Arifureta After II In the Morning of Falling Star
AN: Happy new year.
There was a beautiful barrier of whirling jet black color on the hand that Tio lifted up. That barrier blocked the extremely thick flash falling from the sky.
Although the flash's power was scattered, but the attack that possessed the power that rivaled even Kuwaibel's breath just now was making cracks on the barrier right away, but the barrier shined instantly and it was restored as though nothing had happened to it. The barrier recovered using regeneration magic. In front of the foul play that was an age of god magic, the divine punishment attack couldn't pass.
「Tio-sama!」
『Haha-ue!』
「U, uumu. Boy, thou art calling me Haha-ue extremely naturally like that. A~u~, somehow it's really embarrassing~」
Tio-san fidgeted. For Kuwaibel who didn't know his mother, Tio's great existence and her gentle guidance was truly like the mother inside his imagination. Therefore, he called her that from subconscious level, but Tio's attitude caused him to realize how he was calling her after this late and he also began to fidget around similarly.
So far as it went, the flash of death that could easily scatter away the average existence was still pouring down even now but……it seemed that Serious-san was currently resting.
'Oh Serious, come back!' Even if such thing was said surely nothing would happen, but a change appeared at the same time when the flash vanished.
Miasma was gathering in the air where there was nothing.
The miasma that was gathering from every direction was gradually increasing in thickness and forming shape. Yes, it was forming dragon shape. The shape of Helmut!
『No way……』
「Does this mean……that Helmut is immortal?」
Roze and Kuwaibel were staring dumbfounded at Helmut who finished his revival inside the miasma.
「Uumu, as expected I don't think that he is immortal. Most likely, that too art one of his technique created from his power's true nature.」
Hearing Tio who was calmly analyzing the situation despite the despairing content of her talk caused the two to somehow recovered from their stupor.
And then, Kuwaibel tried to fly toward the【Spring of True Dragon's Tear】impatiently. But, the cost of him forcing himself caused intense pain that attacked his whole body and he almost fell from Roze's arms. His wings convulsed and they were unable to move properly.
Tio smiled slightly seeing such Kuwaibel. Her hand reached out gently and she softly caressed Kuwaibel's head.
「Thou hath do thy best with that young body. Just as Roze-done said, thou were indisputably cool. That's why, rest already.」
『But……』
Kuwaibel's gaze caught Helmut who was further taking in miasma from the surrounding. As a king, it was his duty to eradicate that, his gaze was appealing so.
「It's not that I don't understand thy feeling. But, at the very least this art too heavy of a burden for the current thou. Didst thou forget? In the first place it's my wish to get rid of that.」
Indeed, there was such talk. To say the truth, after annihilating the main fleets, Tio and Hajime were watching the fight against Helmut. From really far away with their figure and presence hidden.
As fellow dragon, as someone who was placed in the same circumstances, Tio wished to perform the last rites for him who had fallen and was now called an evil dragon. But, that wasn't something that Tio had to do by herself no matter what.
Just like how defeating the fleet was something that the black dragons ought to do, defeating Helmut as a king, or perhaps as a brother was originally something that Kuwaibel ought to do.
That was why, even after Hajime and Tio confirmed Helmut's existence, the two of them only watched Kuwaibel who began to fight without interfering. The two of them didn't even have grudge or hard feelings toward Helmut, they didn't even feel hostile toward him. Originally they had no reason to fight.
But, that Kuwaibel had already passed his limit. It was too impossible for him to face Helmut who was already stepping one foot into the domain of concept. Because it was like challenging a natural disaster.
「We will, be given salvation?」
Roze asked.
「No. It's not salvation. It's just, that this world art make to go along with Goshujin-sama's convenience.」
Tio answered like that.
Roze and Kuwaibel tilted their head. Behind the two of them, there were the figures of the people who although before this they were rushing while cheering, yet they witnessed the evil dragon's revival and stiffened in fear.
The words of curses were resounding once more into their ears.
――Perish.
――Suffer, gasp, despair
――There is no worth in living
――To be born is evil
――Everything be destroyed
――Nothingness is the very best choice
――Renew the world
――Die for the sake of creation
『Die』The curse echoed directly inside the brain. It was repeated over and over, reverberating inside as though to imprint into the mind. People who fell on their knees while holding their head appeared one after another. The miasma that was spreading around Helmut who had completely recovered his form was enveloping the people.
Perhaps――could it be that Helmut was the incarnation of the judgment that this world itself handed down? The will of the world responded to the hatred and despair of Helmut to bring punishment to the humans who broke the harmony of the world.
「A lot of your species were killed.」
Roze and others were gasping in agony in front of Helmut that was like the very will of the world itself, amidst such situation, such words suddenly could be heard.
「Even though you believed that the past should be able to be regained, yet your species was reduced into livestock instead.」
It wasn't Helmut's voice. It was a human, a man's voice. Even though the voice's volume was like a whisper, somehow it entered into the ears smoothly without getting drowned out by other sounds.
「Your important siblings were murdered, your trust was trampled underfoot.」
The curse of death was resounding even now inside the head. The people's agony didn't lessen. But, the people's gaze wandered around restlessly searching for that man's voice. Even though those were only words, for some reason they ha a sense of presence that couldn't be ignored.
「Leave behind everything and depart to the end of the world. Even though you decided that, what you witnessed was the sight of your violated species and family……」
'Ah', someone whispered. When they looked to the sky, there was a man standing in the air while spreading crimson ripples.
That figure clad in crimson aura, standing with composure while his hands were staying still inside his pockets, the people's gaze was peeled off from Helmut and focused there. Helmut also turned his blank and muddy dragon eyes toward him――Hajime.
「There ain't any salvation huh. It was just too much huh. If you saw that kind of sight, of course you won't be able to stay sane. If it was me, I'm gonna curse the world for sure then.」
Hajime talked toward Helmut with a voice that conveyed emotion like sympathy and compassion, even gentleness could vaguely be felt from him.
Kuwaibel's gaze was directed toward his fallen brother. Roze directed a pained and guilty expression toward Helmut. The people too, their expression distorted at the karma of mankind that was thrust before them.
The meaning of the words that Roze said, that they would fight the world for the sake of future, there was no doubt that in this time they strongly felt its meaning for real.
Even now Helmut was continuously taking in miasma, it was unclear whether he was listening or not at Hajime's words. It was like a wordless accusation toward the whole world, that he absolutely wouldn't forgive them.
Toward such Helmut, Hajime showed a gentle smile that even gave impression of kindness――
「Anyway, die.」
And fired the shell of Schlagen AA that he had secretly charged up!
The crimson flash blown up Helmut-san's head with one shot!
Helmut-san, he worked hard regenerating his head!
There Agni Orkan dealt additional blow!
Total number of 1200 shots, heat of 3000 degree Celsius, pencil missiles where every single one possessed destructive power that equaled with anti-warship missile were rushing!
Helmut-san was in fully beaten up state with his regeneration only starting!
Flowers of crimson shockwaves and flame blasts were blooming profusely in the sky. All the people including Roze who were staring dumbfounded at that with their eyes half opened wide yelled with splendid synchronization.
「「「「「「Anyway, how did that turn into this-!?」」」」」」
The context of the beginning and end was fatally not meshing up. Or rather, what's with the gentle expression? What did 'anyway, die' mean!?
All people acted the straight-man without distinction of ally or enemy.
Hajime beautifully ignored the retort of those people in the ground as though nothing happened, with narrowed eyes he thoroughly observed Helmut who was repeatedly regenerating and destroyed. He operated Agni Orkan with one hand, and while showering the will of the world with blows, his other hand was supporting his chin while whispering things like「Hmm hmm, I see. As I thought the energy's circulation is like that……」and so on.
――GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
A fierce roar was released from Helmut. The roar became shockwave that blew away the missiles and attacked toward Hajime and others like a tsunami. The shockwave was far more powerful than what he showed when fighting Kuwaibel before this.
Anyway, Hajime defended using space isolation barrier of Cross Velts.
Helmut further attacked with his breath. The scale was truly immense. The power surpassed the attack that Kuwaibel did with all his might.
Anyway, it was defended by multiple layer of Cross Velts' space isolation barrier.
『……I, defended against that with my life on the line though』
「Ku, Ku-chan……」
Even though he was a dragon, but Ku-chan's eyes turned into dead fish eyes. Even though he was a dragon……
While everyone was leaking out strange voice「UBOoa」from their mouth seeing the barrier that easily blocked the attack that could easily destroy a country, the mouth of Hajime who was focused in observing Helmut was gradually distorting into a widee~~ grin.
It was as though a fun fun time would start soon. Like a kid that was given a toy right before his eyes.
「I can see it, the mechanism of this world's cycle. I grasp it already now, the true nature of dragon core energy. Now, I'll clear one of mankind's grand problem.」
The interest of Hajime who was whispering with small voice was already veered away from Helmut and moved toward another different something. Although, the one who sensed that was only Tio, so the other people who saw Hajime smiling like a demon in front of Helmut's breath were drawing back from him.
「Tio. Is it really okay that it's not you who do it?」
「Yes. I only wish that this pitiful existence art ended already. It's a bit hard for me because of the transformation into dragon god mode. I wouldst leave it to Goshujin-sama.」
Hajime who confirmed for the last time took out his gatling pile bunker. The electromagnetically accelerated super heavy giant stake couldn't hope to have its trajectory averted with just the like of a mere roar's shockwave.
Furthermore, the amount of stakes was like a barrage. Sure enough, just how much Helmut could dodge……
「As I thought, it's that kind of method huh. Evil dragon Helmut, I got it already you know? You aren't here right?」
In opposite with Hajime's calm whisper, a commotion occurred on the ground. That was something that couldn't be helped. After all, Helmut dispersed before he got hit by the attack.
That was exactly the true nature of Helmut's power. It wasn't a power to manipulate weather or to make black rain rained down.
It was the power to manipulate the negative energy itself with dragon core as the basis. That was exactly the true nature of power Helmut was awakened at the end of his despair and hatred. The negative energy running rampant in the broken world granted Helmut power that was almost nearly infinite. He could even condense negative energy and formed shape with it remotely from distant position.
「Just how that kind of existence can be defeated……」
Roze whispered in despair.
It was truly immortality. No matter what kind of attack it faced, it could easily recover by disintegrating the negative energy. No matter how much damage it received, the body here was just a temporary flesh.
It felt like Helmut was laughing.
Hajime-san laughed mo~~re.
「Yoo, do you have any time for smirking like that huh?」
Hajime raised one of his hands casually. He held out one finger and pointed to the sky.
Lured by that gesture, the people, and also Helmut looked up to the sky. What was there was naturally only the black clouds created from condensed negative energy――
『……』
「Tha, that's?」
Helmut stared intently at the dark clouds. Roze whispered in astonishment. The people were speechless with their eyes turned into dot.
A spot in the sky looked burning red. At first it was only faintly. But it was gradually getting bigger, dazzling……
*GOU-*
The dark cloud was blown away. The reason was one.
「You better remember this. If you are going to put on air giving a divine punishment, then do it like this.」
From the sky behind Hajime, that was falling diagonally with brilliant radiance. The thing that was freefalling from outside the stratosphere had only its trajectory corrected using gravity control……
――Meteor Impact
The evil dragon had the same definition like a natural disaster? Very well. Then, this side too would oppose using cataclysm.
The gigantic stone with a diameter that could reach fifty meter was blazing bright red and descended from the sky. It caused Helmut to stiffen for a moment.
Naturally, that moment was fatal. The meteor blasted away the whole energy body of Helmut and descended to the ground. It was fortunate that its flying trajectory that was pulled by gravity was diagonal. It was totally unthinkable that the floating island would be safe if it got hit by that.
Without pause the meteorite's shockwave blew away the sea of clouds in radial shape, and it dropped on the land at faraway.
The world quaked severely. Although the falling speed was adjusted to a certain degree which damped its strength, this was a fifty meter giant stone that fell from outside the stratosphere. That impact was impossible to measure, a giant cloud mushroom materialized. Because of that, the sea of clouds was getting further blown away in circle shape.
If there was anyone observing, surely they would witness the land turned inside up and undulated with many protrusions.
Helmut gathered miasma and revived.
No matter how out of mind the destructive power the attack possessed, as long as this world was filled with negative energy, he would be able to create energy body as many as he wanted. Yes, Helmut glared fiercely at Hajime as though declaring that but,
「I didn't say that's the end of it you know?」
The cloudy sky was lighting up with lights one after another. The brightly burning red specks were appearing everywhere in the cloudy sky!
Roze and others went pale. They were in a stupor at the phenomenon that was out of common sense, but in front of the calamity that would happen after this, blood left their face right away and they drew back.
――Demon King-style Harassment 108 "Wishing Upon the Star"
Now everyone, let's make a wish! Wish so that you can survive!
What was being done was simple. A random pounding of meteor impact. Meteors of various sizes at outside the stratosphere were thrown out, their trajectory and speed were adjusted using gravity control and they were turned into a suitable meteor shower. If a mistake was made then the planet would be totally broken with this lovely harassment!
The meteor shower that broke through the dark clouds blew away the dark clouds in the sky one after another with the shockwave they scattered in their wake.
The land below was plowed by incessant earthquakes and impacts, gigantic tsunami were generated on the seas.
Surely if this planet was seen from the space, sea of clouds that became riddled with holes and mushroom clouds rising up in succession could be seen at half the surface of the planet.
Helmut's energy body was blown away and resurrected, then it was blown away again and resurrected again. There was no way it had any time to attack back or anything, even when it tried to call tornado from the dark clouds, those dark clouds were blown away and dispersed.
The negative energy was also blown away by the heat wave and shockwave, the miasma's convergence was gradually turning unsteady.
「Is it soon?」
As though in respond to Hajime's whisper, a faint howl was thundering. From very far distance, something that was emitting a presence that would overshadow even Helmut's energy body before this was approaching with absurd speed.
It was the appearance of the main body. The energy body couldn't be formed, the sea of clouds and the dark clouds too were also blown away, and currently the planet itself was in the progress of being destroyed. Those facts caused the main body to finally come out. The pressure that could be felt even with the distance was so much it felt like it could possibly rival Tio's black god dragon mode.
And so, Hajime responded with concentrated fire of meteor impact.
A part of the meteor shower that was diversely scattering toward all over the world tilted their route and flew toward the same direction.
――GURYAAAAAAAAA-!!
A roar thundered
――GAAAAAAAAA-!!
A howl resounded once more.
――GU, GURYAAAA-!!
A howl was radiating……
――aAAAAAAAA-!!
Was that, a howl?
Just how much distance he had advanced through with how much speed? Helmut's real body that finally showed up clad in miasma――somehow it was really beaten up.
『Kill-, Kill-, Kill-』
「Ooh, aren't you really emotional there」
Killing intent and hatred surged accompanied with physical pressure. A breath was fired from Helmut.
It was returned back by the variable chakram's gate. A roar (?) 'GYAAAAAAAAAAH' reverberated.
Perhaps the real body's gathering rate was different with the energy body, because Helmut gathered negative energy directly from super wide range and healed his wounds. And then, attempting close range if his long range attack got returned, he tried to bite at Hajime with super acceleration from his hovering state.
And so, Hajime was,
「Oi oi, you sure? Isn't there something important over there?」
After saying such thing, a part of the meteor shower changed direction again. Helmut didn't care and approached to kill Hajime, but he instantly noticed that the flying giant rocks passed through overhead and they were flying toward the direction faraway behind him. He got taken aback suddenly and he changed his route rapidly.
Like that, when he fired his breath toward the giant rock, that giant rock was splendidly blasted into pieces midair. A killing intent incomparable with before was released.
Helmut who turned around focused on Hajime once more――and his eyes opened wide at the meteor shower that was changing route one after another.
『GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH』
An extra loud howl surged, Helmut concentrated on shooting down the meteor shower using his breath. Even so there was times when he didn't make it in time. At that time he would perform tackle with his body to divert the meteor's trajectory at any rate.
Seeing Helmut who seemed somewhat desperate,
「What's the matter? Why aren't you dodging? It's like you are protecting something there. Right, for example, the place where your sibling's dragon core is enshrined perhaps?」
Those words resounded extremely clearly. They smoothly entered into the people's ears through the scream of the severely quaking world.
Like that, the people guessed. Why didn't Helmut dodge the meteor shower? In the first place, even though the meteor shower was flying from far beyond, why did he get hit during the way until here until he got that beaten up?
There was one reason for that. Because behind Helmut――in the place where he was hiding, the dragon core of his sibling who was sacrificed to become the energy source of the mother ship Avenst before was enshrined there. Helmut wouldn't allow the memento of his sibling to be lost because of the meteor impact.
In other words,
「……He is taking hostage, no, memento hostage?」
Yes, exactly. Hajime-san took hostage the important treasure of Helmut. 'It's fine even if you dodge the meteor impact you know? But, the important thing behind you will return back into dust though?' Like that.
Hearing Roze's words, the people slo~~wly returned their gaze at Hajime.
Over there, fighting against the evil dragon who wished for mankind's destruction, was a devil who was making a truly wicked smile while firing meteor shower one after another.
Evil dragon? No no, compared to him who was shooting down meteor shower while desperately trying to protect his important thing, that guy who was carrying out world scale destruction while viciously beating his opponent in a situation that couldn't be escaped from was far more evil.
For this world, Helmut was an existence that should even be called as the representative of this world's will. That was to say he was an existence that was equal with god. Then, that person who was trampling underfoot that god was……
Devil? Noo, he wasn't in a level that still had lovable nature like that.
Demon king? He was similarly a king like the queen-sama and monarch dragon-sama who was risking their life to protect the people? Seriously stop that comparison.
The heart of the people was magnificently synchronized at that time.
That thing, clad in crimson, destroying the world, that thing which was trampling down evil with even more evil and irrationality was……
「「「「「「……A demon god.」」」」」」
That day, the legend of demon god was born in the world of sky.
『UNFORGIVABLE-. UNFORGIVABLE-!!』
Evil dragon Helmut-san who was already wounded all over struck at Hajime with intense killing intent and hatred but,
「I don't need any forgiveness. Die.」
Something cast a shadow. What appeared from the sky was a super giant rock with diameter around 500 meters.
Helmut immediately became hidden in the shadow of the giant meteor and disappeared from view. What's left then was only a scream of death agony, and a severe earthquake that reverberated through the world, and then……
『Something like this, is just too muchhh』
Only such words filled with grief from Ku~chan.
AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.
Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.
The first day of the year. Shirakome who is immediately guilty.
Sorry.
Just a bit more, I'm reflecting back on the pace.