Chapter 149 (Patreon)

“Wha—?!”

Black-and-crimson ribbons instantly coiled around Takako Uro, sealing her inside a cocoon.

“This is... All the World’s Evil...”

In the distance, Ryu Ishigori’s eyes widened.

“What a terrifying curse. It’s far more sinister than any curse I’ve ever encountered.”

A fierce grin spread across his face.

“But the stronger the curse, the more it makes me want to fight!”

Ishigori thrust both hands toward Ragnar Kagenou.

“Granite Blast!”

Boom!

A massive beam of Cursed Energy tore through the ground as it surged toward Ragnar.

“So you finally couldn’t hold yourself back any longer.”

A round shield engraved with a cross appeared before Ragnar. Granite Blast struck it head-on, yet the shield did not move an inch.

“Impressive. Even that couldn’t break through? That shield of yours is seriously tough.”

Golden radiance flooded the battlefield, bathing Ishigori in its glow.

The countless golden ripples of the Gate of Babylon crowded the sky. They spread from the heavens to the ground, forming a vast semicircle around him.

“So that’s your Cursed Technique.”

Ishigori stared at the extravagant display and grinned.

“It really is... ridiculously flashy!”

He spread his arms.

“Ryu Ishigori. That’s my name. What about you?”

“You had the courtesy to introduce yourself first. Very well. Consider this a mercy.”

Ragnar looked down at him.

“Remember the name Ragnar Kagenou. It is the summit you will never reach.”

With death closing in from every direction, Ishigori discharged Cursed Energy from his entire body, fending off the indiscriminate barrage of Noble Phantasms.

“Hahaha! Ragnar Kagenou, aren’t you rushing things? Going straight for the kill takes all the pleasure out of a fight!”

Ishigori used his innate technique, Cursed Energy Discharge, to hold back the storm of Noble Phantasms while searching for a weakness in the Gate of Babylon.

“You opened fire the moment you arrived. You have no right to complain.”

Boom!

“Fair point.”

Ishigori fired another blast, barely managing to shatter several Noble Phantasms.

“Granite Blast!”

“But this is far too one-sided!”

“A fight is not supposed to be fair. Is that truly something you need explained?”

Ragnar tilted his head upward.

The golden ripples surrounding Ishigori were once again loaded with B-Rank Noble Phantasms.

“This is frustrating...”

A moment later, Ishigori stood covered in wounds, gasping heavily for breath.

“Honestly... I’ve never experienced a battle like this in either of my lives.”

He reached into his clothes and pulled out a cigarette.

“Give me a moment.”

“My first life left me about eighty percent full. I fought opponents with real backbone, and I met my share of beautiful, charming women... If you asked whether I had any regrets, honestly, I’d say no.”

Ishigori took out a lighter and lit the cigarette.

“But that vague hunger I could never put a name to was the most troublesome part, Kagenou. Everyone looked at me as if they were asking, ‘What could you possibly be dissatisfied with?’”

Smoke drifted slowly from his mouth.

“This brand leaves a faint sweetness on the tongue.”

He dropped the cigarette and crushed it beneath his heel.

“But my life never had dessert.”

“Your time is up.”

The instant Ragnar spoke, every Noble Phantasm loaded inside the golden ripples shot forward.

“What am I dissatisfied with? Isn’t it obvious...?”

Ishigori suddenly raised his head.

The Noble Phantasms descended like a meteor shower. Beneath that dazzling storm, his body appeared impossibly small.

Then Cursed Energy erupted from every part of him.

“Because I’ve never been satisfied! That’s why I’m dissatisfied!”

“Granite Blast!”

Violent waves of Cursed Energy burst from Ishigori as he fired upward, attempting to shoot Ragnar out of the sky.

— Inside the Black Mud —

“Where am I?”

Takako Uro was drowning in endless darkness.

“Am I... dead?”

There was nothing but darkness.

The silence was so complete that she could clearly hear her own heartbeat.

“How pathetic... I finally received a second life, and now it’s over just like that.”

“Who said it was over?”

A voice came from behind her.

“Who’s there?”

“Turn around and see for yourself.”

Uro turned around and found herself staring at a face identical to her own.

“You are...”

———

“You’re close.”

Ragnar remained exactly where he had been from the beginning, without taking so much as a single step.

“You’ve nearly reached your limit.”

“I’m not at my limit yet! Not before I get my dessert!”

Even with everything he had, Ishigori could not defeat the enemy before him. The gulf between them was immeasurable.

But that was precisely why this battle could finally satisfy his bottomless hunger.

Boom!

“That’s it!”

Ishigori pushed Cursed Energy Discharge as though staking his life on it. He released Cursed Energy recklessly, no longer bothering to aim or control it.

“Keep them coming! I’ll take as many as you can fire!”

Cursed Energy blasts scattered like rain.

Even then, Ishigori needed two blasts just to withstand the impact of a single Noble Phantasm.

“To think you’re still holding on. Your resolve is worthy of praise.”

Ishigori gasped for breath before breaking into a broad, exhilarated grin.

“This heat still hasn’t faded! And I’ll be the one who defeats you!”

This is it...

The dessert I’ve been searching for!

“You have spirit.”

Ragnar reached into the Gate of Babylon and drew out a massive crossbow.

“But you are far too weak.”

He aimed the crossbow at Ishigori.

“Let me show you how vast the gap between us truly is.”

“Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads.”

Nine golden beams erupted at once, carving through the ground as they converged on Ishigori.

Ishigori gathered every last trace of his Cursed Energy into his hands. His eyes were bloodshot, and blood spilled from the corners of his mouth.

“This is my final... Granite Blast!”

For the first time, Ishigori released all his Cursed Energy without holding anything in reserve.

Even the ground beneath him could not withstand the tremendous output and began to split apart.

The instant the nine golden beams collided with Granite Blast, Ishigori’s attack shattered.

“How... is that possible...?”

SPLAT!

Ishigori’s body was torn apart in an instant.

“...Thanks for the meal. I’m... full.”

Black-and-crimson ribbons immediately coiled around what remained of his body.

In the final instant before the Black Mud swallowed him, Ishigori forced out his last words.

“This battle... I’ll never forget it, Ragnar Kagenou.”

The Black Mud dragged him beneath its surface.

Within it, the curse of All the World’s Evil began to reshape him.

Gurgle.

A slender arm suddenly emerged from the Black Mud at Ragnar’s feet.

It was followed by strands of pale pink hair.

Blackened by All the World’s Evil, Takako Uro emerged even more bloodthirsty and brutal than before.

Ryu Ishigori followed closely behind, rising from the Black Mud.

“My King, please give your orders.”

———

Noble Phantasm: Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads

Rank: C–A+

Type: Variable

Description: The most trusted Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit Heracles. Originally, it was the bow used to slay the Lernaean Hydra. In ancient Greek mythology, the Hydra’s heads would regenerate no matter how many times they were severed. After killing the Hydra with his bow and arrows, Heracles perfected an attack method that reproduced the bow’s power through other weapons. He could even perform it with a greatsword, pushing the technique to its absolute limit.