Chapter 58 - The Sword-King of the Wedge Enshrines a God, The World Hails the Scales of the Hymn - Part Three
"—?!"
For someone walking a tightrope in the midst of a battlefield, a moment of hesitation due to a sudden accident is synonymous with death.
I, too, was caught off guard by the unexpected change that washed over me, and for a moment, my body froze. I was sure I was dead—
"A power-up now?! Why?!"
In the end, I was amazed at myself for dodging the greatsword with a speed I had never before achieved.
It was a clear anomaly. It felt like my stats had jumped, similar to when I received Sora's buff from my base state…
"—Haru-san!!"
As if my desperate struggle until now had been a lie, I easily shook off my pursuer and created distance. A somewhat determined voice from my partner reached me.
As if resetting the battle, the [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King] was readying its greatsword again. I finally turned my gaze to Sora, who stood on the other side of it, and—
"Whoa."
Neatly arranged behind the dignified blonde beauty was an arch of magic swords. A strange sound escaped my lips, not because I was captivated by the screenshot-worthy sight, but because my brain threw an error, knowing the specifications of her skill.
The strengthening effect of [Spectate Yell] enveloping my avatar was still active. That being the case, I couldn't understand how she was able to simultaneously activate [Psychic Sword], which is classified as a combat skill.
The only requirement for using this broken support magic is that "the caster does not participate in battle," and we had already confirmed that activating a combat skill violates that condition—
"Switch, please!"
"Wha—yes?!"
Before I could comprehend or even guess, a request was thrown at me, and my thoughts finally began to grind to a halt—
"—Trust me!!"
Those words, which I caught just in time, kicked my body into motion without question.
"When?!"
"Anytime!"
She answers as soon as I ask. If the trust we've built together to reach this point was being questioned, it would be a lie not to respond without a moment's hesitation.
I made full use of my mysteriously powered-up body, dodged the giant knight's intercepting attack as we crossed paths, and slipped past it. I sensed it pursuing me—but I didn't look back!
"Haru-san! Twelve of them!!"
From a nearby spot, a phrase that only I, who had taught her the call, could understand reached me. My brain instantly grasped its meaning, and while giving myself a heartfelt round of applause, I ran past Sora's side.
A whisper as we passed. Sora, having received my instructions, responded with a smile that was somewhat different from her usual demeanor—
"Whoa, hey—?!"
Before I could even berate myself for being momentarily captivated, my legs suddenly lost their strength, and I stumbled and fell to the floor.
Another clear anomaly. The light of [Spectate Yell], which had been boosting my stats to twice their normal level, had disappeared—that was fine, but this time, the degree of ability loss was strange.
In fact, it's not just a decrease, it feels like they've been gouged out—
"Haru-san."
As my mind was on the verge of shutting down from the rapid succession of unexpected events, Sora, in stark contrast, turned her back to me with a calm demeanor.
"I won't let it beat me, no matter what. So please, watch my movements closely—okay?"
A line I'd heard somewhere before, and a mischievous smile in her sideways glance. Leaving me captivated by this girl who had suddenly acquired a mysterious coolness—
"—[Zwolf]!!"
Sora, shouting the key phrase I had taught her, charged forward—along with her roaring magic swords.
This new power, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, was an evolution of a skill that, for Sora, had been a flaw symbolizing her own powerlessness.
A skill growth that occurred in the midst of battle, something unprecedented. Of course, she was surprised and confused by the sudden announcement, but the skills in Arcadia explain their own details to their hosts.
From one-way to two-way, and from a yell to a song.
As if to say, "Is this good enough for you?" in response to the negative feelings Sora had harbored—[Spectate Yell] had completely transformed its nature.
[Scareless, Song of the Scales]—its effect was a mutual level transfer with a designated target.
The limit was thirty. By transferring levels from Sora to Haru, or from Haru to Sora, the caster could allocate the points from the transferred levels to their desired stats.
A simple level boost equivalent to thirty levels was nearly double the enhancement for the Lv. 42 Sora—and for Haru, it was an abnormal increase that could push him to the level cap of 100.
Of course, the price was steep. It was no longer an effect that forced one person out of the fight, but in reality, it was much the same.
Due to the nature of this skill, where you lose as much power as you transfer, the transferer would ultimately be unable to perform any meaningful combat actions—but,
"—"
"—[Acht]!!"
Taking advantage of the magic swords' ability to be wielded while remaining agile, she dodged the approaching greatsword by a hair's breadth and continued to fire pebbles of sand swords with [Psychic Sword].
They struck the surface of the armor and shattered, failing to inflict even a single scratch, let alone be an effective blow—but, no matter how meaningless the attack may seem visually, this world operates under the rules of a game.
A sliver of a gap, so thin you wouldn't notice unless you stared… but it was etched into the [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King]'s status bar, undeniable proof that Sora had landed a blow on the monster before her.
No matter how faint, if you land an attack, it will deal damage.
She had also acquired a way to slightly compensate for her lack of power.
And above all, she had a strategy to push back even further in this desperate battle—
"—Haru-san!!"
The girl's eyes burned with nothing but the will to fight.