Chapter 384: The Fallen God Who was Once a Serpent God, and the Lost Paradise

GAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIN!

Wormungandr blocked my sweeping strike with his right arm.

(Tsk, he's too tough!?)

[Gyehahaha———- You think this attack could reach me!? Even though a lot of my power has been allocated for fighting Deities!? So this is how low humans are———-]

His massive, white arm, which seemed capable of mowing through everyone in his path, swung.

[You've gotta be kidding me!]

Twisting my body and increasing the density of my unique sword, I tried blocking his attack.

CRASH———- The same solid sound from earlier echoed through the area.

I had added a twist to my body to dodge just in case but......

(If I increase the density of my unique sword to the maximum, it won't break———- I can block his attack with my sword. The toughness of his skin and my sword is almost equal...... As for the size difference, it's not a problem due to my unique skill...... I can fight him head-on!)

I manifested floating weapons behind Wormungandr, intending to attack his back.

At the same time, I also moved to my next attack with my unique sword.

KIIIIIIIIIIIN!

The floating weapons bounced off his tough skin.

Not even looking back at them, Wormungandr met my sword with his fist.

(......Kuh!)

I could block his attack, but I couldn't cut through his fist with my sword.

(If that's the case———–)

I instantly transformed my unique sword into a large war mallet.

The way force is used is different between a sword and a war hammer.

I lowered my stance, making it easier to exert force.

At the moment of impact, Wormungandr's eyes widened.

[Ohh!?]

My hammer collided with his fist.

At the same time, a dull, heavy metallic sound rang out.

With the collision, a gust of wind blew from the collision, fluttering my hair but———

I swung my war mallet through.

It was a full swing, like a golf swing, sending Wormungandr flying.

The white god crashed into a two-story brick house.

The bricks shattered, and dust filled the air.

The collapse of a pillar caused the second floor to crumble.

Seeing him fallen at a distance, I steadied my breathing.

[Haahhh...... Haahhh———- ......Fuuuu.]

(With an opponent like this...... The advantage of a weapon's range is almost meaningless...... Even if I change my weapon's form instantaneously, he should have already memorized it by now......)

That last attack was intended to be a surprise attack using a move he's unfamiliar with.

From now on, swapping weapons might just create an opening instead.

Crumble——–

A large silhouette stood up, pushing away the rubble.

Clap...... Clap......

Wormungandr dusted off his arms and emerged from the dissipating dust.

[......The slight delay in my movements must be due to that ringing in my ears from earlier. I can't even use Divine-level Magic because my organ has shut down...... Gyehahaha, Vysis must be pissed.]

Wormungandr shifted his gaze from his arm to me.

[Your strength...... it’s not just due to the Divine Protection, is it?]

He was probably referring to the Heroes' Status Boosts.

I wiped the cold sweat from my chin as I regulated my breathing.

(I need to find a way to attack......)

[Part of it was....... yes, from natural talent. You're one of the most skilled humans I've met. Gyehahaha...... Vysis, you summoned such a talented Hero, and this is the result? Good grief, eyes without any hint of ill will...... pure, clear eyes. There's indeed a risk of you falling into madness but...... kuku...... preventing that from happening is that Goddess' duty, isn't it? As a Goddess, shouldn't there have been a better way to handle this?]

Wormungandr's mouth had remained open all this time——— a smile on his lips.

Also, he hadn't blinked at all.

It would be difficult to target that moment when he blinks huh.

No, in fact, I could be the one targeted at that moment.

Yes......

(Against an opponent of this level———–)

Even a blink could be a fatal mistake.

(If I could thrust a spear into that open mouth, would it be more vulnerable than his tough skin? No——— That open mouth might be bait to lure me in...... There's no guarantee that an attack from the inside would work. If he could toughen his insides too...... In that case......)

[You guys certainly exist, "hits" among humans...... but as a whole, humanity tends to waste those hits...... It's inevitable. Unlike Vysis, I don't think all humans are trash. It's just that the majority of you lot are. And because no one removes those trash——— Those failures, even those pure hits also become rotten...... they were harmed. Humanity lacks self-purification. It sounds paradoxical, but most humans prioritize individual desires over the whole too much. The more civilization develops, the more evident it becomes...... Thus, to lead the whole to paradise, Gods must purify and manage them. I...... just wanted to see paradise. A society with the maximum potential by filtering out only the hits.]

Was that...... a monologue?

Or perhaps, was he talking to himself?

Wormungandr put a hand on his shoulder and rotated his neck, producing a cracking sound.

[Gyehahaha...... Well, Vysis doesn't have the ears for listening. She hates humans to the core. Her telling a human she loves them is just because she sees them as intelligent toys.]

[......You.]

[Ahh?]

[If you disagree with Vysis' way of thinking...... Do you not think of defeating her yourself?]

[Kuku...... By human standards, I'm already "dead". Just a corpse pathetically moving around. If Vysis were to die, those of us with her essence would vanish too. Besides, we Divine Servants can't disobey the orders of the one who gave us our essence. At best, what I can do is grumble like this.]

[......That isn't paradise.]

[Hm?]

[Humans...... By human will...... By our will, we had shaped society...... we had shaped the world. When we seek and find the answer ourselves...... that's when we reach what I believe to be the true "ideal world" for people. And so——– We don't need divine intervention. Also......]

What I believe is that......

[Humans aren't as bad as you think.]

At first, that's also what I thought.

But in the course of the battle, I noticed another anomaly.

Parts of Wormungandr's body had a slightly different color.

Or rather, a different shade.

There were times when his pale skin turned almost gray.

I mean———-

Those differently colored parts, it was constantly changing.

This being the case, I hypothesized.

Wormungandr was likely hardening the parts of his body that were being attacked to an extreme degree.

(Perhaps......)

He could concentrate the "substance" for hardening on the areas he wanted to.

Wormungandr could move this "substance" by his will.

Anywhere on his body———- As long as he wanted to.

Strangely, this principle is somewhat similar to my unique skill.

Increasing density to enhance attack power.

Or sometimes, using it to toughen up my defenses.

Now then, how would I fight such an opponent?

Create a distraction, find an opening, and strike before he can harden.

To confirm if my theory was correct———

To confirm if my attacks would actually get through, I needed to land a blow first.

Even if it was just a shallow cut......

(However————)

Until now, I couldn't create that opening.

He wouldn't allow it.

He blocked even the floating weapons from behind without "seeing" them.

While he was prattling on earlier, I tried to find an opening.

However, it was still not possible.

I thought I could distract him by talking, but that was futile too.

A theory remains a theory unless it’s proven in practice.

In that case———-

(If creating an opening is impossible, then I have no other choice———-)

......but to strike at a speed that he cannot harden in time.

To "achieve" this, I needed the Second Form———– Limit Release: Two

After landing the first blow, I didn't hesitate.

My hypothesis was confirmed, the theory proven.

I had the result———– the exact solution.

Now, I just needed to execute.

All I had to do now was attack.

I unleashed a flurry of rapid sword strikes, closing the distance even further.

Wormungandr deflected and parried with his arms.

But this time———– things are different from before.

My slashes began to connect.

I was inflicting cuts.

And as Wormungandr took my attacks———-

He laughed.

[Kuku...... How long has it been since a human made me bleed? That's right! This is the hidden potential of humanity, Vysis! However, you want to snuff this out, don't you!? You want to nip this potential in the bud! Gyehahaha...... Fine. This hadn't been something I intended, but let's do this splendidly! Just as I was ordered! GYEHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

<Author's Notes>

Recently, new information about the anime has been released, so I would like to share it with you.

First, four additional cast members have been announced:

Eve Speed: Ueda Hitomi

(Gold Ship from Uma Musume, Ashlock from Arknights, and Brid from NIKKE)

Lizbeth: Watada Misaki

(Gotoh Futari from Bocchi the Rock!, and Xu Fu from FGO)

Nyantan Kikeepat: Shioiri Asuka

(No notable characters)

Civit Gartland: Suwabe Jun'ichi

(This is...... quite the heavyweight. Notables are Sukuna from JJK, Shouta Aizawa from MHA, Grimmjow from Bleach, Daiki Aomine from Kuroko's Basketball and Archer(EMIYA) from Fate.)

Additionally, the second PV and the third key visual have been released. In the second PV, you can see Eve and Lizbeth speaking for the first time. Moreover, the ending theme "pray" by Hakubi-sama is revealed for the first time in this PV (like the first one, I felt it was an amazing PV with great synergy with the music). Furthermore, in the third key visual, along with Eve and Lizbeth, who appeared in the PV, the visuals of Nyantan and Civit have also been unveiled.

Lastly, the broadcast information has been updated. However, there is quite a lot of information, so I apologize for the inconvenience, but please check the official website for details.

Official Website (You can also view the 2nd PV and the 3rd key visual /

2nd PV /watch?v=oxaZZk3G30Y

Before we know it, the broadcast date is approaching.

Please look forward to the anime version of "Failure Frame".

The next chapter is scheduled to be updated on Tuesday, June 25th, around 9:00 pm.

<T/N: Here are the character images as I saw them in My Anime List. ......Not sure this is how they'd really look like in the anime, but still, here.>

Eve Speed

Lizbeth

Nyantan Kikeepat

Civit Gartland