How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 327

363. The Last Stand (5)

It was a close call.

A slight misstep would have resulted in an immediate attack from Pericia.

Despite knowing the risks, Sylvester maintained that narrow gap with astonishing focus.

But ultimately, it was Sylvester who gritted his teeth.

The surprise attack he unleashed was deflected just before reaching her neck by a sudden ripple in space.

“That sensation… Spatial control…?”

“Oh? You know your stuff?”

“I know someone who’s good at doing similar things!”

It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, so there was no need to panic.

He hadn’t expected a high chance of success anyway.

Getting this close was fortunate enough.

“I won’t miss.”

Sylvester chose to close the distance rather than retreat.

If he created distance here, he would become the target of Pericia’s numerous abilities.

He had already experienced that terror once.

“I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

He desperately clung to her, wielding his swordsmanship at close range.

A distance where a single outstretched arm could almost touch.

Even at that distance, Sylvester moved unhindered, freely targeting every vital point on her body, unleashing a barrage of sword energy.

“Kyahahaha! It won’t work, I tell you, it won’t work!”

However, the precisely aimed sword strikes were all deflected by Pericia’s defensive techniques.

Sometimes blocked by spatial control, and other times, when a strike seemed to touch her skin, that part would petrify like stone, deflecting the blow.

It wasn’t simple petrification.

It was as smooth as obsidian.

‘Doesn’t matter.’

He continued to unleash attacks without giving up.

He had to be persistent.

In a fight against a strong opponent, expecting quick results would only lead to one’s own demise.

He didn’t have unrealistic expectations.

Instead, he had to relentlessly attack.

That was what he had learned.

“Tch!”

Pericia clicked her tongue, somewhat annoyed by Sylvester’s straightforward, attack-only approach.

Transparent blades rained down from all directions, trying to force him away.

But Sylvester ignored them.

He thoroughly reinforced only the vital areas with thick aura, ignoring the rest.

“…Ugh!”

He groaned, spitting blood, and intensified his offensive.

Like a beast driven mad by hunger.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!”

More of a scream than a battle cry.

It couldn’t be described as a clean offensive, not even as a figure of speech.

“It’s useless!”

Pericia tried to ignore his desperate struggle, countering and pushing back.

She launched fireballs and created cold air even more intense than the current chill to hinder him, but none of it stopped Sylvester’s momentum.

He was battered by the aftermath of countless abilities, yet he still pushed forward ferociously.

“…How tiresome… No, this is dangerous.”

For the first time, a coldness settled in Pericia’s eyes.

Even now, Sylvester’s blade grazed her skin and was deflected.

Yet, instead of annoyance, a look of wariness began to appear on her face.

“Yes. You’re dangerous.”

She seemed to recognize his persistence and the danger beyond it, seriously muttering as she glanced at the sword Sylvester was wielding.

Clang!

The swinging sword was deflected with a metallic sound.

At the same time, Pericia’s right hand, which had also deflected the blow, now grasped a sword made of ice.

“You should have thought a little more about the aftermath.”

“…My thoughts exactly.”

Sylvester smiled self-deprecatingly.

Pericia, not understanding the meaning, frowned for a moment, and just then…

Bang!

A deafening sound rang out, and conversely, her body was thrown backward.

As soon as Sylvester’s sword was deflected, his empty hand clenched into a fist and shot out.

Lightning energy swirled in his bare hand, which wasn’t holding a sword.

“…The power of a divine creature in his bare hand?”

“It’s not like I can’t do it… It’s just that I haven’t tried.”

He deliberately didn’t concentrate his strike on the sword.

After all, swordsmanship was his focus.

From the skills he had shown from the beginning, it was clear how much passion he had put into his sword.

That’s why Pericia genuinely parried Sylvester’s sword.

And Sylvester aimed for that gap and threw a punch.

His right arm throbbed as if it would break, but he ignored it and shot forward like an arrow.

He stretched out his trembling right arm and grabbed Pericia’s shoulder.

Then, pulling her in with a strong tug, he raised his knee.

Thwack!

Of course, it was blocked.

“To resort to such crude tactics now…”

“This is all I know how to do.”

Unlike some, he didn’t have many abilities.

All he had done was train in swordsmanship and the techniques to wield it.

“So, shouldn’t I stubbornly use even this?”

Sylvester stubbornly raised the arm holding the sword and brought down the sword he was still tenaciously gripping.

He poured in all the energy, all the skill, and all the animosity he could muster.

Bang!

A deafening sound rang out, and Pericia rolled across the floor.

She couldn’t block everything.

Red blood flowed down.

Not a fatal wound, but damage that couldn’t be ignored.

“…Ugh.”

And as she tried to regain her stance, Sylvester’s sword was pointed at her neck.

“Surrender.”

“Oh? You’re not going to slit my throat? How clumsy.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll slit it properly next time.”

An attitude that he didn’t mind fighting again.

“Then, I won’t hold back…”

Pericia tried to exert her power again without concern.

But her power would never be exerted again.

Thud!

Only a hollow sound rang out.

A hand that accurately pierced from her back to her heart crushed her life in vain instead.

“…You.”

Sylvester muttered in disbelief.

The one who finished off Pericia was, of course, not the silver-haired boy.

A third party.

Who else could there be besides him and her?

It was obvious.

“I told you not to act clumsy there. Did you forget that I can’t handle it if you use those hideous abilities like before?”

The one who threw Pericia’s corpse aside with a sneer.

It was Epileo.

“…You were alive?”

“Unfortunately, my death wasn’t in the plan. And it won’t be in the future either.”

From the beginning, he had planned to pretend to be hurt and hide.

From the middle of the fight, Pericia was only focused on chasing Sylvester.

She wouldn’t have even noticed a weak Epileo.

Thanks to that, he created an opening.

And while Sylvester hesitated, he stepped in to finish it.

“Kuhahahaha. Things worked out very well. Don’t you think so, Sylvester? It’s a truly wonderful achievement.”

“……”

Clearly, they had overcome the crisis thanks to Epileo’s wit.

If it hadn’t been for him, Sylvester might have been defeated.

But Sylvester looked at the pure white girl’s corpse lying over there…

And reflexively pointed his sword at Epileo.

“Oh? What does this mean? The enemy wasn’t me, but that corpse of a girl rolling over there, wasn’t it?”

“…I don’t like it at all.”

His actions were not discussed in advance.

Sylvester really thought he was hurt and fought fiercely.

But in reality, he deliberately let Sylvester struggle and aimed for a cowardly method.

“Hmph, you pathetic bastard.”

Epileo nonchalantly grabbed Sylvester’s sword with his hand and pushed it away.

“Don’t misunderstand. The one lying dead there is the villain you hate so much. Originally, you should have killed her even without my advice. Here. Look.”

Epileo trampled and rolled the corpse as if to show Sylvester.

And when the corpse’s pure white neck was revealed, he pointed at it.

“Or, although a little late, why don’t you cut it off now according to your destiny? Maybe your resolve will be renewed a little.”

“…Shut your nonsense.”

If he spouted any more nonsense, he was prepared to break the alliance for real.

“Just kidding, just kidding. It would be a waste to let you cut it off again now. A waste.”

Epileo chuckled and shrugged his shoulders repeatedly.

Then, as if struck by some whim, he touched the corpse.

“…I warned you.”

“I’m not just playing around. It’s just a necessary thing for the plan, Mr. Impatient Protagonist.”

Sylvester’s eyes, which had been about to flare up, twitched.

He had noticed.

“Let’s begin.”

As he reached out his hand, the energy flowing from Pericia was sucked into his grasp.

“What are you doing?”

“In a way, this girl and I are like siblings.”

“What?”

“Of course, we’re not blood-related. It’s just that we were made in the same place.”

“What do you mean by made?”

“Well, it means we’re monsters created for some reason. Pericia is a successful product made for that purpose.”

On the other hand, I’m a dirty failure.

Epileo said that and chuckled.

“Due to circumstances, the humans of the past civilization entrusted her with various abilities instead of ugly me. …Well, this girl probably didn’t want to do what they told her to do.”

“……?”

“There’s that. Anyway, that means the power this girl has is…”

Epileo absorbed everything.

Soon, there was not a trace of Pericia’s corpse left in that place.

“It’s also possible for me.”

Epileo, who had completely absorbed Pericia, lightly waved his hand.

Kwagagagagang!

A deafening sound rang out, and the surrounding rocks soared.

“Hmm, I absolutely hate the cold, so should I get rid of it appropriately? Well, it’s better to keep the sea isolated.”

He stretched out his arms and exerted his power in earnest.

Dozens of overwhelming energies surged, and then the energies disappeared as if sucked into the ground.

“…My god.”

The snow disappeared.

The annoying blizzard disappeared, and the terrible cold disappeared as if it were a lie.

“Was the weather here due to her ability?”

“Didn’t you know? …Ah, I didn’t explain it. It’s quite troublesome that some people don’t know unless I explain everything one by one.”

Clearly, he had deliberately made those words audible.

Sylvester was already tired of hearing him spout malicious words without hiding them.

He wouldn’t fall for the provocation again.

But he couldn’t let it go without addressing it.

“…So, was this all a scheme for you to gain power?”

His cooperation so far was only for the sake of maintaining the world that Epileo had spoken of.

That’s why he had cooperated while enduring the disgust.

But if he had deceived him for his own selfish desires, there was no need to keep the agreement any longer.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. This is also a necessary thing.”

Epileo waved his hand as if to calm him down.

“I keep saying it, but I’m weak. …The future me seems to have gained quite a strong power before the destruction, but unfortunately, my current essence is trash that can’t be used properly.”

He continued to explain, deliberately choosing unpleasant words to compare himself, as if mocking himself.

“The future me induced you and Pericia to clash in a different way and obtained that power in the end.”

“……Then.”

“It’s different now. Above all, the purpose is different, and what I said is just a plan. It’s a plan that the rulers have set up arbitrarily.”

But he needed power.

“Let me be honest, Sylvester. Your power alone is not enough.”

He chuckled.

“Above all, time is running out. …Well, let’s talk about the rest while working. There’s also something I want to show you.”

With those words, Epileo ignored Sylvester’s restraint and went ahead somewhere.

In just a few steps, he quickly moved far ahead.

Perhaps it was thanks to gaining the ability.

“Wait!”

Sylvester also desperately ran after him to avoid losing him.

The place they arrived at seemed to be Pericia’s residence.

“…A castle?”

“Oh my, it seems she’s been holed up and living in luxury.”

It was a splendid… castle made of glass.

“Well, if you live alone in a place like this, you’d be incredibly bored. If you don’t make something like this, you can’t stand the boredom.”

But even after seeing the artistic castle, Epileo sneered and reached out his hand.

A red dot seemed to shine in his grasp, and then gradually swelled into a huge fireball.

“It’s cumbersome.”

He threw the fireball as if brushing off dust from his hand.

In an instant, the fireball swallowed the castle where Pericia had stayed and melted and annihilated the entire place.