240. Otherworld ⑤ Constraints
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Then, the three of us spent an immeasurable amount of time in the Otherworld.
I couldn't say exactly how long it had been.
It felt like an instant, yet also like an eternity.
In that timeless realm, I lost count of how many times August beat me to a pulp.
Beyond that, we spoke about events that, for him, lay in the future. I studied magic alongside Zion, listened to tales from an age of legends—it was truly an invaluable experience.
I learned countless things from August, and I made them a part of me.
…In the end, my memories never returned, and I never managed to defeat him. But somehow, I knew—this battle would be our last.
As always, I faced August from about ten meters away.
"August, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me."
When I expressed my gratitude, he looked momentarily surprised. But soon, his lips curled into a bright smile.
"Yeah, I had a great time too. I lost everything. I gave up on everything. But you showed me that my footsteps still had meaning, Orn. So come—surpass me, at least for this final bout!"
"Of course. With everything I've learned from you, I will surpass you! —Magic-Sword Fusion Final Form"
I gathered the surrounding mana and drew it into my body.
Then, I activated the qi flowing through me to its very limits.
Within me, mana and qi—forces that should never mix—began to intertwine.
The sheer power, too vast to contain, started to seep out of my body.
As the energy touched the coat draped over my shoulders, it began to flicker like black flames—perhaps now more aptly called a magic mantle.
What even the mantle could not contain crackled into the air around me, releasing streaks of deep blue and black lightning.
I gripped my magic sword and took my stance.
(At this rate, I can only maintain this state for a few seconds…)
This was my first time attempting to hold such immense power within me. The sheer concentration it required far exceeded my expectations—I knew I couldn’t keep it up for long.
"…Hah! So in the end, we’ve reached the same place…!"
August laughed, his voice ringing with exhilaration.
Then, just like me, he transformed his garments into a magic mantle. But his shimmered with crimson-black lightning.
He lowered his stance, drawing his fists into position.
Of all the martial arts he had mastered, August’s greatest strength lay in unarmed combat—just like Haruto-san.
Grateful that he was coming at me with everything he had, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.
As Zion watched over us, the distance between August and me vanished in an instant.
The clash lasted only a heartbeat.
As we passed each other, I swung my sword—he threw his fist.
An exchange too fast for any ordinary person to perceive.
And the one who emerged victorious was—
“…Ha… ha… No way…”
August collapsed to his knees before falling face-first to the ground.
“Hah… hah… hah… I won…!”
Though battered, I remained standing.
Forcing mana and qi to merge had put an immense strain on my body. A headache—something I hadn't experienced since arriving in the Otherworld—began to creep in. But even through the pain, I gazed down at August lying on the ground, savoring the taste of victory.
“Ghh… aagh…!”
But the headache didn’t fade—it only grew worse.
Soon, the pain became unbearable, making it impossible to stay on my feet. I dropped to my knees, clutching my head.
“Orn!? What’s wrong!?”
Zion rushed toward me, her voice filled with concern.
I wanted to reassure her, to tell her I was fine.
But I couldn't get the words out.
Along with the pain, a flood of memories surged into my mind.
(This is… my memory…?)
The images came with emotions attached.
The days of my childhood, spent with Zion and my parents.
The moment the cult attacked—my parents and my comrades dying right before my eyes.
Zion had told me about it before, but now, reliving it firsthand, the reality was far more horrifying than I could ever accept.
――“I’m sorry for pushing the problems we should have dealt with onto you, Orn.”
――“I’m sorry, Orn. I never intended to leave your side so soon.”
-- "It'll be okay, Dad, Mom. I'll keep looking forward and live my life.”
As I thought that, it felt like my parents and the people from the village smiled at me.
The deaths of my parents and the villagers couldn’t be expressed with simple words like anger or sadness.
But now, I felt like I had truly accepted their deaths.
I had managed to etch them properly into my heart.
—At last, my path forward had been determined.
Still, why had the memories I couldn’t retrieve until now suddenly returned here?
The power I had combined from magic and qi had flowed through my body just like qi itself.
Perhaps that power had also reached my brain during the process.
Could that have neutralized the Cognitive Alteration?
Well, it’s better that it returned, and I don’t need to think too deeply about it right now.
“…Zion, I remembered. Everything from when I was a child. That day the cult ravaged everything. I remember it all…”
I looked directly at Zion, who had been flustered by my sudden pain, and spoke to her.
When Zion heard my words, her expression froze for a moment, but soon her eyes began to well up with tears.
“…R-Really…?”
“Yeah. Now, I can clearly remember that day… the promise we made in the silver world, together with you.”
To prove that I had regained my memories, I spoke of a promise—something that only Zion and I knew, before I had undergone the Cognitive Alteration.
When Zion heard this, she finally couldn’t hold back her tears and they began to fall in large drops.
“Orn…! Orn!!”
Zion called my name as she rushed into my arms, unable to hold herself back.
I firmly held her, wrapping my arms around her.
“I’m so glad, I’m so glad…”
Zion cried like a child.
Seeing her like that, my chest tightened with emotion.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Zion.”
I didn’t loosen my hold on her until her tears subsided.
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"Uh... Sorry to interrupt your little moment, but it looks like we're running out of time. Can we wrap this up soon?"
At some point, August had come back to life, and now he spoke to us with an awkward expression.
Realizing that the world's regression was about to end, just as he said, we separated and turned to face him.
Not long ago, I had sliced August clean in half, yet there wasn't a single trace of it left on his body.
"...August, thank you. Truly. Because of you, I was able to get closer to my goal."
When I expressed my gratitude once again, he gave me a warm smile.
"Glad to hear it. I got to learn a lot about the future too, so I'm satisfied."
"What about you, August? What will you do now?"
"Nothing, really. I may look like this here, but in reality, I'm an old man past eighty. Well, I've lost everything, but getting to meet you two at the end isn't such a bad way to go out."
He looked completely at peace as he spoke.
"Alright then, time for this old man to disappear. Keep at it, you two."
Despite it being our final farewell, August spoke casually. He turned his back to us, waving as he started walking away.
"...Goodbye, August," I called out.
"Thank you for everything," Shion added.
As our voices reached him, his figure wavered like a heat haze—then, just like that, he vanished from this world.
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