Chapter 437: Forbidden Curse

<Author’s Notes>

Lately, I’ve run out of stock, and I’m starting to feel like I’m running out of fuel too, but for now, I’ll keep writing until I hit my limit.

The Forbidden Curses.

Do they really think———– I haven’t taken any countermeasures against them?

I’ve incorporated parts of the corpses of the Forbidden Tribe into this body.

It reacted.

They resonate with the Forbidden Tribe———– with the Forbidden Curse.

After taking them in, I altered my own flesh accordingly.

Just before the Forbidden Curse is triggered———- when the Azure Dragon Stone resonates with its user.

I can detect that slightly earlier.

———-I can see it.

A bluish-white reaction.

I feel——– its “occurrence”.

Therefore I can move with a sense of foreknowledge, of getting ahead of it.

But to think these worthless scum would go this far.

For me to be driven to the point of allowing a Forbidden Curse to be used.

I never intended to bring this fight to a situation where they could use it.

Besides, this countermeasure had unstable aspects.

Even if I can tell which of these wearing Fly King outfits was the member of the Forbidden Tribe——— the Forbidden Curse-user……

if their power falls short because of weakening or incapability, it’s meaningless.

Detecting them means nothing if I don’t have the combat ability to see it through.

Simply being able to sense them wasn’t enough.

But now———– I have acquired that power.

At the last moment, I entered that realm.

Is this that state Wormungandr mentioned during the fight with Ayaka?

Some sort of mental state Ayaka supposedly entered.

In any case, now I have surpassed myself.

I can see it.

As if I could pick it up in my hand———- I feel I can know the enemy’s next move.

It’s especially significant that I was able to crush Ayaka here.

I can crush the Forbidden Tribe along with her.

With this power that has reached this “next” level.

My arm-blade now tore out from Ayaka’s body.

Leaving the blood-threads drawn from the wound suspended in the air,

I leapt toward that first-version Fly King outfit I had “found”.

The foot I drove in———– the limb marked by black lines expanded, racing through an instant.

Already before my eyes was the targeted first-version Fly King outfit.

[……Unl———]

A power that requires the act of chanting.

Truly unreliable, fragile.

It cannot be activated unless the words are spoken at a certain volume and pace.

Soft murmurs or a hurried tongue are not permitted.

That———- is a great flaw.

It was just like with Kirihara.

If I crush them before their incantation is finished, I can crush them.

Their body will be torn apart into a disgusting mess.

Their black outfit, and the organs inside it———– every last one of them.

Thud!

My kick, driven by my swollen leg, burst forth.

[———-Gyaa!?]

[Gughhk!]

Just as I aimed for, they were blown away.

Before they could finish their incantation.

To beyond the range of the Forbidden Curse.

Both of them, together.

(I’m surprised———— she actually cut in……!)

At the very last moment……

Ayaka slipped between that Forbidden Tribe and me.

She became that Forbidden Tribe’s shield.

Both of them were slammed hard against the courtyard wall.

It seems Ayaka managed to create a mass of silver to soften the impact.

But she couldn’t completely absorb the shock.

[Ugh……]

[A…… ghh……]

Of course, both were blown completely outside the Forbidden Curse’s range.

Both the Forbidden Tribe and Ayaka.

It seems the Forbidden Tribe has already lost consciousness from the impact.

Ayaka too, she can no longer stand.

All that’s left is for them to die there———–

A chill crawled down my spine.

Behind me———–

Lightning blazed.

[Binding Curse————-]

And a silver-haired, awfully young———- Forbidden Tribe.

Cradling that young Forbidden Tribe in her arms, the one who suddenly appeared in this courtyard was————–

Itsuki Takao.

They got me.

This…… was out of my awareness……

(Ah———-)

I can’t make it in time.

I’m still caught in the “aftermath of the attack” I unleashed upon the nearby Forbidden Tribe and Ayaka.

There’s no time to step in their direction.

Just a little short……

■

The arrow that Qir Meiru had fired from the second-floor window earlier……

That was one of several predetermined signals.

The color of the magic bow she used corresponded to the message it conveyed.

Yes, their signals don’t only consist of Sound Orbs.

Besides Qir, several others were also assigned similar methods of signaling.

What it indicated was———–

We had successfully rendezvoused with the Takao Sisters.

Once this was confirmed, the third Sound Orb was activated.

And the signal of that third Sound Orb was……

“Commence use of the Forbidden Curse upon opportunity.”

Through her sensory link with the followers of Vysis,

Takao Hijiri had already understood that such a possibility existed.

And after she defeated Yomibito———–

As the dissolving Yomibito gazed at the Takao sisters,

Hijiri spoke under the assumption that———–

“Vysis is watching and listening to this conversation through Yomibito.”

What mattered most was making her believe that the sisters could no longer fight.

More than that———– drawing Vysis’s attention away from her younger sister, Takao Itsuki.

Furthermore, it was important to convey that———-

“Itsuki’s MP has been completely depleted.”

That information needed to be made known.

Though, Itsuki actually had exhausted her MP through <Count Zero>.

However, even when her MP value on the status display read zero,

There still remained the person’s own willpower———- their true MP.

Just as Touka Mimori had once done within the Disposal Ruins.

As a precaution,

Hijiri carried Itsuki on her back while moving, letting her rest even for a short while.

With the help of <Wind> to support the weight, even one-armed, she could manage to carry her.

Itsuki had said,

“If you’re the one carrying me, sis…… I think I’ll fall asleep……”

Indeed……

Having just enough MP left for a single use of <Unlock One> would suffice.

No———- more accurately, they would only get one chance.

Hijiri could, to an extent, use a similar acceleration with her composite skills.

But she could not reach the same speed as Itsuki’s.

Then———— there was Hugin, the other crest bearer, daughter of Munin.

In this labyrinth raid.

Takao Hijiri also bore one additional responsibility related to her.

It was to inscribe a teleportation circle corresponding to the teleportation stone within the labyrinth.

That teleportation stone had been obtained from Imperial Capital Mira’s treasury.

Upon close inspection, one could discern the magic formula embedded within the stone itself.

By shining light through it, the magic circle could even be projected large onto a wall.

Hijiri memorized that magic circle completely and trained herself to redraw it swiftly.

Using her Inherent Skill that employed blades of wind, she carved the teleportation circle directly into the ground.

Perhaps only Takao Hijiri could have done something like that.

That said, she did carry a paper copy of the magic circle just in case,

“To memorize the magic circle entirely and carve it into the ground with blades of wind———-“

There were few in the world who could perform such a feat.

When Touka and the others returned from the Anti-Demon White Castle to Erika’s home, they found that a magic circle had already been inscribed there.

It was a type of teleportation stone designed “for the user to teleport themselves elsewhere”.

However, this particular teleportation stone possessed the opposite property.

In other words————

It had the ability to summon someone standing upon another magic circle elsewhere to the user’s location.

According to Erika,

“You can tell which type it is by the magic circle carved into the stone.”

The one intended to be summoned through the teleportation was Hugin, another crest bearer.

This was, in essence, a precautionary measure.

Because of the labyrinth’s appearance, Hugin’s participation in the decisive battle had become difficult.

Hugin’s combat ability was practically nonexistent.

Thus, if she were transferred directly into the labyrinth, she might be killed instantly, without any means of resistance.

Munin was deeply uneasy about this, and had struggled greatly over it.

Then came Touka’s proposal—————

What if they used the teleportation stone to link up with the Takao sisters instead?

Munin did not know much about Takao Hijiri as a person.

However, Touka’s trust in Hijiri was strongly conveyed to her.

If it was someone he trusted———- then perhaps she could trust her too.

And so, Munin accepted the proposal.

Hijiri told Munin.

“I will do everything in my power to protect Hugin.”

Of course, if the labyrinth judged this to be a violation of its rules, teleportation would be impossible.

But that would be something they’d have to deal with when the time came.

Without Hugin, they had no choice but to try.

According to Loqierra, however———–

“As long as we’re not sending too many people, it might actually work…… The labyrinth sometimes allows clever or interesting methods that show intelligence.” S̩

“In short, it wants us to test our wits”, Loqierra remarked.

They had to think carefully about where the boundaries of the rules lay and discern them.

“That’s one of the characteristics of the Genesis Labyrinth”, Loqierra said.

However, Hugin’s teleportation was performed after the labyrinth’s disappearance.

In other words, in the end, all those concerns about breaking the labyrinth’s rules were unnecessary.

Hugin was successfully reunited with the Takao sisters, almost certainly without incident.

And then———— The timing of Hugin’s Forbidden Curse activation was decided by Hijiri.

An instantaneous, high-speed intrusion from a range outside of Vysis’s awareness.

Seizing the moment to strike at the gap in her consciousness.

Among the strike team, Hijiri was the one most suited to that role.

At the very least———–

Mimori Touka judged Takao Hijiri to be someone worthy of entrusting that crucial moment to.

□

“Could a God pray to a God?”

Lose? Me, Vysis?

———-No.

I refuse.

I refuse to lose.

Not here.

But———- there’s nothing left.

No moves I can make.

I hadn’t anticipated this.

What I expected was that they’d be in the other first-version Fly King outfits———- or perhaps, those crows.

I recognized them in the courtyard.

I was aware of them.

I thought I could handle them.

But this——— this wasn’t part of the plan.

Why?

Why did I……

Why did I exclude the younger Takao so thoroughly from my awareness?

Because I had bitter memories of Hijiri?

Yes———- I’m bad with Hijiri too.

I’m bad with people whose thoughts I can’t read.

That’s why……

Even if that sister’s interference was possible———- I paid too much attention to Hijiri.

Ahh, even though with my current self, I could have foreseen the Forbidden Curse——— I could have gotten ahead of their activations.

But an attack from outside my awareness cancels that out.

That advantage of mine is erased.

Even if I step in like before, it’s too late now.

What can I do?

Why is this happening to me?

Why am I the one suffering this?

I alone——— like this……

N- No.

This can’t be.

I don’t want this.

Help me.

Someone——— help me.

I can pray.

If there’s even the slightest chance to turn this around……

God.

I———– will not accept defeat.

I do not want to lose.

Never.

Ahh———- I could have won.

Just a little more……

Just a bit more, I would have won……

I can’t accept this.

I won’t accept losing like this.

I’ll kill you brats.

▽

From my body———- another body was released.

It was……

My second clone.

A dramatic evolution in the midst of this battle.

If one were to seek the cause of such transformation, what could it be?

Most likely…… my boundless, undying obsession.

And yet———–

How many in this place could truly perceive that instant?

None, I imagine, could properly witness the moment it parted with my body.

For by the time they realized it, my second clone was already there———–

And had already lunged toward Itsuki and the newly appeared crest-bearer.

[, Un———–]

The arm-blade of my second body swung down, cutting through both Itsuki and the newcomer————-

———-But in that split second———–

Hijiri slipped in just behind Itsuki————- her movements accelerated with her skill, barely catching up in time.

My second clone’s blade tore through her as well.

Unbalanced, unable to fully defend,

Just like that, Hijiri———- together with Itsuki and the new crest-bearer, was blown away

[——–leash!]

But even as her chant concluded———– they were already outside the range.

From the wound my blade had left in Hijiri, a jet of blood burst upward, painting the air red.

[El——— Elder Sister———–]

Good. I killed them.

All three of them, pitiful, wretched figures.

It’s now too late.

I had already leapt away———– beyond the reach of their Forbidden Curse’s range.

……How many crest-bearers remain?

No matter.

Let them come, if they dare.

As many as they please.

Whoever they are, whatever they attempt, wherever they strike, it will change nothing.

Within this battle, I have ascended to my “next” stage.

Another clone has joined my ranks.

Perfection.

No matter where they come from, I can respond completely.

Those black crows, merely petty tricks meant to obscure chanting.

Futile.

For I can sense where every voice originates before it even sounds.

If there truly exists a God who governs the concept of victory, then surely that God smiles upon me.

Having survived even that last assault———–

Serves you right! You miserable, deluded brats, boiled down to the purest form of idiocy, your so-called chance of victory is long gone!

Behind me, my first clone still stands.

And that first clone————-

[Unleash.]

[—————————Ah?]

I turned around.

(Eh?)

A…… translucent chain?

The chain of the Forbidden Curse……

It…… manifested!?

(Why———– how did…… T- This can’t be!)

No, that can’t be.

That’s absolutely impossible.

No, it couldn’t be possible.

Why?

How?

I should have been able to feel it.

If a crest-bearer…… if one of the Forbidden Tribe uses a Forbidden Curse……

I mean, I can……

I would sense it beforehand…… detect the very origin of its emergence before it even begins to form————-

(Then how———–)

The reaction that should have accompanied the origin of a Forbidden Curse’s “activation” wasn’t there.

I had been relying on the “occurrence” of that signal……

(Ah……)

Because I trusted the “occurrence” of that reaction too much, I failed to catch the incantation portion of the Binding Curse———-

[———-Ugh.]

The unleashed chains were already upon me.

[D- Don’t———- DON’T COME ANY CLOSEEEEEER———!!!]

Instinctively, I lashed out, attempting to swat the forbidden chains away.

But the chains of the Forbidden Curse cannot be struck aside by mere force.

They slipped through my arms, and the curse engraved itself directly into my divine body.

A sharp crack rang out, like something rupturing.

<Dispel Bubble>—————— erased.

The sheer absurdity of the situation was beyond belief.

For a moment, I was left completely stunned, mind blank.

[ <Pa…… ra———— ghk, uugh——- ghakk!?]

[ ! ]

The voice came from the third Forbidden Curse-user———– from within the late-version Fly King outfit.

A choking, gasping sound———— like someone drowning in water.

Something inside that mask was spilling over, suffocating its wearer————

Then, with a desperate motion, as though craving oxygen……

The late-version Fly King outfit tore off the mask and flung it aside.

(J- Just as I thought…… The guy behind that mask———–)

Touka Mimori.

Mimori’s mouth was filled with blood, and it streamed from his eyes, nose, and ears as well.

I understood at once.

He was choking on his own blood.

His breaths were ragged, uneven.

His face, twisted in pain, nearly on the brink of death.

And yet his eyes———— They blazed.

With a fierce, piercing, jet-black will.

(This…… This wasn’t supposed to happen———– there’s no way it could———– i- it must not be possible…… impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible———- absolutely impossible!!)

For anyone other than one of the Forbidden Tribes…… to invoke a Forbidden Curse.

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