kscans

Chapter 544 - The Battle Begins

The only enemy and boss in the [Shadow-Infested Arena], [Rep=La Nobody, The Black Stain That Slays All], takes the form of the challenger's 'nemesis.'

For one person, it took the form of 'a veteran swordsman who has mastered and seen through all swords.'

For another group, it took the form of 'a three-headed dragon that unleashes a hundred spells simultaneously.'

For another person, it took the form of 'a super-alloy combining robot that doesn't flinch no matter how you punch or kick it'—the forms of the 'nemesis' it creates are myriad. It's not even bound to a humanoid form; it does whatever it wants.

And because its form and size are not restricted, if a challenger of a certain strength or higher has a 'Shadow' that remains humanoid and of a normal size... there's a common saying among many players.

Namely, that it's bad news.

They say that because its power is condensed into a humanoid form, the 'density' of its strength is on a whole other level.

They say that because it gains the dexterity of a humanoid form, the number of tricks up its sleeve skyrockets.

They say that a humanoid form is basically a 'rank holder'... in the worst case, you should think of it as challenging the Sword Queen herself to a one-on-one or two-on-one fight—that's the gist of it.

Now, as for the specs of my 'Shadow,' the Acrobat's—let's talk about that 'nine-tailed lady.'

Special Note 1: It's faster than me (conditionally?)

First, as a premise, it has surpassed my maximum speed, including [Rocket], on more than one occasion. You might think, 'What's that, game over, right?' but the saving grace is that its mobility is likely conditional.

Its base mobility is slightly below my full power. From there, whether it's on a cooldown or just on a whim, it occasionally pulls off an astonishing burst of acceleration and completely turns the tables. This can be dealt with through practice and sheer willpower, so it's relatively merciful.

Special Note 2: It has special HP specifications (immune to anything but clean hits?)

Next, a pretty nasty spec: it didn't have the HP gauge that normal enemies do. I've seen it clearly in reference videos of other [Rep=La Nobody], so it's probably a spec unique to my 'Shadow.'

At first, I was confused, like, 'What's this, is there any point in hitting it?' and in fact, the mountain of glancing blows I desperately landed while struggling seemed to have no effect at all. The only thing that made it scream—or rather, shout in anger—was my hundred-percent self-destruct kamikaze attack with the [Ruby Rabbit Musket].

In other words, it has a special defensive system where it's pointless unless you hit it with something big. This is also kind of irrelevant, or rather, it's an element that could even turn into a weakness, so I'm hopeful for the real thing.

I'm not going to think about whether I can land a big hit on an opponent that will likely have Arshe's durability added to my speed, even with a surprise attack or an ambush.

Special Note 3: A one-sided magic war.

Magic circles covering every surface, regardless of floor or ceiling; countless slow-moving instant-death bullets scattered ceaselessly; and super-fast instant-death bullets fired from the main body like the Grim Reaper's scythe—that's all.

As for that last one, no matter how many times I explain it, you probably can't understand it without actually seeing it. It's unknown how much of my solo version will be reflected in the Haru x Arshe 'Shadow,' but I'd be overjoyed if it disappeared entirely...

—Well, the world doesn't work out that conveniently, does it?

"Did you get a haircut?"

Ten hours after departing the safe area. It was around lunchtime in real time. After finishing all our adjustments, or rather, our tension control, we stepped into the arena.

The 'Shadow' waiting for us was so unchanged that I couldn't help but crack a nice joke.

"...Female type, nine-tailed fox. Exactly as you described."

"Yep... In your case, it was an armored knight, right, Arshe?"

"Mhm."

"Where's the armor element?"

Seeing her tilt her head, it seemed I wasn't the only one who was confused.

When two people challenge it, [Rep=La Nobody] is supposed to appear in a form that fuses each challenger's 'Shadow'—but what's this? It's completely my spec, isn't it?

As long as we don't move from our entry position or start a combat action, it won't move on its own. Let's engage in a little more free talk.

"Is it a pattern where it's nonchalant on the surface but has absorbed the nature?"

"That would be very like the Acrobat. It's not out of the question."

"Or, it's possible that it has incorporated the 'all-powerful' part of Arshe and simply become a super-enhanced version of me."

"That also seems likely. My 'Shadow' was rather generic compared to yours."

"No, its 'specs' were its personality. I see, then it makes sense that the Acrobat x Sword Queen would become a trickster monster with overpowered specs."

"................I wanted a little more of my part to be asserted."

"I don't know where you're showing your competitive spirit, but let's just be glad that my flawed side is the base—though we don't know if it's just the appearance."

"...You're right—Haru."

"Yeah?"

"As I thought, you talk more when you're in the zone. Cute."

"OK, free talk is over—get ready, Princess, it's festival time."

"Mhm... fufu, festival time."

Cutting off my words, I summoned the [Alv Stella, True White Star Sword]. Arshe nodded and took her 'sword' in hand, and the two of us stood side by side, facing the 'Shadow.' Its ears twitched, and its tails began to sway, but [Rep=La Nobody] still didn't move.

What it was waiting for was a clear declaration of intent, a simple and straightforward fighting spirit that said, 'I'm going to beat you'—well, I've brought a huge one of those, and I'm about to slam it down on you, so get ready.

About ten hours have passed since our departure. After spending most of that time in an infinite sparring session with the strongest princess, my avatar is in the best shape it's ever been, both physically and mentally.

We fought, rested, rested, fought—it took longer than expected to find the perfect adjustment line, but it was worth it.

I stand beside 'the strongest' and take a step forward.

But in truth, my dictionary, buzzing with excitement, has no room for the word 'fear.'

"We're taking it down, Arshe—[Water Enchant]."

"Mhm, with you, we can—[Lightning Enchant]."

With our respective 'swords' and 'lights' in hand, the path ahead holds—

"—'The red is here.'"

...nothing but complete victory. I can't see any other path.

---

―――――――――――――――――― ◇Status◇ Title: Sword Queen Name: Iris Lv: 100 STR(Strength): 150 AGI(Agility): 150 DEX(Dexterity): 150 VIT(Vitality): 300 MID(Mind): 300 LUC(Luck): 100

◇Skill◇ ・[Alice Diapart, Brilliant Sword's Guiding Hand] [Perfect Espada, Boundless Heaven Sword] [Glorious Glitiade] [Eject Temperance] [Divine Princess Flash] [Divine Princess Zenith]

・[Lightning Magic Aptitude] [Vortex Voltiart] [Exalted Embrace] [Lethal Proacta] [Disastor, Purple Lightning Star] [Thunderbolt, Ten Thousand Thunder Summons] [Lightning Enchant]

・Active [Revolve Astraea, Hero's Heart] [Heartless] [Tempest, Gale and Raging Waves] [Fate-Linkage] [Alvus Divina]

・Passive [Limit Break] [The Order, Weaver of Ideals] [All-or-Nothing Sword] [Magic-Clad Armor] [Arcana Heart] [Lingent Ajereiru] [Flower in the Mirror, Moon on the Water] [Geoplow Insroat] [Pale of Dragonica] [Divine Eye] [Risolde Vertex] [Root of Magic]

[Iris-These, War God's Favor] [Hundred Conquerors' Might] [Lightning Spirit's Blessing] [Lord of the Mystic Realm] [Thousand-Fathom Calamity] [Dragon-Slaying Rampage] [Four-Sided Blessing] ―――――― ―――― ―― … ――――――――――――――――――

And here's a sudden drop of Arshe's stats!!!!! Note that skills that were barely used or had low contribution have been omitted, so please assume the actual number of skills is about three times this. In addition, the skills listed are all ones she uses regularly, but they are basically top-tier composite skills that are the result of multiple advanced skills evolving and integrating. If you were to convert them using the skill delete system, you can imagine how crazy they are, with multiple of them being worth 100P. Please understand the level of insane-ness.

I want to explain each skill someday, but it has absolutely zero relation to the story, so who knows when I'll have the time. I really don't have time, please help me.

Also, completely unrelated, the author is currently suffering from COVID. My life is not in danger, so I'll state clearly, 'don't worry,' but because of that, it's almost certain that my usual streak of posts will be impossible, so please bear with me.

I'm so bored, I'm just moaning in bed, and the best I can do is type like Nia-chan, hahaha.