Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 154 - Decisive Battle 2

When I reached Paul's side of the battlefield, my eyes went wide.

Paul. Ghislaine. A warrior of the Superd Race. Even the current Water God.

All of them were lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Badigadi had another Superd Race warrior gripped in his hand. Keith was sitting on the shoulder of the Fighting God Armor.

Ruijerd snarled and reached for his spear.

I stopped him.

"They're all still alive. Don't do anything yet."

I was saying it to myself as much as him.

Calm down.

They're all still alive. Paul is still alive. Ghislaine is still alive.

That's good news. Breathe. Think.

I don't know Keith well enough to read him. But Badigadi said it himself, he wouldn't switch targets before killing me. So Badigadi must have come back here on Keith's orders, to deal with Paul's group.

What a headache.

And if he dealt with them, he has a reason for it. The simplest play I can think of: use Paul to pressure me into surrendering. Or into throwing my life away.

Is there anything I can do against that?

Would calling Orsted even help right now?

But with hostages in play, what could Orsted do even if he were here?

I was too naive. I assumed Keith couldn't command Badigadi.

I stepped forward.

"Keith."

"Oh. Rudeus."

"What are you planning?"

Keith blinked, then smiled.

"The letter should have made it clear. An honorable duel, face to face."

He pulled out a stack of scrolls as he spoke. Anti-magic, by the look of them.

"Rudeus. You kept running. That's why I had to go this far."

"You plan to use Paul to threaten me?"

Keith stopped mid-scroll. He turned and looked at me.

It was only then that I noticed the sword at his waist.

Isn't he a scout?

"Rudeus. Do you know what Paul means to me?"

"Your captain, back when you were adventurers?"

"Heh." Something shifted in his face. "A friend. A brother. Someone I wanted to be. Strong, composed, living however he pleased. I always wanted to be like Paul."

He went back to activating the scrolls. Fire. Wind. Lightning. Earth. Ice. One after another.

When he finished, he raised his head.

His expression was calm.

Calm, but twisted underneath.

He was holding himself together by will alone, and it was showing at the edges.

"Your father is the protagonist. You're the protagonist too. But..."

Keith drew a slow breath.

"Rudeus. You're nothing like your father. You're just like those other people. Always looking down on me. Every single time."

He dropped from Badigadi's shoulder.

"I said an honorable duel. Face to face. And you thought — you actually thought — I would use your father's life to threaten you?"

He reached into his pack and pulled out a smoke bomb.

This again.

"Come on, then. Honorable and straightforward. I'll do what a scout does, give my teammate information and support."

He threw it down.

I moved to activate wind magic, then heard the clash beside me.

Ruijerd and Badigadi were already trading blows. The Superd Race has those eyes, the smoke gives him an edge, at least. And I don't have detection magic available. But I saw where Paul and the others went down.

We need more fighters. Two people isn't enough. I have to get them back on their feet.

BOOM!

A figure shot past me, hurled through the air.

Tsk.

I activated wind magic and blew the smoke apart.

Ruijerd had been sent skidding to the side. He drove his spear into the ground and forced himself upright, but his legs gave out a moment later and he went down again.

Right.

At this point, I have no choice but to admit it.

Things are bad.

Still, there is good news. The final magic circle trap is right here beside me.

Okay.

Come on, then.

This time, I pour out everything.

I flew to the far side of the magic circle and turned back to check where Keith had been.

He was already gone from the front line.

So he really does have no direct combat ability.

Badigadi walked toward me. One step at a time. Completely unconcerned with why I was standing still and waiting for him.

"Badigadi."

"Hm?"

"What would it actually take to kill you?"

"I am undying. Those two words should tell you everything."

"Let's find out. I'll try burning you to ash."

The instant Badigadi stepped into the magic circle, gravity slammed down.

I raised the Arrogant Water Dragon King.

"O wildly raging spirit of flame — black fallen piece roaring in the depths of hell — climb upon the earth, raise your fist, shatter, burn, and devour your enemy. Dye everything black. [Heavenly Fire]!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

His laughter split the air.

A pillar of fire fell from the sky.

I've always said magic can be controlled. Fire magic especially, it's the element I find easiest to shape. The Fighting God Armor has gaps. While the main output poured down, I threaded mana through those gaps, pushing it directly against Badigadi's body inside the armor.

But that alone isn't enough. I want to burn him and the Fighting God Armor together. Reduce everything to ash.

I pushed out a communication magic pulse.

[Hold on!]

The pillar of fire looked like divine judgment. A wall of heat radiated outward, every living thing nearby could feel it. Inside the column, the laughter had gone silent.

I don't think he's finished. Not yet.

I kept pushing mana in. Harder.

10 minutes passed. I didn't stop.

The magic circle had already failed.

Sylphie and the others must have run dry. But the gravity can't stop. Without it holding him in place, Badigadi in that armor would walk right out of my fire.

So.

I started feeding mana into the magic circle myself. Kept the gravity running. Kept the fire coming.

"Hah..."

Even I, the one casting it, had to pause at the heat.

Half an hour later.

My mana detection told me Badigadi had lost almost everything. I could barely sense a trace of him anymore. His body was still upright inside the armor, but the flesh inside had to be completely charred.

If he recovers from this, then undying means exactly what it says.

Either way, I'm not stopping.

"Right here. Use it all up."

As that thought settled in, I sent the same decision to Orsted through communication magic.

------

------

After an hour of sustained high-density output, I stopped.

Mana was nearly gone. I kept a thin reserve, just in case.

I looked into the fire pit at the center of what looked like a natural disaster.

Badigadi was still standing.

The Fighting God Armor still gleamed.

Hm.

From all directions.

Like liquid.

No, like slime. Purple chunks of flesh were crawling back together, converging from outside the trap.

Undying.

He'd already planned for this while tanking my spell. Left pieces of himself outside the circle.

What now? Run?

No. Paul and Ghislaine are still lying there. Running isn't an option.

I raised the Arrogant Water Dragon King again.

"Rudeus. You don't need to push yourself any further."

A voice I'd been waiting to hear.

Orsted.

I exhaled slowly.

My wives were with him. All three of them.

My daughters weren't here, which meant Orsted had confirmed they were safe before coming. He knows I put family first.

"Rudy! Are you okay? Your hair's gone a little white..."

Sylphie ran to my side, already reaching to cast healing magic.

"I'm fine. No injuries. Just used a little too much mana."

She didn't believe me. Neither did Eris or Roxy.

All three of them ran their hands over me, checking everything, and only when they were sure there were no wounds did they let out a long collective breath.

Sylphie's voice went quiet with guilt.

"We were so worried... The connection to the last two magic circles just, broke. We don't know why..."

Not from running out of mana?

Wait. Keith can sever magic circle connections?

Forget it. It doesn't matter now. Orsted is here.

Roxy's tone was gentle, but there was a definite edge underneath.

"When Orsted told us you were asking for help, it terrified us. Rudy, you pushed yourself again. You promised you'd rely on us."

"I am relying on my wives. Like right now."

I leaned my head against Sylphie's chest, then reached up and patted Roxy's and Eris's heads.

"Hmph. That habit of yours is never going to change..."

Roxy tapped the tip of my nose.

Sylphie laughed, a little helpless.

Eris shifted her weight, not sure what to do with herself.

I smiled and looked at Sylphie and Roxy.

"I really am fine. Go check on Father and Ghislaine. Get them healed up."

Roxy and Sylphie looked at each other, nodded, then turned to Eris in unison.

"We're leaving Rudy to you." Both of them, at the same time.

Eris straightened.

"Leave Rudeus to me!"

I was handed over into Eris's arms. She steadied me.

Honestly, burning through that much mana does wear on you.

Thank god Orsted is here. The relief I feel just knowing he's nearby.

"Eris. You didn't need to come."

"Why?! You were in danger, Rudeus. Of course I came!"

"I don't know how to say this without it sounding strange, but, you're pregnant. No matter what, I didn't want you anywhere near a battlefield."

"Rudeus."

"Hm?"

"After this child is born. Let's not have any more."

"What? Why?"

"I want to be able to protect Rudeus. Any time. Any moment."

"Eris, it's fine. After this fight, there won't be anything left to threaten us."

"Hmph. Who knows! Rudeus always says things like that and then lies..."

She was pouting now.

I turned and kissed her. Just like that, naturally.

"Hmph. That's all you ever do..."

It was a small sulk. One kiss on the cheek and it was already over.

Eris kept hold of me as we walked over to where Orsted was standing. He hadn't moved against Badigadi, who was still pulling himself back together. He was just watching.

"Are you going to act?"

"No."

"Do you have any way to restore my mana? I can keep hitting him with that same spell, he's still inside the magic circle."

"No need."

I must have looked confused, because Orsted smiled.

"Your little sister is about to arrive."

The moment he finished speaking, Badigadi completed his regeneration.

He looked at Orsted.

He wasn't laughing anymore.

Something about the air had shifted, and Badigadi felt it. He rolled his neck slowly, the joints cracking.

His eyes were no longer on me. They were fixed entirely on Orsted.

Left foot forward.

One step.

Then he was airborne.

Badigadi closed the distance in an instant and was in front of Orsted before the eye could follow.

Orsted didn't move. He just smiled.

Then a voice fell from the sky.

"With a single strike of the divine sword, I deliver judgment. With radiant power, let the majesty of the Thunder Emperor be known, [Lightning]!"

The incantation came from above.

Lightning followed. A pillar of it, screaming down from the heavens.

The spell hit Badigadi. And then a sword came down after it.

He reacted on instinct, snapping his fist up to meet the blade.

With the sword came a person.

Wine-red hair, long and familiar. A black-gray robe I'd know anywhere.

And then her voice, the one I'd know in any crowd.

"Am I late, Brother?"

➤ Next: Decisive Battle 3