Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki

Vol 05 Chapter 23-1: ​​Samsara Recursion

I, in the form of a Silver Dragon, soared through the sky. My destination was the northern mountains. According to Yukino, monsters should have already begun to emerge there.

「Even with my support, this form won't last long. Settle this problem with full force.」

「I know.」

Unable to speak in this form, I responded with my thoughts. With “Me​​’s” support, the strain on my magical circuits was minimized, and the damage to my soul was kept to a minimum. With this, I wouldn't be rendered unable to use magic the moment [Samsara Recursion]​​ was released. Still, calling upon the [Silver Dragon of Destruction]​​ in my current state was a significant strain. About twenty seconds was my limit.

From a single point in the mountains, hundreds, thousands of monsters continuously spawned. They mimicked animals, yet had bizarre mutations, some had three arms, others had blades integrated with their bodies, and others had unnaturally large horns – all of them were grotesque beings. Men who appeared to be Imperial soldiers were being swallowed by these monsters. They must have been attacked after breaking the seal. I felt no sympathy for them.

The mountain itself seemed to have become a monster, such was the volume of the creatures. The situation was just as I had imagined, which is why I chose the [Silver Dragon of Destruction]​​. I would go all out from the start.

「GRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!」

I unleashed the anti-nation class magic [Silver Dragon’s Roar]​​. A single strike of it was capable of destroying a nation. A forbidden magic. Compared to this, even the [Charged Particle Cannon]​​ felt like a child's toy.

I forcibly gathered all the mana within a two-kilometer radius. Then, I devoured it and made the structure of its particles collapse, with this I was able to harness all the destructive force of the mana.

A band of light struck the center of the seal, spreading out in a circular fashion. The effective range extended to several kilometers in every direction. An entire mountain vanished, leaving flat land in its wake. However, there were no residual effects. The power generated by the collapse of mana was a force of annihilation. Everything touched by the light was obliterated. With this single strike, over a thousand monsters were wiped out.

But some monsters, using their comrades as shields, survived. Furthermore, after the discharge of the ​​[Silver Dragon’s Roar], more monsters emerged, and in a few moments, their numbers increased to over a hundred. The Erna that was provoking this had been accumulating for centuries. It wouldn't run out that easily.

I tried to unleash another [Silver Dragon’s Roar]​​, but the surrounding mana was depleted by the previous strike, and I couldn't gather enough power.

「Then, it's time for a different approach!」

I flapped my wings and dove rapidly towards the source of the enemies. Upon landing, I crushed the foes under my forelegs. My tail swept away the surrounding enemies. When a large monster appeared, I bit through its throat.

I released the next spell, ​​[Roaring Lightning], this one used my own magical power instead of mana. A rain of lightning strikes enveloped the surrounding several hundred meters. My fangs, tail, and the lightning obliterated everything around. I had no idea how many thousands of monsters I had slain. Yet, the monsters continued to emerge incessantly, such was the immense quantity of Erna suppressed by the seal.

Then, I reached my limit. The Silver Dragon, possessing immense power, also bore an enormous burden on both magical power and soul. Even for me, who had consumed the souls of thousands, a few tens of seconds was my limit. Four seconds remained, in these four seconds, I would have to eliminate as many as possible…

「Don’t do that. If you use all the time left, you won't have enough magical power left to initiate the next​​ [Samsara Recursion] after this one is released.」

All strength drained from my body. And then, I returned to my original form in the middle of a horde of enemies.

「What!? What do you think you are doing, ​​“Me”!? Even if I have magical power left, I can't perform ​​[Samsara Recursion] again!」

I shouted at my inner self. Indeed, thanks to Suzina's support, I had been performing [Samsara Recursion] efficiently​​, so if I released it at this timing, I could preserve enough magical power to initiate a second round.

But, the backlash from calling upon the Silver Dragon left my soul in tatters. In this state, I couldn't possibly withstand ​​another [Samsara Recursion].

「What if there's a way to use ​​[Samsara Recursion] without burdening your soul?」

Such a method existed? I was astounded.

「The problem is that we have been supporting the burden of [Samsara Recursion] with the whole soul. As you know, we have gained strength by consuming souls, we can cluster some of the consumed souls and embed the personality and soul called from [Samsara Recursion] into them. That way, when these clustered souls reach their limit and break, we can detach it. That way, the main soul remains unharmed.」

I understood the logic. But that would mean…

「If we do that, the “Me” who was called upon by [Samsara Recursion]​​ would…」

「Be destroyed. Completely. That personality will never be able to perform [Samsara Recursion]​​ again. It’s obvious, we will be separating that part and discarding it after all. The “Me” that was called upon will disappear.」

I was left speechless.

「What are you concerned about? We've already died once, and we're just clinging on to a false life.」

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