kscans

Chapter 229 - The Sword That Wishes, The Sword That Hopes, The One Awaited is Here, Part One

[Trickster of Zenith]—this skill, which blossomed while I was training with my master, is an evolution of the simple but useful support skill, [Trickery Precept].

…No, to call it a simple evolution would be to understate its blatant uniqueness. After all, this is a passive skill that contains an active component, one that can only be activated under 'a certain vow.'

Leaving aside the details of the 'vow,' which is a mess in so many ways, its effect is, well… to put it bluntly, it's picking a fight with the system.

Its basic performance remains the same as [Trickery Precept]—sensation cutoff for self-inflicted damage, an increased DEX modifier, and fall resistance—but the latter two effects have been significantly boosted.

If it stopped there, it would just be a simple upgrade, but what's truly noteworthy is the enhancement effect of its active trigger.

That is the true nature of [Trickster of Zenith]. The blue, shining threads of mana that emerge from the void and bind to my avatar—their effect is a change in the control system.

The mana threads connected to my body like a 'marionette' turn the user into just that: a 'puppet controlled by strings.' And the one pulling those strings is none other than the user's own mind.

In other words, thought-based control.

When I first acquired this skill, I tilted my head in confusion. Because for me, controlling my avatar through thought was nothing new.

By that time, I had not only mastered switching between 'Inner' and 'Outer' forces but had also acquired 'Matoi,' allowing me to control my avatar with my mind without relying on skills… what the [Sword Saint] theory calls the output of 'Outer' force.

So back then, as I stood there with Ui-san, both of us with question marks floating over our heads, I activated [Trickster of Zenith]—and with my very first step, I became a stain on the dojo wall.

If only I had thought about it for ten more seconds, I would have realized it.

The 'change in control system' doesn't affect the 'Outer' side, which players normally never even touch, but the 'Inner' side.

I can't use `[Shukuchi]`.

Why? Because unlike my master, I can't perfectly synchronize and handle two types of output. That's why it's incomplete, and why I have 'Matoi' instead.

So, what if I could switch the control method for one of those two outputs?

What if I could switch the output meant for moving my body by physically moving it—the intuitive method—to the more difficult thought-based control?

And what if the one who obtained this ability was a peculiar individual who had, without realizing it, been performing all his movements using 'Outer' force?

'Inner' and 'Outer' controls would be unified. The two types of output would merge into one.

That is—the realm of `[Shukuchi]`.

Duration: three hundred and thirty-three seconds. For just over five minutes, and only within that limited time,

"First Strike—"

I truly embody the successor to the [Kesshiki Ittoryu].

"—[Flying Water]!"

"—"

The activation of `[Shukuchi]`, the completion of the 'technique.'

In a single step that leaves even a blink behind, I annihilate the distance between us. Iris, whose eyes finally, and without a doubt, widened in surprise, nonetheless reacted as if it were only natural.

My sword strike was a surprise attack with no wind-up—but if she knows about it… if she knows and has the reaction speed to keep up with it,

"Hah, as expected!"

"—!"

I knew it would be struck down.

And I knew the [Sword Queen] couldn't possibly be this weak.

A counterattack—and a deafening roar.

A 'normal attack' with no skill effect—yet the sky warped, the water was severed, and the supposedly indestructible barrier trembled.

What shook the 'wall' of the Engage zone, some ten meters away, wasn't the sword flash itself, but merely its 'sword pressure.'

A direct hit means certain death, a graze means instant death, and getting caught in the pressure means being crushed. Seeing it in person, she's a monster on a level that makes any prior information useless—but,

When it comes to this, there's no going back to basics or anything else.

My style has been the same since the day I started adventuring with my partner—

If I dodge everything, I can never lose.

Her silver-blue hair whipping around, the girl turned to look behind her.

Following the footwork of the [Sword Saint], I had dodged her flash with god-like speed, and,

"—Seventh Strike."

I was already one step ahead of that—!

"Wh-…!"

Iris finally let out a cry of surprise at the voice from above her head, but I knew full well she wasn't a girl who would just stand there in shock.

Her reaction was terrifyingly immediate. But once again—however,

Did she recognize me as a successor to the [Sword Saint]?

Excellent. Then let's move on to the next step.

I've already introduced myself, haven't I? My title is—the Acrobat.

"—[Nanahoshi]!"

[Blink Switch]—summoning a weapon in place of my scabbard, I use it as a foothold, kicking off reality to leap through the air.

It's a step my master cannot take, a step that soars through the sky.

That's right, I am not the [Sword Saint].

I am her 'disciple,' but I am not a copy.

Just as my 'master' wishes,

Just as my 'friend and rival' wishes,

And just as I myself hope—

I'll grasp everything and run as far ahead as I can!

I step on the ground, strike the walls, kick off my weapons—surpassing my master's original techniques, I race through the sky in a flurry of seven strikes. And the very last one,

"—Kuh!"

—caught the girl who had struck down the previous six flashes with a reaction speed that was more than astonishing… it was downright incomprehensible.

Deviated at the last second by her sword tip, my jade blade was deflected slightly—but it had definitely reached the body of the one who bears the title of 'Queen'.