Chapter 1076 - Green Vow Is Here, Part 4
No one thought it was over. Not yet.
That was why, even though it was the perfect moment to declare a victory, I didn't look back at the severed head of the Dragon I had just sliced through. Instead of a cry of triumph, I shouted a name.
"Sora!"
I called for my one and only partner, who was waiting behind me.
At that exact moment...
I called out to my partner, grabbed Ashe, and performed an all-out [Rocket] retreat for my life. Meanwhile, the headless body of the Dragon began to bulge and ripple. And then...
"[Vermeil Kreis]."
A voice echoed through the fractured space. Currently, it was without a doubt the most powerful voice on the scene.
I had taken the majority of the blessings from the Primeval Four Towers, excluding AGI and MID. So, where did those massive stats go? Specifically, AGI: 2500 and MID: 5000?
They went to my partner. That was the answer.
Normally, Sora's MID stat, including the bonus from [Perdia Eternity] when we fought together, was 950. After subtracting the thirty levels' worth of stats due to [Scareless], it dropped to 650. Adding 5000 to that would make it 5650. But that wasn't quite it.
Right now, Sora was in her Vessel form. She was in her second form, a literal incarnation of cuteness with silver fox ears and a tail... a form that converted her AGI into MID and Luck, turning her into a stationary turret.
So, if her AGI before the conversion had somehow reached a monstrous 2650... what would happen then?
I didn't have the time to check the exact numbers, but...
"[Kieferion, the Azure Jaw of Shattering Flames]!"
It seemed this was the result.
It was a move that had reached the White Throne on a similarly grand stage in the past. Compared to that finishing blow burned into my memories, this one was easily ten times larger in scale.
Massive towers of azure fire surged from above and below. The word 'crushing' was more appropriate than 'biting.' Catastrophic flaming swords filled my vision even from the distance I had retreated to...
And they swallowed everything that remained of the black Dragon that was trying to wriggle even without its head.
"...[Perflamme..."
And then,
"...Explode]!"
The resulting burst was also ten times larger.
"Ngh, ah...!"
"Whoa, that was close!"
Ashe and I had barely escaped Sora's finishing blow with our lives.
I had sensed the swell of magical power behind us with both my eyes and my instincts. But actually feeling the aftershocks while driving my weapon into the ground to hold on made me think only one thing. Ashe likely felt the same.
...A Demon King. A Demon King has descended.
We endured the blasts of heat and wind for another dozen seconds.
"...It's... over."
In a rare display, Ashe's voice trembled slightly with awe. I didn't stop her from finishing her sentence.
"We... defeated it?"
If those words were a flag for a revival, then the enemy was just plain cruel. I felt like pointing and laughing at how stupidly strong we were.
So,
"...Heh... ha ha..."
I didn't point, but I did laugh.
The azure and crimson flames of destruction finally cleared. In front of us, the writhing, twisted black entity let out a hellish scream. I looked at what remained of the blackness.
We both laughed. Sora was probably laughing somewhere far behind us, too.
We shared a bitter smile... as we both readied our respective swords.
As if to prove our unspoken connection, countless magic swords flew in. The order was the same as that day.
I looked at the thousand towers of dust that had taken position a step ahead of us.
"I'm next."
"Got it. I'll take the glory again at the end."
The strategy was set. Honestly, it wouldn't have been strange if that last sequence had ended it. But that was exactly why...
Third time's the charm wasn't needed. I would put an end to this with the second success.
Far ahead, the writhing black mass revealed that creepy single eye I had seen too many times today, trying to transform even further. But...
It was just like last time. We were exhausted, and we had zero intention of playing along with its games.
I looked back and locked eyes with my partner's shining amber gaze in the distance.
"Ready?"
"Always."
The Princess beside me gave a crisp response.
"Then... Four Winds, One Blade... The Final Strike."
I gripped the ash-colored greatsword that was now half-consumed by flames and lowered my hips into a deep stance. I watched as the thousand sword towers flew forward all at once...
And I closed my eyes.
Outer Force Output [Revolve] Critical Convergence... Multiple Loading.
The blade, the hilt, my arms, my elbows, and even deep within my gut. I made the blade an extension of my body and my body the source of the blade. I linked the masses of power together into a single chain... and swung.
[Hibachi]... and the second strike. Outer Force Output [Revolve] Critical Convergence.
One swing, two swings, three swings. I layered them on top of each other and opened my eyes. What I saw was...
"[Arcadia]!"
Following the thousand towers Sora had sent, a world-severing slash tore through the tattered black mass.
Light and sound filled the space. It was no exaggeration to call it the greatest manifestation of power in this virtual world. From the depths of my extreme concentration, I watched it as if it were a distant world.
Four times total. Without a single hint of wavering, I wove the fourth strike into the pattern.
The combined form of [Satsuki] and [Kurikara]... [Shinuchi Gekka]. It was a weapon with a grade estimated to be over 70. It was my supreme blade, possessing a unique ability that had even left [Clown] dumbfounded.
Memory.
This sword could retain up to three slashes in a field as memories. By following those trajectories exactly, it caused a multiplicative increase in the power of the layered slashes.
It was a power that only I in this world could execute. My sword alone.
Now... let's release it. The move that even had a personal seal of approval.
The one that the Sword Queen had said rivaled the power of [Arcadia].
The maximum output, limit-breaking strike that the current me was capable of.
Four flames woven together.
Now, fairly and squarely...
"[Hibana]!"
Be erased, enemy.
A white flash clad in the blessing of ash erupted. A single streak of fire split the black-tainted space, bringing back the faint white light that had been overshadowed by the screams of the void.
And so, it was cleaved in two.
No, it was more than that. It was like a shadow being swallowed by the sun.
The blackness and the eye that were marked as the enemy vanished without a trace.
"...Whoa, oof!"
My aim was true, but I had too much momentum and failed the landing. I was caught by one of the sword towers my partner had prepared, but I still managed to tumble and face-plant spectacularly.
And with that, the entity was erased from the world.