CH 434

Conclusion

A man with a bleeding wound in his stomach and a devilish monster covered in black shell.

From the side, I would clearly seem to be at a disadvantage, and as I faced off against him, I could tell even from just my gut feeling that I was definitely lacking in comparison to him.

I had overcome the personality takeover of [Mad Warrior] and I had used [Ability unleashed] at max output and still, I knew the difference was clear.

But still………for some strange reason, I didn’t feel like I was going to lose for a single moment.

“[Hero’s Covenant]”

Even in this monstrous form, he could still use skills?

While I retorted that inside my head, the first one to make a move was Klaus as he activated a new skill.

The crimson sword in his hand had extended its blade with light-like energy, and was now longer than even my Vendettatein.

If that light had appeared due to this [hero’s covenant] skill, that it was bound to be seriously dangerous.

He instantly closed in the distance, and swung the sword sharply at me and matched it with my Vendettatein——-somehow managing to deflect the attack.

Klaus was using just one hand, while I held the sword with both.

It really seemed like he was swinging it easily and lightly but, everytime I blocked his swing, it felt like I would get blown away just from the impact, and the force of his attack would weigh down on my entire body.

Perhaps he assessed that he didn’t need to even bother with any kind of technique anymore as he was only using brute strength and his Skills to overwhelm me, but that was my one and only opportunity I could use.

If I am losing in brute strength, then I just need to use his strength against him.

Recalling Milworc who constantly aimed for counter attacks, this time I focused on using my everything to see through his attacks.

I activated [Wild Instinct], and let him approach me as close as possible—-and then dodged the downswing of his sword, and swung my own from the bottom-right side to lean on Klaus’ own momentum and force.

My sword hit cleanly. He was covered in a bulky shell but, as you’d expect, Vendettatein was more than a match for it.

I could clearly feel my sword go through and reach all the way to Klaus’ real body underneath the shell but………

Without even giving me a moment to enjoy the feeling of the hit, a big impact hit my abdomen.

Thanks to my active [Wild Instinct], I was able to focus all my defensive skills at my abdomen just in time to stop myself from getting blow all the way back but, I still got hit with gouging blow from his unarmed hand.

The attack was strong enough that my breathing almost stopped but, the smile on my face refused to disappear as sent back another diagonal slash as a response.

This time he did block it with his crimson sword but, it was important to instantly fire back anytime I took a hit.

No matter how much force he may use to suppress me, I can’t take a step back and keep pushing forward.

I dodged the oncoming slashes, and then took his fist head-on only to launch another counter right at him.

I stopped caring about how much damage my body was taking, and was entirely focused on delivering a strike back every time I got hit. In the centre of the arena, we continued to trade blows one after another.

On top the strength of the [Sword God], he even used some unknown item called a Devil core so, I imagine Klaus really thought he’d be able to kill me in a matter of seconds.

And while if we were comparing damage, I definitely had it a lot worse and it won’t be strange for me to collapse at any given moment now but——-I was just having fun. Yeah, this is stupidly fun.

I couldn’t feel anything other than my arms and legs but, as long as I can swing my sword, I can still continue fighting.

And this was not something that I could have ever foreseen but, because Klaus turning into a monster made him release evil energy, every time I cut him with vendettatein, the drain effect would activate and absorb that evil energy into the sword.

Due to that, a secondary effect of the sword, one I had been unable to find out until now finally began to show itself, and my sword started to cut through Klaus’ black shell much deeper with ease.

I don’t know if it’s because he too realized that or some other reason, even though I was in tatters, Klaus began to step back and retreat from me.

“Persistent , obstinate, and ANNOYING!! Why won’t you just fall already!!?”

His calm movements started to show deficiencies, and Klaus decided to grab his sword with both hands and started to wildly swing it around at me.

Because of that, the strength behind each swing increased many-folds but, because he was panicking, his attacks also became a lot easier to read.

I matched the timing with Klaus’ diagonal slash—–and having now lost his free arm that was guarding his chest, his devil core was completely open, so I thrust vendettatein directly at it.

It was incredibly hard in its material so the impact didn’t feel very good but, because of absorbing so much evil energy the blade had become so sharp that the core cracked, and more black miasma began pouring out of it.

Because of the miasma being released, Klaus’ grotesque monster form began to melt away but…….his eyes had not yet given up.

With fading sensations I barely managed to move my body, and got ready to unleash my final attack with the full intent to kill him for good.

The skill I activated was——[Suicidal Strike].

I was already close to destroying myself anyway, so I whipped my body one last time and forced it squeeze every last remaining drop of strength left in it.

I stepped down on the ground firmly, and then rushed right at him with such intensity that clumps of earth flew behind me as I blasted forwards.

It was quite literally, my final attack.

If he manages to survive this, I’ll be left unable to move and he’ll kill me but——-there was no going back now.

Klaus. Take this. The strongest attack of the world’s strongest [farmer]!

A culmination of everything I had built up towards, all for the sake of killing Klaus.

I don’t need a ‘next time’.

Having squeezed every drop of power inside me, it was an attack with my entire life on the line—–

“[Suicidal Strike]—–“

My sword slammed into his crimson blade, smashing it, then stabbed into his shoulder, past his melting black shell, and then sliced diagonally downwards, pulverizing the devil core in the process before finally slicing his body into two.

I couldn’t even tell if his blood was black or red as it splashed all over me, and having lost his bottom half, Klaus slowly crumbled to the floor.

“……..Why, but why……….why can’t I never win against Chris. I was the [Sword God]……..you were just a [Farmer]. I sold my body, my soul to a devil for more power……….and yet, why, why? Why is it always you——-you got all the attention, you were always the one they focused on. I was locked in a small dark world, but I gained power, and still I was unable to reach you………was it simply because…..you were born before me……..is that, really it?”

“…………All that is completely irrelevant. And besides, father treated you more preciously than he ever did with me.”

As tears ran down his face, Klaus looked up towards me as he asked this to which I could only reply as such.

I moved my heavy hand, and brought out a pocketwatch from inside my item holder.

It was the one I stole from my house when I was escaping it. The one my father always treasured the most.

I stole it because I thought it was valuable but, Lugentz-san told me that it was pretty cheap so I didn’t sell it and kept it on me. (T/N; If you’re wondering who Lugentz is, it’s the old man from the pawn shop. Yes he was never named until now, and was only given a name in the LN but the author decided to name drop him randomly in the WN now of all times as well lol.)

And one day, on a whim while I was fiddling with it I figured out a certain secret in it.

The fact that this pocketwatch was actually an automaton clock.

It didn’t have some incredible function but, if you opened and closed the lid quickly twice, it would unlock a back side to it as well.

And in that small space was——-a small photo of Klaus from when he was just a baby.

“……….that’s the watch, father loved?”

“Yeah, and look here. It’s not me, but a picture of you inside it.”

“………..wha, that’s ri…diculous……….you left, three days after the ………Heaven’s Blessing…..After I got [Sword God]……..he must have…….changed it..”

“Well, you may be right.”

“…………Where……di..d…..I……go…….so …….wrong….?”

“Since the day we were born. Both you and me.”

“…………..Yo..u..re…….ri….ght………..”

Klaus was slowly running out of strength to even say small words and soon, he stopped moving completely.

His expression as he lay dead was that of someone who was completely empty inside, and after raging, struggling and fighting for so long, till the very end he was nothing more than a egotistic younger brother of mine.

I was worried about Esta, Ralf and Snow as well but………I was at my limit as well.

Right after I had seen off Klaus to the otherworld, the recoil of [Suicidal Strike] came rushing in and I fell flat beside Klaus’ corpse.

Ah this feeling——this is bad, I really might be done for.

I was so worn out that I wasn’t even using [Pain Inhibition] and yet I still didn’t feel any pain in my body so I resolved myself to finally accept death.

I had fulfilled my one goal in life that I had sworn towards all the way back then when I was stuck inside Peixa forest, and I have no regrets.

……….but, I do hope that Ralf, Esta and Snow are safe considering that I selfishly dragged them into this.

With such thoughts in mind, I stretched my hand toward the entrance of the arena but my body showed no signs of moving.

My vision was starting to grow hazy and was gradually blacking out.

My only regret was that I was unable to see my friends one last time.

Feeling a strange cold crawl up my body, I abandoned any hopes of holding on to my consciousness against the strong sensation of sleep——–and I slowly closed my eyes.

.

.

.

I felt like I was in a deep, deep sleep but, I felt like someone was calling me.

How annoying. I tried to ignore it but………the voice felt somewhat familiar.

It was a boy and a girl………I feel like I was on the verge of recalling them but, my sleepiness took priority.

There was nothing going through my head anymore. I gave on thinking as a whole, and right when I was about to let go of my consciousness completely—-

“AURFF! AWOOOO!!!”

Suddenly a explosion rang and the consciousness that I was about to let go came forcefully back towards me.

It was like I had stopped breathing, as I woke up and painfully sucked in a huge amount of air.

Slowly but steadily, my breathing began to stabilize and I finally began to open my eyes……….only to see two very recognizable faces.

Both drenched in tears and snot.

All sorts of liquids were flowing down their faces, and it really was the worst kind of sight to wake up to. And so, unable to endure it any further, I ended up bursting out laughing instead.