SSS Transmigration: I Can Extract And Evolve Overpowered Shadows-Chapter 33: The New Nishikawa Hinata (3)

[A few seconds ago—Inside the wrecked ship]

Boom!

The sound was deafening in Hinata’s ears. One moment he was trying to stop the ship from landing on him; the next, he was shot into its depths by a smoke drill.

The ship’s interior reeked of cocaine and tobacco. Hinata nearly collapsed from the intensity of the smell alone, but he somehow kept to his feet.

Several drills were already breaking through the wooden frame of the ship, each one aimed at him.

Hinata clenched his jaw for a long moment before letting out a sigh. As if possessed by a demon, he began laughing softly. The sound was restrained at first, like a person barely holding back their fury, then it grew louder and louder by the moment.

He covered his face with his hand, throwing his head forward in a hysterical cackle.

His body trembled under the bombardment of attacks. Even though he couldn’t feel any of it, Hinata could tell his body was reaching its limit.

"So what?" He muttered, addressing no one but himself. "What if my body breaks down?"

Losing this fight would mean death. Even so, he couldn’t just lose like that.

Hinata didn’t understand where this emotion was coming from. Perhaps it was born during his time in the military, where he was forced to watch his parents die because he wasn’t strong enough.

He wasn’t one to judge people based on their strength or social standing, but he had always found himself judging himself by those very standards.

Only those with power had the right to hold ideology. If a poor man clung to his own ideology, he would only end up helpless, used by those above him. Hinata couldn’t accept that fate for himself.

It was better to die trying than to survive as a helpless coward.

His gaze turned calm as several drills of purple-black mist formed around him.

"You pushed me this far." His voice was low, directed not at Tamara or even the world, but at himself.

Tamara’s crimson smoke drills were now inches away. He sent his own drills surging forward, each clash erupting in brilliant explosions of purple and red.

No matter how hard he pushed himself or strained to match the limits of his body, it wasn’t enough.

Slowly, he began drawing on mana beyond what his body could hold.

Cracks split across his skin as he fired out more purple drills. The sleeve of his kimono began tearing from the sheer mana rushing out of him. Even the once-lightless ship blazed in the purple light of his power.

’More...’

He created more drills.

’More...!’

Tamara’s drills began breaking through his own, slamming into his side. Still he held firm.

Blood trickled from his lips. His sides ached with a deep, wrongful twist, yet he continued pouring out drill after drill.

’Is this where I die?’

No.

Even if he died today, he would take at least one of Tamara’s eyes with him.

’More! I need to keep fighting!’

Nishikawa Hinata’s battered body kept attacking long past the point it should have given out.

His consciousness was barely clinging on. Even in all this, he still lowered his posture into a stance.

This was...

Obsession.

An overwhelming obsession to go beyond what others believed he could do. An obsession to defy every rule set by the universe.

He created more drills. His body fractured further, until he looked less like a man and more like a porcelain doll laced with cracks.

He was winning.

Somehow, against all reason, he was overpowering her drills.

One by one, his count surpassed hers, until only his remained inside the ship.

Hinata felt dizzy.

Every part of him screamed to lie down, give up, stop trying.

But how could he?

His classmates, the ones he was responsible for as class rep, were in danger.

His sister and mother were home, waiting for him.

How could he die here?

He exhaled heavily, fog curling from his lips. ’One more step...’

He took a shaky step forward.

’I need to do even...’

He took another, a dagger forming in his grip as his eyes shimmered bright.

’MORE!’

He lunged out through the opening above him. From midair, he could see the full expanse of Falmouth laid out below.

Directly beneath him, Tamara was speaking to a figure he couldn’t quite make out in the distance.

Hinata narrowed his perception of the world, focusing entirely on her.

He twisted his body upside down. As he descended, he stretched his left hand toward her head, using it to brace his entire frame while he drove the dagger in his right hand toward her neck.

"You really shouldn’t underestimate me, Miss Dragonforge."

Tamara shouted something back, but Hinata could barely register a sound.

’My head hurts.’

It wasn’t only his head. Even with The Fool numbing his pain, he could still feel sharp stings throughout not just his body, but his soul.

Tamara conjured an eagle in the air. Before Hinata could register its presence, the bird slammed into his stomach and sent him crashing toward the ground.

Unlike what Tamara likely expected, he landed on one foot, silent as a cat.

His violet eyes were glazed, hair drifting softly around his face like a drunkard.

He tried to steady his hands on something, anything, but his vision had gone blurry.

"Looks like I’m out of gas," he said, a faint laugh threading through his voice.

He raised his hand, staring at it for a long moment.

"Oh, right." His gaze drifted to the floating figure now descending toward him. "I still have that, don’t I?"

Thick smoke curled around his form, lifting him before wrapping into a cocoon.

Before it could close entirely, Hinata’s hoarse voice slipped through.

"Slime King... devour all."

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A/N: Hey guys! Another author’s note from me. I hope you’re enjoying this arc so far since it’ll be wrapping up in a few Chapters. I’d really love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Reviews, power stones, golden tickets, and any kind of engagement are greatly appreciated.

Guys... I need this 😭 my book’s kind of low ranked.