Volume 12 Chapter 11 Surtr
I quickly figured out where Surtr was.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhh! Aaaaaaaaahhhhh! ."
With his giant body, Surtr was screaming at the top of his lungs while destroying nearby ruins. His appearance was like a crying child, and I held my breath at the absurdity.
"...Old man, is that thing gonna work? Isn't that a problem from way before?"
"Yeah, I guess so... What's going on here?"
My old man and I were hiding behind something, whispering to each other. Then, we heard a voice that was trying to hold back laughter.
"Found you!"
"Toxy? And Philia too?"
"Yay! Wade's safe! I was really worried since I couldn't find you!"
"Hmm, you two... This is quite a mess, isn't it?"
Philia stood next to Toxy, teasing her. Toxy looked down, her face scrunched up, and said "Uu...".
"That, um, this, I did it..."
"Huh?"
"Toxy-chan, what did you do, seriously?"
My old man and I were staring at Toxy with wide eyes, and Toxy was pointing her fingers together, looking like she was about to cry.
"I injected a toxin with hallucinogenic effects to neutralize Surtr... I didn't mean to kill him, okay? If he revived near Wade, it would be bad, right?"
"That's way better than the alternative. But, was there even an opening to land a hit?"
"Still, she worked really hard to make it!"
Philia stuck out her tongue and winked. As expected. Philia still has hidden depths. I want to have a showdown with her someday.
"No way!"
"What!?"
"What's with you, Philia, all of a sudden?"
"It's nothing."
As I'm talking, Philia winks at me. Whoa, did she just read my mind? What kind of person is she, really?
Anyway, that's beside the point.
"So, Surtr is seeing an illusion right now, and..."
"Yeah... That's right. Since we injected him with a hallucinogenic toxin that makes he feel guilty and powerless, I think he'll eventually collapse if we just wait..."
I think to myself, "Is there really a convenient poison like that?" But since it's Toxy, it's not surprising that she could make something like that.
"Since he's in the transition phase of the hallucination, he's resisting it and going wild right now. I know because I've experienced it myself."
The 4 of us peek out from behind the object to observe Surtr's state. Surtr is still shouting and going wild without a care.
"Then, if we just leave him alone, will he resolve it himself...?"
"Probably."
Toxy nods hesitantly. And, my old man scratches his head.
"I got outsmarted by Toxy-chan, didn't I? I was thinking of using my fancy evasion techniques to dodge his gaze..."
"Let it go, old man."
I chuckle at my old man's boastful words, and he glares back at me, but I ignore him.
"What? Old man? Father"
"Ah, Toxy. You know, I just realized something..."
Toxy reacts to my words, and I'm about to explain, but my old man says "Stop it, already!" with a disgusted face, and Philia looks curious, saying "What's going on?"
"Fa... ther...?"
Surtr's voice echoes quietly.
""""...""""
Everyone falls silent. We hold our breath.
The sound of destruction from Surtr that we heard from beyond the ruins has stopped. So, an uncomfortable silence has fallen over the slum.
The only sound is the distant rumble of falling meteorites.
I didn't think I was careless. We were even talking in hushed tones. Besides, the destruction sounds were too loud, so normal conversations wouldn't be audible anyway.
But somehow, that one phrase struck a chord with Surtr.
The sound of Surtr's footsteps, similar to an earthquake, drew near. The massive hand of Surtr came crashing down on the rooftop of the abandoned building where we were hiding.
And then, peeking out from above, Surtr's face appeared.
"...Ah, a, ah, ah, ah, ahh..."
With tears streaming down his face, Surtr looked like a child, and he gazed down at us, saying...
"―――There too."
With an expression filled with hatred, anger, and sadness, he raised his flaming sword high, looking at Toxy, old man, and me in turn.
"―――There too, you're here, Father, Brother, Sister..."
The flaming sword was about to come crashing down.
"Run for it!"
As I shouted, everyone took off running.
But we couldn't escape freely. The meteors wrapped in flames were still falling from the sky, and their threat level would only increase if we moved.
That's why old man suddenly turned around midway. "What are you doing, Old man?!" I shouted, and old man shouted back.
"Just a minute, I want to know something―――ahh!"
Surtr's current target was my old man. Surtr's aim was precise and sharp. Even I or Sandra wouldn't be able to dodge it.
But old man dodged it.
No, to be precise, he didn't dodge it.
He took the sword's blow. But immediately after, he created a new illusion right next to him, and the illusion that took the blow dispersed and disappeared like mist.
I was convinced.
My old man is not himself. So, he doesn't have a physical body. It doesn't matter how much Surtr eat him. Gyurvi, that illusion, is the tricky technique that Surtr struggles with.
"Alright! Just as I thought! If I miss the timing, I'll get wiped out, but if I stay focused, I can use it as bait and move! Wade!"
I dodge the next attack in the same way, and Old Man calls out to me.
"I'll do it! With the poison weakening him, it should be even easier than before! Let's finish him off with one blow and crush this giant!"
"...Ah!"
I ready Durandal, and using gravity magic, I jump up from behind Surtr.
"First strike!"
I jump up to the height where I can reach Surtr's neck, and then I extend Durandal and slash.
Surtr is distracted by Old Man, and it looks like an easy target. Most enemies wouldn't be able to react to an attack from this state.
But at the same time, Surtr is not just any ordinary enemy.
"Aaaaahhhhh!"
Crying out, Surtr reacts to my sword and unleashes a swift slash.
The timing of the hit is so precise that Durandal's weight increases drastically. Even in mid-air, Surtr and I clash swords.
Durandal sword, and Surtr's sword, wrapped in flames. The clash sends sparks flying everywhere, and we bounce off each other.
But it's not like we're going to let our guard down. That's impossible for both of us.
"More, more, more!"
"Ahhhhh!"
We exchange blows again, and another clash occurs. Surtr's movements are too fast. And I can sense that my senses are matching up with his.
"Hey, hey, Wade's gotten even faster than before, hasn't he...?"
"Wade's strongest and most troublesome part is here. Phew... I've got to move too."
"Toxy-chan?"
I realized Toxy had started moving beside us, where we were fiercely clashing swords. Maybe she's here to provide backup too. I didn't pay much attention to it and struck Surtr's sword even harder.
Once, twice, 3 times, we clashed swords repeatedly. I got attacked by a meteor in the middle, but since I was used to the sensation, I could dodge it easily. I flew through the air, exchanging blows with Surtr multiple times.
The final clash sent me flying back a great distance. At the same time, Surtr was also pushed back a step by the power I had built up.
"Hahahah, this is fun, Surtr! It's always like this in a fight, isn't it?"
When I laughed and called out to Surtr, he made a face that was both crying and laughing.
"Did I... did I really hate you that much, big brother...?"
"...Huh?"
"I've always hated you. I hated you so much. That's why I became strong just to defeat you, Father, and Sister. And yet, I finally defeated you, or so I thought I did..."
Surtr covered his face, his entire face drenched in tears, his face scrunched up in a mess.
"How long will you continue to curse me, big brother?! How much do you need to curse me before you're satisfied...?!"
It was then that I realized I was the only one enjoying this fight.
I remembered the poison Toxy had injected, the hallucinations he said I was seeing. Then I recalled Surtr――no, Sur――lying in bed yesterday, acting strangely.
And then, there was the story about Surtr defeating his family during the Demon King's army's invasion.
Inside me, the events that happened with Surtr are starting to connect. At the same time, I'm also understanding why he has been going so crazy and violent up until now.
What's going on with Surtr? What kind of mental state is he in? I said, trying to wrap my head around these complex issues.
"Huh?"
This guy doesn't get it at all. Change of plans. I'm not going to enjoy the fight; I'll just beat him up.
"Toxy! Can you detox Surtr?!"
When I call out, Toxy, who was looking for an opportunity, lets out a voice, saying "Eh?!"
"Why?!"
"Because we need to have a serious talk with Surtr! If he was just an ordinary enemy, I'd kill him without hesitation, but I owe a debt on Surtr!"
"Eh――?! No, I mean, uh, ugh, okay! Got it, Wade's idiot!"
For some reason, Toxy agrees with me even though I'm being called an idiot. Next, I call out, "Old man! Philia!"
"If Toxy suddenly attacks, Surtr might counterattack! I need your backup!"
"Alright! Leave it to me!" "Don't worry about it!"
The guardian group also listens to my request and quickly springs into action. Dad takes the lead as bait, while Philia creates a smokescreen around us.
As soon as my old man appears in front of Surtr, Surtr prioritizes him. Philia takes advantage of the opening and launches an unpredictable attack from within the smokescreen, creating an opportunity. Toxy seizes that chance and injects the antidote.
"Ugh, gah, k...my head, what's...!"
And so, Surtr regains his senses. Panting heavily, he looks at me with a clear gaze.
I'm standing in the midst of a Domain Control that's like the end of the world, with meteors raining down in the background, and I say to Surtr...
"Hey, Surtr. Yeah, I'll call you Sur for short. Hey, Sur."
I turned to Sur, who had gotten ridiculously huge, and pointed the tip of Durandal's sword at him.
"I'm so fed up, let's fight! You're gonna buy it, right?"
I grinned at him with a smirk. Sur looked like he had no idea what was going on, but he quickly snapped out of it and readied his flaming sword, saying "Yeah"...
"I was planning on it anyway. I'll take that fight."
The two of us laughed like we were itching for a fight. I took a deep breath, let out a battle cry, and charged at him.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)