Turning to Dust

"No way... could this be the effect of that song!?"

Ludovis had failed to deal even a scratch of damage to the three vanguards, no matter how many times he struck. He had reached a conclusion: the cause was the Song of Soothing.

Just as I planned.

Even for Ludovis, his knowledge of the Song of Soothing was likely limited to hearsay. He couldn't possibly know its true effects without experiencing them firsthand. Consequently, he had begun to suspect that the song possessed the power to seal the Black Wolf’s attacks.

There was a chance he had inherited the Black Wolf’s memories and knew the original song had no such power. However, with no other explanation in sight, it was only human nature to latch onto the most obvious reason.

Predicting Ludovis’s next move was easy.

"In that case, I'll just have to deal with the Maiden first!"

He was targeting Halfa.

If the Song of Soothing truly nullified his attacks, and if that protection extended to the singer herself, he wouldn't be able to harm her. However, he only needed to interfere enough to break her concentration and stop the song. It was a logical tactical decision.

Despite being a Mage originally, Ludovis opted for a direct, physical assault. He dashed forward with such blinding speed that even Dolga-san couldn't keep up. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of us.

Now it was my turn. I stepped in front of Halfa, shielding her with my body. I had to find a way to latch onto him.

"Out of my way, brat! I'll deal with you later!"

Ludovis swung his right arm down at me.

There was no pain, but the impact was still there—a bizarre sensation. To avoid being sent flying, I clung desperately to his massive arm.

"Aaaagh! Stop getting in my waaaaay!"

Infuriated, Ludovis unhinged his jaw and let out a deafening roar.

That... was exactly what I was waiting for!

I thrust my right arm directly into his open maw. In my hand was a Guardian's Charm—not the one the Guild Master held, but another one I had pulled from my Storage Ring. I had stored this one yesterday while it was already in its activated state.

I had spent yesterday afternoon verifying what would happen if two Guardian's Charms were activated in close proximity. The answer: the one activated first takes priority. In this case, the effective charm was the one I had activated yesterday—the one I was currently shoving down Ludovis’s throat.

I had also tested one final thing: what happens if you hand an activated charm to someone else? The answer was that the recipient becomes the one to shoulder the damage. At this very moment, Ludovis was the only one touching the charm. By the rules of the item, he was now its "owner."

Unaware of this, Ludovis tried to bite my arm off. Because of the charm’s effect, however, he was the one who suffered the blow. His own right arm buckled as if struck by an invisible force. Instead of blood gushing out, a faint mist of darkness leaked from the wound before evaporating.

"Wh-what? What did you do!?"

Ludovis was completely bewildered. I couldn't blame him; he had tried to attack, only to have the damage rebound onto himself. Unless you knew the specific mechanics of a Guardian's Charm, it was impossible to figure out.

Actually, even if you knew about the charm, you probably wouldn't have thought to use it like this. It was widely regarded as a "trash item," after all. In truth, it was a terrifyingly broken tool for taking down powerful foes.

Now, he was wide open. I didn't have to worry about counterattacks anymore; I could just wail on him unilaterally. If this had been right after my memories returned, I might have felt some hesitation. But I was a full-fledged Adventurer now. I didn't feel a shred of remorse about exterminating a monster that preyed on people.

"Why?! Why isn't it working?! Are you truly an Apostle of the Destiny God!?" Ludovis screamed in frustration.

I didn't know or care if I was an Apostle. I just wanted to settle the score with him. I couldn't forgive him for what he’d done—for trying to make Halfa and everyone else miserable!

I slashed at him repeatedly, but the gap in our base stats was so large that my daggers didn't do much. The damage he took from his own redirected attacks was likely much higher. Ludovis was currently flailing in a blind tantrum, but if he calmed down and stopped attacking, my damage output wouldn't be enough to finish him.

"Tort, are you okay?"

"Rei! Everyone! We're almost there!"

I already had a plan for the finale. The timing was perfect; everyone had just caught up. Surrounding Ludovis were myself, Shiroru, Rei, Mil, Dolga-san, and the Guild Master. I pulled every single Gambler's Staff I had left out of my Storage Ring.

"Sally!"

"On it! Flame Whip!"

Just as we’d rehearsed, Sally unleashed the Flame Whip she’d been holding on standby. She aimed it directly at me, sweeping up the pile of Gambler's Staffs in the process.

A massive explosion erupted. I was caught in it, as were my companions surrounding Ludovis. But it didn't matter. Every single point of damage from that blast was redirected straight into Ludovis. An explosion multiplied by the number of people caught in the radius was a devastating blow, even for a monster like him.

The only thing I hadn't accounted for was the sheer scale of the blast; the shockwave actually took out a chunk of a nearby building. Apparently, the charm didn't protect the scenery. I should have tested that part more thoroughly.

Well, I suppose that falls under "collateral damage."

The explosion left Ludovis on the verge of collapse. The shroud of darkness around him had thinned so much that he was nearly translucent. He had truly ceased to be human.

"Is that the core?"

In the center of that thinning darkness, right where a human heart would be, sat a pulsating, malignant sphere.

"To think... that I would be defeated... Accursed Apostle. But it matters not... your trump card, the Rune Breaker, was sacrificed to Lord Garnalava. You have no means to destroy me!"

Despite his pathetic state, Ludovis managed a triumphant sneer. It was a hollow boast. Even if he wanted to claim a moral victory, we had already won.

Though, he was right about one thing: without the Rune Breaker, this would have ended in frustration. If we didn't have it.

But we did.

"You mean this one?"

"Wh-what?! How do you have that?! What is happening?! Was I dancing on the palm of the Destiny God's hand from the very beginning!?"

The moment I produced the Rune Breaker, Ludovis spiraled into a panic. Since he had no physical body left and was essentially just a core, it was more of a frantic vibration than a physical reaction, but the sentiment was clear.

As for dancing on the palm of a god... well, maybe we were all dancing. But if it meant saving Cygnil, Halfa, and everyone else, I’d gladly dance until the end.

Of course, it was a different story for Ludovis. He had spent his life planning and executing his schemes, only to have the rug pulled out from under him at the very last second.

I didn't feel sorry for him. Not even a little. What he had done was beyond forgiveness.

Ignoring his frantic rambling, I thrust the Rune Breaker into the core. The blade sank into the sphere with pathetic ease. In that instant, the core shattered—and the existence known as Ludovis crumbled into dust. A passing breeze carried the remains away, leaving nothing behind.

We won.

Name: Tort Race: Commoner Age: 12 Level: 12 [4 up] Vitality: 72/72 [21 up] Mana: 66/66 [19 up] Strength: 32 [10 up] Stamina: 37 [11 up] Agility: 50 [14 up] Dexterity: 65 [19 up] Magic Power: 60 [18 up] Spirit: 48 [14 up] Luck: 120 [3 up]

Divine Protection: [Divine Protection of the Job God: Dungeon Explorer]

Skills: [Destiny God's Smile], [Dagger Lv14] [3 up] [Shadow Strike Lv9] [3 up], [Throwing Skill Lv5] [3 up] [Lockpicking Lv9] [1 up], [Trap Disarming Lv9] [1 up] [Sense of Direction Lv6] [2 up], [Cooking Lv8] [4 up] [Light Magic Lv9] [3 up], [Water Magic Lv7] [2 up] [Dark Magic Lv8] [6 up], [Non-Elemental Magic Lv3] [2 up]

Characteristics: [Cooking Talent Lv1], [Great Luck], [Dexterous Fingertips Lv1] [Magic Aptitude Lv2]

Magic: <Clean>, <First Aid> <Create Water> <Dehydrate> <Decomposition> <Night Vision> [New] <Shadow Hiding> [New] <Detect Magic>