NOVEL NEXT Chapter 192. Epilogue - Looking Up At The Sky Above
—He had looked up to Nishino for the longest time.
Ono Keita was an ordinary high school student that could be found anywhere.
Reading manga and watching anime were his hobbies, and although he was timid, he fit into the category of an “ordinary high school student” very well.
For him, Nishino was the object of his admiration.
He was like a cool-headed and outgoing hero, popular with girls, always at the center of any group, and trusted by those around him.
Ono had always wanted to be someone like that, but reality was cruel.
Whenever he tried to take initiative in class work, he was regarded as a convenient tool to take advantage of.
Whenever he studied hard and got good grades, he was mocked for being so serious.
Even when he did the same thing in the same situation, he was treated differently from Nishino.
Why isn’t it working?
Why can’t it be me?
Despite thinking so, he did not leave Nishino’s side, and his days of agony continued.
But one day, the world changed.
Levels, skills, and occupations came into being, and monsters began overflowing in the game-like world.
Although he was confused and horrified, Ono felt excited deep within his heart.
—In this world, he could also be a hero.
In this world, he could utilize all the knowledge that he gained from manga, s, and games.
He even dreamed of obtaining a cheat-like skill and becoming the hero that he always wanted to be.
However, his naïve dream was shattered by reality once more.
As someone that had never even held a knife before, fighting against monsters wasn’t as easy as he had expected.
The knowledge that he had gained through his games were put to some use, but he was mostly just a luggage carrier.
In contrast, Nishino was able to quickly analyze the situation and gather companions around him.
In the end, nothing had really changed.
His position was the same as before.
No, it had gotten even worse.
He killed his friends, consumed magic stones, and became a monster.
—Why does it have to be me…
As a Zombie, he was unable to fall asleep, so he just wandered around the town aimlessly.
Even when he reunited with his friends, he wasn’t able to celebrate their reunion.
After all, he was a murderer and a monster.
What right do I have to be with everyone else?
—If I had known that I’d have to experience all this suffering, I would’ve chosen death instead.
Bound by Kazuto’s “Shadow”, he couldn’t even kill himself.
Gradually, negative emotions began to build up.
As he had been kept in captivity inside the “Shadow” for a long period of time, he had learned a skill that allowed him to see what was happening outside.
He had even acquired a skill that let him move between people’s shadows, not that it mattered to him.
He wouldn’t be of much help anyway even if he were to leave the “Shadow’’.
It was better to stay cooped up in the “Shadow” forever.
The people outside already had Nishino. Hence, there was no need for him to do anything.
Everything would go smoothly.
That was what he thought—until that happened.
‘—Stop demeaning yourself by comparing yourself to Kudou-kun.’
That night, while he was still in the “Shadow”, he was able to learn about Nishino’s insecurities.
It was at this moment that Ono realized that Nishino was no different from him.
(…What kind of illusion have I been seeing until now…)
He had always looked up to Nishino, so he was never able to see that he wasn’t the only one that was struggling.
Everyone else was also fighting, resisting, and struggling as hard as he was.
Ahh, what an idiot I’ve been…
He had been consumed by his jealousy and his inferiority complex, always giving excuses as to why he couldn’t be who he wanted to be when in reality, all he had to do was accept who he was.
(Sorry everyone…)
That was when Ono stood back up.
Yes, he was a monster, and yes, he was a murderer.
Still—he had people that he wished to protect.
He didn’t want Nishino to die.
He didn’t want Nishino to give up.
Nishino had always been his hero.
That’s why—
“—Don’t give up yet… Nishino-kun.”
Ono was able to overcome his fear and appear on the battlefield.
He had finally taken a small step forward.
*****
The ground near Ono cracked as if it had been pounded by a huge hammer.
The sound of bones breaking accompanied the fresh blood that spurted out from his injured arms.
He felt severe pain all around his body.
“U…Guu..”
“Ono..why are you…?”
He heard someone call out to him, but he didn’t look back.
“…alright now…”
Ono grinned, looking as if he would burst into tears at any moment.
“I’m… alright now…”
He would no longer hesitate.
With this appearance, with this “power”, he swore to protect everyone dear to him.
He was a monster and a murderer, but he would face all his sins and move forward.
“—‘Envy’!”
“Guo..?”
The Guardian Golem Tyran was struck by a weird sensation.
It was trying its best to crush its enemies, yet its attacks weren’t packing any punch.
Its body felt sluggish, almost as if its joints had rusted.
What in the world?
“Nuuu…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“Goaaaa!?”
The arm that Tyran had swung was repelled, and it raised its voice in disbelief.
Impossible—it had lost in a contest of strength against a puny human?
“You won’t be able to exert as much power as before…”
Ono’s breath was rough as he glared at Tyran.
“Envy” was a skill that provided “negative correction” to the target’s race, occupation, and skill, and its effects were greater the more envious Ono felt about the target.
In this case, Tyran was receiving a correction of “negative 4”.
It wasn’t much, but it proved extremely effective against Tyran who was only a few days old.
Most of its skills had become LV1, and its status had reverted back to its earliest state.
“Nishino-kun! I’ve weakened this guy with my skill…Cough…Quick… Your commands!”
“—!”
Startled, Nishino looked around him.
He took note of where everyone was standing and gave out his commands.
“Rikka and Goshogawara-san will lead the attack while the others will support them!”
They responded almost immediately to the command and sent a barrage of attacks hurling towards Tyran.
However, their opponent was none other than a Golem.
Although it had been weakened, its colossal figure was made from dirt and rock, making it a formidable foe.
“GUOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Don’t you dare look down on me, humans!
The Golem roared as if to say so.
It swung its arms around, blowing away Rikka and Goshogawara.
The aftermath of its attack dealt quite a bit of damage to the surrounding members as well.
It had unleashed a powerful attack that took advantage of its massive body.
Although it wasn’t the most sophisticated means of attacking, it was one of the strongest techniques that Golems wielded.
“Kya!”
“Guu…!”
As ironic as it was, they were once again in a stalemate.
Much like how it was with the “Fertility Eating Rye”, they lacked a decisive card, a card powerful enough to mutilate the Golem.
(If only Rikka’s status were higher…)
Nishino grinded his teeth.
They were at a standstill despite Ono’s earnest effort to rush over and weaken the Golem.
Fortunately, Lady Luck had not abandoned them.
The next moment, a voice echoed in Nishino’s head.
<<Experience has reached a certain threshold.>>
<<Nishino Kyouya’s level has increased from 15 to 16.>>
<<Experience has reached a certain threshold.>>
<< Nishino Kyouya’s level has increased from 16 to 17.>>
<<Experience has reached a certain threshold.>>
<< Nishino Kyouya’s level has increased from 17 to 18.>>
<<Experience has reached a certain threshold.>>
<< Nishino Kyouya’s level has increased from 18 to 19.>>
<<Experience has reached a certain threshold.>>
<< Nishino Kyouya’s level has increased from 19 to 20.>>
He had gained a lot of levels at once.
Nishino and the others immediately understood what this meant.
“This…”
“It’s Kudou-san! There’s no doubt about it!”
Other than Peony, there was nothing else that could provide such a vast amount of experience.
In other words, Kazuto had won.
He had defeated Peony.
Their morale shot up in an instant.
However, their “luck” did not end there.
“Nisshi! I’m at LV 30 now!”
Rikka’s level had reached its upper limit.
Nishino quickly realized what she was on about.
“What Evolutionary Paths do you have!?”
“High Human, Demon, Amazoness, Cat People, and Newtype!”
Nishino thought hard for a moment.
Based on the information provided by Kazuto regarding the Evolutionary Paths, there was a way to reverse their current situation.
“Rikka! Become a ‘Demon’!”
“Roger that!”
What they were lacking was firepower.
Rikka selected the “Demon” option on her status plate and was immediately engulfed by a red mist.
“GUOO!”
Upon seeing this, Tyran rushed in, instinctively sensing that things were about to become ugly.
Unfortunately, due to its weakened status, Tyran wasn’t able to reach Rikka in time.
The mist began to clear in a few seconds, and the evolved Rikka appeared from within.
Her skin had been dyed bronze, and there were black engravings on her cheeks, arms, and thighs.
The most eye-catching of them all was the horn that was shining on her forehead.
“Amazing…all this power…!”
Nishino’s choice had been correct.
The time it took for individuals to “Evolve” varied greatly depending on the race that was chosen.
It took Kazuto and Ichinose an entire hour to “Evolve” into Newtypes, but it only took a few seconds for Rikka to become a “Demon”, similar to how Aka and Momo evolved in the blink of an eye.
“ORYAAA~~!”
Kicking the ground, Rikka shot forward.
She accelerated to a speed that was much faster than before and appeared before Tyran in an instant.
“GUOOoo..!?”
It wasn’t able to react to her speed after being weakened.
Under the influence of “Blood Art”, a Demon’s unique skill, the hatchets on Rikka’s hands were glowing red.
The unique skill provided an explosive boost to her physique and enhanced her weapons while she was “Demonized”.
This skill was especially compatible with “Berserk”, one of her original skills.
She had not confirmed her new skill or status; however, she was using it subconsciously.
“NUORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
ZUGAAAAAAN!
Rikka swung down the hatchets in her hands, smashing through the tough rocky layers of Tyran’s body and splitting it into two.
“Go…aaaa….”
After a moment’s pause, its body began to crumble.
She had destroyed its nucleus in that one blow.
Tyran wasn’t capable of creating a body double like Titan.
As such, it had stepped into the battlefield with its real body after judging that it would be alright.
If they had been in the same situation, Titan, its parent, would never have done the same.
Titan would’ve thrown projectiles from a distance and sent its body double without revealing its true self.
Being only a couple of days old, Tyran lacked the knowledge and experience that Titan had, and this led to its demise.
“…aa…”
A fist-sized magic stone was all that was left after it completely collapsed into a pile of rubble.
Announcements rang in their heads, telling them that they had gained experience.
“UOOOOHH! WE WOOOOOON!”
“““UOOOOOOOOHH!!”””
Standing on top of the mountain of rubble, Rikka raised her fist in the air, garnering the cheers of everyone around her.
This was when the hour hand and the minute hand of their clock aligned themselves at the number twelve.
At the same time, something invisible wrapped itself around the entirety of the Self Defense Force base.
The new “Safety Zone” had been constructed.
“We won…WE ACTUALLY WON!!”
Their operation had been successful.
None of them had died, and they had obtained a miraculous victory.
*****
-Meanwhile, at that time-
I’m staring at the monster that has materialized before my eyes.
“You…why are you here?”
This is bad, real bad.
To think it would appear at such an inopportune time.
—The Dark Wolf.
One of the strongest monster, and one which drove us to the brink of death.
“…U~on.”
The Dark Wolf glances at me as if it’s bored and turns around to face the intelligent Zombie before us.
It’s telling me that it’s not here to fight.
The intelligent Zombie glares hatefully at the Dark Wolf and breathes out.
“Yare yare. I don’t want to fight against you, you know?”
“—U~oon.”
The Dark Wolf barks back.
Streams of darkness start gushing out from underneath the Dark Wolf and begin swallowing everything in their path.
It has obviously become stronger.
The entire town is dyed in black, and everything including the rubble on the ground and the ground itself get swallowed inside the darkness.
“Tsk…it’s not even listening…this is why the ‘Six Kings’ are so…!”
Annoyed, the intelligent Zombie clicks its tongue.
I don’t know how it did it, but the Zombie has teleported to the rooftop of a building that’s quite some distance away.
“‘Wolf King’, you should be aware of this as well! We don’t have much ‘time’ left, be it the ‘Deadly Sins’ or the ‘Six Kings’! Unless we seize control of it ahead of time—”
Before it could finish its sentence, the Dark Wolf sends out a torrent of darkness that swallows up the entire building.
What an overwhelming display of power.
I continue watching the battle, forgetting to even blink.
“…Damn it…As I thought, the odds are against me…”
This time, the intelligent Zombie has appeared a great distance behind us.
It was unable to completely avoid the attack this time.
One of its arms is gone, and its body is in tatters.
“…Alright, alright. I give up. I won’t lay a finger on you or him from now on…happy?”
Then, it suddenly looks up.
“…So Tyran has been slain. How pitiful…it just gained an ego as well…”
The Zombie closes its eyes for a split second before turning towards me.
“…I’ll give you one piece of advice.”
“Huh…?”
“You’ve defeated Peony, the God Tree, which means they must have noticed you by now…be careful.”
“…?”
They…?
Huh? What is this Zombie talking about?
“Oi, what do you mean by that? Explain it in more—”
“UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!”
—Before I could ask any question, the Dark Wolf swallows up the Zombie with its darkness.
Hey, wait a second! There’s still something that I’d like to ask!
…but it’s too late.
The muddy stream of darkness sucks away everything and leaves nothing behind.
There aren’t any signs of the intelligent Zombie anywhere.
I doubt that it’s dead.
It probably used one of its skills to escape.
The Dark Wolf turns to face us.
“You…”
It then begins to slowly approach where we are.
I don’t sense any killing intent, so it’s probably not planning on fighting us…or so I’d like to think…
“Wan!”
Momo barks and confronts the Dark Wolf.
In return, the Dark Wolf observes Momo closely and sniffs a couple of times.
“Grrrr….”
Displeased, Momo growls.
Not wanting to lose, she also sniffs at the Dark Wolf.
What the heck? What sort of interaction is this?
“…U~on.”
For some reason, the Dark Wolf raises a satisfied howl and turns back, fading into the “Darkness”.
“…What was that about?”
Silence descends on the battlefield.
I survey the surrounding to confirm that there aren’t any monsters nearby.
It’s over. It’s really over this time.
“Ha~~~~…”
Heaving a big sigh, I plop down on the ground.
I’m tired, really tired.
My left arm hurts like hell as well.
I should probably have it treated soon, but there’s something that I must check before anything.
“—‘Shadow Cage’.”
The shadow beneath me spreads out, and Sora, who has been forcibly trapped inside, comes out.
“Gurururu…”
She glares at me while looking extremely dissatisfied.
‘You. How dare you lock me up inside the shadow.’
“Sorry about that, but see?”
There’s a small Dragon covered in blue scales sleeping comfortably next to Sora.
Suuu….suuu….
“…I’m glad that nothing went wrong.”
‘…Hmph.’
Sora looks away and slaps me with her tail.
Pachi, pachi, pachi.
It doesn’t hurt at all. This must be Sora’s way of saying thanks.
“Things worked out somehow…”
I’m totally spent, but it was well worth the effort.
The fatigue washes over me, prompting me to lie down on the ground with my arms and legs stretched out to form the letter “大”.
“Ahh…I got a lot of ‘Mails’ from Ichinose-san…”
I have a ton of unread “Mails”.
For the time being, I’ll only read the most recent one.
Oh, it seems like they succeeded as well.
It’s already 12 o’clock in the afternoon, so the “Safety Zone” should have reset by now.
I should head over there too.
“But just for a little while…”
Just for a little while, I want to remain in this position.
A pleasant breeze brushes past my face.
I extend my arms out at the sky above, knowing full well that I won’t be grasping anything.
“…The sky’s beautiful…”
“Wan!”
‘Fumu…’
I look up at the sky with Momo, Sora, Aka, and Kiki, a sky that is clear and blue.