90 - Celes's True Ability
"He was already dead. He was in the way, so I burned him along with his hut."
On the snow-covered street where few people passed, onlookers had begun to gather at both ends of the passage.
Everyone looked at Celes, yet no one tried to stop her actions.
And I—.
"Zel is my savior, the one who saved my life!"
I glared at Celes.
I felt heat finally returning to a body that had been frozen in fear.
As I gripped the Jewel Orb, the voice of the Fifth Generation echoed from within.
"Liel, run with everything you've got! Do not fight!"
Everyone was screaming for me to avoid combat and flee.
This was a first.
My ancestors, who had told me to challenge even a Griffon with enjoyment, had judged Celes to be a threat beyond that.
The Seventh Generation spoke.
"Liel, I thought that thing was a yellow orb. But Celes called it a 'Jewel Orb.' If an existence that grants skills like ours is recorded within—"
Celes was also able to use multiple skills.
But at the same time, I thought.
(I can't just leave Celes like this!)
After stepping out into the outside world, I had become able to recognize Celes's abnormality.
If I left my younger sister—Celes—as she was, it would absolutely lead to something troublesome.
I ripped the Jewel Orb from my neck as if tearing the chain, and the chain wrapped around my arm, transforming into a greatsword.
Celes watched this with interest.
As the surrounding knights and soldiers gripped their weapons, Celes chuckled and signaled them all to stop with her hand.
"Don't interfere with my play."
My ancestors tried to stop me as I gripped the greatsword in my right hand and a dagger in my left.
The Third Generation was frantic.
"Liel, run with all your might. She is an opponent you must not fight!"
The Fourth Generation tried to persuade me.
"Endure it for now. She seems temperamental, so beg for your life or do whatever it takes to get through this situation!"
The Fifth Generation said the same.
"Even if it's just for now. No, just endure this moment!"
The Sixth Generation shouted at me.
"Look at your opponent! With your current strength, you absolutely cannot win!"
The Seventh Generation as well.
"Liel, that is not your sister Celes. She is a monster. She is an opponent it would be inevitable for you to lose to! Choose the path of survival!"
I glanced at Eva, who was sitting on the ground, shielding her broken arm.
Shannon seemed to be in pain all over after being thrown.
"...I refuse."
The Third Generation spoke.
"Liel..."
"I can't... I can't just be afraid and cower before Celes... and have the things I've obtained belittled. Even if I survived that, I couldn't forgive myself."
Then, Celes smirked in front of me.
It was a hideous smile of contempt for her opponent, yet it possessed a certain bewitching quality.
"Who are you talking to? It seems there are seven memories inside there... Ah, could it be the successive heads of the family? If they chose a failure like you, they must be deeply regretting it. But—"
I lunged forward violently at the words Celes continued with.
"—considering they chose you, they can't be that impressive either."
The greatsword, which I previously had to hold with both hands, could now be swung with a single arm. Thanks to the use of skills, my body felt incredibly light.
I strengthened my physical body several times over with [Full Burst]. I confirmed the surrounding situation and locked onto Celes with [Field] and [Select]. I increased my own movement speed and lowered the opponent's with [Up-Down]. I grasped the surroundings three-dimensionally with [Dimension]. I grasped where the opponent was and what state they were in with [Spec].
Using six skills, I slashed at Celes.
However, Celes was smiling.
With a faint smile, she blocked my greatsword with a slender rapier.
"How interesting. It becomes a weapon... Heh, so there are rare metals that can do that. ...What, is that all you can do?"
It was as if Celes was asking herself and providing the answer herself.
But I understood that action.
"How many!"
"What's wrong?"
"How many consciousnesses are recorded in that Jewel Orb!"
I poured strength into the greatsword, attempting to crush her.
I stomped into the snow piled on the ground, but Celes did not budge an inch. When I tried to slash with the dagger, she caught the blade with her bare hand.
"Guh!"
I didn't actually expect the opponent to answer my question. I didn't think she would tell the truth.
I had done it merely with the hope that it might serve as a distraction.
However, Celes was completely unfazed.
Rather than being unfazed, she seemed to be letting her guard down against me.
"Hmm, so you don't know. As I thought, your ancestors aren't that impressive either."
I pulled back the dagger and sheathed it at my waist.
I switched the greatsword to a two-handed grip and poured in my strength. But Celes remained completely unmoved.
"Your strength has increased. Your speed has increased too. Is it a bit harder for me to move? But is that it? Also, you seem to be mistaken..."
I leaped backward to put distance between myself and Celes.
However, Celes stepped forward while maintaining the distance between us. This time, she began to press me down with her rapier held in one hand.
(Where is this strength coming from...)
"Only one person is recorded in my Jewel Orb. Unlike the failure of a Jewel Orb you possess, this one is a real Jewel Orb."
Yellow manifests rear-guard type skills.
If that were the case, Celes possessed at least one skill.
Unless skills were prepared in the rapier or ornaments, orbs and Jewel Orbs interfere with skills.
Rear-guard types often have attack skills based on magic. They often record magic with unique quirks.
The Fourth Generation spoke.
"Only one? At least one skill? At most two... Is there a skill that powerful?"
Whenever I tried to put distance between us, she closed the gap by that same amount. While I was serious, Celes seemed to be merely playing.
Since being kicked out of the house, I had become able to use skills. I had experienced growth. But I was merely being toyed with by Celes.
"I'm getting bored of weapons. Hey, why don't we play with magic? You've grown a little, haven't you?"
Celes put distance between us in an instant, looking bored.
It was a speed that could be mistaken for teleportation, I had barely been able to confirm the opponent's movement by using a skill.
Gritting my teeth, I raised my left hand.
(If I can just get a lock—)
"Thunder Clap!"
Thunder roared, and lightning fell from the cloudy sky.
Celes looked up at the sky.
"Magic Shield."
She blocked my strike with a simple wall of magical power. She looked disappointed, as if she had grown bored—.
"Is the girl behind you your woman? Well, if not, my condolences. ...Hey, if you can endure my attacks from here on, I'll let you go. Entertain me, Big Brother."
A shiver ran down my spine as Celes called me "Big Brother" with a beaming smile. In addition to the cold, I braced myself knowing the opponent was about to move.
—When the thunder roared, Novem confirmed Liel's location.
Even though it was a back alley, it was complex, and Novem, who had been struggling to find Liel, confirmed the position.
Behind the hurrying Novem, Monica, dressed in a maid outfit, chased after him.
"Excuse me for going ahead."
Saying so, she overtook Novem.
Seeing Monica run at a speed that seemed impossible for a human, Novem worried whether they would make it in time.
Novem spoke to Aria, who was running behind.
"Aria-san, can you use a skill? Can you move to the place where the lightning just fell by using it consecutively?"
When Novem spoke, Aria showed reluctance.
"It's not impossible, but long distances like Liel's are difficult for me."
"That's fine. In terms of instantaneous explosive speed, you are superior, Aria-san. Please use that consecutively."
Aria gripped the Jewel Orb hanging from her neck and surged ahead of Novem. She accelerated with a momentum that seemed to overtake Monica.
Seeing that from behind, Novem confirmed that Miranda and Clara were following and looked up at the sky.
Light from magic was occurring consecutively at the place where the lightning had fallen.
(...We'll make it. We can still make it.)
Novem gripped the staff in his right hand—.
"Ahahaha! Amazing! Is that also a benefit of a skill!"
Celes directed a smile at me, but I was battered.
A wall of ice had appeared to protect Shannon and Eva, and the surrounding area was a mountain of rubble from destroyed earth and stone walls.
Out of breath, sweat was pouring off me despite the cold outdoors.
Behind my back were Shannon and Eva.
If I fled, the two of them would die.
"Liel, just run already!"
Eva as well.
"You have to run... but how, from a situation like this..."
I desperately searched for an escape route.
"If I run now, I'll be scolded..."
As I made excuses while gasping for air, Celes—.
"Next... how about some Ice Arrows!"
She thrust out her left hand and snapped her fingers, and hundreds of arrows made of ice appeared around Shannon. The ice had not merely mimicked the shape of arrows.
Arrows that looked as if they had been crafted with meticulous detail were pointed this way.
"Kuh!"
Changing the greatsword I held into a bow, I aimed at all the Ice Arrows.
"What, you still had a trick like that? You're entertaining me more than before!"
A delighted Celes swept her left arm sideways.
The next moment, the arrows attacked me all at once.
I created a wall of earth with magic to secure my flanks and destroyed the ice arrows attacking from the front with arrows of light.
Dozens to hundreds of arrows pierced the wall made of earth. The thick wall I had created was penetrated with ease.
When I looked at Celes, she was posing with a giant ice arrow—no, that was already a spear—and was smiling at me.
"I wonder if you can shoot this down!"
She released it with enjoyment, but it was no ordinary ice arrow. The place where the ice arrow passed had a coldness that seemed to freeze the very atmosphere.
I enlarged the bow, drew it strongly and released, the arrows collided in midair and exploded, instantly lowering the surrounding temperature.
Ice flowers were born where the explosion occurred, sparkling brilliantly.
Celes was moved by the sight.
"Beautiful. Just like me."
The surroundings were even applauding, and I felt as if I alone had wandered into a different world.
I drew the bow and released an arrow.
Of course, aiming for Celes.
However, Celes did not panic.
"That's a skill too, isn't it? It seems to be tracking by aiming... but that's"
Celes thrust out her rapier and, as it was, flexed the tip of the blade like a whip to slice through the arrow of light.
An explosion occurred, but Celes didn't have a single scratch.
"Ah~, it was my favorite coat, but it got dirt on it. I wonder who I should give it to this time? It might be interesting to give it to a knight who is planning to marry, so that he sleeps embracing this coat rather than his partner."
With an innocent smile, Celes spun around on the spot.
Among the onlookers, there were even knights volunteering that they wanted Celes's coat.
Seeing this, the Sixth Generation spoke.
"What, what on earth is this!"
He seemed unable to comprehend it.
Then, the Fifth Generation spoke.
"It's beyond what I imagined. It's not that I underestimated the words of the First Generation... no, perhaps even the First Generation didn't imagine it to this extent."
The story of a beauty that could topple a nation appearing as a monster was from over fifty years before the First Generation was born.
Even if they had heard about it, they likely hadn't experienced it firsthand.
In today's world, no one remembers such an experience.
Celes, perhaps having grown tired of spinning, stopped and looked at me.
"Ah~, that was fun. But this is the end. I enjoyed myself... well then, bye-bye."
Celes thrust out her rapier, and I blocked it with the bow.
I immediately switched to the greatsword and fought Celes with blades, but—.
"You're slow. Even though I've kept your movement speed lowered with a skill, I can't enjoy this."
My right shoulder was sliced open, and I felt pain in my left thigh as the rapier pierced through.
I parried several times, but I couldn't catch everything.
I released magic on the ground with one arm, kicking up snow to block her vision, but Celes swung her rapier as if at will even within that obscured sight.
The snow around me began to be stained red with my blood.
"Did you intend to blind me? I can tell even with my eyes closed. Breathing, and heartbeats, the sound of muscles creaking... the flow of the atmosphere also tells me that you are there."
The Third Generation seemed to be deep in thought while looking at Celes.
Then, the Seventh Generation spoke.
"She is not Celes. Can one grow this much just by possessing a Jewel Orb... rather, what kind of skill does she possess!"
I used too much magical power and could no longer maintain the greatsword.
I took out the dagger and returned the Jewel Orb to its original necklace.
If I lost consciousness, I would surely be killed just like that.
I was staggering from too much blood loss, but I braced the dagger and glared at Celes.
"It's rare for a human to resist this far. But if I don't have this much every now and then, there's no fun. Yes, as I thought... it's boring without an opponent. After I crush Liel, who should I play with? Come to think of it, there was still that Fanbayle bitch clinging to Rufus. And the neighboring countries protesting... the nobles within the country who won't obey me... Aha! Ahahaha! I wonder how I should enjoy them."
While bleeding, I spoke toward Celes.
"You're insane..."
"Hm? What are you saying?"
Celes directed a smile at me.
"Who are you. You're not Celes."
My memories of my former sister were vague. The memories after age ten were too strong, making it impossible to remember.
However, she shouldn't have been a sister like the one before me.
"I am Celes... Celes Walt. Novem knows that too."
When Novem's name came up, I tried to ask why Novem's name was mentioned.
However, it seemed to be irrelevant to Celes.
"I'm bored now. Right, end of the line."
The tip of the rapier she thrust forward was glowing red with heat.
She might have used magic.
(I won't make it!)
My reaction to Celes's thrust was slow, and I thought I couldn't completely avoid the attack.
But—.
Poof...
A ball made of snow fell on top of Celes's head.
The one who threw it seemed to be Shannon.
Celes glared at Shannon, pulled back her rapier, and shifted her attention there.
I immediately squeezed out my remaining strength to make an earth wall appear around Shannon and Eva, and I stepped in front of Celes.
Celes was expressionless, but the highlights had vanished from her eyes, leaving them vacant.
"I'll kill you. A mere brat who's only good at seeing... do you understand what you've done to me?"
Celes, attempting to blow away the earth wall with magic, had targeted Shannon behind me, not me.
I wasn't even in her sight.
At this rate, she would be killed.
It was the moment I thought that.
The dagger I was gripping glowed faintly and activated a skill.
(This is the skill Rondo-san chose...)
It was a simple skill. A skill to block magic—a skill to protect comrades, which felt very much like Rondo-san.
I thought I couldn't use it due to the Jewel Orb's influence, but it activated now.
It created a wall of magical power around me, blocking the magic Celes released.
A storm of fire melted the surrounding snow, raising the temperature. It was the magic [Fire Storm], but its power had increased compared to the one Celes had released previously.
Perhaps because I was using the dagger's skill, the voices of my ancestors from the Jewel Orb were only audible in fragments.
And while my own magical power was being drained rapidly, I managed to endure the magic Celes released.
(But at this rate, I won't be able to do anything... at least for the end)
I looked at the snow on the ground.
The storm of fire passed due to the magic, and I looked at Celes in front of me.
Having exceeded its limit, the dagger snapped.
Collapsing to my knees, I had no strength left to stand and simply looked at Celes.
Celes, looking down at me, spoke boredly.
"...How boring. Is this the extent of it even after growing? I enjoyed myself more before you left the house."
My strength, technique, and speed had increased more than before, but the same was true for Celes. She was certainly stronger than when we fought previously.
But—.
Another ball made of snow fell on top of Celes's head.
As the sound of a 'poof' echoed quietly in the area, I twisted my lips.
I laughed, pretending to be strong.
At the very end, I had used a skill to aim and thrown it so that it would fall on her head.
It was truly a final, desperate struggle.
"What's wrong? Are you weak to attacks from above?"
When I provoked her like that, Celes looked down at me expressionlessly and took a stance as if to pierce me with her rapier.
While her movements seemed to be in slow motion, I thought that I wanted to protect at least the two people behind me.