Chapter 11: Ideal;Impetus

“Interesting,” Q muttered to himself. “Humans really are fascinating.”

He looked around. He was certain that everyone here could feel it. This was no ordinary raid boss. Shuten-douji's aura was overwhelming. Despite that, these people intended to fight—to survive. For the newbies, it was understandable if they fell into despair. Some already have. But most refused to give in.

Even though his voice was barely audible, Estelle heard it loud and clear. After all, they were in her territory.

Some of the newbies wanted to know how they could help. For now, they were asked to stay put. No one knew about Shuten-douji's abilities yet. The commander couldn't use his undead minions. Minions and monsters tend to be creatures of magical energy. Shuten-douji was using them to absorb as much energy as possible. Because of this, Zacharias put up walls of bone.

Shuten-douji stood in front of the walls. Everyone waited with bated breath. It took a step forward and raised its cleaver. It swung down with all its might. Several walls were destroyed in that one strike.

‘Such power!’ Zacharias thought.

Shuten-douji twisted the cleaver to the side and sliced across the remaining walls. They were mowed with ease. The fragments of bone scattered all over. A guttural laughter echoed through the fields.

As the dust settled, the imposing figure of Shuten-douji could be seen. It held its cleaver high over its head. The miasma around it slowly being absorbed into the blade. It felt ominous.

‘This is it,’ Q thought. ‘The point of fear and despair. In front of such overwhelming adversity, humans stand no chance.’

“Fire!” A command resonated. Q looked around. He expected that everyone would be on the verge of giving up. The display of power normally would have induced hopelessness. But no. These people had fire in their eyes.

It was obvious that Shuten-douji was preparing a deadly attack. Yet, these people stood their ground. Even the newbies that were shaking stood up and contributed what they could.

Mages flung their spells. Rangers opened fire. Fighters rushed in, led by Sera herself. Even though it was futile, they wouldn't stop trying. Even though they couldn't make a dent, they kept attacking.

Then, Shuten-douji stabbed the cleaver in front of it. Sharp blade protruded from the ground. The fighters wouldn't be able to escape impalement. That is, if it weren't for dark tentacles grabbing hold of each of them. They were pulled away from the proximity around Shuten-douji just in time.

[The territory of R'lyeh has faded.]

Estelle collapsed onto the ground. She used the last of her energy to save the others. In return, she was unable to maintain her territory. Their end was near. It was at this point that Q expected panic and despair. But…there was none. It was admirable how they all gazed upon the monstrosity with fire in their eyes. They did all they could to survive. At least they fought with all they had.

Shuten-douji raised its cleaver once more. It grew in size and warped into a red fleshy monstrosity. It became lined with teeth and fangs. It laughed and swung down.

[Thousand Army Decapitation]

“Fine.” Estelle heard Q's voice. “A deal is a deal.”

---

Looking back at the time when Astraea was making a deal with the Void Contract, Q.

“You wish for humanity to overcome the trials?” He asked.

“Yes,” she answered.

“I don't understand your fondness for them,” he said. “They embody the sins more than they do the virtues. They will not hesitate to make their own suffer for their own sake.”

“Not all. There are those who are righteous.”

“Yet, righteousness does not equal survival,” he argued. “And it is the righteous that is trampled by the wicked.”

“Are the gods not the same? Humans have been created in our images.”

“Of course,” he scoffed. “That's why I am no more fond of deities than I am of humans. To me, gods and humans are simply clients and customers. Gods ask me to play a role. To cause suffering and death to develop their worlds. Humans ask me for a wish. To fulfill their desires.”

“After all this time, have you ever really only encountered wretchedness?” She argued.

Q remained silent. Then, he shook his head.

“A rare few,” he answered. “The rare few who deserve better than the fate they were given by you gods.”

For a moment, the atmosphere felt tense. Astrea shrunk back from an overwhelming murderous intent. Q calmed down and heaved a sigh.

“Why would a god abandon their own saint, leaving her to burn? Why would a goddess wish to wipe out a civilization? In the end, it is by my hand that these tragedies—these fucking requests occur.”

Astraea gulped, realizing the nature of the Void Contract.

He clenched his fist tightly. “Why would a father turn their own daughter into a monstrosity? Why would a clergy sacrifice countless innocent maidens in the name of faith?”

He continued. “Do you know why most people desire revenge? Because otherwise these wicked people would walk free with no repercussions.”

“Please,” she begged him. She grabbed hold of his fist with both hands. “I implore you to give them a chance.”

“A wager,” he said. “If the humans of this Earth can show me something worthy, then I will give you my utmost support. If not, then I will leave them be.”

She already had nothing to lose so she agreed.

---

At first, it was as Q expected. They picked out someone that was attacked by other humans and he took over that vessel. Avis Walker died not from beasts but from people.

People would sacrifice others just to try and survive. Of the civilians that got involved in the rift, there were those that didn't hesitate to leave others behind. There was one admirable healer. She didn't give up on him even though it seemed hopeless.

That time he met Estelle, he already expected her to use her charm and wiles to her advantage. Though, truth be told, she did support him with everything she could. She was moving with her own intentions, too. He couldn't detect any malice from her. Rather, it was a strange kind of morbid curiosity.

Zeke was someone with a very competitive spirit. There was nothing wrong with that. They do seem to be quite the battle junkie though. He doesn't seem to have any malicious intent either. All this time, he had been observing the people—the humans around him.

James was very serious about his work. Given the risk and nature of being a breaker, that was understandable. He wasn't unreasonable either. It's true that the high rank breakers had privilege. But he has yet to see disparity in treatment with low ranking newbies. If anything, they were given more focus.

There were some traitors within the association. As he expected, there was no purely righteous organization. He has yet to see the higher-ups but he doubted their generosity. Those people were the reason why they ended up in this situation. But at the same time, the veteran breakers were doing what they could to protect the newbies.

He had not been able to observe Sera and Sven that long. Sera seemed to be driven by her own goals and ideals. Sven was mischievous but at the proper place and time. The commander was definitely one of the stronger breakers he met. There was no hesitation in standing in the frontlines alongside comrades.

Was there despair? Barely. There was resignation but only after they gave their all. Was there anger? There was. But only at themselves for not being strong enough or for putting newbies in such a situation.

“Fine. I get it,” Q addressed Astraea, unbeknownst to many. “It's my loss.”

---

Time seemed to slow down as everyone stared at the overshadowing weapon. It was like a skyscraper falling upon them. Q raised his blade with a refreshed smile on his face.

“Is it not time for you to wake up, my dear partner?” He called upon his blade. “Their struggle to live, their determination to grow stronger, does it not make you stir?”

A weapon forged by man, not by the gods. An artifact that admired humanity's tenacity and willpower. The blade glowed and hummed.

Shuten-douji's monstrous cleaver fell upon them. The impact violently shook the earth, leaving naught but destruction in its wake. The beast grinned, but only for a moment. Its hand shook. A strong force pushed back against it. It pushed down on the cleaver to no avail. Instead, it was slowly being pushed back.

In its desperation, it grabbed the hilt with both hands and applied a stronger force. It howled. A strong pressure pressed down upon the cleaver as if gravity multiplied tenfold.

It was futile. Cracks started to appear on the pulsing cleaver. The sound of breaking fangs and nails could be heard. Before long, the monstrous cleaver broke and shattered. It returned to its normal form. The fleshy bits, along with the fangs and nails, scattered around the area.

[The [Bonds of Time Immemorial] has resonated.]

[The Contract with [Kotetsu] has been renewed.]