However, there was no slight decline in the momentum of the aura the enemy wore. He wasn't dead yet. I felt a part of myself relieved by that fact. At the same time, I felt intensely angry at myself for being unable to discard such soft thinking.
"It hurts... it huuurts... Sensei..."
The enemy's shrill voice made my ears ring. An unbearable chill ran through my whole body. His spine was broken. A heavy injury that would be fatal for an ordinary person was being kept alive with pain, unable to die.
I know the pain of having bones broken. I know the pain of having joints bent the wrong way, of having a hole opened in my neck, of having skin peeled off, of having eyeballs gouged out, of having internal organs stirred. Because I know it, I can imagine it.
If I were the one receiving it, I might have been able to accept it. But when I became the one giving that pain, I learned that a completely different kind of 'pain' was born.
It's my fault. Once more, I heightened my aura with Ren.
"Mommy, your face is completely pale... that's enough! The operation is canceled! We've weakened the enemy enough; we can definitely outrun them now! So it's fine already, Six!"
That couldn't be true. If Noah deactivated his ability here, the enemies would immediately recover and attack. He was hugging Six from behind trying to stop her, but I didn't relax the aura reinforcement.
I would kill him for sure. For that, more power was needed. 'I couldn't kill them again' wouldn't cut it. Having already laid a hand on him, I had that obligation.
More power. Gather it in the fist.
The presence of aura that had been reinforcing my whole body evenly began to concentrate little by little at a single point in my fist. During that time, I was consuming a terrifying amount of aura.
The single strike of Ren I just unleashed had consumed enough aura to recreate a whole set of internal organs with change to spare. As expected, in a state with distance from the main body, all costs regarding Nen seemed to increase by an order of magnitude. In contrast, there appeared to be about twenty enemies. Would I have enough aura to defeat them all?
No, that's wrong. It's not 'defeat,' it's 'kill.' I had to kill twenty more people. I suppressed my revulsion and corrected the wavering aura.
"Sensei... where are you...?"
I met the eyes of the opponent I was about to deliver the finishing blow to. The moment our gazes crossed as the enemy's face peeked out from the hood, a tension like being paralyzed by a ghost ran through me.
That wasn't hesitation arising from my conscience regarding killing. It was a warning from my instincts. I realized that the enemy, who hadn't recognized my existence at all until now, had at this moment for the first time identified the 'obstacle' before them.
"You, nuisance."
A storm blew. A torrent of aura, enough to cause that illusion, erupted from the enemy's body like an updraft. The enemy with the broken spine stood up while keeping his body arched back. Despite that unstable posture, I didn't feel a shred of confidence that I could break it.
I finally understood. Self-Liars was an ability that gave ordinary people the power to use Ten and Ren. In other words, until now, they had always been in a state of Ten. Chasing the Grandfather of the Galaxy with bloodlust might have been nothing more than play for them.
They hadn't used Ren even once. Until this very moment.
My concentration broke, and the aura I had gathered in my fist dispersed. I realized such a thing would be of no use. Noah hadn't deactivated the disease space yet. But it likely didn't matter. The enemy's physical reinforcement through Ren far exceeded the weakness brought by the disease.
The enemy, arched back almost at a right angle, unleashed a fist, adding the reach of his upper body to his arm's length. Facing that single swing of an arm reminiscent of a grim reaper's scythe, I couldn't even run; I could only accept the approaching death.
"Muscle Museum Final Secret..."
But that one swing, reminiscent of a reaper's scythe, was stopped dead by a giant arm protruding from behind me.
"Complete Muscle Armament (Last Max)!!"
When I looked back, I didn't immediately understand what I was seeing. There was an overwhelming mass of flesh. If that was Blade, his form had changed too much.
Could that even be defined as human? Due to abnormally developed muscles and skeletal structure, Blade's physique, which was originally over two meters, had swelled to nearly double that. He was truly a giant.
"Hmph!"
Numerous black spots appeared on Blade's body due to the effect of the disease space, but he showed no signs of weakness. The enemy who received his punch was blown away with enough force to leave an afterimage while creating a shockwave, echoing the sound of smashing through dozens of iron walls as he disappeared into the far distance.
Noah and I watched that scene in silence, mouths agape.
Afterward, the group of enemies was decimated by the hands of Blade, who had achieved a mysterious super-reinforcement. We were surprised by his transformation, but the vitality of the enemies who didn't die despite the power of those blows was also monster-like. I wouldn't have been able to kill them no matter what I did.
The enemies weren't dead, but because they had received several heavy blows from Blade, the protection of the red crystals had activated to defend their entire bodies, which conversely put them in a state where their movements were sealed. I felt sorry for them, but there was nothing more to be done.
"If you had that kind of power, why didn't you use it sooner?! I mean, what is that look?!"
"Muscle! Muscle! Muscle! No, my apologies!"
It seemed Blade's reinforcement was temporary, and the giant state had already been deactivated. However, just when I thought he would return to his original form, his appearance had undergone a further startling transformation.
To describe that appearance in one word, according to Noah, he was a "slim, handsome muscular man." I couldn't judge if he was handsome with my aesthetic sense, but it was certain that his physique had changed even in its bone structure.
Blade originally had a physique where you might mistake him for a gorilla rather than a human, but now he looked like a reasonably well-trained ordinary adult male. Since his clothes had been torn all over, he was in nothing but boxer shorts and a bowtie.
"That's not fair. Isn't that just cheating...?"
I didn't understand why Noah was so full of tragic despair.
"There are conditions for using this technique. Once used, it cannot be reused for 24 hours. In other words, it's a one-time-only trump card and a last resort. If possible, I wanted to save it for unforeseen circumstances."
While he temporarily gained five times the aura amount and reinforcement rate, as a price, the power of all his Nen abilities would decrease to one-fifth of normal for the next 24 hours. It wasn't a technique to be used lightly.
"However, because I was stingy with the technique, I ended up pushing a painful role onto Six... I'm sorry."
I raised a hand to stop Blade's apology. Blade wasn't at fault. The 'resolve to kill' was something I couldn't avoid. In the end, I couldn't kill anyone, but even so, having that experience versus not having it would make a completely different difference in my mindset when the time came.
Blade, and the other iTubers, were all standing here carrying various resolves. To live is a series of resolves. I didn't think I had reached that level yet.
If there was something to apologize for, it was on my end. Being able to stall so many enemies was thanks to Noah's ability, and ultimately overcoming the crisis was due to Blade's power. I was able to do nothing.
"That's not true!"
The one who spoke up was an unexpected person.
"First, let me offer my thanks. You all are my life-savers... I never expected to be saved. Even though it wouldn't have been strange at all if I were abandoned, you reached out to me."
Shedding tears and sniffing, the Grandfather of the Galaxy expressed his gratitude to us.
"If even one person among you had been missing, I might not be here right now. Please don't think you were useless. Just you being there was enough to save me. Thank you."
Saying that, he reached out his hand. I responded to the handshake.
"I feel something... like an unwavering determination from you all. I might have been saved by that will. I declare it upon my pride as a fortuneteller. As long as you maintain that will, your future will never grow dark... I pray for your good fortune. Now then."
With that, the Grandfather of the Galaxy started to walk away.
"Wait a second."
No, just as he was about to leave, his robe's hem was caught and stopped by Noah.
"What do you think you're doing, just casually heading home? We went through hell because of you."
"That... is true. I will never forget the debt I owe you all. Of course, I intend to thank you not just with words but with something tangible. However, at the moment, I have absolutely nothing on hand... consequently, after this incident is over..."
"No, you can just pay us back now. We're about to go help Mr. Pomerni, so you're coming with us."
"...Eh? You're joking, right?"
The Grandfather of the Galaxy looked toward Blade.
"This is helpful. My prized muscles are in this state, and I was a bit worried about the road ahead. Having another Nen user as a companion is reassuring."
"What?! No, no, there's no way this old man could be of any use...!"
"You're too humble. The running speed you showed earlier was quite something. And it's nonsense to say you're useless. Just 'you being there' is a big help to us."
The Grandfather of the Galaxy turned his gaze toward me while dripping snot. To him, whose expression was desperately pleading for something, I responded with a 'come on' gesture.
It was questionable whether the Grandfather of the Galaxy could be expected to be a combat force, but we were facing the life-or-death issue of Blade's power dropping to one-fifth. To fill that hole, we had to use whatever was available. At the very least, he had been a Nen user longer than I, who had no practical experience, so he should be able to be useful.
"Wait! I told you about my ability, didn't I?! I can't do anything unless there are general people to manipulate! It's a truly crappy ability, right?! It's crap, pure crap! An old fossil like me would only drag you down..."
"Shut up and come on."
And so, the Grandfather of the Galaxy was taken into custody (became a companion).
Party Formation Six Blade Noah Velvet
↓
Party Formation Six Blade (Handsome Version) Noah Grandfather of the Galaxy (New!)
Wait, Six is in a reverse harem state... I have an idea!
☆ Character Introductions ☆
[Noah Heliodor] — Noah Heliodor —
"Won't you be my Mommy?"
The insanely popular and handsome iTuber! Six, an ordinary girl who admires Noah—who is busy with movies and live concerts—happened to meet him in the city by chance and he took a liking to her! Is this a dream?!
Kyaa! ❤️
It was supposed to be a wonderful date, but once she met him... what's with this mommy's boy?! Totally unbelievable!!!!
(Anger!)
However, as Six is treated kindly, she gradually becomes drawn to his charm...?
[Blade Max] — Blade Max —
"Would you like to touch my muscles?"
One day, a handsome muscular iTuber suddenly appeared before Six. He claimed he would protect her and started living in Six's room!
(In trouble...)
Moreover, he ignores Six and spends all his time training... which is more important, me or training?!
(Crying!)
As their strange life together continues, Six realizes her life is being targeted by a mysterious organization. Can Blade protect Six from assassinations, betrayals, a ten-year-old unsolved case, and a conspiracy hidden within a great evil?
[Grandfather of the Galaxy] — The Galactic Grandfather —
"Do you believe in a fated encounter?"
Six, a normal girl, confessed her romantic troubles to a mysterious fortuneteller iTuber. Six begins to open her heart to the wonderful old man who listens to her stories with kindness. As she is sold 'good luck charms' at special prices, the two of them grow closer!
(It's fate! ❤️)
However, one day, the Grandfather of the Galaxy confesses to Six that he has incurred a large amount of debt as a co-signer for a friend. Six, asked to transfer 300,000 Jenny to a specified account by tomorrow, decides to...
[Six] — Six —
" I . W I L L . E A T "
I'm Six! I'm just a normal ten-year-old girl you can find anywhere! Through a strange turn of events, I'm making my debut as a rookie iTuber. But my true identity is... the King of Ants?!
A heart-pounding! Heart-throbbing! Cinderella story of Six, an ordinary girl who wandered into a handsome iTuber paradise, begins now!