NOVEL NEXT Chapter 73
Nishizawa Eri, Shinozaki Rin, Olivia.
Girls who admire him like her, throwing themselves to protect Kim Deok-Sung.
And my pitiful self, sitting helplessly, doing nothing.
At this rate, it’s only natural to fall behind those women.
I can’t let that happen.
I can’t fall behind alone.
Flicker.
The flames of jealousy rise in her heart.
“I hate it.”
[What do you mean? Are you saying you’ll betray the First Order? You’ve been abandoned by them, where will you go?]
“I don’t care if there’s nowhere to go.”
Sway.
Makoto throws off her bandages.
Her ample chest makes a statement over her shirt.
Makoto grits her teeth.
I’m no longer afraid of Ritsuko’s voice.
“I don’t mind if my true identity is revealed. Even if I’m abandoned by everyone, I don’t care.”
Swish.
Makoto draws out her wakizashi, a unique weapon, Honebami Toshiro, from her waist.
“As long as I can protect my lord, that’s enough.”
I cannot lose to Olivia, Shinozaki, or Nishizawa.
My heart is neither light as a feather nor fickle.
I want to prove that fact.
“Since the day you recklessly injected a nano-machine bomb into my body, I’ve sworn to dedicate my body and soul to that person.”
Makoto’s eyes shine.
“I’m not hesitating anymore.”
Zap.
A flash of light activates battle mode.
Green full-body gloves cover Makoto’s entire body.
“So disappear from my life! Bad-tempered old maiden lady!!”
[I-I-I-I-I’m not an old maiden!!]
Hearing Ritsuko’s scream, Makoto kicks off the ground and leaps.
It was the moment when the tide of battle changed.
I’m alive!
“Kamiyaryu How to Survive! Style 4! Carnage Unleashed!”
Ritsuko shouts the skill name loudly.
Swish swish swish!
With mint-colored sparks, a green line is elegantly drawn in the air, mercilessly cutting through.
Just as the term “unleashed” suggested, a net-like shape unfolds in the air.
Gritting my teeth, I swing Durandal.
Zing.
As synchronization progresses, the injected Black Prince’s talent outlines the path of my blade.
[White Flame Sword Technique]
[Style 3]
[Platinum Shield]
Flicker.
The moment a black, blazing magical flame shield appears.
Kaboom!
An explosive sound bursts.
A magical shockwave that sends tingles through my skin.
Gritting my teeth.
If this is what a quarter of my power can do, just how powerful is the main body?
Even though I’m getting buffs inside the barrier, this is too much.
To think, I haven’t even unleashed my true power yet.
‘If the slaves hadn’t shown up, it would have been a big deal.’
There couldn’t be a more welcome day than today with the trio’s surveillance.
Kaboom!
Explosions continue to erupt around me.
Olivia, Rin, and Nishizawa face off against Ritsuko’s other clones.
Zoom.
Durandal trembles.
The Black Prince seems to be dissatisfied.
Swish swish swish!
“Die!! Kim Deok-Sung!! You cockroach of a guy!!”
Ritsuko swings her dagger, spitting out Kansai dialect.
Ritsuko, swinging a dagger with a Kansai dialect, looks like she’s losing her mind since I’m not dead yet.
Mint-colored lines spin chaotically in front of my eyes.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
I rely on the Black Prince’s talent to deflect all her attacks.
“I’m going crazy.”
In this world’s setting, compatibility means the efficiency of using a weapon artifact and the talent to control it effectively.
The higher your compatibility, the less magic you use and the better you control the artifact.
Conversely, for heroes with low compatibility, that artifact is like a magic-devouring hippo.
Moreover, in this world, compatibility is proportional to other talents like magic control and combat prowess.
Higher compatibility means higher other talents.
For me, with only a C-rank compatibility, it’s utterly ridiculous to face an S-rank villain in defense.
“Thanks to the synchronization with the Black Stone, it’s possible.”
The Black Stone, equipped with a magic amplification feature as a dual core.
With the synchronization ability to borrow the talent and experience of the legendary Black Prince, I can barely keep up with geniuses like Olivia, Yuji, and Rin.
That’s the intended result.
Heart pounding.
I squeeze out my magic.
The magic core inside my chest resonates with the Black Stone, releasing magical energy.
[Indestructible Diamond]
I use my second ability.
The unbreakable sword’s defense envelops my entire body.
Boom! Crash!
I charge forward, taking her attacks head-on.
Though “Indestructible Diamond” boasts a grandiose description, like all light novel tricks, it’s not an invincible defense.
It’s nullified if the attacks strip away all the defense or exceed its limits.
But at least, it’s enough to create a chance to hit Ritsuko back.
“Die!!”
“Geez, you’re so loud.”
The moment I grasped Durandal and looked at Ritsuko.
“I will protect my lord! My one and only lord, the person I will dedicate my everything to! It will be me, Makoto, the sole sword of my lord. Not you, Bonaparte, or Shinozaki, or Nishizawa. My lord is mine. So I will prove my loyalty right here! Look at me, my lord!”
I hear a suspicious sound from behind.
What’s that?
Why’s she saying that?
“Makoto, you dumb gasman just had to······.”
The moment Ritsuko’s face contorts.
Swoosh!
A terrifying blast of green light erupts between Ritsuko and me.
Amidst the explosion, a short-haired beautiful girl clad in green gloves rises from the cracked ground.
It seems her disguise is off since she has an impressive bust that stands out on her gloves.
Makoto, holding a slightly short Japanese sword, smiles.
“My lord, your sword Makoto has arrived. A bit late, huh? Sorry.”
“Uh······.”
I’m bewildered.
I thought she’d be stuck in the back, but suddenly she changes?
Did she eat something bad?
“From now on, I will protect my lord. Ugly lady.”
Clink.
Makoto bites her lip while holding the Japanese sword.
Green magic flares up around the sword in her hand.
“Makoto, who raised you until now? Who taught you combat skills to survive in the underworld? How dare you betray me like this? What? Ugly lady? Don’t tell me you don’t know who holds your life and death in their hands?”
Ritsuko’s voice trembles.
Betrayal glimmers in her eyes.
Of course, Ritsuko has her story too.
It wouldn’t make sense for a beautiful villain in a light novel to not have a backstory.
It doesn’t make sense for a party to have no backstory.
In fact, the reason Makoto was bullied was supposedly the consideration of Ritsuko trying to survive in the underworld, but that’s just the background that came out in the setting book.
It’s a common cliché in light novels where someone had good intentions but the outcome ended up bad.
It seems they originally planned to turn her into a heroine via a washing machine, but due to the nature of light novels overflowing with characters, she ended up being completely sidelined, remaining 100% villain.
“If you’re not going to listen to me, I guess I’ll have to show you who’s boss.”
Ritsuko smiles.
She snaps her fingers.
Looks like she’s going to use the torture function of her nano-machine bomb.
“Do you think I was lying earlier? Auntie? That trick won’t work anymore.”
Makoto coldly retorts and charges at her.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swirls around her body.
The moment Makoto’s gift ‘Tempest’ manifests, her new technique is released in front of her.
“Disappeared before my lord!!”
Whooshhhh!
The swirling green tornado envelops her completely.
Shing.
A blade-like wind directly strikes Ritsuko’s whole body.
“Ugh!”
Caught completely off guard, Ritsuko, who relied solely on her nano-machine bomb, screams out.
Her body flickers like an illusion before disintegrating into particles of light.
Seems she used a mirror image to relocate her main body elsewhere.
“Was it an illusion?”
Makoto mutters under her breath.
[What are you looking at, Makoto? Did I teach you to be like this? What you took out was just a clone.]
Ritsuko’s distorted dialect echoes throughout the entire area.
[Makoto, you shouldn’t do this. You can’t betray me. I raised you like a daughter; this isn’t right.]
Whoosh, whoosh.
The clones of Makoto, being confronted by Olivia, Rin, and Nishizawa, vanish in a flash.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
[Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice. I didn’t want to show my ‘seriousness’ against kids, but it’s all Makoto’s fault for betraying me.]
A chilling voice fills the staircase.
[Immortal Sword —— True Name Release.]
Crackle.
Sparks fly as Ritsuko’s new technique appears in midair.
[Blade that Carves a Thousand Shadows.]
The moment Ritsuko finishes her sentence, her body splits.
From one to two, two to four, four to eight.
The ever-multiplying Ritsuko clones rapidly fill the staircase.
““““““““From now on, this isn’t a game; I’ll be going ‘serious’ so you better brace yourselves!””””””””
The Ritsuko clones declare in unison.
A horrifying sight.
Cold sweat runs down my back.
I grab Durandal.
Is this really the end for me?
While the original protagonist barely managed to win thanks to his talent, I don’t have any such transcendent abilities.
Moreover, in the original story, Ritsuko, who looked down on the protagonist with an F-rank compatibility, ended up being overpowered without even activating her true name release.
So Ritsuko’s true name release only comes up in the setting book, just like the washing machine setup.
‘Blade that carves a thousand shadows, ability generates an infinite number of clones…’
The stats decrease proportionally, but during the true name release, the lethal barrier remains intact, so it won’t drop below a certain level.
An ability that crushes opponents with endless tactics.
I wonder if the people here can fend that off.
I really need the president.
Has it been ten minutes? Seems like an eternity.
“Hmph. Who did you think would be scared by that? My lord will be protected by Eri-Ring. No matter how many times you stretch, you’re still an old maid. You’ll never get married. No one wants a decrepit aunt. My lord would hate someone like you.”
Nishizawa Eri blocks my path, spinning her chain scythe.
She bites her lip.
Next to Nishizawa, Shinozaki Rin moves closer.
Shinozaki Rin sticks close to my side.
A pure white frost clings to the katana she drew.
“The Shinozaki style is invincible! I am the descendant of the greatest hero of this era, my father, the Sword Devil Shinozaki Ichiro. I will never be defeated. Kim Deok-Sung, I may lack in feminine charm, but I can protect you. I will show you the power of your future wife. Just be the pillar while I handle things from the front.”
Whoosh.
Platinum flames erupt.
Olivia stands right next to Rin.
Holding Flamberge, she stares ahead.
“You are truly a foolish, stupid sea cucumber, utterly clueless about the universe and mood, the most pathetic and lowest of men. Yet, you are the only man I, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, recognize. So, as your devoted maid, I will protect you. That is my duty. Be grateful for it!”
Olivia’s earlobes flush red.
Thwick.
Makoto blocks the final side.
She brandishes her wakizashi and says, “It was you, my lord, who awakened me from my slave-like existence, saved me, and introduced me to daily life. My life belongs to you; I will live and die for you. I will not lose to anyone. No matter what anyone says, I am your first sword!”
Here I am in the middle, surrounded by four women guarding me with their weapons held high.
On a normal day, I would find this sickening, but this time, it doesn’t sound disgusting at all.
Whatever the words, they are genuinely risking their lives for me.
That is the gentle rule of this light novel world, born from trust.
But I do not want to die.
No.
I don’t want to see them die in front of me.
If there are no heroine characters, it would seriously hinder the final boss, Messiah’s, strategy.
I cannot allow that to happen.
‘Is that really all there is to it?’
I bite my lip.
I force down the ambiguous feelings rising in my heart.
I don’t want to admit it.
I cannot get lost in this gentle world.
To return, I must not get attached, especially when thinking of my sick mother and father approaching retirement.
Just as I was gritting my teeth.
[It’s useless to resist; it’s the end… …]
Ritsuko’s words, attempting a final declaration typical of a light novel, get cut off midway.
Flash.
A blinding white light fills the staircase.
Overwhelming mana envelops the deadly circle.
A chilling sense of unease prickles at my skin.
“This is…?”
In the instant Olivia realizes something is off, her eyes widen.
[World End White]
【The White World that Calls for the End】
A chant that overturns the ‘laws’ is etched into the world.
The imagined world built by a hero materializes into reality.
Imaginative expansion.
An ultimate technique transcending providence and laws, overlaying one’s own world onto reality through symbolic weaponry.
The next stage of true name liberation, the dividing line between S-rank heroes and EX-rank heroes, as well as S-rank villains and EX-rank villains.
In a light novel where power inflation is the norm, it’s hard to make direct comparisons, but if we were to liken it to familiar concepts, then true name liberation could be akin to the ‘Huajing’ in martial arts novels, while imaginative expansion corresponds to the level of ‘Xianjing.’
I know the owner of this damned technique, which resembles the very essence of a middle schooler’s dreams, with a completely white appearance that brings to mind a mental hospital.
“Who dares to oppress my adorable little one like this?!”
In a world filled with dazzling white light, a beautiful girl in a black gothic Lolita dress with blood-red eyes and pure white hair gracefully descends from the whitened sky, holding a black lace parasol.