My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! Volume 14 Chapter 16

 CHAPTER 16

In This World, What I Can't Imagine Can't Become A Reality.

In the end, no universe-scale attack was unleashed.

The fleet of space fortresses suddenly lost their glow and started to fall all at once.

And that posed a problem for those inside.

"Hey, Size!? What's going on!?"

Inside the bridge, Kisaburo called out to Size, who had suddenly collapsed. Just moments ago, he had been boasting about the Ultimate Space Cannon and how it could wipe out even a supergalactic group somewhere, but now he showed no response.

The large monitor displayed the fleet of space fortresses losing control and beginning their descent.

"Could it be... the Great Sage's attack?"

While it served Size right if he was dead, he couldn't be bothered with that now. However, getting caught up in the fallout was something he couldn't bear.

"This is troublesome... Should I use the sword?"

But that would be a last resort.

Kisaburo rushed to the console, a jumble of buttons and levers he didn't understand. He randomly manipulated them. The main engine, which must have been repurposed for the attack, seemed to have stopped, but the monitor was still displaying images, so everything wasn't completely dead.

Perhaps there was something like an emergency escape system, Kisaburo hoped.

Whether it was a button that was difficult to reach that did the trick, Kisaburo was enveloped in light, and the next moment he was standing on the ground. Looking up, he could see the falling space fortresses, indicating he had been ejected somewhere directly beneath them.

"Seriously... is there a guarantee that this place is safe..."

Even though he would have preferred to escape to a place further away, at least he managed to get out. That would have to do for now.

Around him was an odd scene of a vast crystalline plain.

"I've heard about it, a zone of crystallization."

If it weren't for the current situation, he might have been able to enjoy the beautiful but strange sight. But now was not the time for such leisurely activities.

"Why a samurai!?"

At the sound of a woman's voice, Kisaburo turned around.

There stood Takatou Yogiri and her female companion.

"Hey. It doesn't really matter at this point, but I'm not specifically targeting you. It's probably a coincidence that I ended up here. I don't know."

"You're too vague for me to trust anything you say!"

"Believe it or not, I don't care, but I don't have the time to deal with you right now."

The death of Size and the falling space fortresses were probably due to the Great Sage's attack.

If they were capable of such a thing, it wouldn't be surprising if they knew Kisaburo had fled here, and they should be arriving here soon.

The moment Kisaburo grasped his sword was the same moment the Great Sage landed. The Great Sage wasn't wearing a mask this time and had a woman with him.

"Oh, has someone else joined us?"

"Tch. If you're not interested in me, then the main target must be Takatou Yogiri."

But this situation was convenient for Kisaburo.

If he had made an emergency escape to a location far from the Great Sage, he would have to tear the world apart in a place unrelated to the Sage.

If he's going to end the world anyway, he'd rather do it in front of the Great Sage. He wanted to see the dumbfounded face of the guy who thinks of himself as a god.

"Ah! You were the last boss of the Underground Quest, weren't you? Did you come here to fight Takatou Yogiri? If so, I'll watch, so you can go ahead."

"Hm, I don't really care about that. Either way, if the world is going to end, it seems more interesting to deal with you."

Either way, when Kisaburo swings his sword, the world is torn apart. If the result is the same no matter who he deals with, he thought it would be more fun to choose the one who would be more surprised.

"Really? I don't care either way."

"Do you know this?"

Kisaburo showed his sword to the Great Sage.

"It's a sword. A weapon that is prized in this world even though it's not particularly sharper than other swords and blades."

"You say that, but this one comes with a guaranteed cutting edge. After all, there's nothing it hasn't been able to cut so far. Well, because it's too good, it even cuts things I don't want to cut on its own."

"I see. So you think you can cut me with that too."

"...Sir Mitsuki! This man's words are true! That is one of the "exceptions" in the ultimate collective world!"

The woman next to the Great Sage looked horrified.

"Am I also one of those 'exceptions'?"

"But..."

"Are you scared? If you avoid it, doesn't it mean you lose?"

Even if the Great Sage avoids it, it doesn't make much difference. After all, the world will be torn apart and collapse. However, Kisaburo wanted to see the Great Sage being split in two and being shocked. That's why he made a clumsy provocation.

"Alright. Let's have a match."

The Great Sage responded cheerfully, almost innocently. Kisaburo thought he'd lose faith in humanity if he was dodged now.

Kisaburo hoisted the sword in his right hand onto his shoulder. It was a unique stance born out of dabbling in various forms of swordsmanship. That being said, there's no great technique to it, he just does it because it feels cool.

"Shall we get started?"

Kisaburo swung his sword sideways in a casual manner. A big step forward, from right to left. A large blow from a distance where the sword shouldn't reach.

He didn't know at what point the effect of the sword would be exerted, but by the time the tip passed the side of Kisaburo, space had started to tear.

The world split, divided top and bottom.

A woman jumped in front of the sword. Probably to protect the Great Sage. She extended her hand and created a barrier. However, it was impossible to prevent it with such a measure. The sword was already exerting its power and beginning to tear the world.

The barrier was cut off, and the woman's torso was cut in two.

The woman's face distorted in shock. She seemed to know about the sword, but probably couldn't fully believe its power until she saw it for herself.

The Great Sage raised his left hand and placed it in the trajectory of the slash. He intended to catch it. But what was attacking the Great Sage was not the blade, but the phenomenon of space

"Nice. You're wearing a face of disbelief. Perhaps the expression you wanted to see on me was just that, but I love seeing it too. As it is, things could get rough."

The separated space began to close. Even the woman, who had been sliced in two, started to restore herself. It was a scene as if time was reversing only concerning the phenomena caused by the sword.

"What the hell... how is this possible..."

"It's simple. This world is a dream I'm having. You, and that sword, are nothing more than things I imagined in my dream. So, even if the world seems to be torn apart on the surface, it can't be destroyed. Because it would be absurd for you, who is nothing more than a character in my dream, to destroy the world of my dream."

"There's no way that's true. Do you have any idea how many worlds I've traversed? It's not thousands, it's nearly billions. And you're saying all that was a dream? Is that even possible!"

He had mostly forgotten, but he retained ample memories of experiencing various worlds thus far. The sheer volume of memories he could remember alone was enormous. There was no way he could believe that all of that was merely a dream of the Great Sage.

"If you've experienced so many different worlds, perhaps you're familiar with the five-minute world hypothesis?"

"Ha ha ha... there's no denying that, I guess..."

It's impossible to logically deny the hypothesis that the world suddenly appeared five minutes ago. Even if he has past memories, there's no rebuttal if it's said those memories were created just five minutes ago.

"In other words, your experiences and memories are part of my dream."

"Don't mess with me! Are you saying you created me?!"

"In the ultimate sense, yes. But I have little to do with your formation. I leave the construction of the world to randomness. I'm only involved in randomly choosing the initial values for the randomness. So, I didn't design everything about you. Therefore, you can say that your life is your own. You standing before me today is just a result of coincidence, not intentional."

Kusaburo wanted to believe it was a lie, a nonsense. If he accepted it, there would be no chance of winning. It would mean everything was in the palm of the Great Sage.

But he had begun to reluctantly accept that truth when the power of his cursed sword, in which he had placed his full trust, didn't work.

Should he just admit that he is a mere transient existence?

He couldn't.

If he believed it, everything would shake. His identity would be completely shattered.

No matter what, he couldn't believe it.

"That's right. You mentioned something about 'exceptions' earlier! Then that power should work in any world! Because it's the very exception that can exert the same power in various worlds with different laws!"

"Yeah. But even if your perception is correct, it doesn't prove that you are not a creature of my dream."

In the end, it was a fact that his attacks were ineffective against the Great Sage, no matter what he said. If he wanted to prove his perception was correct, he had no choice but to demonstrate his power.

"Uoooohhhh!"

With a glimmer of hope, Kusaburo charged.

If he attacked with the sword itself, it might work. He had no choice but to cling to such uncertain and vague reasoning.

As the woman started to move again, the Great Sage stopped her.

Kusaburo swung his sword at the Great Sage. He raised his sword and swung it down on the Great Sage's head, who didn't even try to dodge and took it head-on.

The blade clashed with the head, and it was the sword that lost.

The sword snapped in half from the middle, and with it, Kusaburo's spirit was shattered too.

"I'm sorry. I would've been fine going along with being split in two, but I just couldn't imagine it. In this world, what I can't imagine can't become a reality."

Kusaburo fell to his knees.

He felt deeply that he simply couldn't win.

"Are you okay now? I won't kill you, so feel free to do as you wish."

The Great Sage, seemingly no longer interested in Kusaburo, turned his gaze towards Yogiri who was behind him.