kscans

Chapter 332 - The Second Magic Sword

"Hey, big brother."

"What is it?"

"I think—I think we may have carelessly given birth to an unbelievably monstrous and beautiful girl."

"Overall, she might be scarier than the Acrobat."

"Well, Sora-san has been Sora-san for a while now…"

"The really scary ones are usually scary from the start, you know?"

"The 'real deal' can't hide their potential."

"That's why I told you, my partner is crazier than I am."

"……………………Um, I can hear everything you're saying, you know?"

—And so, Sora, who had been conducting a test run of her new power, shot a glare at me and the red-and-blue pair, who were huddled together speaking our minds.

She seemed to understand that she was being praised unconditionally. Despite being called crazy, her faintly blushing cheeks were adorable.

However, the 'targets' lined up in front of the girl—

Or rather, the state of what used to be targets, was a gruesome scene that could not, by any stretch of the imagination, be called adorable.

In the training grounds available inside each faction's 'castle,' it's possible to alter the environment to some extent and summon targets and other objects.

So, with Mi-na and Ri-na's help, we were investigating the performance of the new magic sword that the [Cradle of Sword-Craft] had acquired…

Every last one of the poor wooden dummies, modeled after players, had been melted and severed, filling the pure white training grounds with a rather grotesque spectacle.

"Next, penetration limit verification. Max number of swords, too."

"Ah… o-okay!"

Ri-na, who was supporting the test run by manipulating the training ground settings while chiming in on our conversation, called out.

As the girl skillfully manipulated a window with a few clicks, the scattered remains of the dummies vanished—and in their place, several floating 'plates' appeared.

Their frontal size was the same, but their thickness varied. This was for one simple reason—

To see just how much of a wall Sora's new magic sword could pass through.

"Here I go…!"

"Whenever you're ready."

Sora exchanged a look with Ri-na, who was acting as the observer, and held her right hand straight out in front of her.

My partner, still unused to controlling this newly acquired power, took a deep breath to calm her already ragged breathing—

"—[Vermeil Kreis, Flame Sword Ring]."

As the key words were spoken, a sword of dazzling 'light' was born.

It wasn't the straightforward 'sword of fire' I had expected—that is, a blade of red, blazing flames—but rather a brilliantly white weapon that looked as if it were made of condensed light.

Its shape was also different from the orthodox straight sword type of the 'sand.' This 'flame sword' had the sharp form of a rapier.

"Is nine the limit?"

"…Ugh, for now, this is the best I can do…!"

Ri-na counted the number of flame swords that had appeared and confirmed it. Sora, who was clearly pushing herself, affirmed this in short, broken breaths.

According to her, this new magic sword is far 'heavier' than the sand sword. In addition, if she were to lose control, something terrible would happen, so she couldn't push herself too hard.

Apparently, the cost per sword is equivalent to about ten sand swords, but the difficulty of controlling them is even higher—wait, didn't they say 'the fire attribute is easy to handle'?

"Um… ugh, I'm sorry…!"

"Mm, fire."

At this point, just maintaining them was taking everything she had.

The moment Ri-na gave a swift 'GO' to her pained voice, Sora unleashed the hovering flame swords all at once, as if releasing a breath she'd been holding—

Their speed was not fast, but not slow.

I hadn't tried it myself, but I imagined a reasonably skilled light warrior could probably dodge them even if they were fired from a meter away.

I'd say they were moving at around a hundred kilometers per hour at top speed, but it was a gentle flight that was noticeably slower than her existing sand swords.

And so, the swords of flame, belying their sharp appearance with their heavy, slow movement, drew trails of shimmering heat through the air and reached the 'plates' without a sound—

"That's insane…"

"Whoa…"

The whispers that escaped from me and Mi-na as we witnessed the result contained nothing but pure, unadulterated terror.

"…………Yeah. It's probably confirmed."

Ri-na, who had been observing the experiment from beside the target plates, away from the two of us, nodded as if she had reached a conclusion.

Then, the girl trotted back over to us and announced the result—

"It's about the same length as the 'sword.' It seems to pass clean through any wall up to about a meter thick."

"Yep, Sora-chan is the strongest."

"Yep, Sora-san is the strongest."

"Ehh…"

The second magic sword, which had manifested as a result of the Eastern Wings imbuing it with their full-power 'Fire'—

—Its ability was matter penetration.

It wasn't piercing a hole, though. As Ri-na had said, it was more accurate to say it passed through… phased through it.

The flame sword, which appeared to be a condensation of thermal energy, ignored any obstacle it touched, passing through without losing its shape or power.

[Vanishing Light, Sunfire Ruby]—from the twins' grand spell, which boasted of being 'unavoidable and unblockable,' Sora's Anima had inherited the 'unblockable' property… so that's how it was.

I mean, to put it simply, it was just lawless.

My partner's brokenness knows no bounds, and it's terrifying.

Incidentally, 'passing through' doesn't mean it has zero physical damage. Those 'plates' were simply indestructible objects with an obstacle flag. The fact that the flame swords are effective against non-living things was demonstrated by the poor wooden dummies earlier.

For example, if it were to face a shield held by a player, it would mercilessly pass through the defense while still dealing full damage to the equipment.

Of course, its power against living beings has also been proven.

The evidence and proof is my own avatar. As expected of the fire attribute with its biological special effect, one shot to a vital point and it was lights out.

"…Speed, number, and mastery of control are all issues. But I think it's undeniably 'strong.'"

"Yes… Ehehe, thank you very much."

Sora-san, looking exhausted from showing off her unfamiliar magic sword, accepted Ri-na's congratulatory hug with a slightly troubled smile.

The girl was visibly unsteady on her feet; she was probably reaching her limit.

There were still many things I wanted to test and opinions I wanted to exchange, but this was all happening after her first major expedition, so—

"Well, we've reached a good stopping point. Let's call it a day, shall we?"

…I was slightly surprised when the words I was about to say were stolen right from my mouth by the person next to me.

I mean, I was surprised, but also a little taken aback? I had fully expected the red-haired girl to be all, "The night is still young!" and throw a tantrum…

"Hey, big brother."

"What is it?"

"Do you know the saying, 'The eyes say more than the mouth'?"

"Oh, you know a big word. Good for you."

"Alright, that's some nerve you've got! Get over here!"

—And with that lighthearted exchange…

The commotion over the long-awaited evolution of the [Cradle of Sword-Craft] came to a close, for now, as an unqualified success.