Chapter 26 (1) - A Depressed Kendo Player Possesses a Bastard Aristocrat

The battle had been fierce.As a result, my body was at its limit of fatigue.

There wasn't a single spot from my shoulders to my arms and legs that wasn't bleeding.

In particular, the left side of my face, etched with cuts, had become so severe that I could no longer feel anything.

I felt like I was about to lose consciousness and collapse at any moment.

But I desperately clung to my senses.

Because there was still something I had to see through to the end.

"Whew... Alright then. Let's have a little chat now, shall we?"

I stood in front of Genome, my sword still in hand.

The bastard was writhing on the floor, both his hands severed.

I pressed my foot firmly on his stomach to hold him in place, and pointed my sword at his throat.

Genome laughed at my actions as if they were ridiculous.

"Haha, are you going to torture me?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm afraid you're out of luck. Unfortunately, my body can't feel pain."

“…”

Now that I thought about it.

There was such a setting.

The Seekers placed a suggestion on the operatives they deployed on missions.

A suggestion that made them unable to feel pain.

It was meant to increase the success rate of their operations and prevent them from succumbing to torture if they were ever captured.

"Wouldn't it be better to just kill me and save yourself the effort?"

The bastard had a nasty smirk on his face, thinking he had scored a point.

I bit my lip and lowered my head.

To undo the suggestion on Genome, a specific incantation had to be recited.

Naturally, that incantation was a closely guarded secret known only to the Seekers’ executives, something outsiders had no way of knowing.

The bastard had been subtly exploiting this point to taunt me.

"Why don't you give it a try if you don't believe me? I'm going to die anyway, so I don't really care."

“…”

His relaxed demeanor made my eyes widen.

My fists were clenched tight before I knew it.

A maelstrom of raw emotions churned within me.

Finally, I lifted my bowed head and...

"Pfft, pff... Puhahaha!!"

…burst into laughter.

As if I had just heard something incredibly amusing.

It wasn't a sneer born of disgust, nor a chuckle born of despair.

It was pure, unadulterated amusement.

"…?"

Genome simply frowned at my reaction, staring at me.

His eyes seemed to say, ‘Has this kid finally lost it?’

I coughed up a mouthful of blood before I could finally stop laughing.

"Cough, ha… My apologies. I'm not very good at controlling my emotions."

"Looks like you really have gone mad."

"Maybe I have."

I smiled sweetly at Genome.

Then, I applied pressure to the foot I had on him and spoke.

"You said your body can't feel pain, right?"

"That's what I said."

"You also said I could cut you up however I pleased?"

"Yes."

"You're going to regret those words."

The incantation to undo the suggestion known only to the Seekers’ executives.

Did they really think I wouldn't know it?

Me, who had read through the story of this world hundreds of times?

Especially about your weaknesses, a part that was covered extensively in the original?

"By the will of the Seekers, I command thee... Oblivion that defies order, disperse."

"…?!

“Destruction (破忘).”

As I recited the incantation, a secret even within the Seekers, Genome's face was painted with shock.

His pupils, no longer calm, shook violently.

That look of bewilderment soon contorted into one of agony.

"Aagh…! Aaaargh!!"

The bastard screamed, his severed arms twitching.

It seemed the suggestion had been lifted.

I pressed my foot down harder on the struggling robe, suppressing his resistance.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden? The torture hasn't even begun yet."

"My hands…! My hands…!!"

"Just stay still… You're being a nuisance."

I lifted my foot to calm the panicked bastard down.

And then, without mercy, I gave his body a good kick.

-Wham! Crack, crunch…! Thud!!

At first, he tried to resist, flinching with every blow.

But after a while, as if becoming accustomed to the pain, he gradually stopped moving.

“Agh, uh, aaagh…”

Genome was now a cripple, whimpering pathetically.

I grabbed his hair and forced his head up.

“Don’t go passing out on me just yet.”

I told you.

The torture hasn’t even begun.

With that, I started stabbing my sword into his body.

-Shhk! Thud…! Squish, thud!!

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The sharp blade moved mercilessly, severing every tendon in his body one by one.

All he could do, pinned down and having his tendons cut, was scream pathetically.

“Aaaaagh!!!”

I continued my work, his refreshing screams serving as background music.

My sword pierced his body repeatedly, churning his insides.

Crimson blood splattered.

Chunks of flesh scattered.

The intense stench of blood stung my nostrils.

Disgusting.

But now, even that feeling seemed ridiculous.

I was consumed by hatred.

-I’m, sorry… my, ch-child…

-You… You should’ve died that day instead of Mother…

-Young master… Please, stop…

So much had been broken.

The things I wanted to protect.

The things I cherished.

The things I loved.

I had lost them all, one by one.

“Haha…! Yes, struggle more. More…!!”

My throat tightened.

My breath, which had remained steady even when my stomach was pierced by arrows and my flesh was cut by swords,

was now ragged and unstable.

My eyes grew hot, and warm tears streamed down my cheeks.

It was a complicated feeling.

This choking emotion filled my chest.

I couldn’t tell if it stemmed from exhilaration or sorrow.

My lips were stretched wide in what seemed like a grin, while tears streamed down my face.

Which one was my true feeling?

-Crack…! Thud, shhk!!

I finished my work without finding an answer to that question.

Well, it didn’t really matter.

Whichever it was, it wouldn’t change what I was about to do.

“Aagh… Ugh…”

I looked down at the source of the groans.

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