Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”-

it.
Right here, right now!”

 

Irisdina and the others protected him even though they could be killed in the process.
He wanted to answer the feelings conveyed by them.
He wanted to tell them that he wanted to be friends with them one more time.

Nozomu put his hand on the katana that pierced his left arm and pulled it out.

 

“Kuh~…
Uuu~!”

 

The katana was pulled out with a slashing sound, and the freshly spilled blood spread red on the ground.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like the artery was damaged, but Norn and Somia hastily suppressed the wound and applied healing magic.

 

“I'm just a human who had been running away all this time.
Even now.
Everyone walked up to me, but I was scared and couldn't believe them, and I ended up turning my eyes away…
“

 

While watching the wound gradually close with healing magic,

Nozomu looked back at what he had done.
He always ran away.
His fearful and shrinking heart made him afraid of being left behind.
But even though he was such a pathetic person, everyone still called out to him.

When he was being entrapped in Tiamat's illusion, he didn't know how everyone broke the illusion and what they were saying to him, but he could still hear their faint voices calling his name.
Because everyone called out to him, he was able to return.

Until now, even though he realized that he averted his eyes from his surroundings and was running away, he couldn't find the courage to move forward…

 

“But I'm done with that.
I want to stand next to everyone again …”

“Nozomu-san…”

 

Somia was mesmerized by Nozomu's eyes.
Norn just silently received Nozomu's gaze.

 

“Uuu……!”

 

At that time, Tima who had fainted woke up.

Her consciousness was unclear and she had a blank expression.
But as she gradually became more conscious and understood the situation around her, she jumped up.

 

“~! I have to hurry and help everyone!”

 

Tima tried to rush back to the front, but Nozomu's bloody hand held her shoulders down.

 

“Nozomu-kun…?”

“I have a request…
I want you to help me.”

 

Staring straight at Tima, Norn, and Somia, Nozomu was trying to act again with the intention of “I want to be with everyone,” just as Irisdina and the others had shown him before.

 

======================================

 

Irisdina and the others managed to block the Metal Dragon's attack, but they were gradually cornered because they couldn't counterattack.

Their opponent flew freely in the air and fired light bullets in quick succession, so they focused on defense and couldn't counterattack at all.
As long as the Metal Dragon was in the sky, the only way to attack was with Shīna's magic or arrows.
With such a metalized Undead Dragon soaring high in the sky, they couldn't expect their attacks to land a blow effectively.

It might have been possible if Tima hadn't fainted.
Her magic, which had the highest magical quality in the entire continent, could be expected to be effective against the Metal Dragon.
In fact, the skin of the Metal Dragon that was hit by the [Calamity of the Sinner] that she released had melted slightly.
However, as long as they couldn't land any attacks effectively, they had no choice but to focus on defending, but Irisdina and the others were still struggling.

 

“Guu~!”

“Are you alright, fox-bastard!”

“Of course! How much do you think I've spent on this battle!? Whether it's dragons, spirits, demons, or whatever, just come at me!”

 

The light bullet hit the barrier that was deployed by Feo directly and the barrier scattered with a high-pitched sound.
He took out five more talismans from his pocket and sent his magical power to re-deploy the magic barrier.
Contrary to his desperate tone, his back looked a bit depressed, perhaps because a large amount of money had been spent.

 

“If we can get home alive, I'll give you the best meal once as an apology for what I did yesterday!”

“Are you serious! Then I want roasted pork using spices from the south, whales meat from the west, and the east…”

“Oi, restraint yourself.
Please be a little reserved! At least I'll make the best meal out of our shop!”

 

Mars and Feo were still in a tight situation, but they were able to have such a frivolous talk with each other.
Perhaps because he had once experienced a battle with a Dragon, judging by Mars' appearance, the impatience he had when he made his technique run wild during the previous special training was hardly noticeable.
Even if he were to be forced into a difficult situation, he would be able to fight while maintaining his composure on such a battlefield.

By the way, the items ordered by Feo were fairly expensive in this Arcazam, and if Mars were to grant all of Feo's orders, Mars' wallet would definitely fall to the minus side instead of being empty.

It may be due to his splurging, but Feo's order was still too much for Mars.

 

“Kuh~…
Mimuru, don't overdo it! If it becomes difficult to maintain the barrier, even the slightest, Mars and I will take your place!”

“I know! You don't have to worry, Tom.”

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“Haa, haa…
what are we going to do? It'll be bad if we stay like this”

“After Norn-sensei finishes all the treatments for Nozomu, we will retreat to the forest! Shīna-kun, Anri-sensei, and I will be the rearguard when we retreat.
Anri-sensei is that alright?”

“Of course.
It's fine, leave it to your sensei~.”

 

While Tom and Mimuru were talking to each other, Irisdina and the others calmly assessed their situation, thought about their next move, and tried to execute it.
Their situation was quite tight, but neither of them gave up, and they acted calmly.
Repeated battles with strong foes might have boosted their mental growth.

However, it will also eventually reach its limit.

Perhaps getting tired of it, a stronger light bullet was fired from the Metal Dragon's mouth.
At the same time, a six-pointed star-shaped magic formation that they had never seen before, appeared in front of the Metal Dragon.
A shining ball of light appeared in the center of the formation.

The light particles that were continuously emitted gathered at the ball of light that shone in front of the Metal Dragon and merged into an even larger bullet of light.
It was several times larger than the Dragon's head.

 

“This is bad! Everyone, get ready!”

 

Along with Irisdina's shout, everyone who had put up the magic barrier poured their magic power into the barrier with all their might.
Their barrier emitted a strong light.

The next moment, a gigantic light bullet was fired at Irisdina and the others.
A gigantic mass of light fell from the sky as a meteorite landed on the barrier.
It exploded, spreading thunderous sounds and flashes of light all around, and instantly destroy the magic barrier that Irisdina and the others had set up with all their might.

 

“Kyaa!”

“Gaah~!”

 

Irisdina and the others were blown away by the explosion.
Their respective weapons fell to the ground and made falling sounds.
It was almost as if it was the end for them.

 

“Kuh~!!”

 

Still, they managed to stand up.

The Metal Dragon saw them from the sky.
Its appearance shining under the moonlight looked like a messenger of God, not an ugly demon beast.

The Metal Dragon's mouth began to emit light once again.
Irisdina and the others tried to put up barriers again, but due to their battle against the Undead Dragon and Nozomu who was being manipulated, they had already reached their limit.

Irisdina managed to get up and tried to deploy her technique, but the hand she was trying to reach out hung down slowly, and her head was hazy like a mist covering her head, and she couldn't even feel her legs.

 

“Kishaa…”

 

The Metal Dragon puffed out its chest and pulled its neck as if to take a deep breath.
Irisdina and the others desperately supported their bodies that were about to collapse, but that was the best they could do now.

The moment the light bullet was fired, something ran through their side at high speed.

 

“Gyaau~ua!”

“Eh?”

“W-what!?”

 

A mass of wind ran straight towards the Metal Dragon which was flying in the sky while swirling the wind around it.
The [Driving Mass of Wind] magic that was compressed to the limit hit the Metal Dragon that was about to spit out a light bullet, and the next moment, a mass of wind exploded and hit the dragon.

The Metal Dragon, which was greatly out of balance due to the explosion, fell to the ground while groaning.

Irisdina and Shīna were shocked by the sudden occurrence.
They lost strength, couldn't support their own bodies, and almost fell to the ground.
However, someone gently supported their body, which was about to collapse, from behind.

 

“Thank you, both of you …”

“Eh……”

 

His gentle voice, which contrasted with such a battlefield, resounded in their ears.
After they reflexively leaked out surprised voices, Nozomu's figure jumped into Irisdina and Shīna's eyes.

 

“Giyaaaa!”

 

The Metal Dragon dropped in altitude due to the direct hit of Tima's [Driving Mass of Wind], but it regained its posture before hitting the ground and rushing in while flying low.

The Dragon's eyes reflected Nozomu's figure who was running towards it, away from his companions.
After confirming its top priority target, the Metal Dragon immediately decided to attack with all its might.
A magic formation appeared in front of it.
The Metal Dragon consolidated every power of its own body to its limits and created the largest ball of light it could create.

 

“Haa, haa, haa…”

 

Nozomu kept running with all his might, whipping his aching body.

The magic formation created by the Metal Dragon formed a ball of light that was bigger than before.

The Metal Dragon attack was a breath bullet bombardment.
And no matter what moves the Metal Dragon made, Nozomu had no way out if the opponent stayed in the air because he had no way to fly.

However, that didn't mean he couldn't do anything about it.

For that reason, he asked Tima to drive it from the sky to a lower altitude.
The only condition left was that he had to do the rest in his own strength.
He had no other choice but to do it.

He touched the invisible chains that bound him and Tiamat.
If he were to remove this chain, that scene would come back again.
Burnt down, collapsed Arcazam and the scent of death.
Tiamat would definitely interfere with Nozomu for its own resurrection.
However…….

Nozomu once again looked at Irisdina and the others who were behind him over his shoulder.
Even though he had pointed his katana at them and was about to kill them, but they never abandoned him, and instead, they helped him.

That is enough.

Same as the last time he fought his master.
Once again, he stepped forward to start a new relationship with them.

After seeing them once again, Nozomu released his Ability Suppression.

 

“Guh~!”

 

The pain was so excruciating that his entire body was about to fall apart, and blood started flowing again from the wound that had just been treated.
The forest that had spread out in front of him disappeared, and a crumbling and burning world spread out in front of him.

 

“Haa, haa… As expected, give me a break!”

 

The nightmare spread out once again.
But since Nozomu wasn't fooled anymore, he muttered as if to cast it aside.
He didn't look at the tragedy spreading out in front of him.
He was just staring at the dark sky while talking.
He didn't know if it will reach Tiamat.
Nevertheless…….

 

(What an annoying bastard …)

 

Tiamat's voice echoed from the void.
Nozomu was convinced that it was watching him.
While gripping his sweaty palms, he spoke to Tiamat, who may be looking at him.

 

“I won't be fooled by your illusions anymore.
Can you at least behave for a while!?”

 

Tiamat's pressure could be felt from the surroundings as if responding to Nozomu's statement.
At the same time, the whole world let out a creaking sound, and Nozomu's survival instinct gave him the greatest warning.

His spine froze as if he had been stabbed by an ice spear, and cold sweat spewed out all at once.
The next moment, intense pain ran through Nozomu's head.
Tiamat's interference has begun.
While crouching with his head in his hands, Nozomu gritted his teeth and tried to withstand the interference.

 

“Guh~!”

(This time, I will break your heart…)

“Guu~, aaaaah !!”

 

Nozomu's scream echoed through the ruined city.

Various forms of death swirled through his mind, and it was a scene where everything was done by Nozomu's own hands.

Nozomu's figure who beheaded Irisdina.

Nozomu's figure stabbed Shīna with her own hand.

Nozomu's figure crushed Mars' skull.

Nozomu's appearance turned Anri's body into dirt of blood.

And Nozomu's figure strangled Lisa's head.

Those images pierced Nozomu's brain over and over again, stirring in his head.

 

“~! Argh~! Guuuuu!!”

 

Nozomu let out pained voices because he can no longer make a proper voice.
Even so, he desperately resisted not to give up his own heart, but Nozomu's heart was gradually scraped off, becoming smaller and diffused into the void.

 

(E-everyone…)

 

For a moment, Nozomu's thoughts reflected their burning appearance before his eyes.
At that moment, he remembered a place that could be said to be the place where he could come back to.
A place where he was allowed to call it home.

At that moment, Nozomu's ears heard the sound of water droplets dripping onto the surface of the water in the darkness.
The sound spread out as if echoing repeatedly, and at the same time, Nozomu's consciousness, which was about to be diffused, rapidly returned.

 

“~! Will you stop already! Bastard!”

(Wha~!)

 

Nozomu screamed and slammed his head on the ground as if to knock off the images that projected in his head.

A flash of light flashed in front of him, a dull pain ran throughout his head, and at the same time, the image that was eroding Nozomu's head was interrupted.
It seemed, he was able to escape from Tiamat's interference.

 

(R-Ridiculous! How did you dispel my interference at this level!)

 

Tiamat's shaken voice could be heard for the first time.

While bleeding from his forehead, Nozomu glared at the ruins that were scattered in front of him.
It's just a fake Arcazam.
It was a world of deception that Tiamat created to trap Nozomu.

If so, he just needed to destroy the fake world and resist its interference in the truest sense.
He should have already had what he needed to do that.
Nozomu raised his right hand and exhaled, as he decided what he was going to do next, he took a deep breath and pierced his chest at once.

 

“Gaffu~u!”

 

Nozomu closed his eyes and continued to dive within himself while spitting out blood from his mouth.
In his field of view that was shrouded in darkness, he felt like he had fallen to the bottom of a valley where he couldn't see the bottom.

Deeper and deeper, Nozomu fell into an endless abyss.

When he fell so deep that he didn't even know how deep he was, a small ball of light appeared in front of him.

A sphere that glowed while being mixed with five colors of light, as if representing chaos.
That's no doubt.
It was Tiamat's power that Nozomu had taken.

Nozomu slowly pulled out his hand from his chest.
The ball of light that was shining so brightly was clasped in his hand.

 

(That…
you bastard!!)

 

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After squeezing the ball of light with his right hand.

The five colors of light that overflowed from his fist, intertwined and enveloped his arm.

 

“Uooo!”

 

 

He slammed his right hand onto the ground.

The next moment, a five-colored chaotic light shot out from the ground where he struck his fist.
Everything that was touched by the burst of light that erupted was returned to dust.
Burning flames, collapsed buildings, and fallen people.
Cracks appeared in the sky where sparks flew.
The scene collapsed as if eggshells were peeled off, and the fake Arcazam disappeared.

As the fake world created by Tiamat disappeared under the influence of the five colors of light, Nozomu only looked straight ahead and rushed out with all his might, leaped beyond the rift of the cracked world.

In front of Nozomu who rushed out, he could see the forest, which was the real world.
He could see the Metal Dragon rushing over at low altitudes.
In front of the Metal Dragon, a gigantic light bullet it created emitted a dazzling light and was waiting for the moment to be released.

 

“Gishaa!”

 

Then, along with the roar of the Metal Dragon, a gigantic light bullet was fired at Nozomu.
A cannonball of light larger than Nozomu's height tore through the atmosphere and approached like a meteorite.

 

“~!!”

 

Ability Suppression had been released.
There was no sign that Tiamat would interfere any further, perhaps due to the destruction of the fake world.
Nozomu sent his Qi into his katana and prepared a forward strike stance.
After he pulled the katana's body halfway, he immediately launched a slash in a circular motion.

 

Qi technique [Fan Shaped Sail]

In the next moment, a huge circular film made of Qi appeared, tracing the trajectory of the slashed katana.

 

While Irisdina and the others were watching, the gigantic light bullet collided with the film of Qi.

At that moment, the film of Qi, fluttering like a sail, was receiving the gigantic light bullet and bent as if to wrap around it.

 

“Ooo!”

 

Nozomu raised his right hand and slammed his clenched fist into the light bullet through the film of Qi.
Then, the light bullet that was received by the bend film of Qi was launched like a bow and arrow.

The gigantic light bullet launched back towards the Metal Dragon.

Perhaps not expecting to be bounced, the Metal Dragon couldn't dodge it and was hit by its own light bullet.

 

“Gagyaaa!”

 

A roaring sound resounded along with an ear-piercing scream.

The Metal Dragon appeared by cutting through the rising smoke.
Its figure was clearly seriously injured when viewed from the side.

The silver-white armor covering its skin had been peeled off, and within it, a blue light that pulsed like a heart shone through the tubes that spread out like veins.

One of its eyes was crushed, and its wings that looked like a bundle of swords were darkened and dirtied with cracks here and there.

 

“Giryuri~uaa!”

 

Even so, the Metal Dragon didn't give up.
Using its own giant body as a weapon, it rushed towards Nozomu.
It was willing to crush Nozomu with its own huge body.
Nozomu's line of sight and the Metal Dragon intersected.
Its eyes, which shone blue instead of hazy white, clearly told Nozomu that the Dragon still retained its own will.

 

“Fuh~…”

 

Nozomu put his katana into its scabbard and exhaled.
Then, Nozomu's fighting spirit, which had been fierce until now, suddenly dissipated.

Irisdina and the others showed impatience when they saw Nozomu who released his fighting stance.
Although a huge amount of energy was still leaking from his body, mysteriously, it didn't feel intimidating at all.

He kept meditating as a huge mass of metal approached Nozomu with its tenacity.

 

“Nozomu!”

“~!!”

 

If nothing was done, he would be crushed by the approaching huge mass of metal.
The moment Irisdina screamed, Nozomu's eyes opened.

In the next moment, the released fighting spirit attacked the Metal Dragon.

Nozomu emitted dense waves just like the approaching mass of metal.
While exuding a fighting spirit that others could feel the physical pressure from it, Nozomu completely released the power of Tiamat that he had taken in.
His immense overflowing power was dyed in 5 colors and hit the Metal Dragon like a flash flood.

Nozomu extremely compressed the released power and stepped forward while sending that power to his right leg.
His extremely strengthened right foot crushed the ground and the ground's surface gouged out.

While connecting his knee and hip muscles without any waste, he even extremely strengthened them according to the movement of his muscles.

 

Human body moves by interlocking its muscles.
Humans can exert explosive power if the muscles that cover their entire body are connected without waste.

Furthermore, if an ultimate power were to be applied by using the extreme compression of the Qi along with the interlocking muscles without waste, the generated power would be immeasurable.

However, there are so many muscles that cover the human body, and their movements are extremely complicated.
Even if those muscles could be connected without any waste, normally, it would be impossible to do something such as connecting muscles along with extreme strengthening with Qi.

 

However, Nozomu's concentration that accelerated his mind and made time look slower made it possible for him to do that.  Under such extreme concentration, within a world reflected in slow motion, Nozomu was able to connect his muscles without any waste.
The rupturing sound of his muscles echoed in Nozomu's ears.
Nozomu's body is too fragile to fully accept Tiamat's power.
His body reached its limit very easily, blood flowed out at once, and Nozomu's field of vision darkened.

 

“Ggah!!”

 

In such a hazy consciousness, Nozomu was still trying to release his Qi technique while biting his lip.

The best technique inherited from his master.

With extremely strengthened and optimum movement, he launched the best blow that he could release.

Based on that determination,  Nozomu extremely compressed the released force on the sheathed katana.
Five colors of light swirled and gathered on Nozomu's katana.
Nozomu's katana shone with a chaotic light.
He pulled out his katana at once while looking at the approaching Metal Dragon.

 

“Aaaaa!”

 

Qi technique [Phantom -Flash-]

The technique of launching one's own best blow was released.

Nozomu's katana exploded at the moment it was pulled out because it could not withstand Tiamat's power.
However, the extremely compressed blade traced the trajectory of his arm and aimed at the fangs of the Metal Dragon.

The blade struck the Metal Dragon's body without any sound, and the blade tinged with chaos swung like lightning without feeling any resistance.

Furthermore, the power overflowed as the katana exploded, erasing the Metal Dragon's body, leaving only parts of its neck, legs, and wings.
The Metal Dragon's body disappeared without leaving any dust behind in front of such a power of chaos.
Nozomu stood in silence while only the sound of the remains of the Metal Dragon rolling on the ground.
The bladeless katana, only the hilt remaining, was put back into its scabbard, and Nozomu turned and bowed.
To pay his respect to the Undead Dragon, who was the pinnacle of demon beasts, who continued to fight until the end.
The Metal Dragon's eyes dimmed as if praising the person who defeated it.

 

====================================

 

The hooded person just stared at the image reflected in the ball of light in front of him in a shocked manner.

 

“No way, he was able to use Tiamat's power directly…”

 

The words that came out of his mouth were astonishing words for Nozomu who directly brought out the power of Tiamat.

The time when Nozomu used Tiamat's power was only for a moment.
What's more, that power was only a fraction of the total amount of power it possessed.
Even so, it was a fact worthy of admiration that a mere human was able to control the power of chaos, albeit for a moment.

 

“And the fact that he was able to resist Tiamat's interference.
As expected, the transformation has already begun…”

 

Beyond the hooded person vision, Nozomu suddenly collapsed.
As expected, using Tiamat's power directly would be too burdensome.
The bleeding from all over his body was severe.
Especially his right arm, which was used to draw his katana earlier, had become burnt.

 

“However, the situation has become unpredictable.
Is that necessary after all?”

 

The unknown person pondered while touching his chin.

For the time being, he had achieved one of his goals, but he had not achieved all of them.

At that moment, a small ball of light appeared in front of him.

A ball of light swaying like a candle flame.
It was the ball of light that appeared when the Undead Dragon was transformed into a Metal Dragon.

 

“Thank you for your hard work.
I apologize for overdoing it…”

 

After the hooded person held the ball of light with both hands, he spoke to it.

 

(Gururu…)

 

The ball of light……
No, the Undead Dragon's soul growled as if to say “don't worry”.

A dragon that tried to survive by eating all of its friends, even though it just wanted to live.
However, it was impossible to know what this dragon was thinking right now.
However, the Dragon's appearance as it looked at the person who defeated it, seemed somewhat satisfied.

While looking at the Undead Dragon's appearance, the hooded person's mouth revealed a self-deprecating smile on his mouth, then he raised its soul towards the sky.

 

“Now, go home.
To the place where your friends await…”

 

In the next moment, the soul of the Undead Dragon that was raised, scattered and became a grain of light in the air.

For a while, the light particles orbiting around the hooded person flew away, guided by the sudden breeze, and eventually disappeared.

The breeze peeled off the hood, exposing his white beard and white hair to the moonlight.
Wrinkles were etched on his cheeks to tell the story of his accumulated years, and his wisdom-bearing eyes were turned to the projected Nozomu again.

 

“I can't let my guard down.
There are many concerns.
It's still too early to feel relieved…”

 

An old man who kept his stern eyes on Nozomu.

However, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and his expression broke into a smile.

 

“But, even if it was only for a moment, he was able to control that power and defeat that guardian… the Metal Dragon.
For the time being, I have to say that it was well done.
You did well, boy…”

 

In front of him was the image of Nozomu's companions rushing to the fallen Nozomu.
The old man, no, Zonne erased the projected image, turned his heels back, and left the place.
He probably thought that peeping further than this would be inappropriate.

His face reflected in the moonlight seemed to be somewhat satisfied.