kscans

Chapter 304 - This Time, and This Time Too

"………………Um, Haru? I think something's a little… off."

"What a coincidence, Sora-san. I was just thinking the same thing."

"This is the same dungeon as before, right? It's not a different area that just happens to have the same layout, is it?"

"It should be the same [Buried Labyrinth of Forgetfulness]… but yeah."

"I thought so. In that case—what is that?"

"Well, yeah—that's probably the [God-Wedge Sword-King]."

Our journey through the dungeon took just under thirty minutes.

In real time, we blazed through it in less than twenty minutes, arriving at our fated destination without a trace of the exhaustion we felt last time.

…So far, so good. But when we opened the gate and stepped into the vast, circular field I remembered, we were greeted by something unknown and unfamiliar.

We had plenty of questions, but when it came to the 'thing' waiting in the boss area, there was only one possible reaction. Namely—

"Who the hell are these guys?"

"Two… of them…?"

Enemy Name: [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King].

That name was the same, but that was about the only thing that was.

Over six meters tall,

A giant knight of platinum armor,

A greatsword with the majesty of a holy blade.

Nowhere to be seen was the form of the nemesis we knew. Instead, before our bewildered eyes stood—two armored knights, to whom the word 'giant' hardly applied.

Each stood at about half the height of the previous [Angalta]. While the design and atmosphere were similar, they wore different sets of white and blue armor.

Their weapons were a greatsword for the white one and twin swords for the blue—and what was most noteworthy was,

"That's my…"

"A magic sword, isn't it…?"

—the two golden straight swords floating in the air, attending each of them.

This drastic transformation from the 'base model' we had faced before left Sora speechless and me unable to suppress a wry smile. The armored figures, now the focus of our attention, stood perfectly still, awaiting our challenge.

The nature of the [Buried Labyrinth of Forgetfulness], and by extension [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King], was learning through combat.

The [Wandering Decaying Statues] that appeared along the way weren't really enemies so much as a gimmick. They weren't a defense mechanism to block intruders, but a learning device to welcome them…

They were extensions of this battle-crazed entity, created to learn the 'power' of challengers and evolve.

…I came in with that knowledge, but come on,

"It was supposed to 'evolve,' not 'divide'…!"

"S-Somehow, this doesn't feel like a rematch anymore…"

Seriously. And what are we supposed to do about this? They look absurdly strong.

Even though they've split in two and their scale has decreased, the sheer pressure of information they're emitting is on a whole different level from the giant knight of before.

And that's per knight. Even compared to other bosses, like the [Gemrant Quintesta] we crushed so easily the other day, these guys are in a league of their own.

Well, well…—they look like they're having fun, don't they?

"So… what's the plan?"

First things first: do we fight them together or try to separate them?

"…I think we should try to split them up first."

My thoughts exactly. As a general rule, letting enemies 'team up' in a game never leads to anything good. Especially when they're boss-level enemies that look this tough.

"Okay, which one do you want?"

At my question, Sora stared intently at the twin knights still standing in the distance.

"………………I'll try taking on the 'white' one."

"Got it—I'll take the 'blue' one."

"Let's assess their abilities and adapt our approach if necessary."

"Agreed. Let's try to keep an eye on each other as much as possible."

"We shouldn't just test the waters… we should push them hard from the start, right?"

"That's what I'm thinking. If we give them any breathing room, they'll coordinate, and I have a feeling we'll be screwed…"

"Then—at full power."

"Yeah—all out."

We nodded to each other and took a step forward.

Detecting our entry into the battle zone, the silent pair of armors stirred, lifting the weapons that had been planted in the ground—

As we advanced, we exchanged smiles without even looking at each other.

"Come—[An=Ru Galta]—[Eivor Quartz]!"

"[Schwertkreis]—[Torus], [Acht]!"

With my left arm armored and my right hand holding a sword, and with her magic swords of sand at the ready, we fixed our gazes on the enemy.

The rematch didn't turn out quite as I'd imagined—but that's fine, too. For a gamer, the unknown and the unexpected are things to be welcomed.

"—Haru."

"Yeah."

"This time, let's make sure we win."

"Of course—Sora."

"Yes."

"This time, too, let's make sure we have fun."

"…Yes!"

Who was the first to charge? Me, Sora, or one of the armored knights?

The roar of battle was less than a second away. I couldn't hold back the smile that was spreading across my face, and that was just how it had to be—because why?

Because the future I could see was guaranteed to be exceptionally 'fun.'

---

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◇Status◇
Title: Haru the Acrobat
Name: Haru　 Lv: 100
STR(Strength): 200
AGI(Agility): 250
DEX(Dexterity): 0
VIT(Vitality): 0(+150)
MID(Spirit): 300(+350)
LUC(Luck): 300

◇Skills◇
・Universal Arm (Gandharva)
《Construction》
《Flip Stroke》
《Whirlwind》
《Exchange Voltate》
《Greed's Precept》

・Water Magic Aptitude
《Aqua》
《Flood》

・Active
《Reflect Blower》
《Breath Moment》
《Rocket》
《Floating Leaf》
《Fatal Leak》

・Passive
《Embodied Protection》
《Awakening Blow》
《Heavy Attack Manipulator》
《Adamant Sky Dash》
《Hare Real》
《Land Insulate》
《Floating Star》
《Trickster of Zenith》
《Dangerous Light, Fast Recovery》
《Cutting Body, Unyielding Advance》
《Guardian's Cradle》
《Mana Efficiency》

《Telepathy》

◇Arts◇
【Kesshiki Ittoryu】
《Flying Water》
《Striking Iron》
《Heavenly Snow》
《Withered Flame》
《Seven Stars》
《Blade Thunder》
　Secret Art: 《Bound Wind》

――――――――――――――――――

◇Status◇
Name: Sora Lv: 100
STR(Strength): 100
AGI(Agility): 200
DEX(Dexterity): 100
VIT(Vitality): 100
MID(Spirit): 500(+200)
LUC(Luck): 50

◇Skills◇
・Magic Sword Aptitude
《Optimize Alert》
《Magic Sword Kinesis》
《Homing Projection》
《Magic Sword Generation Efficiency》

・Light Magic Aptitude
《Qualia Veil》
《Circlet》 New!

・Active
《Scareless》
《Observation Eye》

・Passive
《Mana Cladding》 New!
《Acrobatics》
《Insight》⇒《True Sight》 Up!
《Healer's Precept》
《Mana Efficiency》 New!

《Telepathy》

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