CH 6.30

"Kya !?"

Shīna and the others were hit by a sudden feeling of floating, and they felt their connection with Nozomu's consciousness, which they had felt just a few moments ago, quickly fade away.

They were surrounded by light and found themselves standing in the real world.

"What happened ..."

"Sorry, but for some reason, my path to Nozomu was suddenly cut off ..."

"Hmm, it seems that something happened to that boy ... but I don't know what that is ..."

Shīna and the others were bewildered by the fact that they were suddenly brought back to reality. Zonne put his hand to his chin and pondered.

In the meantime, Irisdina and Inda were slumped on the ground, sweating and breathing heavily.

"Ane-sama, are you alright?"

"Haa, haa .... I-I'm... alright ..."

It was probably because she was deeply in sync with Nozomu and shared his sense of pain. Irisdina tried to smile at her worried sister, but she couldn't do it well because her face was stiff with the residue of pain.

"Inda-sensei~, let me lend you my shoulder~"

"S-sorry ..."

Inda tried to get up, but her legs were shaking like a newborn fawn and she couldn't stand up properly.

She finally managed to stand up with the help of Anri's shoulder, but her legs were not strong enough so she leaned herself on Anri.

Jihad was indeed standing up on his feet properly, but his forehead was covered with grease sweat and his breath was quite irregular.

"Surely ... The pain was so intense that it was unthinkable. It'll be hard if we were to experience it again ..."

Even Jihad seemed to have endured a lot of pain this time. His voice, normally low and calm, was now a little strained. Even so, the fact that he was able to speak properly clearly showed that he had a different "rank" than the other two.

He took a deep breath and gave Irisdna and the others a curious expression.

"Anyway, it seems that not only this old man, but you guys as well, have something to hide from us regarding Nozomu-kun ..."

"Ugh~ ..."

Irisdina and the others tensed as Jihad's gaze didn't seem to cower.

Nozomu himself had a troublesome existence, comparable to Abyss Grief, inside him.

It was true that the situation was unpredictable and critical at the moment, but Irisdina and the others had talked about something that made them look even more suspicious.

"Release of Ability Suppression ... was it? Now that's something I've never heard of before."

Jihad's words made Irisdina and the others feel as if their lungs were being constricted.

The old man's word "he" also bothered me.

While looking at them with strong facial expressions, Jihad's words of pursuit continued.

"I'm also curious about the word "that guy" that the old man used. It seems he's referring to a different entity than Abyss Grief ..."

"What? Did I say something like that?"

Jihad glanced sideways at Zonne.

Jihad was obviously looking at the old man accusingly, but Zonne looked away and whistled as if he had nothing to worry about.

Jihad seemed to have given up on trying to get information out of the old man and returned his gaze to Irisdina and the others.

"Do you mind telling me?"

"Only if Nozomu-kun allows it ... We can't talk about it on our own."

Neither Jihad nor Iris Dina looked away from each other.

There was silence between them.

Jihad looked away from Irisdina and the others who didn't seem to be backing down and turned his attention to Anri, who seemed to know more about the situation, but she, too, smiled and didn't seem to respond in any way.

In the face of being completely left out of what exactly happened, Jihad honestly felt like letting out a sigh.

He thought about forcing his way out of the situation, but the manpower was scarce and the die had already been cast. In this situation, Irissina and the others were important personnel, and it was not desirable to cause dissatisfaction and antagonism unnecessarily.

"But he's not an enemy of the school."

"I'm sure he is. At least he's not the kind of person who can pull off something so elaborate."

Although the time he spent in contact with Nozomu was short, Jihad somehow knew that Nozomu was not the kind of person who was good at plotting something.

At least Nozomu Bountis was not someone who like to show off his power.

Jihad didn't know what kind of power he had, but the problem was that the people around him who know about it started making a fuss.

"... Well, it can't be helped. I'll ask him about it later."

Anyway, the most important thing now was to deal with Abyss Grief. So he changed his mind and turned to face the predatory barrier that had unfolded in front of him.

Irisdina and the others breathed a sigh of relief that Jihad wasn't pursuing them, and turned their attention to the predatory barrier as he did.

The color of the barrier was as sickening as ever. But they couldn't see anything unusual about it.

"Nothing happens?"

"No, I don't think so. Looks like the kid did something in the end..."

As if in response to Zonne's words, a change appeared in the barrier.

The entire barrier pulsated as if shaking with fear, and the surface of the barrier began to undulate.

The predator barrier continued to flicker and shake as if frightened by something. Jihad, who was witnessing this, was slowly preparing his Jaw Drop.

"It started ..."

"Tima."

"Yeah, I know."

Mars and Tima took their positions. Qi and magic began to converge on their respective weapons.

It was pure Qi and magic power. There was no bias towards any particular attribute.

What they needed was pure breakthrough power. It should be able to penetrate the thick walls of the predatory barrier and create a path for the trapped Nozomu and the others inside.

The surrounding atmosphere began to scream as the power condensed into a single point.

"Guu!"

"Mars-kun ... are you okay?"

Mars, who was about to use a combination technique that required a high level of control, frowned. Tima's forehead was also sweating as she worried about him.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay. Let's do it!"

Mars hadn't used this technique since his combination technique went berserk during the special training. This was because he realized that he was still not suitable to use it.

Since then, Mars had been studying with Tima to control the magic that he was not good at.

Even so, he had yet to gain complete control over this combination technique. However, he had decided to unseal this technique right here and now in order to help his friend.

"... Let's go!"

"Yes!"

"I'm ready anytime!"

With Jihad's shout, the three of them moved and swung their weapons in unison. At the next moment, the unleashed power simultaneously bared its fangs at the predatory barrier.

The torrent of power that was released gouged the ground and pierced the predatory barrier like a spear.

A flash of lightning burst along with a roaring sound.

While their vision was blocked by the soaring smoke, Irisdina and the others suppressed their impatience and stared at the other side of the smoke.

================================

Ken and Nozomu confronted each other three times in the predatory barrier wrapped in a wall of flesh.

As Ken raises his deformed right arm, black demon beasts once again emerge from the wall of flesh.

"Stop struggling...!"

All of the black demon beasts jumped at Nozomu at once.

However, Nozomu didn't care about the demon beasts that were rushing towards him like a tsunami, he used what little Qi he had left to sent it into his legs and accelerated even further.

In addition to the excessive use of Qi, the damage that had been inflicted on his body and mind erupted at once, and Nozomu's body was hit with a sudden sense of fatigue.

His vision darkened at once. It was impossible to break through those demon beasts in such a state.

In the midst of this desperate situation, Nozomu reflexively thrust out his right arm.

The next moment, what jumped into Ken's eyes was the sight of shining chains shooting out from Nozomu's right arm in all directions and piercing the flesh wall.

"Gyagaaa!"

"Gugueee…"

As they screamed in agony, the figures of the black demon beasts collapsed like mud dolls.

In addition, the reddish-black flesh walls peeled off one after another from where the chains had pierced.

The flesh walls that fell in pieces turned gray and crumbled like sand, disappearing.

"W-what does this mean!?"

The predatory barrier that was supposed to erode and devour its opponent was, on the contrary, drowned out by Nozomu's chain.

Ken was bewildered by what was happening in front of his eyes. However, he immediately thought of the source of the problem and slammed into Nozomu with fierce killing intent.

"Damn you ...!"

He raised his right arm, which had become one with his snake-like sword, and swung it down at Nozomu with such formidable force.

The snake-like sword bent in the air and approached to pierce its fangs, but Nozomu did not stop.

There was already no way for Nozomu to avoid Ken's [Crawling Snake Fang] and no way to defend himself. He had no choice but to break through.

Just as the jet-black snake was about to tear through Nozomu's body, a burst of light appeared.

A chain of light entwined around Ken's right arm. The swarm of chains that had been laying waste to the predatory barrier changed direction and began to rush towards Ken.

"Tch, my power ... gah!"

As soon as the shining chains wrapped around him, Ken's strength rapidly drained from his body.

The snake-like sword was fading. The [Crawling Snake Fang] that had been so intimidating that it sent chills down Nozomu's spine soon disintegrated like dirt and returned to its ugly, reddish-black right arm.

And in the meantime, Nozomu was closing the gap right in front of Ken.

"You bastard! Gahah~!"

Nozomu's fist plunged deep into Ken's stomach.

In front of such a human fist, which should have been no more than a mosquito bite for a being who should have acquired the overwhelming power of a demon beast, Ken's posture broke. His body bent into a dogleg shape and his jaw dropped. A hook fist was thrust into Ken's cheek in return. Ken's head was blown to the side.

Nozomu swung his fist out and turned his body around. A roundhouse kick with more momentum struck Ken in the neck.

"Buga~a!"

Ken's neck twisted. Nozomu's momentum was unstoppable. He swung his leg out, and with another spin, Nozomu's elbow plunged deep into Ken's side as he stumbled.

"Gegaaa!"

The impact ravaged Ken's internal organs again, making him gag and his face tensed up.

"Haaaa!"

Nozomu didn't stop.

He struck Ken in the jaw with a palm strike, then slammed his fist into Ken's torso again. He then kicked Ken on the side of the knee in conjunction with the movement of his torso to break Ken's posture, stomped on the back of Ken's still-human foot, and struck his hand into Ken's throat.

Nozomu's blows continued to hit Ken's vital points without pause. There was no waste in his movements, and he attacked Ken as if he were dancing.

Ritual Body Technique [Rinne Kaiten]

The magical power that had begun to converge on Nozomu's body swirled on his body, drastically increasing his physical ability. This was all that was left for Nozomu, who had almost exhausted his Qi.

The storm of fist strikes gained even more momentum and struck Ken like a storm.

Ken, on the other hand, was unable to move due to the chains that were entangled around his body. The feeling of restraint that gripped his entire body was worse than anything Ken had ever felt before.

Of course, there was no way that Ken, in such a state, could stop Nozomu's [Rinne Kaiten].

Ken's body screamed as Nozomu struck him with blows one after another.

"Don't get carried away ...!"

However, Ken had not given up.

As soon as he realized the true nature of Nozomu's technique from the magic power converging on Nozomu's body, he easily avoided Nozomu's outstretched fist.

The disadvantage of [Rinne Kaiten] was that it was easy to anticipate because of its limited form.

Ken slammed his left fist into Nozomu's cheek in return.

"Guh~ !?"

The impact caused Nozomu to back away, in that gap, Ken swung his deformed right arm towards Nozomu.

Ken's abnormally enlarged right arm moved as if to crush a winged insect in its way.

The momentum of the blow was much slower than before, but its enormous mass could not be ignored. If it continued like this, Nozomu would be crushed.

"Haa, haa, haa ...!"

In a hazy consciousness, Nozomu kicked the ground and pushed himself forward while breathing heavily.

He managed to avoid Ken's right arm, but his moving momentum was too strong and he collided with Ken's chest plate.

However, this time, Ken's right arm wrapped around Nozomu's body as he stopped in his tracks.

"Now, you can't escape anymore!"

Ken tightened his grip on Nozomu's body, making a creaking sound.

The strengthening magic that had been applied to Nozomu's body by [Rinne Kaiten] was rapidly diminishing.

With the sound of creaking bones, his blood began to boil, and his vision turned bright red.

"Gu, Gugaa ..."

"Be crushed! You're in my way!"

"~!"

Nozomu stomped his feet and put pressure on his waist, focusing all his strength and slamming his shoulder into Ken's chest plate as hard as he could.

[Oscillation]

It was a pure physical blow that did not rely on Qi. It was a technique that allowed the impact to penetrate directly into the opponent's internal organs, and it slammed into Ken's chest plate.

In addition, the effect of the strengthening magic from [Rinne Kaiten] was still in effect, and the impact as if struck by a hammer laid waste to Ken's internal organs.

"Gih~!? Ga~a!"

The shock that ran through his entire body disconnected Ken's body from his will and momentarily stopped his movements.

Without stopping, Nozomu concentrated all of his remaining magic power into his palms and took his stance by positioning his palms at the waist.

Then, with both palms outstretched, he released the concentrated magic power in one direction.

"Guu!"

"Ge~uaa!"

The released torrent of magic power blasted Ken's body and slammed him against the wall of flesh. At the same time, the uncontrollable magic power caused a laceration to appear on Nozomu's arm.

Along with the magical light, fresh blood danced in the air.

Nozomu grabbed the hilt of the katana he had been sheathed and pulled it out.

He slashed the black ball that trapped Lisa.

The black ball burst with a popping sound and Lisa's body was thrown out.

Nozomu hurriedly embraced Lisa's body, and the chain that extended from Nozomu's arm wrapped around her body. It was as if he was gently wrapping Lisa's soul.

When Nozomu put his hand over Lisa's mouth, he could feel her faint breath hitting his palm regularly. The quiet rise and fall of her breasts indicated that she had not yet lost her thread of life.

"Thank God……"

A voice of relief leaked from Nozomu's mouth. However, before he could soak in the relief, a tearing angry shout echoed through the barrier.

"~Aaaaaaa! Give it back! Give me back my Lisa!

Ken stood up while sprinkling carrion.

At that moment, a shock ran over the entire barrier.

"What happened !?"

"Guuu !?"

Unable to stand on the ground, which suddenly began to rumble, both Nozomu and Ken involuntarily fell to their knees.

The vibrations that ran through the surroundings overran the already collapsing barrier.

Screams squeezed out of the mouths of the countless beasts that had been captured by the flesh walls. Along with ear-tearing screams, a crack appeared in the flesh wall and light illuminated the dimly lit barrier.

Without thinking, Nozomu took Lisa in his arms and kicked the ground. The place he was aiming for was the other side of the light peeking through the cracks.

"Wait! Don't! Don't take her away!"

Nozomu could hear Ken's shouting coming from behind. No, it was more like a plea than a shout.

Even though he had done it the wrong way, there was no doubt that Ken was single-mindedly devoted to Lisa.

Even so, Nozomu didn't stop.

Even though he could hear Ken's shouting, he ran as fast as he could toward the light.

The moment Nozomu threw himself on the other side of the light, the scene in front of him changed completely.

With a piercing sensation, the wind blew against Nozomu's cheeks.

A cityscape illuminated by the light of the stars shining in the dark night. And the friends who had been calling out to Nozomu were surprised and relieved to see him.

"Haa, haa, haa ..."

His mouth was full of ragged breaths and his heart was still beating like it was about to burst.

Nozomu looked down at Lisa in his arms.

Lisa was limp and unconscious. Her face was drained of blood and her body was as cold as ice.

"Li-sa……"

Lisa's eyes opened slightly as if in response to her name leaking out of Nozomu's mouth. Then Lisa's mouth moved faintly.

Clouded by the exhaustion and intense pain that assaulted his entire body, Nozomu brought his face to Lisa's mouth in his arms.

At that moment, Lisa's hand, which was hanging down powerlessly and helplessly, squeezed the hem of Nozomu's clothes.

"I'm sorry. Nozomu, I'm sorry ..."

"Lisa ..."

Nozomu's arm was tugged with a force that was unbelievable for a weakened human being.

Lisa's eyes were unfocused. She was repeating her apology to Nozomu in a somewhat depressed tone.

Eventually, the hand that had been gripping Nozomu's clothes lost its strength, and Lisa's body lost its power like a doll with a broken thread.

"Nozomu!"

"This bastard, so you're alright!"

"Good grief, I was so worried when I suddenly lost connection to your path."

One after another, his friends rushed to his side.

But Nozomu remained silent and looked down at the hem of his clothes, then slowly laid Lisa's body on the ground and pulled his uniform coat over her.

The hem of the clothes Lisa was holding. There were deep wrinkles clearly etched on it.

Irisdina and the others just watched in silence as Nozomu stared at the unconscious Lisa.

His back was not filled with joy. But it was also not full of sadness or emptiness.

Irisdina couldn't help but remember the "feeling" that rose up in her heart.

"Nozomu ..."

"Nozomu-kun ..."

"Nozomu-san ..."

His name came naturally out of their mouths. But before he could respond to their calls, a tearing scream echoed through the isolation barrier set up by Zonne.

"Aaaaaaaaaa!"

"Tch~! That Abyss Grief!"

With a crushing sound as if the air were cracking, the predatory barrier that had been torn to shreds disappeared completely and the deformed Ken appeared.

Perhaps it was because the loss of Lisa had made Ken, its host, unstable. The deformed Ken had scars all over his body, and the skin on his right arm was peeling off like dried mud.

Irisdina and the others widened their eyes at its unrealistic appearance.

"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa ..."

Muttering Lisa's name repeatedly like a broken doll, Ken continued to look for her.

When he saw her lying beside Nozomu, he began to walk towards her with unsteady gait.

"He really is a stubborn one, isn't he?"

"But he won't last long."

"Yeah, let's get this over with... Nozomu?"

Jihad and the others were about to step forward with their weapons, but Nozomu stepped out to interrupt them.

"Anri-sensei, please take care of Lisa ..."

"Nozomu-kun ..."

Nozomu clutched the invisible chains that wrapped around his body as he slowly advanced with his feet.

"Lisa, Lisa ..."

(Gigigi! Gyagauu!)

"Gigigi! Gagauu!"

Probably he couldn't even see Nozomu's reflection anymore, Ken just continued looking for his beloved girl.

But unlike Ken's intentions, his deformed right arm seemed to have gone into a panic.

(Run, run, run away!)

Crimson eyes flickering erratically. The eyes turned to Nozomu, Jihad, and the others behind them. The emotion reflected in the depths of those eyes was pure fear.

It was not about winning or losing anymore. Lisa, the key to the stability of the host, was taken back, and there were still many unharmed people left on the other side.

Abyss Grief must be aware of this. They are desperately trying to get away from this place and are calling out to their host to retreat.

Ken, however, did not seem to listen to Abyss Grief.

He grabbed the crimson eyes that were open on his right arm with his left arm and walked forward, dragging his arm.

"Ken ..."

Ken's desire for Lisa was so strong that Nozomu couldn't find any more words to say to him.

Let's just end this. With that intention in mind, he tore off the chains that bound him.

"Guu ...!"

(Gaaaaaaaaaa !!)

The released power of Tiamat went wild and the hatred of the giant dragon tried to crush Nozomu's spirit. The massive force couldn't be contained in Nozomu's body and was randomly released in all directions, swirling like a tornado.

(Gigi~ !?)

Abyss Grief's crimson eyes widened. In the face of such extraordinary power being slammed into it, its fundamental fear was further aggravated.

"W-what? ... This is ..."

"...~!?"

Meanwhile, Inda stood stunned in the face of Nozomu's suddenly released power. Jihad also looked surprised for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and watched the situation with a stern expression.

Ken's eyes, which had been staring only at Lisa lying on the ground, facing the torrent of Qi slamming into him, finally caught sight of Nozomu. His face gradually tensed, and a clear will began to return to his eyes.

The panicked Abyss Grief desperately tried to escape from that place, but Ken ignored all the warnings from his right arm and continued to raise his will to fight Nozomu.

Nozomu, who was wielding an unbelievably huge amount of Qi, and Ken, who had a strange form in his right arm. Each time the two took a step forward, the tension that seemed to be building increased in intensity.

(Run, quickly run away! At this rate, I will die! I will die!)

"Don't get in my way ...!"

(Gi, giguga ...!)

Ken frowned at the Abyss Grief, who was screaming in his ear, and his right arm, which had been rampaging with a quivering voice, became quiet.

After forcibly suppressing Abyss Grief, Ken swung his right arm to check his condition, and a humming sound that split the air echoed.

"Let's go……"

Ken was the first to move.

The sound of a burst of bullets reverberated through the air. He had the physical ability of a monster. He combined this with magic to strengthen his body and attacked Nozomu at a ridiculous speed.

He filled his deformed right arm with magic power and hardened it. He strengthened it in like a magic sword and swung it down with the momentum to cut off Nozomu's body.

Nozomu faced Ken, who was rushing at him while scattering pieces of crushed floor stones around him.

He raised the katana in its scabbard and at the same time he hit it with a huge burst of energy. The next moment, Ken's magic sword and Nozomu's scabbard collided.

The air that burst out of the colliding swords sent shock waves in all directions, laying waste to the area.

The wind that slammed into them made Irisdina and the others involuntarily turn their faces down, but the two sides facing each other were tightly clasped together, locked in a fierce battle.

"Guuuu!"

"~!"

Gritting their teeth, the two of them exerted all the strength they could muster. But the situation in front of them spoke volumes as to who had the upper hand.

Nozomu's feet were firmly planted on the ground, and he hadn't taken a single step backward from the spot.

On the other hand, Ken's blow, which even added to the momentum of his rush, was completely stopped by Nozomu.

Ken squeezed out all of his remaining magic power and boosted his body in an attempt to push Nozomu away. However, he was still unable to push throught.

"D-damn iiittt~! Gaha~! Goho~!"

Ken let out a cry of regret. But the overuse of magic turned on Ken's own body.

The pressure on Nozomu's arm momentarily loosened as the recoil from the unreasonable strengthening magic attacked Ken's internal organs.

"~! Haaa!"

The next moment, Nozomu repelled Ken's magic sword with a burst of Qi.

There was a slight gap between the two. Ken's eyes widen as he was pushed back, and Nozomu grabbed the hilt of his katana in its sheath.

A five-colored light overflowed from Nozomu's body.

The power was so different from anything people had ever seen. Not only the surrounding air, but even Zonne's barrier that covered the area was screaming and creaking.

The five colors of light that had been emitted all fell on Nozomu's katana at once, shining with a brilliant light.

The two men's gazes crossed.

Nozomu was trying to end the past and Ken was trying to carry it on.

In a brilliant flash of light, Nozomu drew his katana and released it at once.

[Phantom -Flash-]

The power that was released flashed across Ken's right arm, engulfing it in five different colors of light. Its existence was literally erased without a trace.

"A~……"

As the residue of light danced in the air, Ken made a dumbfounded voice.

Nozomu's blow had cut off not only Ken's arm but also the isolation barrier that Zonne had set up.

In the silence that followed, Ken looked at his right arm, which had disappeared. There wasn't a shred of the power he had wanted so much.

Strength drained from Ken's entire body. He felt as if he were on ice, and a sense of loss struck his body.

"Lisa ..."

His consciousness was fading away. In his fading vision, Ken reached out for the woman of his dreams.

But the hand never reached her, and eventually lost its strength and fell to the ground.

"Nozomu ..."

"Nozomu-kun ..."

Irisdina and Shīna call out to Nozomu, who was standing with his unsheathed katana in his hand. The power of Tiamat that had been released subsided before long, and the silence of the night returned to the area.

However, Nozomu didn't sheathe his katana but stared at the fallen Ken.

A thought came to Nozomu's mind. Just a colorless, heavy, intense rush of emotion.

Nozomu and Ken were both in love with the same person. Even though they had somehow taken different paths, their feelings could not be lumped together.

While pushing down the pain in his chest, Nozomu put his hand on his chest and closed his eyes as if in mourning for Ken.

Irisdina and the others watched him in silence.

At that moment, Nozomu's tense spirit seemed to break, and his body tilted unsteadily.

His friends rushed over to him and supported his body. A single tear flowed from his eye.