Chapter 305 - The Wedge Sword-King Enshrines a God, The World Records the Heroic Tale of Two - Part 1
Here I go.
—True to our word, we went all out.
We charged the white and blue knights simultaneously. They reacted to our top speed as if it were nothing, and we swung our respective swords.
Sora had combined her eight attendant blades, bundling them into a single cannonball of magical energy that she launched at the white knight—
"`Turm Riesig`!"
As the white knight casually batted her attack aside, Sora followed up just as matter-of-factly by slamming her maximum firepower down from directly above—unfortunately, I didn't have time to watch the results.
"`Whirlwind`."
I activated `Reflect Blower` in parallel. The twin swords closed in from my left and right with a reaction speed that surpassed my own base speed, but I parried them with my left gauntlet and the white sword in my right hand.
`Construction`—perhaps seeing the knight's attendant swords as a rival, my own white sword shot forward, and into my now-empty right hand, I summoned a small, silver-armored shield.
The moment the sword strikes were deflected, my opponent followed up with a kick from its left leg. I smashed it down with my [Revolving Shield of Rotation], and seeing my chance, I clenched my left hand into a fist… My first attack, of course, would be with you!
"Hmph—"
『—』
"—Fly!"
The storm-wreathed armored fist landed square on the blue knight's chest as it was completely off balance.
My raw AGI and STR stats weren't much different from your average light warrior's—but thanks to the inertia boost from my high-speed footwork, which included my `Matoi` and various other mobility skills that have apparently been causing a stir since my last stream, and most importantly…
…the added energy equivalent to a great iron lump weighing several hundred kilograms, this left straight had to hurt, right? And it came with a free blast of wind. Take it, and you're welcome!
If it had managed to stand its ground, I would have been floored, but thankfully, my opponent wasn't quite that ridiculously overpowered.
As the blue knight was sent flying back by the punch and the gale, I gave chase to follow up—
"Good luck!"
"You too!"
I exchanged words with my partner, who was pinning the white knight in place.
With a smile still leaking out—I charged forward without a single worry.
◇◆◇◆◇
The back I had been watching was no longer far away.
That fact, which warmed her heart no matter how many times she savored it, manifested as a torrent of magical power that enveloped the girl's avatar.
Her spirit was high, her condition perfect—now was the time to become the person she'd dreamed of being.
"`Ende`."
She dismissed the large and small magic swords attending her and summoned a single sand sword to her hand.
"`Prima`, what I seek is `Eins`, a single sword—here I come."
The overflowing magical power was converted into stats—her newly acquired `Mana Cladding` skill altered the specs of her avatar according to the user's will.
After deflecting her massive initial attack, the white knight took a mere half-second to regain its posture. In other words, its greatsword was already swinging down on the enemy it had acknowledged.
"—Hmph…!"
The girl, her amber eyes glowing faintly, returned the favor in kind.
With a single, focused shout—she parried the mighty sword head-on.
She then used the momentum from swinging her own greatsword sideways, converting the excess energy into a spin. The knight, unfazed despite its attack being parried, launched a knee strike. As they brushed past each other… `Optimize Alert` activated.
From one hand to both.
Her magic sword transformed from a straight sword into a greatsword.
"—Hah!"
Pouring all the centrifugal and torsional force she could muster into her second strike, she slammed it home.
The instant it connected, a tremendous impact shot through her hands—however, the sound that rang out could hardly be called a clean hit.
"Tch… It's like…"
The white knight, which had taken Sora's blow, leaped into the air as if bouncing, hiding its body in the shadow of its greatsword… without a single scratch on its five-layered HP bar.
It gracefully handled the impact and created distance with nimble movements, then took its stance again as if nothing had happened.
"…it's acting just like someone I know, this armored knight…"
Its agility and mobility were on a completely different level from the previous [Angalta]. Furthermore, from the feel of our blades crossing, its physical strength was no less than before.
Faced with this fact—she wasn't daunted. Instead, she felt a thrill of joy.
And that, really, couldn't be helped.
"I might get scolded… for being 'unladylike.'"
But—she thought, raising the greatsword of sand that seemed so out of place for her small frame.
"I'm a 'swordsman' now, too."
The girl, living out the adventures she had always dreamed of,
"So I think they'll forgive me for a little bit of a rampage."
…smiled, looking like she was simply having fun—and now, she swung her sword with all her might.
"—Huh…?"
…As she swung, she tilted her head in confusion.
Now, where had the two "magic swords" attending the white knight she was facing…
…where on earth had they gone?