kscans

Chapter 545 - A Hero's Tale for You, A Hero's Tale for Someone Else - Part One

At the same moment we dashed forward, we vanished from each other's sight.

This was partly because we were simply following one of the opening patterns we had anticipated, immediately splitting left and right.

It was partly because we were honoring our agreement to 'act as if the other will survive, even without support,' and didn't look back at each other's backs.

And most of all, it was because—with a force that blew away all those trivial matters—a simultaneous barrage of 'orbs' began to fire from the countless magic circles that had deployed across the entire arena.

Not just the walls, but the floor and ceiling too, a hundred or a thousand black-purple 'turrets' filled the entire view. The black-purple magic bullets they spat out were my nine-tailed nemesis's number one countermeasure.

Basketball-sized, slow-moving projectiles scattered in a disorderly and unlimited barrage. Their contact effect wasn't instant death damage—but a debuff that limited my maximum speed.

In other words, it wasn't instant death, but it might as well be.

'The boss just floats right through them without a care, it's so unfair, screw you,' and 'Killing my speed in stages depending on the number of hits is in really bad taste, you bastard,'—I personally have a mountain of things I want to say, but—

"—'Behold the earth, the eye is there!'"

When a wicked magic user casts a wicked spell, you just have to cut it down with a holy sword and delete it.

"'Behold the sky, the eye is there!'"

My right hand is busy with the sheathed [Parabellum, the Rabbit Short Sword], and on top of that, I'm chanting, running, and swinging my sword. I'm in a frenzy just five seconds into the fight, but if I don't give it my all, I'll just die, so I have no choice.

I quickly left the floor, which had become a nauseating mess of geometric patterns, and used the countless floating rocks that were conveniently placed as if to say, "Here, use these," as footholds, slicing through the magic bullets that came at me on a direct course one after another.

Since the Four Pillar War, I've felt the need and prioritized learning about anti-magic measures. To put it simply, Arcadia is the type of game where 'you can cut magic with a sword,' so it's still merciful.

However, there's the caveat that it's limited to magic swords. Anyway—

"'Defeat, downfall, loss of—heart, decay..., but still stirring—haah?!'"

Even if I can intercept them with my [Water Enchant]-ed sword, if that was all it took, I would have been able to hold out for a while on my own.

The reason I had to give up so quickly was...

"'The Flame of Devotion'—yeaaah!!!!!"

...the sheer, insane volume of the barrage, which was enough to piss me off within seconds of the fight starting.

Seriously, I can't see what's in front of me, you idiot!!!!!!!!!!

"Tch—!!"

Trial Sword Style One, the Water Thing. I continuously activated 'Matoi' in a stationary spin.

The otherworldly centrifugal force from the ridiculously fast rotation extended the water blade on my sword, turning it into a flash that mowed down the surrounding magic orbs.

"—...'Revere and worship, fear and kneel!'"

Well now, I'm in a desperate, all-out struggle just like a rehash of my solo attempt... but on the other side of the arena, filled with that tasteless barrage, what kind of face is she making?

Is she already humming a tune while taking care of 'business'?

Is she swinging her sword cheerfully with her usual expressionless face?

Or perhaps, is she dealing with the barrage with one hand while worrying about me—I can't even imagine her struggling in the slightest, can I???

Ha, how reassuring. Very good.

"'The gaze of the red circle never ceases.'"

My warm-up is over, too—I'll be there in a second to see you!

"Wake up—[Rabbit Rapid, Crimson Brilliant Bullet]!"

A declaration of the contract to never stop my feet.

The authority granted is, to go even further.

"————————————————Right."

I watched for one second.

Trajectory set, movement set, ready—

"Let's go."

And bang.

From floating rock to floating rock, countless demons were cut down with each connecting line.

Laughing at the familiar sensation of 'not even knowing how I'm moving,' I carved a path through the kill zone, which was packed with magic orbs like an eraser.

One step, faster.

One step, even faster.

One step, faster still, to anywhere and everywhere.

With the unlimited, blue-sky potential of my rabbit legs, I wielded my magic sword and moved freely. While trampling the 'speed-killing orbs,' which could be called my nemesis, I accumulated even more magical power in my hidden brilliant sword.

...But that alone is futile. To change this hellscape that makes me want to quip, "What game is this?" another action is essential.

Therefore, knowing that this next move will awaken an even greater hell,

"First one down."

The moment I swung the [Alv Stella, True White Star Sword] without hesitation on the floor I had touched for the first time in a while, shattering a black-purple magic circle—a sound of, frankly, death, landed behind me with my next step.

I know, I know. I know that if I break a magic circle, the main body gets pissed and shoots a super-fast, super-thick destruction beam or something. I know because I got evaporated a dozen times! Damn it!

"Keep it up as long as you can fire—from now on, you're working nonstop too, let's go!!"

Putting aside my tongue, which was spinning with one part frustration and nine parts tension, I gained enough leeway to listen carefully a beat after successfully activating [Rabbit Rapid].

While scattering the magic orbs that continued to be spread, I destroyed the magic circles one after another, and at the same time, I desperately fled from the thick beam that looked like something out of an anime that was chasing me, trying to gauge the situation on the other side from the sound.

Hmm, hmm... ah, ah... I see. It seems she's already more on edge than I am, and the boss is super pissed... Ha, as expected.

Well then—let's end this little bit of fun around here...

My progress in destroying the magic circles is about forty percent. Since they'll just repair themselves over time anyway, there's no point in cleaning them up from end to end.

As long as the total number of projectiles is temporarily reduced and a path to attack the boss is secured—

"—Arshe!!"

There was absolutely no reason to hesitate in my attack call.

In that instant, as if in response to my voice, or perhaps anticipating it beforehand, the Sword Queen, who I was sure was perfectly fine both on my status bar and in my trust, sent a reply.

With her voice?

No, of course—with her sword.

A 'blue' that shot through the black-purple that filled the battlefield like a swirling vortex or wave, like a shooting star, crashed into [Rep=La Nobody] at divine speed, not even allowing it to react.

She too must have felt that this was just a 'prelude.' The master of the shadow, who had been sitting pompously in the center of the arena since the beginning, showed some kind of reaction, whether it was anger or surprise—

"[Forte Rouge, Vivid Red]."

As if to say she wasn't interested in such things, she changed colors, and her sword shone with a golden light.

"[Perfect—"

Her left hand at its throat, her right hand on the sword. Not letting go of either the prey or the weapon she held in both hands, the princess plunged her blade deep into the 'Shadow' and,

"—Espada]!!"

with a killing—or rather, a fighting—intent that I had never seen before, with a skill that I had never seen before, she slammed down a blow that could be called a certain-kill, a final blow.

—And don't think that's the end of it.

By some mysterious skill that cut further from the state where the blade was already buried, it was sent flying with great force.

The moment our eyes, though it's a mystery if it even has them, clearly met and [Rep=La Nobody] showed signs of baring its teeth—well, of course my take-back was already finished.

That was the plan. I got the 'pass' from Arshe, after all!!

"[Enrei—"

'—, —'

"—Kagura]!!"

Unleashed from its sheath, the great brilliant sword of zero-heat, zero-speed seared its trajectory. A single horizontal slash, drawn as it was unsheathed, struck the flying 'Shadow's' torso... as if to burn it away.

Leaving behind an unpleasant, squelching sensation, at the same time as it bisected the nine-tailed fox—a crack.

A sound of shattering that I vaguely remembered reached my ears and then faded away.