The conditions to activate "Verg Avesta: Falsely Transcribed Creation" were already in place.
But blindly activating its Retribution ability would be meaningless. The enemy was still flying in the air, so even if I reflected my wounds onto them, it wouldn't be enough to bring them down. If I had taken a hit that tore off my wings or something similar, maybe things would be different… but unfortunately, I was born human. Heck, if I could fly too, I wouldn't have been pushed this far in the first place! Who was it that said, "Anyone who can fly is practically invincible"…?
My left arm was almost unusable, and I could barely move. The only attack I had that could even reach them was to throw my right fang-blade, Zarich, but simply throwing it would obviously just get dodged or deflected.
However, right now, I had a chance to force an opening.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! I'll show you some sweet, sweet retribution!
If nothing works individually, then just combine them!
I stood up, enhancing my whole body as I drew back my right arm. The enemy looked down at my battered self and sneered.
"Hmph. Gonna throw that pitiful excuse of a sword in desperation? Do you seriously think you can harm me with something like that? It seems your mind is just as lowly as your bloodline."
I bit back the pain and forced a confident smile.
"Not quite. I haven't shown you what this divine relic can really do yet, have I? Get ready. This strike is unavoidable…"
As I spoke, eerie blue-white patterns began to glow across my entire body.
A blatant bluff, but if it made them prioritize interception over evasion, it would work in my favor. I couldn't possibly land a hit on a moving target otherwise… Besides, I wasn't lying when I said they couldn't avoid Verg Avesta's retribution. The best lies are told with the truth, after all.
"Die in reverse! Verg Avesta: Falsely Transcribed Creation!!"
Focused on the glowing symbols on my body and the thrown Zarich, the enemy suddenly twisted in agony, pain searing through their right leg and left shoulder, halting them mid-air.
Especially the left shoulder, it had a gaping hole in it. I knew how excruciating that was from experience.
"Grrraaagh!!"
They screamed in pain. But Zarich, already in flight, pierced cleanly through their forehead.
Must've been an instant kill. The fallen angel dropped to the ground, motionless.
I had expected to keep hurling Zarich until they went down, but there was no need. I'd aimed for center mass, somewhere around the gut, hoping just to land a hit. Lucky shot, I guess.
"Guh…haa…haa… I need to get out of here…"
PaAAAHH!!
Just as I turned to leave, a magic circle flared beside the fallen angel, and from it, a new figure emerged.
"When I sensed their presence vanish so suddenly, I came to check… only to find they were killed by a mere human. A child, no less. What a disgrace to our kind."
Dammit! Reinforcements, already!? That was a teleportation circle, wasn't it!? These inhuman bastards use overpowered abilities like flying and teleporting like they're cheap party tricks!
As I cursed internally, a small magic circle opened near the newcomer's ear, and he began speaking, his gaze fixed on me.
[Ah, so it was you. Seems that fool was taken down by a human wielding a divine relic.]
[...…]
[No, you don't need to come. This human is already at death's door. I'll finish him off and meet you afterward.]
[...…]
[Later, then.]
"Now then, let's wrap this up quickly. Cleaning up is such a pain. I won't make the same mistake that idiot did, underestimating someone with a divine relic."
Damn it! If both of you had just come at the same time, I could've taken you both out with Ittou Shura! That would've been way more convenient!
"Why not call the other one too? Might as well get crushed together."
"You? Standing by a thread? Don't make me laugh. As I said, just die."
With that, he conjured a spear of light and hurled it at me, no time to even think.
"Ittou Shura!!"
In that instant, the world slowed to a crawl. Not just the usual limiter release, this was a whole different level of slow motion.
My right leg couldn't muster much strength, but the left was still fine. Launching myself with a single step, I slipped right past the incoming light spear and closed the distance, cleaving deep into the fallen angel's neck.
"...Ghh!"
He choked on blood as it gushed from his neck, collapsing on the spot.
I kept my sword raised, scanning my surroundings. The second one had shown up immediately after the first died. If someone else teleported in now, I'd cleave them down before they even knew what hit them, while Ittou Shura was still active!
…but no one came. Seconds passed in silence. Were they being cautious? In that case, I needed to get out of here.
The barrier they'd set up was gone, so the sight of two fallen angels lying dead would probably cause a stir, but hopefully some local faction would clean it up. Memory alteration was an option too, and I couldn't do much more in my current state.
I turned to limp away, but right then, Ittou Shura's time ran out, and its backlash hit me like a freight train. My entire body felt like lead.
The injuries didn't help either. My right leg felt like it had a cannonball chained to it, and I ended up stumbling and crashing to the ground.
"Ugh!"
Now was not the time to be lying around. I had to get away!
But… this world is just merciless to side characters, huh?
====================
"Unbelievable. They both got taken out. Typical men, talk big, then die uselessly."
A woman's voice. Another fallen angel walked through the field's entrance.
She must've teleported in at a distance after the second one died, waiting and watching. Great. She had a brain.
Damn it! Couldn't she have just gotten cocky and rushed in like the other two!?
"Still, I suppose they weren't entirely useless. Fufu… Looks like you can't even stand anymore, boy. You're practically half-dead."
She strolled over casually, conjuring a light spear and pressing it against my neck.
"Any last words?"
I forced the corners of my mouth up into a grin.
"Yeah. Thanks, all three of you, for underestimating me. Never thought you'd get this close."
Her face twisted. She raised the spear to strike,
"Self-Destruct."
An earth-shattering explosion and shockwave ripped through everything.
"...Khah!"
My ears were ringing; I couldn't hear a thing. It felt like I'd been smashed by a giant hammer. The impact shook me from the inside. My bones were probably cracked, maybe worse.
As the dust settled, I looked around. A crater had formed, about 15–20 meters across, with me at its center.
"…Damn."
Yep. Self-Destruct. Burned everything in an instant. That 200% output wasn't just for show.
As for that female fallen angel… I couldn't confirm it with my current condition, couldn't even cast proper techniques, but surely she was dead. She had to be. Otherwise, I was screwed.
It was over… If someone found me here collapsed in the middle of this crater like Yamcha, it'd definitely be a problem, but I couldn't move.
Even thinking was exhausting. I was just about to lose consciousness when,
"Dammit! 'It's just one human crawling around, I'll finish it off, you guys prep the cleanup!' Then he runs off and gets himself killed!"
"Surround the crater! Don't go in! He's dying, but don't let your guard down. Fire all light rifles at once and finish him off!"
…Dammit! That's my line!
My vision was blurred, but I could make out a group of men in black, maybe ten or more. Rogue exorcists!?
Damn it! My lack of combat experience really came back to bite me! Just because there were only three inhuman enemies didn't mean there were only three enemies, period!
Ah, shit.
…Is this really it?
…No more moves left.
But even so, I don't want to die. This might be nothing more than a desperate whisper, but if there's a chance…
"…Help… me."
"MILKYYYYYYYYYY, THUNDERRRRRRRR, CRASHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Just before I passed out, I thought I heard something…
=============
250 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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