Chapter 143 -
The goddess's six swords clashed with my four.
I was outmatched in the number of attacks, so my only option was to use rotations to defend efficiently. But I wasn't just on the defensive. By aggressively going on the offense, I forced the goddess, who feared the power of the divine swords, to defend with multiple blades, creating a numerical advantage for myself.
"As expected of you, Hayate-kun. I have more attacks, yet I'm the one who's constantly on the defensive."
"Not at all. Megami-sama-chan, it's wonderful that you can control the Manipulators with such precision. And twice as many as I have. All that's left is to learn to move them more efficiently... How about it? Would you like to join the Hayate-Style Four-Sword Style Promotion Office?"
Seeing her wield the Manipulators at a level comparable to my own, I couldn't help but try to recruit her. I knew she was the enemy who had thrown the world into chaos, but for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to completely hate her.
"Thank you for the invitation. I'll consider it if you can beat me, Hayate-kun."
"Now I have one more reason I must defeat you."
"But my desire to win is stronger!"
The goddess's manipulators pulled back, and she began to gather light.
This feels like something bad is coming.
"Take this! Megami-sama-chan Beam Kai!!"
A beam, its nozzle narrowed, came flying toward me with clearly more power and speed than before.
I have no choice but to use it here.
"Four-Sword Style Secret Technique, 'Haze'."
With the ultra-high-speed operation of my Manipulators and the power of the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, I deflected the beam.
"You used 'Haze'. When I healed your fatigue earlier, Hayate-kun, I also checked your mental exhaustion. And then I found out. The technique you call the secret of the Four-Sword Style has a limit of three uses per day. Am I right?"
"...Correct."
Figuring out the usage limits of my secret technique from my fatigue level when you healed me is just cheap. Did she challenge me after my fight with Gold Dragon Ouldia for this very reason? It was a complete trap.
But well, I guess that just means she's coming at me with everything she's got to win.
"You have two uses left. 'Kanade' or 'Hayate'. Or the 'Haze' and 'Kanade' combo you used against the Gold Dragon. I will withstand them all. I will absolutely not let you destroy my core. Today, I will defeat you!"
"I won't lose either!"
After that, our blades clashed for nearly ten minutes.
Her focus in combat had sharpened.
I could feel her growth.
Is her stamina limitless because she's a god?
If so, I'm the one in trouble.
As I was thinking that, the goddess took some distance from me and raised her right hand.
"You thought it was okay to back off because I'm in my close-combat form? That's a mistake. Gigant Grab!"
The goddess's right hand grew massive and came to crush me. This was a major technique from the final boss of the Grade 9 Earth Dungeon, the Giant.
I messed up. I let her create distance because I wanted a short break.
She's probably baiting me, but I think I'll take it.
"Four-Sword Style Secret Technique, 'Hayate'!!"
I attacked with 'Hayate', letting it flow like the wind along the giant hand.
"Owwwwwwwwwch!"
I was able to deal massive damage.
Normally, this is a technique where the Giant makes its own arm even larger to grab you, but attacking the created arm actually damages the goddess? In that case, this is a flawed skill.
"That was a miscalculation on your part, wasn't it? Wouldn't it have been better to just keep fighting with the six-sword style?"
"H-Hmph. I made you use your second secret technique. S-so it's fine."
She was bluffing.
I must have chipped away a considerable amount of her health.
In the game, I should have dealt enough damage to defeat Uriel three times over by now.
She's buffed her health quite a bit, too.
All that's left is to land a direct hit on her core, and I'll win.
But that was proving to be difficult.
"This defensive barrier protecting your core... won't you tell me how to get rid of it soon?"
The core on the goddess's forehead was protected by a sturdy shield, and no matter how much I attacked, it remained completely unscathed.
For a normal dungeon boss, attacking the core is a good source of damage.
"Eh, a shield? ...Ah!!"
For some reason, the goddess started to panic.
"S-sorry about that. I didn't want to lose right away if you aimed for my core, so I was planning to protect it with an absolute defense shield for the first five minutes of the fight. The shield was supposed to disappear after five minutes, but, um. I forgot."
"I-I see."
That was close!!
I would have never won if I hadn't asked.
Well, at least it means she didn't set it to be an impossible game. And she readily admitted her mistake and apologized, so I'll let it slide.
"Alright then, let's start over. From now on, I'll be focusing my attacks on the core."
"Ah! W-wait, hold on. My health is already—"
Hey, hey, a boss shouldn't be announcing their remaining health.
Sorry, but just as I declared, I was going straight for the core.
"Eek!?"
Seeing the goddess simply cross her arms to protect her core gave me the confidence that I could win. And that's when I let my guard down.
"Don't come neeeeeear!!"
A powerful light erupted from the goddess.
Ah, this is bad.
I knew it instinctively.
This light will annihilate my physical body.
Not even the divine swords can block it.
Human reaction speed isn't enough.
It's over.
This is how it ends, huh.
I wonder what dying feels like.
I think Rena will revive me, but...
...Will a revival potion even work if I die to this light?
Time compressed into an instant, yet my thoughts could still form.
The light was approaching slowly.
So this is that thing they talk about, how everything looks like it's in slow motion when you're on the verge of death.
I'm sorry, Rena.
I lost.
Suddenly, Rena's words flashed through my mind.
'In the real world, you're the strongest, Hayate.'
'You won't lose to anyone. I believe you're the strongest.'
'In your case, Hayate, your ninja power is also a result of your training, right? It's not some kind of cheat.'
'Please. Promise me you'll come back safe.'
I haven't been using my ninja powers because I want more people to use the four-sword style.
But, I see.
My ninja skills are part of my strength, too.
If I lose here, I'll no longer be the strongest person Rena believes in.
So, Megami-sama-chan.
I'm truly sorry!
I unleashed the aura I had acquired through my ninja training and the divine power I received from Amaterasu-sama, reinforcing my body with all my might.
Forcibly holding my ground against the goddess's aura that threatened to blow me away, I pushed forward, advancing toward her instead.
"Hayate-Style Four-Sword Style, Four-Strike Great Rotating Slash!!"
A flawless, consecutive strike on the core with the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, its attack power maximized.
The sound of the core shattering echoed.
"N-no way... I... lost?"
Uriel shed large tears.
Her body turned to light and vanished.
In her place remained a beautiful woman with long, blonde hair.
This must be Megami-sama-chan's true form.
I waited a little for her to calm down.
"Aah. I lost."
"Is this being broadcast to the world right now?"
"Eh, I wonder... Hmm. Nope. The shock of the core shattering stopped the stream. I can restart it now, if you want. Want to declare your victory?"
"No. Actually, I used a power that I've been hiding all this time. A power I swore never to use while being watched, for the sake of spreading the Four-Sword Style. Since I used it at the very end, this time, it's your victory, Megami-sama-chan."
It probably looked like I won on the stream. I'll have to report that I lost on social media later.
I'll report to Rena that I could have won if using my ninja powers was an allowed condition. I hope she'll forgive me for that.
"Geez, what's with that? It doesn't feel quite right, but if it means this is the first time I've beaten you, Hayate-kun, it's a surprisingly good feeling."
"Um, I believe if I lost, I was supposed to build a shrine in my house and pray every day, right? Do you have any design requests for the shrine?"
"I was just joking, so you don't have to. I'm going to disappear soon anyway."
"What!?"
The goddess's body, like Uriel's, was beginning to turn into light.
"This time, my synchronization rate with the boss was at 100%. That's because I really, really wanted to beat you."
"No way... Are you okay with that? I don't really understand things on a divine scale, but..."
"I don't want to cease to exist, either. But in this world, I was able to see so many people confront hardship. I'm incredibly satisfied. Especially you, Hayate-kun. You were magnificent."
Megami-sama-chan had an ecstatic expression on her face.
She looked happy.
So this is what a god is like.
"Oh, right. I should probably tell you this before I disappear. You know Sadaharu, right, Hayate-kun?"
"Yes. I do."
"He was cooperating with me to make the dungeons appear in this world."
"I see, so that's what it was."
So that's why she mentioned his name.
"I gave Sadaharu my power and made him my kin, so when I disappear, he will disappear along with me."
"No way!? Th-then I'll have to find Sadaharu-san—"
"Don't misunderstand. My disappearance this time is to grant Sadaharu's wish. He has also consented to the fact that his existence will disappear as a result."
"...I'm sorry. I don't understand."
"Sadaharu wished for the implementation of a system in the brains of humans in this world that would make parallel processing easier. He said that if that system were managed well, the number of people who could master the four-sword style like you, Hayate-kun, would increase."
That was great news. But to choose to disappear for that reason alone...
"You see, he'd been researching for a long time, saying that if people all over the world could skillfully control manipulators with their brainwaves, they could save many people in the fields of medicine and disaster relief. But he felt he had reached his limit, so he relied on the power of a god. I was cooperating with him in return for his help."
In the end, both of their wishes were granted.
Apparently, Sadaharu-san also disappeared, looking satisfied.
"I'm going to disappear now, but I want you to remember that there was a man named Okabe Sadaharu who worked hard to make this world a little better."
"I won't forget. Not Sadaharu-san, and not you, Megami-sama-chan."
"Fufu. I'm happy to hear that."
Her body completely turned to light and vanished.
It was fun.
Let's play again someday, Hayate-kun.
I faintly heard such a voice.
The Strongest Four-Sword Style Streamer - The End -
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[Afterword]
Thank you for reading to the very end.
This concludes the story.
This work is being published by Kodansha.
Book Volume 1 (K Ranobe Books)
Manga Volumes 1-5 (KC Magazine)
It seems the manga will be a total of 6 volumes.
It's very well put together, so please consider purchasing it!!
Well then, let's meet again in another work.