NOVEL NEXT Chapter 165
165. The Instinct That Everyone Possesses
“If their attacks don’t work, then we’ll──”
“Let’s seal Jack’s movements.”
Lilith and Alice readied their staffs.
“Everyone, attack all at once.”
“Understood.”
Luca and Sarome exchanged glances.
The four of them moved simultaneously.
Luca and Sarome charged from two directions.
Lilith and Alice’s magic rained down in rapid succession.
“Useless…”
But none of it hit.
Not even a graze.
It’s true that my skill is protecting them, so Lilith and the others won’t take any damage.
However, against Jack’s super speed, the attacks of the four of them can’t land.
It’s a situation where neither side can deliver a decisive blow.
“A defense that activates completely automatically, regardless of one’s will… I see.”
Vanessa-san approached my side.
“Even if a skill holder unleashes attacks that cannot be perceived or reacted to, it nullifies everything, creating a space where no damage can be taken──I see, truly the [Elysion Gate]. Within this space, no one can harm you.”
“No, that’s not quite it.”
I shook my head.
“It’s a space that nullifies attacks against those I wish to protect──everyone I want to protect.”
That’s right, I can’t let any more harm come to Lilith and the others.
Within the range of my [Elysion Gate], I won’t let anyone get hurt anymore.
“If you’re going to protect everything… then I’ll destroy everything…!”
Jack roared fiercely.
“The staff that carries the aura of demons, those who wield it, those who protect it──everything…!”
The red light leaking from the cracks in his armor grew even brighter.
Grrrr… ooooh… ooooooh… nnn!
A roar, like that of a dragon itself, echoed.
The endlessly strengthening attacks of the Dragon Warrior resumed.
Countless fists, kicks, fangs, claws, and tails──.
They rained down like crimson meteors.
Not just at me, but indiscriminately at Lilith and the others as well.
The Dragon Warrior’s strikes clashed against the golden barrier, creating a beautiful shimmer around us.
The sheer destructive power was such that, without the golden space, the surroundings would have been obliterated without a trace.
“I can’t break it…!?”
“It’s over, Jack.”
I stared straight at the Dragon Warrior.
“Please, stop.”
With that, I charged at Jack.
Not to attack──but to grapple him from the front and call out to him.
I have no means of attack.
All I can do is keep reaching out with my voice──keep trying to reach him.
“Let’s end this already…”
“Let go… I…”
Jack groaned with a bitter voice.
Suddenly──.
A glowing pattern appeared on the Dragon Warrior’s head.
A design resembling a dragon with spread wings.
The mark of ‘Domination.’
“…I’ve found it, a way to break through.”
Suddenly, Vanessa-san murmured.
“Haruto, jump.”
“Huh, jump?”
“Get ready.”
With that, Vanessa-san chanted an incantation.
“[Fioroute]”
In an instant, the surroundings transformed into a pure white space.
By my side was Vanessa-san, and ahead of us was Jack.
“This is──”
Could it be, Inner Space…?
Did Vanessa-san’s ‘transportation’ power move all of us to a different dimension?
“Ugh… ugh… my head, it’s splitting… guuuuuuh…!”
Jack clutched his head with both hands, letting out a groan of agony.
Once again, the dragon-like pattern appeared on his forehead.
“Thanks to you pushing Jack to use his power to the limit, it’s become clear. Now, let me show you his true form──”
Vanessa-san stared at the Dragon Warrior’s pattern and pointed with her index finger.
“[Fiorag]”
“Guh… aaaaaah…!”
Jack’s agonized cry grew even louder.
At the same time, a slender silhouette emerged behind him.
A beautiful boy with flowing black hair and crimson eyes like rubies.
He looked about the same age as me.
“You are──ah, the ones with the power of protection and transportation, right?”
The boy smiled faintly as he looked at me and Vanessa-san.
“We never met in the mortal world, but my name is Levin Hector. Nice to meet you, Haruto Riva, and Duchess Vanessa Millett.”
“…The Domination skill holder.”
I stared straight at Levin.
“Yeah, it’s a terrible story. He shattered all my grand ambitions.”
“…You’re the one who reached out to those around me.”
Jack glared at Levin, who shrugged.
“I just wanted to be your ally.”
“Ally? A relationship based on domination and subjugation isn’t what I call an alliance.”
The Dragon Warrior growled.
“I won’t forgive anyone who encroaches on those precious to me… I’ll destroy them…!”
Jack’s fist slammed toward Levin.
But it was just an image.
The supersonic fist passed harmlessly through Levin’s form.
“Quite aggressive, aren’t you? Well, that’s fine. The curse I left behind is eating away at you. Feels good.”
The beautiful boy who ruled over domination smirked.
“Why are you doing this──”
I couldn’t hide my frustration as I asked.
“Leaving that curse of domination on him? Or trying to dominate the entire world?”
Levin turned to face me.
“The reason for both is the same. Instinct.”
“Instinct…?”
“That’s the meaning of the power we hold. The desire to be more blessed than others. To surpass others. To covet others. To dominate others──I simply wielded the power given to me by the gods, following that instinct. The instinct that everyone possesses.”
What kind of instinct is that?
As I looked at the arrogantly smiling boy, a bitter feeling welled up inside me.
This isn’t the time to be fighting Jack.
In other areas, adventurers are facing off against demonic beings.
We need to join them──.
“I’m just a remnant. The hatred, anger, regret, and──despair that Levin Hector left behind.”
Levin’s smile turned sinister.
“This remnant will never fade until Jack Jarse, the cause of it all, is destroyed.”