[546] The Great Direct Path (2)
* * *
Mucus had completely swallowed the city.
The sight of slime undulating and flowing off in every direction was enough to make one dizzy.
"It's blocked! Turn back!"
Facing a block filled solid with slime, Miro's group rounded the corner and retreated.
A tentacle that had shot out of the Mucus tickled their backs as it followed, then was sucked back into the main mass.
"Damn it! Are they going to keep obstructing us all the way?"
"Hold on a bit. We'll be out soon."
By the time they broke free of the city, dawn was already breaking.
The Mucus flowed endlessly toward some place in the desert, and at that moment Miro confirmed the plan.
"Shura will probably try to stop me. But reports say there's another executive of the Ten-Path Council. If that's true, I won't be able to help you either."
If they could stop both executives of the Ten-Path Council, it wouldn't be a losing proposition.
"Then let's split up. Fermi and Marsha, take a wide route and attack the flanks. That should split their focus."
Rian said.
"So I'll use that opening to infiltrate the pyramid."
"That's right. Destroy the Law there with Axing. Then we should be able to reach Shirone somehow."
Rian's Axing denied the Law.
"Can I do it?"
"Yasha's Axing acts directly on the body. That's why Banya is hard to handle. It depends on how strong your will is."
Will.
Rian chewed on the word more than once.
The Mucus lay thick beyond the horizon.
Its pace as it advanced straight toward Shirone, abandoning energy circulation, was faster than they'd expected.
"The farthest side from the Mucus is the north."
"I'll go."
Breaking formation, Rian increased his pace and raced across the desert.
Every time he stamped after activating Axing, sand leapt up as if from explosions.
"All right, let's get started too."
At Miro's command, Marsha and Fermi spread out left and right.
A plan to assault the pyramid from two slopes at once wasn't something four people could normally manage, but if they could hold, it would be a tremendous help to Rian.
"As expected, they're splitting up."
Shura opened her eyes and spoke from the top of the pyramid.
By her side stood Baknyeo and King Kong, leader of the subterraneans.
Three meters tall and shaggy-haired, King Kong looked down at the roughly three hundred subordinates circling the pyramid.
"We can sortie at any time. Just leave it to us."
Baknyeo offered.
"Which side is Miro on?"
"South. He ran straight here from the city."
Shura issued orders to her guardians.
"Defend the east and west. I'll take Miro."
King Kong asked, "Then what about my unit?"
Shura glanced at Rian bypassing along the horizon toward the north.
"Have them inspect him. He looks like bait anyway—three hundred should be enough."
"Uoooooo!"
At the order, King Kong beat his chest and leapt down from the pyramid.
"It's war! Prepare!"
"Kyaaaahhh!"
Hearing the monkeys' cries across the desert, Baknyeo turned to Shura.
"And me?"
"Guard Shirone. I'll be the one to face Miro."
Bebeto, the priest of the northwest colony, used his Coder ability to climb to the pyramid's summit.
"Lady Shura, we have arrived."
Seeing Miro running across the desert, a wicked gleam rippled through Shura's eyes.
"Hohoho, it's been a while."
"Shura."
From far off, Miro fixed her gaze on the pyramid's summit, took a deep breath, and prepared a strike in place of a greeting.
"Huuuu—"
Miro's body bloomed with the embodiment of Guanyin like a flame.
At its peak scale, the avatar dominated the sky. Everyone lifted their heads, eyes wide with shock.
"W-what is that?"
Prajnaparamita.
Miro pressed her hands together, eyes narrowed.
"Sukhavati!"
Within spacetime torn to the extreme, Guanyin's arms—each carrying separate power—descended from left and right to envelop the pyramid.
"Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
At the same time, a gigantic serpent avatar rose from Shura's body and coiled around the pyramid.
Apostle Banya—Gestalt of Collapse.
Kwaaaahhh!
A tremor like the world shaking rocked the pyramid.
Each time Guanyin's paired palms slammed repeatedly against the dome of defenses, codes flickered across the hemisphere's surface.
"It's not easy, after all…."
The false-doctrine god who deceives the Law was clearly Miro's nemesis—one who had reached the extreme of truth.
"Kikiki! Your tomboy streak hasn't changed, Miro."
Shura's smile slit her cheek like a snake as she looked down at Miro.
"Here they come!"
Guardians poured down on Fermi and Marsha, who had looped around to the pyramid's east and west.
The mutants' powers varied wildly. Each of them faced more than six opponents at once.
To pay my debt.
Marsha drew the dagger of sacrilege.
For 190 billion gold.
Fermi swallowed a chip from a depreciated deal.
Moments later, majestic sonic booms of magic echoed from the pyramid's east and west.
"Damn! Those guys over there are having a blast! Udu! When do we fight?"
When Taejang asked, King Kong—arms folded—said in a solemn voice,
"Wait. Our king promised us eternal food. Once this is over, we'll never starve again."
"Food has appeared!"
From the second ring encircling the pyramid to the north, an underground scout with a telescope shouted.
One inspector shimmered, buried in the desert mirage.
"Shirone…."
Rian moved slowly as he watched Shirone climb the pyramid's stairs.
The Mucus had seized control of the surrounding area, and although the slime was approaching Rian faster than usual for its kind, there was no need to hurry.
The opportunity would come only once; it was a mission he had to carry out even at the cost of his life.
You fought so fiercely while I was gone. More than I did….
When Rian learned through Miro what Shirone's life had been like, the first thing that rose in his mind was apology.
'I… didn't have the strength to protect you.'
Only someone who has actively courted death can truly understand another's resolve.
'Whether fighting or not, death was always at your side. Even in that fear you clenched your teeth and moved forward step by step.'
Three hundred subterraneans formed layered defenses, and the Mucus even followed Rian's shadow.
'Now I'll protect you.'
At that moment Rian's steps stopped.
He drove his greatsword into the sand, knelt on one knee before it, and offered a knight's prayer.
'Establish in my heart a kingdom of conviction.'
The Mucus that had swallowed his shadow drew a great curve as it rushed in behind Rian.
'Imbue this sword with unbreakable will and a pride even stronger.'
The slime split and flowed around him.
'Grant me the courage to choose what is right.'
Smack!
A wave of slime rose and crashed down on Rian like a tidal surge.
'Carve in me an iron resolve that will not waver before that courage.'
After activating Axing, Rian found himself already five meters from the Mucus.
'May I always stand with the weak.'
"Kyaaaah! Kill him! Kill him!"
A commando of subterraneans charged at Rian in a curved arc across the desert.
"Do not bow to the logic of the strong!"
Rian split the subterranean blocking his path in two. (1 kill)
"Lead your sword only with the spirit of chivalry!"
Twisting his waist, he severed the hip of the subterranean at his side. (2 kill)
"Cut them down!"
Sand sprayed as bullets struck and embedded.
As the Mucus drew near, Rian's steps quickened, and finally he broke into a run.
"Don't let him get away! Catch him here!"
When the commando was annihilated, battle units charged in earnest in jeeps and motorcycles.
A powerful shock from bullets slammed into Rian's hands as he braced his greatsword—pain that felt like bones shattering.
But as always, does not break.
"Yaaaah!"
A will to cut through at all costs denied the Law, and the greatsword sliced through a motorcycle along with its rider. (3 kill)
"Turn right!"
Ignoring the enemies' flanking, Rian cut down only those directly blocking his path (5 kill) and advanced toward Shirone.
"Don't let him through!" (6 kill)
The next line of battle units rushed in, rifles blazing, but Rian swung as if he were cleaving scenery to open a path. (8 kill)
"Aren't they crazy?" (10 kill)
He pressed into the hail of bullets without a moment's hesitation (13 kill); even the hard-bitten subterraneans were stunned.
The ground beneath Rian's running, blade-swinging form seemed to flow like a raging current.
"Taha!"
He swung the greatsword down like a hammer and cut one man in two, (14 kill) then arced it wide and knocked another aside. (15 kill)
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Grenades detonated, flames engulfing Rian while hundreds of bullets stabbed into the firecloud.
"Grrr—!"
Clothes burning, Rian thrust the greatsword ahead and charged like a Yasha.
"Yaaaah!"
Rian spun into the heart of the enemy line.
Kwaaaang!
A Deny-infused blade swept through like a stubborn beast, mowing down every foe in its radius. (16–24 kill)
"Is that all you've got?!"
At the end of his spin, Rian transformed his movement into a straight, cutting rush and surged forward like a bullet.
He cut, (34 kill) cut, (38 kill) cutting without end. (41 kill)
Cut, (45 kill) cut, (48 kill) and kept cutting onward. (51 kill)
Run! (54 kill) Never stop! (55 kill)
Each swing of the sword (58 kill) drew bullets into Rian's body.
They pierced his shoulder and ribs and shattered his ankle, and through it all Smille's hallucinated voice began whispering in his ears again.
"Damn it!" (61 kill)
No one could say how long the hallucination would last, but when it ended would be the moment of his death.
The distance to the pyramid was still long, (64 kill) and the living outnumbered the dead among the enemy. (65 kill)
"You bastards! (67 kill) What the hell are you doing!" (68 kill)
Taejang himself drove out in a jeep.
A dozen were dying because they couldn't catch one idiot charging with a conventional greatsword.
"Uooooo!" (70 kill)
Rian cleaved through foes in chopping swings (73 kill) and charged Taejang.
His two arms swung the greatsword, ignoring inertia, (75 kill) and the subterraneans' bones snapped like rotten branches. (79 kill)
Taejang leapt into the air, aimed between his legs at Rian, and opened fire with his rifle.
"Hup!"
Rian felt unbearable pain slam through his whole body and an even worse fear, but he raised his sword toward Taejang.
Got you.
Out of Rian's sight, a subterranean sniper squeezed the trigger.
A bullet flew faster than sound and thunked, piercing Rian's heart exactly.
"Ugh!"
A jolt like electricity surged through his body, all his organs thrown into shock.
"Kuhahaha! Fool!"
Rian, convulsing as if shot, suddenly twitched and cut the charging giant clean through. (80 kill)
"How—how…?"
The subterraneans' faces drained white when Rian—who should already have been dead—still moved vigorously.
"I am…."
Shirone's sword.
'Therefore, until I save my lord…'
Rian tightened his grip on the sword and surged onward.
"I will never die!"
Axing—Deny (Death Denial).
"Uaaagh! (81 kill) Monster… ugh!" (82 kill)
The subterraneans howled instinctively.
Listening to Smille's hallucinated voice and charging in his ragged state, Rian seemed like death itself being pushed forward.
"Is it a Yasha…?" (84 kill)
From the pyramid's top, Baknyeo looked down at Rian in the north.
Seeing him overcome death and keep fighting (86 kill), a name she hadn't heard in a long time surfaced in her mind.
"Death Knight?" (88 kill)