Chapter 259: 245

All the spirits reverted back to light.

In torrents of green, the lights converged.

All their resentment flowed into my body where they were purified and turned into pure power.

The plain was awash with dazzling light.

More radiant than the moons, more luminous than the sun, the lights of the dead abound.

As proof that I had transcended the realm of humankind, the containers of the regeneration point shattered. A fleeting burst of unlimited power. A power of immortality capable of destroying the cursed beasts. The ultimate power paid for with my bonds.

Where the light converged, there were only the two of us, the prince and I.

I spoke.

「Behold. Behold this body of mine. Behold the beast that devours curses. Prince of Elysium, if you call me the King of Beasts, I will answer, "Indeed, that's what I am". And history won't be repeating itself. Here, the beast-hunter prince will end up defeated by the beast」

The prince did not smile.

Rising to his feet, he regarded me.

「Countless heroes, legions of valiant warriors, and even foreigners have stood before me, and all of them have died without accomplishing a single thing. I commend you. I’ve not needed to kill anyone personally since my father the king」

Until just now, I hadn't noticed that he had a sword strapped to his hip.

But, like I said,

So what?

「O Beast-Hunter Prince, this night is your last」

「Do your worst, O King of Beasts」

We raised our swords at the same time.

Air blasted outward as steel resounded. The clang of the two swords colliding in opposition hardly resembled any sound made by swords clashing together.

This guy, he has the same level of strength as I do under the effects of Wild Hunt.

And that’s not all. In that single blow, he’s cracked Irvin's sword.

The sword that slew the hero who became a beast got damaged from just one clash of swords.

The sword the prince wields may look like an ordinary longsword, but it is no ordinary sword. It's a legendary-grade sword.

But even so, I heard a voice telling me, "Go."

I swung the sword through the air.

The two swords clashed for the second time, and a large chunk of Irvin's sword chipped off.

Even though our clashes had lasted but a split-second, the prince spoke with a composed tone.

「The name of this sword is【Elysium】. My father the king seized it from the king of elves. And I seized it from him. It has lost some of its original beauty over the years, but no ordinary sword can even scratch it」

「That so?」

I swung the sword at him regardless.

Irvin's sword snapped halfway up the blade.

「Agathion!」

Following my command, the magic sword attacked the prince from behind. While keeping his gaze on me, the prince caught the blade of the magic sword with his bare hand. There was a splatter of bright red, but that was the extent of the wound he received as he stopped the magic sword with ease.

He counterattacked, and I took a sword swing to my shoulder.

I felt chilling pain and hot blood flow. Without hesitation, I pressed on. Letting the blade sink deep into my flesh, I plunged the snapped sword into the prince's neck.

「Gargh」

Went the prince as he vomited blood.

That gives me a small measure of relief. If he bleeds, I can kill him. I can kill him for sure.

Even if―――――――

「Urghh」

I felt an impact to my abdomen. With one kick, my body went flying like a soccer ball.

That opened up a substantial distance of nearly 20 meters between us.

Blood spurted from the wound in my shoulder now that the sword had been pulled out. My internal organs were ruptured and my spine shattered. I had received mortal wounds, but the power I was filled with instantly regenerated my wounds.

The same was true for my opponent.

Throwing aside the sword that had pierced his throat, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

However, that's right, I've spilled his blood.

Even if I’m unable to kill him this time, death will inevitably come to him.

「What's so funny?」

「Everything about you」

It's my turn to smirk now.

I held Zamonglass' sword up alongside the magic sword, which had returned.

In one breath, I closed the distance between us.

I attempted another pincer attack with the magic sword. The prince blocked the magic sword with one hand, and I took the opportunity to circle around behind him. Ducking under the prince's sword, I swung horizontally at his waist.

The slash that should have separated his upper body from the rest of his body―――――――didn't make it.

Halfway through his abdomen, the sword came to an abrupt halt.

As if the sword had been clamped in a vise, I couldn't get it to budge. The return swing of the prince's sword closed in on my neck. Even the current me wouldn’t survive a decapitation.

My senses became honed to a sharp point.

Color faded from my vision, and time slowed down.

Removing my hand from the sword, I clasped the incoming blade between my hands. I turned the enemy's sloppy posture to my advantage. Slamming my knee into the prince's elbow, I snapped his arm.

I snatched the sword out of his hand and drove it through his heart.

I gouged the flesh.

And twisted the sword about.

I could see the redness of the liquid that sprayed out. The flow of time went back to normal.

「Well well, what am I to do?」

Coughing up blood, the prince smiled.

「Stick play[1] isn't exactly my strong suit after all」

「tch」

Stabbing pain in my hand made me let go of the sword. Sensing danger, I pulled back a distance.

Burns? The skin on my hand is regenerating from being melted away.

I felt heat swelling up.

Amid the green light, the light of flames glowed a deep red.

Even though I had opened up a distance of 10 meters from him, the heat still burned my skin. The hot air hurt my throat and lungs.

The prince was covered in flames.

He looked just like the beast that had destroyed Ashtalia

No, his flames were many times more intense.

He yanked Zamonglass' sword out from his abdomen, easily crushing its heat-softened blade. He also pulled out the sword in his heart and tossed it aside like it was trash.

He walked towards me unhurriedly.

Just by doing that, my body was burned and I found myself unable to breathe.

The heat was so intense that my pointy hat started smoldering, smoke rising from it.

「They call this flame the【Final Flame】. It's what the flame magician has grandiosely dubbed the "flame of the end(apocalypse/death). Don't worry, it's not as powerful as legend claims. What I obtained is something incomplete. But well, it will still burn any human to ashes before they can even get close. ………So, what are you going to do next?」

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As the prince was speaking, I sent Agathion at him.

「I've grown bored of this」

Catching Agathion with great ease, he destroyed most of its blade with a single punch. Tossing aside the magic sword, which no longer moved, the enemy drew even closer.

The flames came closer.

The heat scorched my body.

Unable to draw breath, I fell to my knees.

It had been a while since I had sat in the seiza position[2].

Tranquility, just tranquility.

Be it the pain, the heat, or the enemy, I turned everything to nothingness inside me. I honed the power that filled my body to the utmost.

Thin, thinner, even thinner than paper, I sharpened my senses to the extreme.

With my left thumb, I loosened the katana from the scabbard and placed my right hand on its handle.

This blade cuts not with hands.

This blade is my heart itself.

My katana, the embodiment of my soul. If I wield it with my infinite soul as its fuel, my heart can cut down anything.

It's only a blade, but it's a blade that cuts through everything.

Now, I shall perform a sword technique that reaches the realm of the gods.

I will kill you with my heart.

「Mm?」

I was brought back to consciousness by the moronic sound the prince let out.

My burning hat went flying. I could feel my burned lips and cheeks regenerating. If it weren't for the cloak that was the symbol of my connection to that dragon, I would have been roasted from head to toe.

「You……what did you do?」

「Something you can't see」

The blade, which I had gotten a glimpse of, settled back into the scabbard.

A satisfying click rang out.

The flames vanished.

Then, liquid redder than the flames sprayed out. From the wound that ran diagonally across his body, a large amount of blood gushed out from the prince.

「You're not looking all that composed anymore, Prince-sama」

「You!」

With one more iai-draw that couldn't be seen, I slashed both his knees. After the prince had fallen to his knees, I took aim next at his heart and neck, the traditional way of killing beasts.

Come.

I'm counting on you, come!

The broken magic sword faithfully settled into my hand. Not using any kind of technique, I simply drove the sword into the prince's heart.

Drawing out my katana, I swung it down at his neck.

I've killed him.

In contrast to the iai-draw, the katana feels slow as it cuts through skin, flesh, then bone―――――――

I shuddered, a feeling of dread gripping my entire body.

But I continued to bring my katana downward nonetheless.

My vision flipped upside down.

I had made a mistake in judgment.

After a brief sensation of floating, I landed, the smell of earth filling my nose. I heard the katana stick into the ground nearby. I couldn't breathe. There were large claw marks on my chest. My very organs for breathing had been gouged out.

Regeneration began, and in an instant, my body was back in fighting shape. Gritting my teeth against the pain wracking me, I grasped the katana in my hand.

A gust of wind swept over me.

When the wind died down, I caught sight of my enemy, of his gigantic form.

Before me was a kneeling giant.

His skin was white and wrinkled, much like a drowned corpse’s. He was big, but his body was thin and emaciated relative to his size. His hands ended in long, sharp claws. The sunken eye sockets peeking through his white hair had no eyeballs, but were just dark holes.

On his back were wings of bone that resembled massive rib bones.

『I commend you wholeheartedly. I haven't taken this form since I killed my brothers. I'll admit it. You’re the greatest enemy I've faced since the dawn of Elysium. Therefore, I pity you. Now that I've taken this form, I cannot be stopped by anyone. Destruction will descend upon the entirety of this right continent. I shall have your name passed down for all time as the person who triggered this. Together with the pitiful end that befell all who had anything to do with you』

His appearance is not that of a beast. No, perhaps this is just the beast that is called “human”.

I've never felt afraid in a fight. I'm self-aware enough to know that part of me is broken.

But this guy makes my soul tremble.

As if I were peering into the bottomless abyss of the sea, what I'm experiencing is a primordial kind of fear.

As if I were trying to beat a storm back with a sword, a sense of futility sank in.

This incredible difference in strength……………… No.

I bit my lip.

What's the point of getting all twisted up about this now? What good would it do to lose heart in the me who has made it this far?! It's not about whether I can win or not. It's all about whether I fight or not.

As a man, what else is there but to fight to the bitter end?!

『You're not afraid?』

「Not one iota!」

My fighting spirit had been ignited.

『You're still going to fight?』

「The night has not yet broken into dawn」

『You're just a beast after all, huh? No, even beasts flee in fear when confronted with a huge enemy. You're below even beasts. And that's why you're the King of Beasts, I suppose』

I've had enough of his nonsense.

It's said,

That only needing just one sword and one's body is the pinnacle of martial arts.

One intact body, one katana, and one enemy. With just these things, I can say that I have everything I could possibly need.

Don't think of it as fighting a fearsome enemy.

Look at it as challenging the pinnacle of martial arts.

That way, I should be able to fight even if I have no chance of winning.

――――――――――Until the very end.

[1] The term here is 棒切れ遊び, and its literal meaning is “playing with sticks”. In other words, he’s speaking contemptuously of sword-fighting, the implication being that he thinks it’s no better than the kind of pretend sword-fighting kids do with sticks. It shows that he’s dismissive of martial arts, unlike Souya, His Majesty, Otou-san, and the many others in this story.

[2] Seiza (正座, literally "proper sitting") is the formal, traditional way of sitting in Japan. (Picture courtesy of soranews24.com)

You can really tell that the author is from my generation or older haha. What’s a last-boss battle without the last-boss having a second form? The author has even made a joke about this in volume 2.5.

What I also love is the subtle way the author showed us that Souya is becoming stronger throughout this battle with the part about him starting to be able to follow the iai-draw that he has never before been able to see.

The prince having wings that look like rib bones in his gigantic form reminds me of the Viking’s blood eagle torture. Maybe the author drew on that as inspiration.

Man, I really like how this battle is done, with constant back and forths and the tide swinging one way and the other. It’s something that isn’t all that common anymore and I do miss it. Well, that’s enough sentimentalism. How will Souya deal with the prince’s second form when even he has given up all hope of winning? Is there anything that can help him turn the tables? What secret will be revealed next time?! Stay tuned!

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