kscans

Chapter 154 - The Maiden of the Scales, Attended by a Thousand Blades - Part 4

A small cracking sound, pakkin, echoed through the air.

At the base of my neck, the [Ruby Rabbit Hairpin] that had been holding up my longer-than-real-life hair shattered—huh, what? So that's how it works? The back of my neck tickles!!

Its fragments and everything else ignited into a torrent of crimson magic, swirling into my untied hair and coursing through my entire avatar. With the 'lethal damage nullification' triggered, the jewel's hidden special effect, [Desperate Crimson], activated.

Furthermore, another icon appeared next to [Desperate Crimson] below my status bar, one resembling a cracked crown—[Crown Crown] had activated simultaneously.

I'm going to use my iron will to completely ignore the fact that an ornament that could not possibly suit me has been placed on my head. I'm trusting you on this one, Sora, when you said, "It doesn't look as strange as you'd think"...!!

――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Title: Acrobat
Name: Haru
Lv: 100
STR: 300
AGI: 350 +175
DEX: 100 +175
VIT: 0 (+50)
MID: 0 (+350)
LUC: 300

◇Skill◇
・All Weapon Aptitude
[Blink Switch]
[Flip Stroke]
[Gusty Rim]
[Exchange Voltate]
Greed's Precept

・[Reflect Browall]
・[Tremble Slide]
・[Ignition]
・[Floating Leaf]
・[Foreknowledge Eye]

・Embodied Protection
・Combo Accelerate
・Awakening Blow
・Heavy Attack Manipulator
・Adamant Sky Dash
・Rabbit Run
・Fataless Jumper
・Rhino's Heart
・Trickery Precept
・Guardian's Cradle

・Telepathy
――――――――――――――――――

Thanks to [Desperate Crimson], my AGI and DEX get a fraudulent boost equivalent to thirty-five levels. Furthermore, thanks to [Crown Crown], I can now use [Ignition] as much as I want, and all my skill cooldowns are halved.

This is my second form, me Ver. 2.0 EX—now then, Sora-san, are you ready?

My stats now exceed the insane agility I once had (AGI: 500), and my body is enhanced with skills and equipment far beyond what I had back then.

—From here on out, this is uncharted territory for me, too!!

"—[Panga Fool]."

I summon the black dagger, which has now become a simple acceleration device with no remaining risk.

With a crimson-scarlet phosphorescence and a cracked crown, adorned with multiple enhancement effects, I must look quite bizarre. I can see Sora tensing up slightly even from a distance...

"Hah...!"

Her amber eyes remained unwavering—and seeing the girl smile as if to psych herself up, I wanted to cheer from the bottom of my heart.

"Here I go—Sora!!"

"—I won't lose!!"

[Ignition]—and the entire world dissolves into lines.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Hah—!!!"

Haru vanishes.

[Observer's Eye]—no, that's meaningless!

"[Ende]!!"

I don't even have a split second to spare—with that instantaneous judgment, I chose to dispel all my magic swords and prepared my next move.

"[Schwert—"

And of course, I'm not in time.

His body, now a crimson gale, is already before my eyes—but I'm well aware of that!!

He will definitely strike with his right, and considering his patterns...!

"—Ngh, ugh...!!"

"Hah—!"

He's holding the crimson dagger—so I can block it with this sand sword!!

I created one blade in my right hand and layered two more floating in the air, managing to hold my ground despite being pushed back with tremendous force.

"—Kreis]!!"

He probably didn't expect me to react to his very first move. I smiled back at Haru's wide eyes as my key phrase was finally spoken—

"[Revertir Blume]!!"

The armor of magic swords, which could be called my anti-Haru measure, deployed.

"Crap...!!"

"[Neun]!!"

It's a semi-automatic offensive barrier that constantly deploys a swarm of minuscule magic swords around my body, using a combination of [Optimize/Alert] and magic telekinesis.

Haru himself, the one who devised it, should know better than anyone just how poor the synergy is between this sword-armor and himself.

In order to follow up on the焦り I heard in his involuntary cry, I attacked with the sand sword in my hand and a barrage of follow-up projectiles—but.

"Wha, ugh...!?"

He disappears. His body vanishes so suddenly it could be called annihilation—I hurriedly search for him, only to find my partner standing at a distance with a wry smile.

"Come on, Sora-san... reacting on the very first hit is just not fair, is it?"

He looked as if he was truly at his wit's end. To me, however, those words were the highest possible praise.

"Hah... Haru, you're being ridiculous too! What was that? I couldn't see you at all!!"

I desperately tried to keep my grin from spreading as I retorted, and he laughed, looking genuinely amused. "Ahaha!"

"No, I was surprised too. Seriously, while I'm moving, I can't see anything. That's why I was so shocked you were able to react."

"You're saying nonsensical things again..."

To say you can't see anything and still move with that precision... what on earth is going on?

My partner's innocent smile as he casually pulls off something outrageous took the wind out of my sails, but a feeling of "Give me a break!" still welled up inside me.

"Really, honestly...!!"

"And yet, your cheeks are softening, Sora-san."

"[Dreißig (You're being annoying)]!!"

"What a sharp comeback!!"

Leaving behind a playful voice, Haru vanished again, slipping through the barrage of magic swords—I know, you'll be behind me, right here!!

"Whoa, hey!?"

"Even if I can't follow you with my eyes...!!"

—I can read what you're thinking too, you know!!