Chapter 299 Extreme Sword
With golden eyes, Aaron pierces the [Evil God] standing before him, as a black sphere floats down slowly from above.
The sphere lands on the lake's surface, which has returned to its original mirror-like appearance after the ice was blown away. The black cocoon that formed it dissolves into the air, revealing a silver-haired, blue-eyed little girl──Ickle.
"P-papa..."
Ickle murmurs as she looks up at Aaron.
Aaron places his left hand on Ickle's head, gently stroking it as he speaks.
"──I'll finish this quickly. Wait here."
"...Okay!"
Then Aaron steps away from Ickle and slowly walks toward the [Evil God].
On the way, he puts "Black-White" away in the ring and uses his empty hands to grip the twin swords still piercing through him.
──Clang!!
The two "Black Radiance" swords vanish with a sound.
The [Evil God] opens her eyes wide in shock.
"What... just happened?"
The [Evil God] cannot understand why the "Black Radiance" disappeared. She cannot grasp what Aaron has done.
Aaron continues to walk without answering the question.
──Clang!!
Another sound rings out.
Aaron hasn't drawn his sword. He hasn't swung his arms.
Yet, Aaron's form begins to change. Activating [Calamity Steel Body], his previously pitch-black appearance transforms completely.
His shape remains the same. Only the color undergoes a dramatic change.
From pitch black──to a body radiating platinum light.
My ultimate technique────[Chaos Strength: Perfect]
The [Evil God] was terrified. It took one step back, then another.
"Ah, are you... are you planning to self-destruct!? Are you really going to take Fiona down with you!?"
"That's not it."
Aaron denied it. But the [Evil God] didn't believe him.
"How can you be so naive!? You, who can handle the third materia, should know best!! If you turn your body into that, you can never go back!! If your magical energy runs out or if you lose control even a little, in that moment, you will die!?"
The third materia.
That is the true identity of what Aaron calls the "Platinum Sword."
In the field of magic studies from the Age of Gods, matter is divided into 3 main types.
Normal matter──first materia.
Matter generated by magical energy, known as──second materia.
And the state where aura and matter are fused──third materia.
The third materia temporarily stabilizes and controls the state by converting the first materia into Phenomenon Alteration Energy and fusing it with aura.
The conversion efficiency as Phenomenon Alteration Energy and the energy contained within it are extremely high──but because of that, control is very difficult, and if it goes out of control and is released randomly, it will instantly turn into massive thermal energy and be released into the surroundings.
And──once matter has been converted into the third materia, it can never return to the first materia.
Even if it was theoretically possible, the variations of that state were practically irreversible.
That's why the [Evil God] was certain. Aaron Gale intended to throw away his own life. He was determined to sacrifice himself along with Fiona──she was sure of it.
Therefore, the [Evil God] made a quick decision.
Even if it meant delaying her mission, even if she considered the possibility of losing the important tool, Terrafomer007, forever, even if it meant leaving a being capable of killing her unchecked──still, to protect her own existence, she decided.
──To escape.
"────."
Without saying anything, without showing any signs.
She quickly emitted magical energy and activated teleportation magic.
Just before that.
──Clink!!
A clear sound rang out.
Aaron took out "Black Radiance" from the ring and swung it, and right after that, "Black Radiance" disappeared.
It didn't look like he had transformed the sword into the third materia.
To be precise, [Evil God] couldn't capture that process.
Yet, the [Evil God]'s teleportation failed.
"────Huh?"
The [Evil God] knew the reason for the failed teleportation.
──The disappearance of the teleportation target.
To prioritize the quick activation of the teleportation, the destination was supposed to be just a few kilometers away. After teleporting there, she was supposed to escape from Aaron's line of sight and the detection range of magical energy, and then finally break out of the labyrinth.
[Evil God]'s skill was such that failure was impossible, even once in a thousand attempts, with short-distance teleportation.
However, if the coordinates to teleport to were lost from this world, the conditions for magic would break down, and the teleportation would fail.
"W-why... that's... impossible...!!"
In this case, it was impossible for the destination coordinates to disappear unless the labyrinth itself vanished.
So.
[Evil God] understood that it was they who had been lost from the world.
"If I were to name it, I'd call it... My ultimate technique... [World Slash]."
Aaron's words were quietly released.
They were words that supported [Evil God]'s speculation.
A spherical Space with a diameter of just 100 meters (≈ 328 feet).
That was all that [Evil God] could perceive of the world with [Space perception].
Even though clouds continued to flow high above, and the false sun still illuminated the world, and the mirror-like blue and white lake surface stretched to the horizon.
Only a small spherical Space, cut off from the world, could be sensed. It was as if there was a transparent barrier separating them from the world beyond, preventing any interference with what lay ahead.
Once, long ago in the Age of Gods, when they were sealed and trapped within this labyrinth.
[Evil God] had lost the means to escape.
* * *
──Never before had his heart felt so calm.
At the same time, he felt a sense of exhilaration that could be called omnipotence.
Aaron Gale expanded his senses to every corner of the closed world he had cut through.
──I can see. I can perceive. I can observe.
It wasn't just sight. His skin felt not only the wind but even the slightest movements of the magical energy filling the labyrinth, and his ears could distinguish even the smallest sounds.
All his senses, including sight, had become sharper than ever before.
He glanced at the cause of this.
The back of his left hand. The limit mark that should have disappeared was reappearing.
However, the design was different from that of a 'Beginner Swordman.'
Thanks to Lucia and Fiona's efforts, it had been given to him again──but this time, it was a completely new Job with different abilities, which Aaron recognized through the knowledge he had gained.
Unique Job──'Extreme Sword'
The only skill that this Job could learn was just one.
──[Slash]
That was all.
Moreover, there were no enhancements to his strength from the Job's bonuses.
For most people in the world, it was a useless Job with abilities below that of Basic Jobs.
But.
The fact that he could only learn one skill. The lack of strength enhancements from the Job. These factors meant that all the resources were poured into other areas.
That was the enhancement of his senses.
Aaron's eyes had turned golden, but he hadn't obtained a Brain Support Device. His entire body's sensory organs and nerves were enhanced by nanomachines generated by magical energy, sharpening his existing senses──and not only that, but they also added sensory organs to perceive information that he normally wouldn't be able to detect.
The gift given was──eyes that see magical energy.
Until now, Aaron could only sense magical energy through his skin, but now he could clearly and vividly perceive it.
──He understood the world.
Just with that, the things Aaron could cut had greatly increased.
And just with that, Aaron's aura control had improved significantly.
By clearly seeing and understanding the essence of what he controlled, his manipulation became much more precise.
Now, he could.
Just like he did against Logan in the past, it would be easy to slice through only the magical energy.
In the labyrinth, he could even cut and divide the artificial, temporary world. Because here, it was a world built by magical energy.
"A-Aaron..."
The cornered [Evil God] asked, pleadingly.
"Are you really going to kill me...? Me... and Fiona...?!"
"I'm not going to kill Fiona."
The moment he answered, the [Evil God] clearly felt relief.
After all, it seemed that Aaron still didn't have the resolve to kill Fiona.
"Ahh... I see, yes, that makes sense...!!"
"......"
"Then Aaron, stop this pointless thing and quickly undo this [World Slash]. You can't kill Fiona, so you can't kill me either! ...Or are you going to seal me away again like before...? Along with Fiona!!"
"......"
"Well, heehee...!! Now that Chronosphere has been destroyed, I wonder how you would seal me?"
"I'm not sealing you."
"Of course not!"
Regaining her composure, the [Evil God] showed pure joy, and Aaron asked coldly.
"So? Can you stop my Jobs?"
"────!!"
The [Evil God] changed her expression.
He knew that while talking to him, she was trying to stop Aaron's Jobs again.
However, Aaron didn't try to stop it.
He probably knew it wouldn't be possible.
"WHY... WHY... WHYYY!?"
The [Evil God] shouted.
As the one with the highest management authority in the [God Realm], she couldn't stop the Jobs.
No, in the first place──[Evil God] couldn't even search for the Jobs given to Aaron Gale within the system.
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