kscans

Chapter 649 - A Clash of Tremors

Oubai Touri’s unique title, `Heroine`, comes with the enhancement effect `Helios Tremblarea`. The detailed specifications remain unknown, as she herself, the one who disclosed the information, kept the explanation extremely brief, saying it was “too complicated.”

From her words and the facts pieced together from various archives, if one were to interpret the power governed by the zigzagging EKG-like `crown`—it would be best described as 'the ability to manipulate the intensity of vibrations affecting oneself and anything one touches.'

Her power extends to her avatar and every single thing her body is in contact with.

Simply put, Oubai Touri can freely amplify or dampen the 'vibrations' acting upon anything she touches.

Needless to say, this is a power far too immense to be described with a simple word like 'strong.'

Used offensively, every one of her attacks becomes a defense-piercing vibration strike, akin to a `Shinden` from the Kesshiki style. Used defensively, it dampens the power of enemy attacks and prevents hit-stun by stripping the vibrational impact away, making it a truly versatile power that excels in both offense and defense.

Furthermore, for someone whose specs are fully realized only upon a vibrating surface—

"Ugh, I'm getting sick...!"

"It's rough, isn't it? Being in a state of constant shaking!"

—by amplifying and maintaining the shaking of the ground beneath her, she creates her own personal stage, which also conveniently eliminates the need to refresh the 'ground-shake' with her Anima.

For her, who is completely accustomed to this as part of her strategy, it's one thing. But for her opponent, it is, from the bottom of my heart, utterly unbearable.

Fortunately, or perhaps with extremely good timing, the resistance function of the [Perdia Eternity] ring now on my left middle finger seems to be working well, allowing me to resist the faint, continuous stun effect that would normally accumulate from the infinite vibrations... but—

Nope, I can't keep this up.

Even if my stats aren't affected, the situation itself—being endlessly rocked by an earthquake—is grinding away at my concentration. It's not yet bad enough to throw off the precision of my punches, but that will likely change with the qualifier 'for now.'

They say the easiest path is to face a challenge head-on, but there are limits. I welcome the reckless, but the impossible is a no-go. Which means—!

"Hraaaah!"

"Guh—... You're full of energy, aren't you...!"

A flashing one-two punch at the speed of sound. My punches, enhanced by 'Water'—and thus perfectly cushioning me against the damage from her 'vibration amplification'—parry each of the [Heroine]'s strikes and slam into her gut, forcing a break.

[Desperate Crimson] and [Ignition] activate. A split-second lag appears in our exchange of blows, and I use zero-to-one-hundred acceleration to instantly disengage—then activate [Rocket]. From ground to air, and from air to air, two steps send me soaring back into the fray in an instant, and my fists strike from above.

...Well, it just cancels out the height difference, putting us on even ground, I guess.

"—Hey, that's not how you're supposed to dodge, you...!"

"Well, you know, I don't really get a chance to use this much!"

We exchange fists and words again, still floating in mid-air. It's a bizarre motion, different from a grounded stance, that would surely give any observer a strange sense of unease.

[Talaria Record]—its hidden power is自在な空中歩行 (unrestricted flight).

It feels different from the runaway express trains that are `Rocket` and `Sky-Rocket`.

With tension and sheer momentum, I forcefully suppress the profound sense of wrongness as the soles of my feet firmly tread upon the empty air. Forward, forward, ever forward, my legs don't stop and my fists never cease.

The trade-off is an optional effect that cuts my total agility to one-fifth its value, which is actually convenient against a ranker since I can't go full speed anyway to watch out for counters.

In fact, it's just right. Since I can step on the gas without hesitation—

"It means I can focus on our little brawl without any distractions!"

"Hngh...! Don't you—underestimate me!"

This must be some kind of emergency skill. An invisible pressure erupts from a deep step Oubai Touri takes, instantly blasting my body away without allowing any resistance.

No status changes, no damage, no debuffs. I surmise it's a forced knockback that's only possible because of that...—oh, crap.

"Reca—"

"Fly away."

She doesn't miss the fleeting opportunity, charging and releasing. Her right fist strikes out into the empty space before her... a brawling punch a bit too unrefined to be called a proper straight, but it strikes the void without missing.

`Helios Tremblarea`, the enhancement from her unique title.

Its power is the manipulation of vibrations within herself and anything she touches. That power—it's not limited to the earth, but includes the air itself as a valid target.

A roaring fist,

A fluttering nun's habit,

And hurtling towards me, a thundering, trembling, invisible wall.

The pressure fills the entire width of the cramped maze passageway, making it truly unavoidable. Yet, if I don't deal with it, it will undoubtedly be a fatal, one-hit kill.

In that case, as a ranker—no, as one who made the great [Heroine] use her ultimate technique without hesitation, I will respond with due gratitude and respect.

"—[Flood]!!!"

I, too, will simply show her a counter worthy of the 'name' I've been given.

In my hands, I summon a greatmaul and a greataxe, no less grand than her own weapon, and the world acknowledges the words of the spell I rapidly chant. Maximum output, faucets wide open, and what gushes forth is a great waterfall.

My absurdly excessive magic power, easily surpassing 1,000 MID, rages uncontrollably. The instant the vast amount of 'water' that floods the passage collides with the [Heroine]'s ultimate attack... a massive 'brawl' between colossal power and immense mass swallows a whole section of the maze.

Five seconds. The water, having dragged the two opposing figures into its depths, rages ceaselessly.

Ten seconds. The water, having consumed the figures, now consumes the impact and vibrations, swirling into a quiet vortex.

Twenty seconds—after a truly magical sight where the water born of this altered reality melts into the void... two figures remain.

And the distance between them has become zero.

"—Shinden, Second Style."

The smaller figure, having transformed the fatal shockwave into a near-fatal torrent with a cushion of unbelievable scale, places both palms on the larger figure's abdomen.

"—...Got ahead of myself. How frustrating."

Both of them, dripping water from their long hair, share matching smiles.

"Yamabiko."

The signal for the final blow resounded, and a pillar of light shot to the heavens.