kscans

Chapter 145 - Preparedness is Everything.

Aleister descended upon me from above.

The forced assault by the spinning swords had been a feint to make this surprise attack successful. A triumphant smile played on Aleister's lips. If all I could produce were tentacles, I had no way to defend against this.

If all I could produce were tentacles, that is.

I transformed a portion of the tentacles into a thin iron membrane, covering the space above my head. Aleister, though surprised, brought his flaming sword down. The iron membrane began to melt away bit by bit. It was only a matter of time before it was breached.

In that time, I rolled through a gap in the tentacles and escaped. I put some distance between myself and Aleister. The iron membrane was torn apart, and Aleister landed, flames spreading around him. The Regret Swords, entangled in the tentacles, remained motionless like statues.

Just as Aleister was about to make a move, I acted.

"`Thunder Cannon`!"

I fired a degraded version of my Thunderstrike Cannon.

The blast struck Aleister squarely in the abdomen. Surrounded by tentacles, he had no way to dodge. The lightning cannon sent him flying into the wall. Normally, it should have pierced through him, but the fact that he was only blown away suggested he had channeled magic into his armor to increase its defense.

To be able to do that in an instant—he was strong, no doubt about it. His experience was on a completely different level.

A cloud of dust rose from the wall. Aleister stood up. He was clutching his abdomen, which I took as a sign that the attack had dealt significant damage.

I wouldn't let this chance slip away.

"Skill: `Turmoil`!"

I activated one of my trump cards.

Power surged through my body. I ran. My only target was Aleister.

At my abnormal speed, Aleister reacted. "Skill: `Acceleration`!"

He vanished in an instant.

However, in my current state, I could see Aleister's movements. He was moving to my left. I immediately gave chase. In that interval, I switched from my longsword to my katana, which was, of course, wreathed in flame as my `Flame Fang`.

Aleister watched me with considerable surprise. No enemy had ever been able to keep up with this speed. Even the renowned Dion had been incapable of it. Aleister quickly regained his composure, wreathed his greatsword in flames, and prepared to meet my attack.

Aleister's movements stopped.

It seemed he had given up on running. I unleashed an overhead slash. Aleister effortlessly blocked it with his greatsword. A fierce clash of blades ensued. With both our weapons wreathed in flames, the heat was intense.

But neither of us moved an inch. If we let our guard down for even a moment, we would be cut down.

Amidst this stalemate, one of the knights suddenly sneezed.

As if cued by the sound, our swords parted. The two of us stood facing each other. From there, a storm of attacks and defenses began. With `Turmoil`, my speed increased, and my sword left countless trails of light, too fast for the eye to see. On the other hand, Aleister met my attacks with the same speed. He had probably concentrated `Acceleration` not in his legs, but in his arms. A similar number of sword trails emerged from his side.

The fierce sound of clashing swords echoed. To a third party, it would be impossible to tell what was happening.

But from the sudden slash marks appearing on the surrounding floor, they could only surmise that we were trading blows. Tina watched this scene with a look of frustration.

She couldn't see Shinsuke's movements, let alone Aleister's.

Tina didn't think for a moment that she was the strongest. However, she didn't think she was weak either. But this was a level she couldn't accept. A flicker of anxiety crossed her mind: was she truly worthy of standing by Shinsuke's side?

Tina thought to herself, (When this battle is over... can I learn a new skill? ...Nothing will start until I try...)

She was already contemplating the future.

The battle with Aleister was approaching the one-minute mark. However, to me, it felt like I had been fighting for several tens of minutes. A battle of speed. I had heard that one's sense of time could become distorted, but I never imagined it would be like this.

Aleister saw the look of agony on my face and judged it his chance to win.

Suddenly, he swung his greatsword in a wide horizontal arc, swatting my katana aside. My stance was broken. My body was immobile for 0.5 seconds. A length of time that a normal person wouldn't even be able to perceive.

However, for Aleister, it was enough time to attack.

With a returning slash, he drove his greatsword into my abdomen. At that moment, the greatsword exploded.

I was sent flying. I rolled across the floor and slammed into the wall, raising a cloud of dust. The knights and Tina were speechless. Had Shinsuke lost?

Aleister, holding his flaming greatsword, gasped for breath. "Hah... hah... It seems the difference in our experience has shown."

He was certain of his victory.

No one who had taken that attack had ever survived. Even Dion had made sure to avoid a direct hit. Aleister turned his face towards the knights.

His target was Altorine. The knights raised their swords.

They were prepared to die, to at least land a single blow, even if they couldn't win. Tina was visibly shaken, but she quickly drew her sword. She felt that if she lost her composure here, she would truly lose the right to stand by Shinsuke's side. Aleister approached.

Just as everyone thought the battle was decided, something shot out from the dust cloud by the wall.

Aleister turned sideways.

"CHEEEEESTOOOOO!!!"

An overhead slash exploded forth.

It slashed Aleister diagonally from his upper left. His armor was torn, and the blade reached his body. A violent spray of blood erupted. Aleister screamed in agony, collapsed to the floor, and writhed in pain.

The one who had cut down Aleister was Shinsuke. I was surprised to be alive, but I wasn't unscathed. My armor was scorched, and my face and body were burned. The katana I held was no longer wreathed in flames. My breathing was ragged, and it was all I could do to stand.

Tina rushed to my side, where I was a wreck.

"Shinsuke! You're safe?!"

She approached, her face a mixture of joy and tear-filled eyes.

I replied, "Honestly, it's a miracle I'm alive. I'm glad I changed the properties of my armor to Adamantite."

I placed my left hand on my armor.

I didn't die in the explosion because of the armor's incredible durability. If I hadn't changed it, I would surely be dead.

As we spoke, the knights approached us.

"Thank you for your hard work. We will handle the rest."

They said, surrounding Aleister.

I had inflicted a severe wound on him. No matter how strong he was, it would be impossible for him to fight now. As I was thinking this, Altorine approached from behind the knights. When I first arrived, she had been critically injured, but now she was recovered enough to walk.

Seeing my astonishment, Altorine explained.

"I apologize for causing you worry. I have a skill called `Recovery`. As long as I don't move, even an injury that would take days to heal will fully recover in a matter of minutes."

She answered with a hint of pride.

A fine skill. Even if she were seriously injured, as long as the knights protected her, she could quickly return to the front lines. Her skill set was ideal. As I was thinking this, I sensed a feeling of alarm from the knights.

I turned to see Aleister trying to stand up, using his sword as a crutch. His breathing was ragged, sweat poured down his forehead like a waterfall, and he was coughing up blood.

He was clearly in critical condition, yet Aleister declared, "N-not... yet... I... I can still... f-fight!!"

His face was that of a demon.

The killing intent that overflowed from him was abnormally large and dense. The knights raised their swords, but their faces were filled with fear, and their blades trembled.

Amidst the strange atmosphere, Altorine spoke.

"The match is decided. With those injuries, you can't defeat me, let alone Shinsuke. Additionally, I imagine the `Summon` skill requires a great deal of concentration. In fact, you haven't summoned anything."

She explained to Aleister appropriately and that any further struggle was meaningless.

In response to Altorine's explanation, Aleister sputtered.

"So... what... My... am-bition... is not... yet..."

Before he could finish, Aleister's condition took a strange turn.

Was it my imagination, or was his face gradually becoming gaunt? No, were wrinkles forming? It was at that moment...

Aleister suddenly began to suffer.

"W-what? My... body... the strength... is leaving me... My... my youth... What's... happening? The... research... wasn't it... a success? ...Aaaah..."

Wrinkles began to spread across Aleister's face, his hair fell out in clumps, and finally, his face became that of an old man, and he was bald.

I, along with everyone else, was speechless at the sudden turn of events. We stared in a daze, unable to comprehend what was happening.

And then, Aleister collapsed.

His face was a mask of shock and incomprehension as he fell silent, his eyes rolling back in his head. His figure resembled a mummy, as if he had withered away while still alive. A profound silence dominated the room.

A short while later, Altorine exclaimed, "What... The Pope?!"

Her words snapped the knights back to reality, and they rushed to check Aleister's condition.

After checking his pulse and breathing, they shook their heads. He was dead. Honestly, I had no idea what had happened.

Did he become like this because I seriously injured him? Impossible. If that were the case, it would happen to everyone. But that's not how things work. A side effect of the drug? Triggered by the serious injury, or perhaps the passage of time? In any case, that seemed to be the most likely possibility at the moment.

Altorine took charge.

"We must determine the cause of the Pope's unnatural death. We will head to the research lab immediately. We will split into two groups. You will apprehend the three unconscious Archbishops. Give Cardinal Romel first aid and take him to the infirmary immediately. The rest will come with me to the research lab to find evidence and the cause."

She gave out precise instructions.

The knights saluted and began to move.

Altorine looked at us. "Shinsuke and Tina, please rest. Leave the rest to us."

It was a dismissal.

I replied, "Alright. In that case, we'll take you up on your offer."

We moved to the side of the wall.

I sat down, exhausted. Tina did the same. Altorine immediately headed to the research lab with the knights.

Watching the flow of events, Tina muttered, her voice tinged with self-reproach, "In the end, I was of no use at all."

Normally, I would say something witty, but instead, I said, "That's right. Anyone could have figured out the hidden door in the lab if they had enough time. This time, Tina, you weren't useful."

I answered bluntly.

I knew the words were harsh. But Tina wasn't the kind of woman to be discouraged by something like this.

She had a strong sense of responsibility and would never push the blame for her mistakes onto others or try to take credit for their achievements. She was honest, proud, strict, but with a slightly dependent side.

She was a strong woman, and an adventurer.

Tina asked, "Isn't this the kind of situation where you're supposed to say at least one kind word?"

Seeing the mischievous smile on her face, I replied, "What? You wanted me to say it? I didn't think you were that type."

I returned her mischievous smile with one of my own.

Tina said, "Fufu... I'm actually rather happy you said that."

She was smirking.

A mundane, yet precious moment of happiness. Just then, the roar of a wild beast echoed from a distance.