Chapter 1075 - The Green Vow Resides Here, Part Three
The three of us stood ready, our spirits at their peak.
Before us loomed a massive foe that could only be described as a monster or a beast. We had arrived at a place that was clearly just a single step away from the finale.
If that was the case... honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing to keep doing this on purpose.
"Then let’s do it again. We’re going at full power right from the start! Any objections!?"
"Heh... none!"
"None at all!"
I never doubted they would follow my lead, so I let the shout ring out.
"Ashe!"
"Mm!"
Sora was already on the battlefield, her ears and tail swaying from the [Trance] she had activated before joining us. With her there, we needed no words to decide our roles as vanguard and rear guard.
I stepped forward, shoulder to shoulder with the Princess.
"[Regulus Regalia]"
I summoned the glass crown that pulsed with a faint light, ensuring it stood alongside the other crown.
I activated the keyphrase, a bonus feature added when the effect shifted alongside my title change. The crown manifested above my head, claiming its price without troubling its master. The gilded brilliance that had once been split in two was now magnificent and radiant.
It was further divided into four sections, each housing a shimmering gemstone of white, red, blue, and green. It sat at that same strangely tilted angle, a symbol of royal authority that had advanced to a new stage.
Now, it was time to put my words into action. I gained the light of [Scareless], the familiar grace of my partner dwelling within her avatar, and activated [Decisive Red].
Furthermore, I released the special title enhancement effect, [Tsumugareshi Hoshiboshi]. I took all the [Status] bonuses I had received through Nia’s adjustments and my own buffs and redistributed them.
I completely abandoned my Agility and Mind. In exchange, I took the massive values I had poured into Strength, Dexterity, Fortitude, and Luck, and distributed ten percent of each to my allies.
The boost was massive compared to our training sessions, but I trusted Ashe to handle this level of excess.
"[Rocket]!"
I grabbed her hand and took a single, soaring step.
Leaving sound and hesitation behind, I accelerated to full speed. With the pride of a lightning strike, I trampled common sense and slammed into the face of the howling Dragon.
I didn't hold back or aim gently for the eyeless sockets. I drove my steel Vogarta soles straight into its head. At that exact moment, I took the thrust that easily surpassed the speed of sound and the pulse of excess energy raging within my avatar...
"Hrrrraaaaaagh!"
I swung my right hand. Or rather, I swung what was at the end of it.
"Go!"
The [Sword Queen] herself. This was an instant delivery at the point of impact, the strongest sword in the virtual world.
Ashe did not falter. As I swung her like a living weapon, she perfectly controlled an output several times higher than her usual and struck with her sword.
In an instant, a sound like a spatial collision shook the world. It was hard to even call it a slash. That strange resistance was still there. In fact, this thing felt even more absurdly durable than the previous one.
With this law-defying physical strength, we could blow it away, but delivering a fatal cut seemed difficult. If that was the case, there was only one thing to do.
"Okay. We keep hitting it until it’s cut."
"Again and again."
That was the only way!
We both reached out at the same time. Our hands linked as if by destiny. There was no need to wait for our bodies to land after the impact.
[Rocket] reignited. Output transferred.
"I’ll catch up in seven seconds!"
"Mm!"
I spun and launched her like a human cannonball. I sent my partner flying toward the Dragon we had just knocked back, and then I finally reached for my weapon.
[Kurikara], my Anima so deeply connected to the Colored, remained silent, perhaps finding no interest in the black thing before us. The rabbit daggers, those copies of the Red kin, showed no sign of vibrating either.
Therefore, there was only one blade suited for this place.
I shouldn't draw the pale green blade born from my master’s gift. No.
"Draw."
This was a stage perfectly suited for it.
In response to my authority, I called forth a new name from the depths of the white-hot sheath.
"[Shinuchi Gekka]"
The flames cleared, revealing a blade that had consumed its sheath. The blade alone was over five feet long. Including the hilt, it was a great sword measuring over two meters.
A faint trace of emerald remained, a lingering scent of the former [Sogetsu], but most of the blade reflected the color of ash, like scattering petals. A white flame dwelled at the base of the blade, slowly creeping toward the tip.
This was the second special ability of [Kurikara], the sheath-blade unification form: [Himorogi].
There were many notable features, but to put it simply...
"Four minutes."
It was a sword so absurd that I could smile and promise to end things in that time.
Right hand forward, left hand reversed. Target locked. Distance set. Path fixed. Outer Force [Kai] reaching critical convergence. Everything released.
"Four Winds, One Blade."
The [First Strike].
"[Sō]"
The [First Strike], and without a doubt, my fastest sword.
I simply walked and cut in a straight line. That was the entirety of my ultimate technique, a move so swift the [Sword Saint] claimed it was impossible to counter. The blade of the Shinuchi left a trail of ash in the void. Seven seconds.
The Dragon, aiming for Ashe as she flew through the air, found its right arm severed. The blade burned through the strange resistance that rejected all things.
Next. There was no end to it.
I activated [Ninefold Shadow-Woven Gauntlet], firing the [Nine Tail] shadow threads. They hit their mark perfectly. I immediately constructed a pseudo-shukuchi by running [Ignition] and [Rocket] in parallel.
Ashe was already following up. I passed behind her like a gust of wind. Positioned on opposite sides of the Dragon’s massive body, we gave it everything. I hauled on the connected threads.
To be precise, two people with monstrous strength pulled against each other. The threads connecting us acted as a winch, pulling us toward our target at the center.
Less than a tenth of a second until we crossed paths. I'm borrowing this again, Invincible Samurai.
"[Kashiki Nito], Mockery Strike!"
If I couldn't cut it, I would simply swing until I could. Ashe, who always found the most rational answer, did not swing her sword at the Dragon. She aimed it at me.
We crossed. A roar erupted. The power was received and converted.
The ash blade, having devoured every bit of the [Sword Queen's] sword strength, flashed with brilliance.
"[Hakuō]!"
The Dragon’s remaining left arm swung in a counter or a reflection, but it didn't matter.
I carved through the center of the warped, black Dragon’s long neck, severing it completely.