◇
After that, the three of us spent a vast amount of time within the Hidden World.
I couldn't say exactly how long it had been. It felt like a mere instant, yet also like an eternity. In this realm where the sense of time was non-existent, I was thrashed by August-san so many times that counting them eventually became a tedious effort.
Beyond the combat, I shared stories of the events that would define his future, studied magic alongside Shion, and listened to his tales of the Fairy Tale Era. It was a truly meaningful time. I learned countless things from August-san, carving his lessons into my very flesh and blood.
Ultimately, my memories didn't return, and I still hadn't managed to best him. Yet, I understood instinctively that this next clash would be our last.
I stood opposite August-san, maintaining a distance of about ten meters, just as we always had.
"August-san, thank you for everything. My gratitude is beyond words."
When I spoke, August-san looked blank for a moment, but he immediately broke into a bright, clear smile.
"Yeah, I enjoyed myself too. I had lost everything and given up on it all, but you showed me, Orun, that my footsteps still had meaning. So, at the very least, show me you can surpass me at the end!"
"I intend to. I'll use everything you've taught me to overcome you! —Magic Sword Integration: Alteration. Final Form: Mont Ende."
I converged the surrounding mana and drew it deep into my body. Next, I activated the Ki circulating within me to its absolute limit. I fused the mana and Ki—two forces never meant to intermingle—within my core.
The sheer power that could no longer be contained within my flesh leaked out. When it touched the coat I was wearing, the fabric began to flicker like black flames, manifesting as a Magic Raiment. As the overflowing power touched the air around me, it generated sparks of blue-black lightning.
I gripped my magic sword and took my stance.
(At my current level, I can probably only maintain this state for a few seconds.)
It was a reckless feat, attempting to hold such a massive amount of power inside my body for the first time. I realized quickly that the mental strain was far beyond what I had imagined; I wouldn't be able to hold it for long.
"...Hahaha! So, the destination we arrive at is the same after all!"
August-san laughed aloud as he looked at my transformation. Then, mirroring my actions, he transformed his own clothes into a Magic Raiment, wreathed in red-black lightning. He lowered his center of gravity and readied his fists.
August-san was a master of every conceivable martial art, but his greatest proficiency lay in bare-handed combat, much like Haruto-san. I felt a surge of exhilaration as I realized he was coming at me with genuine, unbridled seriousness.
Under Shion’s watchful gaze, the distance between us vanished in an eyeblink.
The contact lasted only a fraction of a second. As we crossed paths, I swung my sword, and August-san threw his fist. It was a split-second exchange of offense and defense, far beyond the perception of any ordinary human.
The one who emerged victorious was—
"Ha... ha... Are you... serious...?"
August-san’s knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Haa... haa... haa... I won...!"
I, on the other hand, remained standing despite the damage I had taken. Perhaps because I had pushed myself too far by forcedly blending mana and Ki, I was suddenly tormented by a headache—a sensation I hadn't felt once since arriving in the Hidden World. Even so, looking down at August-san lying on the ground, I basked in the afterglow of victory.
"...Ngh, guh...!"
The headache didn't subside; instead, it intensified until the pain was so agonizing I could no longer stand. I fell to the ground, clutching my head.
"Orun!? What’s wrong!?"
Shion rushed to my side, her voice filled with worry. I wanted to tell her I was alright, but I couldn't find the words. A flood of information was surging into my mind alongside the pain.
(Is this... my memory...?)
The information flowing into me was saturated with emotion. My childhood spent with Shion and my parents. The Cult’s attack, and the sight of my parents and comrades dying right before my eyes. These were the things Shion had told me about, a reality that was utterly unforgivable.
—I’m sorry for pushing the problems we should have settled onto your shoulders, Orun.
—I’m sorry, Orun. To think I’d have to leave your side so soon.
It might have been a trick of the ears, but I felt like I could hear my parents' voices.
—It’s okay, Dad, Mom. I’ll keep moving forward. I'm going to live my life.
As I answered them in my heart, I felt as though the two of them smiled at me. The deaths of my parents and the people of my village couldn't be described by simple words like anger or sadness. But now, I felt like I had finally accepted their deaths in a true sense. I was finally able to engrave them into my soul as they were.
The path I must take had finally been determined.
Still, why did the memories I couldn't recover for so long return now? The power created by fusing mana and Ki had been circulating through my body just like Ki. In that process, some of that power must have reached my brain. Did it neutralize the Perception Alteration?
Well, I had them back now. That was all that mattered. I didn't need to overthink the mechanics.
"...Shion, I remember. My childhood. That day the Cult overran us. Everything..."
I looked straight at Shion, who had been panicking at my sudden suffering, and spoke. She stared back with a blank, stunned expression, but her eyes slowly began to well up.
"............Really...?"
"Yeah. I can even remember the promise we made that day, looking out at the silver world together."
To prove to the still-unbelieving Shion that I had truly regained my memories, I mentioned the "promise"—something only the two of us knew from before my memories were altered.
Upon hearing those words, Shion finally let large tears spill over.
"Orun...! Orun!!"
Crying out my name, she dove into my chest as if she could no longer restrain herself. I caught her and held her firmly.
"I’m so glad... I’m so glad...!"
Shion sobbed like a child. Watching her, my heart felt like it was being squeezed.
"I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Shion."
I didn't loosen my embrace until her tears finally subsided.
◇
"Er... I’m really sorry to ruin the mood when things were going so well, but it looks like our time is almost up. Can we wrap this up...?"
August-san, who had revived at some point, spoke to us with an awkward expression. Just as he said, I could sense that the World Retrogression was nearing its end. Shion and I pulled apart and faced him.
I had just sliced through August-san with everything I had, but there wasn't a single mark left on his body.
"...August-san, thank you so much. Truly. Thanks to you, I’ve gotten closer to my goal."
When I expressed my gratitude again, he offered a gentle smile.
"Then it was worth it. I’m satisfied, having heard so much about the future."
"What will you do now, August-san?"
"Nothing special. I look like this here, but I'm actually a geezer well over eighty years old. Well, I’ve lost everything, but since I got to meet you two at the very end, I think I can head to the other side in a decent mood."
August-san looked genuinely content as he spoke.
"Well then, this old man is going to push off. Good luck, young ones."
Even though it was the end, August-san was characteristically blunt. He turned his back to us, gave a casual wave, and began to walk away.
"...Yes. Goodbye, August-san."
"Thank you for everything."
As Shion and I called out to his retreating figure, his body began to blur like a heat haze, before vanishing entirely from the Hidden World.