“BAH! BWAHAHAHAHA! I seriously didn’t think you could be so dumb! Are you really saying you’ve come to save this woman?! Have you lost your damned mind?!”
It was just as Rajas said. Suimei was out of his mind. He’d walked through an army of demons without a care for his own life. He was virtually marching towards certain death. Just what would come of him showing up here? There was just desolation and grief here. Even though he’d shown up, this was a battlefield. A killing field. A place people came to die. And yet...
“What, are you suggesting a woman like this is worth saving? This woman who ran for dear life and can protect nothing? This miserable, worthless woman?”
“Yeah.”
Just what was he thinking as he closed his eyes and nodded? It was foolish, and rightfully so, his heart acknowledged that he was a fool. Seeing this, Rajas once more spoke up.
“Hmph. What would make you go so damn far? You didn’t have to suffer for her. You could have just looked the other way. Saved yourself and abandoned her.”
“That won’t do, you see. If I’d done that, I wouldn’t be able to save her.”
“Wuh―?!”
Rajas knit his brow at that most unexpected answer. And immediately following that, as if Suimei was throwing down the gauntlet...
“Those who grieve from misfortune, those who cannot be saved... I walk the path to save them. And there’s no way I’d abandon that. That’s why...”
That’s why I came here like this.
Suimei made his declaration in a solemn voice. That he was going to save her and fight him. Spinning his words with determination, Rajas seemed to be taken aback momentarily, but he recovered himself before long, and after a short pause, he opened his mouth as if remembering something.
“Pfft―”
His answer to Suimei’s determination was a tremendous laugh.
“HAHAHAHAHA! Ridiculous! That’s why?! You clawed your way through my subordinates to march yourself right up to the chopping block for that?! And what’s this nonsense about saving those that can’t be saved?! You ran all the way here on such idiocy?! Come now, even fools have their limits! BWAHAHAHAHA! To think such a laughable―”
“So what?”
“―?!”
What stopped Rajas in his tracks was the cold voice that Suimei let out. A wind that was far colder than the gales of the far north stopped every heart present, freezing everyone’s breath—even Rajas’s hideous laughter—in an instant.
A terrifying chill filled the area. It was not a physical cold. No, it pierced far deeper than that. It was a chill that threatened to freeze your very soul. Even the ground that had been scorched by Rajas’s power appeared to be frosting over. As for Suimei, who was the cause of all this, he was staring fixedly at the demon general that was still sneering at his determination with unshaken, steely eyes.
“Stop looking at me like that immediately, boy. I don’t like it.”
“Do you think I’ll stop just ’cause you asked?”
“Then I’ll just make you stop by force!”
Rajas unleashed an ear-splitting roar that felt like it shook everything in the area. The shock wave of it sent dust, sand, and pebbles flying, and what came rushing at Suimei in the middle of all of it was an arm the size of an evergreen tree. Standing his ground against the attack that threatened to reduce him to nothing more than roadkill, he recited a signature chant that couldn’t be heard anywhere else.
“Moenia, quinquepartita expansio!”
[Rampart, fivefold expansion!]
Five shining, golden magic circles appeared in front of his hand as if taking shape from something else in the form of a shield. And when they aligned, Suimei had his golden defenses. Rajas’s dark aura crashed right into, sending brilliant sparks scattering violently. But before long, perhaps because it was unable to endure the attack, or perhaps that was its intended purpose all along, the second magic circle burst away, and the third quickly followed.
“OOOOOOOOH!”
“AAAAAAAAH!”
The remarkable fist that was trying to dig through Suimei’s magic circles, and the mana throwing golden, glowing particles into the air. The broken earth that was unable to withstand it, and the shock wave being emitted. All that eventually gave birth to a tornado-like current that demonstrated the dreadfulness of the collision. As both of their war cries mingled together in the whipping winds, Suimei’s fourth magic circle began spinning. And immediately following that...
“NUU―?!”
The enormous power that was supposed to be pushing against Suimei was turned inside out in an instant. With a bellowing cry, Rajas’s massive body gouged the earth as he was sent flying backward into it, skidding all the way over a ledge in the distance.
“Tch, even with the interference of the dampening rampart, he got blown away with that much force...? That damn muscle freak...”
While rolling his shoulders, Suimei spat out an insult over the horizon where Rajas had disappeared. As expected, he was exhausted. Considering the number of enemies he’d had to fight to get here, that much was unavoidable. But then he turned to Lefille.
“Stand up, Lefille. We’re gonna beat that guy.”
He chose his words carefully as he spoke to her. They’d fight together. Struggle together. It was as though he was asking her to cooperate―no, it was as though he was encouraging her. Earnestly, and sincerely. And to show it, he looked right at her with his straightforward and dazzling eyes, alive with an odd scarlet light. It was like the passion in them was burning like molten iron. His eyes were hot. They were the eyes of a man that would never forget his convictions.
But the answer he wanted wasn’t something Lefille could give anymore. All her hope had been smashed to pieces by Rajas earlier.
“It’s impossible.”
Hanging her head down, she could only give up.
“Huh...?”
“It’s impossible. We can’t beat him. You or me. It’s our fate to be killed by him here.”
“Hey... What’s wrong, Lefille?”
Even hearing that she had given up, Suimei only questioned her in bewilderment. He’d never doubted that she would join forces with him here. That they would fight together. That the two of them could defeat Rajas. But Lefille was now saying there was nothing they could do.
“We can’t win against Rajas. That demon is too strong. Even if we joined forces here, we can’t win.”
“You never know until you try, right?”
“No, I can tell. He’s strong. The soldiers of Noshias—men and women known throughout the world for their power—all fell before his power. There’s no way that just the two of us can take him. And now that it’s come to this, it’s fated both you and I will die at his hands.”
That was it. Their destinies had already been decided. Her prophecy of doom must have sounded like nothing but faintheartedness to him. But it was the truth. No matter how strongly they felt, no matter how brave they were, before such overwhelming strength, the endless dream would come for them.
Faced with her weakness, Suimei slumped his shoulders and closed his eyes. Was he discouraged? She couldn’t see his expression with his head hung, but she assumed so.
“Are you alright with that Lefille? Are you really alright letting it end like that?”
“Yeah. It’s already done. Anything and everything... I’ve already given up on them. I’m just tired now.”
“I see...”
Suimei could hear what she was saying. Surely he understood now that everything was about to end. That there was no meaning in resisting only to increase their misery. If they withstood just a little more pain, that they would finally be at peace.
Suimei suddenly stepped over to her, but it wasn’t the gesture she was hoping for. He had his back to her. In fact, that black cloth dangling in front of her eyes made it look like he was standing there to protect her from the oncoming threat of Rajas.
“Suimei-kun?”
“Then I’ll j
ust do what I want to do. If you’re saying that you won’t move from where you are, then it means I’ll just crush that scum right here.”
Suimei spoke in a voice like he believed in the hope of his words beyond a shadow of a doubt. But it was far too naive a claim. Lefille’s voice became rough as she denied it.
“What are you saying?! You likely don’t even know Rajas’s true power! That guy is completely different from the demons you defeated before, you know?!”
“He probably is. But if I give up here, I won’t be able to save you, and I won’t be able to reach what I’m striving for.”
What he was striving for. Was that what he’d proclaimed to Rajas earlier?
“You mean saving those who can’t be saved? Ridiculous! There are unfortunates all over the world! They meet terrible ends all the time and no one even bats an eye!”
“Even so.”
“That kind of ambition is nothing more than a pipe dream! An illusion! Make-believe! Something only a child would say!”
“Even so.”
“Even so, what?! By glossing over things with those words, are you saying that you can guarantee that we’ll be saved?!”
“Yeah.”
“There’s no way... There’s absolutely no way that can be true. It’s impossible. Just impossible...”
How could it be otherwise? In this world, no matter where you looked, there were those who were starving. There were those fallen to their knees in sorrow. There were those who perished in bitter anger everywhere. One was right in front of Suimei now. There was no denying their pitiful misery. They were people who could never be saved. Never.
He should have known that. If he had sound judgment, if he so much as looked at reality, it was obvious. His declaration was just a fanciful illusion that could never be realized. However, even so, he shook his head as if gently admonishing a child who wouldn’t listen.
“Lefille, that’s not something for you to decide. Whether or not someone can be saved is what I intend to find out with this dream I’ve been pursuing.”
“Just what do you think will come of striving for something like that, that vague and unreliable dream? Even if you chase after it, you won’t find anything, will you? All that comes at the end of a dream is despair that betrays all your hopes.”
“That may be so.”
“Then―”
“However, I have no intention of looking back. You know? If I turn back, then the dream I’m chasing will no longer be there in front of me. Beyond the horizon where I give up on that dream, I’m not there. Not me now, and not me who swore to fulfill it that day. That’s why... Well, just look and see for yourself. The hope I’m striving for and the way of life that’s gonna take me there.”
Look and see, he said. Looking up at him as he made that declaration, he seemed almost blindingly bright to Lefille. It was likely something nobody in this world had ever seen before—the brilliance of his soul.
Rajas, who had been blown away, was now approaching again. He shattered the earth underneath his feet with each stomp. He was livid and it showed on his face. His gaze that looked like it could kill someone all on its own was perfectly lined up with Suimei’s.
“Boy, you bastard...”
“Just disappear already, you fucking scum.”
“SHUT UUUUUP!”
Matching his roar, the aura in Rajas’s palm began to expand rapidly. Darkness packed in against darkness while casting a dark violet shadow of destruction over the surroundings. It was Rajas’s technique that had blown away Noshian fortresses—the very same one that had leveled the area here on the mountainside.
“You and that damn woman can perish together with this!”
It was over. This was the end. Lefille no longer had any power of the spirits left within her. She couldn’t withstand this attack again, and there existed no magic in the world which could oppose it. That’s why...
“Suimei-kun, enough already... Let’s give up...”
Even though nothing more could be done, Suimei didn’t heed her at all. As if declaring this was all a mere trifle, he began chanting.
“Mea aegis non est aegis. Prae omni oppugnatione est solida. Prae omni impetu est invicta.”
[My shield is not a shield. It is sturdy before any and all offense. It is unshakable before any and all attacks.]
Responding to his chant, mana swelled around him. The air filled with a golden light that challenged the darkness, and that light began rotating like a whirlwind.
“Invincibilis, immobilis, immortalis. Id est ardens aureum castrum ut colligit spiritus astorum. Eius nomen est―”
[Invincible, immobile, imperishable. It is the shining golden castle that collects the breath of the stars. Its name is―]
Before long, the golden lights each headed to different locations as if to fulfill their own roles, and with the excitation of golden lightning, they took shape. A crackling sound could be heard intermittently in the area, and then...
“Mea firma aegis! Speciosum aureum magnale!”
[My firm shield! The brilliant golden fortress!]
With those last few words, the magic circles formed atop one another. And one beat behind their alignment, everything was snatched away by the darkness. The area was engulfed by midnight.
“―!”
This was the end of everything. With this attack, her flesh, her soul... All would be lost to the blackness. Or at least, it should have been.
Despite what she thought, things didn’t stop there. She’d shut her eyes as she sensed inescapable death approaching. Yet when she opened them, she and Suimei were still there, both perfectly fine. They were still alive.
As the dust settled, it became quite clear Lefille wasn’t the only one who was shocked at this turn of events.
“R-Ridiculous... My power that can level fortresses did nothing?!”
As the demon’s astonished voice rang out, Lefille looked around. Her eyes were met with a breathtaking spectacle.
All around her were geometrical patterns, words, and numbers. And surrounding them was a golden light emitted by mana. The magic circle drawn on the ground had something like the hour and minute hands of a clock on it, and the other magic circles in the area expanded as if to fill and protect the space. Large magic circles, small magic circles... Everything she’d seen just before the dark attack was still in place. That was when she realized what all these golden circles were protecting. Indeed, it was as if she and Suimei were enclosed within a fortress made of magic circle ramparts.
“Ha. Don’t put my golden fortress on the same level as some crap made from stone and wood. This bad boy is modeled after a military base from my world. If you want to get through it, you’d better bring something twice as powerful as a red dragon’s roar.”
“From your world, you say? You bastard, it couldn’t be...!”
“That’s got nothing to fucking do with you!”
As Suimei flung his right arm out to the side, a golden sword took shape in an instant. With it, he blew away Rajas’s bewildered voice, the cloud of dust, and all the smoldering fires in the area.
“YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAARD!”
And then, perhaps at last judging this young man to be a formidable enemy, Rajas rushed in savagely. He was coming straight for Suimei. His defensive fortress reverted into mana, and Rajas took for granted that he would be faster than the tip of his golden sword. On one hand, Rajas’s fighting style was simplistic. On the other, it was also fast and powerful.
Even though he was facing off against such a large opponent, even though one attack from him would reduce a normal human to ground meat, Suimei ran forwards, stood his ground, and entered one-on-one combat.
He was challenging death. Lefille wasn’t wrong about that. But even so, Suimei’s vigor didn’t waver.
Dodging Rajas’s boorish attacks and fighting back with his golden blade of mana, Suimei would weave his words to strike with magic. If he took even a single fist, it would be fatal. Yet despite the stakes, he
showed no fear. As if the passionate emotions kept hidden within his heart were sustaining him, he looked as solid as an iron statue from behind. He would not break. He would not bend. His figure was stronger and more profound than anyone else’s there.
As the demon’s miasma grazed his skin and clothes, small wounds began multiplying across Suimei’s face and body. But even so, he didn’t stop. The ferocious yell of that young man blew away the imminent dread before her, and even the weight that burdened her heart. It took everything with it.
Enchanted by his passion as he fought like that, Lefille suddenly came to her senses.
Just what am I doing?
While he was fighting, she just sat behind him and watched. Having given up on everything, having thrown away everything, having even denied his dream, she was down on her knees. Just watching. All she did was stare as she took for granted that absolutely nothing could be done. After coming to that conclusion, she could do nothing else.
“...”
And she continued to watch him still. She was entranced. By the figure and the blinding radiance of the hot and passionate emotions of this young man who wished for the happiness of all who shed tears at the injustice of the world. This young man had the audacity to proclaim that he’d save those who couldn’t be saved. He was going to prove it. And being so enchanted by that, was it really alright for her to just sit by and do nothing?
Suimei was repelled by a blow from Rajas’s fist, which sent him flying all the way to Lefille. His body was in bad shape, however, his strength to stand and his spirit to fight back hadn’t diminished at all. He dug his heels into the ground as if to declare that he was holding on. That he hadn’t lost yet.
And before she knew what she was doing, Lefille called out to him.
“Suimei-kun... Why do you go so...”
As she tried to ask why he went so far, while keeping his gaze fixed forward, he made the following declaration.
“Because I want to protect you.”
Hearing those words, something that she had forgotten came back to her. Deep in her shattered heart, a passionate emotion began to bubble up.
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! Volume 2 Page 25