"Just now..."
When I came to my senses, the world that had been frozen resumed its motion.
Kwaaaah—!
And by the time I realized it, Leviathan's breath had already reached right before my eyes.
But—
"...Too slow."
From my mouth came words so calm they were almost unbelievable.
Things that had not been visible until now came into view.
Things that had not been felt until now could now be sensed.
The flow of mana, the seams between them, all of it... was now so clear it felt as though I could seize it in my hand.
I raised my sword.
Black energy seeped over the blade.
A power opposite to light.
Yet strangely, it moved with the same ease as if it had always belonged to me.
"...Here I go."
I stepped forward.
Boom!
As I swung the holy sword wrapped in darkness, the ground burst apart.
At the same time, I had already crossed through Leviathan's breath.
Kyaooo—!
Leviathan's eyes flew wide open.
And then—
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Slash—
That enormous mouth was cut cleanly away.
"Too late."
Crack—!!
The delayed explosion erupted.
The breath that had been severed along with the breath scattered in all directions.
And I left that spot behind.
Grrrrrrrr—!
Pain and fury.
Leviathan, driven into a frenzy, began rampaging even more madly.
"...Noisy."
I stood above it, in the sky.
As though it were only natural to stand where nothing existed beneath my feet.
"Let's end this already, you damned bastard. Stop smashing the city I worked so hard to build!!"
Then I raised my sword.
Light rose from the blade in my hand.
And over that light, darkness spread.
Light and darkness.
Two opposing forces condensed into a single form.
My heart thundered.
"It's over."
Kwaaaaaaa—!!
At my words, Leviathan made one final struggle, twisting its massive body and charging straight at me.
But I did not retreat even a single step.
"...As king."
And I brought the sword down toward Leviathan.
"...For what I must protect."
And then—
"[Eidos]!!"
The great strike born from the sword, a mingling of light and darkness, erupted toward Leviathan.
Kwaaaaaaa—!!
Everything was briefly swallowed by that light and darkness.
The waves.
The sky.
The sound.
And even Leviathan.
Then, after the light and darkness vanished, a silence fell as though all things had stopped.
"...Is it over?"
With that, I slowly descended.
And there, left behind, was the corpse of a colossal dragon split cleanly in two.
Leviathan had been completely... subjugated.
Its blood spread across the surroundings and stained my body red.
"...Haa. I'm drained."
With a sigh of relief, I collapsed to the ground.
I could feel the strength leaving my body.
"...So it really was... too much."
Then, at that moment—
Thud.
Something fell before me.
"...What is this?"
What had dropped before me was none other than a sword.
But it was by no means an ordinary sword.
A deep blue blade, with mana alive and moving within it.
And from it, a faint madness seeped out.
"...Leviathan's..."
I knew it instinctively.
This sword had come from a part of the being I had just cut down, and it was the source of the frenzy.
"This is insane...!"
I hurriedly picked up the sword.
Even if it drives its wielder into madness, Hecate can deal with that.
"Heh heh heh...!"
As I laughed while holding the new sword,
"Astellon!!"
a voice rang out from afar.
I turned around to see Thetis, Hecate, and the soldiers running toward me.
"Are you all right?!"
"...What happened?"
I gathered my words for a moment, then gave a small laugh.
"...I won, somehow."
At those words, everyone's expressions stiffened, then soon softened with relief.
In the midst of it, Hecate looked at the sword in my hand.
"...That isn't an ordinary object."
"I know."
"It's steeped in madness."
"Exactly why it's too precious to throw away. So... can you dispel this madness?"
"...If you're the one using it, then yes."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
While speaking with Hecate, I looked down at the sword.
And I recalled the voice I had heard earlier.
The being in the darkness.
The being that had tested me.
And then—
"...So you're watching, is that it?"
I muttered softly.
[...Hmm.]
Within the darkness, that being smiled quietly.
[Not bad. Better than I expected.]
And beside it, another presence brushed past.
A being whose shape was not even clear.
[You saw it, didn't you?]
[Yes.]
[That child is...]
[Certainly, a vessel that can contain our power. Though it is still weak.]
[That makes it all the more interesting.]
The gazes of the two beings turned toward Astellon on the surface.
[Shall we lend it to him a little more next time?]
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