Did some small Changes,
Mc name is Souta now.
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It's probably my own immaturity, but I couldn't help sighing. Come to think of it, unlike the Mao who manipulated the magic power of destruction itself and overwhelmed opponents, my power of annihilation only activates through this spear I hold. I can only annihilate what I pierce with the spear. Unlike those two who can throw destructive magic, change its shape, or cover their whole body with it, I can only annihilate at points or lines, while they can annihilate across surfaces.
The power of annihilation is strong. I understand that, but knowing there are people who seem like superior versions of me is still depressing. In terms of offense, they're completely superior.
"Moreover, it doesn't seem like I can annihilate just anything. Right now, I can only erase things when I consciously direct annihilate this, and only one thing at a time. ...Though it's helpful for safety that I don't erase everything indiscriminately."
….
On Saturday, I lied to my parents that I was playing with friends at the park and would eat lunch there, got rice balls made for me, and rode my bike along mountain roads. Sacred Gear training absolutely must not be seen by anyone. Even the plaza where I manifested my Sacred Gear yesterday isn't completely free of passersby. So I headed to a place with no people and lots of natural objects where I could test my annihilation power.
This small mountain, left alone due to local policies of protecting nature and away from residential areas, is only entered by logging contractors who come occasionally. The footing is bad, so children are told it's dangerous, and it's unsuitable for walking, so adults don't come either. It's perfect for a training ground. Having many natural obstacles was also good for my training.
Taking out my Sacred Gear was easier than yesterday. As Switch Princess said, once you manifest it once, you can activate it at will afterward. At first, I touched the spear tip to a small fallen stone, but nothing happened and I was surprised. However, the moment I stabbed while saying "disappear," it vanished. Next, I discovered it would disappear if I just thought it in my mind without speaking.
When I gradually changed the size of the stones, once they became palm-sized, only the part the tip touched would annihilate, not the whole stone. When I thought "disappear completely!" I managed to erase it all, but immediately after, I felt exhausted as if I'd sprinted at full speed. This gradual analysis of my ability led to my initial conclusion about poor usability.
"The stones I could barely erase while out of breath in the morning, I could erase with just slight fatigue by noon. So this annihilation changes the class of what I can erase based on my level."
It won't be as easy as being able to erase any strong enemy with this spear. If I'm weak, I can only annihilate weak things. Even if strong enemies appear, I can't just stab them a little and be done. Still, the annihilation power works strongly for point attacks.
"This rice ball is delicious, mm-hmm. ...Now, what should I do this afternoon?"
After filling my stomach with the lunch my mother made and washing it down with tea from my thermos, I had understood my spear's abilities to some extent. I'll have to continue practicing the annihilation power consistently. For now, my goal is to be able to erase palm-sized objects without getting tired.
"The power of annihilation, huh... I wonder if I can use it for something else."
Frankly, this spear is still too much for me to handle in combat. Just annihilating inorganic stones causes this much fatigue. I haven't tried it on living things yet, but I somehow know it's impossible with my current ability. When I point the spear tip at something I want to erase, I can somehow sense "I can erase this, but this is impossible." However, at this rate, I don't think I can survive in this world, and honestly, I want to cry.
It would be fine after training and becoming stronger. But if enemies appear during training, that's bad. Honestly, I don't feel like I could beat those inhuman monsters even after working hard for several years.
"What I'm most afraid of is the wavelength that Sacred Gears supposedly emit. Issei's was detected even before manifestation, maybe because it was a Longinus-class. So there's a possibility that I, who has awakened to my Sacred Gear, could be detected. If I'm found by devils, fallen angels, angels, or terrorist organizations - apparently there are still more factions - and any of them finds me..."
They might ignore me, might not kill me, might accept me as a comrade. But I can't cling to such maybes. If they were reasonable opponents like the Fallen Angel Governor, the Maos, or Michael, it would be fine, but they're all people I absolutely cannot get close to. Most of all, the underlings I'm most likely to encounter are the scariest. Not just other species - apparently there are humans who oppose Sacred Gears too.
The more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm sinking deeper. Every single one of them - there really is no safe zone.
"...Maybe I'm just worrying too much..."
I let out what I thought was a big sigh and leaned back against a tree behind me. Hey, me, wouldn't it be okay to enjoy this more? I have memories of my previous life, I know about this world, so I don't have to think only about dying. I could think more casually. There's a possibility nothing will happen. I could have the leisure to think about maybe meeting cute girls.
"I understand, but still... At least I need something to give me peace of mind. It's not just me - I'd hate it if my family got involved too. If I could somehow hide or erase the Sacred Gear's wavelength... hmm…. erase?"
I looked up vigorously. I don't know if it's possible. The Gremory siblings never did anything this outlandish. There's no guarantee I can do this. But if... if what I can annihilate isn't just objects...
"I think this spear could select what to annihilate. If I choose to erase the Sacred Gear's wavelength with this, maybe..."
I can tell that erasing the Sacred Gear itself is impossible. But maybe I can temporarily erase just the Sacred Gear wavelength surrounding me. As if responding to my thoughts, a voice of affirmation suddenly echoed in my head, and I felt like it might work.
"Alright, disappear! My Sacred Gear's wavelength! Crimson Annihilation Spear, activate!!"
Owwww! I'm actually bleeding?!
"I see, if I'm just affecting myself, I only need to be touching the spear somewhere. I see, I see, but it really hurts..."
I understood there was some effect from stabbing my hand, but the effect only appeared while I was stabbing. But continuing to stab myself with the spear would kill me. Death by blood loss. When I thought that, I realized the effect would work if I concentrated on the spear while thinking about annihilation selection and touched it. In other words, the stabbing was pointless. It's important to handle things more calmly.
Incidentally, the spear's size became the next bottleneck, so I spent the afternoon trying to change the spear's size. I repeatedly manifested the spear and trained to make it smaller. Thanks to this, the spear that was much longer than my height can now fit in my pocket. It was hard to use given my height anyway. It's the result of my persistence.
"I honestly thought it was a degraded version of destruction magic, but if I use it well, I might be able to do various things. If annihilation works on things other than objects, depending on how I use it, I might be able to ensure my safety."
I couldn't help but smile, but that's understandable. The Sacred Gear I thought was purely offensive turned out to have unexpected secondary effects. As expected of something made by God - it's amazing. For the first time, I felt a little grateful to God, though God might be the cause of me having a Sacred Gear in the first place.
…
"Hey, Souta. Tomorrow we're going to the hospital to look at your injured hand, so go to bed early. It's good it didn't become serious, but Mom almost cried seeing your injury."
"Whoa, sis. I just fell and accidentally stabbed myself, so you don't need to make such a big deal of it."
"Then don't get hurt in the first place! Be more careful and watch your surroundings next time. Maybe I should come play with you from now on"
"Sis, you have your own life. Boys' games involve a lot of movement and are tough. It's okay, I'll be more careful from now on."
I'll absolutely never do anything reckless again. Rather, I'll be careful not to get hurt. I don't want to worry my family, and I hate being scolded. If my actions get restricted, I won't be able to train.
Anyway, in one day I was able to decide on my Sacred Gear and my future plans to some extent. Maybe because I managed to do something about the Sacred Gear's wavelength, I feel like I have much more peace of mind. Tomorrow morning will be wasted at the hospital, and with my parents' warnings, I'll spend the afternoon researching this world.
I still haven't decided what I want to do in this world. I know I'm cowardly and have a pathetic personality, but I still want to live my best life in this world. My memories of dying in my previous life are only vague, and I don't know exactly how I died. Still, I feel like strong feelings of not wanting to die remain.
Since I have no purpose right now, I think it's fine to focus on avoiding death flags with all my might. It's only been two days since I remembered, and only two days since I started dealing with my Sacred Gear. I won't rush - I'll move forward little by little.
"Well then, I'll obediently go to sleep. Good night, sis."
"...Yeah, good night, Souta."
It's still early for my usual bedtime, but maybe because I trained non-stop, my eyelids quickly became heavy. In the darkened room, in my drowsy consciousness, I gently touched the Sacred Gear in my pajama pocket. For me, the Sacred Gear is both a bundle of trouble and my only lifeline. It's also the existence that taught me about this world. Since I can't separate it from myself anyway, we're bound together. If the Sacred Gear is extracted, I'll die.
"So please take care of me, partner."
After gripping the Sacred Gear tightly once through my pocket, I immediately fell asleep.
"OWWWWW!!"
And so I welcomed the morning of the third day, forcibly awakened when the miniaturized Sacred Gear unluckily stabbed my ass when I rolled over. Incidentally, my sister, who was sleeping on the upper bunk, thoroughly scolded me afterward. Depressed by the lecture and the pain in my butt, I drooped my head.