CHAPTER 7 The Last Showdown In a certain alleyway… “Wheeze…Wheeze… I didn’t think you’d come here…” Mr. Kujou leaned his back against a wall. He slumped and sat down. “…Ha-ha, I can’t even move a finger anymore…” “Game over…it seems.” Felicia picked up her fallen Excalibur and stood in front of him. She aimed the tip at his forehead. His own Excalibur had fallen a slight distance from him, broken right in two, crumbling in chunks. In other words…Mr. Kujou had acknowledged his defeat. He’d lost his qualification to be a King. “…I don’t understand.” Felicia glanced at his Excalibur and knit her eyebrows. “Didn’t you tell me there’s someone you want to save?” “…” “Are you really going to acknowledge defeat, just because some mediocre girl has outwitted you? I don’t get it. What are you scheming…?” “You’ve trust issues, Felicia.” Mr. Kujou chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you? I was never interested in being a king.” “…” “Heh-heh-heh. As long as I can save her, I didn’t care about anything else… I’ve achieved my goal… There’s no reason for me to fight anymore…” “You achieved your goal…? What’s that…?” “I imagine this world—this island, at least—will undergo irreversible changes… Now she’ll be able to live a long life in this transformed world, even though she was fated to die in the old world… In other words, my fight is over…” “…” It didn’t seem like he was lying. “Well… I guess all that’s left is taking out the trash.” Mr. Kujou looked straight up at Felicia. “Kill me, Felicia Ferald.” “?!” Felicia was speechless. “Wh-what are you’re saying?! The fight is already—” “I thought I just told you. My fight is over. I served my purpose… There’s no reason for me to live anymore. All I have left is to be cleaned out…like trash. I originally planned to do that once everything had settled anyway…” “St-stop that!” Felicia blustered, indignant. “Out of all the things that could come out of your mouth! Do you even hear yourself?!” Sure, they had been fighting each other. One of them might have killed the other during the fight, but once the battle was over, it felt wrong to keep attacking. It was against the unspoken rules. It mattered not what others would choose to do. It was irrelevant to her. Felicia was a proud king, set on that belief. “Ha-ha-ha. You think I have the right to live? To fulfill my goal… To save her, I’ve taken a sinner’s path—killing innocent people, left and right. No one has dealt me my judgment, but…I deserve more than the death penalty. Now that I’ve gotten my goal, this scum shouldn’t exist in the world.” “B-but…?!” “I’ll never be forgiven for my crimes. I must disappear… I need to disappear from her presence. If she has a wicked sinner near her…I’m sure misfortune will find her… This is all for her sake.” Mr. Kujou placed the tip of a dagger he had come to hold directly over his heart. He didn’t hesitate as he tried to push the dagger in. Bwoosh! Felicia instantly stepped forward, holding back his hand. “… Felicia?” Mr. Kujou scowled, surprised. “You lost your sword and your qualification as a king… The battle is over…but I won’t let this end in a way that’ll leave a bitter taste in my mouth.” Felicia looked straight at him. “So you might be an unforgivable sinner! But what will happen to the person you wanted to save? What will she do once you’ve left her alone in the world?!” “…” “You were willing to sully your hands to save her… I don’t know if she’s your lover or family…but do you really think she won’t grieve over you?!” “Call me narcissistic…but I think she’ll be devastated. It’s in her nature to be kind. She’s always been too good for me…” “In that case!” Felicia grabbed Mr. Kujou by the collar. “I’m not letting you choose death! No one can hand down judgment for your sins in this world, and you’ll never be forgiven for your crimes! So you should find a way to atone or something…” Felicia was indignant as she blasted Mr. Kujou…when something happened. GWOOSH! Suddenly, a corner of that alleyway crashed down. What emerged from the space while obliterating the surrounding buildings was… “The Questing Beast?!” For some reason, black smoke curled off its body. It had weakened considerably. Even someone with untrained eyes could see that. This Questing Beast was on its way to death. But instead of letting out a last breath, the monster seemed to be writhing around with its huge body…and crashed into a building near Felicia and Mr. Kujou, before falling silent. The building split in two… The top part started to lean toward them… “…Gah?! Oh no—” Felicia lent Mr. Kujou her shoulder as she tried to scramble away, but her knees buckled, and she collapsed. She had already reached her limit. Her body was limp. She was just a few yards away. If only she could inch forward, she would be able to avoid the collision…but Felicia couldn’t muster the strength. The battle had pulled her far away from Sir Gawain. There was nothing she could do. “…This sucks… Is this how I’ll go…?” Felicia seemed to turn the ashen color of despair, faced with impending doom. THUMP! In the next moment, she went flying through the air. Something had hit her from behind. She tumbled several yards forward, where she instantly got up and looked behind her… “…Mr. Kujou?!” Mr. Kujou had used the last of his strength to push Felicia away. Why did he do that? Felicia couldn’t believe it. “…I’m not telling you that I need something in exchange, but…” Mr. Kujou looked like he’d been released, speaking his final words. “…If you get the chance…please give my regards to Kotone—” As if to stopper his request, the top part of the building and rubble came crashing down on him. “…” The building settled after its collapse. Silence engulfed the area. Without regard to the Questing Beast meeting its end, Felicia stood motionless, looking at the mountain of debris before her eyes—Mr. Kujou’s gravestone. She ruminated over his final request. “…Why would you go so far…? Why would you go so far for her…?” Mr. Kujou had been a villain, someone who had strayed from the path, but his love for the woman must have been… “…Idiot…,” Felicia muttered, but there was something heartrending about her expression. Felicia silently made the sign of the cross on herself and offered a prayer. The stillness felt stark against the fevered battle that had unfolded moments before. Luna and King Arthur. Rintarou and Morgan. Their battle had finally reached an end. “D-did you…win…?” “Rintarou…” Sir Galahad, Nayuki, and Sir Kay…were wounded and collapsed, so they couldn’t watch the battle. They stared at the place as if they were there in body, but not in spirit. “Hah…! Hah…?! Cough?! Gah?!” “…” Luna heaved in ragged breaths and stood still. In front of her, King Arthur crouched. “Ah… No… But I finally…got this far…” Dragging her body that had returned to her witch form, Morgan attempted to crawl along the ground to escape. Rintarou silently followed her with his eyes. Already slick with blood, Morgan’s face was starting to dampen from tears. She stretched her arm out into empty space as if seeking something… She kept inching across the floor… “I would have…seen him…in just a bit longer…! I’ve been dying to see…the one I love…! But… Why…?” Morgan’s hand eventually slumped as if she had lost her strength… “…Why…? Acco…lo… I just wanted…to see you…one more time…” …Then she went silent. Her body softened into mist and vanished. After toying with the King Arthur Succession Battle and the fates of Rintarou’s group, the wicked witch met her final moment. “…I imagine you had something you didn’t want to give up…something you wanted to make happen, even if you needed to trample on others to make it occur…” Rintarou sheathed his two swords. “Not that we’ll ever solve that mystery…” That was how battles were. The fighting was to achieve a goal that wasn’t up for discussion. They had no option but to engage in battle for these things. This was true for all parties involved. Even for the Kings who had been eliminated before they met. Even for Mr. Kujou, maybe. “… Luna.” Rintarou turned around and walked over to stand next to Luna, whose shoulders were heaving. King Arthur was facing down and kneeling in front of her. Particles of mana were spilling from him. His form was slowly thinning. “…Looks like it’s over,” Rintarou observed. “It seems that way,” Luna said. “Yeah, that’s right… It’s all done now…,” King Arthur muttered. “I wish I hadn’t been summoned in this form, but…I’m glad I met you… Both of you… Merlin…and…Luna…” “Same here.” “Ditto.” Sir Kay, Nayuki, and Sir Galahad watched in silence. “…” “Luna… You’re the true king. You’re my successor.” “Well, duh!” “Merlin… No, you’re Rintarou now… Please support her…” King Arthur smiled mischievously. “Make sure you don’t abandon her partway through this time.” “I know,” Rintarou answered with a strained smile, seeming slightly sulky. Then… King Arthur turned around to Sir Kay, who was watching their conversation from a slight distance away. “My sister… And all of you… Luna’s a difficult one, but please take care of her…” “…Sniffle…hiccup… I know… I already know…!” Sir Kay sobbed. “Yes,” Nayuki said. “I understand, my King.” “…If that’s a wish from my old master,” Sir Galahad replied. “…Now I’ll finally be able to be free… I’ll be able to return to Avalon without worry…,” King Arthur murmured as if he was content…when something happened. Ba-dmp… The world roused, restless. They would sense chaos squirming in a place unseen. “Huh? What was that just now…?” Luna blinked in surprise. “What the hell…?!” Rintarou barked. “B-but…it’s too soon…!” King Arthur cried out, continuing to slip away from existence. “Lahat Chereb is trembling…! This evil presence must be…?!” Sir Kay shouted, feeling the quiver of her sword. “Are they fusing…? Is the Curtain of Consciousness collapsing…? Are the real world and the illusory world starting to merge…?!” Nayuki asked, feeling the shift in the air. “Did we…not make it?! No! But back then, we…!” Sir Galahad realized what was happening. Fear made their hearts sink. They stood in a daze. Ba-dmp, ba-dmp, ba-dmp… The world’s pulse quickened, quivering. Ggghhh. The island started to groan, rocked by a violent earthquake. Darkness flooded from the sky, the ocean, and the earth and covered the entire world. A shadowy tsunami seemed to advance on them as if dragging the world into the bottom of the ocean. “Wait! Wait! What?! What is this?! Weren’t we going to get our happy ending?” “No… You didn’t make it in time…” King Arthur raised his face. “It’s a new day. The Wild Hunt has begun… It’s unfortunate that it’s happened.” “Wait! But I thought I beat the living crap out of you to stop you from leading the procession!” Luna protested. “But it still succeeded on this artificial island. Didn’t you see the apparitions in the sky? They cracked through the Curtain of Consciousness. The Catastrophe is occurring, though on a smaller scale…” “What…?!” “And I bet you know who’s behind the Wild Hunt… I bet you know their objective.” “Balor…the Demon Lord!” Scrunch. Luna firmed her grip on her broken sword. “If this was just a small Catastrophe, a powerful creature wouldn’t be able to worm through the barrier to the real world, but…it seems he wanted it by any means possible… Look.” King Arthur raised his hand. His hand…was corroded by darkness. His entire body was gradually being stained in shadows. “That’s…?!” “A reverse summons. Balor twisted my essence and form when he summoned me to this world…so I have a spiritual connection to him… He’s using that to force a bigger gap in the Curtain of Consciousness and come into the real world through my body… As long as he has a vessel…it’s not impossible.” Luna recalled something. At the end of the Holy Grail quest, Balor had eroded away Vivian’s body and appeared in front of them. “But…what are we supposed to do?! That’s kind of going to be an issue!” “Unfortunately…there’s nothing you can… Heh-heh…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” King Arthur started to laugh loudly. His shadowy body began to bubble up, transforming. With the unpleasant sound of flesh snapping, he staggered back, looking like he was in pain. The lump that used to be King Arthur took one step back, then another… Eventually, in front of the speechless group, he fell right down from the throne room that had been fully exposed to the wind. Ahead of where he plunged spread darkness and chaos. “Take this to heart, spawn of fools.” “…If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” The mass of a shadow placed its gigantic hand on the edge of the castle, growing into a mountain large enough they had to crane their necks to fully take it in. It existed outside the boundaries of the imaginable…a harbinger from a nightmare. The stature and strange visage that manifested looked like a muscular ogre god with white hair like a demon’s. Its golden right eye jerked open. For some reason, its left eye remained closed. It was far taller than Dark Castle Camelot, its frame nearly piercing the clouds. Even seeing its form was visual overload. The ruler of the Fomorians had finally made his advent into this world. “Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I’ve done it! I have finally done it! I am Balor! The Evil-Eyed Demon Lord! After eons…I finally reign over this world! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” All of them could only look up at the beast, stunned into silence. “Balor… Has he come into this world…?!” Rintarou groaned as he gazed up at the nightmare overhead. This was on another level compared to the Balor who Rintarou fought during the quest for the Holy Grail. That had been nothing but a piece of him. It was something that had been split from Balor’s full form. “Frail little humans! Feast your eyes on my almighty form! Remember the dread I inspire! Here once more is the destruction you wished for, the reign of evil in which I rule over humanity!” Balor extended his arms. Waterspouts of darkness rose from all over the artificial island and turned into a gigantic tidal wave, flooding the center of the island. It was like a natural disaster on a whole different scale. And they could do nothing about it. Before they knew it, all the land of the artificial island had been sucked into the shadowy ocean bottom. The tidal wave of darkness advanced on them, taller than skyscrapers. “Wh-what?! What is that?! Just what’s happening…?!” In a daze, Felicia looked up at the wave advancing on her. “W-we should go! Felicia! We can’t do anything against that!” Reuniting with Felicia, Sir Gawain tugged on her hand. “But…where…?” “T-to…” The darkness closed in on them, light becoming dimmer and dimmer. Shadows encroached on their space. “Don’t tell me we didn’t make it in time?!” Mordred gaped at the wave taller than the buildings advancing on her. “Ah, well, seems we lost the wager… Don’t think my forecasts were too far off the mark, though…” Sir Dinadan crushed an emptied cigarette box in his hand. “Dammit! After we made it this far…! Isn’t there anything we can do…?!” Sir Mordred bashed at the ground in frustration. “…” He watched her, looking displeased. The darkness closed in on them, light becoming dimmer and dimmer. Shadows encroached on their space. “I-I’m scared… I’m scared, Sir Percival…” “…Nanami… It’s all right. I’m here with you…” Nanami had latched on to him. “I’m sorry… If I just hadn’t used that last Royal Road, you wouldn’t have to…,” Emma muttered, but Sir Percival limply shook his head. “No… Nothing would have changed. The world would have ended anyway…” The darkness closed in on them, light becoming dimmer and dimmer. Shadows encroached on their space. “Luna Artur…after all that bragging…!” Misha shrieked at the muddy stream while she watched the approaching tidal wave. “Don’t be unreasonable,” Sir Palamedes murmured as if to placate her. “The opponent was just too strong… What could we have done?” “I know! But I thought she might have been able to do something! I’m just frustrated…! I’m frustrated at myself for relying on others without being able to do anything myself…!” “Misha…” The darkness closed in on them, light becoming dimmer and dimmer. Shadows encroached on their space. Then it swallowed up the entire city, merciless and indiscriminate. It engulfed everything—everything that was there. Anger, grief, and all— “Wha…?” Rintarou’s friends could only watch the scene spreading before their eyes. Most of the artificial island had already sunk into the sea. Only the very tops of a few skyscrapers were peeking out from the waves. “W-wait a sec! But everyone is down there! That means…” “Luna! It’s too late!” At the moment, Luna’s team was in Castle Camelot, which stood at the highest point of the island. That was the only reason why it hadn’t been submerged in the sea of darkness yet…but the water level was slowly on the rise. It was only a matter of time until they met the same fate. “Heh-heh-heh, do you get it, mortals? This is my power…! This is a god’s might…!” As big as a mountain, Balor looked down upon Luna, who seemed as small as a grain of rice. “Now, prostrate yourselves in despair! Quiver from the power of a god! Worship me! That’s your rightful place as mortals…!” Balor’s presence seemed to inflate—more and more and more. His very existence and demonic divinity alone could crush Luna’s group to death. “Huh?!” Luna checked the situation. All my friends in the sea are gone… Sir Kay, Nayuki, and Sir Galahad can’t fight… I’m dead tired, injured, and my Excalibur is broken… I don’t need to reassess this situation to know it’s hopeless… All she could do was give up at this point. Just like Balor said. “But…I have you, Rintarou.” Luna smiled boldly and stabilized her broken blade. “Yeah, you’ve got me, Luna.” Rintarou readied his pair of swords. “This is the true form of Merlin’s father… Obviously, he’s unimaginably strong… This doesn’t even compare to the little offshoot from before… But strangely, I don’t feel like we’re going to lose.” “Same.” “Maybe if I were alone. Then, I might have been on my knees. But with you, I can fight as long as you give me orders… I can turn my sword against my rotten old man!” “Then I don’t suppose you’ll mind me giving you an order?” “Give me anything you got, my King.” Luna smiled boldly. “This is a royal order, Rintarou! Fight alongside me! Kill that demon lord with me!” “Got it!” Rintarou looked up at Balor. “C’mon! Come at me! Balor! I’m Rintarou Magami! I’m the vassal of Luna Artur, the true king who will rule the world! And I’ve been ordered to beat the crap out of you!” “You’re a fool, my unworthy son! Die in the embrace of darkness!” Balor brought his boulder-like hand down on Rintarou. His fist had a meteoritic impact and seemed as if it could have flattened Castle Camelot like a pancake. Even if Rintarou performed a miracle, it was impossible to dodge it or take the blow. “Aaaaaaaah!” But he withstood it, swinging his two swords and wielding his rebellious blades at his father. The darkness, however, was too overwhelming. Rintarou did nothing as the shadows tried to crush him into mulch and swallow him… KRRK! Light flooded the space. It came from his body and repelled the darkness. Like a comet, an aurora borealis spread out in the sky, nearly blinding them. Its divine light expanded in all directions, clearing away the shadows like sunrise. The sea of darkness that had sunk the city shrunk away as if scared of the light. — “I-is this…?” Their consciousnesses and bodies that had partially melted into the darkness returned to their previous states. Felicia stared at her own hands and blinked. “Felicia…look,” Sir Gawain urged. “The shadows are subsiding…” She looked around to find them retreating like an ebbing tide. The city was being returned to its previous state. “…!” Felicia turned her eyes toward the source of the light that had saved them. The summit of Dark Castle Camelot. Like a lighthouse guiding fishermen, its light cut through the dead of night. Castle Camelot quickly returned to its original splendor. “…” “…” Felicia and Sir Gawain watched that divine flare for a while. Eventually, the two looked at each other and nodded, then… — “What?!” Balor screamed, burned by the light. “Impossible… Why do you have the same light as a certain someone?! What’s happening?!” Balor wasn’t the only one perplexed by this. “…What the hell is this…?!” Rintarou himself was stunned. “Huh? Rintarou… What is this? I thought you used dark magic only?” Luna blinked as she watched from behind him. “What could this light be…? I feel like my wounded body…is recovering…?” “Wh-what in the world…? What happened to Rintarou…?” “No way…!” Sir Galahad and Sir Kay opened their eyes wide. Nayuki murmured what came to her mind. “In that past…I was beckoned to this island and urged to guide Rintarou by two of the Goddesses of Fate—Lady Badb and Lady Macha. They told me, ‘By having Merlin serve the true King Arthur, the Catastrophe can be steered off course…’” “In other words, Merlin is both the key to kill King Arthur and bring about the global destruction…and the key to world salvation…?” Sir Galahad asked. Nayuki nodded. Sir Galahad seemed like she realized something. “I see! That makes perfect sense! In the past, Lugh—god of light for the Dananns—defeated Balor during the Second Battle of Mag Tuired… Do you all know who Lugh is?!” “!” Nayuki seemed like she got it. She blinked in surprise. “I know! Lugh is Balor’s grandchild…part of Balor’s family line…! Right?!” “Yes! Though Lugh is part of the Dananns, he was a shadow figure that shared blood with Balor! But he was reborn when he decided to rebel against Balor!” “In other words, Rintarou is planning to rebel against him…by serving Luna, the true king…?” “Yeah. And there’s a curse-like legend that Balor will be ‘killed by his own kin…’” Sir Kay added. Sir Galahad nodded. “I’m convinced Rintarou is close to Lugh!” Rintarou’s light started to flood the space, reaching all corners to burn away the sea that attempted to suck them all in. The sunken city was regaining its original form. “D-don’t tell me…! You can’t possibly be the same as him, Merlin… The god of light was a traitor…! No! He was worse than that…!” Someone else’s voice echoed in Rintarou’s head. “Good job, partner… That’s great… Now we can finally get rid of that revolting curse placed on me by our rotten father and those Goddesses of Fate, those tramps… No, placed on us…” “Is that you…Id…?!” Rintarou swore he saw a glimpse of something, almost like his life flashing before his eyes. He didn’t understand why, but he saw every possible version of himself from the different outcomes in the King Arthur Succession Battle. In one, he fought by backing Felicia as king. In one, he fought by backing Emma as king. In one, he fought by backing Sir Mordred as king. In one, he fought by backing Nanami as king. In one, he fought by backing Misha as king. All his kings went through their own dramatic revelations, adventures, and twists and turns, coming to trust him in the end. And then they would win against their opponents and survive…and then they would defeat Luna’s camp, which always stuck around until the end for some reason… His chosen king would be killed by Rintarou, who let the curse take hold of him. Then, the world would be shuttered away in darkness. And the wheel of fate would turn, winding all of it back… “…What are these memories…?” What made destiny steer off course? Why had this happened? The root of everything was… “Ha-ha-ha. If you’ve got that much time on your hands, Rintarou Magami…why don’t you participate in the King Arthur Succession Battle?” The dark witch—Morgan le Fay—had appeared in front of Rintarou in the past. “Here are cards with the particulars of each King participating… Please read all of them. Surely, that advantage will bring you to victory. “Hmm? Are you sure you want to go with the first card you pick? Are you going to choose her without examining the details of the other Kings? “Hee-hee-hee…Well, I suppose that’ll do, too… May luck be on your side.” “Did my destiny fork off when I chose a random King like a gacha game at the very beginning…? Did it change based on who I chose to support…?” Merlin was cursed to select and then kill King Arthur. Once that mission was complete, there would be no King Arthur to grace the world for all of eternity. Where would Merlin’s soul reincarnate after he had chosen and killed King Arthur? Into whom would Merlin reincarnate? Did he even have to be reborn? Well, obviously— “Hah, I could care less.” It wouldn’t do any good for him to speculate. At this point, it didn’t matter. “I haven’t got a clue what’s going on, but…I don’t give a crap as long as I get to beat you up!” Rintarou yelled. As he felt the power of the light surging in his entire body, he readied his two swords to face Balor. Balor looked spitefully at him. “You…! You don’t even have Lugh’s spear or the Tathlum sling-stone! Even you won’t be able to destroy me…!” He noticed something. “What is that sword…?! What in the world are you planning…?! What the hell is this?!” Balor yelled in agitation and horror. He was staring behind Rintarou. “Huh?” Rintarou turned around. “Wh-what’s this?” At some point… The sword Luna held had been reborn. Its design was influenced by Luna’s Sword of Camaraderie, but it had been reformed to be even more magnificent, more valiant, more powerful, more radiant. Gone was the broken, pitiable blade. A king’s sword had been born in Luna’s hands, shining even more brilliantly than the light Rintarou emitted. “It’s a gift from me…” “Arthur?!” King Arthur, faint and transparent as a ghost, was calmly standing next to Luna. “Are you back to your normal self?!” Rintarou asked. “My body that was reverse summoned by Balor was devoured by him…which means my soul and mind were released from his control… In exchange, I won’t be able to exist in this world any longer…” “…Arthur…” “Right now, I’m not Arthur the Demon Lord, twisted by Balor, but the original king of Britain… I guess none of that matters.” King Arthur turned to face Luna directly and smiled. “Luna. You’re my successor—the successor of the true king. You need a fitting sword for your coronation, I figured. So I fused a fragment of my Excalibur to your Excalibur… This is your second sword from me.” “Forefather…” “This is about the only thing this disappointing forefather of yours can manage…” Luna seemed in a daze as she stared at King Arthur, who gave her a carefree smile. “Arthur, you…” Rintarou started. “Merlin… No, Rintarou… I leave Luna and the world in your hands…” Then wind whistled through the space…and King Arthur winked out of sight. “…” “… Rintarou,” Luna said. He nodded. “…Think you can do it?” “Of course.” “And how’s the new sword looking?” “Hmm…its inscription has changed.” “…” “But nothing has changed about its ability.” “So…does that mean I can do the thing I always do…?” “Yeah! I’m counting on you, Rintarou!” “Got it!” He gave her a spirited response, and wings of light manifested themselves on his back. “Here we go!” Rintarou flapped them once and flew straight toward Balor. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah! C-curse you!” Balor flung his arms out at Rintarou. The final battle was beginning. “AAAAAAAAAAAH!” Rintarou brought out his swords. “Dieeeeeeeeee!” Balor’s fists crashed straight down on him like boulders. Based on the difference in their sizes, it was like an ant going up against an elephant. It seemed there was just no feasible way Rintarou would win. The impact shook heaven and earth. Balor’s rocklike fists were deflected by Rintarou’s swords, and his large frame was thrown back. In this initial clash, Rintarou had won. “Wh-whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!” “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! C’mon! I can do this all day!” Rintarou flapped his wings of light and closed in on the staggering beast. “Raaaaaaaaaaah!” He went right in to cut Balor. The tracks left behind by the slash of light left a cross running along Balor’s torso. “GAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!” “There’s more where that came from!” He moved even faster and more freely, zipping through the air. He slipped right by Balor. Each time he passed, he would hit Balor with blows all over his gigantic frame, again, and again, and again. Balor’s wounds glowed like an aurora borealis was snaking around his body. Unable to stand it, he let out a pained wail that almost reached the heavens. “…!” Luna raised her shining sword in both her hands and quietly closed her eyes. She did so before Balor, the almighty beast, and foolishly left herself defenseless. She could do such a thing because she believed in Rintarou. “You…are not to underestimate me!” Balor boomed. Darkness coiled around Luna…and took form. Apparitions. He had summoned a whole host of them around her when she was most vulnerable. “Tsk!” As soon as Rintarou saw that, he tried to immediately return to Luna. “Lahat Chereb!” The holy flames glittered, swirling to create an eddy. “Haaaaaah!” Wielded were the sword and spear that only a saint could brandish. “No you don’t!” Ice spears and an absolute zero storm tore through the space, freezing the apparitions that had appeared around Luna. The trio who had appeared to protect Luna were… “Sir Kay! Nayuki! Galahad?! Guys!” Rintarou shouted. “Leave protecting Luna to us, Rintarou!” Sir Kay brandished Lahat Chereb and halted the waves of apparitions that rose. “That’s right! Our role is to be bait right now!” Sir Galahad said as she slashed her sword and spear several hundred times to send the apparitions flying. “Rintarou, you take on Balor! You have to stop his treachery that’s continued since ancient times! Please!” Nayuki brandished an ice sword as she controlled a snowstorm and sent back the approaching ghouls. Though the shadows materialized from empty space one after another…not a single apparition had been able to lay a finger on Luna. “Oh yeah! I love that I can trust my friends!” Rintarou hooted. “C-curse you… Curse youuuu!” “Hey, now’s not the time to be getting distracted by others!” Rintarou used this opportunity to fly through the air like a meteor, rocketing past Balor’s side. In an instant, he was assaulted by near infinite beams of light that left him with lacerations. “GAAAAAAAAAAH! Damn you! Damn you!” Balor swung his arms all over, unable to stand still. He tried to smack down Rintarou, who buzzed around him like a pesky fly and left a trail of light in his wake. “Oh?! Someone’s slow!” Rintarou did a barrel roll, looping around and pulling a chandelle maneuver. He was following a ridiculous trajectory and continued to evade all attacks. “You little! Curse youuu!” Balor howled, vexed. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” As he laughed in perfect health, Rintarou zoomed around Balor, delivering nasty cuts. Rintarou had completely overwhelmed Balor. “Don’t underestimate me…mere mortals!” Balor howled in rage, and then he started to collect a dark Aura. Balor’s power was increasing. “Urk?!” Balor’s gigantic fist had enough force to blow away the atmosphere, and it caught Rintarou for the first time. Though he took most of the impact with his two swords, its strength drove Rintarou far back. He opened his light wings to dampen the momentum and stopped in midair… “Tsk… Rotten old man… You’ve gotten faster and stronger…! So you were still hiding your powers…!” “Why, naturally! Who do you think I am?! I’m the god meant to rule the world!” Balor smiled triumphantly. “And I’ll show you all! This is how devastatingly different mortals are from me, a god…!” Balor placed his finger on his left eyelid, which was firmly closed. He used all his might to try opening that eyelid. “Huh?! That’s… Crap! This is bad…!” Balor’s heavy left eyelid covered the Evil Eye of Death. It was the most sinister eye in the world, and through its gaze, it could reap the lives of any living being. No one could resist. His eyelid was so heavy that he had to strain to open it, but once he did, its power was tremendous. If he managed to do that now, they wouldn’t be able to do anything. The outcome of the battle would be overturned in mere moments. Rintarou instantly turned into a flash of light and charged to prevent this from happening. However…in front of him were several wyverns born from the darkness, spreading their wings and standing in his way. “Get outta here!” Obviously, wyverns were no match for Rintarou in his current state. He sliced them with flashes of light as he slipped past them, making them come crashing down. But there were just too many of them. Rintarou was losing speed and having to take the long way around to get to Balor. “Gwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! This is how it ends!” Using that opportunity, Balor tried to push up his eyelid…but something stopped him. “Royal Road—Radiant Sword Steel of Glory!” FLASH! A dazzling flash of light zipped through the sky and weakened the wyverns. “Royal Road—Sword of Destruction!” Daggers rained down like a meteoric shower, skewering the wyverns and sending them to the ground. “AAAAAAAAAAAH!” In that opening, Rintarou soared through the air, lightning quick, advancing on Balor’s partially open left eye. Like an arrow of light flying through the night sky, Rintarou thrust his swords into the center of his eyeball with all his might. “GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!” His prized left eye blinded, Balor shrieked in anguish and backed away. “You guys…?!” Rintarou looked down after leaping away from the space where Balor stood… “I’ll cover you, Rintarou!” “Yeah, you just focus on Balor!” At some point, Felicia and Sir Mordred had made their way over here. They weren’t the only ones. “Rintarou! We’ll protect Luna!” Sir Gawain was there, too. “Even I can fight the weaker apparitions…!” And Emma. “We’ll protect, and you attack… That’s the most efficient way of doing things anyway!” Sir Dinadan. “I doubt my abilities will amount to much, but I’ll help, too!” Sir Percival. “Hmph. Fine… I’ll let the two of you steal this show!” “Sheesh. You really can’t be honest about your feelings, can you…?” Misha and Sir Palamedes were there, too. Everyone had gathered around Luna. They were fighting to protect her from the horde of apparitions that were advancing like a tidal wave. “Haaaaaaaaaah!” Sir Gawain’s sword struck them down. “Yaaaaaaaaaah!” Emma’s dynamic swordsmanship weaponized her opponents’ strength against them. “Here we go!” Sir Dinadan charged with his lance on horseback. “Hup!” Sir Percival released his throwing spears. “Gah!” Misha unleashed a barrage. “Hi-yah!” Sir Palamedes’s sword swiveled around with practiced grace. They pushed back the ghouls so none of them could even get close to Luna. “We can’t lose here…!” “Of course not!” “…Exactly!” After seeing their furious display of reinforcement, Sir Galahad, Sir Kay, and Nayuki mustered all their strength to clean up the apparitions. Even with these overwhelming ghouls in front of all of them, they didn’t retreat a single step as they passionately continued to fight. “…Whoa.” Rintarou soared through the air and looked down at the scene of everyone together. He murmured to himself, deeply moved. “Luna…you really are amazing…” When he thought about it…the crowd was made of mostly enemies. All of them had united under Luna, fighting together under one cause. She had managed to draw in acquaintances that she’d only known for the briefest of times. “…Yeah… You really are the best king in the world…!” He no longer had any misgivings. Now all he had to do was beat up his annoying father. “Raaaaaaaaaah!” Rintarou brandished his swords and soared through the air before getting closer, attacking, and going on the offensive. He cut through the air, striking the enemy over and over. “GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Balor looked like a sorry old sandbag, comically swinging in all directions as beams of light blasted into him under the night sky. “Why…?! Whyyyyyyyyy?!” Balor howled. “Why? How could a mortal do such a thing to a god?! It wasn’t supposed to be like this… It was never supposed to be like this…!” “Shut your trap! Keep quiet!” “My plan was flawless… My goal that transcended time was perfect…! Then why…? …Where did the wheels of fate go wroooong?!” “You think that everything’s gonna happen the way you want it to ’cause you’re a god?! Sounds conceited to me! You rotten old man!” Rintarou put all his power into an attack, forming a gigantic X that assaulted Balor. “GAAAAAAAAH?!” Balor bent back noticeably. Just as they thought the battle would continue forever… “Rintarou!” At that moment, Luna suddenly called out to him, after she’d been raising her sword with her eyes closed the entire time. She called Rintarou’s name. “!” Rintarou had understood everything just from that one word. He suddenly broke into a smile. “Yeah, got it!” Once more, he turned into a flash of light and rushed at Balor. Then, starting at his enemy’s feet, he flew around at hyperspeed, tracing a spiral around Balor up to his head. “Gah—Aaaaaaaah?!” In the next moment, Balor’s entire body was minced by the light. The tendons of both ankles and the backs of his knees were severed. Lopped off were the muscles in his arms and hands, not to mention his torso. Rintarou had chopped into him, and to add to it, he had even pierced deep into Balor’s remaining right eye. Balor staggered. He stopped moving, and his body slowly started to lurch. There was no better opportunity than now. “I’ve got him prepped for you!” Flapping his wings, Rintarou quickly evacuated the area. “Do it! Lunaaaaaaaaaa!” “Royal Road—” Luna suddenly opened both her eyes. The Excalibur that Luna held up started to glow. A giant blade of light incomparable to its normal size had started to take form. It was large enough to pierce the clouds and divide the heavens. Everyone was lost in a trance as they speechlessly stared at that divine sword, jaws slack. “Aaaaah… Wh-what is that…? It sparks a primal fear even in me…!” Though Balor desperately wanted to flee, his wounded body could no longer move much. “Impossible… I’m the demon lord who rules the Fomorians, the god who reigns over the world… Meeeeeeeeeeeee!” As if to silence Balor’s comment, Luna cried out the name of her sword, holding it up in the sky. Her second sword that had succeeded King Arthur’s Excalibur. A blade reborn. She said the name of her own sword. The name of it was… “The Sword to Free the Future!” She put all her emotions into it and all her strength. And Luna swung the sword down. It wasn’t just Luna… The strongest sword that belong to a king housed the emotions of all who were present and displayed its power. It was an understatement to say her blade of light cut through Balor.
Chapter 74
34 min read