| Credits | |
| Translator | DeepL Translate |
| Editor | Roinard |
Day 573 / 103rd day
When "Histoclock" consumes a certain amount of golden magic power, it will slowly descend. When it does, a golden altar-like structure that resembles a six-fingered palm emerges from the transparent floor, and "Histoclock" fits into that altar. Then, a magic chain connects from the finger-like part to the "Histoclock", and the magic power is replenished as if refueling a battleship. It was the perfect time to attack, as it seemed that he could not use his overly powerful ability inexhaustibly.
However, the areas that can be attacked are limited.
It seems that the huge amount of magic power supplied by the "Time History City Historinor" itself makes the defense very strong, and only one of the six sides can be attacked. The rest are blocked by laminated magical barriers, and even if you do penetrate them, you will immediately recover, so you must concentrate on one weak point to destroy it.
In other words, in order to defeat the golden cube, the "Histoclock", we would need to repeat the attack at least six times. There may be more to come, but for now, destroying the entire cube is a must.
It took us a long time, but we finally succeeded in destroying five of the cubes, after the bull-headed demon had already destroyed two of them.
The more we destroyed, the more people, weather, and terrain were recreated, but the end was in sight. I kicked the recreated enemies to the ground and let them consume my golden magic. From experience, I could tell that the consumption of the golden magic had exceeded the specified value and it was time to start descending.
Still, I had to be on my guard and eat food to nourish myself as I fought, and when enough time had passed, the battlefield had turned to night. Under the glorious night sky, the battle between me, the gray wolf, and the bull-headed demon was about to enter its final phase.
0 Ω 0
Like the sun shining in the night sky, the slowly rotating "Histoclock" irradiated and dispersed golden magic power into the surroundings. The present and the past are intermingled, and the wisdom of the emperors and civilizations that ruled in the past, as well as the natural disasters and calamities that befell all things, are recreated over and over again.
I'll be back! "Nesi rina nmarubide ha lewa!
The golden multi-headed dragon Anfeyg Leblorn, who collapsed the Great Mountains in a single breath, and the golden demon king Void Demon King, who destroyed the Empire in a single night.
"The two champions that existed in ancient times" have been recreated by "Histoclock". Even though the existence of even just one of them that can destroy a country is not real, it had such a strong presence that it seemed to distort the space just by being there. The mere act of confronting it could make you see your own death in your mind. In the face of such a presence, there was a black wolf demon king who unhesitatingly pushed forward.
"Gurgau!"
The black wolf demon king with a burning wheel on his back - Kanata and the gray and silver wolf as one. It is about the size of a small demon, but smaller, and leaves a trail of black flames as it lunges toward the prey before it. The super-acceleration from the black flames emitted from the deployed light wings and burning gears. The black wolf demon king, who had long since passed the speed of sound and had become like a reddish-black bullet, looked at everything on the battlefield with sharp eyes.
Ooooooooooooo. "Woshi ninomo lunakaroo!
As I looked at him, I saw two champions attacking the Black Wolf Demon King with their maximum attack.
The golden multi-headed dragon "Unfaithful Leblone" is a huge dragon with a hundred ferocious dragon heads, over five hundred meters long. From each of those dragon heads, a [dragon's breath] containing ultra-dense magical power was released. The golden glow of each one is powerful enough to vaporize everything, but it lasts for up to ten seconds and becomes a hundred rays of light that cleave the entire surrounding area. The golden breath swept across the battlefield like a flood of light, and the foolish challenger could only fall flat before the overwhelming destruction.
However, the Black Wolf Demon King was not cowed by such an attack. With his sharp, beast-like body language and acceleration from explosions that could have torn his body to shreds, he pushed forward through the small gap between breaths. Even in a deadly place where he could disappear in an instant if he wasn't careful, the Black Wolf Demon King's movements did not slow down, but increased in sharpness.
The other golden Demon King, the Void Demon King, blocked the distance between us. It's about five meters tall, which is small compared to the multi-headed dragon, but the Demon King manifested from the other world operates by different laws than this world. It's not just a matter of time before you find yourself in a situation like this. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing. The golden spheres that were released were as fast as lightning strikes, and like a good hunting dog, they drove forward as if they had nowhere to run.
The target of the golden spheres was, of course, the impious Black Wolf Demon King. As the five golden spheres approached to a certain extent, they began to suck in the space around them like a black hole. TThe galloping black wolf demon king is sucked in against its will. It's not just one direction, it's five directions, front, back, left, right, and up. In the event that you're in a situation where you're bound by an invisible gravitational chain, the strength of the pull changes randomly, and the gravitational pull is so strong that if you're not careful for even a moment, you could end up having your limbs torn off instead of moving.
In addition, the golden sphere even sucks in the breath of the dragon. It's not just that the dragon's breath disappears much faster than usual, but the power itself remains the same, and its erratic trajectory makes it impossible to anticipate. The closer you get to the golden sphere, the closer you get to the indiscriminate breath.
The closer you get to the golden sphere, the closer you get to the indiscriminate breath of life. For the Black Wolf Demon King, this would be too deadly an attack.
It was a combination of super-strength attacks that his own defense could not withstand even a single blow. The only way to avoid it is to evade it, and even evading it is difficult. You can see how frightening this is when you see the way he collapses and gets sucked into the golden sphere.
But the Black Wolf Demon King had a trump card in his hand to break through that.
"Jaaaah!"
A flash of a vermillion spear was released with a roar of rupture. If it was just an attack, it would have been a bad move that would have sucked them in, but of the five golden spheres, it easily sliced through the closest one in front of them.
At that moment, what ensued was a golden explosion resulting of the release of condensed magic power, and although it was not accompanied by any physical impact, it momentarily enveloped the figure of the Black Wolf Demon King. . It's really only for a short time, as soon as you blink you can see it. But in that instant, a big change occurred.
""Woof!""
After the golden smoke disappeared, the three demons of the Black Wolf Demon King appeared. With the main body holding a vermillion spear in one hand, an alter carrying a shining white divine sword with angelic ornamentation is slightly behind on the right, and an alter holding a shining black divine shield with demonic ornamentation is on the left.
It was an alter ego with substance due to the ability 【Trinity】. The two alter egos, with abilities equal to the main body in the lead, are united by a single will and push forward in an arrowhead-like formation without any disruption. .
The three demons are drawn together by the gravitational pull of the golden spheres, but they are tightly packed together, and they use the 【Fire Flight Acceleration】 and other techniques to superimpose their power on each other. It's like having three jet engines instead of one. If there was the slightest discrepancy, it would be too violent a method that could cause you to lose control of the amount of acceleration, but the acceleration was perfectly coordinated by the 【Harmony Ultimate】. As a result, there was no waste at all, and the three demons continued to accelerate as they surged forward. The three demons, which were like red and black flashes of light, reached the demon king in an instant and passed him with a flash of vermilion. In the back of the pack, which was moving away at a tremendous speed, the demon king's right arm, which was trying to prevent the attack, and his head, which seemed to have opened its mouth in astonishment, were chopped off and flung up into the air.
The three demons pushed forward even faster than the soaring right arm and head fell, and reached close to the multi-headed dragon that was still breathing in the back. Perhaps because of the distance, the multi-headed dragon responds to the movements of the three demons and immediately converges the breath released from more than half of the heads. Even if they converged, the diameter of the breath would be more than five meters. The golden flash that seemed to paint the world would converge with all the remaining breaths a second later, and strike the three demons with maximum firepower. Even if they converged, the diameter of the breath would be more than five meters. If that happens, even the Black Wolf Demon King will disappear without a shadow left. The converging breaths had enough destructive power to make him think that. However, one second later did not come. The alter with the divine shield stepped forward to catch the converging breaths of more than half of the heads. A violent torrent of golden light covered the three demons, making it impossible to see them from the outside. It is impossible for ordinary armor to block the convergence breath. Common sense tells us that the three demons have already turned to dust. However, the divine sword and shield held by his alter ego are the 【Harmonized God's Sword Shield Astor Kiuraum】, which he obtained when he defeated the ancient explosive lightning control emperor "Astrachium", the same rank as the "Histoclock".
Its defenses did not break even when hit by the convergent breath, and on the contrary, it absorbed the magical power of the convergent breath it was in contact with.
"Won!
The enormous amount of magic power that was absorbed was then poured into the pair of divine swords and received the enormous supply of magic power glowed with a dazzling white light.
"Bow!"
Then, behind the divine shield, the alter holding the shining white divine sword held it at the upper level, and a shining white magic blade extended from the divine sword high into the sky. The length of the blade was probably more than 30 meters. The alter in his hand swung the sword down with flashing speed, as if it were a giant's sword.
It was a swing that seemed to cut through even the world, creating a rift in space and splitting the multi-headed dragon in half, along with its converging breaths. The battlefield was silent for a moment, and the recreated ancient champion that had been defeated in a few moments completed its task and disappeared with a golden explosion.
It seemed like an easy way out, but it was a close call. If something had been different, the outcome would have been the opposite.
The three black wolf demon kings looked up at the sky, feeling exhausted from it. There is a "Histoclock" there, but it is descending due to overuse of magic power. Five of the six planes had already been destroyed, so what would happen if one of the remaining planes was destroyed? In order to find out, the black wolf demon king tried to head for it, but a silver ox-headed demon was closing in on him.
An altar like a six-fingered palm appeared, and the moment the "Histoclock" was placed there, the onrushing bull-headed demon swung his battle axe down. Even if you have increased your defenses by putting on a huge amount of magic power, you can't do anything about it if you are hit by the full force of the bull head demon. The remaining unbroken side was pierced deeply by the battle axe, and with a single swing, the silver lightning and flames that ensued laid waste to it. The cracks in the Histoclock, which had been destroyed on all six sides, spread over its entire body, and it stopped spinning slowly and began to tremble. It was as if it was on the verge of exploding, and blinding light was pouring out of the cracks. The accompanying surge of magic power seemed to go far beyond the critical point. In the end, it was a matter of time before they would be able to make a move.
In front of both of them, as expected, there was a golden explosion centered on the "Histoclock". This time, the explosion had a tremendous impact both physically and in terms of magic.
The ultra-dense magical explosion of the "Histoclock" and the ultra-hard, ultra-heavy golden fragments collided with the bull-headed demon's fortress shield and the black wolf demon king's divine shield faster than the speed of sound. It's not just a matter of the destructive power, it's more than just the convergent breath. I'm not sure what to make of it. In the event that you're not able to find the right one, you'll be able to find a lot more than one. Even so, the black wolf demon king's fur was soaked with red blood, as if he had been hit by a slightly protruding part, and a golden glimmer pierced the wound. Even the bull-headed demon, who is physically superior to the black wolf demon king, was able to see some silver bloodshed, which shows how destructive it is. Even if he had struggled to destroy the six sides, if he had not been able to withstand this explosion, he would have died instantly.
"■■■■■■
"Boo-hoo!"
The bull-headed demon gestures as if he is saying something, though I cannot hear his voice, due to the tremendous harassment. He was picking at a piece of wood that was stuck in his wound and removing it. Seeing this, the Black Wolf Demon King changes his expression as if to say, "What a waste! This one took out a small piece that was embedded in the wound and brought it to his mouth instead of throwing it away. He crunches the piece, which is normally so hard that it would shatter his teeth, like a candy ball, and smiles at the delicious taste that overflows from it.
In front of both of them, the real "Histoclock" appeared, having lost its golden cubic shell. It was an antique pocket watch, about a meter long and round. The surface was golden, but unlike the gleaming cube, the countless scratches on the surface showed the wear and tear of long use. Perhaps it was brighter at first, but it had been in contact with the world's present and past for a long time. Although it has lost its dazzling brilliance, this is definitely the body of the "Histoclock". The Black Wolf Demon King imagined the history that the Histoclock had carved out for him, but the battle was still going on.
The magic power inside it is even denser than when it was wrapped in the outer shell of the golden cube, but at the same time, it is exuding a fragility that was not there before. It's as if it's consuming all the remaining time of its life. If I can endure this, and the attack goes through, I can defeat it. Before the black wolf demon king could even think of such a thought, the lid of the "historical clock" opened and the dial appeared. It was a special dial that he had never seen before, and the hour hand began to move in circles at high speed.
As it did, the space around the "Histoclock" distorted greatly. It was a sign that countless pasts were being mixed and recreated in the present.
"Bow!"
"■■■■■■"
I'm not sure what to make of this. It's a good thing that I'm not the only one.
In front of both of them, "Histoclock" released golden magic power, and the two hour hands overlapped and pointed to "Ⅻ". From there, the long hand circled around and the short hand moved once, pointing to 【I】on the dial. Then, 【I】 shone in gold, floated up from the dial, and moved to the exact middle point of "Histoclock" and the Black Wolf Demon King. Then, with the【I】at the core, the golden magic power hidden in the【I】exploded with enormous pressure, erupting in a scorching gold. It was a reenactment of the eruption of the underwater volcano that had once created islands in the ocean. The golden lava that erupts scorches and scatters the rocky masses, instantly sweeping away the surrounding area. Its influence will increase over time, and if no action is taken, a golden island may eventually be created in the Time Lord's Domain. In response to such a recent eruption, the silver ox-headed demon rushed forward without hesitation. He set up his fortress shield and sprinted at full speed towards the [I] that existed in the center of the golden eruption. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing and how you're doing it. The momentum of the golden eruption was so great that it had once created an island, but the bull-headed demon's rush was beyond even that. He excavated the golden eruption and swung his battle axe against the core [I]. It continued to erupt, but the【I】itself did not have the ability to defend itself, and it was cut in two without a second thought, and the golden eruption disappeared at that moment. This was proof that no matter what you recreate, as long as you destroy the core, you can destroy it.
No sooner than I was immersed in the aftermath, the hour hand of the "historical clock" turned, and the six numbers up to [II], [III], [III], [V], [VI], and [VII] emerged from the dial at once and spread across the battlefield. Just as in [I], they spread out around the periphery and were recreated as the core of a great tree that blazed with gold and seemed to pierce the heavens, a golden circle of wings floating in the sky, and a golden demon about three meters tall with two golden divine swords.
The great tree was a reproduction of the Vera Irtayugra, the Evil Tree of the Burning Sky Crystal, which had once turned the surrounding environment into a scorching hell. The mere presence of the tree causes the temperature of the surrounding area to rise rapidly, and if you get too close to it, in a few seconds it will become so hot that your lungs will burn with just one breath. If no measures are taken, the body will dry up in a few seconds and burn to the ground, leaving no ashes. And as it absorbs what was once the dead, the "Evil Tree of the Burning Sky Crystal" grows even larger. The expanding scorching hell is one of the [disasters] that existed in the past.
The golden circle of wings floating in the sky is a reproduction of the ultimate recovery magic that is activated by burning the lives of several "Great Saints" to super-heal their allies. This is one of those 【Miracles】that even if you are dead, you can repair your corpse and bring back your soul to life. It's a miracle that can restore a corpse, even if it's dead, and bring the soul back to life. Normally, it would only last for a short time after being activated, but the vast magical power of the "Histoclock" heals allies for an unusually long time. It would be difficult to destroy any kind of recreated creature without first destroying it.
The golden demon with the golden twin swords is a reproduction of one of the original demons that erased a civilization that once existed. The name has been lost, and only a few records remain in an ancient ruin somewhere in the world. "The golden demon's ability alone is a degraded version of the real thing, and it cannot be completely recreated because it is higher than the Histoclock. That's why I recreated the two divine swords and equipped them as twin swords to strengthen his armament and bring him somewhat closer to his prime. I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.
"■■■■■■■■■!"
It was a roar that shook the world, more violent than the eruption reproduced by [I]. It had a tremendous power that could destroy even the golden circle of wings, blowing away the heat waves emitted by the "Shakuten Crystal Evil Tree", which was supposed to be our ally. The golden demon, which radiates a powerful presence with a single roar, has two divine swords that have the ability to [Destroy] and [Collapse]. They are the two "divine weapons" of the "emperors" who once existed, and with a single swing, they will carve a result in the world worthy of their abilities.
The golden demon, which is undoubtedly a formidable foe even for a single demon, has a superior weapon and is supported by a powerful recovery. In addition, the battlefield is growing hotter by the minute, and the lives of the opponents are being mercilessly cut down. Just by confronting these golden demons, you will instinctively understand how much effort it will take to defeat them. The difference in strength is so great that even the bull-headed demon that destroyed the eruption with a single blow chose to take a wait-and-see approach with its fortress shield. In the midst of the surrounding environment being made worse by the scorching heat, the one who moved faster than anyone else was the Black Wolf Demon King, who exploded black flames from his wheels and rushed at top speed towards the golden demon.
"Itadakimasu!"
The head armor that was the black wolf itself was intentionally removed, perhaps to expose the true face of the Black Little Demon King. The black fur itself was an excellent protection against attacks, and the fact that her bare face was showing meant that she was taking off her protective gear. Although it is covered with a crown, it is too unreliable to be armor, and if attacked, it will be destroyed as the body of the Black Goblin King. It was too reckless, exposing a fatal weakness and leaving a trail like a black meteor as it charged straight ahead. It was a foolish act that could have been judged as suicidal. On top of that, he opened his mouth wide, as if he was biting the bait. He was so defenseless that if a golden demon were to thrust out a divine sword, it would enter through his mouth and pierce through.
Although it was an out-of-the-ordinary action, the golden demon's action was swift. He stepped into the room like a flash of lightning and thrust out the divine sword of destruction in his right hand, leaving a clear trail on the transparent floor of the Time Lord's Heavenly Domain, which had not been scratched even by the fierce attacks and defenses he had made so far. The tip of 【Destruction】 literally destroys anything it touches. The divine sword, which can easily destroy things, magic, and sometimes even phenomena, caught the black goblin king as he plunged headfirst at high speed, just as the golden demon aimed. The sharp tip of the sword slipped into the wide open mouth and went straight through, destroying the body. That would have been the way it should have been. However, given its ability, it was impossible that the divine sword of [Destruction] could not destroy anything. On the contrary, the moment it entered his mouth, it was crushed and chewed, and instead of destroying the enemy, it destroyed itself. The golden demon seemed to be surprised by the result, but immediately let go of the divine sword to be eaten and tried to escape to the side. It was as if he was dancing, and to those who were facing him, it would seem as if he disappeared from sight in an instant. But the Black Goblin King, who was closing in on him, would not allow it. As the golden demon flees to the side, its extendable mechanical arm stretches out like a snake. In the hand of the mechanical arm that approaches with meandering and unpredictable movements, a black dagger, a kind of biological weapon, is clenched, and its cutting edge pierces the side of the golden demon like a poisonous fang. The black dagger penetrates deep into the root, probably piercing the kidneys and other parts of the body. A deadly poison is secreted from the tip of the blade, and it begins to eat away at the golden demon from the inside. But even so, it was not enough to kill him, who boasts a strong life force. The only thing that happened was that he writhed slightly in intense pain and his movements slowed down somewhat. But that was probably enough for the black goblin king. He contracted his outstretched mechanical arm to forcefully pull himself up to the golden demon, and with his momentum, he bit into the golden demon's chest. He's pectoral muscles and ribs, which were supposed to be just as tough and incomparable as the divine sword, were bitten through like a sliding door, and the core that had replaced the heart was put into its mouth and crushed. It was an instantaneous event. However, the golden demon also showed its persistence, as if it was not going to be killed for nothing. In the short time it took to lose its own nucleus and disappear, it pierced the side of the black goblin king with the divine sword of disintegration held in its left hand. The sharpness of the 【Collapse】 sword is sharp, and it easily penetrates the black wolf armor, which exerts excellent defense against slashing attacks, and penetrates from the right flank to the left flank, and exerts 【Collapse】 without any adjustment as it is. The black goblin king was supposed to be attacked by the pain of hell as his internal organs were torn to shreds and his cells were rapidly dying in order to take his bitter enemy with him.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
However, after eating the divine sword of destruction and biting through even the nucleus in the golden demon's chest, the roar of the black goblin king echoed around him. It was not a cry of pain or agony, but a cry of joy that came from the bottom of his heart.
By eating the core of the golden demon and the sword, which can be said to be a mass of magical power of the rich "Histoclock", the whole body of the Black Demon King is literally filled with golden magical power. The overflowing makes the life force of the black little goblin king temporarily rise greatly, and as a result, it is healing at a speed that exceeds the [collapse] that the divine sword that sticks out from the side brings. Even if you took damage, if your resilience outweighed it, even if you were in pain, it was only to the extent that your appetite would overwhelm you.
"I want to eat more, more!"
In fact, the Black Goblin King had tried many times before to eat the recreated body, or to be more precise, the golden magic itself. But even though he was able to ingest magic from food, he was unable to directly eat the magic itself. Therefore, he was forced to endure the hardship of fighting while his appetite was stimulated. If he hadn't been able to eat the magic power, the Black Demon King would have been more cautious in dealing with his powerful enemy, the Golden Demon.
However, the fact that he had just bitten into the outer shell of the "Histoclock" changed the situation.
He actually ate the outer shell, which was part of the Histoclock, and ingested the magical power that resided in its body. In this way, perhaps from the experience of eating thousands and thousands of prey in the past, or perhaps from remembering a lost memory, the Black Goblin King has acquired a knack for eating magic power.
In that case, the golden demon was the perfect bait. Even though it is not a perfect reproduction, it is still a gem that surpasses even the "Histoclock" in parts. The divine sword was just as good a prey.
For the Black Goblin King, who was exhausted and hungry from the previous battles, it is not surprising that his rational mind was temporarily debauched and he felt the need to eat on instinct. Even if it was funny to the general public, it was a normal thought to the black devil king.
"Hmph! I'll take it!"
Then, unable to take it anymore, the black demon king pulled out the divine sword of 【Collapse】, which pierced his abdomen from the side, chewed it up in the same way, and took in more golden magic power. As soon as he pulled it out, the wound on his abdomen immediately healed, and in fact, it became stronger and stronger than before he was injured.
The black goblin king flew straight to the golden circle floating in the sky and ate the entire core just like the golden demons. The magic that doesn't move can't escape predation, and it quickly disappears, while the remaining "Scorching Heaven Crystal Evil Tree" raises the temperature of its surroundings to the extreme in order to protect itself. The resulting scorching hell became a realm where no living thing could survive. It was as if the sun itself had appeared there, but even so, the Black Goblin King could not be stopped. He didn't care if his body was burning from the inside or the outside, he kept closing the distance. And it wasn't just the black goblin king who was moving. The bull-headed demon had absorbed the heat wave and became more energetic, closing the distance quickly with an intimidating roar. In order to intercept the two powerful enemies, the "Evil Tree of Heavenly Crystal" swung its burning branches. The branch twisted like a whip, and the tip exceeded the speed of sound. The mass and hardness of the branch made it a very powerful blow that would instantly turn the enemy into a lump of flesh. However, the ox-headed demon raised his fortress shield and perfectly blocked the blow from the branch. Instead, he closed the distance by raising the muscles of his thick arms to repel the branch and swung his battle axe like a lumberjack to strike the thick trunk. The hard, heavy, and dense "Evil Tree of Heavenly Crystal" could not be easily crushed by a single blow from the ox-headed demon. However, it was attacked with the battle axe at different angles, twice, three times, scattering pieces of wood, and finally the "Evil Tree of Heavenly Crystals" was cut down. As the tree slowly fell, the Black Demon King caught it in his impossibly large mouth and chewed on it. I'm not sure what to make of it.
The black devil king and the bull-headed devil have overcome their hardships in an unorthodox way, but the "histoclock" may be their last hurdle. As the hour hand turns, the remaining "VIII", "IX", "X" and "11" come together to recreate a certain existence. It was as if the "Histoclock" had been strained with all of its remaining magic power, but even so, it was not a complete reproduction. But even so, a presence far more powerful than the golden demon was recreated on the spot.
The one that will be recreated is a golden, half-beast, half-human, deformed 【Fallen God】 that is so huge that even the giant bull-headed demon looks up at it. One of the 【God's Disasters】, which was once the 【God】 of this world but crashed and ravaged the world, stood in front of the Black Demon King and the Cowherd Demon.
0 sigma 0
--I don't remember much about the second half of the battle against the 【Fallen God】that the "Histoclock" reenacted at the end. It was a terrible battle that I could not afford. This time, the 【Fallen God】was not the real thing, and since the real thing was too strong to be reproduced, its ability was low, and it could be defeated instantly by crushing the connecting nucleus that existed in its chest, and the high quality magic power stored to excess. And above all, he had an overly reassuring ally in the form of a bull-headed demon. In the end, while being protected by the bull-headed demon, I approached him, lost the lower half of my body, but ate the connecting nucleus in a desperate attack, and survived nine deaths, but the outcome might have been different if one of the scales had tipped.
It was a tremendous effort, but the results were definitely worth it.
【Ability 【Golden Records that Shine in History】 learned】
【Ability 【Bookmark of History】 learned】
【Ability 【Piece of Golden Time】 learned】
【Ability 【Primordial Demon Shadow】 learned】
【Ability 【Winged Ring of Heaven】 learned】
【Ability 【Authority of Destruction】 learned】
【Ability 【Omen of Collapse】 learned】
【Ability 【Fallen God: Declaration】 learned】
[Area Raid Boss "Histoclock" has been successfully defeated.]
You have successfully defeated the area raid boss "Histoclock".
The conditions for clearing the God ■■ Arc 【Destroy Alone】, 【Destroy ■■】, and 【■■■■】 have been met.
■■■■ has been granted the special ability Special Skill 【Rationality of Cause and Effect】.
■■■■ has received the treasure chest "Stacked Golden Clock" as a bonus for the first kill.
A portion of the divine power of the God of History has been collected by ■■■■■/■■■■ for the purpose of conquering the Lost Psalms.
Because the collector of the divine power was ■■, the divine power of the gods of ■■ has been removed.
According to regulations, some of the divine power that was played will be materialized.
■■■■ has obtained the【Goldian Hysturian Clock of the Historical God】!
The lower half of his body is missing, so he crawls with his mechanical arm to get close to the Histoclock. Immediately after defeating the [Fallen God], the [Histoclock] that was on the altar like a six-fingered palm had cracks running through it, the glass shattered, and the hour hand was bent and stuck. I checked the condition of the Histoclock, which was more mechanical than biological, but it had definitely stopped functioning. I collected it, along with the treasure chest I had found to eat later, and decided to sleep for the day.
The fatigue was heavy as lead, and the flesh and blood had disappeared. In order to deal with all the other discomforts, I should follow my instincts to the best of my ability. When I'll wake up, I would have to examine various parts of my body that were bothering me, but I wrapped myself in the blanket I had taken out and lay down.
Next to me, the bull-headed demon also lay down. His limbs had been torn off and reattached several times, but it seemed that he needed to rest and recover. This time, I was able to rely on him very much, and I hope we can fight together again somewhere. There's no doubt that we have a connection, though, so that may happen in the near future.
I'm very tired. I'll think about it tomorrow. I extended my fist as a final greeting to the ox-headed demon, and he responded by making a knocking motion with his fist and closing his eyes. Good night, GUNAI. Have a good dream.
The subject of the priesthood effect "causal oblivion" has partially achieved the condition "extermination of the area raid boss".
[By doing so, some restrictions will be lifted, and you will return from 【Black Goblin King】 to 【Medium Demon - Hobgoblin King】.
Transcendent Grace has taken effect.
The fallen god ■■■■■■■■■ has overcome the ordeal.
By overcoming the ordeal, ■■■■ has been [existence revision remake] from the original 【Medium Demon - Hobgoblin King】 to 【Black Flame Domain High King Archaeta Hobgoblin King - Fallen Heavenly Greatest Rivalry Species】. Some of your memories have also been unsealed and can be recalled.
Before my consciousness fell, I thought I heard a voice that I had heard somewhere else.
(Roinard's Note: Sorry for the name of the new Rou's race, I did my best)
【Darkflame Demonic Royal - Great Hobgoblin King • Fallen Species】I believe this is the correct new species name. -ManguKing
RAWS
"百三日目 ／ 五■七■三目"
“ヒストクロック”はある程度黄金の魔力を消費すると、ゆっくりと降下してくる。その際には六本指の掌のような黄金の祭壇みたいな構造物が透明な床から出現し、その祭壇に“ヒストクロック”が収まる。すると指のような部位から魔力鎖が“ヒストクロック”に接続し、まるで戦艦に給油するように膨大な魔力が補充されていく仕組みのようだ。流石に強力すぎる能力を無尽蔵で行使する事はできないらしく、その時は絶好の攻撃タイミングだった。
ただし、攻撃できる箇所は限られる。
どうやら≪時刻歴在都市ヒストリノア≫そのものから供給されているのだろう膨大な魔力によって防御が非常に強固になるらしく、六面のうち攻撃が通るのはたった一面だけだ。それ以外は積層の魔力防壁によって阻まれ、例え貫いたとしても即座に回復してしまうので、弱点になる一面を集中攻撃して破壊しなければならない。
つまり黄金の立方体である“ヒストクロック”を倒すには、補給時の攻撃を最低六回は繰り返す必要がある。その更に先もありそうだが、とりあえず立方体全面を壊すのは必須条件だ。
既に牛頭鬼が二面を破壊した状態で参加した俺達は、長い時間がかかったもののやっと五面まで破壊する事に成功した。
一面を破壊するほど再現される人物や天候、あるいは地形などは苛烈を極めたが、それでも終わりは見えてきた。再現された敵を蹴散らし、黄金の魔力を消費させる。 経験から黄金の魔力の消費が規定値を超え、そろそろ降下し始める頃合いだと、何となく分かる。
それでも油断せず、戦いながら食料を喰って栄養補給しなければならない程の時間が過ぎた時、戦場は夜になっていた。輝かしい夜空の下で、俺と灰銀狼、それから牛頭鬼の戦いは最終局面を迎えようとしていた。
〇 Ω 〇
夜空に輝く太陽のように、ゆっくりと回転する“ヒストクロック”から黄金の魔力が周囲に照射・散布される。それによって現在と過去は入り交じり、過去の時代を支配した英勇帝王、あるいは文明の叡智や万物に襲い掛かる天災厄災が幾重と再現される。
『グゥオオオオオオオオオッ!!』 『ネシ・リナ・ンマルビデ・ハ・レワ！』
大山脈を一息で崩壊させた黄金の多頭竜“アンフェイグ・レブローン” 帝国を一夜で滅亡させた黄金の悪魔王“ヴォイド・デーモンキング”
“ヒストクロック”によって今回再現されたのは、太古に存在した二体の覇者だ。ただ一体でも国を滅ぼせる存在は本物でないにも関わらず、ただそこに在るだけで空間を歪めてしまいそうな程の強い存在感を放っていた。対峙しただけで自身の死を幻視してしまいかねない。そんな存在を前に、臆する事無く突き進む一匹の黒狼鬼王が居た。
「グルガウッ！」
燃える車輪を背負った黒狼鬼王――カナタと灰銀狼が一体化した状態。大きさは小鬼を一回り大きくした程度と小さい――は、黒炎の軌跡を残しながら眼前の獲物に向けて突き進む。強靭な脚力による疾走。展開された光翼と、燃える歯車から放たれる黒炎による超加速。音速など遥か前に過ぎ去り、赤黒い弾丸のようになった黒狼鬼王は鋭い双眸で戦場の全てを見ていた。
『オオオオオオオオオオ！』 『ヲシ・ニノモ・ルナカロオ！』
その視線の先で、二体の覇者が自身に迫る黒狼鬼王を最大攻撃で迎え撃つ。
黄金の多頭竜“アンフェイグ・レブローン”は百もの獰猛な竜頭を持つ、全長五百メートルを軽く超える巨大な竜だ。その竜頭の一つ一つから、超高密度の魔力が込められた【竜の息吹】が放たれた。黄金に輝くそれは一つ一つが万物をアッサリと蒸発させるほどの威力を持つが、最大で十秒も持続するそれが百の光線となって周囲全域を薙ぎ払う。 まるで光の洪水のように黄金の息吹が戦場を薙ぎ払い、愚かな挑戦者は圧倒的な破壊の前に平伏すしかない。
しかし黒狼鬼王は、そんな攻撃を前にしても臆してはいなかった。獣のような鋭い身のこなしと、肉体が千切れてしまいかねない爆発を使った加速によって息吹と息吹の僅かな隙間を縫って突き進む。油断すれば一瞬で消滅しかねない死地でも、黒狼鬼王の動きは鈍るどころかキレを増していた。
グングンと距離を詰めていくが、それはもう一体の黄金の悪魔王“ヴォイド・デーモンキング”が阻んだ。身の丈五メートル程と多頭竜に比べれば小さいが、異界から顕現した悪魔王はこの世界とはまた違う法則によって動いている。その能力は多頭竜と同等以上であり、その悪魔王の五指に黄金の魔力が収束した。寒気すら感じる魔力はやがて一センチ程の黄金球体となり、それが五つ放たれる。放たれた黄金球体はまるで雷撃のような速度で、優れた狩猟犬のように逃げ場もなく追い込むように突き進む。
黄金球体の標的は当然、不敬なる黒狼鬼王だ。五つの黄金球体はある程度近づくと、まるでブラックホールのように周囲を空間も纏めて吸い込み始めた。疾走する黒狼鬼王は意思に反して吸い寄せられる。それも一方向ではなく、前後左右上方と五つの方向からだ。不可視の重力の鎖に縛られたような状態で、引き寄せられる強さはランダムに切り替わり、一瞬でも気を抜けば動くどころか四肢を引き千切られてしまいかねないほどの引力が発生している。
また、黄金球体は【竜の息吹】すら吸い込んでいる。吸い込まれた息吹は通常よりも遥かに早く消失するが、威力そのものは変わらず、むしろ不規則に軌道が蛇行するので先読み出来ない。黄金球体に近づくほどに、無差別の息吹に近づいていく。
黒狼鬼王にとって、それは余りにも致命的な攻撃と言えるだろう。
自身の防御力では一撃すら耐える事は出来ない超攻撃力の合わせ技だ。回避するしかない中で、回避する事すら困難にさせられる。それがどれほど恐ろしい事か、まさに姿勢が崩れて黄金球体に吸い寄せられる様を見れば分かるだろう。
ただ、それを打開する切り札が黒狼鬼王の手中にあった。
「ジャアアア！」
裂帛の咆哮と共に放たれる朱槍の一閃。ただの攻撃ならむしろ吸い込まれてしまう悪手だろう一撃は、しかし五つの黄金球体の内、最も近くにあった前方の一つを容易く切り裂いた。
その瞬間、発生するのは黄金の爆発だ。凝縮された魔力が開放されて発生するそれは物理的な衝撃を一切伴わないが、一瞬だけ黒狼鬼王の姿を包み隠す。それは瞬きすればすぐに見える程度の、本当に僅かな間だけだ。だがその一瞬で大きな変化が起こった。
「「「ヴォフッ！」」」
黄金の爆煙が消えた後に現れるのは三鬼の黒狼鬼王。朱槍を片手に持つ本体を先頭に、そのやや後方右側を天使のような装飾が施された白く輝く神剣を携えた分身が、その左側を悪魔のような装飾が施された黒く輝く神盾を構えた分身が居る。
アビリティ【三位一体】による実体のある分身だった。先頭の本体と同等の能力を秘めた二体の分身は一つの意思によって統率され、一切の乱れなく鏃のような陣形で突き進む。 目指すは三鬼から最も近い悪魔王だ。
道中では黄金球体の引力で三鬼共引き寄せられるが、ピッタリと密集し、【火翔加速】などを使い互いの力を重ね合わせた。それはジェットエンジンが一つから三つに増えたようなモノだ。僅かにズレがあれば加速力の分だけ制御を失いかねない乱暴すぎる手法ではあるが、【調和の極致】によって加速は完璧に調整されていた。それによって無駄が一切存在しなくなり、三鬼は加速し続けながら一気に突き抜ける。まるで赤黒い閃光のようになった三鬼は悪魔王まで一瞬で到達し、朱色の一閃と共にすれ違った。凄まじい速度で離れていく後方では攻撃を防ごうとした悪魔王の右腕と、驚愕に口を開けたような頭部が刎ね飛び、宙に舞い上がった。
舞い上がった右腕と頭部が落下するよりも早く三鬼は更に突き進み、その奥でまだ息吹を吐いている多頭竜のすぐ近くにまで到達した。流石に距離もあったからか多頭竜は三鬼の動きにも対応し、即座に半数以上の頭部から放たれる息吹を収束させる。収束させても息吹の直径は五メートルを軽く超えるだろうか。世界を塗り潰すような黄金の閃光は、その一秒後には残り全ての息吹も収束され、最大火力となって三鬼を襲うだろう。そうなれば流石に黒狼鬼王とて影も残らず消滅する。収束息吹にはそう思わせるだけの破壊力があった。しかしその一秒後は訪れなかった。半数以上の頭部の収束息吹を、神盾を持つ分身が前に出て受け止める。激しい黄金の光の奔流が三鬼を覆い隠し、外からその姿を確認する事は出来ない。収束息吹を防ぐ事など通常の武具では不可能だ。常識的に考えれば三鬼は既に塵と化している。だが分身が持つ神剣と神盾は“ヒストクロック”と同格の古代爆雷制調天帝“アストラキウム”討伐時に得た【調和神之剣盾】だった。
その防御力は収束息吹を受けても壊れる事はなく、それどころか接触している収束息吹の魔力を吸収していた。
「ウォンッ！」
そして吸収された膨大な魔力は対となる神剣に注ぎ込まれ、膨大な魔力の供給を受けた神剣は目が眩むほどに白く輝いた。
「バウッ！」
そして神盾の後ろで白く輝く神剣を持つ分身が上段に構えると、神剣から白く輝く魔力刃が天高く伸びる。その長さは三十メートルを軽く超えるだろうか。まるで巨人の剣のように伸びた神剣を、手に持つ分身は閃光のような速度で振り下ろした。
それはまるで世界すら切り裂くような一振りで、断裂が空間に生じ、多頭竜は収束息吹諸共に巨躯を真っ二つに割断された。戦場は一瞬だが静寂に包まれて、僅かな間で倒された再現された太古の覇者は、役目を終えて黄金の爆発と共に消滅した。
簡単に切り抜けたようで、紙一重の攻防だ。何かが違っていれば結果は逆だったに違いない。
それに対する疲労を感じつつ、三鬼の黒狼鬼王は上空を見上げた。そこには“ヒストクロック”が存在するが、魔力を使い過ぎた事で降下してきている。六面のうち五面を既に破壊している現在、残る一面を壊せばどうなるのか。それを知る為、黒狼鬼王は向かおうとするが、その前に銀の牛頭鬼が迫っていた。
六本指の掌のような祭壇が出現し、“ヒストクロック”がそこに収まった次の瞬間、突進していた牛頭鬼が戦斧を振り下ろした。膨大な魔力を帯びる事で防御力を高めていたとしても、牛頭鬼の全力の一撃を受けてはどうしようもない。残っていたまだ壊れていない一面は戦斧によって深く穿たれ、一振りと共に巻き起こる銀の雷と炎によって滅茶苦茶に蹂躙される。六面全てを壊された“ヒストクロック”の亀裂は全身に広がり、ゆっくりと回転していたのに止まって震えだした。まるで爆発寸前のような状態で、亀裂からは眩い光が溢れ出している。それに伴う魔力の高まりは、臨界点を遥かに超えていくようで。経験からか牛頭鬼は城塞盾を構え、黒狼鬼王達もまた神盾の後ろに隠れた。
防御態勢を整えた両者の前で、予想通りと言えばいいのか、“ヒストクロック”を中心に黄金の爆発が巻き起こった。 今回の爆発は物理的にも、魔力的にも凄まじい影響が及んだ。
牛頭鬼の城塞盾や黒狼鬼王の神盾に、“ヒストクロック”の超高密度魔力爆発と超硬超重量の黄金の破片が音速よりも速く衝突する。破壊力だけで言えば収束息吹を超えるだろう。魔力爆発だけでも身体が吹き飛ばされるだけの圧力があった。それに含まれる黄金の破片の大半が盾に弾かれなければ、強靭な両者の肉体とて削り取られてただの肉片と化していても可笑しくはない。それでも僅かに出ていた部位に当たったのか、黒狼鬼王の毛皮には赤い血が滲み、傷口には黄金の煌めきが突き刺さっている。黒狼鬼王よりも肉体面で優れる牛頭鬼ですら幾らか銀の流血が確認できたので、破壊力の凄さが伺える。苦労して六面を破壊しても、この爆発を耐えれなければ即死してしまったに違いない。
『■■■■■■』
「ブォフ」
凄まじい嫌がらせに、声は聞こえないが何かを言っているような仕草の牛頭鬼。傷口に食い込んだ欠片を摘んで取り除いている。それを見て、思わず『もったいないなー』とでも言うように表情を変える黒狼鬼王。こちらは傷口に食い込んだ小さな欠片を取り出し、捨てるのではなく口に運んだ。バリバリゴリゴリと普通なら歯が砕けるほど硬い欠片を飴玉のように噛み砕き、そこから溢れる美味に思わず笑顔を浮かべている。
そんな両者の前で、黄金の立方体という外殻を失った本当の“ヒストクロック”が姿を現した。 それは一メートル程の丸いアンティークな懐中時計だった。表面は黄金だが、煌びやかだった立方体時とは異なり、無数の傷がついた様は長い時間使われていたような摩耗が見られた。恐らく最初はもっと輝いていたが、長い間世界の現在と過去に触れ続けていたからだろう。眩い輝きこそ失っているが、だからこそこれが“ヒストクロック”の本体で間違いない。黒狼鬼王は“ヒストクロック”が刻んできたこれまでの歴史を想像するものの、まだ戦闘は続いている。
内包する魔力は黄金の立方体という外殻に包まれていた時よりも更に密度を増していたが、それと引き換えにこれまでは無かった脆さも滲み出ている。まるで残りの命の時間を全て消費しているかのようだ。ここを耐え、攻撃が通れば倒せるだろう。確信にも似たそんな思考が黒狼鬼王に巡る前で、“ヒストクロック”の蓋が開いて文字盤が現れた。 これまで見た事も無い特殊な文字盤で、時針がグルグルと高速で動き始める。
それに合わせて“ヒストクロック”の周囲の空間が大きく歪んだ。無数の過去が入り交じり、現在に再現される前兆である。
「バウッ」
「■■■■■■」
黒狼鬼王と牛頭鬼が改めて構え直し、その姿は一部の隙も無い。何が起こっても即座に反応できるだろう。
万全に備える両者の前で、“ヒストクロック”は黄金の魔力を放出し、二つの時針が重なり合って【Ⅻ】を指した。そこから長針が一周して短針が一つ動き、文字盤にあった【Ⅰ】を指す。すると【Ⅰ】が黄金に輝き、文字盤から浮き上がって“ヒストクロック”と黒狼鬼王達の丁度中間地点まで移動した。そしてその【Ⅰ】を核に、【Ⅰ】に秘められた黄金の魔力が膨大な圧力と共に爆発し、灼熱の黄金が噴火する。それはかつて大海に島を生み出した海底火山の噴火の再現だ。吹きあがる黄金の溶岩が灼熱と岩塊を撒き散らし、周囲一帯を一瞬で薙ぎ払う。その影響力は時間経過と共に増し、何も対処しなければ【時帝の天領】には最終的に黄金の島が作られる事になるかもしれない。そんな直近で起こった噴火に対し、銀の牛頭鬼は迷わず突進した。城塞盾を構え、全力疾走で黄金噴火の中央に存在する【Ⅰ】に突き進む。熱源に迫る事で必然的に襲い掛かる熱波を牛頭鬼は吸収してむしろ自身の力に変換し、迫る岩石弾を銀の雷撃と炎撃で吹き飛ばす。黄金噴火の勢いはかつて島を造っただけに凄まじいものだが、牛頭鬼の突進はそれすら超えていた。黄金の噴火を掘削し、核となる【Ⅰ】に対して戦斧を振り下ろした。噴火を続けるが【Ⅰ】そのものには防御する機能は無く、呆気なく両断され、その瞬間には黄金噴火も消滅する。それは何を再現しようとも、核さえ潰せば破壊ができるという証明でもあった。
余韻に浸る間もなく、“ヒストクロック”の時針が巡り、【Ⅱ】【Ⅲ】【IIII】【Ⅴ】【Ⅵ】【Ⅶ】までの六つが文字盤から一気に浮かび上がって戦場に広がった。 周囲に広がったそれらが【Ⅰ】と同じように核となって再現されるのは、黄金に燃える天を衝くような大きさの大樹、天に浮かぶ翼の黄金円環、そして二振りの黄金神剣を持つ身の丈三メートル程の黄金鬼だった。
大樹はかつて周囲の環境を灼熱地獄に変えてしまった“灼天結晶邪樹”の再現だ。ただ存在するだけで周囲の温度は急激に上昇し、近づきすぎると数秒後には一呼吸するだけで肺が焼けてしまう程にまで熱くなる。何かしらの対策が無ければ数秒で干上がり、死体は燃えて灰も残らなくなるだろう。そして死者だったモノを吸い取り、“灼天結晶邪樹”は更に大きく成長していく。拡大する灼熱地獄は、過去に存在した【災厄】の一つだ。
天に浮かぶ翼の黄金円環は、味方を超回復させる“大聖女”数名の命を燃やして発動する究極の回復魔法の再現だ。例え死んでいても死体を修復し、魂を呼び戻して復活させてしまう程の【奇跡】の一つ。本来なら発動しても僅かな時間しか保たれないが、“ヒストクロック”の膨大な魔力は普通ではありえない程に長い持続時間で味方を癒す。まずはこれを打ち砕かねば、再現された生物の類を破壊する事は難しい。
そして黄金の双剣を持つ黄金鬼は、かつて存在した一つの文明を消し去った【原初】の鬼の一体の再現だ。名は既に失われ、ただ世界の何処かにある古代遺跡に僅かな記録だけが残されている。“ヒストクロック”よりも上位に位置するので完全に再現する事は出来ず、黄金鬼単体の能力では本物とはかけ離れた劣化版でしかない。だから二振りの神剣を再現し、双剣として装備させる事で武装強化を施し、幾らかは全盛期に近づいている。そんな黄金鬼は、何かを訴えかけるように口を開いた。
「■■■■■■■■■!!」
それは【Ⅰ】が再現した噴火よりも激しい、世界を震わせる咆哮だった。味方である筈の“灼天結晶邪樹”から放出される熱波すら吹き飛ばし、翼の黄金円環すら破壊しかねない凄まじい威力を秘めていた。そして咆哮一つで強烈な存在感を放つ黄金鬼が持つ二振りの神剣に宿る能力は【破壊】と【崩壊】。かつて存在した【帝王】達が持っていた二つの【神器】であり、一振りでその能力に相応しい結果を世界に刻むだろう。
ただでさえ単鬼でも強敵である事は間違いない黄金鬼が、優れた武器を持ち、強力な回復の援護を受けている。また戦場は刻一刻と熱を帯び、敵対者の生命を容赦なく削ってくる。黄金鬼達を倒すのにはどれほどの苦労が必要になるのか、対峙しただけで本能的に理解できるだろう。常人ではまず諦めるだろう劣悪な戦力差は、噴火を一撃で破壊した牛頭鬼ですら城塞盾を構えて様子見を選択する程だ。灼熱によって周囲の環境が劣悪になっていく最中、誰よりも早く動いたのは、車輪から黒炎を爆発的に噴出させて黄金鬼に最高速度で突進する黒狼鬼王だった。
「いただきまーーーーーーーーーす！」
黒い狼そのものだった頭部装甲を意図的に外しているのか、黒小鬼王の素顔が露出している。黒い毛皮自体が優れた防具となってこれまでの攻撃を防いでいただけに、素顔が出ているのは防具を外している事に他ならない。王冠こそ被ってはいるがそれは防具というには余りにも頼りなく、攻撃を受ければ流石に黒小鬼王の肉体とて破壊されるだろう。致命的な弱点を晒し、まるで黒い流星のように軌跡を残しながら愚直に真っ直ぐに突進する様は余りにも無謀だった。自殺願望でも抱いているのか、とすら判断されても可笑しくはない愚行である。その上、まるで餌に喰いつくように口を大きく開けていた。黄金鬼が神剣を突き出せば、口から入ってそのまま貫けてしまいそうなほどの無防備である。
余りにも常識から外れた行動ながら、黄金鬼の行動は迅速だった。 まるで閃光のように踏み込み、これまでの激しい攻防でも傷一つつかなかった【時帝の天領】の透明な床にハッキリとした足跡を刻みながら、右手に持つ【破壊】の神剣を突き出した。 【破壊】の切っ先は文字通り触れた物を【破壊】する。 物を、魔法を、時には現象すら簡単に【破壊】する事が可能な神剣は、黄金鬼の狙い通りに頭から高速で突っ込んでくる黒小鬼王を捉えた。 鋭い切っ先は大きく開かれた口の中にスルリと入り、そのまま肉体を【破壊】して突き抜ける。 それが本来あるべき光景だっただろう。 しかし能力からすればありえない事に、【破壊】の神剣は何も破壊できなかった。 それどころか口に入った瞬間に噛み砕かれ、咀嚼され、敵を【破壊】するのではなく自身が【破壊】されてしまったのだ。 その結果に黄金鬼は驚いたようだが、喰われる神剣を即座に手放して側面に逃れようとする。 まるで舞うような足捌きで、相対する者からすれば一瞬で視覚の外に消えたように見えるだろう。 しかし直近にまで迫っていた黒小鬼王がそれを許さない。 横に逃げる黄金鬼に対し、伸縮自在の機械腕がまるで蛇のように伸びる。 蛇行しつつ予測し難い動きで迫る機械腕の手には生体武器の一種である黒短角剣が握り締められ、その切っ先は毒牙のように黄金鬼の脇腹に突き刺さる。 黒短角剣は根本まで深々と突き刺さり、ヒトで言えば腎臓などの辺りを貫いただろうか。 切っ先からは猛毒が分泌され、黄金鬼の内部から侵食を開始する。 ただそれでも強靭な生命力を誇る黄金鬼を殺すまでは至らない。激痛に僅かに悶えただけで、動きが多少鈍っただけだ。 しかしそれだけで黒小鬼王には十分だったのだろう。 伸びた機械腕を縮めて自身を黄金鬼まで強引に引き寄せ、その勢いのまま黄金鬼の胸部に喰い付いた。 神剣と同様に強靭無比なはずの黄金鬼の胸筋や肋骨をまるで障子のように呆気なく食い破り、心臓の代わりに存在した核を口に入れ、噛み砕く。 まさに一瞬の出来事だ。 ただ黄金鬼もただでは殺されぬとばかりに執念を見せた。 自身の核を失い、消滅する僅かな間に左手で握る【崩壊】の神剣で黒小鬼王の横腹を穿った。 【崩壊】の神剣の切れ味は鋭く、斬撃攻撃に対して優れた防御力を発揮する黒狼装甲を容易く貫き、右わき腹から左わき腹まで貫通し、そのまま加減なく【崩壊】を発揮する。 怨敵を道連れにすべく内臓はズタズタに【崩壊】し、細胞が急速に死んでいく地獄の苦痛が黒小鬼王を襲う、筈だった。
「う、う、う、うまっ、うまあああい！」
しかし【破壊】の神剣を喰らい、黄金鬼の胸部にある核すら食い破った黒小鬼王の咆哮が周囲に響く。 それは痛みや苦痛からではなく、心の底から発せられた歓喜の叫びだった。
濃厚な“ヒストクロック”の魔力の塊とでも言うべき黄金鬼と神剣の核を喰った事で、黒小鬼王の全身には文字通りに黄金の魔力が漲っている。 溢れんばかりのそれは黒小鬼王の生命力を一時的に大幅に上昇させ、その結果、脇腹から突き出した神剣が齎す【崩壊】を超える速度で治っているのだ。 ダメージを喰らっても回復力がそれを上回れば、痛みはあっても食欲に塗り潰されてしまう程度でしかなかった。
「もっと、もっと喰いたいッ！」
実はこれまでにも、黒小鬼王は再現体を、正確に言えば黄金の魔力そのものを喰おうと何度も試みていた。 しかし食料から魔力を摂取する事は出来ても、魔力そのものを直接喰う事が出来ないでいた。 だから食欲を刺激されつつも我慢するという苦難を強いられながら戦闘を続けていた。 魔力が喰えなければ、流石に黒小鬼王も強敵である黄金鬼の相手にはもっと慎重になっていただろう。
だが先ほど“ヒストクロック”の外殻を摘み食いした事で事情が変わってしまったのである。
実際に“ヒストクロック”の一部だった外殻を喰い、その身に宿る魔力を摂取した。 そうする事でこれまでにも幾千幾万もの獲物を喰らってきた経験からか、あるいは失われた記憶を思い出したのか、黒小鬼王は魔力を喰うコツを会得してしまったのである。
そうなれば、黄金鬼などはまさに用意された極上の餌だった。 完全再現されていないとはいえ、部分的には“ヒストクロック”すら超える逸材。 神剣なども、それと同じくらいには美味なる獲物だ。
これまでの戦闘で消耗し、空腹だった黒小鬼王にとって、それは理性が一時的に蕩けて本能のまま喰いたくなってしまっても、可笑しくはない。 例え一般的には可笑しかったとしても、黒小鬼王にとっては正常な思考だった。
「フンっ！ いただきます！」
そして我慢が出来なくなった黒小鬼王は自身の腹部を横から貫く【崩壊】の神剣を引き抜き、同じように噛み砕き、更に黄金の魔力を取り込んだ。 引き抜いた時点で腹部の傷はすぐに癒え、むしろ怪我をする前よりも強靭に強化されていく。
黒小鬼王はそのまま天に浮かぶ黄金円環まで飛翔し、黄金鬼達と同じように核ごと喰った。 動かない魔法では捕食から逃れる事などできる筈もなくアッサリと消失し、残る“灼天結晶邪樹”は自衛の為に周囲の温度を極限にまで引き上げる。 結果として生まれた灼熱地獄は、生物の生存を許さない領域となった。 まるで太陽そのものがそこに顕現したような状況で、しかしそれでも黒小鬼王を止める事は出来ない。 身体が内外から燃えていようと気にする事はなく、どんどん距離を詰めていく。 そして動く者は黒小鬼王だけではなかった。 牛頭鬼は熱波を吸収したのかより元気になり、威圧する咆哮と共にいち早く距離を詰めていく。 二匹の強敵を迎撃すべく、“灼天結晶邪樹”が燃える枝を振り回した。枝はまるで鞭のようにしなり、先端は音速を軽く超えていた。 質量と硬度などによって凄まじい威力を誇る一撃は当たれば即座に敵を肉塊に変えてしまうだろう。 しかし牛頭鬼は城塞盾を掲げて枝の一撃を完璧に受け止め、それどころか太い腕の筋肉を隆起させて枝をはじき返して距離を詰め、樵のように戦斧を振りかぶって太い幹に一撃を加えた。 硬く重く密度の高い“灼天結晶邪樹”は、如何に牛頭鬼の一撃とて簡単には破砕できない。 しかし二度、三度と角度を変えながら戦斧で攻撃され、木片を撒き散らし、遂には“灼天結晶邪樹”が伐採される。 ゆっくりと倒れる“灼天結晶邪樹”を黒小鬼王はあり得ないほど巨大化させた口で受け止め、それをバリバリと咀嚼した。 身体は小さいのに、頭だけは巨人になったような歪な姿だ。
余りにも常識外れな方法で苦難を乗り越えた黒小鬼王と牛頭鬼だが、“ヒストクロック”も最後の足搔きなのだろう。 時針が巡り、残る【Ⅷ】【Ⅸ】【Ⅹ】【Ⅺ】が一つに集まってとある存在を再現させた。 それは“ヒストクロック”に残された全ての魔力を振り絞るようだったが、それでも完全再現には至らない。 しかしそれでも、黄金鬼よりも遥かに強烈な存在がその場に再現された。
再現されるのは巨躯の牛頭鬼すら見上げるほど巨大な、黄金に輝く半獣半人の異形なる【堕神】が一柱。 かつてはこの世界の【神】だったが、墜ちて世界を荒らした【神災】の一つが黒小鬼王と牛頭鬼の前に立ちはだかった。
〇 Σ 〇
――“ヒストクロック”が最後に再現した【堕神】戦の後半は、あまり記憶にない。
途中からは考えるよりも先に本能で身体が動いていたし、そんな余裕がないくらい酷い戦いだったという事だろう。
今回は【堕神】が本物ではなく、本物が強すぎて再現しきれなかったので能力も低く、胸部に存在する連結核を潰せば即座に倒す事が可能だった事と、過剰なまでに蓄えられた上質な魔力。
そして何より、牛頭鬼という心強過ぎる味方がいた。
最終的には牛頭鬼に守られながら接近し、下半身を失いつつも捨て身の攻撃で連結核を喰い、九死に一生を得たが、何か一つの天秤が傾いてば結果はまた違っていたかもしれない。
とてつもない苦労だったが、それに見合った成果は間違いなくあった。
【能力名【歴史に輝く黄金の記録】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【歴史の栞】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【黄金時の欠片】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【原初の鬼影】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【天上の翼環】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【破壊の権化】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【崩壊の予兆】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【■■堕神：■■宣告】のラーニング完了】
［エリアレイドボス“ヒストクロック”の討伐に成功しました］
［神■■篇［ヒストクロック］のクリア条件【単独撃破】【■■討滅】【■■■■】が達成されました】 ［■■■■には特殊能力【因果時転の理】が付与されました］ ［■■■■には初回討伐ボーナスとして宝箱【積層せし黄金時計】が贈られました］
［■■■■■／■■■■による■迷詩■攻略の為、【歴史の神】の神力の一部が徴収されました］
［神力徴収は徴収主が■■だった為、■の■る神の神力は■■れました］
［弾かれた神力の一部が規定により、物質化します］
［■■■■は【歴史神之黄金時計】を手に入れた！！］
下半身が無くなっているので、機械腕で這って“ヒストクロック”の傍に寄る。 【堕神】を倒した直後、六本指の掌のような祭壇の上に居た“ヒストクロック”は亀裂が走ってガラスが砕け、時針も折れ曲がって動かなくなった。 生物というよりは機械的な形状の“ヒストクロック”の状態を確認するが、確実に機能停止している。 後で喰う為に出てきた宝箱などと一緒にとりあえず回収し、今日はこのまま寝る事にした。
鉛のように重い疲労や消滅した血肉の再生。その他諸々の不調を処理する為にも、今は本能が示す最適解に素直に従うべきである。 目が覚めたら色々と気になる部分の検証が必要だろうが、取り出した毛布にくるまって横になる。
そんな俺の隣で、牛頭鬼も横になった。 何度か四肢が千切れてはくっ付けて再生していたが、牛頭鬼も休んで回復する必要があるらしい。 今回は非常に頼りになったので、またどこかで共闘したいものである。 俺と縁があるのは間違いないので、それは近い未来に叶いそうではあるが。
疲労が酷い。考えるのは明日だ。 牛頭鬼に最後の挨拶として拳を伸ばすと、それに応えてくれたので拳同士をコツンと触れさせ、目を閉じる。 グッナイ。よい夢を。
［神権効果【因果忘却】対象者が解除条件【エリアレイドボスの駆逐】を一部達成しました］
［それによって一部制限が解除され、【小鬼】から【中鬼】に回帰します］
［規格外恩寵【限界超越】が効果を発揮しました］
［規格外■■【堕神■■】が■■■■■■■■■］
［試練を乗り越えた事で、■■■■は本来の【中鬼】から【黒焔領中鬼大王・堕天隗定種】に【存在改定】されました］
［記憶の一部も封印が解除され、思い出す事が出来ます］
意識が落ちる前に、どこかで聞いたような声が聞こえた気がした。