kscans

Chapter 746 - Triangle Duo

The grand festival where the real and virtual worlds intersect, the 'Triangle Duo,' has no lengthy closing ceremony or similar programs.

Once the final match concludes and the curtain falls on the tournament, all that remains is the ending, which, like an anime or drama, builds anticipation for 'what's next.'

In other words, it's not something that strongly makes you conscious of the end—

"...Fufu, you look tired."

"Well, I am genuinely exhausted..."

—but rather a casual 'fight,' or more accurately, 'playful roughhousing,' between a highly requested pairing. The tail end of the stage, gently and boisterously sending off the audience, bringing the heat to a close.

One on one, on a wide field. A short, five-minute session of pure fun between two people selected by a pre-event audience survey, with fixed HP and MP.

This year, the actors chosen for this role were... well, you know. It can't be helped.

"Don't worry, I'll be considerate of your exhaustion."

"...Even if my competitive spirit is provoked, please forgive me for being out of fuel."

"I'm not provoking you. I'm worried."

And so, on the stage with an unbelievably fluffy atmosphere for two people about to cross swords, are, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, me, the [Acrobat], and the [Sword Queen]—ah, I knew it.

I knew this year's finale would end up like this.

"...Can you do your best?"

"Even if I can't do my best, I have to brace myself."

The 'Princess' has appeared on the stage again, and the space is filled with a great roar of applause... or so I thought, but surprisingly, the commotion from the audience has settled down to a cheerful buzz.

I wonder if it's the end-credits phenomenon of a movie, where people are watching quietly because it's the grand finale of the program, or if they're too engrossed in listening intently to our conversation... Hoping for the sake of my peace of mind that it's the former,

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to cut down on my top speed."

"—...I see. Just the fact that you'll use it makes me very happy."

And I'm looking forward to it, she added.

Trying to restrain myself from being captivated by Asche's beautiful smile in front of everyone, I took a light, deep breath and gathered the bare minimum of my concentration.

Well then.

From here on, I, a mere newcomer, will have the honor of decorating the true finale.

"—'I am he who soars through the heavens.'"

And so, the cheers that finally exploded, as if they could be held back no longer, were probably inevitable.

"'One falling star connects all, clad in green, swaying with the hurricane.'"

Slowly, slowly.

"'A fleeting tune played in jest, a step too hasty, becoming a flash.'"

As I chant the song, I look at the face of the princess opposite me.

"'Donning white, bursting forth blue, the thunder that first sees the forming of the chaotic red clouds.'"

And she, true to her words, has such a happy look on her face.

"'The time of encounter has come, I announce to the moonlit sky with the sin of stepping into the divine domain.'"

As she said, I'm in my normal avatar, not my transformed body. Considering the calculations including [Desperate Crimson], my base agility is lower on the surface than it is underneath, hence the declaration of not using my top speed.

However, even so, a monster with over 1000 AGI is born. As expected, it will probably be an even more unfriendly picture for the audience than before, but...

"'I am he who steals the heavens.'"

...well, I hope you can enjoy it with an emphasis on the atmosphere more than ever.

"'This body is the end and the first arrow of creation.'"

In addition to the special fixed-stat specifications, I had the staff tweak the settings for me with a little advance request, so the effect duration is unlimited.

"'Dispel the veil, surpass the canopy.'"

And this, too, has infinite MP, so the duration of [Eyes Oculus] is also infinite, at full power.

"'The fate yet unseen is in the distant future, and that is why'—"

"...—[Celestial Zero Sword: Clearbellfa]."

Without hiding her anticipation, Asche, who smiles so endearingly it makes me want to beg her to stop, quietly readies two 'swords.' It is, as I recall, the same pure white form as that day.

"'The swift, heavenly storm resides in the soul (here) that yearns for the beyond.'"

Finishing the chant, I too take up my star sword.

"[Lightning Gale]."

"[Little Braver]."

As if whispering, we both called out the names of our 'powers'—and dashed.

A flash of lightning, a roar of wind, sword and sword racing against each other.

A genuine speed that easily surpasses the sound barrier. A step into the divine domain, as the system calls it, a pace that ordinary people cannot even perceive, let alone see.

And so, the swords clashed.

""—""

As usual, in this form, the flow of perceived time is literally different. The speed of our speech is also on a completely different level, and to hold a conversation, I have to speak incredibly slowly, so apart from my monologues, my mouth is usually zipped shut by default.

Knowing this, Asche matches my pace.

So, what I received was not words, but only a gaze—garnet eyes thatしっかりと caught my body, which had become a lightning bolt running faster than sound.

Light exploded, and the flash of a sword burst forth.

A now-familiar giant silver flash. I dodged the sword of the [Sword Queen], the model and prototype of none other than 'Hibachi's' technique, and as I took distance and landed on the floor like a bolt of lightning, I couldn't stop a strained laugh.

—Hey, are you serious, Asche-san? There's a limit to being the strongest and invincible.

I knew it, I knew it.

But to actually be able to keep up with me like this, I can't help but be amazed and astonished. From the 'invincible monster, the fastest in Arcadia,' a title even my master acknowledged, I may have to relinquish the invincible part.

Then again, I know the trick.

[Little Braver]—an ability-altering enhancement effect as ridiculously unfair as my own [Nine Tail, Ninefold Shadow-Woven Gauntlet], boasted by her unique item, [One's Gift, Fox's Fortune Shadow-Woven Cloth].

The black and dark blue hair ornament (lariat) that looks stunning against her silvery-blue hair unleashes its hidden power only when her chosen 'limited target' is on the same battlefield, regardless of whether they are friend or foe.

Its main effect is the removal of the restriction on her special title, 'Sword Queen's' enhancement effect, [Braver]. In other words, its maximum effect activates regardless of the presence or number of co-fighters.

And that alone is a super-sized lawlessness, but there's one more thing. The 'limited target,' whose name can never be reset once it's set... in other words, sensory synchronization with me.

Not sharing, but synchronization, meaning the influence is one-way. Asche, who unhesitatingly carved my name into the unique item, copies various sensations from me when we share a battlefield.

In other words, right now.

The benefits of the ten-times thought acceleration (Eyes) and attack prediction (Oculus) that I need to fully activate to ride [Lightning Gale] are being enjoyed in their entirety by the [Sword Queen] as well.

When you add to that the 'power' to embody a divine speed that rivals even the [Sword Saint]'s 'Shukuchi' in instantaneous movements through her 'All-powerful' gift, and the 'intuition' that comes from her vast experience gained through natural talent and tireless effort... well, this is what you get.

Let me be frank—there's no way I can win against that.

And so, the soaring 'lightning' and the 'sword' dance.

Neither giving an inch, their smiles never fading, the white-blue and the silvery-blue roared with the sound of their clashing, as if at a tryst, and in a few minutes that felt like an eternity, they colored the entire stage—

The third 'Triangle Duo' concluded with the greatest excitement in its history.

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Thank you for following along for nearly sixty chapters.

I wrote in a previous afterword that my master would also have a role during the Tra-Duo, but as she and one other person requested a "quiet stage," I will move it elsewhere.