No Damage 34

Test

34. Soon, Towards An Inviolable Existence

Before I knew it, I was in a pure white space.

Huh? Just a moment ago, I was in a canyon──.

"Long time no see, Haruto Riva."

In front of me stood a young girl.

Shoulder-length golden hair, round blue eyes.

An innocent, delicate face.

A loose white robe on a tiny body that barely reached my chest.

"And you are...?"

I feel like I've seen this girl somewhere before──.

Searching my memory, I eventually remembered.

"You look like the goddess...?"

It's like the younger version of that goddess who gave me skills.

"I've been calling out to you for a long time. Finally, my voice reached you."

The young girl's version of the goddess(?) smiled.

Unlike the adult version, she has no breasts.

Flat as a board. What a pity.

"Actually, I am not the goddess herself. I am a fragment of the will of the guardian goddess residing within you──the essence of her power. I am a fragment of the will of Ilfaria, the lost ancient god."

"Ilf...aria?"

"Come to think of it, I didn't introduce myself back then. I am──or rather, my true form is Ilfaria, the goddess who governs protection. One of the lost ancient gods."

The smiling goddess.

Well, she's not exactly the goddess herself, but it's too complicated, so let's call her that.

"Where is this place? What happened to everyone? Right, I have to go to everyone──"

"This is your inner space. A place devoid of time and space."

The goddess explained.

"No time has passed in the outside world. Rest assured."

Even so, I'm still worried.

──As I think that, the goddess leans towards me.

Her cute face gets closer, and I can't help but feel my heart race.

No no, why am I getting excited over such a young girl?

Whether she notices my inner turmoil or not, the goddess continues to stare at me,

Your skills are growing smoothly. However, you have not yet mastered them all. To guide your power to further growth──I have been calling out to you for a long time."

"Further growth..."

"For that, first, I need to confirm your will. For what purpose do you want to use the skills given by Ilfaria?"

"I──"

"Let me say this first──you are free to use your power as you wish. From me──and the gods, there are no missions, no orders, nothing imposed on you. It's free for you to become a hero using your power. It's also free for you to become a villain. This──is the rule."

"I──"

That's obvious.

I look straight at the goddess.

"Right now, I want to use this power to protect everyone."

The feeling I realized during battles with dragons, demons, and Demon Generals.

As an adventurer, I want to protect everyone.

"But as I am now, I can't defend against his attacks. Even if I survive, Lilith, Alice, and everyone else──"

"The important thing is the image."

The goddess smiles at me as I groan.

"Magic, factors, and even the skills of gods and demons. They all originate from the same source. To imagine──that is, to embody and materialize your will──that is what will grow your skills stronger──"

Gradually, her voice fades.

Wait, I want to hear more──.

Even my shouted voice dissolves into the void.

"......Imagine, give shape...to...your....desired, form....of....power......"

The voice of the goddess becomes even fainter, and then,

"That's how it will be──soon, towards an inviolable existence."

Only the last words were heard very clearly.

At the same time, the white surroundings fade and disappear──.

When I come to, I'm back where I started.

"Aaaahhh!"

Gyrasvrim shouts as he prepares to strike.

As the goddess said, not even a second has passed in the real world.

Sarome was right beside me and couldn't move.

The current Demon General possesses the instincts of a beast, capable of sensing even her vanished presence.

If I recklessly dash out, I'll be killed instantly.

And Dalton-san and the knights behind me, and Lilith and the others who will join us, also couldn't move.

Intermittently firing magic are Lilith and Dalton-san, perhaps.

But the Demon General shows no sign of concern and continues to gather power.

Now that we've used the last resort, the Magic Missile, there's no way to damage the Demon General.

"It's hopeless... Even if we escape now, we won't make it in time..."

Sarome groans bitterly.

"Then──I'll protect you."

"Haruto-kun...?"

Looking at Salome's surprised expression, I nod.

How many seconds do we have left?

One second? Two seconds?

Probably, we only have a brief moment.

In that moment──I imagine and materialize.

Awaken a stronger skill.

Can I do it?

No, it's not a matter of 'can'.

I 'will'.

──PRESET──

Somewhere deep in my heart, I think I've set the limits of my own power.

This is probably all I can do──.

I can't do anything more than this──.

I believe I've drawn that line in my mind.

Somewhere, I was in a state where I lacked confidence in myself.

But, I'm going to put an end to that now.

Here, I'll put an end to it.

Convergence. Restraint. Shackles. Confinement.

Nullification. Powerlessness. Deactivation.

Erasing power. Erasing strikes. Erasing impacts. Erasing destruction.

From here, let's take a step forward.

By recalling every last bit of imagination and materializing skills.

To gain the power to protect everyone.

Now is the time──.

To shatter the walls I've believed were my limits until now.

Constructing barriers. Forging barriers. Manifesting barriers. Solidifying barriers.

Defining recognition. Setting effects. Fixing aim. Confirming scope.

I believe in myself.

I believe in my skills.

For that, more strongly, more vividly──I envision.

The form of power.

What I can do?

What only I can do!

──COMPLETE──

From my outstretched right hand, a rainbow-colored light extended.

Advancing with a spiral trajectory, it wrapped around the sword wielded by Gyrasvrim.

"Gooooooo...oooooooon...!?"

The beast knight uttered a bewildered voice.

The light──transformed into the figure of an angel with eight wings, cradling a red magic sword.

"Aaah!"

Almost simultaneously, Gyrasvrim unleashed a slash with a roar.

It's an extraordinarily destructive sword capable of altering even the terrain with a single strike.

Such a slash would scatter powerful shockwaves, cleaving the earth apart. But it couldn't even stir a breeze.

"Gga...aaaah...!?"

"──Fourth form, [Void Seal]."

To the bewildered demon general, I quietly announced.

That was the form of power I imagined.

A skill form that envelops the sword in a defense field of extremely narrow range, nullifying 'the very destruction energy' itself.

Now, Gyrasvrim couldn't destroy anything.

Couldn't inflict damage on anyone──.

"Gguh, gaaaaaaah!?"

The beast knight swung his sword wildly.

But no matter how many times he tried, it was futile.

The sword enveloped in rainbow light could no longer be used for destruction.

It couldn't even leave a scratch on the ground.

"Oooooon...nn...n......"

Eventually.

The demon general fell to his knees with a thud.

The sword dropped from his hand.

"Is this... the end...?"

What came from his mouth was not a beast's roar, but the words of a man.

"My... power of destruction... that I poured everything into... you've truly stopped it, human..."

His abnormally thick, elongated limbs returned to their original size, and his wolf-like face also reverted to that of a human.

Probably, this was the true face of Gairasvlime, which I saw for the first time.

The face of a warrior embodying fortitude.

That face, that body, flickered like a mirage and began to fade.

"We are bound by certain constraints... we cannot remain long in the human world..."

Gyrasvrim spoke with a pained expression.

"As time passes... even the mightiest of demons lose their power and eventually vanish... we may not return to the path leading to the demon world, [Sirelga]..."

The black knight's figure gradually faded away.

The scenery behind him became faintly visible.

What on earth is this──!?

"I... since my defeat in the War of Gods and Demons... have merely smoldered in the demon world... but today was different...! Even if it was for a moment, I could exert my full strength..."

Gairasvlime laughed.

"I've been waiting for this day to come... to burn my life in battle... to die..."

With a pained expression, he wore a cheerful smile.

"Even the analysis of the power of the gods you possess... will end eventually. This battle reaches everything, to His Majesty the Demon King..."

Gyrasvrim's legs disappeared.

His waist disappeared, and his chest disappeared.

"If possible, I wanted to crush you all... but if not..."

His arms disappeared, and his shoulders disappeared.

"I am... expendable... the future will be taken care of by His Majesty and the remaining Demon Generals, surely..."

As he vanished, Gyrasvrim continued to laugh.

Like an innocent child.

"Farewell... strong ones..."

And──the figure of the Demon General disappeared completely.