Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Lilia
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 52 – Invasion②
Actual combat against a paladin.
As expected, I hadn’t experienced that before, and it was a battle I’d prefer not to have. 1
But there was no time to whine.
I knocked down all the slashes he unleashed at super high-speed.
“……?!”
“Fufuh, that’s the power of a paladin, Sharon-kun.”
Sharon was at a loss for words as the super high-speed combat commenced, but Arkwright was smiling.
As expected, Braveheart’s maximum speed was no match to the super speed that Zanba achieved by converting himself into lightning.
But Braveheart, who utilized an explosion of mysticism and used it as thrust while combining it with his outstanding physical control, was more difficult to deal with.
And there was another thing that was different from ordinary sword combat.
It was the bizarre sensation that occurred when our weapons clashed.
“It’s much more powerful than it looks──”
It might be bad if I kept blocking it.
I switched from defense to dodging and swung my sword to counter.
“As expected of the Descendant of the Hero!”
The moment I switched tactics, Braveheart smiled.
The mysticism attached to his blade exploded, unleashing a shockwave.
It was this, the man’s combat magic formula.
Active skill [Nega-Impulse Integrator].
In the game version, it was an attack that involved swinging a blade and unleashing an invisible shockwave.
However,
“…………!!”
As soon as I immediately jumped away, a force similar to a bomb shattered the space.
If struck directly, nothing would be left from a human’s body.
What the heck was that?!
It was clearly different from the game version!
It was supposed to be simpler… or to be frank, it was more of a mook’s ability!
“Since you stood in my master’s path, I will cut you down, even if it’s you!”
“Aah, I see. Then I guess there’s no choice for you but to retire from action!”
The power of his every movement was increasing.
With one step, the ground exploded, and with one swing, it felt like my arm was going to be torn off.
I remembered predicting during our last mock combat that he had some sort of ability that affected the impact behind his blows, and I was probably right.
I didn’t know the details, but I’d guess it was something versatile… like being able to absorb the force of impact, store it, and release it any time he wanted.
Otherwise, it would be weird that he could clash properly with me to begin with.
“So you are using the stored impact to offset my attack power!”
“Exactly! If I didn’t do something like this, I wouldn’t be able to compete against that brilliance!”
Sir Braveheart avoided the laser light I unleashed and forced me into close combat.
Our blades collided with each other.
In other words, I guess his ability was a simple kind of absorbing and releasing force.
It was just that he controlled it with great skill and knew the timing well enough to use it perfectly without any wasted energy.
The accumulated force generated power that could withstand my Hero’s Sword.
It then absorbed the power of the slash I unleashed, stored it and used it for another round of defense.
Or perhaps he could use it for emergency evasion by exploding the ground beneath his feet.
Since the ability was highly versatile and its user could wield it efficiently, it was natural to be very powerful.
“That’s a combat style that requires a lot of thinking, so it must be tough for you…!”
“I’m already used to it!”
Even as I handled his attack, I was convinced of the principle of his combat style when thinking back to his Sir Gowasu mode.
It seemed that this other combat style was something that repeatedly absorbed and stored impact when he collided with a wall and unleashed it when he collided with the enemy.
The difference in the combat style between Sir Gowasu mode and Sir Braveheart mode was too extreme.
The combat style of his main body after the curse was lifted was like playing verbal chess while clashing swords at super high-speed.
“Even before I was cursed, I was the top candidate for the next generation of paladins! This much is nothing!”
Along with a burst of energy, a flash of energy was unleashed that incorporated multiple impacts.
“Tch…”
Even if I tried to deflect it, he was capable of controlling the direction of the force.
The unleashed impacts flashed around me as if trying to bite my body.
I immediately deployed defensive magic to block it.
In exchange for protecting me, the lights of mysticism were shattered and scattered.
I glared at Sir Braveheart’s face through the glow.
“Then how about this?”
“…!”
I slammed my foot and overwrote the pebbles rolling on the arena’s ground into the Hero’s Sword.
Just like that, they became slashes of light launching toward Braveheart from below.
“Just this much!”
The paladin deployed the force he had stored, and was able to withstand the light of the Hero’s Sword.
……I see, so that was how he handled magic that didn’t involve collisions.
I gradually started to understand.
This guy’s tactical range, how he would respond to attacks, what he would avoid, and where he would try to strike.
The pieces fit together in my head and I started calculating the path to victory.
──However, it was at that moment.
“Fuhn. I guess overwhelming the Descendant of the Hero is impossible, huh.”
Lord Arkwright, who was looking down on us as we engaged in combat, stood up.
I distanced myself from Braveheart and looked up at the mastermind cautiously.
“What do you want to say?”
“Even if you managed to put up a good fight, you still can’t overwhelm him. I guess that’s the extent of what the first generation is capable of.”
Hearing those words, Sharon and I both turned our heads toward Braveheart at the same time.
The first generation must been referring to him, so in other words,
“Lord, are you going to play your final card?”
“Yes. Come, [Σ-a].”
At the same time Arkwright snapped his fingers, a strange shape crawled out from the shadows spreading at Braveheart’s feet.
It was similar to a golem, no, if I used a term I was familiar with, it would be a mecha suit.
“Is that the result of your experiments?”
“Yes. It’s the third generation, amplification-equipped experimental subject, [Σ-a].”
Immediately after that, the armor deployed.
The jet black mecha surrounded Braveheart’s body, but rather than being worn, it would be more correct to say that it engulfed the body of the wearer.
“Guh, uuuhhh…!”
The paladin’s face distorted in pain and a groan of agony leaked out.
“Sensei, there’s something wrong about this…!”
Sharon screamed as cold air swept through the entire arena.
“……What is this?”
“It’s an external armor powered by souls. When the wearer dies, [Σ-a] will consume the accumulated souls instead.”
“…………”
……I would definitely not say it out loud but,
Lord Arkwright, I guess you really were a genius.
He chose the correct direction.
It did the same thing as the cursed equipment that could be purchased in the front of the final dungeon.
The in-game name was different though… [Cursed Outer Armor Type-0], was it?
It was said to be an equipment that was the ultimate result of a certain research method, a cursed armor that increased the ability of beginners to survive a little longer.
……No, it was just a guess, but perhaps said research was Lord Arkwright’s and such context was left unmentioned in the game.
Of course, it decreased HP if it was equipped, but that was the concept of the cursed equipment, so it couldn’t be ignored.
“Well then, why don’t you show me a more in-depth battle?”
“Sensei ── perhaps the children were…!”
On our way here, we certainly didn’t see any child-sized enemies.
I see, so it was used for this.
“Sharon.”
“……Gh.”
“Don’t forget this experience. There are some stupid evil people in this world who think ruining others is their only chance for success.”
I turned around and told her calmly.
In front of a terrifying invention, the girl was on the verge of collapsing.
“……S-something like this is definitely strange. It’s unforgivable. There’s no way I can forgive something like that…!”
“That’s right. But if you only deal with it with hatred, perhaps we might end up becoming the same as they are.”
The calm part of my mind agreed that I made the right decision by bringing her along.
Compared to Erin and Kuyumi, what Sharon was most inferior in wasn’t her combat ability, but mental fortitude.
The two of them had already experienced carnage and learned the taste of blood, but they were still moving forward with honor.
“Sharon, what would you like to do? If you had the ability to decide everything and make it come true──”
She didn’t show any hesitation when I asked.
“I don’t want this to go on any further! That’s why
── that’s why, please give them the rest they deserve…”
“Aah, I approve of your wish.”
I turned to the front again.
Braveheart was already fully clad in [Σ-a] and was rushing toward me with bloodshot eyes.
“aaaAAAaah──────!!”
There were no swords or firearms attached to the mecha suit.
As soon as he leapt and swung his arm, the ground exploded.
“What do you think, Haruto-san? If we convert human souls into fuel, every movement will have the power of a natural disaster! I can’t help but find it strange that this research is not approved!”
“……It’s certainly strange.”
After spinning around and landing, I took a breath and held up the Hero’s Sword.
“I can’t help but find it strange that you would submit an application for something like this and even imagine that it could be approved.”
I said that and switched my thoughts.
The aurora that dwelled on my sword changed color and became muddy and black.
“Hou! Are you going to show me a skill I don’t know about?!”
What I was going to activate was one of the original spells devised to counter the demon lord.
At the same time, I could sympathize with his excitement.
Seeing something completely new was a great privilege for a researcher, right?
“‘The waning chord is calamity’ ‘The darkness that slaughter down to dust’ ‘Thou are the prisoner of the heavenly sphere’ ‘Where running through is impermissible’ ── FIRE.”
Immediately after, the Hero’s Sword changed the nature of its light.
Normally, the blade would have been blown away by the overload of power, but its attribute as the Hero’s Sword would forcefully hold it together.
The sinister and mysterious storm that raged originated from the sword.
It was the exact opposite of what it was before. Instead of emitting light, it was a sword of darkness that engulfed and swallowed all light.
“What is that…?”
Lord Arkwright stood up from his seat, widened his eyes, and let out a stunned voice.
His eyes probably saw right through what exactly it was.
“It’s called [Black Hole Sword]. Ah, no, I guess I’m the only one who calls it that way…”
“I don’t care about names! What is that?!”
It was a spell developed to eradicate the demon lord, to prevent the target from reviving.
It was something that slayed enemies by capturing them in a force field and grinding them down, so it made no sense to call it a sword.
But the effectiveness was guaranteed, as neither the physical body nor the soul would be able to escape.
It was a blade of certain death wielded only to deny a single enemy of its immortality.
The Knight’s idea of [Hyper Darkness Black Eternal Blade] was rejected, and the Magician inscribed the name of [Magic Sword: Soul Chewing Vortex].
“It’s not a proper weapon to be wielded by the Descendant of the Hero ── but this is a special occasion, so forgive me!”
The magic sword I swung from the top of the stage instantly closed the gap and slammed into [Σ-a].
Rather than a slash, the blade chewed up the countless souls housed in the mecha suit that came into contact with the blade, swallowing them into a pseudo-black hole generated inside the blade.
“Gah, aaaahhh────?!”
While glaring at Braveheart’s screaming face from a close distance, I took a step forward.
At the same time as the sound of something shattering, the blade was gouged into the depths of the suit.
A mixture of the screams of crushed souls and the sounds of relief, almost resignation, flowed into my brain.
“────a, aaaAAaaaAAAAA?! D-don’t destroy my masterpiece!! Stop it!”
Lord Arkwright ran down the audience seats in a panic and came running toward us.
But the moment he jumped into the arena, the sole of a leather shoe hit him in the face.
It was a flying kick from Sharon, who launched herself with magic power.
“Pu-pa-”
He let out a strange sound and was blown away, and just as his body fell to the ground, my sword’s effect ended, and the entire blade disappeared.
“──Sensei!”
“Aah, it’s okay.”
Together with Sharon who ran up next to me, I stared at the devastation in front of me.
Not a single piece remained from the destroyed [Σ-a].
All the souls that were trapped had been erased.
At the very least, it was better than being tied to this world.
And then, at the epicenter of destruction, Braveheart slowly looked up.
“How do you feel?”
“……It’s the worst. To think such a terrifying sword actually existed in this world…”
“You mean I’m the cause of you feeling the worst?”
I shrugged at Sir Braveheart’s disgusted words.
“……! Topgun-kun, protect me!”
When I looked, I saw Lord Arkwright trying to stand up, knees trembling, with a hand over his face.
The reason why his hand was bright red was probably because Sharon’s kick broke his nose and it wouldn’t stop bleeding.
“…………”
“I already understand the situation from those words.”
I glanced at Lord Arkwright, who went silent.
“Rather, I think Sharon realized it too.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Arkwright blinked his eyes as if he couldn’t understand what we were saying.
With a nod, I placed my hand on the paladin’s shoulder.
“This guy wasn’t being manipulated by you from the beginning.”
“……Hah? W-w-whaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttt??”
One would understand if they listen to his words carefully.
The original premise was that he had abandoned chivalry.
This was proven by the fact that the spirit’s curse had been lifted and his elegant appearance had returned.
Therefore, his words of “I have never abandoned chivalry” were a lie.
Moreover, what did he say earlier?
He didn’t say the things he told us before, but that “it was the duty of a knight to serve the master they chose.”
If so, one could conclude that this was the reason why his curse had been lifted this time.
“The curse was lifted because this guy abandoned chivalry… because this time, he betrayed the master he was supposed to serve. By master, it means you, Arkwright.”
“────?!”
Sir Braveheart took a step forward to his benefactor, who had been shocked speechless.
“I’m terribly sorry, Lord Arkwright, but I needed you to activate the third generation [Σ-a], because I didn’t know where it was located.”
Aah, I see.
If Sir Braveheart was truly hostile from the beginning, Arkwright might have chosen to flee quickly since he knew he had no chance to win.
So by pretending to be his ally, I guess he wanted to make it seem like Arkwright had a chance to win against me.
“You’re being so roundabout about it. If you told me beforehand, I would have wiped it out with a surprise attack.”
“……Actually… I still wished I could have persuaded him.”
It wasn’t a picturesque melancholic expression.
It was a look of a paladin forcing himself to smile that was painful to look at.
“……!! What happened to repaying the favor of raising you!! I was the one who gave you that much talent! What a betrayal against a godfather (holy father)!” 2
“……I.”
“You are no longer my knight!!”
In an instant, there was a dramatic change.
The figure of the paladin standing next to me disappeared.
“……Ah, I see.”
Sharon murmured as she clapped her fist to her open palm.
“The curse was lifted because he betrayed his master, and now there is no longer a master.”
When I timidly looked down I saw a small knight with a round body standing there with a disappointed expression.
“Understood, gowasu.”
It was immediately after that, something scary happened.
Sir Braveheart curled up, bounced off the ground, and lightly jumped directly over Arkwright’s head.
“Ah-” said Sharon, I, and Arkwright at the same time.
The body, accelerated by gravity, came crashing down towards Arkwright’s head.
“Wait, wait Topgun! I’m sorry, we can start oaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
With a loud noise, a flashy cloud of sand rose and covered Arkwright’s body.
Wouldn’t he die with that?
As I watched worriedly, a round silhouette suddenly stood up.
On the other side of the dust ── was a still living Arkwright. He had fainted and wet his pants due to the impact of the Sir Braveheart bullet landing next to him.
“Oidon won’t commit such crass murder, gowasu. It’s the honor of a knight to fight without crushing even a single flower, gowasu.”
That fellow said a cool line with the face and voice of Inakape Taishou.
Sharon and I could only shrug at each other with helpless smiles.
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