The Godking's Legacy Page 39

  What’s Ilya doing? All she’s been doing is standing in front of the pillar while consuming bone after bone. I hope she knows how many barrels of hot chocolate those are worth! Because I don’t. But she won’t scam me, right? “Go, Ilya Number One! You can do it.”

  Oh, she’s doing the same thing as Daniel did. Her mana’s hovering behind her like a completed spell. She’s trying to stack them on top of each other, but why does she have to use so many bones? Speaking of bones…, didn’t the man in the sky say the pillar was made of a legendary beast’s bones? Could I … absorb it? Hm. Hmm. Hmmmmm. I’ll try it when it’s my turn!

  Whoa, Ilya’s completed another spell. My skin’s actually feeling a little tingly from all the mana in the air. This feels a little like Daniel’s attack, but how? Daniel was a seventh-circle magician who stacked three spells while Ilya’s weaker and only stacked two. Even I can do some simple math and realize something’s not right. Mm, well, at least there’s this barrier that the man in the sky created to protect the onlookers. Oh, it’s a third spell! She’s still making more?

  Four…, five…, six…, seven…, eight…, what comes after eight again? Oh, right. I only forgot for a brief moment! Nine…, ten…, ten and one…, ten and two…, ten and three…. Is it just me or does Ilya look like she’s bloating a little around the waist? And her veins are bulging a lot; I’m pretty sure that’s not normal. How many spells is she at now? I lost count.

  Crack.

  What was that? There’s a scratch in the air…. The barrier? Before I could check, Ilya’s voice boomed in my ears. “Before the earth, before the sky, before the world…, there existed chaos!”

  Ah! Who turned off the sun!? And my Armor of Slaughter is automatically activating, which means I’m being attacked? So the barrier really broke. …Is Ilya going to be okay in there? I’m not sure how I’d survive without someone as convenient as Ilya hanging around. Who else would I get to explain random things for me?

  “This feeling is familiar,” Durandal muttered from mini-DalDal. “But I’m not sure why. Chaos magic? I’ll remember it.”

  “What do you mean?” Hey, Durandal. You can’t just say something cryptic and foreshadowing like that and then disappear without a sound. “Hey. Hey. Durandal. Hey. Are you ignoring me?” Ever since I became stronger than him, Durandal turned super boring. Durandal’s just not Durandal if he can’t express his sadistic side. Not that I want him to! I’m not a masochist, alright? Ah! That reminds me! I’m supposed to be giving him the cold shoulder for throwing me out of that carriage. Right, that’s why we weren’t talking to each other much. Mhm. Every relationship has their own problems.

  The sun turned back on! Ilya looks completely fine! Everyone else is on the ground groaning and clutching themselves! Oh, that’s not something I should be rejoicing over, huh? “Ten centimeters,” the man in the sky said, ignoring everyone except for Ilya. “Very, very impressive. Are you alright?”

  “I’m … fine,” Ilya said while gasping. “That … felt great!”

  “You’re Ilya Pentorn, correct?” the man in the sky rubbed his chin and asked. “I think it’s safe to say you’ll be in first place for this part of the competition. Though using those mana-regenerating consumable items may have been a bit excessive.”

  Ilya shook her head. “I’m not going to be first,” she said. Eh? Who could beat that score? It’s already three times greater than Daniel’s! “She is.” Ilya pointed at me. Oh, right.

  The man in the sky stared at me. What kind of expression was that? I’m not something you should be gawking at. “Her?” the man asked and looked at Ilya. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive,” Ilya said and nodded. “If bones had a nemesis, it would be her.”

  “Interesting,” the man in the sky said and looked at me again. “Then show me what you can do, nemesis of bones.”

  Don’t give me a weird nickname! I’ll show you what I can do! “Step aside, Ilya! The main character’s here to steal the spotlight!” Ilya rolled her eyes at me. “And don’t forget you owe me hot chocolate.”

  “I won’t, thanks,” Ilya said and patted my shoulder before standing off to the side next to Ilya Number Two. Did the barrier only break on the side with all the people who’ve still yet to go? Well, it sucks to be them! …Disregard the fact that I was on that side too.

  Okay, first, let’s see if I can carve anything on this bone. Don’t fail me now, mini-DalDal. Here we go…. And nope. “Hey, Durandal. Why can’t I cut this thing?”

  “You forgot to use your qi.”

  Oh. Right. I shouldn’t have given that bone of focus to Ilya. It was my last one. Well, hopefully I can carve one out of this pillar. “Unrelenting Path of Slaughter: Continuous Breaking Blades in a Specific Pattern!” It’s working! The engraving’s being carved; although it looks a bit crude, but that’s okay. A few more slashes and … it’s done! “Finishing hit! Unrelenting Path of Slaughter: Palm Strike That’s Not a Disguise to Absorb Things!”

  And just like that, the pillar completely dissolved into nothing. The plane fell silent. That’s right; I’m awesome! Be amazed!

  “What did you do!?” the man in the sky shouted. “Zero! Zero distance!”

  “Eh!? No way!” It totally moved while I was slashing it! “It moved! It totally moved!”

  “Negative! Negative ten thousand meters!” the man in the sky shouted. “Last place!”

  Fight me! “If you didn’t want your pillar to be destroyed, you shouldn’t have asked everyone to hit it!”

  “Wait!” Ilya said. “Don’t do anything just yet, Lucia. There’s still a chance for first place in the coming rounds. Calm down!”

  I’m perfectly fucking calm! Don’t tell me what to do!

  “Don’t fight,” Ilya Number Two said. “This is a peaceful place. Grandmother wouldn’t want you two to fight here.”

  The man in the sky, or should I call him the man on the ground, snorted. Another black pillar appeared beside him. It looked about four times bigger than the last one. “Previously, you did a combination of attacks. You were only allowed to do one. By the rules, I should disqualify you. But, being the magnanimous man that I am, I’ll give you a second chance. One attack.”

  “That’s the way,” Ilya Number Two said and nodded. “My grandmother would like this better.”

  …One attack? It felt pretty light when I was swinging at it. Maybe I’ll just pick it up and throw it? Yeah, I’ll throw it at the man on the ground. This discriminatory bastard.

  “What are you…, are you trying to…?” That was easy. I looked at the man on the ground. Target acquired! “What the hell…?”

  “Catch!”

  ***

  I didn’t know how to react when Lucia lifted the pillar and threw it at Cain. Apparently, Cain didn’t know either. By the time it was right in front of him, he still hadn’t moved. He barely managed to move his head out of the way, but it still clipped his shoulder, creating an awful cracking noise. The pillar continued flying through the air like a beam of light, showing no intentions of falling. Cain tumbled along the ground like he was hit by, well, by a massive pillar that weighed a lot of tons. By the time he stopped rolling on the ground, the pillar had landed as well.

  Everyone fell silent for the second time in a very short timeframe. I wonder how much my father is regretting having Lucia represent him for this decade’s brawl. Lucia’s voice broke the silence. “Hey, why aren’t you announcing my distance? You announced everyone else’s instantly.”

  Cain didn’t react to her words, his body lying completely still on the ground. Don’t tell me he died because of that; though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. At the very least, his shoulder should be shattered, maybe a few ribs too. Lucia tilted her head before skipping over to Cain. She nudged him with her foot a few times. “Hello? Mr. Man on the Ground? What’s my score?”

  I should probably stop her. …But I really want to see what’s going to happen if I don’t. Does that make me a bad person?
Have I become a deviant after meeting Lucia? There’s no way that’s possible; I’m an honest, down-to-earth, upstanding person. But an upstanding person wouldn’t have to reassure themselves about being one, right? Maybe I have become a little twisted. Is it wrong that I don’t feel bad about it? I reached the sixth circle and managed to cast an unprecedented spell after meeting Lucia, and all it cost me was a bit of my morality. That’s a pretty fair deal in my opinion.

  Someone tugged on my sleeve. Lucia? No, it was Mirta. “Hmm?”

  “Do you know healing spells, Ms. Ilya?” Mirta asked.

  Miss Ilya? Am I that old that I have to be referred to as miss? No, it’s just that Mirta’s too young, and her elders taught her how to respect people who deserve respect. “Yes, I do. I’m very good at them in fact.”

  Mirta furrowed her brow and tilted her head. “Then why aren’t you healing him?” she asked and pointed at Cain. Lucia was still nudging the poor tenth-circle magician with her foot. I say nudging, but his body was being flipped over every time she made contact with him.

  “I kind of wanted to see what would happen.”

  Mirta blinked. “Huh?”

  “I mean, I thought someone else would heal him, you know? I can’t be the only one who knows healing spells around here.” It’d be weird if I was. Any second-circle magician could cast a simple cure spell, but it seemed like everyone else was a bit too stunned to move. Or they were afraid of approaching Cain when Lucia was kicking him around like that. “Hey, Lucia.”

  Lucia’s legs stopped moving, and she turned her head to look at me. “What? Are you going to tell me to stop? Huh? This magnanimous man told me to do one attack. It’s not my fault he got in the way, is it? Huh? Is it? Is it?” With every question, Cain’s body flew forward a little as she prodded him with her toes. “This little nemesis of bones is just a harmless little girl who can only smack a pillar a negative distance. There’s no way the person in last place knocked out the strongest man in the world, right? Nope, I’m too weak. He’s just ignoring me.”

  I always knew Lucia was a vengeful person, but … wasn’t this a little excessive? It’s that weird nickname Cain gave her, isn’t it? Ah, this competition has turned into a giant mess. Cain was struck down by Lucia; it wouldn’t be a surprise if tensions between demons and beastkin rose. To avoid an international incident—or should I say mitigate—I have to get Lucia to stop kicking Cain around. I think the easiest way to do that is to convince Durandal to stop her. But how would I do that?

  Luckily, Cain let out a groaning noise before I had to do anything. Lucia stopped kicking him and took a few steps back, returning to her original position near the area she had thrown the pillar from. Cain sat up and winced before looking at his arm which was hanging limp at his side. His brow furrowed as white light enveloped his body, his bones cracking as they mended and reset themselves. “Did I pass out after being hit by the pillar?” Cain asked Lucia. “How long was I unconscious?”

  “You fainted for a couple of seconds,” Lucia said, her face looking completely simple and honest. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you with the pillar.” She scratched her head and tilted it to the side.

  Cain frowned and stood up. He winced again and touched a hand to his ribs where Lucia had repeatedly nudged him. “Odd,” he said as more white light circled around his body. “I vaguely remember you shouting, ‘Catch!’ when you threw the pillar at me.”

  “Nope, I didn’t,” Lucia said, shaking her head. You totally did! “You can ask anyone.”

  Cain looked at me, but I looked away. There was no way I was going to sell Lucia out; my safety’s the most important thing to me! “She didn’t. She actually shouted, ‘Look out!’ before it hit you.”

  Mirta stared at me before staring at Lucia. Then she stared at Cain, and turned her gaze back onto me. She opened her mouth to say something, but I channeled a spell and silenced her. Sorry, Mirta, this is how the real world works. It’s best if you learn while you’re still young.

  “The distance…,” Cain said, turning his gaze onto the pillar. He shook his head. “Let’s just say you’re first for now.” The pillar rose into the air and landed in front of Lucia again. “Next.”

  Lucia smiled at Cain before skipping over to me. She patted my head and ruffled my hair before giving me a hug. I struggled, but I couldn’t get away, so I gave up. Lucia laughed before she whispered into my ear, “Nice one, partner in crime.” Lying to Cain, I guess that could be considered a crime. But no one else said anything to disprove Lucia, so it’s not just me!

  Speaking of everyone else, my spell had damaged the competitors who had still yet to go. The pillar was also about four times heavier because Cain pulled out a new one after Lucia’s absorption stunt. Those two factors made it nearly impossible to move the pillar, causing the next two to three hundred people to obtain zero distance with their attacks. A few people complained, but Cain wasn’t exactly in the best of moods after passing out in front of everyone important in the world, so those who complained were directly disqualified. When the last person futilely hit the pillar, causing it to move the grand distance of zero, Cain rose into the air and said, “The second portion of the competition is over. Though some of you did poorly, there will be chances to make up for it. Even if you’re in last place, you can still become first if you excel at the remainder of the competition. With that being said, the third part will proceed after a ten-minute break. The first portion tested your talent. The second portion tested your offense. The third portion will test your defense. Do your best to prepare yourselves.”

  ***

  “Are you all ready?” the man in the sky asked after ten minutes had passed. “The third portion of the competition is about to begin. He gestured at the scoreboard floating beside him. “Though this thousand point lead that Lucia Fluffytail has may look daunting, it is not insurmountable.” The competitors stared at him, then at me. “Okay, I lied. No matter how hard you try, none of you will be as capable as her. But it is still completely possible to wrest away first place during the actual competition.”

  Isn’t this the actual competition? What the heck? Oh, right. Ilya did say this was just a preliminary. I guess the outstanding people get to participate in the actual event? Then what was the reward he was promising us for being in the top hundred? Was that something else?

  “And with that being said, let the trials begin.” The man in the sky clapped his hands, and the world darkened. But just barely; if it weren’t for my awesome senses, I wouldn’t even have noticed. But what was super noticeable was the water springing out of the ground! It was already at my ankles and rapidly rising!

  “Ilya! Save me!” I can’t swim! What is this bullshit exam!? Right before I was about to attach myself to Ilya, we were pushed away from each other by invisible forces in the water. The water level was already up to my hips! I’m going to drown at this rate! And are those fins sticking out from the surface?

  “Sharks!” someone shouted.

  The heck is a shark? It’s probably super tasty, but I don’t have time to worry about that right now! If I don’t do something quick, I’m really going to die. If, if I can’t swim, then I’ll kill the person summoning the water! “Unrelenting Path of Slaughter: A Storm of a Thousand Breaking Blades!”

  It’s working! The water level isn’t rising. All I have to do is keep it up, and I’ll be safe! Stupid shark, get away from me. I kicked it, but my foot passed through it. Illusion? Or were sharks liquid? I guess it’d make sense if they were since they live in the water.

  “Are you trying to kill me!?” the man in the sky shouted from above.

  “Yes!” Why is he so damn slippery? Every time I think I have him, he manages to barely avoid it or block it. Then, I have to double the speed of my output! “Durandal, Puppers! You two help hunt him too!” Obviously, Durandal would know how to use Breaking Blade considering he was the one who taught it to me. And Puppers can … I really don’t know what Puppers can do, but I’ll summon him a
nyways! Oh, he can keep my socks dry for me.

  “This is a test of defense! Defense!” the man in the sky shouted as blue sword beams accompanied my red ones. Wow, Durandal and I can create a blue and red painting in the sky if we try hard enough. Maybe we could make some bits purple if we hit each other’s beam at the right time. Nice! I hit that slippery bastard! But it only scratched his arm? How thick is his skin? “Stop attacking me!”

  “The best defense is a great offense! The only way to ensure you won’t get hurt is to kill your enemy before they can hurt you.” That’s what the Path of Slaughter taught me even though I didn’t like following it because it was scary at first. But I got used to it.

  “That’s it!” the man in the sky roared. Ten circles appeared around him, circling in place. Huge black clouds formed in the sky, and purple lightning snaked through them. “Heavenly lightning, tear the skies asunder. Thunder—”

  “Wait!” Ilya shouted. “You’ll kill us all if you do that!”

  “God dammit!” the man in the sky shouted as the lightning dissipated. Nice one, Ilya! Ooh, I hit him again, this time on the leg. My aim’s getting better. “Flames of hell, incinerate the world. Fire—”

  “That’ll kill us too!” Ilya shouted.

  Sweet! Four-hit combo! Keep distracting him, Ilya. He’ll be dead in no time. I’ll save us all from this watery grave.

  “Stop! Stop!” the man in the sky shouted. The water levels are receding, keep attacking, Durandal! “The test’s over! The third test is over! You goddam chipmunk, I said stop!”

  He can’t be talking about me, right? I’m part squirrel. Chipmunk tails are thinner, and chipmunk beastkin are totally less cute than squirrel beastkin. Yeah, he must be referring to someone else.

  “Lucia! Fluffytail! If you don’t cease this instant, I will skin you alive and feed your remains to your sword spirit!”

  Oh, so he was talking about me. “I’m part squirrel, you know? Not chipmunk.” Mm. The man in the sky looks angry. It’s probably because no one else did as well as me during this test. Update the leaderboards! I want to see how many points I got. Another thousand? That’d be nice. …Why isn’t it updating? “Hey, Mr. Flying Target, what about the test results?”