Chapter 332 - The Second Magic Sword
"Hey, mister."
"What is it?"
"You know—I think we might have carelessly created an unbelievably monstrous and beautiful girl."
"Overall, she might be scarier than the 'Acrobat.'"
"Well, Sora-san has been Sora-san for a while now…"
"The really crazy ones are pretty much crazy from the start, aren't they?"
"The 'real deal' can't hide their potential."
"Told you so. My partner is crazier than me."
"…………………………Um, I can hear everything you're saying, you know?"
—And so, Sora, who was in the middle of a test drive for her new power, shot a sidelong glance at me and the red-and-blue pair, who were huddled together exchanging whatever words came to mind.
She probably understood that she was being praised, in a way. Despite being called crazy, a faint blush on her cheeks was rather adorable.
However, the state of the 'targets' lined up in front of the young girl—
Or rather, the state of what used to be targets, was a gruesome scene that could not be described as adorable, even if my mouth were torn open.
In the training grounds available inside the 'castles' of each faction, it's possible to alter the environment to some extent and summon targets and the like.
So, with MinaRina's help, we were conducting a performance review of the new magic sword acquired by the [Cradle of Sword-Craft], but…
The poor wooden puppets made to resemble players had all been melted and severed without exception, filling the pure white training ground with a rather grisly spectacle.
"Next, testing the penetration limit. Maximum number of swords, too."
"Ah… Y-Yes!"
Ri-na, who was supporting the test drive by chiming in with a word or two while operating the training ground settings, called out.
As the girl's practiced fingers tapped away at the window, the scattered remains of the puppets vanished—and in their place, several floating 'plates' appeared.
Their size from the front was the same, but their thicknesses were all different. This was purely—
—to confirm how much of a wall Sora's new magic sword could pass through.
"Here I go…!"
"Whenever you're ready."
Sora exchanged a look with Ri-na, who was acting as the observer, and held her right hand straight out in front of her.
My partner, still not used to handling the power she had just obtained, took a deep breath as if to calm her already slightly ragged breathing—
"—[Vermeil Kreis, Flame Sword Ring]."
The keyword was spoken, and born from it was a sword of dazzling light.
It wasn't the straightforward 'sword of flame' I had expected—that is, a blade of blazing red fire—but rather a visage of brilliant white, as if light itself had been condensed.
Its shape was also different from the orthodox straight sword type of the 'sand.' This 'Flame Sword (Flamme)' was sharp, like a rapier.
"Is nine the limit, after all?"
"…Ugh, right now, this is the best… I can do…!"
In response to Ri-na, who had counted the number of flame swords that appeared around them, Sora, who was clearly pushing herself, affirmed with broken breaths.
According to her, this new magic sword is far 'heavier' than the sand swords. Furthermore, if she were to lose control, something terrible would happen, so pushing herself too hard was out of the question.
The cost per sword is apparently about ten times that of a sand sword, but the difficulty of control is even greater—didn't they say 'the fire attribute is easy to handle'?
"Um… I'm sorry…!"
"Go ahead. Fire."
In her current state, just maintaining them was taking everything she had.
The moment Ri-na gave the 'GO' in response to her pained voice, Sora—as if releasing a breath she had been holding—launched the hovering flame swords all at once.
Their speed was not fast, but slow.
I haven't tested it myself, but a light warrior with a decent amount of skill could probably evade it even if it were fired from a meter away.
They were probably moving at around a hundred kilometers per hour at top speed, but compared to the existing sand swords, their flight was leisurely, with a noticeable difference in speed.
And so, the swords of flame, heavy and slow despite their sharp appearance, traced paths of shimmering heat through the air and reached the 'plates' without a sound—
"That's insane…"
"Whoaa…"
The murmurs that escaped from me and Mi-na as we witnessed the result contained nothing but pure, unadulterated terror.
"………………Yeah. It's probably confirmed."
Ri-na, who had moved away from us to observe the experiment from the side of the target plates, nodded as if she had reached a conclusion.
And so, the result that the girl reported as she trotted back over to us was—
"Same as the length of the 'sword.' It seems to pass clean through walls up to about one meter thick."
"And there we have it, Sora-chan is the strongest."
"And there we have it, Sora-san is the strongest."
"Ehh…"
The second magic sword, which manifested as a result of imbuing the full power of the Eastern Wings' 'Fire.'
—Its ability was the penetration of matter.
It's not that it pierces a hole. To be precise, as Ri-na said just now, it would be more appropriate to say it passes clean through… or phases through.
The flame sword, which appeared to be a condensation of thermal energy, ignored any obstacles it touched, passing through without losing its shape or power.
[Vanishing Light, Sunfire Ruby]—from the duo's great spell that claimed to be 'un-evadable and un-blockable,' Sora's Anima had inherited the property of being 'un-blockable'… so to speak.
I mean, to put it simply, it's lawless.
It's scary how my partner's brokenness knows no bounds.
Incidentally, phasing through doesn't mean it has zero anti-material damage. The 'plates' were just indestructible objects with an obstacle tag; the fact that the flame swords are also effective against non-biological targets was demonstrated by the wooden puppets earlier.
For example, if it were to face a shield held by a player, the merciless result would be that it would penetrate the defense while still dealing full damage to the equipment.
Of course, its power against living things has also been proven.
I have the evidence and proof on my own avatar's body. As expected of the fire attribute with its biological special effect, one hit to a vital spot and it was lights out for me.
"…Speed, number of swords, and proficiency of control are issues. But I think it's undeniably 'strong.'"
"It is, isn't it… Ehehe, thank you very much."
Congratulating her, Ri-na went in for a hug, which Sora-san accepted with a slightly troubled smile. She looked completely exhausted from the demonstration of her unfamiliar magic sword.
The girl was visibly unsteady on her feet; she must be nearing her limit.
There were still many things I wanted to test and opinions I wanted to exchange, but this was all happening after her first major expedition, so—
"Well, we've reached a good stopping point, so let's call it a day, shall we?"
…The words I was about to say were completely stolen by the person next to me, which surprised me a little.
Well, not surprised, but a little unexpected? I had thought this red-haired girl would be more likely to throw a tantrum with a 'Let's keep the party going!' kind of attitude…
"Hey, mister."
"What is it?"
"Do you know the saying, 'The eyes say more than the mouth'?"
"Oh, you know some big words. Good for you."
"Alright, you've got guts! Now hold still!!!"
—And so, with that lighthearted interlude.
The long-awaited evolution of the [Cradle of Sword-Craft], for the time being, concluded without a hitch. It was an unqualified success, and so we decided to wrap things up for now.
P.S. The catalyst cost for that full-power spell.