Chapter 240 - Chapter 239: Laughing at the Heavens
"Kistil! Nerisfeene!"
When Mika called out as if screaming, the two shifted from frightened expressions to ones on the verge of tears.
Hibujiza had Kistil and Nerisfeene standing before him, gripping their necks from behind.
"What a surprise. You were already here. It was quite a hassle for me, too. Quite a hassle, or rather, I'm already exhausted...?"
Hibujiza, with his sickly complexion, spoke those words while wearing a tired expression.
Mika’s clenched fists trembled violently, and his gritted teeth grated.
Mika’s [Physical Enhancement] was forty times normal.
He could knock Hibujiza flying far faster than with something like 'Air Cutter'.
But the moment Mika thought that, the corners of Hibujiza’s mouth rose.
A chilling smile.
It was a smile as if he had seen through Mika’s thoughts.
Come to think of it, how had Hibujiza noticed Mika, who was hundreds of meters away?
He was so unfathomable that Mika found himself unable to move rashly.
Regardless, for now, he had to prioritize Kistil and Nerisfeene’s safety above all else.
If anything happened to them, there would be no do-overs, no recovering from it.
"Let them go, Hibujiza...!"
When Mika said that, Hibujiza made a blank, confused face.
"Hmm? ...Ah, I see. Yes, that’s right. I am Hibujiza. Yes."
Muttering such things, he convinced himself.
Kistil and Nerisfeene looked somewhat haggard, but they had no noticeable external injuries.
It didn’t seem like they had been subjected to violence, such as being beaten.
"I’ll save you both now. Just wait a little longer."
"Mika-kun..."
Kistil murmured Mika’s name with an expression on the verge of tears.
"Mika-sama... no. Run..."
But Nerisfeene, worried for Mika’s safety, told him to escape.
"No good. Talking without permission. I’ll twist your necks off, you know?"
Hibujiza spoke of such outrageous things in a light tone.
"You lot, wake up quickly. It’s work time."
Hibujiza called out to the men who had been drinking.
As expected, they seemed to be his companions.
The men lazily roused their alcohol-heavy bodies and stood up.
In their hands, they held swords and axes.
"Hey, is this the guy? The one you were talking about?"
One of the men asked Hibujiza.
"Yep. That’s him."
When Hibujiza answered with a grin, the men burst into laughter.
"Hey, hey, seriously?"
"Three hundred million Raatz for killing a brat like this? For real?"
"Hey, can’t we just take him? ...He’s quite to my liking."
"Ugh... seriously?"
The men spoke as they pleased, wearing lewd smiles.
"Hey, the woman who said she’d give us money if we killed this guy. Could it be them?"
One of the men turned eyes boiling with desire toward Kistil and Nerisfeene.
At that moment, the killing intent Mika had been suppressing swelled up.
"Good! That’s good, Te-chan! That’s it! Very good!"
But seeing Mika like that, Hibujiza rejoiced.
Seeing Hibujiza’s expression, Mika felt a chill run down his spine.
"...If you want to kill me, do as you please. But release the two of them."
Thinking it futile, Mika attempted to negotiate with Hibujiza.
However, upon hearing Mika’s words, Hibujiza made a blank, confused face.
"Kill? Te-chan? Why?"
He said such things with genuine surprise.
Te-chan?
Come to think of it, he had called him that earlier, too.
As expected, Hibujiza must have some connection to that reddish-brown-haired young man.
"You’ve put a three hundred million Raatz bounty on my head, haven’t you? You don’t need to waste that money; I’ll slit my own throat for you."
"Noooooo!? That’s a misunderstanding, Te-chaaan!"
Hibujiza denied it with a shocked expression.
"I’m just helping Te-chan out."
"...Helping?"
Mika couldn’t understand at all.
What did this guy want?
"Te-chan, you’re angry, aren’t you?"
Hibujiza peeked at Mika and asked such a thing.
Of course he was angry.
But was it okay to say that directly?
Should he say he wasn’t angry, that he forgave him?
"You can get angrier! More, more, more, more!!!"
Hibujiza wore an eerie smile.
"Unleash it all on them! On these guys!"
"...Huh?"
Mika genuinely didn’t understand what Hibujiza was saying.
Really, what did this guy want?
Mika looked at the excited Hibujiza with confused eyes.
And noticing that confusion, Hibujiza’s eyes suddenly grew cold.
"Hmm? I don’t feel any motivation. You were doing so well just now."
Saying that, Hibujiza put his right hand into his Magic Bag.
What he took out of the Magic Bag was, once again, a person.
"Uwah!?"
That person was a knight.
A knight of the Kingdom Army.
Hibujiza took the knight out of the bag and threw him aside.
The thrown knight fell about five meters away, his armor clattering.
"Here’s an example."
Saying that, Hibujiza directed a gaze filled with enough killing intent to make anyone who met his eyes faint at the knight.
"[Burst]."
Bon.
The knight’s head blew off, and his body collapsed with a thud.
"!?!"
"Kyaaah!"
Kistil and Nerisfeene shrieked, cowering in fear.
Hibujiza had no hesitation whatsoever.
He had taken the knight’s life far too easily.
"Like this. Understand?"
And so, Hibujiza smiled brightly at Mika.
But as Mika stood dumbfounded, Hibujiza’s eyes grew cold again.
"...Could it be that it still wasn’t enough?"
In stark contrast to his previous drawn-out tone, a chillingly cold voice reached Mika’s ears.
When Mika shifted his gaze from the knight’s corpse to Hibujiza, he immediately understood what he was thinking.
"...S...stop... don’t..."
"If I gouge out this girl’s eyes, will you get seriously angry, even just a little?"
"I...it hurts...!"
Hibujiza applied just a slight amount of force to the hand gripping Kistil’s neck.
Kistil distorted her face in pain.
"...Stop... don’t...!"
"Or should I slit this girl’s stomach open? Shall we play tug-of-war with her guts? Doesn’t that sound nostalgic?"
Force was applied to the hand gripping Nerisfeene’s neck.
"Stooooooop!!!"
Something inside Mika snapped.
When Mika shouted with all his strength, Hibujiza raised the corners of his mouth.
He turned his eyes, filled with the light of madness, directly toward Mika.
"...You hate me, don’t you?"
"Yes..."
Mika clenched both hands with such force that it sounded like his bones might creak.
Hibujiza guided Mika.
"You feel like you’re going crazy with anger, don’t you? You want to kill me, don’t you?"
"Aah...!"
Flames of hatred dwelled in Mika’s eyes.
"No... Mika-sama. That is not allowed... please hold it back."
Nerisfeene pleaded with Mika, trembling.
But her voice did not reach Mika.
"Unleash it with 'Word'. I showed you an example, didn’t I?"
Saying that, Hibujiza turned his gaze to the men watching nearby.
"Someone, be the first opponent. First come, first served. The one who kills him takes everything. The money, and the women."
"Ooh, I’ll do it, I’ll do it!"
"You idiot, it’s me!"
The men rushed forward, each trying to be first.
"You were faster. The rest of you, step back."
"Hehe, it’s me."
"Tch... Damn it."
"No way? I was faster."
When Hibujiza pointed at one man, that man wore a face covered in desire and stepped forward.
The other men, though grumbling complaints, obeyed honestly.
Hibujiza looked at Mika and offered advice.
"Properly, one by one, unleash your rage and hatred with all your might. ...Try doing something half-hearted. There will be two more headless corpses rolling around."
Mika trembled all over with anger that was now difficult to suppress.
Seeing Mika’s state, the men laughed.
"Hey, hey, poor thing. He’s shaking."
"Aah, looking down like that."
"Damn it... at this rate, the money and women will all go to that bastard."
The men voiced their regrets and mocked Mika.
But not a fragment of those voices entered Mika’s ears.
"If you kill all of them, I’ll release the women. If even one remains, who knows what he’ll do to these girls. You understand without me saying, right? If you don’t understand, shall I demonstrate here?"
When Mika glared at Hibujiza, Hibujiza grinned.
"That’s good. Savor it, and kill them one by one. Go!"
Simultaneously with Hibujiza’s voice, Mika turned only his left hand, without even facing the man.
And he pierced him with 'Stone Bullet'.
Pakyat!
The man’s head burst apart, and he collapsed with a thud.
At that sight, the surroundings fell silent in an instant.
At that moment,
Zushi...
Mika felt something in his chest grow heavy.
Hibujiza shrugged and shook his head.
"Not bad, but... more. Is that all your anger is worth? Are you an ant?"
Saying that, Hibujiza looked at the men.
"Now, next!"
Hibujiza called out, but the men stood dumbfounded.
Unable to comprehend what had happened, they were stunned.
Seeing their state, Hibujiza lightly clicked his tongue.
"My, my... Get more excited, you lot too. Look, you can get money and women, you know? It’s dangling right in front of you. You want it, don’t you?"
It was a suggestion.
At Hibujiza’s words, the men’s eyes began to shine with an abnormal gleam.
"Alright, you go."
When Hibujiza pointed, that man’s eyes glowed fiercely, and he licked his lips.
"It’s not a bad 'Word', but it’s still not enough. If you feel like getting serious, tell me anytime. I’ll drop your head immediately."
Saying that, Hibujiza lightly pushed Nerisfeene forward to show Mika.
Nerisfeene shed tears.
"Mika-sama... you must not listen to this man. That is not allowed... hold it back..."
Nerisfeene trembled her lips and desperately appealed to Mika.
But Nerisfeene’s voice did not reach Mika either.
Mika could think of nothing but killing all of them to release the two girls.
"Kill him!"
Simultaneously with Hibujiza’s voice, Mika swung back and thrust out his fist as if punching with all his might.
At that moment, the man’s head burst apart from 'Stone Bullet'.
"That’s it! Good! Keep it up!"
Hibujiza cheered.
"Good, you’ve got the hang of it, right? But it’s not just that. You should be able to squeeze out more. Show me your true seriousness. Go!!"
When Hibujiza called out to the men, they all attacked Mika at once.
Mika went toward the approaching men himself.
On each person, on each strike, Mika unleashed his anger, his dark hatred, and all his killing intent.
'Stone Bullet' blew off the men’s heads and punched large holes in their torsos.
And each time, something inside Mika grew heavier.
"No, no! Don’t give up! Squeeze it out more! Squeeze it out! You can output more, you can output more! Yes, that’s it!"
Each time Mika killed one, Hibujiza sent words of encouragement.
"Good, good! You’re shining! As expected, good! Wonderful, Te-chaaan! You’re shining wonderfully!"
His expression seemed to melt with madness and ecstasy.
Hibujiza watched Mika, who was showered in blood rain and stained with splattered blood, with a fascinated expression.
Kistil closed her eyes and turned her face away from the sheer tragedy.
Nerisfeene could not stop her body from trembling at what erupted from Mika.
"Aah... Mika-sama..."
Covering her face with both hands, she weakly shook her head.
"That is not allowed... Mika-sama. That is..."
But Nerisfeene’s murmur vanished without reaching anyone.
'Ignis' watched Mika with an intoxicated look.
(Aah... as expected, good. If it’s Te-chan, he can definitely reach it.)
One cannot become a 'Filius Dei' simply by being able to use 'Potestas'.
One must bind with strong 'Voluntas' and accumulate much of it.
To lead a human body to become a 'Filius Dei'.
No, it seems it’s slightly different from accumulation.
Yes, A-chan had said so.
But one cannot become a 'Son of God' by binding with the weak 'Voluntas' that everyone possesses.
One must bind with very strong 'Voluntas'.
(The quickest way is, after all, rage and hatred.)
If it’s strong 'Voluntas', the type doesn’t seem to matter.
Whether joy, grief, or pleasure.
(Well, it seems there are almost no children who became 'Sons of God' that way, though.)
In theory, anything seems fine, but there is ease and difficulty in bringing it out.
Joy and pleasure cannot be squeezed out.
Therefore, one cannot twist out strong enough 'Voluntas' to become a 'Son of God'.
(Well, it’s a matter of getting used to it.)
Once accustomed, one can bind with strong 'Voluntas' even through joy or pleasure.
(Now, Te-chan! Let’s go beyond that!)
First, become a 'Son of God'!
(Do your best, Te-chan!)
With sparkling eyes, 'Ignis' watched Mika.
Mika struck the axe swung down at him from the side, knocking it away.
Then, grabbing the man’s face, he released 'Air Cutter'.
The man’s face, sliced into ten pieces, flew off like thick-cut ham.
(Kuh...!)
His chest felt tight.
Thump! Thump! Thump...!
He could hear his heart beating annoyingly loud since a while ago.
An indescribable anxiety spread within his heart.
But strangely, despite that, his heart gradually became lighter.
Each time he hunted a man’s life, each time he unleashed magic of rage and hatred, his heart pounded and soared.
Mika dodged the relentless attacks of the men while harvesting their lives one by one.
Then, he glanced at Kistil and Nerisfeene.
(Just a little longer...! Wait just a little longer...! I will definitely save you!!!)
Mika blew away the face of the man in front of him with 'Stone Bullet' while severing the neck of the man who slashed at him from behind with 'Air Cutter'.
He didn’t bother chanting 'spell names', killing them off one after another as they caught his eye.
"You shouldn’t cut corners. Properly, firmly, squeeze it out."
"Tch...!"
At the complaint from Hibujiza, Mika inadvertently clicked his tongue.
Each time Mika swung his arm, a life scattered.
And yet, the men did not flinch at all and continued to approach Mika.
With bloodshot eyes and drooling mouths, the pressure was as if they were facing monsters or magical beasts.
Each time a life scattered, his chest grew slightly heavier.
But conversely, for some reason, his heart became lighter.
No, it wasn’t just becoming lighter.
A surging sense of exhilaration, more and more.
A sense of omnipotence, as if he were floating.
The warmth of the showering blood spray made the corners of his mouth rise.
The scent of blood hitting his nose made the corners of his eyes droop.
Suddenly, Mika’s abdominal muscles trembled.
"Kuh... fu..."
With all his anger.
With his dark hatred.
While imbuing each strike with them, Mika’s cheeks still relaxed.
"Ha, hahaha...!"
"Good! That’s it, that’s it!"
One life before his eyes shattered.
Each time, an impulse welled up.
Mika continued to desperately harvest lives while occasionally checking on Kistil and Nerisfeene.
While desperately suppressing the welling impulse.
But beyond his outstretched hand.
Seeing the man’s head burst apart, Mika finally could no longer suppress that impulse!
"Ahha! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
"Yataaa!!!"
Amidst the rain of blood, Hibujiza raised both hands and cheered for Mika, who continued his slaughter while laughing.
"That’s it, that’s it! Getting angry is fun, isn’t it? Hating feels good, doesn’t it? Good, Te-chan! Wonderful!"
Hibujiza had already forgotten about Kistil and Nerisfeene and danced with joy.
"Aahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Seeing Mika kill the men while wearing a gleaming smile, Nerisfeene’s legs gave way, and she collapsed.
Hugging her own body with both hands, she desperately tried to stop her unceasing trembling.
"No... Mika-sama... you must not go there... no..."
Tears overflowed endlessly, and she forced out her voice.
"Mika-samaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"
"Aahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Mika’s mad laughter drowned out Nerisfeene’s scream.
Madness and ecstatic joy.
Kistil sat down flatly and stared blankly at Mika.
Hibujiza nodded satisfactorily at Mika’s state and observed him with cold eyes.
"If this is the case, stabilization should be quick, right? Fufu... Originally, it was unnaturally halfway and incomplete. At this rate, he will reach 'Filius Dei' soon."
And so, he turned his back on Mika and the others.
"Welcome, Te-chan. If you just wield 'Potestas' according to your impulses as you are now, it will be over in no time."
If it progressed this much, he would become a 'Son of God' even if left alone.
The other plan wouldn’t wait.
Without delaying the plan, he would make Te-chan a 'Son of God' too.
"I’ll come to pick you up again. Grow up big."
Muttering that, Hibujiza descended the mountain path with light steps.
"Aahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Listening to Mika’s pleasant laughter.
..................
......
Even after Hibujiza left, Mika did not stop his slaughter and killed all the men.
Standing alone in the place where no one moved, Mika threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"Aahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Mad laughter.
Looking up at the sky.
――――Laughing at the heavens.
Kistil and Nerisfeene simply stared blankly at such Mika.
While shedding tears they could not stop...