Chapter 55 - The Sword-King of the Wedge Enshrines a God, The World Hails the Scales of the Hymn - Part One
Let's begin.
The room was about a hundred meters in diameter. Unlike the rough, rocky passages we'd been through, the circular walls were smooth, though unadorned. The floor was also a flat plane, so I wouldn't have to worry about my footing.
Along the way, the blessing of [Spectate Yell] flew into my back, and I felt its reassuring power as I closed the distance to the [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King] standing in the center. Ten meters to go—a sharp crack echoed from the armor.
"…You're awake."
I unconsciously swallowed, and the voice that escaped my throat was terribly dry.
—I can feel it. A gaze.
It was a gaze accompanied by a pressure that weighed down on my body. It reminded me of my encounter with the only Colored Monster I knew: the White Throne.
If that grotesque creature was a 'Dragon,' then the presence this armor exuded was that of a mere 'infant.' That's how otherworldly the [Tsarkalv of the White Throne] was… but what wasn't funny was that I felt like I could easily be snapped in two by even this 'infant.'
—Seriously, it's huge…!
It had been standing still from the start, but now, seeing it draw the greatsword it had thrust into the ground and begin to move, its abnormal sense of scale struck my vision with renewed force.
Its height alone was more than three times mine, and if it swung that greatsword with all its might, its reach would be more than five times what I could manage. Facing it like this, I understood all too well that 'size' is an absolute advantage.
And what elevated that massive frame to an even greater threat was its humanoid form. And the intelligence to wield a weapon.
"The enemies on the way here were like that, so there's no way the boss would be a mindless brute, huh…!"
Given its size, which easily surpassed my own height, I had assumed it was a two-handed sword, but apparently, to the [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King], it was a one-handed weapon. With its right arm alone, it swept the greatsword through the air, then settled into a half-body stance—a true armored giant knight.
It didn't roar, nor did it leap forward… From its quiet posture, I could discern nothing but the reason and intellect it possessed.
"…Well, what can I say? I honestly don't think I can win, but…"
As if to thrust it back at the tip of the greatsword pointed at me, I raised my own treasured blade with all my might.
"My cute partner is watching, so—I'm gonna look cool!"
Hesitation and holding back would only lead to death. As if kicking my instinctively recoiling legs into action, I launched myself off the ground with the full power of my maxed-out AGI, and—
"—Huh?"
Immediately after leaping, my vision was filled with the platinum greatsword.
As a stupid sound escaped my lips, I subconsciously quick-changed my beloved sword into a great axe and—
"—Ghh-g-gah-GUHCK!!?!?!?"
It was, without a doubt, the greatest physical impact I had ever experienced in my life, real or virtual.
Just as I felt the sensation of something touching my hands as I reflexively braced the great axe, my body felt like it was obliterated, and the very concept of 'impact' was slammed directly into my brain—
"Haru-san?!"
Was that scream a voice that truly reached my ears, or was it a hallucination? I wasn't sure, but for now, the only thing that was certain was…
"Ugh… cough!? Gh… cough, cough…!!!?"
My body had been slammed into the wall and brought to a halt, and my entire avatar was wracked with an intense numbness. My brain must have thrown an error from the sheer shock, because I couldn't stop coughing even though I wasn't out of breath. And in the corner of my vision, a red, blinking HP bar apologetically informed me of the reality that I had somehow managed to avoid a one-shot kill.
"—Haru-san…!!"
As I writhed in a daze, a voice I could now clearly recognize told me my partner was by my side. I turned my flickering vision toward it and saw Sora with an expression of utter anguish.
"Sorry, let's pretend that didn't happen…"
"What are you talking about?!"
Surprised, my coughing stopped, and as I spouted some nonsense in my confusion, I was met with an angry-sounding voice—I was starting to calm down.
No, seriously, even I'm thinking, "What am I talking about?" but I don't have time for that now. And Sora-san doesn't have time to cling to me on the verge of tears… we're in the middle of a battle right now, okay?
"It's not okay!!"
"Wha—Kyaa?!"
The moment I looked up, an overwhelming threat filled my vision. I grabbed Sora and leaped back. I barely managed to escape the greatsword that swung down with an insane speed—wait, there's shrapnel?!
The rock wall I had my back to just a moment ago was spectacularly shattered, and fragments flew at us like a spray of buckshot from a grenade.
In a normal game, 'terrain destruction' like this wouldn't even happen as a visual effect, let alone have a damage hitbox. But this is Arcadia, the god-tier game that exists outside the rules—I knew it! Every single one of these fragments has a hitbox, damn it!!
Leaving my jumbled thoughts behind, I slammed down every card I could play—[Floating Leaf], [Fleetfoot], [Surefoot], [Feather Step]—and changed my escape trajectory from horizontal to vertical, as if picking a fight with the laws of physics.
I shot up to the ceiling like a firework, evading the buckshot, and then landed—or rather, landed on the ceiling. While giving myself a heartfelt round of applause for pulling off such an inhuman maneuver while carrying another person, I kicked off the ceiling and fell in a trajectory that would take me away from the monster below—oh crap, I didn't think about the landing damage…!!
"—[Qualia Veil]…!!"
My partner, clinging desperately to me in my arms, negated the final destination that had flickered into view as a result of my ninety-nine percent improvised and thoughtless actions.
The [Cradle of Sword-Craft], which serves as both the core for generating magic swords and a catalyst for casting spells, responded to Sora's declaration and unleashed a green magical light.
It was a spell I hadn't heard of before, one I didn't know—but before I could even wonder about it, a familiar veil of green light appeared in our falling path, revealing its identity.
It was probably an evolution of her healing magic that had saved me so many times before.
"Instant heal and a heal-over-time effect!!"
"You are seriously the best!!"
As we fell through the veil, Sora's quick thinking provided a concise explanation without waiting for my question. I applauded both her ingenuity and the healing magic that had evolved from its already excellent performance. Twisting my body to right myself, I landed forcefully on the floor of the room.
"Sorry, you saved me!!"
"N-No, I—Haru-san!!"
Just as Sora cut off her own words to shout a warning, I had already kicked off the floor and leaped backward.
What came at me was the blade of a descending greatsword. I couldn't tell if the floor's durability was different or if it was just indestructible terrain, but unlike the wall, it didn't shatter, and no fragments flew at us—but,
"Guhh…!"
"Ah, ugh…!"
Instead, an ear-splitting roar and a shockwave that easily sent our dodging bodies flying swept over us.
Reflexively trying to protect Sora, thinking, "I can't let her fall," I failed to cover my ears, and a sharp impact, like my head was being pierced sideways, tore my thoughts apart.
In the end, I failed the landing and let go of Sora, my body tumbling across the floor with a heavy thud.
"Damn… Sora?!"
In my wildly spinning vision, I reflexively searched for her—
"—Run!!"
Sora's voice.
A desperate voice, stripped of its usual politeness, the likes of which I had never heard before.
And the precious light of her cheer once again ignited in my battered body.
"You bastard—!!"
With my stats amplified once more, I reignited my AGI and threw myself low and forward. As the terrifying wind of a sword slash passed over my head, I looked up, and my vision was filled with two giant legs, like pillars growing from the ground—
"I knew it!!"
In that instant, I saw the giant knight, using the momentum from its greatsword swing, unbelievably transition into a 'roundhouse kick' motion. I roared a curse as I summoned the [Distorted Iron Lump Hammer].
It lacked the ridiculous speed and sharpness of the sword slashes—but it was still a sufficiently agile movement. Thankfully, I hadn't underestimated my opponent's absurdity, so I was able to predict it.
"Even an armored bastard has shins—"
It was, unintentionally, the perfect counter-timing. This was no time to defend, it was time to attack!
"Let's see if this hurts, you son of a—!!"
A perfect horizontal sweep. My high-speed swing, ignoring the hammer's immense mass, made a clean hit on the shin of the right leg that was coming to scoop me up.
A explosive impact sound, undoubtedly the loudest I had ever heard in Arcadia, erupted—
"—"
In my hands, the [Distorted Iron Lump Hammer], which had served me well and achieved great results in our short time together, shattered—with a deafening, shriek-like roar.