Chapter 70

The moment I heard the name Teida, my body froze—but only for a heartbeat. I immediately leveled my sword and shouted at Palinchron.

“What do you mean, the 20th floor?! Teida is gone! He’s not here anymore!!”

“Oh, Teida is gone, all right. That’s why I’m his proxy. And as his proxy, I’ll be the one to conduct the ‘20th Trial’.”

Palinchron answered as he closed the distance, walking toward us. He brandished that blood-stained sword—

There was no time to think. I stepped in front of Maria, pulled a spare sword from my ‘Inventory,’ and clashed blades with Palinchron. My only support was the magic “Dimension: Gladiator.” My HP and MP were already pushed to their absolute limits.

As a result, it turned into a pure contest of swordsmanship.

Palinchron’s blade slid across mine. Then, with a fluid, graceful motion, he lunged into my guard. The swordplay of the man before me was bizarre. It was unnervingly soft.

While our blades were locked, Palinchron used his free hand to grab my arm. I realized then that he had intentionally forced a stalemate, refusing a proper exchange of techniques. At that moment, the mana within the enemy surged.

A loathsome magical energy surged through me from where our skin met. My instincts screamed that this was something foul. Whittling away what little remained of my life force, I intensified my Dimension Magic for a split second. I searched for the weakest point in Palinchron’s posture, found an opening, and poured all my strength into it.

“Get off me—!!”

I shook him off and shoved him back. Palinchron’s hands were glowing faintly. The source of that repulsive mana earlier was likely a form of mental interference magic.

“Whoa. Impressive, Kanami. You’re doing well for someone in that state.”

Palinchron laughed, looking genuinely surprised.

I felt a surge of irritation. Everything about him—his movements, his attitude—grated on my nerves. Forcing my aching body to move, I yelled at him.

“What is your goal?! Isn’t it enough that you’ve thrown Huzya into chaos?!”

“That’s just a hobby. And this is a hobby, too. But I can’t tell you my goal. If I did, you’d be able to read my moves.”

In contrast to my fury, Palinchron answered calmly. His aloof attitude pushed my irritation to the breaking point, and I converted more of my life into mana.

My Max HP had already dropped by nearly 100 in total. A life’s worth of a veteran explorer had been shaved away, and my body was screaming in agony.

“Don’t screw with me!! Don’t think for a second I can hold back right now! If you die, it’s on you!”

“Still worried about holding back even now? You really are kind, big brother. Or are you just afraid of killing people?”

“I’m not afraid! Now that I’ve killed Alti, I won’t hesitate anymore!”

“Kukuku, treating the Big Sis like a person, are we? That’s our Kanami! You’re out of your mind!”

With that, I tried to step forward with the intent to kill him. But my advance was halted by something Palinchron pulled from his coat.

“Still, you’re right. If you go all out, I’d probably be the one getting killed. It’s a sad story, but even with the advantage I have, I can’t beat Kanami Aikawa. See, I don’t overestimate my own power. —That’s why I have this.”

It was a stone I had seen somewhere before. I ‘Focused’ on the suspicious object—

“Te-Teida’s magic stone…?”

I realized it was the very stone of Teida, ‘The One Who Steals the Dark Principle,’ that I had sold off once before.

“Yeah. The Guardian’s magic stone you so carelessly let go of. I never thought you’d sell it directly to Wald… Well, thanks to that, it’s in my hands.”

Palinchron toyed with the stone in his palm, the smile on his face twisting into a deep sneer. A single drop of cold sweat rolled down my forehead.

“Big Sis and Teida said there was ‘no doubt,’ but I was still scared. After seeing that scene earlier, though, I’m certain. I—no, only I can inherit Teida’s will.”

Then, Palinchron tossed Teida’s magic stone into his mouth and swallowed it.

Instantly, Palinchron’s mana went haywire. With him as the epicenter, the world itself seemed to shift. Space began to convulse. As his mana warped the air around him, the life began to drain from Palinchron’s eyes. His already thin humanity faded further, and the being known as Palinchron began to transform.

Physically, nothing had changed. Yet, without a doubt, Palinchron had been altered. He suppressed his trembling body, his throat vibrating.

“Ha… ha-ha. Now then, l-let’s b-beGIN, h-HERO…”

His throat rattled as he laughed. For a moment, I felt like his voice overlapped with Teida’s. Palinchron tightened his grip on his sword and approached. I ‘Focused’ on him once more.

He was a different person entirely. Every stat had nearly doubled, and his magical capabilities were on another level entirely.

Just as I was about to reassess him and revise my strategy—

Palinchron lunged at me with the same terrifying speed as Teida.

I met the descending blade with my own, the impact numbing my arms. It was clear—neither his physical strength nor his presence was the same Palinchron from moments ago. This strike, driven by sheer brute force, was a haunting reminder of the Teida I once knew.

“No way…!”

Facing a Palinchron who had transformed into a different person entirely, I was seized by a frantic desperation. I bitterly regretted letting go of Teida’s magic stone, despite having sensed its importance. I was terrified—terrified of having to fight that Teida all over again.

“With this, I’m basically a monster! That means you can kill me without feeling guilty, right?!”

Each blow was heavy and fast—furthermore, Palinchron’s own swordsmanship refined that power to even greater heights. Techniques that the original Teida never possessed began to slowly chip away at my defense. At this rate, I was going to be overtaken.

I was forced to bolster myself with magic.

“Dammit!! Magic: Dimen—”

But it was a mistake.

Having pushed my body far beyond its limits through repeated magic construction, I was nearing my breaking point. Looking at the numbers, I still had Max HP left. Theoretically, I could use magic. However, the reality of my physical condition wouldn’t allow it.

“Ngh—aaah!!”

As I tried to construct the spell by whittling away my life force, I failed, a stabbing pain piercing through my brain. I had shaved off too much of my life in too short a time. The mana I had squeezed out by sacrificing my vitality dissipated along with the pain.

Having defeated Alti, the focus that had once slackened wouldn’t return. The power needed to transcend my limits wouldn’t well up. Along with the pain in my brain, stomach acid surged up and leaked from my throat. Blood flowed from my lacerated windpipe, and crimson seeped from every orifice in my head.

My body simply refused to fight any longer.

As a result, a fatal opening was created. My sword was parried away, and my legs were swept out from under me. Palinchron straddled my fallen form, grabbed my head, and slammed it into the ground.

“Gah—!!”

Simultaneously, a loathsome mana began to pour from Palinchron’s palm.

“Even big brother Kanami can’t resist Teida’s magic, can he? Magic: Variable Down.”

It was the sensation of my psyche being rewritten. A feeling of my emotions being forcibly manipulated, toyed with to suit his convenience. Palinchron’s mana invaded the cracks of my battered brain.

It was similar to the magic Teida had used before. And yet, the sheer repulsiveness of it was many times worse than back then. There was no time to hesitate. If my heart was going to be toyed with either way… If my current self’s will was going to die anyway…!

I had to use it—

“Like I’ll let you—!!”

I activated the skill ‘???,’ the one I had sworn I would never rely on even if I died. Repelling the mental interference, I used brute force to kick away Palinchron while he was focused on his spell.

Even if it meant breaking my vow, I had no choice but to use it. I felt that falling under Palinchron’s magic right now would be more terrifying than death itself.

I felt various emotions slipping away. My feelings, my vows—they were all growing thin. I watched them go with a mind that had turned cold and hollow. Then, I glared at the enemy who had forced this upon me.

Having been kicked back, Palinchron wore an expression of sheer shock.

“Ku-kuku… Hahahaha! No, seriously, you’re way too strong, Kanami!”

Palinchron’s shock shifted into an expression of delight as he regained his footing.

“—Midgardsblaze!”

From behind, Maria’s magic was unleashed. It seemed she had been waiting for the exact moment Palinchron and I moved apart. However, the momentum of the fire serpent she sent forth was unreliable. The rainy environment was one factor, but the injury to her eyes was clearly taking its toll. Both her HP and MP were exhausted.

It wasn’t just me who had been fighting a desperate battle; Maria had been as well. Palinchron casually dodged the fire serpent as it advanced through the rain, spraying steam everywhere. The flames were soon exposed to the downpour and extinguished.

“Kanami, are you all right?!”

Maria called out worriedly from behind. However, she didn’t run toward me. She understood her role. I didn’t know if it was because she had overcome her conflict with Alti or simply thanks to the rain, but her head was definitely clear. She was calmly sticking to her role as a backline mage.

“I’m fine! Just keep the magic coming!”

If Maria lost her cool here, it was over. If our two-on-one formation crumbled, we’d lose. If the physically weak Maria was taken hostage, our chances of victory would hit zero. Palinchron watched us, muttering softly to himself as he slowly approached.

“I guess I really do need to weaken you both more… Not just your bodies, but your hearts—”

Palinchron sprinted. This time, he ignored me and headed straight for Maria in the back. Despite the agonizing pain, I ran at full speed to block him. I stood in his way and leveled my sword. However, Palinchron calmly refused to engage me; he circled back, opening up distance again. Then, he tried to go for Maria from a different direction.

It was a simple tactic… but it was the worst. I followed him, trailing blood as I went. Every step I took made my body scream. Every cell in my body was sending danger signals to my brain, screaming at me to let go of consciousness right this second.

Palinchron understood my physical condition perfectly. He knew that by simply leading me on a chase like this, I would eventually self-destruct. Deciding that I couldn’t let this drag on, I used every ounce of strength I had left to slash at him.

“You bastard—!! …!?”

But he had read me. Palinchron calmly intercepted my reckless movement, parried my blade, and punched me in the stomach with his free hand.

My body, which had been somewhat numbed by brain-derived endorphins, suddenly remembered the pain. My entire frame seized up as if struck by lightning. During that moment of paralysis, Palinchron discarded his sword, slipped behind me, and locked me in a full nelson.

He choked me, putting pressure on my carotid artery. It was the one type of attack I absolutely could not afford to take right now.

“I’ll have you go to sleep now.”

Slowly, my vision began to stain black, and my consciousness started to drift away. Amidst my haziness, I heard Maria’s scream.

“—Midgardsblaze!!”

But I couldn’t fully register it. I felt something hot pass nearby. Simultaneously, Palinchron’s grip on my neck loosened.

With this, I can still fight.

I stoked the embers of my fighting spirit—but my vision remained black and refused to return. My cheek hit the muddy ground, my head jarred, and my body wouldn’t listen to a single command. In the distance, I heard Maria’s shriek.

“And with that, the little lady is secured…”

Only Palinchron’s grating voice reached my ears clearly. Using my final shred of will as fuel, I lifted my head and strained my eyes. Palinchron muttered something to the likely unconscious Maria, lifted her up, and threw her over his shoulder.

Carrying Maria, Palinchron approached my fallen form. He drew near and held his hand over my immobile head.

“—Magic: Variable Down.”

The loathsome mana invaded my body—my ability to even perceive it was reaching its end.

“Ah… aah, aaah…”

Losing even that final spark of will, I let go of my consciousness. Within my fading mind, a voice echoed.

“Phew. I guess that’s the end of the Holy Birth Festival. …In the end, I’m the only one left standing. Just as planned, only me.”

Palinchron’s voice. Unlike his usual tone, he sounded just a little bit frustrated.

It’s over… The day of the Holy Birth Festival is ending…

With those words as the last, I fell into a deep, deep darkness.