Chapter 205

“Wh-what the hell…are you…?!” Mash appears to fear Seiya, but that’s when the blood-soaked arms appear around his shoulders from behind. “Mash, pick up Igzasion and kill the Hero.” The wraith latches onto his body and repeats: “Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!” “…Shut up.” Mash ignores Elulu’s ghost and walks over to Seiya while leaving Igzasion behind, and her expression seems to resemble sorrow. “Mash…” “Just slicing you in half isn’t gonna cut it anymore! I’m gonna beat you to death with my own two hands!” Seiya seems to be the only thing Mash can see anymore. Mash lunges toward Seiya and throws a punch so quickly that it looks like he teleported. “H-he’s fast!” mutters Cerceus after seeing him punch. Seiya is dodging the flurry of punches with his upper body, but I continue to grow nervous every second that goes by. Because even a single punch that powerful would be fatal. He doesn’t even have Igzasion’s Blessing anymore! And yet, his power and speed are…! Seiya just barely dodges a roundhouse aimed for his head. Mash clicks his tongue in frustration, but Seiya actually seems somewhat surprised. “Oh? So you can use unarmed skills as well? I’m impressed.” Seiya backsteps until he creates some distance between them, sheathes his sword, then begins shaking his arms and legs. “I guess I can spare a few minutes to humor you.” “Tch…!” Seiya beckons to Mash, and the taunt only makes him even more furious. He throws multiple punches to Seiya’s upper body, and he’s not punching randomly. Mash focuses on the upper body before suddenly throwing a low kick to Seiya’s leg. His combos are varied. Nevertheless, the berserker Hero dodges each and every attack as if he could see them coming from a mile away. Mash grows impatient and throws a haymaker, so Seiya uses this opening to throw a punch of his own. Mash’s fist grazes Seiya’s shoulder while Seiya’s left fist finds its way to Mash’s nose. “Whoaaa! Did you see that counter?!” shouts Cerceus in excitement. Mash staggers, but he grabs onto his knee and manages to stay standing. “I have transformed into an Emperor Dragon… I’m far stronger than when I defeated the Demon Lord…so why…? What in the world is he…?” Mash seems to be more mentally damaged than he even is physically. “I am the King of Gaeabrande! No one can defeat me!” screams Mash as if to fire himself up, and a brilliantly shining aura wraps around his fist, which is pulled far back. My heart jumps in fright at the sight of the dense aura. It’s as if every last bit of his life energy is condensed inside it. “Cuélebre Roar!” Mash steps forward while simultaneously throwing a palm strike. The movement is so powerful that the ground cracks under him, creating a cloud of dust and making them invisible. “S-Seiya?!” …They’re having a bare-knuckle brawl, which isn’t something Seiya normally does. I have no idea how the battle is going to end, so all I can do is swallow my breath and wait for the cloud of dust to settle. “I-impossible…!” When the dust settles, Mash is clearly crestfallen. Seiya blocked the palm strike with his right arm, which is covered with the same dragon crest as that of his opponent. Mash’s expression is stricken with fear or something like it. “He used Mimic to copy Mash’s aura and cancel out the blow!” “I-it’s not over yet!” I didn’t realize it until Cerceus said that, but the crest of the dragon is coiled around Seiya’s left arm with a brilliant light as well! “Cuélebre Roar!” Seiya throws a palm strike into Mash’s solar plexus, folding his body and causing him to drop to his knees like a marionette whose strings have been cut. “He canceled out the attack with his right arm, then struck with his left! He used Mimic to combo!” “Damn! That was insane! I had no idea he could do that!” Mash spits up gastric juices mixed with blood onto the ground with a self-deprecating smile. “You’re strong… Is this really the power of an inferior race—of a human…?” He tries to stand, but he staggers once more and collapses. The match is clearly over…but out of nowhere, the wraith appears behind Mash once more. “Mash, go pick up Igzasion and kill him! Now! Go, go, go!” “Shut up, Elulu. You’re pissing me off.” “You can’t beat him without Igzasion! Hurry!” “I told you. I’m gonna kill him with my own two hands. Don’t get in my way.” Mash is covered in cuts and bruises after a barrage of attacks. He was absolutely no match for Seiya, and yet it’s as if the life in his eyes has finally returned. “Mash, why…? Why, Mash…?” Meanwhile, Elulu’s ghost sorrowfully lowers her gaze, but when she lifts her head back up, her face is menacingly twisting. “Well then, it looks like I have no use for you anymore.” She opens her mouth widely, split from ear to ear, revealing countless needlelike teeth, and bites Mash’s neck.