CH 93

“Hey the bloody, haven’t you been acting too violently here…”

Jion looked at the houses where large holes had been opened, and let out a voice of surprise.

The residents inside did not even show signs of waking up, to say nothing of having injuries.

“I’ve put the people around here under hypnosis so it won’t turn into an uproar, but… I guess it’s going to be an uproar either way once it’s morning”

The people did not come out even after hearing the disturbance, because Jion put the area into deep sleep with his magic.

Unnecessary victims would appear around this time among the residents who would have shown signs of commotion if he hadn’t done so.

“Whoops, I have to get Ramina quickly I guess”

Confirming the appearance of Ramina who he could see in the distance, Jion ran past on top of the roof.

He checked the direction Setsu was at with a glance, but their fight seems to be over already, so he ignored him.

◆◆◆

“Hahahahahah… I’m defeated”

The wound on Mira, aka Mirage, was deep.

I didn’t consume her with Gluttony just in case, but she should be losing her life soon enough with the deeply opened wound on her stomach.

“ … You’re not gonna show me your true figure?”

“Aah, that’s right…”

The sound of mirror breaking resounded from Mira’s body, and turned into the appearance of Mirage who I had been fighting with just some time ago.

Her drawn sword state seems to have expired, so the mirrors aren’t floating anymore.

“To think that I, the closest to the <Seven Sacred Swords>, would be defeated”

“ …You’re not going to copy the personality or tone?”

“Of course I won’t. I have no reasons to blush at you”

I can’t understand… sacred swords.

These guys basically can’t see us humans as anything but extermination targets.

It can’t be helped I guess.

The one who gave the order to them is a god after all.

“Kukuku…”

“Ah? Is there something funny?”

Mirage laughed while blood streamed from her mouth.

That laughter of her was just like she triumphed for some reason.

“No, I thought held out admirably, you see… thanks to that I’ve completed it”

“W-!”

The sky was supposed to be spreading where her line of sight was at.

Something was floating on top of this town.

On a closer look, that’s the shape of this town.

In other words. ――――――――――

“A gigantic… Mirror…!?”

“Hahahaha! I’ve finally completed it!”

A mirror is floating in the sky… What’s reflected is this town…

Town…? What if she let the mirror drop as it copies its mass?

“Don’t tell me, you…!”

“Preparing a mirror of this scale requires much effort, you know. But, this will be the end for the humans of this town… and you altogether!”

“Gh…!”

Not good.

If she lets that kind of thing fall, then it’ll be too much for Gluttony to eat all.

“You mean you’re dropping a part of the city!? You’re fucking kidding me!”

The scales are too different.

I completely let down my guard.

This bitch did quite the fucking thing.

“I was thinking it would take several days to create this… if I am able create many fellow travelers even on my own, then I cannot just  die and leave it like this”

“Just die quietly!”

What should I do?

It’ll be a bad ending for sure at this rate.

Shall I use divine powers again… No, I can’t destroy a part of a town even if I were to use it.

“So I’ll be finished… here? ”

Even I’ll die from something like that.

It’s hopeless, it looks like it’s going to crumble down.

“Hey, what is that foolish face for? I will not be able to laugh at all then”

“… You”

Just when I was on the verge of feeling overwhelmed, I was called to a stop by a voice I’m familiar of.

Who was standing behind me was Stroh, who has been hiding until now.

Her expression being her usual made me I completely forget about our desperate situation.

“You have quite the nerve to do something troublesome to me, mirror”

“Th- the Almighty… Destroia”

When Stroh scowled at Mirage, Mirage’s body trembled as if she was afraid of her.

I’m forgetful, but even she’s a god I guess.

… One much higher than someone like me.

Experiencing this unbearable feeling, I clenched my fist.

“Even, even if you come out this late! This town is finished! Now! It begins!”

Buildings, streets and the ground appeared from the enormous mirror.

The “town” slowly fell down, accompanied with its mass.

“Dammit! If it’s like this, I’ll even use all my life force to――――――――”

“Stop, you fool. There is no need for that”

“Ah?”

Stroh held her hand to the sky.

“Things that appear from Mirage’s mirrors disappear if its circuit to her is severed. That is why it is instantly resolved if you do this”

When she lightly swung her hand, something made a sound of crashing in the sky.

The next instant, Mirage’s face was dyed in despair.

“No this can’t be… my… mirror is…”

“I destroyed the “connection” between you and the mirror. Your intentions will no longer reach it”

The town that came out of half the mirror vanished.

Not even a fragment remained and before long each mirror extinguished and the starry sky above it made its appearance.

“In order to release that which you reflect, one has to completely drive it out of the mirror. In that case, if you destroy the root of your powers before that… Oh how mysterious, I canceled your ability”

“No this can’t be…”

“You were not aware of it were you? That you yourself have such a weak point”

Stroh stepped up to the dumbfounded Mirage.

“That is natural. After all, I had created those weak points in a way that Creasyl would not find out, so that I am able to stop you sacred swords at any moment”

“Cre- created…?”

“ …The hell does that mean”

“It is simple. These sacred swords are what Creasyl and I have created, you see”

The one who created the sacred swords was Stroh…?

Hey wait a minute, I never heard of that.

“Hey! If that’s the case, then you should’ve told me the weak point at the time with Phellibus and this time too! I wouldn’t have a hard fight if I knew of it would I!?”

“ … You really are a strange one. Normally it would have been the time for you to snap at me and say ”You were Creasyl’s companion too!?” is it not?”

“I don’t give two shits about that! If you are her ally now too then I wouldn’t have forgiven you, but there’s no problem if you turned into her enemy. More importantly, answer my question!”

Her past isn’t anything I care that much about.

There’s no need to complain about it if she’s an ally now and more importantly I’d like her to explain about the fact that she didn’t tell me their weak points right away.

If she gave me difficulty for a stupid reason, then I’ll give her some punishment for it.

“Hmph… Well, whichever weak point, you cannot hit it if you are not I after all… there is no use telling you”

“Really?”

“R- really really!”

Hmm… if she insists it’s true even when I approached her in a head-grinding posture, then it seems fine to believe her.

“At, at any rate! I can easily turn the sacred swords ineffective! That time with Phellibus, there was no need for me to show my hands since I expected that even you could win”

“…”

Well, that’s true.

That time, it looks like I handled divine powers just for an instant, so I’ve been practising even now while relying on the feelings back then.

If that didn’t happen, I probably couldn’t have even fought Mirage.

I will absolutely not say thanks to this girl though.

“ … Oh, God of Destruction, why are you hindering us? You were once… a friend with the Almighty Creasyl were you not?”

“A friend… I was. For that reason, I have to stop her rampage. I will knock her once and restore her senses”

Stroh’s eyes were serious.

I could feel a will in there to believe and not doubt a friend.

Only today you’re cool, Stroh.

“ … It is pitiful… Our Almighty Creasyl… is not… going mad… The lady… her anger…”

“…”

“Forgive… me… I… was unable to handle… my mission… Al… mighty… Creasyl”

Light faded from Mirage’s eyes.

And then, her body shone and what remained after it faded, was a beautiful sword that’s broken.

“So you ceased your breath… How is it, your impression of defeating a sword closest to the <Seven Sacred Swords>”

“… Didn’t feel like I won”

“I suppose so”

I lost to her at the end of the end.

If Stroh wasn’t here, then I would’ve been a flattened corpse by now.

It’s my loss. My defeat.

“Damn it…”

This might be the first time I felt mortified like this and thought I wanted more power.

I tightly grasped my fist, strong enough for blood to ooze out.