Volume 2 - CH 442

10-28. Time’s up.

Gouki coughed up blood, and a large amount of blood fell to the ground.

His arm turned to ashes.

This signifies that time has run out.

Previously, many Akki appeared in the mortal world.

At that time, those who returned all turned to ashes and disappeared, leaving only their clothes behind.

Gouki sighed softly, wondering if he would also meet the same fate.

Time’s up.

…That was quick.

Just a while ago, he reunited with his son, and they began the battle.

However, Gouki, who had spent a long time as an Akki, had significantly weakened resistance to the mortal world.

A blade was pulled out from his chest.

At the same time, blood gushed out.

Unable to stand, he fell to his knees and lay on his back.

At that moment, Gouki’s body turned into ashes and sand, flowing away in the wind.

Only his empty clothes remained… on the ground.

“Father!!!!”

“Hahahaha! Oh, 【 Death Absorption】 !! That’s right, I had this! Your power seems useful in helping me regain my own power!”

Bastard...

“One more person… Can I recover my strength with this? Hahaha… huh?”

Thud!!

His vision spun, and he fell to the ground.

“What the-?”

He couldn’t comprehend it, but upon seeing his decapitated body, he understood what had happened.

His head had been severed.

His strength should have slightly recovered.

He should have been strong enough to fight against Tenda, but he easily surpassed that.

He couldn’t react at all.

He questioned why once again in his mind.

However, no answer came to him.

Now, only the word “escape” dominated his mind.

“…I’ll kill you.”

“!!?”

An intense killing intent.

Feeling the pressure and fear, it was the first time since that moment.

The voice of the heavens trembled in fear.

Despite being a god, the survival instinct dormant within him now screamed at him to run.

If he didn’t escape from this place as quickly as possible, his only fate would be complete annihilation.

Immediately, he grew a head from his torso and regenerated his body from the head.

He split into two and tried to flee, but Tenda accurately targeted the real one.

Quietly sheathed his sword and unleashed a powerful strike.

“Oni Sword Dance, Akki Rasetsu!”

The slashing attack filled with killing intent was engulfed with black colour.

Furthermore, this time he was using his skills properly.

“I will never let you escape”

Tenda’s determination drove forward.

“The hell…!?”

The slash cut through the voice of the heavens at an unpredicted angle.

With a squelching and watery sound, he fell, but quickly regenerated and started running again.

“Wha- what is this! It’s me… It should be me who dominates this all!!”

“Begone.”

“GHAAAAHH!?”

His leg was severed, and he fell without knowing it.

He managed to stand up, regenerate his leg, and checked behind him.

At that moment, Tenda was right in front of him.

A firmly clenched fist seized his face.

He was slammed onto the ground, and a blade pierced his skull.

When he tried to pull it out, the head came along, so he kicked it away and forcibly removed it.

“Guh… Ugh…”

“Still alive huh?”

He would kill him as many times as it took, until he died.

Like a puppet, like being controlled, he would continue killing without feeling anything.

Tenda poised the blade of Asagao and thrust it.

Clang…

From his hand, the Asagao fell.

“…”

He took a look at his hand.

His right hand had turned to ashes and accumulated on the ground.

Now, as an Akki, he understood.

This was because he had hastened his death by using his skills.

The Princess also drew closer to becoming an Akki each time she used her skills.

For Akki, using skills in the mortal world was truly an act of self-destruction.

While thinking that he had to inform someone about this, Tenda slowly lay down.

If he took even one more step, his body would turn completely to ashes.

Before that happened, he wanted to savor a little more of the land he had lived on.

“…I- couldn’t kill… him…”

Moving only his eyes, he looked to the place where the voice of the heavens had been, but there was nothing there anymore.

He seemed to have managed to escape skillfully.

It was a lifelong regret.

Never did he think that he, himself, would fail to kill someone even after becoming an Akki.

The world is vast.

With such thoughts in his mind, he quietly continued to gaze at the sky until his final moments.

…A voice could be heard from afar.

Whose voice could it be?

Gradually, even that became unclear.

However, at the end, someone touched him.

In his gradually fading vision, he couldn’t perceive the warmth with his ash-like body, but he knew it was a very warm sensation.

A promise… He couldn’t keep it.

Is it Ouren?

He couldn’t think of anything besides apologizing.

In a hazy state, looking up at the sky, he uttered those words.

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize… Don’t apologize! It’s not your fault…”

“Tenda- no… Aniki… Why… Why can’t we do anything… Why…”

“I… want to hear…!!”

When the voice of the heavens and Tenda were fighting, they were already doing their best just to protect the people of Garott and themselves.

On their own, they truly couldn’t win against such a presence.

After witnessing that battle, he finally understood.

The wind blew.

With each gust, Tenda’s body crumbled.

In the end, only his clothes remained, with a hard armor and haori resting on Ouren’s hand.

He was powerless.

He couldn’t do anything.

He couldn’t even provide assistance.

Knowing that he was the one who sent him off, he felt responsible.

How could he avenge him?

How could he win?

How could he fight?

He desperately thought, but no ideas came to him.

Bang!

His back was struck hard.

Dachia forcibly made him stand and grabbed his shoulder.

“Ouren! It’s your turn!”

“…Can I at least make a burial for him?”

“I know what you feel but. Thanks to Tenda, the voice of the heavens is on the verge of disappearing. We have to find it with all our might.”

“…”

“Ouren! Don’t let Tenda’s death be in vain!! Get over yourself already!!”

“Damn it… Damn it…! I get it!!”

Dachia’s words are correct.

His decision to let Tenda become an Akki was not wrong either.

If Tenda hadn’t fought for them in that situation, they would have all been easily defeated.

He grabbed the Asagao that Tenda had and stood up.

He sheathed it and quietly put it away in his magic tool bag.

“…Where did that bastard go!!”

He knows that he must look terrible right now.

But he can’t suppress the urge to kill.

He decides to deploy his haze in the area and find him without fail to deliver the final blow.

Tenda did so much to weaken him.

Now, they should be able to fight against him themselves.

“…Over there!!”

He kicked the ground and started running, unsheathing his three-foot sword, Hakuryuzen.

He hasn’t gone too far yet.

If he heads there now, he can still make it in time.

He won’t let him escape.

He won’t let him get away.

He won’t forgive him!!