CHAPTER 67 - Saik vs. Golem
CHAPTER 67 - Saik vs. Golem
(Pov - Saik.)
The day after tomorrow is the end of the special trial.
This special trial has felt like an eternity. Fortunately, it'll be over soon, and I'll go back home to play video games and eat all the junk food I want.
Ah… I just need to be patient. Two more days, Saik.
"Saik, I'm hungry."
"Me too. What do you want to eat today?"
"I don't know. What do you want to eat?"
"I don't know… Coconuts?"
"I'm tired of coconuts."
"Pork?"
"We don't have salt or spices."
"Fruit?"
"I'm bored of their taste."
"Fish?"
"No."
"Ugh… Dirt?"
"No, thanks."
Ugh… I'm tired of the same flavors too. I want to leave already.
…Leave… That's right, she's about to make her move, which means… Well, well.
I'm becoming a genius, huh? Goodbye, island, I hope I never see you again.
I stood up from the ground and brushed the dust off my body.
"Where are you going, Saik?"
"I'm going to find new food. Wait for me here."
"Okay."
I walked away, heading straight to my destination.
I've been very patient, but I'll go crazy if I stay here any longer. I'm moving the plan forward.
I'll first go to the border with Hanako's area to inform her about advancing the plan, then head to the exact meeting spot with her.
…
…
…
Ugh… Walking without Yuki is so boring, but it's necessary that she doesn't know what I'm planning. What I'm about to do is very manipulative, and I want to avoid Yuki thinking I'm some kind of villain. Even I admit what I'm going to do is pretty evil, but it's her fault too—she betrayed me and teamed up with the president, and she has to pay for betraying me.
…
…
…
I've been walking for 30 minutes, but…
…
…
…
45 minutes…
…
…
…
Two hours…
…
…
…
"Three hours…"
This isn't normal. My part of the island isn't that big.
…Weird, I don't sense any spiritual energy. I'm not in an illusion.
Alright, let's review the situation, Saik. You've been walking for over three hours on the island, without taking any detours, walking straight, but you haven't reached the border… And I think the scenery hasn't changed. I see the same trees.
"Have I actually gone crazy?"
Hmm… Let's see…
I looked around… Just trees… No ghosts or anything strange.
This is odd. What's going on? If this isn't caused by a ghost or spiritual being, who's causing it? Or have I gone insane?
I need to investigate before jumping to conclusions.
"Number 91, come out."
Ghost Number 91, the legendary plant ghost, emerged from me and hugged my arm, acting very feminine toward me.
"Will you give me my reward now, Master?!"
"Analyze the ground. I've been walking for three hours and don't feel like I've made progress."
"At your command, Master!"
She placed her hands on the ground.
Ugh… I hope I'm not going crazy. This is the first time I've gone so long without eating properly. I hope the lack of salty food isn't messing with my mind.
"Master, Master, the ground isn't part of the island!"
"What? What do you mean?"
"We're on the back of a monster!"
"On the back of a monster…?"
I tilted my head to the right and dodged a log someone threw at me, trying to attack me from behind.
Someone capable of throwing a huge log like it's a paper ball… Oh, damn it.
"The Ghost Goddess was supposed to give me time to think about her offer, so I doubt she's the one attacking me. Why are you attacking me, idiots?"
"Fufu. Hello, handsome. Up here."
I looked up. It's the girl who was with that other guy on the boat. A minion of the Ghost Goddess. Ugh, is it really that hard to leave me alone?
…Why isn't she wearing underwear? I can see her private parts from where I'm standing.
Hmm… When I was a little kid, women's private parts grossed me out, but now I find them cute. I've really become a teenager, huh? Ugh, I hope I'm not turning into a pervert.
"Hey, you forgot to put on underwear."
"Really…? Oh, you're right. Fufu. Hope you enjoy the view."
"Master, she's a perverted exhibitionist! Want me to eliminate her for you?!"
I patted her head, and she returned to my body.
If she had attacked that girl, she would've been eliminated. That girl is stronger than she seems. If I use legendary ghosts, she could destroy them. Better not take risks.
"I was masturbating while spying on you bathing and forgot to put on underwear. Hope it doesn't bother you. Want me to suck you off as compensation?"
Suck me off…? Oh, I get it.
She was spying on me? And I didn't notice… Ugh, I'm so weak.
"No, but thanks for the offer. So, what do you want? I'm not having sex with you."
"I just want to see you in action. Don't worry, you won't die, but if you lose, you'll be almost dead. Good luck!"
She vanished. See me in action…? Ugh… The ground's shaking. An earthquake?
I hope it's not what I think it is.
The ground is moving and rising. Is it taking shape…? Damn it.
"Number 31, take as many legendary ghosts as you can and keep Hanako away from this place. Also, make sure Yuki doesn't come."
Number 31 emerged from my body, carrying many of my legendary ghosts inside her.
That girl is forcing me to fight a monster, and if Hanako sees me fighting, she'll discover my identity. If Yuki sees me, she'll be scared of me.
I won't let them ruin my normal life.
The earth took the form of a Golem, over 20 meters tall, or something like that. It's about 15 times bigger than me.
If it's a Golem, its core must be in the center of its body. I'll defeat it if I can destroy its core.
"Master, I'll fight for you."
Legendary Ghost Number 93, the ghost of physical strength, emerged from me, ready to fight, but it won't be necessary.
"No, Number 93, I'll fight."
"Are you sure, Master? Don't you want me to at least help?"
"No. I'll fight. Return."
"Alright."
He returned to my body, and I sighed.
Fine, they want to see me in action? They'll see me in action. I'll show them what I'm capable of, even without my legendary ghosts, so they'll leave me alone.
"Alright… I'm ready."
…
…
…
Ugh… Is it waiting for me to attack first? It's standing still.
Well, I wanted to see it fight to know how it fights, but I don't have time. I'll attack first.
I ran toward it. First, I'll test how tough—
"Huh?"
Something came out of the Golem's chest and landed on the ground.
I stopped in front of it… What?
"Why did you take a human form?"
A mini Golem emerged from the Golem, human-shaped, my height. It wants to fight on my level? Fine, whatever.
"Alright, I accept the challenge."
"Help me, please!"
"Huh?"
"Do you know where my mommy is?!"
"I want my grandma!"
"Waaaah!"
"Please, help me!"
"Sir, get me out of here!"
"Waaaah!"
"Don't just stand there, help us!"
"I'll give you anything!"
…Wow… This is awkward.
Hundreds… No… Thousands of souls of children, even babies, are inside the Golem. All those souls share its body now.
In other words, any damage I do to the Golem, they'll feel… Wow…
"Deactivate ears."
Perfect, I can't hear them anymore. Now I can fight without distractions. Fighting while hearing them scream and cry would've been too distracting. Sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it. The only thing I can do is defeat the Golem and free them from their suffering. I hope they find peace in paradise.
That was low, minions. Did you really think I wouldn't dare fight just because it'd hurt babies and kids? Yes, I feel bad for them—after all, thousands of mothers lost their children, and knowing that infuriates me—but that doesn't mean I won't fight or that I'll let it hit me while I figure out how to defeat it without hurting the kids. I'll fight seriously, no holding back. Sorry, kids, but my normal life is at stake. I can't waste time with you.
"Now, let's begin."
Sorry, kids and babies, but this is going to hurt a lot.
I jumped at the Golem and delivered a powerful kick to its head.
I hope that's enough to… What?
"Noooo! Leave my daughter alone! Don't touch her!"
"Hmmmmh!"
"Stop squirming, you little brat!"
…What?
Am I… being groped? What?
No, it's not me. Am I inside a little girl's body? Did my ears reactivate?
A woman is crying and screaming beside me, being raped. I guess she's the girl's mother. And two men are taking off my clothes and touching my body.
I can't move on my own… Am I inside a memory?
I see. Is this how the girl died? Those uniforms. Soldiers? I see, I see. This girl died during the First or Second World War. I don't think it was after 2000; their uniforms look very old, not modern like soldiers' uniforms post-2000.
I heard soldiers did this kind of thing during wars—raping women and girls, killing men, looting small villages. This girl must've been one of the many innocent victims of war.
But… I'm feeling everything, as if it's happening to me… Oh, damn it, that man's already pulled out his penis.
"If you bite me, I'll kill your mommy!"
I feel everything and can't move. That means…
Oh, damn it. I'm going to kill that girl.
…
…
…
"That was disgusting."
After those men raped both the mother and daughter, they slit their throats, and when the girl finally died, I came out of her memory and returned to reality.
The Golem wasn't affected by my kick, and I quickly backed away.
Ugh, gross. I got raped, at least mentally. Poor girl, raped by soldiers at such a young age. No wonder she became a ghost.
I felt everything, absolutely all her pain.
"So, with every hit I land on you, I'll live through the final moments of those kids and feel what they felt, huh?"
I see, I see… That memory lasted two hours, but time didn't pass here. That means…
"I can fight you without any issues."
Kids, you won't suffer anymore.
"I'll free you from your suffering."
I charged at it, and it did the same.
I threw a punch, and it did too.
We hit each other in the face, and everything around me distorted as I entered another memory.
This time, I'm a baby, in a trash bag… Ugh, humans are really sick.
…
…
…
Alright, I'm out of that memory. Dying by suffocation is more painful than I thought.
But whatever, let's keep going.
•
•
(Pov - Shaik.)
"T-This can't be happening."
N-Not even Mike or my brother could endure reliving three final moments, but Saik is fighting without hesitation, as if he's not reliving all those final moments!
Saik and the Golem are trading blows, and I can't sense fear, doubt, or hesitation in him. Those final moments don't affect him at all!
Most of those kids died in extremely painful and inhumane circumstances. Torture, rape, starvation, desperation, fear, helplessness, eaten by animals, drowned, fatal accidents… So many scenarios no sane human would want to experience firsthand, but Saik is fighting and reliving those memories!
"So cool!"
Oh, my Goddess, she wasn't wrong about Saik. We definitely need him on our side! He's the coolest warrior I've ever met! I don't know anyone else capable of doing what he's doing!
Saik, you're being raped, tortured, eaten, suffering accidents, and a long etcetera, but it seems like it doesn't faze you at all! You're so cool!
"Fufu. Come on, Saik, lose already. I want you inside me."
It's impossible for you to defeat the Golem, Saik. You're fighting without using your legendary ghosts, just your fists. There's no way you can win.
"But I'm starting to think you might actually win."
After all, if you can endure all that pain, you're capable of anything.
"So cool."
Even with his broken fists, Saik keeps fighting, and he's slowly damaging the Golem.
"I think you might actually scare me, Saik, but you're also turning me on."
Come on, Saik, lose or win, I don't care! I want you inside me already!
"I'm back, sis… ter… W-Why are you masturbating thinking about that idiot, sister?!"
"Oops. Sorry, brother."
I stopped masturbating to avoid making my little brother uncomfortable.
"I couldn't help it. Look at him, brother."
"Tsk. What's so special about him, sister…? Well, I admit it's impressive he's fighting with broken fists, but even I could do that. Did he find a way to avoid the final moments?"
"Fufu. No, he's not avoiding them, brother."
"…What?"
"He's still fighting and reliving the final moments, brother."
"T-This has to be a mistake! Look at him, he's fighting like nothing's happening! Even a freak like him would be affected by those final moments, sister!"
"Our Goddess was right about him, brother. Saik is truly incredible. Having him on our side would be the best."
"Is he really capable of fighting through all that pain? Is he even human? He's a monster."
"He's not a monster, brother. He's a true warrior."
Being able to fight despite the pain—that's a true warrior.
•
•
(Pov - Yuki.)
Saik, you idiot, where are you?! The tremors won't stop! What's happening to the island?! Don't worry, Saik, if you're trapped under some rocks, Yuki will rescue you, just wait for me!
Why does it keep shaking every minute?! This doesn't make sense! Don't worry, Saik, I'll save you!
"So cute! Hello, girl!"
Huh? Someone saw me…?! A woman in a swimsuit? A ghost?
Yeah, she's floating, she's a ghost.
It's been a long time since I saw a normal ghost.
"Hello?"
"Are you going to your friend? Don't worry, only ghosts can feel the tremors, not humans. I think two very powerful ghosts are fighting near this island."
Only ghosts can feel the tremors…? Now that I think about it, the trees weren't moving. I see… Uwaaah! Two powerful ghosts are fighting! I need to warn Saik!
"Can we talk? I haven't spoken to another girl in years."
"Sorry, I need to warn my friend about the fight."
"Fufu. Don't worry, girl, nothing will happen to you or the human. Your protection is too strong; no one could harm you. You made friends with someone with a powerful gift for controlling ghosts. I'm so jealous. My name is Hermosa."
…"Hermosa"? A Spanish word? What a weird name.
"My name is Yuki."
It shook again, but the trees really aren't moving. I think I can trust her.
"Could you tell me about the world now? I can't leave the island, and I died over 100 years ago."
That's strange. Her soul hasn't been corrupted? Ghosts who stay ghosts for so long are supposed to get corrupted and turn evil. And they're supposed to vanish when forgotten. Is she still remembered? Lucky. I wonder if she was famous in another country.
"Sure."
Anything to stop being bored.
•
•
(Pov - Saik.)
Ugh… Ugh… Damn it, I can't lift my arms anymore.
My bones are broken; I can't keep using my arms.
The Golem is damaged, but it doesn't look like it'll fall anytime soon. Damn it, my strength wasn't enough.
My body is in too much pain, and most of my bones are broken, but my arms took the worst of it since I was basically punching solid rock with my fists.
So much blood covering my body and the ground… I won't be able to stay on my feet much longer.
Ugh, I really didn't want to do this, but I have to.
The Golem doesn't let me catch my breath and hits me in the face.
Sorry, kids…
[Connecting to the realm of souls.]
[Requesting permission.]
Damn God, what do you think you're doing?
"You again? Do you even know what you're about to do, human?"
My soul was taken to the world of the Gods, specifically to the God who protects souls. An idiot in a librarian uniform with glasses.
I've been here before and punched him in the face when he tried to stop me from eliminating souls. Is he going to take advantage of my situation to hit me?
"What do you want now, idiot? I'm about to defeat a Golem."
The God sighed and approached me… Huh? Why is he kneeling? This is awkward. What's he planning?
"I beg you, please don't use the energy of their souls to heal your arms. Those kids have suffered too much in their lives, and I want them to be happy again. I don't want their souls erased before they can be happy one last time. You won't die; the Golem won't kill you. It's not worth using their souls."
Ugh… This God is too good, but I don't care.
"I'm going to show the Ghost Goddess and her minions what I'm capable of so they'll stop messing with me, so no, I won't do what you ask."
"Please, I'm begging you! You know how much they've suffered! You're not that evil! Please, have mercy!"
"I don't care."
"…You… You're not doing this to scare the Ghost Goddess or her minions… You… You're doing it out of pure revenge."
"Revenge?"
"You're angry because that Golem made you suffer and see so many horrible things. You want it dead, don't you?"
"Well… Yeah, I guess you're right, I want it dead. Can I go now?"
"…You're a monster. You disgust me."
Everything went dark.
I'll free the kids from their suffering and defeat the Golem. Everyone wins.
You just want to feel like a hero by giving them a new life, and I hate people like you.
Besides, I want to win. I don't want to lose. After everything I had to see and suffer, I refuse to lose.
I'll win.
"I'll definitely win."
I returned to reality and absorbed as many souls as I could from the Golem.
Realizing this, the Golem backed away to stop me from taking more souls, but I absorbed enough… But…
"Ugh, I had to relive their final moments."
With every soul I take, I'll have to see and suffer their final moments.
But it doesn't matter—it was worth it.
My bones began to fuse and heal, fueled by the souls' energy. I can feel the pain turning into strength. I'm ready to keep fighting.
The souls give it power, so the more souls I take, the weaker it'll get.
I'll have to relive thousands of final moments in a row, but it'll be worth it.
At first, I didn't think I could absorb the Golem's souls, but now that I've weakened it, I can.
I'll take all your souls.
"And I'll defeat you…"
Huh?
I jumped and avoided the ground piercing my stomach.
I see, no wonder she said we're on a monster's back. It makes sense—that's why I was walking for hours. The Golem was controlling the ground to make me think I was moving, but I was just walking in place.
The entire ground is part of the Golem, meaning the ground can attack me too.
It realized it can't beat me with fists alone and decided to attack with earth spikes shooting from the ground.
"Well, well… This just got complicated."
Using its power to control the ground, the Golem created a pair of massive earthen hands that loomed menacingly over me. With impressive speed, I dodged the first blows, jumping and rolling skillfully across the ground, but as I rolled, spikes shot up and pierced my body. I managed to destroy them in time to avoid deep penetration.
I can't keep dodging. The longer this goes, the more damage I take. I have to fight.
While dodging, I get closer to the Golem. I'm not losing.
Gathering all my strength, I leap and charge at the Golem, landing devastating punches to its chest to destroy its core. At first, I thought the core was in its head, but after absorbing its souls, I realized it's in its chest, not its head. With those punches, I absorbed more souls and healed my wounds. Sorry for using their souls like medicine, but it's necessary.
I thought I'd done a lot of damage, but the Golem was resilient, its earthen body seeming to absorb the impacts without harm. Each hit was met with counterattacks from the Golem, which used its power to summon earth pillars from the ground, trying to trap me.
Despite my persistence, I started showing signs of exhaustion. This fight was more draining than I'd imagined.
My aching fists and the struggle to keep up the pace threatened the outcome I'd planned, but I'm not giving up—not yet. If there's one thing I'm proud of, it's not my strength.
"It's my willpower."
My parents didn't raise a coward.
I took a defensive stance, patiently waiting for the Golem's next attack. When the earthen hands rose again, I gathered all my strength and leaped into the air, propelling myself forward.
This might be my last attack, so I'll use all my remaining power. If I miss and it dodges, I lose, but if I hit it, I win.
The Golem created a rock wall in front of itself for protection. Don't fail…
"Saik, don't fail!"
I broke through the wall with my arm. Come on, come on… Yes, I'm absorbing souls. I pierced its chest, at least a little.
The wall lost power and crumbled.
The impact to its chest was so powerful that the earth cracked, and fragments of the Golem's body broke off.
Ugh… Yes… I did it.
The Golem, staggering from the impact, showed signs of weakness. I'm not wasting this chance.
The Golem collapsed, and I sat on top of it. I admit I thought I'd lose, but from the moment I decided to use your souls, your fate was sealed. You should've protected your souls better, but your masters decided to use you to try to traumatize me, and that backfired.
"I won."
Focusing my strength again, thanks to the energy from the absorbed souls, I unleashed a series of final attacks, right at its chest.
Its chest is being destroyed, as are my fists, but I don't care.
Finally, after over 100 punches, I reached the core. Goodbye.
My shattered right fist pierced the Golem's core, scattering earth and debris in all directions.
The Golem slowly disintegrated, collapsing into small piles of dirt scattered across the ground.
Ugh… Ugh… I…
"I won."
I looked up at the Ghost Goddess's minions.
"I won."
I collapsed, exhausted.
Ugh… Ugh… For them, it was minutes; for me, it was over a year of seeing and suffering all those kids' final moments.
Over a year… If this doesn't show them how dangerous I am, nothing will.
Ugh… I had to use all those kids' souls. Ugh… damn it.
"Fufu. Simply astonishing."
"…Get off."
This girl sat on my crotch. It's uncomfortable, not to mention painful.
"Let's make a deal. If you let me have sex with you, I'll heal your wounds. What do you say?"
"No, thanks."
"That's a shame, but I won't take no for an answer."
She pulled down my swimsuit. Oh, crap, I'm about to get raped.
"Number 31, come."
…Here she comes.
"Leave my man alone, you horny bitch!!"
Number 31 pushed the girl off and picked me up in her arms.
"Get out of here!"
"Sister, let's go. We got what we wanted."
"Tsk. Only because my brother asked. We'll see each other soon."
They vanished. Ugh, I've had enough of rapes today—I've been raped too much already.
"Honey, they'll come for you soon, and you're badly injured. How do we explain the wounds?"
"Who's coming for me?"
"The school, duh. Didn't your bracelet activate?"
"No, my heart stayed calm the whole time, never sped up."
"Never…? Ugh, sometimes I forget how incredible you are, honey."
My fists are broken, and my body's covered in blood, but my wounds healed thanks to the souls' energy. Now I just need to fix my fists and clean the blood.
"Number 31, go get souls. I need to fix my fists."
"I'll be back soon!"
She left me lying under a tree's shade and went off.
Ugh… I won, but… I don't feel happy at all… Why?
"I feel weird."
I should feel happy—the kids will never suffer again. Why don't I feel happy about it?
I don't know… I feel strange.
Is it because I was raped hundreds of times? Or the deaths?
Ugh… Well… I guess I can finally rest… I can't… take any more…
•
•
While Saik slept, Hanako was also sleeping… or rather, unconscious, since Number 31 hit her in the head with a log, and the ghost always with her was being beaten by Number 4, just for fun.
•
•
(Pov - Saik.)
"Saik, Saik, wake up!"
Huh…? Yuki?
Ugh… It's dark already? How long did I sleep?
"Good evening, Yuki."
"I've been looking for you for hours! Why did you fall asleep without telling me first, you idiot?!"
She's crying, but only out of worry. I don't sense fear in her. Hmm… My body's clean, and so is my swimsuit. My hands are fine… Thanks, Number 31.
"Sorry, I suddenly felt really sleepy. I wonder if I'm sick. Sorry for worrying you, Yu—"
Suddenly, Yuki hugged me tightly, her tears wetting my bare chest.
…I feel bad… Really bad.
I feel awful, not just for worrying and making Yuki cry, but also for the kids… I erased their souls… I used their souls like they were just medicine… Why do I feel like this? It doesn't make sense. I've never cared about ghosts, especially ones I didn't even know. Why do I feel bad now for using ghosts like objects…? Am I… becoming sensitive? Or is it because my mind, like my body, is weak?
Ugh, whatever, what's done is done. At least they'll never suffer again.
I stroked Yuki's head and hugged her.
Yuki, forgive me for worrying you. I missed you so much… You… you're the only person I missed.
For you, it was hours, but for me, it was over a year… even more… Yeah, two or three years.
I missed you so much, Yuki. You and Number 31 were the only people I missed so much while fighting the Golem.
You and Number 31 are the closest… No… You are my family.
Though I also missed Sylphie's mom—not Sylphie, just her mom.
Ugh… I don't know what that means.
"Don't scare me like that again, idiot! I thought you were dead!"
"Sorry for worrying you, Yuki… Thank you for being with me, Yuki… Thank you…"
"Water…? Huh? S-Saik, a-are you…?"
"Am I?"
"Are you… crying?"
"Crying…? Crying…"
I'm… crying…
"Yeah… I guess so… Probably allergies."
"Are you really okay?"
"Yeah, I guess. Let's just stay like this a bit longer, please."
"Of course!"
Yuki rubbed her cheek against mine, and I kept hugging her.
I… really missed Yuki so much, more than I thought.
I can't imagine living without her anymore. She's become someone essential in my life.
Yuki, thank you for being in my life… Thank you, so much.
Thank you for putting up with someone like me.
Number 31, I missed you a lot too. I'll thank you personally tomorrow.
For now, I just want to keep hugging Yuki and sleep.
…Kids, I'm sorry for using your souls… I'm so sorry.
"I'm sorry."
•
•
The twins watched Saik hugging Yuki, and a dark idea formed in Shaik's mind.
"Fufu. Brother, I just thought of a new game."
"A new game, sister?"
"Saik's gotten too attached to that girl. How would he react if something bad happened to her, brother?"
"Something bad, sister?"
And with that idea in mind, they sealed their fate.