Chapter 138 - Hayate
A dragon gleaming in gold flew toward me at incredible speed.
Its charge was powerful enough to incapacitate even a heavily armored tank in a single hit.
I managed to deflect the attack with a spin.
That was a close one.
"Man, this thing is ridiculously fast."
I don't have the luxury to provide commentary like I usually do.
I know that's bad for a streamer, but just like with the Goddess-possessed Undine and Flora, I'll be knocked out in one shot if I don't focus every ounce of my being on this fight.
The last boss of the Grade 8 Dungeon, the Gold Dragon Ouldia, was just that formidable of an enemy.
Even when I deflect its attacks perfectly with a spin, I still take a bit of damage. But I don't even have a moment to drink a healing potion. That's why I chose gear that buffs my health as much as possible, but…
"This is bad. In real life, the damage radius of its charge feels about one-and-a-half times bigger."
I've already used Aura Release.
That last charge was one of the Gold Dragon's major techniques, so I had no choice but to use Aura Release at that timing to evade it.
Forty-five seconds of its effect remain.
If it runs out, my chances of winning will become slim.
I dealt a fair amount of damage before it used its major technique, but its defense increases significantly after a charge.
I'll need the power of Aura Release to chip away its remaining health.
"…Can't be helped. Guess I have to use it."
The final secret technique of the four-sword style, capable of dealing massive damage to the thirty-meter-long Ouldia.
I have three secret techniques I developed for my style.
'Haze,' for PvP, was something I'd never shown to anyone but Rena. But I used it in the fight against the Goddess-possessed Undine, so now the whole world knows about it.
'Kanade,' which requires ultra-precise Manipulator movements, is a skill I can only use during Aura Release, and I've used it on stream ever since FWO was a game.
The final secret technique wasn't named by me.
That's why it's a little embarrassing to shout out the skill's name.
But it's still a four-sword style secret technique, so I feel like I have to say its name.
It was the very first secret technique I ever created.
To be honest, I didn't even call it a secret technique at first; I just devised it as a way to damage giant monsters. But executing it required such difficult Manipulator control that no one else could copy it. So, the viewers watching my stream decided on their own that it was a secret technique of the four-sword style and gave it a name.
In fact, I named both Haze and Kanade to match that first technique's name: a single kanji character with a three-syllable reading.
"Here I go."
Pushing off the ground hard with my Manipulators, I charge toward Ouldia.
Ouldia opened its massive maw and accelerated, ready to crush me in its jaws.
"Step Maker!"
Just before impact, I activate a magic scroll.
I use the foothold created in mid-air to evade the enemy's attack.
From there, I move into a spinning attack.
I slash at Ouldia's head with the sword in my right hand, then connect the attack with the sword in my right Manipulator, then the left Manipulator's sword, and the sword in my left hand. Then back to my right hand's sword.
It's not a single slash, but a continuous attack that traces along the massive monster's huge body.
"Four-Sword Style Secret Technique: 'Hayate'!!"
My attack looked as if the wind itself was flowing over the monster's surface, so the viewers got excited and suggested using the word 'Hayate' to describe that state. I adopted it as the name.
I was able to deal massive damage to Ouldia. However, attacking while shouting my own name is, as expected, embarrassing.
And there's one more drawback to this secret technique.
In FWO, you can't defeat a boss monster without destroying its core. You need to deal a certain amount of damage to the monster to expose it, so 'Hayate' is necessary, but because of the way the attack traces the body's surface, it's impossible to land the final blow on the core.
Even though it's a secret technique, the fact that using it can't finish the fight is a little lame.
And then my Aura Release wore off.
From here on out, it's just a grueling slugfest.
"Fighting on after Aura Release ends is tough."
The after-effects of Aura Release, similar to muscle soreness, are kicking in—something that didn't exist in the game. Normally, you'd use Aura Release for a final sprint to defeat the enemy, so the muscle pain wouldn't be an issue.
This was a pretty tough situation.
But I can't just keep complaining.
Though it's on the verge of death, I can still see the will to fight in Ouldia's eyes.
"You're ready to go, too, huh? It's tough, but I'm not gonna lose either."
I have to prove that the four-sword style is the strongest.
For that reason, I once fought a boss monster alone for 135 minutes straight and emerged victorious. That was in a game, but even now that it's reality, my resolve hasn't changed.
"Come on. Let's decide who's going to be the champion of this floor!"
Ouldia responded with a roar.
I ready my four swords and prepare to meet the approaching formidable foe.