Chapter 143

The Completed One

If there was truly something unsettling, it would be the fact that even after hearing such openly confrontational words, Magnus showed no particular reaction.

In fact, rather than simply showing no reaction, wasn’t the corner of his mouth twisting savagely, as if he welcomed it?

‘……Let’s organize this.’

Battle was unavoidable. I didn’t know what he was hiding to begin with, but that man was a monster who, if he set his mind to it, could slaughter every human here and still have strength to spare.

The other royals wouldn’t even be able to stall for time, and only if I brought Noel or Katya into the equation would the fight even barely ‘qualify’ as a battle.

Even considering that I had means to further strengthen that side, it would take at least that much just for it to barely hold.

“…….”

If there was something strange—

‘……the Pontiff is on our side?’

Whether I thought about the game settings or everything he had done so far, Magnus was the kind of man who would dote on the Pontiff to an almost absurd degree.

So the very act of him openly picking a fight like this had already felt strange—but that question was resolved before long.

“Uhtcha.”

Magnus rose from his seat and lightly swung his greatsword.

Of course, though he had swung it lightly, what followed was anything but light.

Like a flash, the divine power that had curved out from the tip of his blade snapped to a precise point as if hooking onto it, then immediately returned to him.

It was merely an application of ability to lightly pull a person toward him, but the profundity contained within that simple motion was deep enough to drive onlookers mad.

The fact that he used an ability meant to burn his opponent to death so casually, as if handling a ‘tool,’ showed plainly just how proficient this man was at wielding his supernatural power.

“Did you enjoy the entertainment, Your Holiness?”

“…….”

As the Pontiff looked at Magnus with a silent frown, he grinned and gently set her down behind him.

Every single gesture carried reverence and respect toward her.

Ah, right.

If he was worried about the Pontiff getting hurt, then removing her from the scene in advance would eliminate that concern.

As I let out a hollow laugh at that small realization, the Pontiff spoke in a sullen tone.

“You, right now—”

“Do you not have something you must attend to, Your Holiness?”

“…….”

“I will conduct the final verification. The matter you are concerned about will never come to pass, so please do not worry.”

As I listened to their exchange,

something like sparks began to crackle through my mind.

I looked back and forth between the Pontiff and Magnus. After hearing his words, the Pontiff stared at him for a moment, as if at a loss for words, before slowly closing her eyes.

Soon, she turned her body as if she had come to a decision.

“Do as you please.”

“……With pleasure.”

“Thank you.”

With that brief exchange,

the moment Magnus snapped his fingers, the Pontiff’s body vanished.

A transfer gate. A technique that instantly transported the target to another location.

It was probably a spell prepared in advance. One laid in wait for the Pontiff to arrive at this place.

The fact that what Magnus was doing now was not driven by emotion or impulsive action, but was part of a thoroughly prepared plan, added certainty to that assumption.

Click—

It felt as though a switch had been flipped inside my head.

“…….”

If one could not hold more than two thoughts at once, making a living as a swindler would be close to impossible.

From the sight of the Pontiff ‘accepting without resistance’ Magnus’s words and turning away, I calculated and organized the points I had scraped together.

Everything he had experienced since arriving at the Grand Sanctuary as well.

‘……Ah, I see.’

It felt as though I had glimpsed the source of the distortion in Chapter 2 that he had been experiencing all this time.

Why the Pontiff had summoned him here in the first place.

“……Did you see it?”

“Not at all.”

While I was organizing those thoughts, Katya and Noel spoke behind me.

They had likely been reacting to Magnus’s movement.

Yes. In truth, that was the immediate problem.

No one had reacted to the way that man had just moved. Not a single person here.

It was so terrifyingly fast that I was certain he had not shown his true colors even when he fought Noel before.

“…….”

After finishing the skill description that had followed, I let out a long, incredulous laugh.

No, seriously.

Among the countless forms of misfortune and forced circumstances that poured down on me without pause, having to cross hands directly with Magnus undoubtedly ranked at the very top.

‘……Well, still.’

When I thought about it, was this really anything special?

I was already getting used to laying my life on the line.

And if my guess was correct—

……then fighting this man now was also related to the ‘expectation’ the Pontiff had placed on me.

In that case, I should at least try to live up to it.

After all, I was the one who had first extended my hand, saying I would ‘help’ her.

“Whether we saw it or not, what does it matter.”

I ran a hand through my hair and looked at Magnus, who stood before us like a statue, firmly bracing his greatsword.

“From here on out, we just have to fight and win.”

“-I can’t believe it.”

As she refined her qi throughout her body, Noel glared at Magnus.

“No matter what, I thought at least his patriotism—his devotion to the country—was sincere. To think he would betray it so casually—”

“He’s not a traitor.”

“……Excuse me?”

“That’s someone else. He’s the type who knows about it and still plays along.”

At my calm remark, Noel’s movements froze stiff.

A look clearly saying he had no idea what I was talking about turned toward me, but I continued without caring.

“Well, we can argue about that later.”

Act II: Desecration.

“For now, let’s win.”

The final boss battle had begun.

▣

“-What should we help with?”

As he moved as if to disembark from the raft onto land together, Julius asked that question.

Knowing full well what kind of monster we were facing, the sentiment behind the question was admirable.

“Know when to step in and when to step out.”

“…….”

“You know it, and I know it too—you lot won’t be any help at all. Let’s not trade words that’ll just make everyone uncomfortable.”

“…….”

“We’re about to trade blows with the Completed One. I can’t fight while dragging sandbags along.”

……Was this bastard always this unpleasant?

That thought seemed to pass across their faces.

Sure, sometimes the things I did made people think I was irritating, but I didn’t recall ever looking down on others this openly.

Still, it wasn’t as though my personality had suddenly worsened.

‘……If I don’t put it unpleasantly, they’ll insist on helping until the very end.’

Honestly, from my perspective, it would be far worse if that led to casualties.

The fight only needed me, Katya, and Noel.

“We’ll handle the battle.”

At those words, Alester’s face brightened slightly, as if he had grasped the meaning between the lines.

“……That sounds like you have something else for us to do.”

After free-riding off me this whole time, he looked genuinely pleased at the prospect of finally being useful.

“Yes. There’s something I’d like you to take care of while we’re fighting.”

……Primarily,

it was related to what I had realized from watching the conversation between the Pontiff and Magnus earlier.

It was an instruction based on the speculation that everything I had experienced since arriving at the Grand Sanctuary had been arranged by a single person toward a single purpose.

“……Aiden Kellermain.”

“Yes.”

“This is blasphemy.”

That was Alester’s assessment the moment he finished hearing my ‘instructions.’

Among the rebukes a royal of the Holy Crown Kingdom could give, it would rank near the very top.

“I know.”

Even so, I answered calmly.

“Still, among all the blasphemies I’ve seen, this is the finest one.”

“…….”

The fact that Alester said that with a smile was very like him.

Had he somehow become corrupted from hanging around me too much…?

“Are you done with the strategy meeting?”

As the royals turned the raft’s bow in another direction and Noel and Katya stepped up onto land, Magnus continued in a leisurely tone.

It was an attitude filled with absolute confidence that no matter what the opponent did, it would be difficult for it to pose any significant threat to him.

And he was a monster possessing power so overwhelming that it was hard to argue otherwise.

Reviewing the information about him in my head once more, I scratched my cheek.

“Yes.”

“Good. Then shall we begin?”

“Let’s start light.”

“Light?”

“Light.”

The moment Magnus nodded in agreement—

System Message

▶ Using the ‘Origin’ skill.

▶ Target ‘Katya’ is enhanced.

From Katya’s body, brilliant flames burst forth in torrents, as if her optic nerves themselves had ignited.

It was the sunlike wave of divine power she had once displayed when fighting demonkind in the Imperial Capital. A violent pillar of fire that reduced everything it touched to ashes erupted from her body in an instant.

And that surge of flame swept straight toward Magnus from the front.

It was an absurd opening—starting at full power and driving in a finishing move from the outset—but it was only natural that such an opening would be difficult to anticipate.

“-!”

Of course, the one standing on the other side was none other than the Completed One. The monster who had not even gone all out when fighting Noel.

He raised his sword to defend. Not merely blocking in some ordinary way, but cleaving through it entirely to nullify it, and immediately preparing a counterattack—a mad exchange of tactics.

But on our side, there was one more person who could further reinforce the offensive.

A monster who, if anything, rivaled Katya rather than fell short.

“--!!”

With a fierce battle cry unlike Noel, who usually restrained strong emotions even in combat, Magnus’s sword was knocked straight out of his hand.

For a wielder of the blade, losing one’s weapon was the greatest disgrace—and it was also the terrible experience Noel herself had suffered at Magnus’s hands before.

Before Magnus even had time to marvel at having that same humiliation returned to him by the very person he had once inflicted it upon,

the flames within—so intense they erased even the air and created a vacuum—engulfed the now-defenseless Magnus.

A man was swallowed by fire. The flames blazed so fiercely that their aftershock illuminated the surroundings, and for a moment even I had to shield my eyes with my hand.

“-Right.”

And then.

As if it were only natural.

An absurdly carefree voice came from within the flames.

Despite having taken that attack head-on, the only injury Magnus bore was a slight scorch. He chuckled.

“It’s definitely light.”

“…….”

I let out a small sigh.

“……You monstrous bastard.”

The muttered words slipped out without me realizing it. There was no doubt—we had encountered a formidable enemy.