Chapter 236 - The Sword That Wishes, The Sword That Hopes, The One Awaited is Here, Part Seven
『—, —, ——』
『—, —』
For some reason, as always, no dialogue was being output from the video feed.
And yet…
『—, —』
Somehow, I could still understand.
『—, —』
From his expression, and from hers…
"————————, ——————————"
Her partner, the young man, was fighting as he always did—giving his all without hesitation, once again, for the pure joy of it.
Fwoosh. The tension drained from the hands of the ‘family’ who hadn't been able to let go of their nervousness and anxiety.
It was because they realized there was no need to feel such things.
It was because they realized this was no time to be caught up in them.
Beyond the screen, the platinum they had once seen pulsed with a brilliant light.
As he took a single step forward, they—could not remain seated.
The surprised words from those on either side of her did not reach the young girl.
Her eyes, her ears, her very consciousness were all fixed upon the one who wielded his sword in that world beyond—
"Win—! Haru!"
—focused solely on her partner, who was so dazzling it was almost unbearable.
◇◆◇◆◇
"Hey, you gotta be kidding me…! Go get 'em, Nozomi!"
"You can do it, Kasuga-kun!"
"—…! …!"
"Breathe…! Kaede, you have to breathe…!"
◇◆◇◆◇
"—! ——————!"
"Whoa, hey, don't thrash around! I get it! I really do, but still!"
◇◆◇◆◇
"…,…っ"
"…Yui, maybe it's good to shout out loud every once in a while."
"————"
And so, prompted by her grandfather, the 'Master'—
"—Win, Haru-kun!"
—shouted with a passion she felt she had never before expressed in her life, directed at her disciple on the other side of the screen.
Indeed, as those who knew ‘him’ rose to their feet and cried out in the real world…
the ‘young man’ within the screen simply embodied his own feelings—and let out a roar.
◇◆◇◆◇
"—Hhh… ROOOOAAAAAAHHH!"
"—Hh, hhh…!"
Platinum and silver.
The crossed blades, after a moment of equilibrium, began to tilt—obeying the superiority of 'power'.
Not at a gentle pace like 'little by little', but with violent lurches—thunk, thunk—towards me.
"—Ggh, ugh, ghh…!"
I was prepared for this…! But this is on a whole other level…!
It was too heavy—even though I was the one in a position to press down from above.
The silver light, rising from earth to sky, wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pushed.
Before she could complete her swing, the golden light of my [Angalta, God-Wedge Spirit Sword], which I had brought down to crush it at its inception, was being blown away with tremendous force.
It was to be expected, of course. No matter how rare a Terror Armament it might be, [An-ri Galta (Prologue: The Wedge-Fragment that Sings of Eternity)] was still at the prologue stage—the vessel of a newborn infant.
It wasn't just the same type; it was facing a completely superior version… a Category Error item that embodied the strongest and bore the name of the world itself. There was no way I could overpower it.
Given this thing's abilities, I thought this one strike, which grows stronger the more powerful the opponent, might have a chance—but it seems I was aiming too high…!
"—Hh… ffu, ugh…!"
"………………"
—Well, whatever.
I’ve definitely accomplished my initial goal. Beyond the light, even brighter than the dazzling light effects, I can see her radiant expression.
This was a fight I entered from the start, having thrown away victory.
Even if I can't defeat her, I have no regre—
—a guy who could spout nonsense like that…
…preaching about ‘fun’—now that would be a laughingstock!
"—S-sorry about this…! ……Iris…!"
"…What are you…!?"
Is this getting a little repetitive? —But it's the truth, so I'll say it as many times as I need to. And besides, I've grown quite fond of it myself!
So, one last time—let me announce my name!
"My title—is [Acrobat]!"
Now—[Blink Switch]!
"—!? Wha—?!"
The gold vanishes—and a torrent of silver erupts.
Suddenly deprived of its target, the 'sword' of [Arcadia, Ideal Land Embracing the Old Moon] is launched towards the heavens before Iris can regain control.
The blade of aurora, capable of annihilating anything, shot up into the star-filled sky where nothing existed—
[Floating Leaf]—activated. I use the vector-control skill to stop my body from being blown away by the recoil.
By swinging her sword to the heavens and letting her unparalleled ultimate skill misfire—the [Sword Queen] has exposed a completely defenseless 'opening', and I'm right in front of her!
—I can't move.
"————"
In a sliver of time, stretched thinner than ever before,
"————————"
—right below my status bar, an icon for a forced stun from accumulated impact flickers, as if mocking me.
Hah, haha… Ah, geez.
I love you, my exclusive artisan.
A sharp cracking sound echoes from my chest.
In a fleeting moment, less than an instant, the 'protection stone' she once gave me shatters.
—[Agaphanthus Protection Stone].
Bearing the name of the aquamarine that was the trademark of a certain fairy, the effect imbued in this 'charm' was—an instant dispel for a status ailment, a 'just-in-case' spell.
In the hands of my now-free avatar, I summon the supreme blade bestowed upon me by my 'Master'.
And now—Kesshiki, one sword.
"The Final Strike—"
"————"
The final strike of the Kesshiki Ittoryu. The name of the original sword it was based on is [Yuikaze].
This personal Arts, bearing my master's name, has an effect that mirrors the original in terms of power—'a single strike containing the full force of the previous blow'. In other words…
What I'm about to unleash is an Iai slash that has swallowed the colossal flash of [Angalta, God-Wedge Spirit Sword].
Alright, Iris, this is it.
Endure it or fall—it's one or the other!
"Secret Technique—[Yuikaze]!"
In the final instant, with time lost and no more leeway left…
the avatar of the girl who brandished her 'sword', never giving up until the very end—
—was pierced by a flash from the jade blade in my hands, a strike carrying a will that refused to yield an inch.