HCB Chapter 20 Burning Away the Last Thoughts
Chapter 20 Burning Away the Last Thoughts
"But I... I couldn't protect you... I was just a useless bystander from beginning to end, and even seeing you one last time was in this way..."
Ming lowered his head as he spoke, then stood up, walked to the side of Sawa's body, and sat down, talking to himself as if chatting about everyday things:
"I'm sorry... Sawa, I really want to go to the [Neighboring World] to save you right now, but I can't. No matter what I do, my body will keep regenerating. I'm so useless, aren't I? I couldn't even hold your hand one last time..."
As he spoke, Ming's lips, which were usually almost impossible to move, trembled and lifted slightly, as if he were smiling, but tears of sorrow were streaming down his face from the corners of his eyes.
He tried to reach out and take Sawa's hand again, but when his hand was just a hair's breadth away from hers, it froze in mid-air once more.
Ming's hand froze in mid-air, tears dripping onto the floor. He stared at Shahe, as if he could recall every little detail of the past through her blood-stained, pale face.
“Sawa, do you know? I really want to hear your voice again, see your smile or hear your voice. You are my first friend in history, and you are also the second person after my parents who truly cares about me. I'm sorry, I don't deserve to hold your hand anymore.”
As Ming spoke, he withdrew his hand, looked at the girl's delicate face, and his eyes instantly hardened as he said:
"However, even if we may never see each other again, I will avenge you with my own hands! I will personally let the flames burn everything that Mio loves so deeply, making her understand, little by little, the pain of losing a loved one at the happiest moment! I will make her remember my anger! Sawa, this is the only thing I can do for you now!"
"If I am erased, then please mourn my incompetence in the [Neighboring World], no... perhaps I don't even deserve your mourning..."
Ming stood up again and moved his feet, looking at the girl noncommittally. Perhaps wanting to leave a last thought in his heart, Ming came to the top of Shahe's body, squatted down again, and used his hand to touch the blood-stained face that blocked out her eyes, while using his other hand to lift her bangs.
Then, guided by the memories etched into his mind, he ignited a jet-black flame in his hand and touched Sawa's forehead.
Then, flames enveloped her forehead, which had been pierced by Kurumi, slowly restoring it to its original state. The bloodstains disappeared, and the paleness on her face faded, making it look as if she had simply been sleeping.
"So beautiful, just like... Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale..."
Ming sighed with a sob in his voice, then picked her up again and walked straight to the bottom floor of the abandoned building.
'I'm sorry, Uncle Iwahira and Aunt Saori, due to certain circumstances, I can't let you see Sawa one last time. I'm so sorry...'
Holding Sawa's body, Ming walked downstairs, lost in thought. Due to various reasons, he was able to let more people see the body; otherwise, it might have been very troublesome. Moreover, there was no cryopreservation technology in this day and age, so he had no choice but to personally bury Sawa here.
And so, the melancholy Ming walked to the center of the first floor of the abandoned building, gently placed Sawa's body on the floor, and voluntarily revealed his [Spirit Dress].
"【Divine Might Armor - Fifth Form - Counter】!"
As Ming's deep voice fell, the crimson goat pupil in his left eye flickered, a monocle appeared in his right eye, and his body began to spontaneously combust in black flames. Black goat horns grew from the left side of his forehead, and six charred skulls appeared out of thin air, forming a circle and praying devoutly.
As the flames subsided and the skeleton turned to ashes, Ming stood in the center of the ring of fire, mourning his first friend before him.
"Goodbye... Sawa... Actually, I'm not sure if I should say goodbye. If I can descend to the [Neighborhood], then it's goodbye; if I can't, then it's goodbye forever..."
Ming muttered to himself as a black heart the size of an orange ignited in his palm. It then fell to the ground, and a raging fire erupted from it. Ming then disappeared into the black sea of fire.
"Waaaaaah! Waaaaaahh ...
As the flames completely engulfed the building, another spatial tremor occurred less than two hours later. Ming, wearing a goat mask, gracefully emerged from the flames-swept building, looking like a demon from hell, his body covered in flames, leaving cratered pits wherever he went.
I had only taken a few steps when a large number of girls from the AST branch filled the dark night sky; there were about 60 of them.
"That's him! Captain!"
A team member who had previously fought against Ming spoke up from above, followed by the command from the strongest magician of AST, Fenro, standing in the very center:
"I see it. Looks like this guy has already started causing destruction. Send five people to check if anyone's inside that abandoned building. The rest of you, come with me to capture the [Flame Beast]!"
With a loud shout, five people flew into the sea of fire behind to search for people, while the remaining team members began to take out weapons similar to Gatling guns and start firing.
'Chirp chirp chirp—'
Dense fire swept down below, but Ming simply stood still, as if deep in thought.
'Ah... [Flame Beast]? My identifier? Choosing this name is a bit tasteless. Is [Demon] any good? Why did you give me this!'
Although Ming stood there thinking, the bullets from those Gatling-style weapons failed to hit him for a long time; the bullets would melt into molten iron as soon as they got close.
After regaining his composure, Ming glanced at the 55 people in the distance, a hint of disdain in his eyes. He flashed forward, instantly appearing behind an AST member and punching her in the back, sending her crashing to the ground.
"When? We didn't see him move at all!" The other AST members exclaimed in alarm.
But the firing rate didn't stop; AST was still firing. However, Ming was extremely fast, easily dodging the bullets and constantly closing in on the other team members.
Each of his punches contained immense heat energy; while not fatal in one blow, it would still shatter their low-level [Freedom Domain].
Seeing his teammates fall at an unexpected speed, the AST captain, who had hesitated to act out of shock, shouted:
"[Flame Beast] Stop right there!"
This ASP division ace was quite skilled; a more advanced [Freedom Domain] enveloped the tip of his blade, piercing through the black flames protecting his body, and he charged straight at Ming, stabbing into his chest.
Ming did not resist during this time. After all, it would be best if this AST ace could send him to the [Neighboring World]. Even if he wasn't sent down, it wouldn't matter. So Ming did not defend against the attack.
"Ah!" Ming screamed loudly. Seeing this, the AST branch's ace scoffed:
"Hmph, is this all the different kinds of spirits [Flame Beasts] are capable of? Nothing special!"
The blade slowly intensified, and Ming's face grew increasingly pale.
"Ah, don't kill me..." Ming said, looking very pained.
"Do you think that's possible? [Flame Beast]... Wait a minute!"
As the knife slowly sank in, the AST ace's expression changed drastically, and he immediately looked up to meet Ming's gaze, who was wearing a mask.
"Do you think I would say that? It's a real shame you couldn't take me down." Ming's left eye, hidden beneath the mask, flickered slightly red as he sighed in a voice devoid of emotion.
A black flame spread from above. The AST branch ace immediately released his grip on the laser sword. The laser sword, covered by the [Freedom Domain], was completely engulfed by the flame and absorbed into Ming's body. The black coat behind him emitted a faint glow.
"Huh?" The AST branch ace looked on in horror, thinking incredulously, 'That was close. If I had kept gripping the knife, I would... No, this is too scary.'
While the AST branch's ace was still thinking, Ming had already flashed behind her at top speed and said expressionlessly:
"Goodbye." Ming gently struck her neck with a chop, knocking her unconscious in mid-air.
"Captain!" A team member who hadn't fallen yet saw their captain collapse and immediately rushed over to catch her. In the meantime, Shi Ming also sped away from mid-air.
All the AST team members, except for the first five who were sent out, were knocked down and lay on the ground overnight.
Afterwards, Ming ran into a small alley, leaned against the wall, and gasped for breath. He looked somewhat uncomfortable, but it wasn't caused by the stabbing earlier. Rather, it was because his body had suddenly been filled with a murderous intent while it was regenerating, and Ming had to forcefully suppress the feeling before he could escape.
Ming caught his breath for a while, and once his breathing had calmed down, he looked at his charred right hand and muttered to himself:
"Phew... What happened? Could it be because of the fusion with him? I just felt such a strong excitement for battle. Luckily I ran fast, otherwise I don't know what would have happened. Damn it!"
"If I can't even control this power, how can I avenge Sawa? It seems I must first adapt to this power. No, my head feels so heavy. Is this a side effect of forcibly breaking free from this feeling? It seems I need to rest more than I am now."
After saying that, Ming leaned against the ground and began to rest with his eyes open. After resting for a while, Ming decided to go home.
He walked out of the community, dragging his tired body, step by step along the path he had walked home countless times. But his friend who had been willing to walk with him was no longer there. Ming could only walk back to the Gangfeng family mansion, which was empty because of the spacequake alarm, like a stray dog.
I went back to my room, lay down exhausted, and tried to use sleep to ease the pain in my heart.