-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Greed, Grid (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Interesting."
As I pushed off the ground and leaped into the air, Grid let out a snort and extended her hand.
"Do you really think you can kill me? You, a mere vessel?"
Then, a torrent of black sludge surged forth before her, instantly forming a massive wall.
"Divine Sword Style, First Form: Soul Rend."
Whatever. I swung my sword, brimming with starlight.
Not at Grid, but at the black sludge that was transforming into a massive dragon above her.
—Shwaaaak!
A pure white line was drawn across the dragon's body, which had yet to open its eyes.
Bursts of light erupted, and the coalescing black sludge evaporated on the spot.
I could see Grid's expression twitch subtly.
'As if that pattern would work.'
Though it was a long time ago, I was someone who had invested over ten thousand hours into this game.
So, there was no way I wouldn't know the patterns of Grid, one of the main bosses.
That's why I first severed the black sludge that was swelling in size in the air, rather than directly attacking Grid.
Because the moment the Demonic Dragon of black sludge was completed and began to intervene in the battle, defeating Grid became virtually impossible.
'I think I could manage it now, though.'
But there seemed to be no need to go through such trouble.
Above all, I had to consider the vessel's durability.
—Thud.
Landing on the ground, I decided to answer her question first.
"I've never thought that."
"Never?"
"Yeah. It's too obvious, why would I need to think about it?"
"You insolent…"
Perhaps my answer displeased her.
Or perhaps it was because she had unexpectedly lost her trump card.
Grid huffed in anger and moved her hand again.
Then, gigantic, bizarrely moving tentacles and rock fragments began to shoot towards me.
Considering it a horrifying sight, I gripped both swords and readied my stance.
I deceived the Scales again. Though the Scales tried to question me, I ignored it and layered countless spells upon my body.
"Divine Sword Style, Second Form."
I murmured, activating the magic circle etched into my mind's eye.
A cold breath was exhaled from deep within my lungs, and a chill seeped into the sword's blade.
"Frozen Melody."
I swung the chill.
Then, several thin blue lines were drawn across the scene I never wanted to see again.
Blue flashes erupted everywhere, and an icy chill began to dominate the clearing.
—Shwaaaak!
Giant-sized tentacles were frozen and severed.
Rock fragments, shot towards me, couldn't overcome the cold wind and fell onto the frozen ground.
—Flash.
The blue lines drawn everywhere simultaneously unleashed blue flashes.
Grid's body was engulfed in a swirl of light.
"I have a question."
Was this not enough?
Grid, who had emerged from the light swirl, leaped towards me with lightning speed.
Her long, sharp nails, now like daggers, were brimming with demonic energy.
—Shwakaak!
As I ducked to evade Grid's attack, the space where her black nails passed rippled, and black sludge dripped from it.
—Boom!
The ground where Grid landed shattered, and the space where the black sludge was dripping exploded.
"You, what exactly are you?"
She raised her demonic energy again and asked me.
My identity, huh? Every time I hear that question, it demands a lot of thought from me.
"What do you mean?"
But this time, I could answer immediately.
Because the reason I stood before this girl was crystal clear.
"Someone who came to kill you."
"That's not what I'm asking!"
When I answered, Grid screamed at the top of her lungs, raising her demonic energy with all her might.
Then, dozens of black magic circles began to appear behind her.
"What are you, that you can wield starlight despite being a mere vessel?!"
So that's what she was curious about. Understanding Grid's feelings, my head naturally nodded.
'It must be absurd for her.'
My body was a vessel forged to contain sin, not starlight.
However, my mind's eye contained not even a speck of sin, let alone a trace of demonic energy. Rather, it was filled only with starlight and pure mana.
So, it was natural for Grid, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, to question it.
Someone who should have become one of the Seven Deadly Sins was not only wielding the hateful power of starlight but also trying to take her life.
"I am…"
What could I say that this girl would hate to hear? While pondering, I quietly murmured.
As I gazed at the hundreds of ghouls crawling out of the cracks in the ground, which were covered in black sludge.
"A hero."
Of course, I'd never been directly chosen by the stars or received a revelation.
But due to the situation, those words slipped from my lips.
As expected, an unknown surge of motivation began to well up from deep within my heart.
Most of all, I liked how Grid's expression twisted into a scowl.
"Alright, then…"
Grid waved her hand and mumbled.
Then, all sorts of grotesque things began to spill out from the black magic circles drawn in the air.
Horrifically shaped monsters, black sludge, thorns, tentacles, and lumps of black demonic energy.
If one were to tear open a dried-up hell and gaze upon its cross-section, wouldn't it be as gruesome as the scene unfolding before me?
Gazing at such a horrifying sight, I deceived the Scales again.
The questioning Scales demanded a price. I put off paying that price and activated the remaining magic circles glowing in my mind's eye.
"Divine Sword Style, Third Form."
My breath grew hotter, and flames began to bloom on my sword blade.
I pushed off the ground. The countless evils surging towards me began to draw closer.
"Blazing Cadence."
I continuously swung the flames, like a raging inferno.
Red lines were drawn everywhere. Blood-red flashes erupted in various places, and massive flames soared.
"G-G-Gwaaah!"
"Kuaaak!"
Hundreds of ghouls and monsters melted and flowed in the flames, screaming horribly. Those that couldn't even scream were already melted or severed.
"I'll have you!"
A sharp voice echoed from within the flames.
When I turned my gaze, Grid, whose body was melting in the inferno, was charging at me again.
—Clang! Clang!
This time, I didn't dodge.
As the flame-wreathed sword and the chill-imbued sword successively parried her terrifying nails, Grid briefly retreated, then hunched her body.
—Creeeak!
Something began to sprout from Grid's seemingly beautiful body.
Wings made of bone, eyes and tentacles appearing all over her body, unappealing, ash-gray skin.
My expression twisted into a scowl at her horrifying appearance, one I never wanted to see again, but it was also good news in a way.
'Is this the final phase?'
It was clear, seeing her abandon the appearance she cherished and transform into her true form.
Feeling a sense of crisis, Grid was about to go all out.
"I've changed my mind."
Was my guess correct? The horrifyingly shaped Grid muttered with a murderous expression.
"I'll just kill you."
"Why? You said you'd have me earlier."
"It stopped being fun."
With that, Grid emitted an immense amount of demonic energy and slowly began to walk towards me.
Seeing her, I nodded and readied my stance again.
"I haven't found it fun since the beginning."
I forcibly deceived the Scales again. Though the Scales demanded immediate payment of the price, I ignored it and poured all my mana into the magic circles glowing in my mind's eye.
"Die."
With that, Grid rushed towards me with lightning speed.
Her surroundings rippled. From around her, black magic circles appeared, simultaneously spewing forth the same things as before.
The army, formed in the blink of an eye, advanced with an intensity that threatened to swallow me whole.
"Divine Sword Style, Fourth Form."
I uttered a voice mixed with cold breath and hot air between my lips, crossing the two swords I held.
A brilliant light infused the place where fire and chill mingled.
"Prelude of Fire and Ice."
Discarding all extraneous thoughts, I began to swing my swords in a trance.
When I swung the chill, the army froze.
When I swung the flames, everything around me melted.
Colorful lines were drawn incessantly, and blue and red flashes erupted without cease.
Colliding countless times with demonic energy, fire and ice beautifully adorned the air.
—Boom! Boom! Boom!
Not the sound of metal and nails clashing, but the explosion of demonic energy and starlight colliding echoed through the clearing.
Grid's Greed deepened. Accordingly, the power and speed of Greed rapidly increased.
'Indeed…'
Perhaps because she was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. She was on a completely different level from any beings I had encountered so far.
Despite deceiving the Scales to this extent, Grid was not only still alive but was further expanding the magnitude of her Greed.
'Let's finish this quickly.'
Signs of a backlash, which would surge like a tsunami once it began, were slowly starting to appear.
—Boom! Boom! Boom!
Moreover, each time the fire and chill collided with Greed, the abundant starlight was fading.
—Kwooosh!
When I unleashed the starlight imbued in both swords, Grid, engulfed in countless swirls of light, squinted and briefly pulled back.
—Click.
Seeing her, I sheathed the sword in my right hand. I gripped the sword in my left hand in a reverse grip and drew it back behind my waist.
"Divine Sword Style, Fifth Form."
I bent my knees and tilted my body.
In the sword, the sheath, and my entire body.
I spread infinite starlight and mana.
"Spatial Draw."
I murmured and drew my sword.
The starlight contained within the sheath and the starlight imbued in the sword created friction. The sword blade, infused with acceleration beyond common sense, revealed itself to the world.
—Swoooosh!
The blade, fully drawn from its sheath, sliced through space with a silent sound.
When I unleashed the mana concentrated in the soles of my feet, my body shot forth faster than lightning.
—Shwaaaak!
After fully swinging the sword in my right hand, I rotated my body and continuously swung the sword I had drawn back behind my waist.
As the space I intended to cut was severed, pure white cracks appeared all around Grid, who was rushing towards me.
"...!"
Seeing the cracks, Grid's eyes widened, and she immediately stopped her charge, hastily beginning to swing her hands.