seconds. And even after the transformation, the feature of Sukuna’s avatar is still intact enough for people to recognize her as her.
And that Sukuna turned her gaze cautiously towards giant Dragon’s breath that was about to be unleashed,
Her form now is just… unexplainable; one thing for sure, it disturbs the feeling to anyone who sees it, because the demon’s appearance was inexplicably full of sorrow.
“Sukuna…. you…”
Kohaku, who had been preparing for the worst in the city of beginnings, became upset when she saw Sukuna’s appearance.
Melty already warned her about this, but Kohaku was too optimistic about Sukuna’s possibility until she finally saw it with her own eyes.
It was a shame that Kohaku couldn’t even see the darkness hidden in the girl named Sukuna.
She had fallen into the abomination. What manifest now, without a doubt is the power of the Kishin itself, the power of a disaster that punishes the world.
Kohaku feels her chest tightening as she considers the possibility to took Sukuna’s life with her own hands.
She then clenched her hand while keeping her gaze at the black tears of the crying demoness.
?
System announcements rang in the ears of people all over the world.
It was a bell announcing the end, a song celebrating the birth of a disaster.
<<The Emotional Value of Player “Sukuna” has exceeded a specified value.>>
<<Search: Checking the player’s race. Approved. She has met the activation condition for race-specific skill.>>
<<Activating Bad Skill [Bouga no Ikari]{Anger’s Ecstasy}.>>
<<Alert: Activation Cancelled.>>
<<Alert: The player’s emotional value has exceeded the threshold.>>
<<Search: [Kishin’s Blessing], confirmed.>>
<<Search: [Kishin’s Elements], confirmed.>>
<<Search: [Oni no Mai], confirmed. Override the limited usage, upper damage cap and the cool time of all arts.>>
<<Results: All erosion conditions have been met.>>
<<Alert: Erosion caused by the world’s seven great disasters, [Wrath], will now occur.>>
<<Target player: Sukuna.>>
<<Release Time: 5 minutes.>>
… -, —, —————
Hazard: Deadly Skill [Furious Rage] will now running.
Let the overrun begins.
*===*
The giant dragon howls, and the Oni laughs.
Just for the sake of destroying the enemy in front of you.
*===*
Tl note:
the formatting has been weird in wp lately, my format in words is not like this, it’s more… organized.
I know this since I read ahead, I already knew this, and I still cried translating the first part of this chapter…
Kishin = Demon God, or it could be the evolution of the Oni race; I will leave it as Kishin, since I don’t know which path this author will take. (personally, I think it also cooler this way)
And just to made it clear, those blessings and elements can be read as:
Demon God’s Blessing
Demon God’s Elements
Demon’s Dance –> Oni no Mai, just in case Somebody forgot.
About her skill… [Furious Rage] .. yeah this not exactly a literal translation, I need to get creative with this.
If I want to literally translate it, it will become something like ‘Rage Berserk’ or ‘Berserk of Rage’ yup not berserker, but berserk. It’s not mistranslation on my part, so I’m using Furious as the replacement of that words.
Also, since I had finished 2 chapter ahead (currently proof reading it) I did not regret it, Furious was truly a good word to express her state.