NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 38
Chapter 38. Acceleration
“Yanagi-kun, step back a little――because I’m going to kill it.”
I declare this while brimming with murderous intent.
Yanagi-kun’s ability is physical enhancement. He probably doesn’t have the firepower to attack this entire space.
In that case, I’m the only one with a chance to act.
“No, but—”
Yanagi-kun turns back, his voice wavering. I respond with a smile.
“It’s fine. I’ll handle this. I might get you caught up in it, so just step back a bit.”
I won’t have the luxury to keep Yanagi-kun in mind while I fight.
“Accelerator.”
It’s the usual scene. The moment I activate my ability, the world shifts into slow motion. No one can keep up with my speed.
My ability, Accelerator, has the power to accelerate anything and everything.
As long as I’m touching my target, I can even accelerate their death, though it still takes considerable time, so unfortunately, it’s not that practical. But on the flip side, given enough time, I can kill anyone for certain.
In other words, my ability has immense versatility.
(Where should I crush it first?)
If Yanagi-kun could destroy that much and the monster still has that arrogant smile without any sign of panic, then the core probably isn’t here.
I glance at the forest and lightly kick a pebble in that direction.
It accelerates, shooting straight ahead.
Within seconds, it reaches supersonic speed, piercing not only the trees before it but also tearing apart everything around it.
“Nuuh!”
The monster lets out a startled sound. Its earlier arrogance starts to fade just slightly.
Exposing your weakness by placing the core so carelessly—
You’ve underestimated us too much.
That arrogance will be your downfall.
I unleash my full strength for the first time in ages.
“I’ll show you the fastest power in the world.”
In the blink of an eye, I cross several dozen kilometers. The resulting wind pressure topples trees halfway down, creating a massive clearing.
With this kind of initial velocity, it must have looked like I simply vanished to the monster.
I don’t stop.
With every step I take, I accelerate further.
Faster, faster!
Until I can cover this entire space in an instant!
“You brat!!”
Six new monsters crawl up from the ground.
(This is troublesome. If I ignore them and they keep multiplying, it’ll be a hassle. I’ll wipe them out in one go.)
I switch my short swords from a normal grip to a reverse grip.
“Hyakka Ryouran.”
An overwhelming flurry of attacks blooms faster than the speed of sound.
The six enemies before me finally begin to realize they’ve been sliced apart. Their bodies lag for a beat before every part of them starts to shift out of place.
“Ugh!”
The sheer speed makes my body scream in pain.
It’s true my ability can accelerate infinitely unless stopped by someone, but my body can’t keep up with that speed.
(I need to end this soon, or I’ll die.)
At this velocity, even colliding with the smallest object causes massive damage. So far, I’ve deflected everything with my short swords, but now even the air itself is starting to injure me.
Body, hold out for just a little longer.
“Enough of your tricks! You’re starting to irritate me!”
The branches gather into a massive wall.
If it sweeps across me, dodging will be nearly impossible.
But I’ve finished my preparations first.
I reach my current top speed.
This state only lasts a few seconds, but that’s all I need.
“[Sanzen Sekai].”
A silver flash slices through the entire space.
Even a single blade of grass, down to its finest details, splits apart.
Crack. I hear the sound of something fracturing.
“Im-impossible!”
The sound intensifies, growing louder and louder until, moments later, a glass-like shattering reverberates across the space.
“Ka-ha!”
I cough up blood.
My body has reached its limit. Even standing feels exhausting, and my vision blurs.
(But I felt it.)
I definitely destroyed the core.
The monster should collapse now.
“Guaaahahahaha!”
But the monster, whose core should have been destroyed, laughs—jeering, mocking, sneering.
Faces emerge everywhere on its body, singing a chorus of despair.
No signs of collapse appear anywhere.
“To think one of my cores would be destroyed… I didn’t expect that.”
The meaning of those words dawns on me, and my eyes widen.
“…Ha.”
A dry laugh escapes me.
――That’s cheating.
Who would’ve thought it didn’t have just one core…
It seems I was bound by conventional thinking.
I want to give up. Despair takes hold of my heart.
It feels futile.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just take my own life?
The short swords in my hands feel absurdly heavy. But…
(I can’t let him—let Yanagi-kun die.)
Forcing my body, which trembles beyond its limit, I raise my short swords.
His strength will be indispensable for the team going forward.
He’s not someone who can die here.
I’ve seen countless comrades die.
What was truly needed back then wasn’t my speed. No matter how many I saved, I couldn’t keep doing it over and over. In the end, they all died.
What we needed was enough overwhelming power to fight back against such unfairness.
Besides, I was the one who recruited him.
I have a duty to protect him.
(If I die, will everyone cry for me?)
They probably would.
Kikuri-chan and Moeka-chan would bawl their eyes out, like when previous teammates died.
The seniors, who never cry in front of others, would probably go home and weep quietly.
I prepare to accelerate again—
“Senpai, take a little break.”
Before I realize it, Yanagi-kun is close to me, speaking those words.
“I’ll handle the rest, so you just practice for when you’ll give me a lap pillow.”
“Ha… ha… You can’t handle this, Yanagi-kun.”
So just stand back.
I try to say this, but Yanagi-kun lightly presses on my shoulder, and I collapse to the ground.
“W-what are you—”
“Look, you’re already falling apart. Just stay put. Oh, and Hattori-san, I didn’t know you could talk so normally.”
“Why are you saying that now?”
Honestly, despite the dire situation, Yanagi-kun shows not the slightest hint of tension.
“Well, see you in a bit.”
With that, he starts walking toward the monster.
His casual demeanor feels so out of place on the battlefield that I freeze for a moment, stunned.
“Hey! Wait! Damn it—”
My legs refuse to move.
I thought I’d reached my limit earlier, but Yanagi-kun’s push was the final blow.
“You’ve amused me enough. Now, be gone.”
Countless branches extend, entangling Yanagi-kun.
(Why aren’t you resisting!?)
Yet Yanagi-kun doesn’t struggle at all.
The branches envelop him completely, slowly squeezing tighter.
“Ha! Have you given up on beating me? How pathetic!”
No!
Yanagi-kun is going to die!
“Yanagi-kun! I’ll save—”
“[Ra]…”
A quiet murmur reaches my ears.
And the sight before me leaves me speechless.
The branches binding Yanagi-kun vanish.
The air shakes, and the ground cries out.
I don’t know what it is.
But to me, it looks like a sun—one that could annihilate all existence.