Volume 11 Chapter 7 It's A Huge Fire Above, And A Huge Fire Below, What's Going On(Ask)
Chester Ville was running through the midst of the blazing Curse Site.
The sky and the ground, everything was engulfed in flames.
The world was red.
No matter how much he ran, he couldn't escape the flames.
The wind was hot, and the air itself seemed to have turned into flames.
Every time he tried to breathe, his lungs were mercilessly scorched.
"...It wasn't supposed to be like this."
His black military uniform, which had been so dignified, was now tattered and burned. His medals had vanished somewhere.
It was pathetic. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.
He, who was stronger than anyone, should have been able to do something about it.
This time, he should have been recognized by Miimo Milnas.
――You're still just a kid. You don't know what true strength is.
He shouldn't have had to hear those words again.
But Chester's confidence... was shattered so easily.
"...What is that?"
The sky... was burning.
The flames that swayed like a thin membrane covered the entire sky.
At the center of it all, a massive fireball was growing.
This was what the end of the world looked like, wasn't it?
"Ha, haha..."
It was hard to believe that a single piece of equipment could cause such a phenomenon.
It was as if it was a divine punishment, a god's wrath upon humanity.
Chester felt fear for the first time in his life towards a cursed equipment.
He had seen cursed equipment before, but they were all low-ranking and insignificant. He had laughed at the Inquisitors and citizens who feared them.
But now he understood.
The power of cursed equipment...
"Is this punishment?"
He had sought salvation in the curse, but not like this.
His head was spinning, and his consciousness was growing hazy.
The dizziness was intense, and his vision was blurring.
So, for a moment, he thought it was just an illusion.
"...A dragon?"
A shadow loomed, and a dragon descended from the sky.
It was a pure white dragon, with a sacred aura like a messenger from heaven.
Its massive body was a symbol of power, and its demeanor was that of a ruler of the skies.
And――on top of that overwhelming presence, there was a single human figure.
A black attire that fluttered like a flame shadow. A blue crystal mask on their face, like a trademark.
That figure jumped down from the white dragon's back and walked towards him.
"...Phantom?"
Coughing, he lets out a dry voice.
"Chester Ville, is it?"
"...Guh!"
Phantom grabbed his chest.
He tried to resist, but his strength was beyond his expectations.
"...What do you want?"
"What did you do to Senior Rikka?"
His voice was as cold as ice, sending shivers down his spine even in this sweltering heat.
"You mean Rikka Vallet?"
"That's right."
"Well, isn't she already reduced to ashes by now?"
"...Did you force her to use cursed equipment?"
"Well, who knows?"
"...So that's it."
Chester was tossed aside like trash. He stumbled back, his butt hitting the ground.
When he looked up, their eyes met for an instant, and he saw the gaze behind the mask.
It was an extremely cold gaze, devoid of interest.
Just like the gaze Miimo Milnas had given me in the past....
"Don't look at me like that...!"
He drew the sword he had been holding onto dearly.
A one-of-a-kind item he had obtained using gold and power.
It was proof of Chester's strength, so no matter how heavy it was, he never let it go.
"Ha, haha...do you know the rank of this sword? It's A-Rank The highest rank in the world! I'm the strongest in the world!"
Phantom had once seen this sword and fled in fear.
So he thought that if he showed off the sword, he would be intimidated and back down.
But Phantom didn't react.
When he thrust the sword at him, he should have been terrified, but Phantom just glanced at the sword once.
Without a word, he turned his back on Chest.
His indifference was what got under Chester's skin.
"Don't ignore me...!"
Chester swung his sword and charged at Phantom.
His movements were unorthodox, but his Agility was boosted by his B-Rank shoe equipment.
There are few people who can react to Chester's movements.
And if he has an A-Rank sword's Attack, he can guarantee his victory just by using it.
he has used this sword to hunt down countless "cursed" people in the past.
The strongest blade is closing in on Phantom's neck.
But Phantom isn't dodging.
He can't dodge. He can't even react properly.
When he had got him and thought for a moment...
"...What?"
But even after he swungs his sword down, Phantom doesn't have a single wound.
In fact, the sword he swung down has vanished.
He doesn't get it.
A little late, he heard a metallic sound.
When he looked in the direction of the sound, he saw his familiar sword...
"...Sorry about this."
It turned out Phantom had his sword in hand.
He had no idea when he drew it out.
"...I don't have time to deal with you."
Phantom put his empty left hand into his scabbard――and then, thud, pulled out a long sword that clearly didn't fit the scabbard's size.
Then, he slowly drew the sword out.
"A...eh...?"
The moment he saw the sword's blade――he felt a sense of death.
The red-black blade pulsed like an organ.
The air clinging to the sword warped and twisted.
The atmosphere shook violently, like a starving demon's roar.
...It's on a different dimension.
That sword is probably...just like the cursed equipment that burned the sky just now.
"......"
Phantom held the sword upside down, pointing the tip at the ground.
And then――ton, he stabbed the sword into the ground.
Just that, but――the earth flipped over.
The ground around them erupted with a loud crash, and the shockwave blew away the flames.
Chester's body was blown away like a leaf.
"...!"
He regained his composure, looked up, and――the surrounding landscape had changed.
The wreckage of the weapons around them had vanished, and a huge hole had opened up in the wilderness.
In the center of the hole, Phantom was standing alone, just like before.
He sheathed his sword, as if nothing had happened.
"...Ka, hah..."
Finally, he could breathe again.
That's when he realized he had forgotten to breathe until now.
It was probably an event that didn't even last a few seconds.
However, everything about it exceeded the bounds of understanding.
If he had to describe the current phenomenon, it would be... a natural disaster.
That's the phrase that fits best.
"...m... monster"
It's no longer human.
A natural disaster wearing human skin, with a will of its own...
It's even scarier than a massive fireball in the sky.
"...ah...aa...h"
――I want to run away. I want to escape. I'll be killed. I'll die.
He thought so as his tears are overflowing. His whole body is shaking. His teeth are chattering.
But his body won't move. It won't listen to what he says.
It's as if his body has given up on living on its own.
Phantom glanced at Chester with a mixture of pity and disdain.
"...you're weak."
That's all Phantom said, before turning his back on Chester.
This time, he didn't look back.
He mounted the White Dragon, soaring high into the sky.
His figure grew smaller in an instant.
Even when Chester looked up at the sky, he couldn't see Phantom anymore.
* * *
The sky and the earth were burning.
Multiple fire tornadoes rose up, and sparks of fire rained down from the sky like rain.
As I gazed at this apocalyptic scenery, I clenched my teeth in frustration.
"It's just as I thought... Senior Rikka must have gone berserk with the cursed equipment..."
The last hope was shut down when I asked Chester earlier.
Senior Rikka is now at the center of this desperate situation. The Compass Eye's needle is still functioning, which means Senior Rikka is still alive... but time is running out.
The fireball is closing in on the city, and Senior Rikka won't be able to hold out for much longer.
I need to hurry, but another problem has arisen here.
'...hiiin... it's so hot... both above and below...'
Cirrul's physical strength, which had transformed into the White Dragon, had reached its limit.
Beast & Rose, a cursed equipment, allows Cirrul to transform into a dragon. However, even as a dragon, Cirrul's athletic abilities and stamina remain low.
Moreover, as a dragon, Cirrul's massive body makes it difficult to regulate body temperature.
Cold and heat are both enemies to the dragon.
If the body overheats, it can become immobile, and even threaten its life. That's why a doctor's stop was unavoidable.
To make matters worse, Cirrul lost the ability to fly. For now, I poured the large amount of water stored in Little Mimi onto Cirrul's body to cool it down.
"Can you fly?"
'No...'
"That's it, then. There's no other way."
'A, ah... I'm sorry...'
I don't have the luxury to wait for Cirrul's recovery.
From here on, I have no choice but to proceed on foot.
I looked in the direction the Compass Eye was pointing.
The ground was engulfed in flames, with no path in sight.
The flames and smoke made it impossible to see what lay ahead.
Furthermore, the whirlwind of flames blocked our way.
'Is it a huge fire above and a huge fire below? What's going on?'
"...That's the current situation."
There was no path in the sky or on the ground.
There was no way to survive, only a path to death.
But Senior Rikka was somewhere in these flames, waiting for help.
'Are we going?'
"There's no other choice."
I took a deep breath, then poured the water from Little Mimi onto myself.
The water quickly evaporated, turning into steam.
At least, I felt like I had cooled down a bit.
"Cirrul, wait for a bit."
'...Please come back.'
"Of course."
I stood before the flames.
The heat was like a wall, blocking my way.
A primal fear of fire welled up.
My head was warning me not to proceed.
But...
"...Let's go."
I gripped my Slime Sword tightly and charged into the flames.
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