Chapter 78: Monster against Monster

You know...."

*Splat*

"Since I came to this world, everything I've ever known was magic. Everything has mana, humans, demi-humans, trees, the grass, animals, Astrothians, demons, hell, even rocks. But not you."

*Crunch*

"You lot should not exist."

*Squelch*

"I harbor nothing but disgust for you."

*Splatter*

"You would not comprehend it. The average adult male human has around 36 trillion cells — that's 36 followed by 12 zeros. If my disgust was engraved into each individual cell, it would not equal to one one-billionth of my disgust I feel for you in this instance."

*Crunch*

"Disgust."

*Crunch*

"Why the hell do I feel this disgust!"

His foot was brought down once more, an eerie crunch was heard as it broke through the armor of a downed Vel'ryr soldier's chest. It sunk into a squelch-like sound followed as his ribcage shattered. Mikoto heaved a sigh as he lifted his bloodied boot.

Corpses, demon corpses, and Vel'ryr soldier corpses. They numbered about a hundred each, their crimson blood stained the ground, walls, and buildings all around. The sight of so much death must have been nauseating.

"I really am not right in the mind." Mikoto sighed as he walked towards a bench in the center of the massacre. A horrid fire-like demon crossed with a centipede decorated the bench with its guts and limbs, but Mikoto took a seat nonetheless, taking in his insanity.

("Is it truly wrong to kill a person? I'm sure if I were to ask anyone that question, then I'd get very different answers. At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to one single thing. Who is it that you killed and why is it that you killed them? Killing is frowned upon in the eyes of some. But some humans came together and agreed that some people were too vile to walk the earth. That is why the death penalty was created in some countries back home. Some people simply did not deserve to live.

But then again, who am I to decide who lives and who dies? Should that right not be given to a higher power? Should humans really dictate who lives and who dies? Could I really dictate?

Honestly, I do not care either way. I only saw that those who would murder and rape innocents deserve to die. Though I have often asked myself if I could kill them, if I were to come across such a scumbag of a human being, would I be able to kill them if I had the power?

I always believed so, many would. Taking the life of a scumbag should be easy, no? In actuality, for me at least, it was very easy. But that is only because I happened to know the scumbag I killed.

And I knew him well; he was family after all. But that was neither here nor there. It is a simple fact that the old man was scum. Taking all his frustrations out by beating his wife and daughter. He prevented himself from beating me most of the time; he was convinced I could continue his oh so glorious legacy.

He deserved to die. And I never lose sleep over it.

But sometimes I ask myself, would I be able to kill again? It was so easy the first time, but if I came across another scumbag, would I be able to succeed in killing them? I've finally come to an answer, I would be able to kill.") Before he could better ponder on just what was happening to him, his eye caught something from afar. It was something barreling towards him with a vengeance, his keen eye could see what it was, or who it was.

Mikoto stood up from his seat and raised a hand. The person barreling towards him came to a halting stop as a red aura engulfed them. Mikoto directed them to him.

"G-godamnit." He helped said person by gently guiding her down to him, Mirabella all but collapsed on the ground before him not seeming to pay any mind to the numerous corpses, but there was a reason for that. Deep cuts decorated her body and uniform, deep gnashes that looked like they certainly hurt.

"Geez, what happened to you?" Mikoto questioned as he placed a palm on her head. Healing magic was actually a great deal more complex than some thought it was. It required intelligence and not just imagination; you needed to be able to visualize how the healing process was. The average sorcerer proficient in healing could only speed up the healing process. In other words, were someone else to heal Mirabella, then her body would have been decorated with scars. With Mikoto, however, the deep wounds closed and all but vanished in a semi-morbid scene, not even leaving behind any kind of scars. Most would think it restoration and not simple healing.

"M-mikoto, you sho-" Mirabella started sounding a tad shaken, but she was interrupted when something collided with the ground a bit of ways away from them. It collided hard enough to kick up a wall of dust along with a pressure wave that sent all the corpses flying like ragdolls. "Shit." He heard Mirabella curse as the dust started to clear.

It was a person, long black hair and gleaming red eyes set in dull boredom, along with that a finely crafted blade and armor of the same quality. A Von Auerswald, Selwyn by the looks of it.

"Mikoto, you gotta run, that guy's insanely strong!" He heard Mirabella's distressed voice. He merely raised a hand. "I-I don't think even you could beat him." She finished uncharacteristically.

"Nah, he doesn't look that tough, but you'll probably get in the way."

"Wai-" Before she could speak, her body vanished in a blur, simple teleportation.

He turned back to his opponent only to see Selwyn, his eyes blazing with a fierce sense of violence, charging forward with inhuman speed. His blade seemed to blur as he moved, its edge slicing through the air. A sonic boom erupted as he closed the distance, a shockwave that sent tremors through the very ground itself.

Mikoto locked his eyes on his opponent as he raised his right arm in a swift motion. Defensive spells and mana swirled around him, reinforcing his body with a shimmering aura. Selwyn's sword swung down, its tip aimed at Mikoto's chest. The blade bit deep into his arm, drawing a crimson line across his uniform. But Mikoto's defensive magic held strong, refusing to yield to the blade's force.

The impact of the sword's swing sent shockwaves through the ground, causing the buildings to shudder and quake. The very foundations of the city seemed to tremble beneath their feet. Mikoto's eyes never left Selwyn's face as he took a step back, pivoting on his heel, he stepped out of the blade's reach.

With a flick of his wrist, Mikoto summoned a bolt of lightning so powerful it seemed to tear the very fabric of the air. The electricity crackled with an otherworldly energy, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Buildings crumbled, their stone and steel structures reduced to rubble as the blast ravaged the cityscape.

Selwyn's eyes narrowed. Why did he dodge? Magic would not affect him, but he was a warrior first and foremost. And his instincts had screamed at him to dodge, though caught off guard, he had managed to dodge the brunt of the attack. His agility allowed him to avoid the worst of the destruction, but not without taking a glancing blow that sent him stumbling backward.

("It affected me?") Surprise was an afterthought, an eerie smile spread onto his face for some reason.

As he regained his footing, an unseen force slammed into him with brutal force. The air seemed to distort around him as he was flung across the city, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake. The force was so powerful that it parted the clouds themselves, revealing a glimpse of the night sky above.

Mid-air, Mikoto reappeared before Selwyn. He swung his right hand at his opponent with a speed that belied its power. Selwyn raised his blade, using the dull side to block the punch. But despite its lack of preparation, the force behind Mikoto's blow was immense. The impact sent Selwyn hurtling toward a nearby mountain, its snowy peak looming.

The collision was brutal and unyielding. Selwyn's body crashed against the mountain's surface with a force that sent shockwaves through the rock itself. But somehow, he emerged from the wreckage unscathed, his eyes flashing with not boredom but some excitement.

Mikoto stood some distance away from Selwyn. For a moment, the battle paused as if both combatants were momentarily evaluating the other.

The two did not speak. Selwyn knew well that this opponent was fighting to kill. And Mikoto knew this man would show no mercy, so no words were needed. No banter or introduction, they would just fight.

It was odd; the prospect of fighting just seemed so exciting.