The evil god D was really Wakaba.
That was a shock, of course.
I think all the other reincarnations must have been just as surprised as I was.
Except for Fei, who somehow accepted it right away.
But after the initial shock, it started to make sense to me as we spoke.
It was as if I finally had an explanation for why something about the ivory god seemed off.
The ivory god definitely looked and seemed like Wakaba, but there was always a strange disconnect that I couldn’t quite explain.
Fei must have sensed it even more strongly than I did.
As I thought back to the elf village, I remembered that she was staring intensely at the ivory god the whole time.
She must have been suspicious of her even then.
Still, I don’t know what to make of the claim that the ivory god’s true identity is a spider.
That must be Wakaba’s idea of a joke, I guess.
Then, next thing you know, we wind up having to fight her…
“Mr. Hyrince?!”
Right away, Hyrince jumps out and takes a hit that was aimed at me.
By the time he hits the ground, there’s a huge hole in his chest, gushing an endless stream of blood.
It’s a fatal wound—no, he must be dead already.
“You should really pay better attention.”
A voice next to my ear sends a shiver down my spine.
Ah, I’m dead.
That’s my first and only thought.
But I didn’t die.
“Quit spacing out, will you?!”
Something sends me spinning away through the air.
For a moment, I don’t know what happened, until I catch sight of Wakaba and Sophia clashing in my whirling vision.
The shock waves of their impact with each other must have sent me flying.
Is this fight really so intense that just being near it could knock you out?
“Urgh…!”
I manage to right myself before I hit the ground, landing on my feet.
But that’s the most I can do. It doesn’t seem like I could set foot anywhere near that fight.
Sophia attacks with her giant broadsword, while Wakaba deflects it with twin blades that I didn’t see her holding before.
As the broadsword swings down, her attack also freezes their surroundings—except for Wakaba herself, who stays unaffected with a cool expression.
Then a barrage of swords rains down on Wakaba.
Just as Sophia jumps away, the swords hit their target and explode.
I can feel the blast of heat on my face.
It’s like a volley of missiles.
That was an attack from Kyouya’s exploding magic swords.
Each of them packs unbelievable explosive power, and he’s raining them down on Wakaba without holding anything back.
Even from this far away, it feels like the fiery heat might burn my skin.
I’m sure even Wakaba won’t be able to stand up to such a strong attack.
…But a moment later, Wakaba calmly strolls out from the heart of the blaze.
“Monster…”
Fei stares at Wakaba, looking shaken.
How can she seriously say that this is her holding back as much as she can?
I don’t see how we can possibly beat her.
At the very least, I doubt any of my attacks would lay a scratch on her.
In fact, I can’t keep up with her movements at all.
I probably wouldn’t even be able to hit her with an attack, never mind dodge any of hers.
If I tried to jump in, I’d only get in Kyouya’s and Sophia’s way.
It’s no use. Clearly, I’m not fit to be an attacker in this fight.
So instead…!
I race over to where Hyrince is lying on the ground.
His eyes are unseeing, and his chest has already stopped moving.
He’s dead.
But I have a skill that can change that!
My Mercy skill, which allows me to bring the dead back to life!
I activate the skill and begin reviving Hyrince.
Little by little, the hole in his chest begins to close.
But it’s happening too slowly.
While the Mercy skill can bring the dead back to life, such an extraordinary power comes with plenty of restrictions.
It won’t work on a body that’s too damaged, and there’s a time limit, too.
You can only revive someone right after they’ve been killed.
Please! Let this work!
As time creeps by slowly, the hole finally closes up completely, and Hyrince’s body convulses at once.
“Nng? Huh? Am I…?”
“Mr. Hyrince! Are you all right?!”
“Shun? What happened? Ah, that’s right! Something pierced my chest?!”
Hyrince quickly sits up and puts a hand to his chest.
“There’s no wound? Was I dreaming or something?”
“No, I used my Mercy skill to bring you back.”
Mr. Hyrince gives me a look of surprise.
“Really? Then you saved my life. Thank you.”
“Not at all. I don’t think there’s anything else I can do in this fight.”
I glance toward the battle unfolding a short distance away.
Sophia and Kyouya are working together to attack Wakaba.
Sophia’s broadsword, red liquid, and ice bear down on Wakaba mercilessly, along with Kyouya’s magic swords, fire, and lightning.
Yet Wakaba still appears to be fending them off unharmed.
Even though all those attacks look strong enough to obliterate me without a trace…
“…I don’t think I can jump into that fray, either.”
“Yeah…”
Mr. Hyrince and I nod at each other.
“So I’m going to try to support them as a combat medic. You know, with my Mercy skill.”
“No, wait! You can’t do that!”
For some reason, Hyrince forcefully objects.
But using the Mercy skill is the best I can do right now…
“The Mercy skill comes at an enormous cost.”
“Yes, I know. It raises your Taboo skill level, right? But mine is already maxed out, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“No! There’s another, much bigger price!”
So there’s an additional cost I don’t know about besides the no-longer-relevant Taboo skill?
Judging by Hyrince’s intense expression, it must be something fairly serious.
But I haven’t felt any symptoms yet…
“Listen carefully, you hear me? Every time the Mercy skill is used, it erodes the user’s soul. That’s how difficult it is to revive the dead. In other words, the more you use it, the more your soul is worn away. If you reach your limit, your soul could be destroyed forever.”
“What? You’re kidding, right?”
“It’s true.”
The cost is so severe that I blurt out a doubtful question in a near-hysterical voice, only for Hyrince to respond with a dead serious look in his eyes.
He’s clearly not joking about this.
So that means every time I use my Mercy skill, my soul gets closer to destruction?
“I don’t know how much of your soul has been eroded now. But if you use it too much, it’ll definitely have a negative affect on your next life. Hell, it could even affect your current one.”
The blood drains from my face.
So all this time, whenever I’ve used this Mercy skill to save other people’s lives, I’ve been shortening my own?
…Isn’t that a small price to pay, then?
“Mr. Hyrince, even so, I’ll keep using the Mercy skill.”
“Shun?!”
“My life isn’t nearly enough to save half of humanity.”
It’s just like Wakaba said earlier.
My life alone wouldn’t be a fair trade for the lives of half of humanity.
“But if it can save the lives of several others, that’s a great deal, don’t you think?”
I’m scared of my soul getting worn away, of course.
But I can’t let that stop me from using the Mercy skill now.
I came here prepared to face the consequences, just like I told the Demon Lord.
“Now that is admirable indeed.”
Just then, the light dragon Byaku unwinds himself from my arm.
Then he wraps around the arm of Sue, who I didn’t realize was standing nearby.
“I shall lend you my strength, girlchild. If you care for this boy, fight for all you are worth.”
“Byaku?!”
“Envoy of my lord, do you not think this a fitting battle to bet one’s life upon? Indeed, if not now, then when am I to ever venture that risk?”
“But still…”
“Girlchild, thou shalt lessen the number of lives lost in this battle, that we might reduce the burden on this boy.”
“…All right. For my dear brother.”
“Wait a minute! Sue?!”
“I will lay my life on the line just as you have, Brother.”
With that, Sue runs away.
And with such speed, too?!
That’s definitely faster than she was ever able to move before.
Is this the “strength” Byaku said he was going to lend her?
“What kind of dragon is Mr. Byaku, exactly?”
“He specializes in support. He can enhance someone else’s stats, as you see now, and can also use Healing Magic. Little Miss Sue’s stats are probably somewhere in the tens of thousands now.”
Say what?!
“What’s truly terrifying is how easily Sue is handling that massive boost in her stats. Most people would fall all over themselves if they tried to wield power that was given to them so suddenly, and here she is controlling it with ease. I guess she really is a prodigy.”
Just as Hyrince says, Sue is already attacking Wakaba without the slightest hint of awkwardness in her movements.
She’s always been a true prodigy, able to keep up with me all along, even though I had the huge head start of being a reincarnation from birth.
Her instincts are a whole lot better than mine.
It gives me hope that she might even be able to handle a fight against Wakaba.