SWNOVELXO Chapter 29
Chapter 29. Admiration
“Don’t worry. I’m sorry. I forgot we have an injured person here. Please wait just a moment.
—I’ll finish this in seconds.”
With a resolute tone, Yanagi-kun faces the four monsters.
While Nene supports my aching body, I watch his figure within my sight.
It’s impossible.
Even though I witnessed the power that instantly obliterated the monsters that nearly killed us, I just can’t imagine him triumphing over those creatures.
Maybe he could manage against the D-rank Minotaur.
But what about the other three?
Ravana is a B-rank monster with a cannon so destructive it could obliterate an entire town.
As for Ritter, everyone knows about the devastating incident in England.
Its nickname, The Killer of 500,000, says it all about its horrifying nature.
And then there’s the one I’ve never seen before—a monster whose strength is completely unknown.
Worst-case scenario, it too could possess otherworldly power.
“—”
I can’t hear him, but Yanagi-kun mutters something.
“What is that?”
Suddenly, a pure white aura envelops Yanagi-kun, and his hair turns white.
I’m left astonished by the dramatic transformation.
With the knowledge I have, I can’t even begin to guess what this ability could be.
Yanagi-kun starts walking forward with a calm, unwavering gait, as if devoid of fear.
The Minotaur charges at him with ferocious speed.
Yanagi-kun doesn’t dodge; he simply stares at it.
“Look out!”
Yamada-senpai shouts.
But it’s too late.
Just before the Minotaur’s charge strikes Yanagi-kun, he thrusts out his right arm.
The motion is so casual, like an everyday action.
And yet—
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
—His fist completely overwhelms the Minotaur’s head, smashing it like a pomegranate with no resistance.
Before he can catch his breath, more than ten cannons materialize around Yanagi-kun, locking onto him.
The blinding flashes obscure his figure.
“Ah! Up there!”
Nene points to the sky.
I look up to see Yanagi-kun already airborne.
(There’s no way he can avoid it now!)
The cannons have already fixed their aim on Yanagi-kun above.
He should be unable to evade with his mobility completely nullified—or so it seems.
“What?!”
He pivots mid-air and kicks the atmosphere itself.
No matter how fast he kicks, the surface area of his foot shouldn’t produce any propulsion, but Yanagi-kun rockets toward Ravana’s head with missile-like speed.
With a massive swing, his fist crashes down, brimming with overwhelming destructive force.
That single strike takes down Ravana—a creature so powerful it could destroy a city.
I can no longer tell if what I’m seeing is real.
So many extraordinary things keep happening one after another that I wonder if I’m dreaming.
But the pain coursing through my body makes it painfully clear—this is reality.
As dust rises and engulfs Yanagi-kun’s figure, Ritter’s invisible blade tears through the dust cloud, seemingly splitting him in two.
A beat later, I realize it’s an afterimage.
I search around frantically until I find Yanagi-kun, standing over Ritter’s lifeless body, a gaping hole through its core.
His eyes hold no emotion.
He looks down at it as if it were nothing more than a roadside pebble, then shifts his gaze to the final monster.
The monster begins to laugh eerily.
Blood-red tears drip from its eyes, staining the ground, as its body swells to an enormous size.
Moving with speed unimaginable for its massive frame, it closes in on Yanagi-kun, whipping its elongated arms in a relentless assault.
It’s like a wall—there’s no escape.
Yet Yanagi-kun shows no sign of tension, evading each strike with precision.
Their exchange is so intense that it’s beyond words to describe.
If I had to compare it, it’s like a ferocious yet captivating dance.
Just when it seems the battle will go on forever, it abruptly ends.
Yanagi-kun does something—I can’t tell what.
Moments later, a massive object hurled toward us.
“Ah!”
With a sickening splat, it crashes to the ground—it’s the monster’s severed arm.
Looking at the monster, I see its left arm gone from the base, green liquid gushing out.
It lets out a shrill cry, neither a scream nor a roar, as the ground on either side of Yanagi-kun rises, transforming into massive hands.
The hands rush toward him, ready to crush him.
Yanagi-kun punches them away, shattering them with ease.
Above him, countless shells are locked on, ready to rain destruction.
As everyone stares in terror, I think I see Yanagi-kun smile.
—Perfect.
A chill runs down my spine.
In that instant, I’m more afraid of Yanagi-kun than of the monster before us.
A storm of destruction descends upon Yanagi-kun.
The ground erupts, and the air quakes with a deafening roar.
Silence falls.
A suffocating tension lingers, ready to snap.
A gust of wind clears the dust.
There he stands, blood streaming down his head, yet radiating an almost unbearable heat.
For the first time, he assumes a stance, pulling back his right arm.
This final strike will be something beyond anything we’ve seen.
The monster turns away in fear.
But escape is no longer an option.
Closing the distance in an instant, Yanagi-kun unleashes the blow.
The monster vanishes without a trace.
Not even a death cry remains as it’s completely obliterated.
“…”
Yanagi-kun alone remains standing. The moment of victory.
Yet, despite his overwhelming strength—
No, my dislike for him hasn’t changed.
But seeing him protect someone.
My chest tightens painfully as I feel a deep, profound admiration for him.