What a pity.
How strange. The worry of "what if" always seems to lead to "just as expected."
"O God, according to the covenant, I offer this!"
This life, to Iris's side!
Boom!
I never thought I'd encounter a suicide bomber in this world.
That's exactly why fanatics are a breed I'd rather never deal with if I can help it.
"An explosion?!"
"W-Wait! Are you people insane? You've got those things wrapped all over your bodies!"
Fire stones.
There was no need to explain them at length; they were essentially improvised dynamite.
Their stability was on a completely different level of danger, but...
"Bless this foolish body!"
"Forgive our sins, Sophia!"
"Reina, please, take this life!"
"Ahh, Julius!"
The Evils bastards didn't care about any of that; they just kept throwing themselves at us.
As if death itself were their wish, or perhaps even their salvation.
They probably had their reasons for being that desperate.
Not that I was curious about what those reasons were for even a single second.
"These guys are out of their minds!"
"Dodon! Take Meril and use healing magic on the members who've run out of potions!"
Meanwhile, I could see plenty of confusion, impatience, and fear on the faces of our party.
Well, even if they had accepted my advice and predicted some of the bastards' recklessness in advance, no one could have imagined they'd go this far off the rails.
I understood that well enough.
I'd been in the same position in my previous world, thinking, No way, surely not.
And yet, standing their ground and facing those bastards for the sake of their comrades was courage worthy of respect.
"You fools who cling to God. [Vioras]."
Koooooo!
Then, new-type monsters appeared and threw themselves into the battlefield.
What was even more astonishing was that they were using the Evils remnants as weapons.
Boom!
"No way! You're kidding, right?!"
"There's no distinction between friend and foe!"
"Those guys don't care how they die as long as they can hurt us?!"
"This is a total mess!"
The new-type monsters charged in with Evils remnants—wrapped in bombs—clamped in their mouths.
Faced with such an absurdly reckless attack, the Hermes Familia members were clearly at a loss for how to respond.
A melee beyond chaotic; a melee within a melee.
And yet.
"Kuh, at this rate I..."
Snap! Crackle.
Boom!
"W-Whoa!"
"W-What was that? Again?!"
Several of the Evils remnants suddenly exploded.
What was strange was that even though they hadn't touched the detonators, the bombs they were carrying all went off simultaneously.
Could it be a simple malfunction?
"No way."
Snap! Crackle.
Bang! Boom!
"It exploded again!"
"Don't tell me... this is because of you?"
Before I knew it, everyone's gaze had shifted toward me.
There I was, leisurely pulling a new pair of gloves from my chest and putting them on.
"This was the first time I'd used them in real combat, but the ignition gloves got damaged pretty quickly. At this rate, I can't use them properly. Well, the problem is only at the fingertips where the ignition starts, so once I get back, I can study them and make some improvements."
"Y-You... just what are you...?"
"None of your business."
Snap! Crackle.
Boom!
I sent the confused bastard straight to heaven with a bit of kindness.
Leaving behind a man whose upper body had been blown apart and charred, I stepped forward.
Koooooo!
"Shh. Be quiet."
Snap! Crackle.
Boom!
Kooooo...
The same went for the new-type monster.
It sensed my magical energy and charged, but the magic stone inside its open jaws took the direct brunt of the flame explosion and vanished into dust.
At that astonishing sight, everyone around us was left speechless.
"What in the world... what exactly is going on here?"
"Well, how should I explain it? To put it simply, this is a remote ignition Mystic Code. With it, I can make the bastards' bombs explode remotely however I like."
To Asfi, the only one who managed to find her voice, I answered briefly and rather carelessly, drawing on my previous experience.
The principle itself was very simple, just as I'd said.
First, prepare ignition gloves that throw sparks with even the slightest friction.
Then, draw a formula on them using magic stone powder mixed with my blood.
The formula mainly consisted of coordinate acquisition, magical energy transmission, and firepower amplification.
I'd drawn a few other minor formulas as well, but they were mostly just support for those three main functions.
That completed the preparation of the Mystic Code.
The method of use was equally simple. Since the formula was already drawn, there was no need for an incantation; just like calling forth the flame of a furnace, I only had to interlock my fingers and create friction with a sharp snap, snap, and the tiny spark would ignite the flame on its own.
That part sounds easy, right?
But there was one problem: if I did that, instead of remote ignition, the flame would ignite in my own hand and burn me instead.
Because of that, I'd gotten burned a few times in the early stages.
Good thing the healing potions in this world were pretty effective.
If not, I might have burned away all the sensation in my hands.
Anyway, to put it simply, remote ignition required me to simultaneously perform three kinds of magecraft: fire-starting, coordinate setting, and a simple magical-energy path to transport the fire-aspected energy to the desired coordinates.
But even if I'd drawn the formula onto the Mystic Code in advance, that only served as a trigger; it wasn't there to do the complicated calculations for me.
Then why not just calculate it myself?
Unfortunately, if I did that, I'd have to chant an incantation.
It wasn't for nothing that other magi recited long, drawn-out incantations to activate their magecraft.
Those were all, in a sense, formulas and command codes.
But then I couldn't become the "Alchemist of Flame"!
This was supposed to be done with no incantation, just snap, snap!
If I couldn't do that, then there was no reason for me to do this while burning my own hands!
What would be left of me if I stripped away my romance—my otaku passion?
"Now then, let's tidy up the surroundings. You've all done well holding out until now. Take a breather for a moment."
"Ah, yes..."
To continue, what I needed was the [Moon Spirit Slime] beside me.
In fact, a common misconception people have is that this Mystic Code wasn't originally meant for combat.
For all appearances, this was a highly advanced "formula calculator," and its main purpose was to assist with magical calculations.
It was the previous El-Melloi who took something made for that purpose and, as a hobby, modified it for combat use.
Automatic attack, autonomous defense, and auto-tracking were just byproducts.
As expected, real geniuses really are different.
It would've been nice if he'd used that genius for something other than showing off and chasing honor.
Ah, and his woman problems too.
Still, thanks to that, I was able to realize several romances in the real world, even if only imperfectly.
In short, for me, the [Moon Spirit Slime] was an essential Mystic Code with the same significance as, or even greater than, the staves of the mages in this world.
Honestly, without this, I can't do anything right now.
At best, I'd only be able to use a few simple attack spells and call it a day.
"Honestly, I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. But in the end, it has, and I truly regret that."
I said that while looking one by one at the Evils remnants who were staring at me in shock, not knowing what to do.
By nature, whether it's a good deed or an evil one, a "sacrifice" that puts one's own life on the line requires proper resolve and courage.
There is no distinction between the righteous and the wicked in that regard.
If I were to worry about that sort of thing, I never would've become a magus in the first place.
But if no meaningful reward worthy of that sacrifice is given in return...
If that sacrifice is instead utterly worthless and meaningless...
What could be more miserable and unjust than that?
"You were admirable. You worked hard. And yet, even so, that sacrifice has no value."
Because I'm going to make it that way.
From this, nothing will change for you, nothing will be gained, and nothing will be left behind.
Therefore, your deaths are simply...
"Dog deaths. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Y-You...!"
By the time I finished speaking, the atmosphere had completely changed.
With my actions, the quiet battlefield began burning once more.
For a moment, they were only shocked and flustered.
What followed was despair over the fact that their sacrifices would become meaningless.
And then, anger and curses directed at the source of it all.
What remained after that was nothing but mad stubbornness.
"U, Uoooooo!"
"Kill him! Kill that bastard!"
I looked at them with genuine pity.
Was this how other people saw us magi?
Was this what we looked like as we endlessly yearned for the [Root]?
Truly pitiful, ugly figures.
...Well, that doesn't mean I'm planning to go easy on them.
Snap! Crackle.
Kwoooooooom!
"Gyaaaah!"
"So, Sophia..."
"Ju, Julius..."
Snap! Crackle.
Boom! Fwoosh!
Kroooooooo!
While I was at it, I burned the new-type monsters down too with pinpoint ignition shots.
This should be enough as a memorial for their unfortunate sacrifice.
May their sins be purified by this flame.
"Hmm."
...Wait, didn't I just sound like an inquisitor?
My mouth feels a little itchy. Would it look lame if I said it out loud?
No.
I might as well say it now that I've thought of it.
It's not like I'm actually purifying anything anyway, and if I'm just reciting it as a formality, maybe that's fine.
In terms of atmosphere, this should be enough.
Yes, let's do it!
All for the sake of romance—of otaku passion!
"I am the one who kills. I am the one who saves. I am the one who wounds and I am the one who heals.
There is no one who can escape my hands.
There is no one beyond my sight.
Be shattered.
I summon the defeated, the aged.
Entrust yourselves to me. Learn from me. Follow me.
Do not forget rest, do not forget song, do not forget prayer, and do not forget me.
I am light, and I make all burdens forgotten.
Do not pretend.
To forgiveness, retribution; to trust, betrayal;
to hope, despair; to all that has light, darkness;
to all that lives, dark death.
Rest is in my hands, and I shall anoint your sins and leave my seal upon them.
Eternal life is granted only in death.
Forgiveness is here, and I, the incarnate one, swear it.
[Kyrie Eleison (Have mercy on this soul)]."
Praying that they may all pass on quietly, Amen...