Volume 1, Chapter 5 – Awakening of The War God Part 2
Volume 1, Chapter 5 – Awakening of The War God Part 2
The battlefield was in chaos. On the front line, Grinda soldiers led by Margrave Grinda were struggling. In the center of the enemy’s main camp, Hiro was engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy general.
No―it could be said that Hiro was unilaterally attacking him.
A single spirit weapon that appeared after cutting through space. With its hilt in his hand, he slashed Rayhill and instantly moved to the blind spot. Then, the space at his hand split open, and a new spirit weapon appeared.
After slashing with it, he vigorously stabbed the two spirit weapons casually. As it was, he kicked the earth and went over Rayhill’s head―landing behind him, bringing out a new spirit weapon, and piercing Rayhill’s back.
―All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
From a third party’s point of view, one would only be able to see the white and silver afterglow stretching in all directions, like a spider’s web. Furthermore, Hiro’s attacks were unstoppable, and the spirit weapons were thrusting into the massive body of Rayhill at a furious pace, splattering blood onto the ground.
Rayhill was struggling in agony as he let out a scream.
“Ooooooooohhh!”
There were no wounds on his arms, legs, or chest that weren’t fatal as far as he could see. And yet, Rayhill was still alive. A black and evil aura clung to Rayhill, repairing the wounds in the blink of an eye.
The spirit weapons that were stuck in the middle fell to the ground and then disappeared. There was a sense of discomfort from the beginning. And Hiro had seen it all before.
“…The Fallen One, huh?”
It’s a name for the “fools” who tried to capture the power of spirits. A thousand years ago, a king, out of curiosity, crushed a spirit stone into a special formula called “Seimamaru” and gave it to one of his soldiers to drink.
It is said that when he gave it to one of his soldiers to drink… nothing happened at that time, and the king was disappointed.
Then in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep, the man began to suffer. The man’s appearance changed, and he lost his reason and became a monster. The patrolmen, who noticed the change, were the first victims, and then the monster that devoured the king indiscriminately killed everyone in the castle, whether young or old.
The confusion was exploited, and the country was annexed by another country, and Hiro was involved in the battle.
“How foolish you are… once the spirit’s “demon” has invaded your life, you’ll never be able to return to normal.”
Indeed, the blessings of the spirits may be appealing. But that doesn’t mean that it will be too effective if you take it into your body. It is not a power that can be contained in a human vessel. It doesn’t fit into a human body.
But even so, Hiro remembered that there was no end to the number of people who had descended into the fallen ones.
The kings of the countries that were about to be destroyed would drink the “demon” to get revenge. There were even people who used this “demon” to kill in the dark ages.
However, not everyone has lost their reasoning, and there are those who can endure it on rare occasions. There were those who were able to surpass humans in physical strength while maintaining their sense.
The people call humans who have endured the demons as:
Demonkin――.
However, Rayhill’s body, which was already two times larger than Hiro’s, had swollen right before his eyes to now stand at six times his size.
He can no longer be called a human. He’s more like an Ogre or a Gigas, or something close to that, a “monster.”
(But that’s a failure.)
As soon as Hiro raised the Heavenly Emperor, the monster began to move. However, it doesn’t move towards Hiro but instead begins to attack the soldiers of the Principality of Lichtine.
“Hyiiii―Gyaaa!?”
One swing of the arm―the wind pressure that arose blew away five of the Principality’s soldiers, and the trampled ones splattered their brain cells on the ground.
“What the hell is that?”
“Attack! There is a monster!”
“Gugyaa!”
“Where is His Excellency?”
Despite the chaos, the Principality of Lichtine’s soldiers begins their attack. The monster’s rampage is such that it kills every single one of the Principality’s soldiers. What’s more, the Principality of Lichtine doesn’t realize that the monster is Rayhill.
There’s no sign of Rayhill former self from the monster, so maybe it can’t be helped. Those with bows and arrows in their hands, those who bravely stood up to it, and those who turned their backs on it with tears in their eyes. All were buried by the monster’s hand.
People died as easily as if they were trampling ants. On top of that, the situation frustrated the hearts of the Principality of Lichtine soldiers. And then a fire broke out in the rear of the main camp.
“N-no way.”
“Hey, seriously… that place?”
“There’s the logistics…”
“You mean that it’s burning in this rain?”
A scream came from the enemy soldiers. When Hiro looked at the blazing flames, he immediately knew it was Liz’s doing. In this heavy rain, only the Flame Emperor was able to do such a thing. It would be fair to say that the victory was already decided. After losing their commander and logistics, all that was left was to retreat or surrender.
But this is not a situation where they can surrender quietly. If they drop their weapons, they will be killed by the monster. If they had a commander’s grade, they might still be able to recover, but Hiro’s hands had killed most of them.
The only path left for them was to drop their weapons and run away desperately.
“Retreat! Let’s get out of here! We can’t do this anymore!”
“I-I’ll run, too.”
“Damn it, wait! I’m coming with you!”
No one wants to die; no one wants to fight recklessly. They immediately set off running towards their own country. Looking down from the sky, it was like an avalanche, heading towards the Principality of Lichtine with great force.
Hiro did not follow after them. It was because there were other things he had to deal with. Hiro closed his eyes and regulated his breathing.
The way he clutched the hilt of the “Heavenly Emperor” with both hands and held it up reminds one of the second emperor’s statues. His bangs sway as the monster roars. Hiro quietly looked at the monster and leaped.
It is not unusual for “monsters” to be found in Alethia. It might be said that they are in abundance. They vary in strength, and if they are large enough, then they are to be defeated by a group. If someone were to take on the challenge alone, people would surely sneer at the recklessness, especially if they are soldiers who have received various training.
But no one laughed at the boy. The “hero” who bravely fights against the monster is no one to be mocked.
The boy’s name in the battle is Ouguro Hiro. Also known as Herth Ray Schwartz von Grantz. He is the “Hero” himself, who was praised as the “War God” in Alethia a thousand years ago.
Nowadays, he is a “mythical” hero from legend. After conquering the neighboring countries, he returned to his old world, but he returned to the other world.
A silver sword is in the hand of the boy who stepped out of the myth. It is a lost sword that has not been recorded in the lore. One of the five emperors of the Spirit Sword―the “Heavenly Emperor.” Both the sword’s peak and hilt are pure white and beautiful as if covered in snow, and the sword blade shines as if it were dotted with countless twinkling stars.
“Kuh.”
A huge fist passed by Hiro’s nose. The wind pressure sent his several bangs flying through the air. Hiro twisted his body and shook the “Heavenly Emperor” casually. Blood splatter rose from the monster’s arms. But the split wound was instantly closed.
There is a creature that will not die, no matter how hard it is slashed. What would a person do then? Most would probably try to run away. However, there would be rare for a person who would stand up to it.
Hiro is one of the latter. In his mind, escape is not an option. There was no fear or impatience on his face, but there was irritation.
(It’s still slow! Still not enough!)
Craving for it. Not quite the same as it once was. This is not enough to stop the monster from breathing.
“Whirlpool!”
He wields the Heavenly Emperor in frustration. A giant arm flies up into the air. If it were a human being, it would have been a fatal blow. However, the opponent is a monster that has captured the spirit’s “demon” despite itself.
Although the spilled blood reddened Hiro’s face, he still accelerated without fear.
“Damn!”
It’s been three years of blanks since he returned to his original world. It could be said that Hiro, who had been enjoying peace, had definitely weakened. But he didn’t want to use that as an excuse. Because of the experience he had cultivated up to that point, the important things to him were still there.
(I don’t want it to go to waste.)
Every knot in his body screamed. Gritting his teeth, Hiro endured. After many battles, the boy’s body was reaching its limits. Even so, Hiro continued to slash.
A flash of silvery-white light disappeared as if sucked into the monster. Each time the monster’s blood dyed the earth, a roar filled with pain made space tremble.
(You were there. You were all there. That’s why I kept winning.)
He kneels on the ground and slams his hands down on the earth.
(…Everyone is gone now.)
Countless spirit weapons appeared around the monster. With the monster rattled, the Heavenly Emperor tossed the weapon high into the air above the monster’s head.
――I’m going to find victory for the sake of the history you guys have left behind.
Hiro closed his eyes and began to breathe. Seeing Hiro’s situation, the monster decided to take advantage of the opportunity and launched an attack. If it hits, it’s an instant death blow. It swung down repeatedly from above the boy’s head.
But, to its horror, it didn’t hit Hiro at all.
“Now―let’s begin.”
When Hiro’s eyelids opened, there was no abyss in the eyes that appeared, only pure light. The raindrops returned blood as if to provide healing. The particles mixed in the air increased in brilliance like a blessing.
The boy saw the breath of the world, and a smile formed on his mouth.
(Altius… though you are not in this world.)
Behind him, a red-haired girl watches anxiously.
(Your will remains. The past and the future are linked.)
Beginnings are sudden, and endings are inevitable. Even when we are apart, we are still connected, even if we will never see each other again. The world without you. A world without me. I wonder what you’d be like. Would you be happy? Are you sad? I’d like to see you smiling, and I’d like to see you happy. And if you’re thinking the same way.
―I’ll tell them.
(Please rest assured.)
He’s staring at the monster.
(Don’t worry.)
The power of the spirit fills every inch of Hiro’s body.
(I’m having fun.)
The boy then kicked the ground…
―Leaving the sound of the world behind.
One, three, eight, fourteen spirit weapons that were floating around the monster disappeared at a frightening speed. The only sound that propagated was the sound of slicing through the air on the rain-drenched battlefield.
The monster’s flesh was sliced away, and the white flashes enveloped the screaming monster, drowning out even its groans. Rather than stopping, the fierce slash accelerates further, creating tens of thousands of stars on the ground in praise of a hundred brilliance and a thousand shimmering lights.
It is a privilege reserved for those who have the “Heavenly Emperor.”
The boy, who has lost his way, is blessed by the Heavenly Emperor’s blessing, “Divine Speed,” which comes into full effect.
――Divine light flash of lightning.
A fierce slash unleashed from ultra-high-speed. When all the spirit weapons disappeared, a beautiful sword fell from the sky. Hiro kicked the ground and leaped and grabbed the hilt of the “Heavenly Emperor.”
“Haaaaaaaaahhhh!”
When the monster’s head was sliced open and swung straight through, the tip of the sword stabbed into the ground. A roaring sound shakes the space. At the same time, it shatters the ground, causing the ground to shake.
The monster’s body became shredded as if it had exploded, and chunks of flesh scattered around and sank into the mud. In the middle of it all―a wildly breathing Hiro looked up above him and took in oxygen.
The rain had stopped, and the sun shone warmly through the eerily swirling gray clouds to celebrate the hero’s return.
“Hiro!”
The red-haired girl―Liz, runs up to Hiro and hugs him. Hiro, who has given his all, fell on his buttocks, unable to receive it.
He’d like to say something, but his mouth doesn’t move as he would like because he thinks oxygen is the priority.
“There’s a lot to say, but I’m glad you’re… safe.”
Liz let out a sigh of relief as she pinched Hiro’s face between her hands and played with it, giggling. As usual, Hiro can’t say anything, so she does what she wants.
Then Cerberus comes to Hiro and rubs his head on his shoulder. Out of the corner of Hiro’s vision, Aura, supported by a soldier, was staring at him. Spitz is still unconscious and receiving treatment from the medic. Tris and Margrave Grinda approached them with excited looks on their faces.
“I-it’s amazing! It’s amazing that you were able to defeat a monster like that all by yourself…”
Margrave Grinda pinched his own cheek, wondering if he was dreaming.
Next to that.
“Muh… Who’s exactly you are, kid?”
And it was Tris who mumbled. As if that was the beginning of it, jubilation exploded from behind them.
“Wow… that attack… d-did you saw it?”
“Eh, y-yeah, of course, I saw it!”
“No way. You wouldn’t be a private if you could see it.”
“H-hey… eh?”
“What is――!?”
The buzzing soldiers’ excitement quickly subsides. The roar of a horseshoe, which resembles an earth-shaking sound, shakes the space and violates the eardrums.
Every time the distance is reduced, the pressure of the heart tightens. If it weren’t for the allies, they might have run away. With such an intimidating feeling, the large army appeared.
“The Fourth Imperial Army…!?”