297 – Elf Village Battle ⑨

「Ariel! What the, what the heck is that!?」

Sounding as if he’s at his wit’s end, Potimas’s voice resounds. At the same time, the robot that had been completely dominating me stops moving.

「If you just say “that”, how am I supposed to know what you mean? Unless you use a concrete expression I can’t understand what you’re saying you know.」

Acting dumb, I deliberately shrug my shoulders and shake my head in confusion. In a normal situation I’m sure he would readily turn aside my joking attitude, but I guess he’s really at his wit’s end, as I can hear the sound of him grinding his teeth through the speaker.

「That person called Shiro! What the heck is that!?」

Naturally. Yep, I knew it. While saying that I didn’t understand what he meant by “that”, of course I knew. In the first place, it’s unimaginable for someone to be able to bring about a situation that would make Potimas so flustered, aside from Shiro-chan.

Still, Potimas is staggeringly flustered. Perhaps this is the first time that I’ve ever heard Potimas expose so much emotion and yell so much? Potimas normally looks down on other people, and doesn’t display any particular emotions. Because no matter what the people he’s looking down on try to do, he doesn’t have to bother with it. Precisely because he looks down upon others, it seems that he thinks it’s embarrassing for his emotions to be affected by others. Which is why, even when he does feel emotions, he doesn’t reveal them.

Despite all that, currently he’s losing his mind. This must be down to some situation occurring that completely went beyond Potimas’s assumptions. Yep, Shiro-chan is capable of that.

「What’s up? What has Shiro-chan been up to then?」

I doubt he’ll give me an answer, but I’ll try asking since I’m curious.

「I’m the one asking the questions! Hurry up and answer what that is!」

He’s already shrieking. Hmm. I’m a bit dejected here. I’d wanted to make him start yelling like that myself though. Shiro-chan has beaten me to the punch I guess.

「While I don’t know what happened, I guess you’ve been beaten by Shiro-chan or something huh? I’m like, so sorry. Sucks to be you.」

Against my jeering, the robot that had stopped moving until now suddenly starts attacking me again. I take a backstep to avoid the rage induced wild swings.

「Upset? Angry? My, what a short temper. Maybe you’ve not had enough calcium in your diet? This is the problem with frail kids who shut themselves inside.」

Against my provocations the robot charges at me transparently like a idiot.

「Shit! Shit! Shit! Where did my calculations go wrong? There’s no reason for such a person to exist though!」

The pathetic sound of him heaping abuse on himself reverberates. How fragile. I’d already known about it, but this man sure is weak. Potimas’s “strength”, was in only ever facing opponents that were weaker than himself until now. It wasn’t that Potimas was actually strong, but just that his opponents were weaker. That’s why he felt strong. That’s why he acted composed. But, I knew all along. This man, is actually weaker than anyone. Precisely because he’s weaker anyone, he sought power more than anyone. This mere shadow of that former self is the current Potimas. Misunderstanding strength and about becoming strong, this man is as weak as ever. Having faced Shiro-chan, someone who is stronger than himself, he’s revealed his true colours and his weakness can be seen.

「How weak.」

「Say what?」

Catching my brief mutter with his sharp ears, Potimas responds with a threatening voice.

「Potimas, you sure are weak.」

I hadn’t really intended for him to hear my muttering, but since he asked I’ll clearly spell it out for him.

「I sure don’t want to hear that from someone who is satisfied with the transient power of the System.」

I wasn’t talking about being strong or weak in that meaning though. But even if I said that I’m sure this man wouldn’t get it.

「That’s right, the System. What about reaching godhood. Couldn’t that have become a god! But, what is that? And in that case, why? Ahh, shit! Dammit!」

I can’t even tell what he’s saying any more, as Potimas repeatedly heaps incoherent abuse on himself. Perhaps influenced by the controller, the robot’s movements become incoherent as well. The drill is thrown towards my face. I stop it with my teeth. There’s a horrible grinding noise, but I ignore it and put strength into my jaw, biting off the drill.

「Wait. Wait, wait, wait! That’s right, why? Why are you still alive?」

Oh? He finally noticed?

「How have you healed? In this magecraft jamming field, how can you fight on equal terms with the Gloria Ω? What’s going on!?」

You’re slow on the uptake. My body was wrecked by the robot’s drill. My abdomen was gouged out, my chest was pierced, my arm was blown off, my leg was shredded. However, those wounds have already healed.

「It can’t be, it can’t be that you have as well!? Does this mean that you have become a god as well!?」

Potimas is shouting at the top of his lungs. He’d been utterly looking down on me until now, yet he fears that I’ve ascended to godhood before him while he’s sought it all this time. I’m sure that would be the greatest possible humiliation to Potimas.

「You’re wrong.」

However, unfortunately that’s wrong. I haven’t become a god. I can’t become a god. If it was that easy to become a god, even Potimas should have become a god long ago.

「It’s not the case that I have become a god. However, just for a moment, I am capable of producing a strength that can compete with the gods. You know what method I’m referring to, surely?」

The robot takes a step back. Being like that, Potimas seemed to shrink before me.

「It can’t be.」

「Oh yes it can.」

「Are you sane?」

That’s a cruel way to put it. Well, I’m sure from Potimas’s point of view it would be devoid of reason though. Which is why I said you were weak. I’m pretty weak as well, but I believe I have the courage to put my life on the line in order to achieve my goal.

「Humility.」

My newly acquired skill of the Seven Virtues. Due to it’s ability, I can temporarily obtain an ability that compares with the gods.

When my soul fused with a fragment of Shiro-chan’s soul, the former body-in-charge, my soul increased in volume accordingly. At the time, my soul was already filled to bursting, like a container that was cracking on the verge of exploding. As if mending those cracks, Shiro-chan’s soul permeated through. Thanks to that, I was able to gain new skills that were once beyond my reach. Like Telepathy for example, a skill that I hadn’t needed until now due to being a loner. And what I took at the end was the skill of Humility. This skill that I’ve kept secret from everyone except Shiro-chan, is my secret weapon.

I won’t hesitate at all in using this secret weapon. Even if it will burn away my very soul.

『Humility：n% power capable of reaching the gods. By consuming one’s soul, a power that can even compare with the gods can be temporarily gained. In addition, the W System is surpassed and the the right to interfere with the MA Area is obtained. 』

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