After a night and day, it feels like Nanashi is strong enough to somehow survive.
Surviving doesn’t mean taking down monsters. It means buying time until Fuuma or I can get there.
Hinata is going too, leaving Nanashi behind and becoming pretty strong.
Well, it’s still not enough.
“Hey, do you want to spar again? I want to know how much I’ve grown.”
He looks serious. Is he frustrated because I didn’t even use a sword last time?
Fine. I take wooden swords from the Storage Space, and give one to Nanashi.
This time Hinata won’t join us. Hinata definitely wants to, but can’t move because Fuuma is pinning it down.
It’s trying to escape with magic, but Fuuma learned how to deflect magic even without the rising dragon chakram, so none of it works.
“Pipsqueak, let me have this one.”
After that, Hinata quiets down.
I feel like those two get along. Maybe a feeling of solidarity developed after being blown away by me.
Nanashi holds his sword forward.
I do the same.
The air becomes tense, and his sharp eyes cut right through me.
Good eyes.
Even if his opponent is far above him, there’s a will in them to take him down.
I take half a step back, and he takes a step forward. The distance has shrunk a little, signaling the start.
“Shii!”
I block the wooden sword being swung down, deflect to the right, and Nanashi activates magic like he saw that coming.
He doesn’t use words or stretch his hand.
He kneeds magic energy and activates a skill.
It’s a high temperature beam.
It was a flamethrower before, but he shrunk its area and made it more powerful.
Good magic, but he’s still not good enough at controlling it.
I can see the timing and trajectory perfectly.
I purposefully don’t deflect it, and instead dodge.
He keeps firing it, but I dodge everything. Then I draw closer and swing as if to say it’s my turn.
I control the power so it just barely doesn’t break the wooden sword, hold back the speed so Nanashi can block, and keep hitting.
“Guh!?”
He takes some distances once he’s not able to block anymore. He knows defending and attacking with a sword is bad for him.
I figure he’s using magic again, but he positions himself for a thrust.
Hnn? I’m confused by his moves, but a magic circle appears in front of his eyes.
That’s the Speed Up one I often use.
I have a really bad feeling.
Not about me, about Nanashi.
And it’s an accurate bad feeling.
“Here I go!?”
Nanashi jumps into the magic circle as he speaks.
The effect is activated, and he accelerates.
It’s still slow enough that I can dodge, but I purposefully don’t.
“Limit Break.”
I block Nanashi’s charge with the wooden sword, and move back as I kill his momentum.
At the same time, I cast Healing Magic on him.
I’ve done it before too, but going through a magic circle isn’t easy on your body. Magic circles add power to magic. If something other than magic passes through them, it will be tattered.
And Nanashi is no exception, as bones break in his whole body, and he’s stuck in his thrusting pose.
He’s conscious, but it’s an odd state.
He falls when his momentum is killed.
He really overdid it.
“Haha, I thought it would work, but it was no good.”
Of course, magic circles aren’t for people.
I didn’t explain that, but I also didn’t expect him to have the same idea as me. Maybe more seekers try it than I thought.
The guild really should explain the dangers of magic circles better.
As I question the management of the guild, I notice Nanashi’s grave expression.
“How do I become like you, John Doe?”
You asked that before, so I’ll tell you the same thing, don’t. You’ll die for sure. I’ve been through things that make it strange that I’m even alive. If you want to be like that, you have to survive The Abyss alone. You’ll die for sure.
“I see. But still, I want to be like you. If I had your power…”
He clenches his fists, and seems to be thinking about something as he stares at me. He eventually relaxes, exhales, and shakes his head.
“No, forget it. It’s enough that you’ll help me when we’re back on the surface.”
Yes. And tell me what it is when we get back. If it’s within my ability.
“Hahaha, I feel like you can do anything. That’s right, can I touch your sword just once?
Hn? Fine, but be careful, it’s crazy sharp.
I take it out of the Storage Space.
The longsword is in its sheep wool scabbard, and can only be unsheathed by controlling magic energy.
Nanashi looks at it a few times, and controls the scabbard to draw it without hesitation.
“…Incredible. Can I swing it?”
Knock yourself out. Just give it back.
“Yes, I know.”
I turn around to move away from him, and go to where Fuuma and Hinata are.
Then I feel like the world shifts for a moment.
I drop my posture and look around cautiously.
I don’t feel nervous like when the world becomes monochrome and a powerful monster appears, but something’s off.
What is it? As I feel this, my eyes meet Hinata’s, which are wide open.
“Kyururu.”
Hinata points at me.
No, behind me.
I turn around with a bad feeling, and there’s nothing there.
“Nanahi?”
Yes, Nanashi is gone.
His vision snapped off and turned dark like a CRT TV being turned off, and he felt his body being moved.
He didn’t know what was happening, and had his eyes closed without thinking, as he gripped the longsword tightly.
But this feeling of moving quickly faded.
“What happened?”
He opened his eyes, and tried to ask John Doe.
“John Doe?”
He was gone. In fact, the winged kid he called pipsqueak and the crazy strong horse were gone too.
“…Hey hey, what kind of prank is this? John Doe! Pipsqueak! Horse! Totaro! Where are you!?”
This was clearly odd, and he tried his best to stay cool, but it was hard when not only were four people gone, but the scenery in front of him was different.
He yelled in desperation.
The man named Nanashi kept looking around for the one who saved him and the ones who were kind to him.
He looked around the former site of the mansion, went down to the dry lake, looking for anything.
“Hey, what happened? Where are they? Is this a dream?”
He questioned it, but the longsword in his right hand denied it.
It was reality, not a dream.
But what was this?
The forest was there, but the mansion was gone, as was the field, and the lake was dry with Totaro nowhere to be found.
“What happened?”
He could not comprehend it, and scratched his head.
What would John Doe do?
Try his hardest to look around? What then? Leave that place? Should he prioritize his safety? What would John Doe say?
He desperately tried to think of how he would have reacted.
His one friend, the target of his admiration.
His head was filled with thoughts he could not process, but that was forcibly stopped.
“What was that!?”
The longsword in his right hand clattered, and magic energy burst from it.
He tried to let go of it, but could not open his hand. In fact, he was holding it tighter.
He was acting opposite of what he wanted, and despite this being scary, he did not find it so.
The magic energy being expelled had no malice, and felt comfortable.
The magic energy discharged from the longsword engulfed him, and strengthened his body as if building a foundation.
Once it was done expelling magic energy, it shattered, and the pieces were absorbed into his body.
Nanashi, or rather, Eiji Amatsu, did not understand what happened.
But he felt he saw something.
He became incredibly sad, and cried.
He did not feel like wiping his tears. The realization that he would not see them again just made him sad, and he could not stop crying.
—
Eiji Amatsu appeared at the end of Chapter 101 – Intermission 15 – (Michiyo Sorahashi)
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