"..."
I opened my eyes. I could feel the heat of magic on my skin, but my consciousness was still hazy. My ears felt numb, as if I was deep underwater. Reality didn't seem like reality. My eyelids were heavy.
I closed my eyes again.
"..."
I opened my eyes. I tried to move, taking a deep breath, but there was no strength in my fingertips or toes. My whole body was powerless.
I closed my eyes again.
"..."
I opened my eyes. Now, I have to wake up. I did my best to twitch my fingers.
I twitched.
That was it.
I closed my eyes again.
"..."
I opened my eyes. Right in front of my nose, on the ground, a [fruit] had fallen. It meant that 6 hours had passed.
I opened my mouth. I stretched out my tongue like a camel and licked it. Lick-lick- The tip of my tongue barely wrapped around the fruit.
Gulp-
Only then did I regain a bit of consciousness.
I closed my eyes again.
"...Yawn."
I opened my eyes. A yawn naturally flowed out.
Now, I felt a bit more lively.
I sighed and sat up.
I'm hungry. I think I need to order something to eat. What time is it now?
"You finally woke up? You sleep well!"
Suddenly, someone called me.
"?"
Rrrrrrrrrrr───!
At the same time, the cries of the monsters echoed.
Screeeeee──!
The sound of a sword cutting through space.
Reality dawned on me belatedly.
I quickly raised my head. Only Soliette was still standing at the entrance.
Long-range fighters and auxiliary mages were helping her from afar, and Kielli was lying on the floor, sleeping.
"You've been asleep for almost a day."
"A day?"
"Yeah."
Gurgle-!
A loud noise echoed from my stomach. The guy next to me handed me a supply box.
"Eat."
"Thanks."
I stuffed the food in hastily. I quickly got up and looked around.
"...Hey. Didn't another fruit ripen?"
"Oh, that? Soliette ate that."
"Ah."
Well, then.
I stretched my body. I was still a bit sluggish, but much better. At least 70% was recharged.
"Soliette."
I drew my sword next to Soliette. She took a step back and glanced at me.
"Are you awake?"
"Yeah."
I looked at the ground. The 'line' was still clear.
"Let's take turns."
"...Yes."
Surprisingly, she answered obediently. If this stubborn girl is this tired, it seems like quite a long time has passed. Her complexion was indeed pale.
"Leave it to me now. Go rest."
"I trust you, Shion."
She immediately sat down on the ground, and I activated the automation.
Swish──! Swish──!
I was unconsciously slashing, when suddenly I felt a gaze from behind.
Soliette.
Her eyes were watching me.
More precisely, the movement of the curve drawn by my sword, very closely....
* * *
The relentless monster wave. Within them, the seniors are breaking, both physically and psychologically.
Some give up, unable to endure. Some persist out of stubbornness. Some discover a new aspect of themselves in that 'extreme'.
Of course, there are seniors who stand out in particular.
Elise, who astonishingly maintains the hastily constructed barricade and efficiently controls all personnel.
Gerkhen, who never collapses, no matter what enemy pushes against him.
Layla, Kain, Asher, Mel, and others, who demonstrate martial arts growth far beyond the first quarter…
─It was a worthwhile test.
As the week-long test was coming to an end.
─Indeed. It brings back old memories. Of course, it was more intense back then.
─Right. It was commonplace for limbs to be torn off and people to die…
The VVIPs in the monitoring room are also preparing to leave one by one.
─…They are working hard over there.
As they said this, they glanced at Zia, who was left alone.
The illegitimate child of Libra, who comes to the monitoring room early every morning and stays until late at night alone.
Fortunately, she seems to have tact, as she does not participate in the evening parties held daily.
─She must have come to study.
─But does she not attend school at all?
─Haha. She's a product of the 'homeschooling' that Libra prides itself on.
There were many files and handwritten notes on Zia's desk.
She had analyzed a great many seniors.
Not just Shion Ascal. Including the early dropouts, she focused on seniors with lower current abilities (= lower salary costs) but high potential.
She was filtering out those worth scouting for the company she operates under a pseudonym.
─She must be planning to pick up even the scraps. Once the succession is finalized, she'll be kicked out, so it seems smart at a glance. If only she didn't have that veil.
─Exactly. What's with that veil?
─Libra is quite peculiar. Especially the closer to the barrier, the more so.
Zia extremely avoids external activities. Therefore, when she goes out, she always wears a 'veil' that covers her face, in addition to artifacts that prevent photo and video shooting.
The VVIPs were annoyed by Libra's peculiarity.
─Well. Let's go. Let the youngest play house. Really.
─Yes.
While letting such backtalk go in one ear and out the other, Zia, who had been silently staring at her tablet, suddenly…
Caught something on the screen.
She frowned slightly, thinking she had seen it wrong, but she had seen it right.
"Excuse me…"
She cautiously called out to a nearby VVIP. He didn't hear her and just walked past.
"Excuse me…"
The same was true for all the other VVIPs. They all got up and disappeared quickly.
Zia looked around quickly and found someone.
"Excuse me."
Theia Esil. A chaired professor at Edsilla University.
Zia reached out to her.
"Excuse me…"
Theia definitely heard her voice.
But she coldly ignored Zia and walked away.
"..."
Zia silently stood up.
She walked over to the stone statue in the corner of the monitoring room.
"Excuse me..."
The stone statue remained still. But Zia showed her the screen of the tablet.
"What is... this...?"
Then, the stone statue turned its head. It looked at the screen of the tablet.
A black figure shimmering in the bushes of Planarium. A being that has arms and legs like a human, but is not human, and is neither a beast nor a monster.
The stone statue answered.
──It's a spirit body.
"A spirit body... Is that also part of the test?"
──No. It seems to have intruded voluntarily.
"..."
Zia blinked her eyes, and the stone statue looked at her.
"Spirit bodies are..."
──Difficult to deal with.
A spirit that has formed a body. That's what a spirit body is.
Since it's not a material, it's not a problem that can be solved at the senior level.
──However, the principle of this test is non-interference. Planarium negotiated that way. If you want to interfere, you can negotiate by paying another price.
Zia moved her eyes back to the screen of the tablet.
As it is now, the place this spirit body will go to is clear.
The broadcasting room where Shion Ascal is.
"..."
She thought hard about it.
"...No."
She shook her head.
She sat back down in her chair.
"I'll watch a little more..."
Zia intends to watch.
How far he can go and how much he can solve.
* * *
...160 hours have passed. Now, 8 hours short of a week.
Finally, the number of monsters is gradually decreasing.
"It's coming to an end. Finally."
We have maintained three shifts during this time.
Although Soliette alone took care of 12 hours, thanks to the [Fruit] that ripens twice a day, it was barely bearable.
"Let's start returning."
"Phew... Somehow we managed to finish."
"Ah, it's so tiring, really."
The others each let out a sigh of relief. I also stretched my body.
Now, it's time to leave this tedious booth.
Cough-! Cough-!
"Come out, you weaklings. You're nothing but cannon fodder."
We killed the remaining monsters and came out of the broadcasting room.
The sunlight we met after a long time was welcoming. The wind was refreshing. The grass was bright green.
"Phew... The path is completely empty. Let's go."
Soliette led the way without showing any signs of fatigue, and the rest followed.
I tapped Kielli's shoulder next to me.
"Hey. Thanks?"
"...I'm just repaying a debt."
Kielli answered with a twitch of her eyebrows. I chuckled.
"Is this the price of a life? I was up against a monster."
"..."
He just pouted his lips quietly.
"Hey, Shion."
Suddenly, Soliette glanced at me.
"Shion's sword was... the [Eight Swords]?"
"Oh, that?"
She had been watching me every time I swung my sword.
Well, she was the original owner of the Eight Swords, so she must have been concerned.
"It's the Eight Swords, but I've modified it to my liking. Does it bother you?"
"No. It's just… there was someone who, like Shion, had twisted the [Eight Swords] to suit himself."
There was a small sadness mixed in her voice. I asked.
"Felix?"
At that, the people around us were taken aback. They looked at me as if I was crazy.
Swoosh─
Just then, a gust of wind rustled the tree branches.
"Yes."
Soliette nodded her head bitterly.
"It was Felix."
"..."
She said so and walked on, and we quietly followed,
Then.
An explosion occurred.
A light too intense to be sunlight flashed, and before I could turn around, Soliette had already raised her Magic Body. She raised both arms in a defensive stance.
Kwaaaaaa───!
A shockwave surged. It swallowed up the area.
Soliette, she made her body a shield.
Tap- Tap-
Then, the sound of the earth, trees, and sky burning.
My ears are ringing. Tinnitus repeats high and low.
My vision is blurred due to the intense light. As if I've been hit by a flashbang.
I shook my head. I forced myself to breathe and regain my senses.
"...Huh."
I felt around my body. My limbs were intact.
Not just me, but Kielli and the others too.
But...
Soliette was lying on the ground.
With her arms and legs almost completely burnt.
"..."
I blinked my eyes.
In my head, something went snap-!
The sound of breaking was clear.
"What, what is it! Over there!"
Kielli pointed somewhere and shouted.
I turned in that direction. There was a figure about 2m tall.
──It's a spirit body.
A familiar voice came. It was the stone statue.
The stone statue was buried in some tree.
──I've liked you since the airplane.
"Uh, ugh..."
The others trembled. It must have been instinctive fear.
The shockwave just now had a power to induce fear. It was 'primordial energy'.
I quietly drew my sword.
Shrring-
The sound of the blade scraping the scabbard was clear.
"Uh, ughaaak!"
The others ran away first, and Kielli grabbed the hem of my clothes with his fingers from behind me.
"...Ah, it doesn't seem possible? Hey! Let's run away!"
I tilted my eyes.
My back and waist were stiff.
Heat rose to the back of my neck.
My head was hot.
My thoughts did not stretch long.
Extreme boiling anger rather froze other distractions cold.
Only the murderous intent of 'kilingl─' stood straight like an ice pick.
──It seems like that guy wants your body. Are you okay with that? Aren't you going to give up now?
"Stop talking nonsense. If he wants it, tell him I'll give it."
Thud-
I gritted my teeth and drew a line on the ground with my foot.
"If you can cross this line."
──....
The stone statue frowned, and the spirit body approached. Like a gorilla charging.
But there was no sound. No weight. It just came quietly, like a disaster.
It's because it's not tangible. It's not real. It's a residual of a soul clinging to the world.
However…..
I raised my sword over my shoulder.
The Severing Sword can cut it.
The Severing Sword can cut what is not visible.
The Severing Sword can cut what has no form, what is intangible.
It's the 'Severing Sword', which maximizes the concept of 'cutting', which is almost magic itself.
Suddenly, the spirit body appeared in front of my nose.
Its hand reaching out to me.
The moment it, trying to cling like a tentacle, crosses the line on the ground──
I deploy the Severing Sword.
My whole body moves.
The foundation is simple.
In a very short time, cut a lot.
In the domain of zero, where not even a second of gap appears. Nine vertical cuts followed by nine horizontal cuts.
81 divisions that can even cut the air.
The spirit body was trapped in countless grids.
* * *
At the same time, in the silent VVIP monitoring room.
Only one person, the youngest of Libra, 'Zia', was left in the place where even the manager had left.
She, who had thrown off her cumbersome silk dress, was looking at her tablet PC.
Swoosh- Swoosh- She kept pushing the screen to the side with her fingers.
Hoping that this would rewind.
Wanting to rewind.
Wanting to rewind time to see the spectacle just now again.
However, the tablet does not rewind, and the video only circles in her head.
"...."
She definitely witnessed it. Captured it on her retina.
Shion Ascal projected his own sword and cut the spirit body with it.
He cut what is not visible.
He cut what has no form.
No, he 'severed' it.
It was a sword that could do that.
Perhaps, it was the talent she had been looking for.
That could extend her life…..
Thud-
The heavy footsteps sinking.
The sound of the shoe heel filling the empty monitoring room.
"...You were still here."
It was Jade. He was perfectly dressed, as if he had just finished his external activities.
He waved at her.
"Come out. It's over now, isn't it?"
Zia looked back at him. She looked straight into his sharp eyes. She got up and approached him.
"Big brother."
Jade seemed a bit puzzled, but his lips twitched as if he was pleased with the word 'big brother'.
"Hmm. Was there something?"
She showed him her tablet PC in response to his question.
"Yes. There was."
In it was Shion Ascal.
"...This swordsman."
Pointing at him with her finger, Zia said firmly.
"Give him to me."