Chapter 59 - The God-Wedge Sword-King that Enshrines the Gods, The Scales of the Chant that Celebrate the World, Part Four
"—..."
I couldn't make any sense of it. My mind had been completely left in the dust.
To be shown the girl I'd felt so protective of now fighting on equal footing, with the ferocity of a raging lion, against the very monster that had so utterly trampled me… I felt a surge of frustration.
But then—
"—Haru-san!"
That utterly petty, insignificant emotion was blown away without a trace by an overwhelming sense of exhilaration, dragged up from the depths of my gut by her resolute voice.
Why is it?
We've known each other for less than a month, yet I understand what she's thinking so easily.
This is just a virtual world, a fake battlefield we've walked together, nothing more—and yet, I find myself placing more 'trust' in that girl than I've ever shown anyone in the real world.
—Match me.
Our eyes met, and it felt as though the words were whispered directly into my ear.
"You're on…!"
What, or how, didn't matter in this moment. Fueled by this impossibly surging excitement, I felt like I could do anything.
As I broke into a run, guided by pure instinct, I could see Sora smile happily while continuing her grand battle with [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King]. Seriously? You have that much leeway? I shuddered, but her smile was infectious, and I found myself grinning as I desperately hauled my heavy body toward the battlefield.
I still didn't have the full details, but I could make a guess. Given my extreme status drop and Sora's sudden, unbelievable transformation… it was probably a skill with that kind of property.
And if Sora herself, who was likely borrowing my stats, was calling me—the weakened one—to the front lines, then—
"Switching, now!"
I could predict what would happen next.
Needless to say, if I challenged [Angalta] in my current state, instant death would be unavoidable. However…
"Now!"
The signal came from Sora as she dodged a massive swing by a hair's breadth, slipping past its giant frame and appearing behind it. Without a shred of doubt, just as I was about to step forward with my powerless legs—
"—Hah!"
I let out a triumphant cheer from the bottom of my heart as a phosphorescent light enveloped me at the most perfect timing imaginable. My stats exploded, and I launched myself forward with enough force to shatter the floor.
I was already used to sudden stat boosts. Thanks to the experience I'd gained relying on Sora's hidden talents, I could roughly grasp which of my abilities had grown and by how much.
Unlike her previous Spectate Ale, this didn't seem to be a simple twenty percent increase to all stats.
What I needed to note this time was that none of the increase had been allocated to AGI. Okay, I'll take that as a sign of your trust!
My speed was the same as before, when I could barely manage to run away—but now I had a weapon called information, courtesy of Sora.
"Just as you asked… I was watching you very closely!"
I leaped out to block the path between it and its target, Sora. The monster swung its greatsword as if annoyed, but I mimicked the movements of the girl that had so captivated me, dodging the blade by a paper-thin margin.
I dodged the next blow, too.
I dodged, and dodged, and dodged and dodged and dodged and dodged—I evaded every single one with ease.
I completely neutralized its greatsword, its giant arms, its massive legs, all of it—using the very movements I had learned from Sora.
"I really am…!"
Just how clumsy had my movements been before? Or was Sora's Observational Eye—no, her own power of observation—a talent worthy of special mention?
Even with this outrageous buff, her agility was likely a far cry from my base stats. And yet, with those stats, Sora had masterfully dodged every one of [Angalta]'s ferocious attacks, putting on a display that made me want to cover my eyes at my own pathetic performance.
After being shown such a perfect example, I had no room to whine about it being impossible or too hard.
"The overhead slam is—"
I waited until the last possible second.
"—a feint for a kick if I dodge right!"
A mighty leg swept in to reap my body as I leaped sideways, but even a fatal blow is no threat if you can predict it.
I'd been able to determine several of its patterns from Sora's movements. So if I could intentionally provoke those predictable, predetermined actions—
"Here's my first attack—take this!"
Anticipating the kick, I jumped into the air and swung my battle-axe in a flash.
I aimed for the face without a shred of mercy. The axe, carrying all my pent-up frustration, slammed directly into its head, left wide open after its massive swing had missed.
"Gghh…! —Graaaahhh!!"
Even if it was just its face, it was still armor. The violent impact felt like striking solid iron, and I nearly flinched, but I grit my teeth and forced the axe deeper, refusing to let it be deflected.
Sora's new support skill—all its power was poured into my STR, which roared with nearly seven times its normal output.
The massive hit effect that burst into the air with the deafening screech of grinding metal was the signal fire for my counterattack, the first critical hit of this battle.
Slightly—and I mean just slightly—[Angalta] was knocked back. But the mark left on its eight-layered HP bar was minuscule, not even a tenth of a single bar's worth.
But it was damage. A tiny bit, but I could hurt it. Which means, eventually, I can beat it.
"Sora!"
"Acht!"
I was thrown back by the recoil as well. The moment I landed, Sora's key word and a volley of magic swords shot through the air, almost overtaking my shout.
Another transition. My stats plummeted, and I nearly fell to my knees as a dazzling golden light streaked past me like the wind.
Struck by a brutal eight-hit combo to its face, which was still scattering hit effects, the giant knight showed a clear stagger motion. Without a moment's hesitation, the small swordswoman rushed toward its feet.
"Whoa, wait a—"
She summoned several more magic swords, using them as footholds to leap into the air. I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
"Heh… Looks like I can't play the guardian anymore."
Watching Sora execute aerial maneuvers that completely stole my thunder, striking [Angalta]'s face again and again, the words escaped my lips naturally.
I felt a tickling sensation run up my spine. Was it dread at her rapid blossoming, or was it impatience? All I knew for sure was that to keep up, to not get left behind, I couldn't just stand here and watch with my thumb in my mouth.
"Haru-san!"
"Yeah, leave it to me!"
She probably had no idea. I roared back in response to my partner's voice as she ran, not just to stand beside me, but to surpass me.
The faint light of victory was still far away. The clash of swords that shook the cavern was merely the prelude.