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Chapter 143: Shaman VS Spirit Master (2)
Chapter 143: Shaman VS Spirit Master (2)
Chapter 143: Shaman VS Spirit Master (2)
Inside Seyrams watery insides, I stopped thrashing about. Swimming wont do me any good here. Once youre in this damned aquatic prison of a body, there is no reason in struggling, theres no way out.
Nows around the time my oxygen bar runs dry and my HP starts to drop instead But no worries.
The Shaman is weak. Weaker still when, like in my current situation, he hasnt had any decent prep time. I can proudly admit I know exactly where my strengths lie.
But I went and did it. Despite knowing that this guardian beast Seyram was protecting Reina, I carried out my plan anyway.
Even a single one of these guardians are way too strong. Even with superior Rem, no, even if all of us ganged up on one, I dont see a way we could win. I mean, she's literally made of water right? Dont think physical attacks will work that well. So despite my hesitation at first, I did it regardless.
What Im trying to say here is that I wasnt underestimating these things thinking I could take them if its one by one.
But let me just say this If its this one here, I can work something out, no problem.
Blubh!
Curse time. I open a palm and let some blood flow out. Its my blood. A shamans blood: Black Bloodline.
That blood quickly dissolved into the fluid currents. Should be enough. One drop is always all it takes.
Now, lets get the party started eat acid, Rotten Bog.
RRRHHAAAAAAA!!
Waaghh!?
With an ear-splitting scream, she spit me out. It was so fast, I couldnt react at all and landed face first on the grass. My nose, my poor nose.
My nose is numbed from the pain, but I still make out the damned water spirit screeching like she was calling Onee-sama! at Reina.
Huff haaa Hah, HAHAHAHA! Like that? Thats the feeling of getting your body getting pumped full of acid!
Operation complete. Feels so good, Im cackling like a generic villain.
Right now, Seyram is screaming in suffering and agony. The cause being naturally, me, as Id manifested my Rotten Bog inside it.
This instance of Rotten Bog made using my own blood didnt need to be in the ground. It called forth its acid on the spot. Usually, the curse makes a bog of a limited radius, but theres always plentiful bog acid to go around. I estimate its enough to easily fill up a bathtub.
I blasted the water spirit with all that acid smack dab inside the stomach.
Kyaaaa! Sey-san! Noo, Sei-san!
OOOO, KIAAAA!
Yeah, of course, Reina would notice. And not only because of the screaming. With the bog acid bubbling inside, the guardians watery body was quickly saturated with the stuff and the whole thing became a vivid muddy-red.
I can hypothesize that Seyram should be fine with some poison or other harmful liquids getting inside her. If shes meant for combat, this sort of defense, immunity? Internal plumbing? Anyway, she ought to be built in with that kind of stuff.
But if the icky piles up so much it literally makes her color change, I doubt she can clean up fast enough. She was in too much pain to do anything.
Seyram, right now, couldnt focus on her enemy or her master. She could simply writhe under my cursed acid as it melted apart her delicate liquid body.
But it still isnt dead. Lets not leave things undone.
Soar, oh wings of misfortune, rooted in this Contra-beat Butterfly
Been a while since I used this one. This time, Im using antidote made from blueflowers as the root. This curse will turn my poison relief into a poison aggravator.
Seyram is currently in a state where her whole body is bubbling with poison, so this will work just wonders.
The swarm of butterflies makes their way towards the red and rotting creature of water. With the power to seriously ruin your day, the butterflies quietly and gracefully land on her as if shes a delectable flower.
RRRHHHAAAAAA
Just as the swarm touched Seyram, they became phantasmal particles of light and vanished. And with the last of its death throes, the guardian beast was no more. Seyrams body lost its shape as she splattered onto the fairy square grass, now looking a lot like sewage, like a disgusting pile of sludge.
It was me, a weak Shaman, versus her, an overpowered guardian spirit of water. My victory was solely due to exploiting its elemental weakness.
Yup, looks like guardian beasts arent all that smarter than normal ones. To win, Seyram should have kept hitting me with waterballs, killing both of us. If she did, Id be dead, and Reina would be fine.
She thought she could kill me indirectly by drowning me inside her body, but that plan didnt go that well now did it?
Guess I can say I was sure Seyram would never choose to sacrifice herself for a lowly shaman like me. Ultimately, it was Reina herself who didnt want to lose her precious guardian.
Sure, if she actually played that master part of Spirit Master, Shed be wary of my Rotten Bog and realize how it was, affinity-wise, disastrous for Seyram. She shouldve come at me with the resolve to lose her beast. See, I dont actually know if these spirits can be revived, or if they die when theyre killed.
But there are certainly no extra lives for Reina herself. Even if she lost Seyram, she can just strive to get stronger as a Spirit Master, and maybe in the future, she would have gotten her hands on an even stronger spirit, maybe even a higher tiered Seyram, like, greater water spirit or something.
And there you have it. Reina was a fool to think she could get by doing absolutely no work. Thats why she lost.
Reina
Hiii!?
Her last ray of hope gone, Reinas face dyed in fear. In her eyes, I must look something like a devil or the grim reaper. Not that I disagree.
Any last words?
I draw my insta-kill weapon, Red Knife, and inch towards her.
N-No, please, no, don't do this, noo
Reina quickly degraded to a sobbing mess. Co~me o~n. We were in the same team for a bit, so the least I could do is hear your parting words. Goodness, the same egotistic child as ever I see.
But thats staying in character I guess. Its thanks to this attitude of yours that we ended up like this. But you dont regret any of that do you?
Sure sure. My words wont get through to you anyway. Guess, this is it then I dont need the whole let you beg for your life and then kill you shtick
I stop around 3 meters away from her. Reina herself is so weak, even I could kill her with just a knife. But you can never be too careful. Im thinking of those action dramas where the two people get into a last struggle, the one with the knife finally ending up stabbed instead. Yeah, no thanks.
So Ill be using blackhair bind to murder her safely from a distance. From here, I can stab the neck or heart or wherever I please.
Die bitch!
KYAAAAAA!!
With 100% accuracy, my red knife pierces Reinas neck Not.
The scorching red blade wont reach. It stopped dead right at her neck.
What the fuck!? Cant move it! Move damniiit!
NOOO!!
My blackhair tentacle isnt moving no matter how much I push, no matter how much mana I pump into it. Its completely frozen in place.
The hell man, dont fucking tell me, In the crisis of her life, Reina awakened the psychokinetic ESP sleeping inside her? Im-fucking-possible, How the even No wait.
Maybe not so im-fucking-possible. Its not ESP, but I do know of something similar.
No its not, Sacred Tongue: Word of Rejection!?
Thats what the Sage Takanashi Kotori had. Its a self-defense magic that, from just her shouting, any physical attack would be rendered immobile.
Ive seen it in action too, so I connected it to this.
I already know theres intermixing of skills amongst different callings. So Word of Rejection is likely a rare skill granted to mages and not a special skill only for the sage. Hell, I could even believe Reina suddenly getting this power now that she lost all her spirit beasts and was forced to fend for herself.
Who knows, it could even be one of her three starter skills.
Motherffff you just HAD to get a stupid power-up!
I am not, NOT, letting this become a hero turns the tables with last-minute deus ex machina clich.
I retrieve the knife, planning to finish her with my own hands.
Good thing Sacred Tongue: Word of Rejection doesnt deal any damage.
That time when we had to deal with a swarm of ants plus the mantis, the skill was overruled. With willpower and tenacity, I should be able to do the same.
So I make my attack to end this.
Noooo! Get away! IhateyouIhateyouIhateyou-I-HATE-YOU!!
Ngahh!?
Under the power of Reinas utter and complete rejection, my body was paralyzed head to toe in the Imma stab you pose.
Ugh, I-I cant Cant move dammit! Wait, whats, Im having trouble breathing and, and I kinda feel something, like something grating inside me it, it hurts!?
Ghgh, ghaa
IhateyouMomokawa-kun!
Sh-shut up you. I cant stand that squeaky voice. It grates on my mind shit, what the fuck is this, is this really Word of Rejection?
No, maybe not. It could be a stronger skill that stops the enemy AND causes damage.
Dont-come-close-to-me, EVER-AGAIN!!
GUOOOOO!?
It feels like all the muscles in my body are tearing off and my head stings like crazy. I have no idea how, but Im definitely sustaining bodily damage. Its not like I was cut or tackled but this damn pain, its like a telepathic attack on the mind or like a physical effect generated via pure mana. Dammit, dammit, I cant think of anything to fight this.
And why the hell isnt pain return working on her? Did this power nullify even that No, no, its because this isnt being considered an active form of attack. Reina is simply standing there while Im doing the attacking, so theres nothing to Return.
Another way to look at it is that Reina simply laid down a trap, and I stepped into it on my own. If the enemy doesnt directly attack, Pain Return doesnt have a target to act on.
Get out!
GAH AAAAGHHAAA
Blood spurt from my nose. Now its even causing bleeding. Fuck, Im gonna die at this rate. This mystery skill is gonna kill me by bleeding me dry from all the pores in my body.
Should I back off for now? I kinda feel like this power isnt preventing me from backing away. Meaning, I still have the option to retreat.
Yeah right. Im never gonna get another chance to get this close to her if I let this go. I just know it. If I let myself accept this Rejection, theres no looking back. I cant do that.
That means, this, right here, right now, is my one and only chance to kill Reina.
GET OUT!!
KHHAaaa
But my willpower isnt enough wont move my body. Ill be dead before I can muster up that much.
No use, I cant reach her. No matter how I struggle Im forever a mere 30 centimeters away. My flimsy morsels of courage and guts werent doing shit to this invisible wall.
Pain is gnawing at my head and everywhere else. And its getting worse. At this point, my nose is gushing and I think Im crying out blood.
U ugh, bleergh!!
And then theres the vomit. That boar stew I treated myself as a last supper of sorts is all over the floor now.
Ahh, hell, Im really gonna die here. Im done, Im so done. In the end, a chum like me cant even hope to get vengeance.
The thing called pain, it makes everything its bitch. My seething desire to murder is cooling fast. Its enough. I tried. Theres things you can do and things you cant. A Shaman just cant win against a cheat tier calling like Spirit Master. Its time to face facts.
Yamajun wouldnt have wanted me to do this. If he saw me right now, I bet hed tell me to stop, with that worried look of his.
So this is enough. I really did get close to killing Reina. Lets leave it at that.
Isnt it fine? Just let this girl wander the dungeon forever with that fake Souma-kun.
Yeah, Im, just, fine
You
Yeah, Im fine not killing her anymore.
Kill you
So Ill just, get some help.
Reinaa Ill, fucking
Yo Higuchi. Lend me a hand here. Help me kill like you.
KILL YOU!
I drop red knife.
And in its place, grab Higuchis butterfly knife from my pocket.
Its unbelievably sharp. And somehow, just holding it makes me itch for murder. Its like the thing is possessed by all of Higuchis malice.
AAAAAAA!!
Am I real life? I can move. With this knife, I can move.
Those infinite 30 centimeters are finally reaching zero.
NOOOO! Ihatey-AAAA!!
UOOOOOH
Scattering fresh blood from my nose and eyes while vomiting relentlessly, I go for the kill like a zombie seeking prey. Everything hurts, everythings heavy.
I trip on my feet, knife on the ready.
A!
When I came to, I was on top of Reina.
Id blanked out for a second. But the knife was still firmly in my hand.
KYAAA!! WAAAA!!
Having become my mount, the girl seems to have finally lost it. She cried and screamed and struggled violently. But she lacked the strength to push off even a scrawny guy like me.
Reinas Rejection was still working mind you. Every baby-punch of hers felt like holes being drilled into me.
Quickly, I have to finish this quickly or Im dead.
Hah, Haa. Re-i-naA AA.
I point my shaking knife at Reinas petite chest. I, dont have the strength left to stab it in. So, Ill use my body, Id use my weight to pierce her But looks like theres still some fight left in her. Reina grabs onto my hands.
No, dont, dont do it! Dont kill me, someone please!
Dih-Die EEEEE
Reina used every once of her strength and delayed my hands.
Shitshitshit, I dont have time for this. Im so close, millimeters away.
One, more, one more push
Someone help! Yuu-kun, HELP!
Its over, Reina
The knife, gently, pierces through.
It tears through her school uniform, and at long last, breaches her skin. Then, it ended all too fast. My butterfly knife smoothly reached all the way inside Reinas chest.
Ah, a Yuu, ku
Her eyes were wide open, but I wasnt the one she was seeing.
No there was only one guy she ever looked at. Souma Yuuto. And she died, still looking towards him, she died as a simple girl in love.
Haa haaa. Haa W-well thats over
And arent we taking this a little too casually? Dont think its a problem though. Honestly, I cant think straight anymore, so Ill stop doing that for a while.
I cant even lift a finger right now. I collapsed, still on top of Reina who still had the knife sticking out of her chest. From a different perspective, a scene like this is bound to cause a misunderstanding or two.
Whatever. Im too tired to bother. Im tired of dealing with this bitch, and her stupid whimsies.
I did it I really, did it
Right. This is after 10 seconds, 20? Or maybe more than 5 minutes after. All that gnawing pain was now simply gone, and when that happened, I came to.
Since Reinas dead, her Sacred Tongue was, naturally, undone. But the damage I sustained is still there, and after that Olympic marathon of IhateyouIhateyous I feel dead tired. But it doesnt hurt so much that I cant move. Plus, I cant just lie on top of her corpse, totally not into that. Feels gross.
I somehow got myself sitting up and looked at her face.
Higuchis was better
Unlike that guy, who had accepted his death, Reina mustve kept thinking, why me, until the bitter end. Never even tried to consider why I was doing it. With Higuchi, it was a true duel. Both of us went all out with everything to lose. But what happened today Can I really call it a duel between shaman and spirit master? Was it simply my one-sided vengeance?
Is it something that the law, that ethics, or a third party could deem righteous?
Yeah, fuck that. It only matters that I deem is righteous. And I really believed that I had to kill Reina A. Ayase. Me. I had to do it. I took that vow, and now, Ive realized it.
Haaa Im tired
Theres no joy or urge to laugh now that its done. I dont regret anything though.
No really, I dont feel anything seeing Reinas frozen in terror face.
Its more a, Yup, thats done. It was tough. Im tired.
Guess I need to clean up. I slid out the knife. Didnt consider it, but I guess if you popped the stopper off a fresh stab to the heart, the blood really fountains out.
Ew
Shit, got some on my face. Disgusting.
Whatever, I can wash up later. Both myself and my knife.
Im, still pretty damn tired actually. Cant really stand up. Heres a thought, I can lie down again and sleep but of course, it wont go my way.
Ah, finally
I can hear the jolly group of friends entering the square.
Reina being dead meant that the guardian beasts fighting them also went poof. Figured.
I can hear, yup all 4 of them. Ueda, Nakai, Shimokawa, and Yamada. Good. All of them made it out alive.
The dungeon goes on after all, and theyre all precious combatants. Cant have them retire just yet.
Haa I should probably get an excuse ready
I thought I planned this all out, but my head is drawing a blank as to how Im going to explain my way out of Reinas murder.
I was considering how to break the ice, but before that, theyd already come running to the crime scene.
Oi, Momokawa! Wheres Re
At that moment, everything went white. If I had to guess, that was Ueda talking, but I cant see anything now.
The light. Its this light.
Light so bright and dazzling, it covered every inch of the fairy square.
What is this light the answer to which, I should have known. But with the piled up fatigue, my head refused to work, so I didnt know. No, actually, I might be trying to subconsciously refuse that answer.
Momokawa
That voice. That was the only voice I shouldnt have to hear at this moment.
I turn to face it. I couldve ignored it, but I reflexively face towards the voice.
Reina?
With an expression of abject horror, standing there was, wouldnt you believe it, guardian beast SOUMA YUUTO. Shit, this ones still alive is me actually trying to be optimistic.
S-Souma, Yuuto
He was the real deal.
Standing there was the one the only, the Hero, Souma Yuuto.
Hed landed at this fairy square after a transfer. Thatd be the gist of how.
Yikes, its Souma Yuuto guys!?
Oi oi give me a break!
Dudes, we better get outta here
The totem-pole trios words fell on deaf ears. For both me and Souma-kun. They could be air for all we cared.
H-huh Is, is that Reina
Because this guy was looking right at me, no at my feet, where lay Reina in a pool of blood.
No, she cant be dea
He was in despair as if the world had just ended.
Yet he, Souma Yuuto, is the hero. And the hero never surrenders to despair. For he is the one who drives it back.
He, the hero, thus fights. For he loathes the evil that creates such despair.
Momokawa, so it was you
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TL: Scallop