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TL: ALT
Chapter 153 – Things I Can’t Give Up (8) Form Change
There is nothing more to say.
I begin to recite the wide-area annihilation magic.
The area of effect of the wide-area annihilation magic is the entire battlefield.
No matter where they are in the boss room, I can involve all three of them.
With my increased magic power from Form Changing, I can reduce all three of them to 0 HP in one hit.
If I can incapacitate all three of them at the same time, they won’t be able to recover with healing potions.
“I won’t let you. Void Flare!”
Sayuki was the first to come to her senses.
She cast Void Flare, which has the effect of canceling a chant at me.
I teleported in response.
It seems that the Demon King’s unique teleportation bonus is not treated as magic, so even if it is used at the same time as magic, the power of the magic is not reduced.
Previously, Honoka-chan would read my teleportation destination and then pass it on to Sayuki, who would then place a Void Flare at the destination.
But this time, Sayuki had gone into action first.
Since the Demon King has a natural talent for magic that defies description, it is easy for me to sense the signs of magic activation.
The weakness of Void Flare is its long casting time.
Once you miss, you don’t get a second chance.
Sayuki’s face is colored with despair.
“Not yet, it’s not over!”
I block Haruhara’s fist, which has not yet changed back to his human form.
Haruhara’s demonization and the Demon King’s second form change.
It seems that the battle of ability value inflation has ended with my victory.
I grab Haruhara’s fist, which I just blocked with all my might.
“Damn it…!”
Haruhara’s arm muscles bulge.
The power in his fist suddenly increased.
But that was as far as it went.
The red light disappears from Haruhara’s eyes, and the horns on his forehead begin to wither.
His skin also returned to its original color.
When I shake off his arm, Haruhara’s body blows away like paper.
“Guaaaaaa!”
“P-please stop… Yuto-san.”
The seal―it won’t be enough in time.
Honoka-chan mumbled with a face that looked like she was about to cry.
Sayuki also collapsed to the ground, powerless,
“This is terrible… What did we do… Senpai?”
I continue to chant.
“…This is how far you’ve gone. Yuto-san from the other world has gone this far…”
Honoka-chan says as if she read my thoughts.
“You have… gone through such… such painful experiences…”
Could it be that she reads my memories?
For a moment, I felt like I was going to choke on the chant.
“No way, Sayuki-chan would never do something like that… that’s not possible…”
“Eh… me…? What do you mean, Honoka…?”
“The one supporting Yuto-san over there… it’s not me, the young me… Ugh, no way… no way…”
“What are you looking at, Honoka?”
“Honoka-chan!?”
Honoka, who had lowered her head and started to tremble, was called to by Sayuki and Haruhara.
“Yuto-san over there… Ugh, that’s… that’s just…”
The incantation for the wide-area annihilation magic has ended.
But I can’t activate it.
I can defeat the three of them here.
Even the defeated boss of this dungeon should respawn if I wait a while.
I’ll defeat the boss, fulfill the special conditions, and obtain Phantom Beast Summoning.
There are many questions.
It’s unclear why the special conditions of the skill world are valid, and it’s also unnatural that only the Phantom Beast Summoning skill can be used in this world.
Even if I can summon Kudave, there’s no guarantee that he’ll have the power to return to my original world.
But that’s what God told me.
The deepest part of the post-collapse Okutama Lake Dungeon is also the place where a hole once appeared in the world.
There is a possibility that the rules of the skill world are partially valid for some reason.
But is that okay?
Shouldn’t I face these three people, make them understand my situation, and find another way?
But there might not be such a convenient way.
Even the message from God didn’t mention any other way.
If there was a better way, I would have been told about it in the first place.
Or even if I go back to my original world, shouldn’t I give those three people time to say goodbye to me?
But what would happen if I did something so cruel?
There’s something else I haven’t tried yet.
It’s the Split skill that became a card through the Usurpation of Authority.
Skill──────────────────
Split 1 (Monster-only skill)
The user splits his body in two. The split person has half the HP but inherits all other stats and skills.
Depending on your S.Lv, you can split again after splitting.
Caution: If used by anything other than an amorphous monster, there is no guarantee that it will work properly.
────────────────────
This is a skill I got from the Huge Slime in the Thicket Dungeon, which I now even find nostalgic.
The original skill comes with a disturbing warning.
When I looked at the target for the Philosopher’s Stone Fragment before, I couldn’t choose that [Warning] as a disadvantage to remove.
If the ability of the card is also the same, I don’t think it’s possible to conveniently separate “me” from me and leave “me” in this world.
Should I try it anyway?
Ah, I don’t know.
I’m at a loss.
Taking “me” away from his “comrades” in this world is the same as killing “me.”
At least, that’s how it is for them.
The precious comrades are being taken away by the impostor who suddenly appeared from another world.
For them, it’s a disaster that came out of nowhere.
It’s a nightmarish reality.
But right now, I can’t even afford to hesitate.
If they see through my hesitation, there is a possibility that Honoka-chan will be able to finish the seal in time.
It’s just one more voice.
If I can finish the incantation for the wide-area annihilation magic, I can knock out the three of them.
But that one voice is stuck in my throat.
At first, I thought it would be a good idea if I took the blame.
I would take their friend away on my own.
They didn’t do anything wrong.
They should just hate me.
I thought that, too.
But when I thought that this one word would change their fate…
…damn it, what did I do?
Why did I have to make such a choice?
As I wavered, a feeling of anger began to well up inside me.
Why do I have to play the role of the villain who so unreasonably takes away their precious companion?
Why was I thrown into this world in the first place?
The ultimate truth is shrouded in darkness, but I’m forced to make a choice.
This has always been my life.
I’m suddenly forced to choose one thing from a bunch of options that don’t even make sense.
If there are options, it’s still better.
Sometimes, I’m forced to choose when there’s only one option, and sometimes, I don’t even know when the choice is.
But the results of the choice are forced upon me.
I can’t “xxx” out of the results of the choice.
“Guh…”
Another headache.
I don’t even know what this headache is.
Should I look directly at this headache and find out what it is?
Yes.
I’m also xxxing from this headache.
I’m also xxxing from this choice.
I’m also xxxing from facing my friends.
I’m also xxxing from defeating my friends and sticking to my own will.
But at the same time, I also think that I should not xxx.
I think I have to face them, fight them, defeat them, overcome them, and reveal the truth.
I want to move forward.
It may be clumsy and full of mistakes, but I never want to xxx.
But what if that was the mistake in the first place?
“――Haha, I see. I finally understand.”
I really want to xxx away from this reality.
My headache suddenly got worse.
But this headache is the thread.
The path I should go forward or retreat from is in front of this headache.
“Gua, aaaaa…!”
I force down the headache, which feels like my head is going to split open, with the power of my will.
Pushing myself to the limit is a technique I’ve been good at since I was a shut-in.
Without creating a situation, without holding back, I scold and criticize myself, convincing myself that I’m a worthless person.
Once I got used to it, it was easy.
It was much easier and more comfortable than doing the opposite.
It was much easier to deny my own worth than to acknowledge it.
Even if I acknowledged my own worth, there was no guarantee that others would acknowledge it.
However, if I undermine my own worth, there are plenty of other people who will recognize it.
There are many people in this world who want to make assumptions about me without knowing anything about me.
I relentlessly stepped on the gas pedal of self-criticism for exactly three seconds.
I stood in a room that looked familiar, with everything in purple wireframes.
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