Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 171 The Final Chapter: "The Drama Has Only Just Begun"

Shido gripped the sword tightly, his eyes fixed sharply on the right side of Ming's face. With a do-or-die spirit, he slashed at Beast's golden skin.

'boom! '

It was as if he had struck an indestructible diamond, producing a crisp symphony. The boy's hand trembled slightly from the recoil, but his eyes were firm, showing no sign of backing down. He then exerted all his strength once more on the still-reaching Beast's face!

"—Kill Him! For Tohka! For all those behind me! We must defeat Him! Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Ming was struck by the sword, and his body swayed slightly.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and his body trembled because of the sword strike. Even the other weapons beside him were blocked by the two different wind pressures.

But... this trembling was not from fear, but from excitement, excitement at an attack that could hurt him.

Ming had long been frozen solid, and the sword blade struck his right cheek with increased force, as Shido continuously channeled his spiritual power to intensify the blow.

"Aaaaaah—!"

Just as he roared, Ming's right cheek seemed to be struck by a powerful force, and then suddenly shattered like porcelain.

Ming's cheek was instantly torn into countless tiny golden fragments, and black mud like blood flew in and out.

However, Ming took the opportunity to break free of the ice binding his ankles, took a few steps back, and met Shido's gaze again.

He could sense the determination in the boy's eyes, his eyes filled with joy, showing no regard for the pain of losing half his face or any anger.

"Ah...didn't we do it? Hero..."

"I'm sorry, I'm not the hero you're talking about. I just want to protect everyone I live with!"

Amidst the intertwined gazes, Shido, without hesitation, drew his sword and charged towards Ming's direction with all his might.

Ming's weapons moved, and he rushed towards Shido who was charging towards him.

Shido's response to this was...

——【Ice Puppet】!

—【Burning and Destroying Demons】!

The biting cold air and the blazing flames intertwined, and the two contrasting energies collided violently, causing a large amount of steam to rise like billowing smoke, completely enveloping half of the summit of Mount Fuji.

Is it smoke?

Ming looked around at the area enveloped in boiling mist. Because he hadn't chosen his right eye, his vision was somewhat obstructed.

Rather than searching in isolation, He preferred a thorough cleanup, projecting His consciousness onto the six weapons and sending them hurtling towards the six directions around Him.

Just as the weapons were about to reach the six points, Shido's specific figure and corresponding temperature could be felt in the mist.

Although hesitant, Ming still took precautions to prevent the possibility of the real body inside. He controlled all his troops to rush towards the heat points of each object with all his might, but he could only feel the coldness that returned to his body, as if he were frozen.

"Um..."

Ming's expression was solemn as he pondered to himself. Perhaps it was the convenience brought by the Beast's shell that caused his various combat skills learned in SSS to deteriorate somewhat.

"Should I go find someone to teach me combat skills after I die...?"

"Beast!!!"

The voice came from behind Sisi Ming, and when he turned his head, he could see Shido's figure rapidly approaching him through the mist.

"Got you?"

Flames enveloped his arms, forming wild, beast-like claws, before he turned and grabbed the hand of "Shido," who was charging toward him.

However, what I felt was a sense of loss as the ice gradually melted away and eventually turned into nothingness. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an ice sculpture exactly like Shido, thrown over while running.

"Whoosh..."

Hearing the extremely compressed breathing, Ming was astonished. He turned around again and, for the first time, struggled to dodge Shido's powerful punch, which was wrapped in flames and was delivered with all his might.

"Sorry, your move missed!"

No! Not at all!

Just as Shido was speaking, the black dagger in his right hand flashed.

Seeing this, Ming wanted to use the only magical artifact currently beside him, the Wings of Icarus, to try to push Shido away the moment the black feathers appeared.

How could He possibly be satisfied with the attack that Shido had fought so hard to protect?!

The powerful wind pressure propelled Shido's arm, which was gripping the dagger tightly. Then, as if completely pulled by gravity, he broke free from its restraints and stabbed towards Ming like a ghost.

The feeling was excruciating, like having a thruster installed on the back of his hand, as if the skin of that hand was being torn apart by the wind pressure, but Shido gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

But at least the result was good; the dagger pierced straight into the crack that Ming had already created in his chest with the Aosha Gongyu.

How could that be?

Ming suddenly turned around and stared at Shido, whose abilities were vastly different from his own, with an even more surprised look. It was so absurd that it was hard to believe, but the pain in his chest was very real.

With a light flick of his black feathers, a violent tornado raged out half a meter away from Ming's body. Before Shido could even savor the joy of being hit, he was already blasted away by the violent wind pressure.

Spinning and blowing in the air, he slammed into the cold rocky ground with the force of his entire body, and Shido felt as if his entire skeleton was about to fall apart in that instant.

"Ugh, damn it..."

Pain enveloped his entire body, but it was quickly covered by a gentle regenerative flame. He raised his head, feeling as if he had just pierced a brick into a hard piece of pottery.

Staring at the crack spreading from his chest, with pieces of gold constantly falling off, Beast began to break down, convinced that his attack had indeed worked.

"Success!"

Shido struggled to his feet, a tear falling to the ground, quickly freezing into an ice cube by the cold wind. But what was gratifying was that he had an absolute hit that season.

"Tohka...we did it! Did you see that...?"

He looked at the long-haired girl with dark purple hair lying in the distance, then looked back at Beast, whose body was constantly collapsing, and smiled bitterly with tears streaming down his face.

Beast's body was collapsing at an increasingly rapid pace, with golden fragments falling like raindrops and black mud constantly gushing out.

Ming's body began to sway, and the weapons surrounding him also lost control and fell to the ground.

Fluttering sounds... fluttering sounds, the light spots enveloping her fell off, fluttering sounds... fluttering sounds, her long hair fell out, fluttering sounds... fluttering sounds, her body shattered... that distant dream gradually drew closer.

"Almost there...just a little bit more. The very foundation of my body and even my soul has begun to tremble. The 'shackles' are still attached, but soon...just a tiny bit more..."

Ming's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and in the standing prototype object that was now just black mud, no one could see his eyes at this moment.

In Shido's eyes, it was probably just the villain struggling or begging for mercy when he was seriously injured.

With great effort, Shido dragged himself along, his hands gripping the weapon tightly. He walked slowly and heavily toward the heavily wounded beast before him.

"...I don't want to say anything. Although I have reservations about killing, I can't understand a simple monster, and I can't stand by and watch someone else's life be taken away..."

Dragging the greatsword in his hand, he arrived in front of the Beast, which had stopped moving. The monster's entire body was covered in black mud, and the spiritual energy fluctuations he could sense were becoming increasingly weak.

The sword was slowly and heavily raised...

"Beast! Die here... even if my hands are stained with blood for the first time..."

Everyone watching this scene through the overhead monitor remained silent, and the elves who rushed over also simply lowered their heads and remained silent.

"........."

Everything was so silent. The [Slaughtering Lord] hanging high above the Beast fell heavily after a moment of silence.

"Let this all end—!"

As the slayer cleaved through the black mud on the front, Ming felt as if the other magazines that enveloped his soul had also been instantly severed, and a long-lost tranquility washed over him.

So there was only a brief moment of peace, but Ming so desperately wanted to savor it longer...

After the slash, black mud spurted out of Beast's chest, and then he fell heavily onto the snow. The weapons stuck in the ice sculptures also seemed to have their connection with Beast severed, turning into specks of light and gradually dissipating.

Following closely behind, flames flickered in Shido's palm, and accompanied by his complex and heavy gaze, Beast's body began to burn wildly.

The flames burned fiercely, illuminating Shido's tired yet determined face.

After the Hurricane Knight [Piercer] that he casually conjured pierced the abdomen of the Beast engulfed in flames, Shido walked toward Tohka, who was lying on the side with a gloomy face.

"Tohka, let's go home..."

Tears could no longer be concealed. Shido felt as if his heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand. He walked to the collapsed Tohka and tried to pick her up.

Just as he picked up Tohka, he glanced slightly behind him and suddenly clenched his teeth, his fists clenched, and his whole body trembled.

"How is this possible!" Shido muttered to himself in disbelief.

Shido slowly turned his head and saw that in the firelight, Beast, which should have been burned to ashes, actually stood up unsteadily like an unburnt zombie.

The flames on His body had not been extinguished, but His enormous body exuded an even more terrifying aura. The lingering black mud clumped together and peeled off piece by piece like ceramic pieces stuck to His body.

If his sudden re-standing was merely a surprise, what Shido is seeing now is—the most absurd scene in the world!

"what……!"

After the black mud solidified, it peeled off and crumbled piece by piece, revealing pale and thin skin covered in wounds created by the faint black firelight, and finally, the face that was so gentle in his memory.

With the same world-weary expression as Lingyin, and slightly raised dark circles under his eyes, Beast reopened his eyes. It was a familiar voice—a left eye with a cloudy black pupil and a scarlet beastly eye with a right eye.

"No...no...no, this isn't real..."

Another tear fell into Shido's eyes.

'Gah~'

Someone's glass fell to the ground in Fraxinus, and everyone stared at the screen in astonishment, including Kannazuki.

"How...could it be...you?!"

Shido's voice trembled. Although he already knew the answer, the current situation still left him feeling at a loss.

Inside Fraxinus, everyone stared at the screen with expressions of astonishment and disbelief.

The eyes of Kannazuki Kyohei, Kawagoe Kyohji, Shiizaki Hinako, Minowa Kozue, Mikimoto Masaomi, Nakatsugawa Munechika, and others who all had some friendship with "that man" trembled at this scene.

Zooming in on the screen, the man standing before it nodded slightly, his pale, naked skin sending chills down the spines of everyone present.

A slight, increasingly manic smile began to rise from the man's lips, accompanied by a complex expression in Shido's eyes. He slowly spoke:

"Shido, and everyone watching this from outside the screen, let's meet formally. I am the true evil spirit—Flame Beast, and you are all your current enemy!"

Shido held Tohka tightly, his body trembling uncontrollably, his mind a complete mess. He still hadn't imagined that Mei would personally unveil his identity in this way.

“Mr. Ming…”

“I can hear you, Shido.”

Their eyes met, and a whole host of emotions—anger, hatred, pain—bloomed like flowers in full bloom!