Filimes.
I will cast aside my hesitation.
I will unleash my most powerful magic at Yugo.
Celestial Wind magic, level four. "Dragon Wind."
To put it simply, this spell generates a tornado.
It may sound unimpressive when described that way, but even on Earth, a real tornado is a natural disaster. Japan doesn't see much tornado damage, but in places like America, they can rip houses right off their foundations. A truly terrifying phenomenon.
That gale would swallow a person whole without effort.
Someone with inhuman strength like Shun, or a Monster of A-class danger or above — they might be able to withstand it.
But Yugo had already lost all his Skills once before, and his Status had dropped.
Years had passed since then, but even starting over from scratch, he surely hadn't recovered his former strength.
I knew he possessed one of the Seven Deadly Sins Skills.
But the Skill Yugo had was most likely "Lust."
According to elven records, the Skill of Lust grants the power of brainwashing.
It's said to impose terrifyingly ironclad conditioning, but it's not a direct combat Skill.
His Status would have increased somewhat from the Title as well, but that was all.
He couldn't withstand my magic.
The tornado engulfs the soldiers, swallowing their lives along with them.
And then it closes in on Yugo— "I won't let you!"
Yugo's sword disperses it in an instant.
What!?
That spell should be the most powerful magic I can cast!
My magic attack power exceeds 1,500!
How did he—?
"Oka-chaaaan! I missed you soooo much~! I never expected you'd be here!"
Yugo screams.
There's something unhinged in his voice — something that reeks of madness.
"I was actually planning to destroy your homeland, kidnap all your precious students, and drop you into the depths of despair before coming to say hello~. So why are you heeeeere?"
I don't answer the question. I fire again.
This time, wind bullets aimed directly at Yugo alone.
But he swats those aside with his sword too.
"AHAHAHAHA! Like a piddly little spell like that's gonna do anythiiing! C'mon, did you really think I'd stay weak forever after getting my powers taken!?"
Deciding magic is useless, I draw my bow.
As a half-decent elf, I know how to handle a bow.
I imbue the arrow with wind magic and loose it.
The arrow, empowered with wind, accelerates and flies like a bullet.
Essentially the previous wind bullets, but with a physical body.
But this time, he dodges it.
"Weird, right? Wanna know? The reason I got this strong!"
Yugo kicks off the ground without ceremony.
In a single step, he closes the distance between us.
I retreat while nocking another arrow and firing.
Just now, Yugo didn't bat the arrow away with his sword — he dodged it.
Which meant his sword couldn't deflect it.
It might be wishful thinking, but I believe he sensed it would be dangerous if it hit him true.
Sure enough, Yugo shifts laterally to avoid the arrow's path.
But that slows his advance, widening the gap between us.
"Don't run awaaay! We're buddies, aren't we, me and Oka-chan!"
I fire another arrow.
Simultaneously, the elves arrayed around us launch a coordinated assault on Yugo.
"You little—!"
Yugo blows away the rain of magic and arrows.
This was somewhat outside my expectations.
Through telepathy, I order the surrounding elves to fall back.
With half-hearted power, none of them could hope to match Yugo.
"Let's keep talkiiing! You know, I'm actually graaateful to you? I suffered so much I nearly lost my mind, and that's what made me who I am todaaay!"
Nearly lost his mind? More like he's already lost it entirely!
Well, I'm in no position to say that. After all, I'm the one who drove Yugo mad in the first place.
"And this is the power I got from that! You already know about one of 'em, right? Skill: 'Lust.' The ultimate ability to control someone at will!"
I fire an arrow.
He dodges.
"And the other one! I've got the power to become the strongest! That's Skill: 'Greed'! The ultimate ability to steal a portion of your opponent's power after you defeat them! Why do you think I'm on the front lines? 'Cause that way I can kill more enemies and make their power my oooown!"
I freeze up for an instant, stunned.
Skill: "Greed."
One of the Seven Deadly Sins Skills. An ability that steals a portion of a killed opponent's power.
What gets stolen is random — it might be Status, Skills, or Skill Points.
Skills aren't taken as-is at their original level; they're reduced in level when stolen.
Even if you take a level 9 Skill, it drops to level 1.
That must be why.
Despite having the Status to effortlessly deflect my magic, he never uses ranged attacks and just keeps chasing me instead.
It's not that Yugo chooses not to fight at range — he simply can't.
Even if he stole a magic Skill, it would revert to level 1.
A level 1 spell is practically useless, and even if cast, it would have almost no effect.
But never mind that.
What matters is that through this Skill, Yugo has grown stronger than he ever was before.
How many lives did he have to take to get here?
How much sin did he have to pile up to recover this much power?
I only froze for a moment.
But that moment was enough for Yugo to close the gap and raise his sword.
"Take this!"
"Kuh!?"
The descending blade punches through my wind armor — the one I always wear — and gashes my arm.
I immediately conjure a wind explosion between us, using the recoil to put distance between us.
It damages me too, but in close combat, I'm at a disadvantage.
"Huh. Not bad."
Yugo, on the other end, shows no visible damage.
I fire another arrow anyway.
He dodges it casually.
But my preparations are complete.
I wasn't firing those arrows at random.
If Yugo were in his right mind, he would have noticed that I'd been retreating in a wide arc.
The arrows embedded in the ground are anchor points for a barrier.
Its output is lower compared to the one that covered the village, but it's a barrier modeled on ancient techniques — something impossible to replicate with modern Skills.
Yugo is trapped inside the barrier.
But it's more than just imprisonment.
The air inside the barrier is being rapidly drained.
To manipulate wind is to manipulate air.
And while this world is often assumed to be wildly different from Earth, oxygen does exist here.
The laws of this world aren't different from the laws of Earth we know. It just looks different because magic and Skills have been added on top of those existing laws.
So the fact that people can't survive without air remains the same as on Earth.
The barrier doesn't change shape, but once the air is removed, the atmospheric pressure plummets.
The human body can't withstand that rapid change. And even if it could, death by asphyxiation would follow shortly after.
This is my original spell — one I developed myself.
Yugo is desperately trying to break the barrier, but it's futile.
Even at lower output, this is a reproduction of a Divine Era barrier.
I can't activate it without pushing myself to the limit, but once it's deployed, it won't break.
I've won.
That's what I thought — and I let my guard down.
A bolt of lightning pierced me from the side.
"Ka—hah!?"
My consciousness flickers for an instant.
At the same time, my concentration on maintaining the barrier slips.
Yugo didn't miss that opening.
"HAHAHA! That was close! That was seriously close, right!? Nice one,
Yugo shatters the barrier and praises the one who hit me with lightning.
Standing there was Yuri-chan, a gentle smile on her face.
When Yugo was announced as the Hero, she had been announced as the Saint.
As the Hero's attendant, it wouldn't be strange for the Saint to be here.
It would be stranger if she weren't.
I'd been so focused on Yugo that I'd neglected my awareness of my surroundings.
I can't afford to underestimate this situation any longer.
As I'm paralyzed by the lightning and frozen in place, Yugo brings his sword down without mercy.
I manage — barely — to dodge, but not completely. The blade carves a deep gash across my stomach.
It hurts!
It hurts!
It hurts!
"You're making me work for it. But I win. Heh heh heh. I'm not gonna kill you, though. I need you to watch the elves get wiped out with your own eyes after this! As for your classmates... if they cooperate, I might let 'em join me. But the ones who resist? I'll torture 'em right in front of Oka-chan, yeah~? I bet you'll make such a lovely faaace then! AHAHAHAHA! I can't waaait!"
Stop it!
I have to stop him.
But the pain won't let my body move properly.
Yuri-chan pins me to the ground.
"You look pathetic. The exact opposite of how you were before, huh? How does it feel, crawling on the ground like that? You're scared out of your mind about what's coming next, aren't you? Desperate, right? I'm not gonna brainwash you. I'm gonna let you watch in full consciousness as I drag you into the depths of despair until your mind shatters! I'm gonna toy with you until you break!"
It hurts.
I'm scared.
I can't take anymore.
I can't hold on any longer.
I can't endure it anymore.
Someone, please help me.
Someone, please save me.
Yuri-chan, who had been sitting on top of me, was sent flying.
A shadow lunged at Yugo with a blade drawn.
Yugo leaps back to dodge.
A man with a shield stands before me.
A boy with a sword stands before Yugo.
"We're late, sensei."
"Leave the rest to us."
Those were the last words I heard before I lost consciousness.