Chapter 123. Battle Against Myself (2)
The twenty-four additional stat points I had obtained by clearing the Territory Quests.
I invested all of them in Agility.
Booom!!
My body shot forward like an arrow—
“What?!”
Memoria trembled in surprise. It had failed to react to my suddenly accelerated movements.
“Metabolic Overdrive!”
Memoria shouted.
“Have you forgotten that I possess the same abilities as you?!”
Memoria also activated Metabolic Overdrive [U].
It attempted to match my movements and speed with it, but—
It couldn’t keep up.
“How...?!”
That was because this wasn’t merely a difference of twenty-four Agility points.
There was also the passive effect of Promote Metabolism [C+].
I gained an additional fifteen percent of all the Agility points I invested.
On top of that, those stats were amplified once again by Metabolic Overdrive [U].
The resulting gap amounted to a staggering 41.4 stat points. That was equivalent to the combined stats of 41.4 adult men.
Slash!
Memoria’s body was torn apart in an instant. It was a fatal wound, yet at the same time, it wasn’t.
After all, it possessed Regeneration [B+].
Sure enough, it recovered in an instant.
“Do you really think I’ll lose?!”
Memoria roared as it raised both hands. It recklessly swung Dragon’s Claw [A].
At first glance, it looked crude. Its movements were predictable and unsophisticated.
But because of that, they contained tremendous destructive power.
Ultimately, it possessed outstanding striking power and practicality in real combat.
It was the Predator’s way.
Crash! Crunch! Rumble-rumble-rumble!
A barrage of attacks.
Explosive power.
The impact of our collisions. The entire landscape shook violently.
Booooom!!
Memoria was attempting to overwhelm me with even greater power.
But it didn’t stand a chance.
The difference in Agility wasn’t merely a difference in speed. Dynamic vision, reflexes, reaction speed, and more.
It represented a difference in the ability to process stimuli transmitted through the nervous system.
“What the...?”
Memoria lost track of me.
Crunch!
I perfectly exploited that opening.
Memoria’s chest was violently torn open.
‘I aimed for its heart.’
In that split second, Memoria twisted its body and evaded the fatal blow.
Beyond the gaping wound—
I could see Memoria’s beating heart.
I hadn’t defeated it with a single blow, but the calories required for Regeneration [B+] would continue increasing, widening the gap between us even further.
More importantly, it shouldn’t have been able to regenerate a wound of that severity instantly.
I lowered my stance.
....But something was strange.
‘Its regeneration speed—’
It was abnormally fast.
The gaping wound in Memoria’s chest regenerated immediately.
Furthermore, its bodily tissues had become stronger than they were before regenerating.
But Regeneration [B+] was limited to restoring the body to its original state.
In that case...
‘Hyper-Regeneration?’
It was Hyper-Regeneration [A], transcended through Berserk [?].
But that made no sense.
I didn’t possess enough Sanity to use Berserk [?].
If Memoria had replicated the same conditions as me, it shouldn’t have possessed any Sanity either.
And yet—
A dark crimson Aura blazed around Memoria.
‘That’s....’
It was Berserk [?].
Memoria was using Berserk [?] once again.
‘It can use multiple Super-Combination Skills simultaneously?’
Apparently, overlapping activations were possible.
Thanks to that, I had discovered more about its mechanics.
But that wasn’t the immediate problem. Memoria’s presence had become distinctly different from before.
It was Accelerated Heartbeat [E], which doubled the effects of Metabolic Overdrive [U].
The gap between Memoria and me had been reversed.
....But how?
Using Accelerated Heartbeat [E] required more than 100 Sanity.
Hyper-Regeneration [A] required an astonishing 3,200 Sanity.
But I didn’t possess that much Sanity.
If Memoria had replicated me, it shouldn’t have possessed that much either.
....It shouldn’t have.
* * *
Luseria had been screaming in agony as her entire body froze. But now, Luseria’s screams could no longer be heard.
Leon slowly raised his gaze—
Crack-crack-crack—!!
He saw Luseria frozen solid, transformed into a frigid embodiment of death.
The difference between them was overwhelmingly vast.
“Th-This is….”
How could anyone call her a sixteen-year-old girl?
Rather than fear, Leon felt awe.
At that moment—
Crash—!!
The sudden sound of shattering ice rang out.
“Aah...!!!”
Luseria’s exclamation, filled with joy and ecstasy, followed immediately afterward.
Luseria broke free from the ice. Her frozen body had already turned blue.
Despite that, Luseria was delighted. She wore a smile filled with madness.
Then, as though welcoming someone—
“He has...! He has!!”
Luseria spread both arms wide.
“He has chosen me...!”
The moment those words left her mouth, Luseria’s waist bent backward at a ninety-degree angle.
Crack! Crunch!
Flesh tore, and bones were ground apart. Luseria’s abdomen split wide open from side to side.
Dark crimson blood and mucus poured out—
And eight elongated legs stabbed into the ground.
A gigantic Abyssal She-Spider. It cast aside Luseria’s body and manifested in this world.
The Abyssal She-Spider slowly opened its dark eyes.
No....
They weren’t eyes.
They were a compound field of vision containing countless dimensions.
Within it, fifty thousand eggs writhed.
An ear-splitting cacophony rang out. The she-spider’s pupils distorted and opened. Hundreds of thousands of thin legs burst forth simultaneously—
And fifty thousand immature spiders writhed as they sought to sate their hunger.
“Eek!!”
Seraphia trembled in fear.
“A-Aaaaaah!!”
Leon screamed as though he were about to faint.
It existed on….an entirely different dimension.
It was far too….immense.
The sheer scale of the perceptual information exceeded the limits of what the human mind could comprehend.
—lo lo lo lo lo lac
* * *
Rumble-rumble-rumble—!!
Dark crimson currents raged around Memoria.
Memoria was continuously activating Berserk [?].
That meant its Sanity was still increasing even at that very moment.
Just as Seraphia and I were connected—
It seemed that Memoria and Luseria were also connected.
In other words—
The Abyssal Legion Commander whom Luseria worshipped.
The Abyssal She-Spider Carrying Fifty Thousand Young.
She had finally forced her way through a rift in the Negative Dimension and manifested in this world.
“Hahahahahahahaha!!!”
Memoria had even replicated the Concept Skill, Infinite [M].
Receiving an endless supply of Sanity from the Abyssal She-Spider, Memoria was transcending all its skills.
Just as I had created a variable, Memoria had created one of its own.
....I had to create yet another variable. But there were no quests remaining that I could immediately clear.
Even if there were, they wouldn’t be enough to overcome the gap created by Berserk [?].
Nevertheless, I had to think.
I had to find it.
A variable capable of reversing the current situation.
And I had to believe.
No—
I believed.
In the power that Memoria did not possess—
The power of connections and bonds.
* * *
Madness continued surging endlessly.
Adrian (Memoria) staggered for an instant as the power of madness filled his body.
But it wasn’t painful. It felt more like liberation.
“Hahahahahaha!!”
This battle was no longer merely a contest of calorie consumption.
The gap between them had become unmistakably vast. In fact, it was now as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.
Adrian, who relied on biological abilities with clearly defined limits, could never overcome this difference.
“I’ll show you the difference between you and me!!”
Crack-crack-crack!
His bones twisted, and large bones protruded from beneath his elbows.
The protruding bones were sharpened like blades.
Bone Blade.
Using Hyper-Regeneration, he created protruding bones, sharpened them, and then reinforced their cutting edges with Nutrient Creation.
Strength, hardness, and cutting power.
It was a biological Aura Blade that surpassed even an Aura Sword.
And that wasn’t all.
Wings created from his back through Hyper-Regeneration.
They granted him mobility unrestricted by terrain or gravity.
A body enhanced through Draconification.
It had become the pinnacle of biological evolution.
Physical stats amplified through Accelerated Heartbeat. They far surpassed the limits of living organisms.
As a result—
“I have surpassed you!!”
Killing intent exploded.
His physical stats erupted through Accelerated Heartbeat.
The wings spread wide to either side. His body shot forward at tremendous speed.
His body, enhanced through Draconification, endured every form of resistance.
The Bone Blade swung.
Rumble-rumble-rumble—!!
The entire surrounding landscape was sliced apart. His entire body became a slash that descended upon Adrian.
He wouldn’t be able to dodge.
If every part of the surrounding area was cut apart at this speed, no one could evade it.
Nor could it be blocked.
Therefore, responding to it was impossible.
“This is the end!!”
Booooom!!
An impact shook the entire space.
But something was strange.
....The one who had received the impact was Memoria.
Memoria’s eyes widened.
That made no sense.
The gap between him and Adrian was overwhelming.
It was a difference that could never, under any circumstances, be overcome.
“Your futile resistance is meaningless!!”
He drove the power of madness into an even greater frenzy.
But—
No power emerged.
‘The power of madness...?’
....It was disappearing.
* * *
Screeeeeeeech—!!!
A scream rang out like tens of thousands of vengeful spirits being dragged together and scraped against one another.
The monstrous sound reverberated in every direction.
A noise that did not belong to this world violently assaulted their eardrums.
Their minds grew hazy.
The worlds of hell and the abyss overlapped with this place.
The phenomenal world began to change. Everything in the world was overturned.
The boundary between existence and nonexistence blurred, and all color vanished from the earth.
Shrieeeeeek—!!
Nameless spawn half-opened their eyes.
Shadows took form and rose—
Everywhere became a revelry of existence.
Seraphia tightly shut her eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to look.
No—
She felt as though she must never look.
[Naga’ai ah’n’ghft syha’h….]
An alien whisper seeped into her ears. She didn’t know whose voice it was. She didn’t know what it was saying either.
Her eyes remained tightly shut.
With her vision blocked, the terror could not assume a tangible form.
But the unknown fear without a tangible form expanded endlessly within Seraphia’s imagination.
It transformed into something even more horrifying and devoured her mind.
She couldn’t breathe. Her heart pounded wildly. Cold sweat streamed down her back.
At that moment—
Which repetition of the social gathering had it been?
—I told you before. Fear disappears when you face its true form.
Adrian’s words flashed through her mind.
She had to open her eyes. She had to confront her fear.
Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to open them.
She understood it intellectually. She understood it all too well, but....
“A-Aaah….”
Her body refused to obey.
Within her heart, she desperately called for Adrian.
Hadn’t Adrian always saved her whenever something like this happened?
Adrian would save her again.
If she kept her eyes tightly shut, Adrian would appear from somewhere and protect her.
….But—
If my brother isn’t here….
Does that mean I’m ultimately incapable of doing anything?
Despite being like that—
Despite lacking even the confidence to survive without my brother—
Did I really claim that I would help him?
She was terrified. She was afraid. She desperately wanted to run away and hide.
But what frightened her most right now was—
The possibility that she might truly become someone incapable of doing anything.
The possibility that, rather than helping Adrian, she would only hold him back.
The possibility that she would become a little sister who meant absolutely nothing to Adrian.
She hated that. She truly hated it.
In that case, I... I...!
—Do not remain trapped by fear.
I’ll fight by myself.
—Resist the things that frighten you. Show them that you will no longer be controlled by them.
I’ll face the fear within me.
—Nothing will change if you remain still.
Even if I’m scared. Even if I’m terrified. I’ll take a step forward.
—Endure the coming storm and continue onward.
Just as a bird continues flying even through a raging storm!
Riiiiiiiiing—!!
Her red eyes snapped open and turned pure white.
Countless lines of cold, as dark and sharp as ink strokes, emerged around Seraphia.
It was at that very moment that Leon regained his senses.
And what Leon saw was—
Fifty thousand young frozen in place. The motionless Abyssal She-Spider.
The entire space was silent.
The ear-splitting ringing—
The howls that had ravaged his mind—
And the hundreds of thousands of writhing legs—
Everything was frozen and motionless, as though space and time itself had stopped.
And then—
‘They’re disappearing….?’
They froze and vanished.
....No.
That wasn’t it.
Leon’s instincts and ability told him the truth.
They weren’t disappearing because of the cold. It was the opposite. The cold was being generated because their existence was being annihilated.
Extinction Cooling.
It manifested through the annihilation of all the energy comprising an existence, including Mana—
Annihilative Extinction.
Heat Death.
It was the power of the end, capable of extinguishing even the stars.
No energy.
No existence.
Everything was rendered meaningless before this absolute end.
Primal Origin—Extinction.
Frigidus Maelstrom.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack—!!!
In an instant, razor-sharp frost tore across the entire world. The fifty thousand spiders began losing their forms.
The Abyssal She-Spider….froze and became motionless.
The she-spider’s body retained its form.
But it was nothing more than an empty shell whose life energy had been completely extinguished.
Even an exalted entity from another dimension had ultimately been unable to escape.
“My God….”
Every hair on Leon’s body stood on end at the astonishing sight.
A shudder of awe ran through him. It was impossible to believe that this was the power of a human….
Sway.
Seraphia suddenly lost her balance.
Leon hurriedly caught her collapsing body.
She was as light as a flower petal.
Seraphia’s breathing was ragged.
“Are you all right?!”
“My brother….”
Seraphia’s voice was faint.
“I-I have to….help him....”
Seraphia finally lost consciousness.
* * *
Memoria’s mind suddenly sharpened.
The power of madness that had been disappearing—
At some point….
‘....It was severed?’
The connection had been severed completely. The infinite power was no longer flowing into him.
“Why?”
No, how?
Could the Abyssal She-Spider possibly have been annihilated?
That was impossible.
How could anyone possibly destroy a ruler of the Negative Dimension...?!
‘Impossible!!’
He simply couldn’t believe it.
His thoughts became tangled with confusion.
....He had to regain his composure.
Even if he could no longer activate additional instances of Berserk, the ones he had already activated remained in effect.
In other words, the gap between them was already as vast as heaven and earth.
“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!”
He roared and swung his Bone Blade with all his strength.
At that moment—
Boom!!
An overwhelming sensation of weight spread through him.
Memoria’s mouth dropped open, and blood sprayed from it.
He blocked it?
No, had he blocked it?
Had he dodged?
....What had happened?
Memoria hadn’t seen it.
He couldn’t see it.
It felt as though he had encountered a realm impossibly far beyond his reach.
“With nothing more than….nothing more than simple biological abilities?”
“That isn’t all.”
Adrian’s quiet voice penetrated his ears.
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