Chapter 310 - The Heroic Tale of Two, Part Six
The scales tip, and the power—the levels—of a rare individual acknowledged by the world flows across.
Beams of light flicker. The golden-haired girl, now cloaked in light and shining even brighter, says,
"—Here I come."
With the "power" borrowed from one side of the scales, she kicks off the floor at a blurring speed.
The knights, who had "learned" by observing their "enemy," were caught up in what they already knew, unable to grasp the unknown—and so a small figure, tiny compared to their armor, leaped into their guard in a single bound.
"«Schwert Kreis»—"
Majestically, she swings the "sword" she has grasped in her hand.
"«Nel Widersch»!"
It was a "single swing" she sought to deliver herself... but it was not a "single blade." The "sword" she formed by lining up, connecting, and weaving together blades was—a demonic crystal tower composed of a thousand compressed short swords.
The mana cost is enormous, and its control difficulty is paramount among all the techniques she possesses.
And yet, the power hidden within it is—
—, ————
—enough to effortlessly send an armored knight nearly twice her size flying.
The "Blue" one was caught completely off guard, launched violently upward as if scooped from the ground. Beside Sora, who had just completed her full-powered strike, the "White" one reacted instantly, raising its twin swords—
The scales tip, and power transfers.
"—Hey now, that one's my counterpart."
My agility skyrockets, surpassing my old maximum of AGI 500. I use my momentum to charge in and knock both of its swords aside, then place my left hand on its chest plate.
"Look, but don't touch. Go play nice with your partner."
And then, without any words or signals. Just as I wished, the power dwelling in the tipped scales transformed—from AGI to STR.
"Kesshiki Ittoryu, Unarmed Technique..."
Eat this, a direct lesson from my master in mock-fu—!
"«Shinden»!"
[Rocket] activated—Now roar, [An-ru Galta (Hypothesis: The Wedge-Armor that Sings of the Royal Road)]!
Not a strike, but a shove. I slammed all of it—the uncontrollable propulsion, the insane strength of my left arm, and my inhuman STR stat—into the "White" one, sending it flying. It shot away with incredible force, like a piece of scrap paper.
...By the way,
"Ui-san can shatter a boulder with a single finger."
"Seriously...?"
That should be the perfect follow-up for Sora, who was recoiling next to me.
Besides, she's not even at the level of "pushing," she's in the realm of "caressing." In terms of being inhuman, I'm still safe. Definitely safe.
In any case, this is no time for fooling around.
We landed a perfect clean hit to start the second act, but there's no way creatures with the brains to "learn" wouldn't get angry after that.
The "chain" appeared again, shining brightly.
"—Hah...!"
"Hup."
The "White" one materialized right behind us and swung its twin swords again, but Sora's blade and my own white sword each knocked one down. Things wouldn't have gone like this before, would they?
The power of [Scareless] is the transfer of levels.
It's an extraordinary support skill that enables mutual enhancement by exchanging stats with a specific target... However, the problem is that the one giving the stats is weakened.
The stats transferred by [Scareless] take a whole thirty levels' worth of points from the giver's highest stat.
Before, most of my Agility (AGI) would be taken, turning me into a useless, slow glass cannon. Sora, for her part, would have her core Mental (MID) stat drained, losing almost all her combat capability.
So, what about now? My current highest stats are MID and LUC, both at 300. You might think it would take 150 from each, but apparently, that's not the case. It seems to draw from the one with the higher value after equipment bonuses. In other words, both Sora and I only lose points from MID.
The Mental stat affects not only MP but also magic attack power, so Sora's combat strength inevitably drops while the scales are tipped toward me... but her current MID is 700. Even after losing 300 points, her stats are still comparable to a typical "pure mage," so she can naturally continue fighting. And as for me—aside from a drop in my max MP, my combat strength is completely unaffected.
What does that mean? It means this.
"Rea—"
"—dy!"
Swinging simultaneously from the left and right, my white sword and her sand sword strike the "White" one's twin blades. A follow-up to its counterattack stacks up the damage, and its weapon flies from its hands.
Next up, me. [Construction]—into `Exchange Voltate` activation. A pale aura entwines around the [Gravidon] I summon.
"—[Ignition]!"
When I pull the trigger, the weapon that inherited that now-nostalgic keyword—accelerates, wreathed in red lightning.
The sheer violence of its increased mass mercilessly smashes through the White knight's helm.
And now, my partner will finish the combo.
"«Schwert Kreis»."
The `Nel Widersch` she released from her hand dissolves into mist—transforming into particle-like thin blades, which instantly regain their sword-like size.
And then,
"—«Tausend»!"
At their master's command, a waterfall of magic swords cascades down.
How 'bout that, [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King]—this double-front assault is insane, right?
We can keep tipping the scales, and the one lending power can still move without issue. In effect, [Scareless] has lost almost all of its associated risks.
All that remains is its pure, unparalleled, and utterly broken enhancement effect. If there is a problem, it's that engaging in tactics at this speed also makes Sora's skill control insanely difficult...
"Haru!"
...But on top of that, my invincible partner is even managing to give commands. At this point, worrying about me is—
"HRAAAGH!"
—completely unnecessary.
Her tone and her gaze are all I need to read her intent. Taking her request as a command, I look up. The moment the scales' blessing dwells in my "legs," I grin and push off with all my might.
And just like that, I'm right in front of the "Blue" one as it tries to launch a surprise attack with its falling momentum. I parry its impressively quick punch with my left arm, and our inertia causes us to switch places.
Now both the high ground and its back are mine. This is gonna hurt, so brace yourself!
I summon [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor] to my left hand and, with the brute strength of [An-ru Galta], slam its butt end into the knight's wide-open back—
"«Rock—...—et»!"
I slam all the force generated by that stupidly fast propulsion into the falling "Blue" one.
And don't you think that's the end of it. When you land... something even more painful is waiting for you.
"—«Turm Riesig»."
A merciless keyword, and a great tower of swords rises. The massive strike, unleashed by the golden-haired girl as she reaches her hand skyward,
—, ——————
...sends the silent Blue knight flying with a thunderous roar.
What is with these two, they're terrifying.
I'll wrap this part up today, but I'm not sure if I can do another post. If there's no update at 1 PM, please assume the next one will be at night.