Volume 12 Chapter 10 Phantom Image
With Gyurvi's help, I had been resting in the ruins for a while.
"Brahma."
I chanted the mantra, checking the state of my Chakra. The Anahata Chakra, which had a crack from the previous combo, seemed to have recovered.
"Phew, yeah. I'm back to normal now."
"I'm so worried."
"Heh heh, haha."
Gyurvi glared at me, waiting for my recovery. I laughed dryly, relieved.
"Shall we go challenge him?"
"Wait, wait, wait. Did you hear what I said? We can't even come up with a strategy against an opponent like that."
"That's right. I was so excited to fight a strong enemy that I couldn't calm down."
"What an idiot!"
Slap, Gyurvi hit me, and I took it with a grin.
I said,
"What should I do? If I keep getting beaten up for a while, I feel like I'll get used to it eventually."
"Huh?"
"Uh, sorry about that... I mean, it's not like I'm trying to get used to it, but when I fight strong guys, my level rises to match theirs."
"Oh... you're like that, huh?"
"Yeah? Anyway, Gyurvi, I was thinking of asking you something."
"What is it? Are you going to come up with a strategy or something?"
I asked a stunned Gyurvi.
"What are you doing in a place like this, old man?"
"..."
Gyurvi fell silent, turning his back on me quietly. But even just looking at his back, I could tell. Gyurvi--or rather, my old man--was trembling quietly, drenched in sweat.
After taking a deep breath, my old man said "I..." without trying to hide his trembling.
"I, when, from... did you realize?"
"I was fighting against my fake self, and when I ended up not paying at a tavern on my way back, I was convinced."
"Ah, that place..."
My old man, still in his small, phantom-like form, covered his face with a huge expression of embarrassment.
Then, with an extremely serious face, he opened his mouth.
"That's right... it seems like we had a deal to meet once a month, but..."
"Yeah, that's what it was like."
I had completely forgotten about it after fighting with Arthur and then descending into hell.
"But, you know, it's been a month since then and you didn't come, so I asked the guard, and they told me that you and Alexander went to the great dungeon to defeat the Demon King or something..."
"You gathered a lot of information, didn't you?"
He said "guard," but he must have gathered even more information than that.
"And, well... I was worried, but since I was locked up in prison, it's not like I could escape or anything. So, I made this phantom and had it chase after you... or something."
"Wait, so this form isn't the real you?"
"Yeah, I'm still stuck in Karditsa's prison."
"Whoa, your magic is more amazing than I thought, old man!"
I didn't think he could use his powers from that far away. He's incredible.
I mean, I knew he could use magic from a distance, but I didn't think he could output that much power across national borders. I might not be able to use that much power, but...
"And, what's with this appearance? Why are you in a kid's body, old man?"
"That's just a simple disguise! Since my real body is an old man who looks rough, this form allows me to move around a bit more freely, even if my behavior is similar!"
"That makes sense, I guess."
It took me a long time to notice.
"Well, I guess I've returned to my childhood self or something. This is basically my old self from back in the day. I was an orphan, so I was a bit rough around the edges..."
"Liar, old man! What happened to make you look like that now?! You're not the same person anymore!"
Gyurvi, the beautiful boy, is quite the looker! Whoa, I mean, something about him reminds me of my old self. It's giving me a weird, mysterious vibe.
"And what's with the name Gyurvi? Where did you come up with that fake name?"
"Ah... this is, well, you see... Since I'm from the Norse mythology circle, I know a thing or 2... but, uh..."
My old man looks really uncomfortable saying this, but he spills the beans.
"...It's the name of an old king from the beginning of the mythology, and I borrowed it, or rather..."
"What, are you trying to get caught?!"
"No, it's not that. It's not like that at all..."
"No way, you're totally trying to get caught! You're making it super obvious with that name, and it's really hard to understand!"
"..."
I give my old man a piercing stare, and he shuts up. I keep looking at him with a half-closed eye for a bit, but since there's no point, I let out a sigh and sum things up.
"So, you came?"
"...Sorry. I mean, I thought I was being too nosy, but I ended up lending a hand because things got too pinchy..."
And then, my old man's tone changes.
"Still, Wade! You're the one who's pathetic! You're the one who can't handle things and I had to lend a hand! You need to toughen up!"
"What?! You're one to talk, criminal old man! But I'm a noble now, so show some respect! Use honorific language!"
"What's with your tone with your parent?! Today's the day I'll put you in your place!"
"Bring it on, crappy old man! Today's the day I'll make it clear who's on top!"
Just as I said that, the surroundings were shrouded in darkness, and we held our breath.
"Wade, this..."
"It's Surtr's Domain Control."
The roar continued from outside the ruins. I instinctively looked around from the broken window and realized that countless fireballs were falling from the sky.
"...Old man, let's put our family feud on hold for now. This is bad."
"Whoa, what's going on? This looks like a scene from the end of the world."
With Gyurvi's appearance, he looked up at the sky with a bitter face.
"Well, it's falling here too. Wade, let's escape."
"Got it."
We quickly fled the ruins. At the same time, the fireballs smashed into the ruins from above.
It was incredibly easy for the ruins to collapse. The fireballs, or rather, meteorites, were not something to be taken lightly.
Moreover...
"...This is just like Surtr's Sword of Fire. It's got a sorcery that can break through conceptual defenses. If you get hit, you're basically dead."
"Wade, are you going to die?"
"Not if I can dodge 3 times."
"You can survive 2 hits, so that's pretty impressive."
With Repulsion, I might be able to withstand one hit, and with Anahata Chakra, maybe another. But if I get hit more than that, I'm dead.
In that sense, it's more merciful than the Sword of Fire. The Sword of Fire was way stronger, and it could bypass Repulsion's guard. What's going on, seriously?
That means if I take a direct hit, I'm done for.
But Surt is too fast. Our attacks won't hit, but theirs will. This is ridiculous. I've fought many opponents before, but this is just unfair.
The Giant of Destruction, Surtr.
An enemy unlike any I've ever faced, who can take me down with a single frontal attack.
"...Unbelievable."
I can't help but smile. Surtr, you're way stronger than I thought. I want to challenge you right away.
But my old man slaps me on the back of the head.
"Strategy, think it through!"
"...I know."
"You don't look like you know, you stupid brat. Anyway, I've been thinking about it too."
My old man raises his index finger and starts talking.
"Listen up, Wade. The key to taking down Surtr is to use bait."
"Bait?"
"That's right. He's huge, fast, and strong. A perfect opponent. Guys like him tend to fall for bait easily. If we use bait, we can take him down easily."
"You mean we should attack from behind?"
"Who cares? Winning is all that matters. Only those who win by any means necessary can survive the future. When I was defeated, I used every trick in the book, didn't I?"
"Aah, well, I do have a lot of tricks up my sleeve too..."
"Lucky for me, I'm a phantom. As long as I don't get destroyed too badly, I can revive. You knew that, Wade--my true power lies in being a phantom, right?"
"Too late to show respect now, it's pointless."
"Hey? Show some respect to your old man!"
We glare at each other, then burst out laughing and start walking. "Let's do this, stupid old man!" "Alright, let's go, Wade!"
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