kscans

Chapter 98 - The First Battlefield: Tina vs. Rodel

Rodel swung his sword in a wide arc, carried by his momentum.

Tina, sword at the ready, dodged to the right. Rodel's blade slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and carving a gash in the earth. In that opening, she unleashed a blade of wind from her sword. But Rodel simply swatted it away with one hand.

His stats were on a completely different level than before.

At first, Tina had assumed he was only slightly stronger than his human self.

After all, she had never heard of anyone's stats increasing so drastically. The Orc King of the past was an inherently strong monster that had simply gotten a little stronger due to some catalyst. That was all she had thought. But Rodel was different. His power had risen to an abnormal degree, as if he had been enhanced by a master magician. Tina renewed her focus, channeling magic into both her sword and her body.

Rodel sneered.

"...What's wrong, is that all? If so, try this on for size!"

He shouted as he formed a blade of light magic.

"`Raging Light Demon Slash (Fury Saber)`!"

A slash of pure light shot toward Tina.

With a calm response, Tina activated her own skill.

"`Aqua Roller`!"

She enveloped her feet in rollers of water.

Her speed was equivalent to a car traveling at forty kilometers per hour. She vanished from her spot in an instant, and the sword of light sliced through empty air. Rodel couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

He had swung with enough force to take her head clean off. There was no way she should have been able to dodge it—at best, she could have ducked. From there, following up would have been easy.

But Tina was now standing far in front of him.

Rodel stammered.

"...What the hell was that? Why are you over there?"

To his question, Tina replied coolly.

"...The answer is simple. I am stronger than I was back then. That is all."

It was a concise explanation.

Of course, she had learned this technique from a book Shinsuke had. It was only natural that Rodel wouldn't know it. Tina was in awe of the creativity that existed on Earth. The magic in this world was primarily for long-range attacks, with very few close-quarters applications.

That alone had been powerful enough, and she had managed to adapt to a certain extent.

But the books from Earth described imbuing oneself with magic, changing its form to increase movement speed, levitating, or even burrowing underground.

The variety of ideas was something that neither Tina nor any other magician in this world could have ever conceived of.

Because of this, Tina had practiced relentlessly.

To get even a little closer to Shinsuke's level. To stop being a burden.

It was that resolve that had made Tina strong.

"...Are you not coming? Then it's my turn. `Gale Strike`!"

From a thrusting stance, she unleashed a tornado-like drill attack.

Rodel dodged to his right. With his equine agility, evasion was simple. He continued his charge without pause. The sword of light had vanished, returning to a normal blade.

Since Tina was stronger than he'd expected, it was better to conserve his magic. Rodel's inner, calmer self had made that call—a natural thought for any warrior, as you never know what might lead to your defeat. With no loss of speed, he swung his sword horizontally. Tina immediately ducked.

Rodel galloped past her. Tina did not miss the opening.

As Rodel turned, Tina unleashed her counter.

"`Aqua Lance`!"

She thrust with a spear of water magic.

The pillar of water shot straight for him, but Rodel simply twisted his upper body and swatted it away.

Tina was shocked.

His body's structure was too bizarre. He had rotated his torso a full one hundred and eighty degrees.

No normal human could do that, and among monsters, only the most flexible types could manage it. But Rodel was neither. It would be better not to think of him as a normal monster.

Tina calmly analyzed the situation.

Rodel grinned.

"...Here I come."

With that, he charged just like that.

It was a sickening motion, like he was advancing backward and forward at the same time.

Seeing the incomprehensible movement, Tina reacted instantly.

"`Aqua Roller`!"

She enveloped her feet in water and retreated.

The two of them raced across the field.

But Rodel was faster. Even though Tina could move at forty kilometers per hour, she was moving backward.

Retreating was a frightening prospect, and that slight hesitation proved decisive.

As Rodel closed the distance, he swung his sword. Tina blocked it with her own. The impact slowed her down even further. However, after parrying his blade, Tina spun her entire body.

Like a top, she spun with her sword held horizontally, slicing across Rodel's lower half.

Rodel screamed in agony. Tina stopped spinning and took a deep breath.

It was a technique she had never attempted before. A wave of relief washed over her from its success.

It was a perfectly good reason to pause and catch her breath. The pain must have been immense, as Rodel twisted his upper body back to its normal position.

"Y-You bitch! That hurt, you know!"

He screamed as he charged again.

Tina pushed her `Aqua Roller` to full throttle and moved.

This was the true beginning of their high-speed battle.

Tina's incredible speed and Rodel's mobility created a clash that a normal person could barely follow with their eyes. Tina moved in every direction, employing hit-and-run tactics. Rodel, in turn, moved with an agility that belied his horse-like form, his movements erratic and unpredictable.

They would distance themselves, clash swords, and then immediately disengage.

It was a repeating cycle. If they stopped, it would be over.

That was the cause of defeat that flashed through both their minds.

Amidst it all, Rodel was laughing inwardly.

He had not yet unleashed his demonic blade, Dainsleif, in the past few days. Because of that, all the blood it had absorbed was stored within it. Normally, the blade's sharpness would be so immense that it would have shattered his opponent's sword upon impact.

But instead of breaking, their swords were evenly matched. That meant Tina's sword was made from exceptionally fine ore. The only material he could think of that could withstand a demonic blade was Adamantite.

Dismissing the thought as impossible, Rodel waited for the perfect moment to unleash his sword's power.

Tina felt a sense of dread.

The reason was the greatsword Rodel wielded. It glowed with a blackish-red light and radiated a sinister aura of madness. She wondered where he had obtained it, but more than that, she found it strange that he wasn't attacking more aggressively.

The Rodel she knew before wouldn't have engaged in such a prolonged fight.

He was the type who preferred to end things quickly. Just get it over with and go home. That was his entire philosophy.

It was an absurd reason, but she could at least sympathize with the idea of finishing things quickly.

However, the monstrous Rodel didn't seem to share that mindset. Which meant he was planning something. Reaching that conclusion, Tina decided to make her move.

She dispelled her `Aqua Roller`, focused magic into her legs, and leaped.

High in the air, Tina wreathed her sword in wind, generating a small tornado, and descended in an overhead stance.

Looking up, Rodel saw his chance.

The attack from her wind-enchanted sword would be incredibly powerful. A direct hit would mean serious injury. Even if he dodged, the shockwave could send him flying, leaving him open to a finishing blow. That meant he had no choice but to face it head-on.

Besides, in the air, her only option was to fall.

Rodel plunged his demonic blade into the ground.

"`Bloody Hell`!"

He unleashed its power.

In a five-meter radius around him, countless thorns made of blood erupted from the ground. They shot upwards, reaching a height of seven meters.

Normally, Tina would have had no choice but to fall and be impaled on the bloody thorns.

However, Tina wreathed her feet in wind.

"`Dash`!"

She used the air pressure to fly through the sky.

Manipulating the wind, Tina escaped the range of Rodel's attack.

From the very beginning, Tina had no intention of attacking with her sword.

She had gambled that if she assumed a finishing stance, Rodel would undoubtedly pull some trick.

Her gamble paid off brilliantly.

Rodel's attack hit nothing but air. Tina landed on the ground and reassessed the greatsword's ability. It seemed to be a technique that used a medium—water, or rather, blood—to attack.

A disgusting technique.

It was probably the blood of all the people he had killed. To make his sword drink it... he was truly insane.

After the blood thorns receded, Rodel began to tremble.

"Y-You bastard! Why did you dodge?! To refuse a clash of techniques—do you have no warrior's pride?!"

To Rodel's roar, Tina replied calmly.

"...Pride? My pride is in protecting what is important to me. To that end, I will execute what I believe to be the best possible course of action, even if I am showered with insults for it. That is all."

She declared it with a cool expression.

In the past, Tina had always acted as a model adventurer. But that meant prioritizing not only etiquette but also the survival of her comrades.

In the case of the Orc King, she had fought with the resolve to die because many would have perished if it wasn't defeated, but she generally operated in a way that ensured survival. It seemed Rodel didn't know that about her.

His rage reaching its peak, Rodel let out a roar and charged.

An emotion-fueled horizontal swing was easy to read. His overextended posture was full of openings, and Tina did not fail to capitalize on it. She struck his foreleg with a horizontal slash, but she couldn't sever it completely, merely drawing a spray of blood.

Ignoring the pain, Rodel brought his sword down from above. The speed was so great that dodging was impossible. Tina blocked it with her own blade. Swords clashed, and Rodel pressed down with all his might, intending to crush her.

Tina planted her feet firmly, straining to keep from being overwhelmed. Realizing the situation was dire, she activated her water magic. However, with all her concentration focused on blocking, she couldn't mount a proper attack.

All she could create was a water ball the size of a fist.

She launched it at Rodel's wounded foreleg. The sting of the impact on the fresh wound was enough to make Rodel's strength waver. In that instant, Tina disengaged and created distance.

Tina felt a slight sense of unease. His last attack lacked its earlier sharpness. Until now, she had felt that their clashing blades could shatter her own at any moment and had continuously channeled magic into her sword. But now, she no longer felt that danger.

Only one thing came to mind: that blood technique.

She wondered if it was related. But Tina quickly cleared her head and focused on Rodel. If she wasn't careful, he might retreat to recover his strength and posture.

I will end this here.

With that resolve, Tina spoke.

"`Diamond Dust`."

Particles of ice glittered around her.

Rodel felt the pain subside and was about to press his attack again when he noticed something shimmering around her. Unconcerned, he wreathed his sword in light and charged.

He thrust his sword at Tina. She parried it with minimal movement, dodging while glaring at him, but not counterattacking. Rodel, thinking she was starting to tire, pressed his assault relentlessly.

The fierce onslaught of his sword was tremendous, and Tina was forced onto the defensive.

At this rate, Tina would be mercilessly cut down and killed. Anyone watching this battle would have thought so. And then, Rodel's sword inflicted a thin cut on Tina's left cheek.

Seeing this, Rodel sneered.

"...Aha! That pretty face of yours is ruined now, isn't it?"

To his taunt, Tina replied.

"...And what of it? Getting injured is a matter of course for an adventurer. It's pointless to worry about every little thing. Or does it bother you? A woman with a scar on her face?"

She looked at him with a hint of anxiety.

"...No. If you don't mind it, then it's fine. No matter what happens, I will never abandon you."

She spoke with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

As Tina said, the adventuring profession was one that walked the line between life and death.

Getting injured was a daily occurrence.

In fact, Tina's body bore a number of such scars. They just weren't visible.

Rodel took her gaze as an insult and attacked again.

An attack fueled by anger is easy to read. She continued to evade Rodel's sword by a hair's breadth.

It seemed the battle would drag on.

However, Rodel's movements gradually became sluggish, and his breathing grew ragged.

The light from his sword also began to fade.

And then, Rodel's movements stopped completely. His body was trembling, and he could barely move, his face contorted as if he were freezing.

Rodel stammered.

"...Y-You bitch... Wh-what did you d-do?"

To his trembling question, Tina replied.

"...I won't reveal my hand. Not even to someone who is about to die."

She stated it with a calm demeanor.

Tina had used a composite water and wind magic she developed based on a phenomenon described in one of the books from Earth. She froze water particles and slowly spread them in the air around her. Anyone who entered this space would inhale the ice particles with every breath, gradually freezing them from the inside. Eventually, their body would be wracked with a debilitating chill, rendering them unable to move.

However, this technique required immense concentration.

She couldn't even perform the motion of an attack while maintaining it. On top of that, its effective range was only about two meters. It was useless unless the enemy was close.

Tina had brilliantly overcome these difficulties through her experience and intuition.

Tina mercilessly lopped off Rodel's head. After confirming his death, she headed toward Shinsuke.

Watching the battlefield, Lates the Thousand Poisons spoke.

"...Are you sure about this? Wasn't that one quite the masterpiece?"

To this question, Redorza the Sage replied.

"...It's not a problem. I'll collect the corpse. It still has its uses."

She said it with a smile.