Chapter 294: Nameless Cardinal (1)

The moment after that name appeared at the bottom of my vision, a long red bar just below it indicating the Health Points of the present boss, the reality of the situation fully sank in.

At the same time, a strangely high-pitched organ began to play, resounding deeply throughout the chapel’s hall.

Immediately, I noticed the Protagonist materialise a weapon into his grasp―a small wooden club, alongside a vial of something like glowing water. Pouring the contents onto the end of the weapon, it started glowing a pure white, the waste then being tossed before promptly vanishing into nothing.

Then, gripping the club firmly with both hands, I noticed a multitude of rings shuffling magically about on its wielder’s fingers.

After just one second, he appeared to be finished, and four distinct auras began to emanate from his body in a bizarre amalgamation, including one of eerie crimson, one of snow white, one of steel grey, and one of emerald green.

Finally, he stepped forward slowly, raising the club in front of his face as if to block something.

‘Tsk…’

On my end, with an inhumanly tall body I wasn’t used to and two unfamiliar items in my hands, I could only make the most of what I had.

Brandishing the black greatsword from above, I lunged forward.

In the blink of an eye, I crossed the whole distance of the chapel hall to appear before him.

Just from the sheer size and weight of my weapon alone versus his ordinary body, he should have been pulverised.

And yet, swiftly moving the wooden club to be held in just his right hand, the Protagonist raised the free hand on his left and casually swiped right as my blade reached him.

BWOOM…!

‘What, he–‘

All of a sudden, my sword was repelled, my body blown back as if in slow motion.

Following up on the deflection, the Protagonist stepped forward, and with his simple wooden club back to both hands glowing an intense white, swung at my exposed torso.

“…!”

Blood exploded from my front even though no visible damage was dealt to my outfit, and the red health bar at the bottom of my sight had a scarily significant chunk taken out of it.

‘This bastard…! Fuck, that hurts…’

At the very least, it seemed like my body was physically unaffected despite the pain.

Rising from one knee after the shockingly powerful blow, I glanced at the Protagonist sprinting behind me to run to the opposite end of the chapel.

Was he setting up to repeat the same move as before?

Fortunately, I had played these games before, so I knew exactly what he was doing.

He was parrying my attacks and riposting for additional damage.

I knew that much, but…

‘But how the hell do I counter it…?’

I guess, all I could do was try to attack in a way that couldn’t be parried.

Facing the Protagonist again, who stood just before the chair I was previously sitting on with his club being repeatedly raised and lowered before him as if taunting me, I wasted no time in lunging again.

This time, however, I withheld my top-down attack, opting instead for a horizontal sweep.

Then, the Protagonist rolled, his body phasing through my sword as though it was a mere illusion.

‘――He can do that too?!’

Not wanting to give him any time, I swept the greatsword again, and repeatedly, chasing after him with just a hope that I might catch him on a mistake once or twice.

But he just rolled every damn time, ignoring all of my efforts.

That too was a mechanic in the game, dodging by rolling through attacks, but no part of me expected something so ridiculous like that to carry through into reality.

‘Librarian!’

[Don’t shout at me! Those are simply counted as a part of the Protagonist’s skillset, it’s not my fault! Certainly!]

Existing in a deeper level of the Illusory World’s essence was not something that should give much of an effect to my ability to clear the Contract, true.

That wasn’t the reason the Protagonist could roll and parry my attacks―that was just something he could do anyway as the Protagonist, regardless of my existence in the essence.

The only effect the essence should have on me is a greater level of connection between myself and the source material of the world. In other words, the names of the location and the Protagonist, as well as the boss’ health bar at the bottom… My health bar.

Since I was using World Stability to possess the body of the boss right now, did that mean I would die if the boss’ HP reached zero? Or would it just kick me out and force me to use my regular body?

That would either be the worst-case scenario or one more step for the Protagonist towards killing the Antagonist―I suppose the final boss of the game, in this case.

Or, perhaps… Was it that ‘I’ was the final boss?

Rather, the body I was possessing?

In that case, I couldn’t let the Protagonist win no matter what.

Then, I should try――

BWOOM…!

“…!”

Before I realised it, I had been parried for the second time.

No thanks to the way the mechanic worked, there was nothing I could do to resist the following riposte unless the Protagonist was too slow to carry it out, meaning I just had to endure another excruciating bout of pain, another huge chunk of health depleting from the bar at the bottom of my sight.

I was already down to half health.

‘D-damn it, I wasn’t focused… I need to kill him…’

Judging from the Protagonist’s blatant lack of armour and the general way he seemed to be playing the fight, I held no doubt that all I needed was to land a single attack.

Just one, and he would die.

However, at this rate…

“―――――.”

Oaaaaaaaaahhh~~!

RUMBLE~~!!

Immediately following the successful riposte that sent me to one knee, the Protagonist sprinted to the fog wall at the entrance of the chapel. It was as if he had already known precisely what would happen, as in the subsequent moments an incomprehensible incantation resounded again, the pages on the book in my left hand turning rapidly.

A deafening cry resembling a singing choir rang out, and the world shook violently.

Pieces of the chapel roof crumbled, falling down in various places to reveal the faint light of the outside night, what could have only been from the orbiting moon shining down like a spotlight on my body.

Though, as someone deeply connected to the moon, I could instinctively tell that wasn’t it.

I felt something wriggling around inside me, something incomparably nauseating, as if my physical form itself was changing.

‘Phase two… In just two ripostes…’

It wasn’t long before I rose to my feet again, not of my own will, and I felt very different, my strength orders of magnitude above my regular ability.

The evil outfit I wore was torn and tarnished in various places, but there was one big transformation I couldn’t possibly overlook.

That is, my left arm was transformed into a collection of revolting black tendrils entwined together, and the book that it was previously holding floated before me, its turning pages meeting the end of the greatsword in my right as my body moved on its own to connect the two objects.

The sword gradually entered the noisy book like it was being sheathed, a dark glow exuding from the area of impact until it was embedded fully to the hilt’s guard.

Then, I unsheathed it again, the blade having also transformed.

Finally, a piece of the mask on my outfit crumbled away, revealing whatever horror was hidden beneath that I couldn’t see, and right after, an eruption of some dark aura wiped out my immediate vicinity.

“―――――.”

“――.”

“―――.”

Multiple incantations echoed, this time of varying lengths, and the greatsword blurred.

SMASH– RUMBLE~~!!

Moving abnormally flexibly like a whip, the blade lengthened on its own and crashed into the side of the chapel, destroying it and tearing one whole half of the wall down, violently ripping through to the back.

What was revealed beyond the wall of the chapel was not the outside world, but a black void.

Returning on its own to form the shape of a greatsword in my hand again, that seemed to be the end of the phase two cutscene, as my boss’ health bar returned to the bottom of my sight, restored to full.

The name of the boss itself had also changed.

[Envoy From Beyond the Veil]

In a flash, I moved.

I couldn’t afford to give the Protagonist even a moment, so as soon as the second round started, I appeared before him in hopes to catch him off-guard.

Not mobilising the greatsword, I instead thrusted my left “arm” towards him, allowing the tentacles that took its place rush towards him and seize him.

‘―You won’t parry me this time, fucker.’

Even in the game, there were certain attacks that couldn’t be parried. Grab attacks were one such example, and they were also one that was exceedingly difficult to time a dodge for correctly unless you knew it was coming.

‘Gotcha!’

Luckily, it worked.

He tried to roll out of the way, but missed the timing, giving the tentacles the opportunity to snatch him and entrap all his limbs, not permitting any movement or resistance whatsoever.

Moving all on their own, they raised him into the air and slithered around him, tightening mercilessly.

After a matter of seconds, his body went limp and the tentacles retreated, letting his corpse fall to the floor and fade away into a faint wisp of fog.

Red letters appeared before me.

[You Died]

‘Yes, I did it! Librarian, can you believe it? That was quick, right?’

“…”

‘…Librarian?’

For some reason, she didn’t respond.

In fact, I never got to hear her voice at all, because the world slowly turned dark.

❖─────★★★★★─────❖

Suddenly, my eyes opened, and I was in a dark, quiet space.

My body was sitting down, and I could feel that my transformed body had returned to normal.

‘…Oh, fuck off…’

DONG~!

A loud church bell sounded.

[Chapel at the End of the World]

“…”

Seeing the familiar white text appear before my eyes, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of loss.