kscans

Chapter 48 - The Versatility and Coordination of Hand-to-Hand Combat Skill

"One of them is staying behind. A Fenrir with silver fur. That's a rare color!"

As Hayato was wondering what to do, Maris pointed at the Fenrir in the center of their territory and got excited. Next to her, Esha nodded. And the Griffon, Lancelot, was sulking a little.

The rare color Maris mentioned was a different colored monster with a low appearance rate. Unlike monsters where the species itself was different, like the Lucky Rabbit, it was just a different colored monster of the same species, so its strength was mostly the same.

The appearance rate was not fixed, and there were rare colors with low probabilities.

The silver color of a Fenrir was super rare. The appearance rate was said to be less than 1%.

However, that information was irrelevant at this point. The color being different didn't change its strength. And the problem was that it was waiting in that spot.

"Maris, can you take off from here with Lancelot and reach the opponent's Clan Stone first?"

"That's impossible! It has a look on its face that says it understands our intentions! I think it will probably turn back as soon as I take off!"

"Why are you saying that so cheerfully? Then, can you beat that Fenrir and the man?"

If they couldn't go directly to the Clan Stone, there was the option of fighting and winning. In that spot, there was only Gardel and the Fenrir. If Maris could win, she could just go to the Clan Stone after that.

"The matchup is bad. Fenrirs can also use magic, so even if I escape into the sky, their attacks will reach me. Besides, I don't know if he'll even fight me. He might just go back to the fortress."

"If our plan has been exposed, that's a possibility. They should know that we have a Griffon on our side. What should we do?"

"I think you should just ask Relic."

Esha suddenly interjected.

"Relic-san? Why?"

"I believe there's a Hand-to-Hand Combat weapon skill that dismounts a rider. If he knocks him off the honorable dog-sama with that, Maris-sama should be able to reach the opponent's fortress faster."

"There's a skill like that? But he can't get to Gardel, can he?"

In the desert, movement speed was halved. It would take a considerable amount of time for Relic to get to Gardel.

Besides, Hand-to-Hand Combat had the shortest attack range among melee attacks. Even in the desert, Gardel was faster because he was mounted, and his weapon was a long spear. It was questionable whether he could land an attack.

"That won't be a problem. Hand-to-Hand Combat skills include one that closes the distance to the opponent to zero, so distance and the field don't matter. Our Maid Chief does it often. Besides, it's Relic, you know? To be honest, he could win in a straight fight."

He didn't know why the Maid Chief could do such a thing, but if that was the case, he contacted Ash and Relic. And explained the situation.

Ash and Relic agreed, and Relic alone came up to the roof of the fortress.

"While Maris is heading to the fortress, I'd like you to knock Gardel off his Fenrir. Could I ask you to do that?"

"Please leave it to me. I will surely meet your expectations, on these gloves you gave me."

Relic pulled on his gloves to fit his hands better and flexed his hands. Then he looked at Esha.

"However, Esha. You seem to think quite highly of me, don't you? I heard you said I could win in a straight fight."

"I know the strength of my former clan members. You're not flashy, but I've always thought your steady fighting style was the best, Relic. You're much stronger than that boar hero or the collector woman. They're just flashy, not strong."

"I don't think that's the case, but I'm happy to hear you say I'm stronger than those two. Well then, let's confirm the plan once more."

The plan was simple.

Lure everyone except Gardel into the fortress, and have Ash and his group deal with them. Ash's group couldn't attack, but they would just defend and keep the opponents occupied in the fortress.

After that, Relic would approach Gardel and knock him off his Fenrir.

If a rider was forcibly dismounted, they couldn't ride for about ten seconds, so during that time, Maris would ride the Griffon and aim for the opponent's Clan Stone.

It was a very simple, and therefore easy to understand, plan. Since Ash's group would just have to endure with potions, they would have to deal with it in as short a time as possible, but that was about the only problem.

"Hayato, the enemy has invaded. Leave this to us. We're counting on you over there."

"Got it. Well, I can't do anything, though."

"Actually, me neither. It's nice to have a change like this sometimes. I just want to drink some melon juice."

(It's not good, but whatever.)

"Um, well then, Relic-san, please."

"As you wish. It is a pleasure that my attack is the key to this operation. I cannot let Esha have all the glory."

With that, Relic gracefully jumped onto the fortress railing. And stared at Gardel.

"Shukuchi."

As Relic said that, his figure disappeared in an instant and moved to where Gardel was.

"...What was that?"

"It's a skill called Shukuchi that you can use at Hand-to-Hand Combat skill 100. It's an outrageous skill that instantly teleports you in front of your target. It's our Maid Chief's specialty. If it weren't for that, my win rate would be higher."

"Ah, she did that to me at the headquarters too. I thought she just moved at high speed because the distance was short, but it's instant teleportation, isn't it? It's true that the desert wouldn't matter with this."

It was used when the Maid Chief asked him about Relic. Since then, Hayato hadn't asked anything in particular, and he had no intention of asking.

"The Maid Chief did that to you, Master? Why?"

"...Well, things happened. More importantly, let's watch Relic-san. And Maris, you get ready to go at any time."

"Understood!"

Relic and Gardel were fighting. Whether he was surprised by Relic's sudden appearance or thought he could win, Gardel started fighting Relic on the spot without running away.

Gardel was swinging his spear while riding the Fenrir. Furthermore, the Fenrir's scratches and bites followed up. But they didn't hit Relic at all.

(Amazing. I think Gardel is pretty strong, but Relic-san is even better. There are no skills like evasion in this game, so that should be just his own physical ability. NPCs don't have physical abilities in the first place, but an AI's physical ability seems high.)

Relic gracefully dodged Gardel's and the Fenrir's attacks. Not only did he dodge, but he also sometimes attacked and broke Gardel's posture.

A few seconds later, Relic dodged Gardel's thrust with a right turn and threw a backhand blow with the momentum.

The weapon skill called Backhand Blow boasted considerable attack power for a single-target attack and inflicted various bad statuses on the opponent. One of them was to temporarily incapacitate the opponent, but the main goal this time was to dismount him.

The Backhand Blow hit perfectly, and Gardel was knocked off his Fenrir.

After confirming that, Hayato looked at Maris.

Maris was already on Lancelot, with her lance and shield at the ready. She nodded at Hayato.

"I'm going!"

Maris took off from the roof while riding Lancelot. And flew toward the enemy camp at a considerable speed.

(Gardel isn't on his Fenrir. It should take some time for him to get back on. Maris should be able to get there faster... Shoot. I forgot something simple.)

Gardel whistled something like a tune, and the Fenrir started running toward the fortress. It probably went to protect the Clan Stone. Hayato had not considered at all that Gardel would not ride again and have only the Fenrir defend.

(My preconception that he was riding it made me not think about the Fenrir acting on its own. It's so obvious.)

"Maris, only the Fenrir is trying to return to the fortress. Can you win if you're with Lancelot?"

He had heard that she couldn't win against the combination of Gardel and the Fenrir. She might be able to win against just the Fenrir. Hayato hoped for that.

"I might be able to win, but it would take time..."

"I see, then I'll think of something, so don't push yourself. We'll lose if you're defeated, Maris."

"R-roger! I'll head for the headquarters first, but I won't fight the Fenrir!"

(Now, what to do? Maris will soon reach the opponent's fortress. And the Fenrir is likely to arrive at about the same time. I have to think of something before then.)

Just as he was about to think of a plan, a voice chat from Gardel came in.

"Ha! I thought you'd try a plan like that! I saw right through you! Too bad for you!"

"Ah, is this Gardel-kun, who was so ungracefully knocked off his Fenrir? I'm busy right now, so can you call back later?"

"You little brat!"

He didn't have time to deal with him, so he cut off the still-connected chat. And tried to think again.

"I appreciate you creating a moment for me to shine."

"Esha?"

Esha suddenly approached the roof railing and put her left foot on it. And readied her Beelzebub 666.

"Relic, please hold off that man and the honorable dog-sama. I'll take care of the man, just in case. Make sure the honorable dog-sama doesn't get close, absolutely."

"Indeed, I shall. I should be able to hold off the Fenrir on its own without its master."

"I don't think it will happen, but please don't get caught in the crossfire. Also, it's fine to stop the honorable dog-sama, but if you defeat it, you're my next target, you know?"

"I pride myself on being the only one in that clan who has never been caught in a Destroy. So please rest assured. Of course, please rest assured about the Fenrir as well. Well then, as usual."

With that, Relic unleashed the weapon skill Low Kick on Gardel. The attack temporarily incapacitated the opponent, and Gardel was unable to move from the spot after taking the hit.

Immediately after, Relic disappeared.

Hayato didn't know what had happened, but he understood when he saw Relic move in front of the Fenrir. He had used Shukuchi to move in front of the Fenrir.

And he slammed a second Backhand Blow of the day into the Fenrir. The attack also temporarily immobilized the Fenrir.

"Destroy."

Just as he heard Esha's voice from nearby, he heard a sound like a cannon, and the light fired from the gun pierced through ten magic circles and headed toward Gardel.

Gardel was pierced by the light and disappeared into particles of light.

With its master gone, the Fenrir's abilities were reduced. In this state, even Relic could hold off the Fenrir. Relic began to engage the Fenrir.

Esha brought the gun's muzzle to her face and blew on it with a 'fuu'. And started drinking the melon juice she had in her hand before he knew it.

(It's not fired with gunpowder, so why did she strike a pose like she was blowing away smoke?)

Hayato quickly forgot that question. There was something else he wanted to confirm.

"What was that coordination with Relic-san just now? Did you practice it or something?"

"Oh, that's just something we did a lot in our previous clan. Relic stops them, and I finish them off. It's been a while, but it went well."

"I see."

(So they did that in the previous clan Esha and Relic-san were in... Huh? Isn't that just a setting? Would they go so far as to set up a coordinated attack to defeat an opponent?)

A question popped into Hayato's head. But it was erased by Esha's words.

"It seems Maris-sama has reached their headquarters."

When Hayato looked at the opponent's headquarters, he could see Maris on the roof. And she began to attack the Clan Stone in the center of the roof.

After a short while, the enemy's Clan Stone was destroyed. At the same time, confetti fluttered down and fireworks went off.

Hayato's clan had won this battle.

"We won more easily than I expected."

"I think it's all thanks to you guys, no matter how you look at it."

"Then I'm looking forward to the next victory party. Let's invite Maris-sama's Siegfried too. I can eat as much as I want while looking at the honorable cat-sama."

"The clan will go bankrupt, so can you please stop?"

(Alright, this should put us in the top five of the rankings. Two battles left. We'll definitely get the prize money.)

Hayato made this resolution on the roof of the fortress.