Volu 14 Chapter 2 - The Last Conquer Target
Part 1
「The morning sun is giving its blessing to us huh. Fufufu, you are looking radiant!」
「Just what disgusting thing are you saying there……」
Kazuki who was standing with his back to the sun was indeed looking radiant from where Ikousai was standing. Kazuki walked forward from between the Japan Knight Order mbers and confronted Ikousai.
Facing soone who was longing this fervently to fight him, his feelings had gone past being exasperated and turned into embarrassnt.
「……I promised to fight you but, can’t we eliminate Loki first before doing this?」
「I cannot trust Britain’s Knight Order. Doing what you said is like giving the Japan-Britain alliance a pretext to crush us one by one. Having Loki and his bunch holding back Britain’s Knight Order brings more assurance from where I’m standing.」
But the one who profited the most from that move was Loki.
Perhaps she received suggestion from Loki.
「But in any case, you talked about a one on one fight, didn’t you? Then you wouldn’t mind even if my comrades crush the bunch of 『batteries』 that you brought along right?」
The authority of China’s King increased in strength the more the user’s rule spread, it plundered the ──so to speak the personality of the people under the user’s rule, and turned them into a part of the user.
That was to say that all the Red Nopperabou were currently a part of Ikousai. They moved following Ikousai’s will, and by offering their life to Ikousai they could even restore Ikousai’s magic power.
All the Red Nopperabou were directly connected by the network called the Power of Heaven’s Decree as 『battle terminals』 that could be remotely controlled, they were also 『batteries』 that could be used as disposable pawns for the King’s recovery.
Going one-on-one against the current Ikousai was the sa like telling Kazuki to fight alone against Ikousai all of China’s Knight Order’s survivors depending on one’s viewpoint. Although Kazuki also had the Power of Harmony, but it was impossible to treat this as a one-on-one fight.
『How are you planning to have a one-on-one fight like this?』 It was an extrely natural question for Kazuki to ask.
「Right now they are all …… I obtained this power, this is my power. In that case even if I use all of them to defeat you I can still say that I have vindicated my honor through a one-on-one fight……」
Kazuki made a thoroughly apathetic face at Ikousai’s petty remark. It was unbearable that he was made to go along with this kind of illogical fight and having her self-centered sophism pushed on him on top of that.
The images of Hrotsvit and Beatrix descended down lightly from the sky.
『Beatrix, who is that petty woman? It looks like she had hijacked the power of China Mythology.』
『She is a warrior of Japan, the self-styled rival of Kazuki, if I rember correctly she is called Eisbein……』 (TN: Eisbein’s reading here is Aisubain)
That was German’s salted pork at, this one was Aisu Ikousai.
『What she was saying just now cannot even be taken as pretending to be a warrior don’t you think? Soone like her is just a robber.』
『That’s so I guess……I feel like completely disillusioned with Japan’s samurai……』
The uncouth won of Norse Mythology were whispering to each other. Compared to their way of life as a race of battle people, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to even call the likes of the swordsman in present day Japan as cosplay warriors.
Ikousai’s cheeks reddened slightly and she coughed.
「……I can still say that……but……as I thought a match between sword and sword is the worthy way to settle everything between us! I won’t do anything boorish like making the Nopperabou attack you! I also won’t do anything distasteful like using their life to recover! In exchange you too don’t borrow the power of the ghost bunches over there! Also while we are fighting, you can freely tell your comrades to attack the Nopperabou! Do you accept!?」
In other words, Japan’s Knight Order could carry out the mission to annihilate the Nopperabou in the background while Kazuki and Ikousai were having a one-on-one fight. With that Ikousai’s Nopperabou and also Kazuki’s Power of Harmony would be restricted.
Kazuki could agree if it was like that.
A match of sword and sword……surely his improvised and immature two swords style wouldn’t work in such a fight. Kazuki stored Joyeux back into its scabbard and grasped A no Murakumo with both hands.
In front of him Ikousai also made a faint smile and took a stance with her beloved katana in hand.
The string of tension was stretched taut between the two.
At the sa ti the Nopperabou group also began chanting attack magic towards Kazuki’s comrades simultaneously. The swordsn of Japan’s Knight Order assaulted them in response with their swords, while the Magika Stigmas started chanting.
Part 2
‘It’s going well.’
Loki felt that the situation was moving just as he planned. He was able to raise his chances of victory to the maximum, this was the best situation.
……Regardless of that, his chest felt smoldering with gloominess when he glanced at the fight between Kazuki and Ikousai. He wondered why he felt like that. The feeling felt like jealousy.
Arthur and her group before him were adversaries that couldn’t make him heated up.
They weren’t opponents he could let his guard down against. However……
Loki’s Einherjar and Britain’s Knight Order faced each other at slight distance away from the battleground of Kazuki and co.
The two sides here had no tie with each other and there was also no words to exchange.
Both sides were making a horizontal formation that spread to the side at first.
「Loki, how will we fight this ti politoka.」
Chaos Diva of Aztec Mythology, Tezcatlipoca asked Loki.
He had a large build and loved to fight, but strangely he was a Diva who was docile and obedient.
「You don’t need to ask, we ain’t got any strategy this ti. Most of my subordinates are the illegal magicians who got screws loose in their heads, that’s why I cannot prepare any special sche. We’ll form a line with the illegal magicians while keeping you guys the materialized Divas as a reserve force. I’ll move you guys, the reserve force, appropriately depending on the other side’s movent. There ain’t any other way than that.」
The majority of Loki’s force were deranged people who were unable to comprehend complicated orders.
Because of that he could only keep the materialized Divas who were powerful strategic units as a reserve force.
The number of his pawns that could loyally and quickly carry out his orders was overwhelmingly few.
A scher like Loki of all people was unable to carry out a plan from his side without joining forces with others. He had to focus himself on counter strategies that responded to the other side. That was the dilemma that he was holding.
「Then how do you think Britain’s Knight Order will move politoca?」
「Britain’s Knight Order’s strength is the cavalry tactic by the knights of the round table. They will attack with mixed troop of infantry and cavalry. The way a mixed troop will fight is……first, the infantry will stop the enemy’s attack from the front, and then the cavalry will quickly circle from the side and launch flanking attacks. It’s the traditional strategy from the ti of the ancient great king Alexander, 『Hamr and Anvil』.」
A unit in fixed position would hold back the enemy, while a mobile unit would strike like a hamr from the side. That was how the na ca to be, it was a famous tactic that was continuously used until the era reached the twentieth century.
Tezcatlipoca nodded repeatedly like an obedient student.
However beside him, the chaos Diva of Hindu Mythology, Kali was yelling 「I don’t get ittt, it doesn’t matter at all, so let fight quicklyyyy!」 while dancing.
「In response to that, you guys the reserve force got to constantly lookout for the cavalry. If I send you guys to hit the cavalry the mont they rush out from their formation to launch a flanking attack, we can hit their flank instead and annihilate them.」
「Lookout……politoca」 Tezcatlipoca’s shoulders dropped regrettably.
Beside him Queen Maeve of Celtic Mythology was ranting and raving saying 「Who cares of lookout or anything, let us fight already hereee!!」. ‘They’re noisy’, Loki thought and scowled.
「Britain’s Knight Order also has an option to pretend for a flanking attack while actually trying to break through the center suddenly. Seeing through whether it would be flanking attack or penetration through the center will decide the battle. ……That’s if they’re going by the book.」
The enemy general was Arthur Basilleus. No matter what she wasn’t Kazuki……such thinking whirled inside Loki’s chest. He wasn’t underestimating her by any ans but, she wasn’t the type to use any clever plan.
Without any doubt Loki was the superior one if it was about improvising a strategy on the fly.
「In other words you are telling us to be patient until you give the instruction. That’s all right?」
Queen Maeve spoke while biting her lower lip. Her voice was moist and deep.
「……Now then, we ain’t got any more ti to keep prattling, they’re coming yeah.」
The horizontal formation of Britain’s Knight Order started moving as though it was the silent spark that started the battle.
The deranged bunch at the frontline of Loki’s Einherjar also matched their breathing in their own way and began preparing their group magic.
The formation of Britain’s Knight Order accelerated with a dust cloud rising behind them as though to cut apart the lingering tension.
Loki gulped in surprise.
Britain Knight Order’s flat horizontal formation smoothly transford into a completely different formation.
From Loki’s viewpoint, the enemy’s soldier was gathering to the left wing while advancing. The opposite right wing was thinning in number while decelerating, the horizontal formation turned into an unbalanced diagonal line.
Loxe Phalanx!
It was a formation that didn’t distribute the troops equally but extrely concentrated the troops to one side. It decreased the charging speed of the side with thin number and delayed the contact with the enemy.
The side with concentrated troops would pulverize the side of enemy formation with lightning fast attacks, and from there the troops would form encirclent as though to swallow the enemy. That was Loxe Phalanx.
However this was a clever sche, a gambling tactic.
This was not an army of the ancient ti in a war between armies of several thousands, several tens of thousands, so the ti that could be bought by the charge of the side with thin number would not amount to much based on the scale of the army. It would be less than a few minutes, no, it wouldn’t even be a minute. If the side with the concentrated number of troops didn’t make the enemy formation collapse within that little ti, it would be the weak side that got smashed instead.
Or perhaps the formation of both sides would mutually collapse and brought about a chaotic free for all fight.
But the side that ca out gambling and the side that was gambled against weren’t under equal situations. The side that was roped up into the gamble couldn’t hold back. Chaos arose between Loki’s Einherjar, without hesitation Britain’s Knight Order’s left wing resolutely charged ahead.
So Arthur also had this kind of resoluteness!
If it was seen from the other side, this also ant that Britain’s Knight Order had absolute confidence in this charge.
So to speak the cavalry charge of the elite knights of the round table was here already! It wasn’t a flanking attack or a break through the center after confirming a tear in enemy formation, but dealing out their strongest attack right from the beginning!
──Loki was surprised, but the materialized Divas weren’t shaken at all.
That was because this situation matched their desire exactly.
No matter how impossible sothing was, it could be easily accepted if it was sothing that they were looking for.
A collision without any petty trick using their strongest force. That mont had co.
「Loki! This ain’t the ti to talk about cautiousness or wait-and-see! It’s killing ti!!」
Kali raised such voice of delight.
「Fufufu! Being in sothing like reserve force at the last dance of Ragnarok, even the opponent doesn’t wish for that! A good woman has to answer this kind of passionate invitation!!」
Queen Maeve also raised a joyful voice while writhing.
「Aooon! I want daddy to watch woof! I’m going to raise hell woof!」
Loki’s child Fenrir also got excited like a cur that caught sight of a bone.
「Loki……looks like your prediction just now missed politoca! I’m going to rampage politoca!!」
Even Tezcatlipoca who was comparatively gentle yelled without hiding his desire for destruction.
And then they weren’t mistaken. The opponent’s strongest attack had to be dealt with quickly. Even if the attack couldn’t be repelled, they just needed to hold it back. If they could do that then the weakest right wing of the enemy would be crushed and they would be able to destroy the opponent. Tactically speaking that was the correct move.
──Was that really true? Amidst the deranged bunch and the chaos Divas who hungered for slaughter, it was only Loki who was calm in the truest aning.
This wasn’t the way Arthur fought. Loki instinctively rethought back. In that case whose tactic was this?
Kazuki……no, it wasn’t limited to just Kazuki……perhaps this was the work of that woman called Akane, she couldn’t be underestimated.
……That woman called Shouko was also supposed to be a greatly experienced commander from her guerilla fight against China.
……This wasn’t Arthur’s work, but a tactic of Japan’s Knight Order.
Japan’s Knight Order’s mbers were mixing inside Britain’s Knight Order!
And then the strong point of Japan’s Knight Order was the telepathy using a network of bonds that was centered at Kazuki!
There was one answer that could be derived from there──after determining the movent of their side’s reserve force, the enemy would transform their formation even further!! A coordinating force that could do that was mixed in between the enemy force!!
This was a trap!!!
He could still make it in ti! Loki yelled in exultation inside his heart. He saw it through!!
‘This ti it’s my win!!’
「Wait, Kali! Maeve! Fenrir! Tezcatlipoca! This is a trap!!」
But, they didn’t stop.
「Hyahahahahahahah! Die die die die die DIE!!」 Kali laughed madly.
「Ooohhohho! It-is-slaugh-terrr! Let’s Dance!!」 Maeve laughed madly.
「……GUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」 Fenrir howled ferociously.
「I am Yohualli Ehetcatl(Night Wind) who bring death! Tezcatlipoca, is here!!」 Tezcatlipoca also surrendered himself to his impulses.
They all ignored Loki’s words.
It wasn’t that they didn’t hear him. He lost their trust. They prioritized their destructive impulse rather than their trust to Loki.
At the previous battle, Loki made them to be patient, but in the end he was defeated in tactic.
At the sa ti Loki made light of their destructive impulses.
For a mont he didn’t comprehend at all why they ignored his command.
‘These guys, are they idiots?’, Loki thought in bafflent.
Even though he had finally saw through the enemy’s trap.
Why were they this hot-blooded? Why didn’t they try to ascertain the situation calmly?
……That wasn’t it. It wasn’t them who were strange. It was him who was strange.
He was a chaos Diva, and yet without him realizing it he had lost that kind of primitive destructive impulse. That was why he didn’t notice their frustration.
He failed in grasping the human nature……no, in grasping god nature. His intuition being out of sync with the intuition of his fellow comrades caused disorder in the command.
He wondered since when this gap between him and them ca to be.
If there was a difference between him and them, then there was only one. He had been spending an overwhelmingly long ti in this world since he accomplished materialization compared to them. ……’Could it be’, Loki thought.
‘Could it be, my personality, my sense of value completely turned like a human without even noticing?’
That was a terrifying feeling. Rather than these comrades of his whose eyes were bloodshot while raging for destruction, the existence of Kazuki or Akane felt closer to him, he could feel that they were existences that he could like and sympathize with.
‘What the hell am I!?’
Putting aside the shock inside Loki’s heart, the battlefield was going through upheaval like a charging avalanche.
The materialized Divas who were acting as the reserve force were jumping into the frontline while shouting.
It was exactly at that ti when Britain’s Knight Order’s Loxe Phalanx transford like an undulating dragon.
The troops that were concentrated on the left wing decelerated while moving to the right wing simultaneously. The formation returned back to the original symtrical horizontal formation. At the sa ti the cavalry unit rushed out from the side of the formation.
Flanking attack──Hamr and Anvil!! The enemy pretended to sche and went off the book, then when the enemy confird that their side was lured by that they returned to act by the book again!
It wasn’t a gamble from the enemy at all!!
With terrifying speed, the knights of the round table circled towards the flank of the horizontal formation of Loki’s group. This kind of coordination should be impossible without the existence of telepathy.
It was impossible for anyone to be able to react against this. The reserve force let their blood rush to their heads and charged ahead. The illegal magicians matched their breathing in their own way as deranged people and activated the group magic against the enemy before them. It was impossible to even hope to recover their formation.
He was played.
In front of the despairing Loki, the charge that was the best even among the magic advanced countries gouged the soft flank──.
Part 3
Kazuki who was able to forego chanting due to Zekorbeni was able to reliably launch preemptive attacks. In this duel against Ikousai, that was an advantage that couldn’t be overlooked.
Kazuki first used his power of bond with Hikaru-senpai and poured magic power into Zekorbeni.
He forewent the chanting for Baal’s high level magic and instantaneously invoked it.
「Know this roar of sacred fla as god’s fury! The roar of the heaven reside wholly in this hand, bring down the iron hamr that break the world! One blow to destroy the world! Yagrush!」
Among all the magic that Kazuki could instantaneously invoke without forcing himself, the one with the highest might was 『Imitation Flare』 without doubt. However if it was Ikousai she surely could predict a laser attack from condensed sun explosion and easily dodge it. Therefore Kazuki grasped the huge hamr of the sky god and swung it towards Ikousai who was still in distance.
Right before that, Ikousai’s lips warped into a grin. Rather than seeing it as a composed grin, it was a grin that recognized Kazuki’s move as 『Certainly I cannot do anything against that』.
Thunder clouds spread above Ikousai’s head and a rain of lightning poured down.
Inside the lightning that dyed everything white, Ikousai’s shadow was locked up.
Ikousai’s defensive magic power shined. It resulted in definite damage.
Kazuki gradually tightened the range of the pouring rain of lightning and focused its might.
At the sa ti he kneaded up his magic power once more and poured it further into Zekorbeni.
「O immortal bird who repeat life and death! Liberate the last fla in your mont of death, beco the sun above the ground……Imitation Flare!!」
The avatar of a bird of fire erged in front of Kazuki. The energy of life and death of a phoenix was condensed into a straight laser beam and it was fired.
It pierced straight into Ikousai who was locked inside the cage of lightning.
The two magic didn’t disturb each other at all, they moved in harmony and tried to demolish Ikousai.
But magic power was unleashed from the gap of the lightning.
「……O fences within fences of Izumo standing on Yagumo, conceive the eight trigrams, beco the dragon that guard the mandate of heaven……」
A cloud was overflowing out billowingly from inside the fierce light of lightning and laser.
Cloud──Ikousai’s contracted Diva had defensive magic called 『Izumo Yaegaki』.
The power of China was mixed into it to strengthen it, and then it was activated.
For her to be able to finish her spell while getting hit by attack magic that powerful must be because of the blessing of the excessive defensive magic power residing inside the dragon of heaven’s decree.
「Hakke Unkoubaku!」 (TN: Eight Trigrams Cloud Light Veil)
A shining cloud completely covered the space and swallowed the lightning and light beam while enlarging, forming the shape of a dragon.
The dragon promptly devoured all lighting and the laser beam before coiling above Ikousai’s head.
「……We won’t be able to cross swords without first hardening the defense.」
Ikousai leaked out a relieved voice as though she had obtained a mont’s rest.
The cloud dragon that Ikousai summoned was floating in wait above Ikousai to protect her even after neutralizing that much attack magic──.
Perhaps that dragon possessed a property that swallowed natural phenonon……
「O the forging of artisan who scatter the flower of night craft, fill the fabric of heaven with the tip of sword! Tenkuu Battou Renge Hou!」
Fla was bursting up around Kazuki, that fla forged countless Sacred Treasures. They flew toward Ikousai and the cloud dragon like missiles from all directions following Kazuki’s magic power manipulation.
It was an attack by ans of weapons, not natural phenonon.
「Howl! Civilization grants human destruction! The roar of wisdom scorch, and break thy body, bury that dignity under the rubble!! Mitrailleuse!」
Kazuki further created a huge gatling gun on his left arm, equipped it, and fired it wildly.
Steel weapons that flew like missiles, and then bullets of a gatling gun, as expected the cloud dragon couldn’t swallow them and its body that was made from a shining cloud was shaved off.
But the essential target, Ikousai foresighted the trajectory of the projectile weapons and she dodged with swaying movent while approaching him. Although Ikousai couldn’t go as far as defending against the rain of gatling gun bullets, but it didn’t have that much power. Ikousai closed the distance in the blink of an eye,
「O eight dragons of China, dwell inside the unruly hand of Susanoo! Totsuka Orochi no Shinkatou!」
The katana in Ikousai’s grasp was transforming into an ominous shape. Kazuki had known of it from before, it was a demonic sword that caused wind of fla to burst with terrific might each ti the sword was swung.
「……Lightning descend on mine body and I obtain the godspeed of lightning will……awaken the sleeping lion! Ride Lightning!」
In response, Kazuki invoked the reinforcent magic that accelerated his whole body. Kazuki moved forward to et the enemy and A no Murakumo clashed against Shinkatou in Ikousai’s hand.
If the sword was stopped before it could be swung, the wind of fla wouldn’t blow──Instant Positioning was the greatest counterasure against it.
「You can’t chant any acceleration magic!」
Even though their skill in sword art rivaled each other, if he excelled in speed then he could toy with her.
Kazuki brushed aside Shinkatou and instantly circled to her back and slashed.
She reversed her blade and tried to slash back while turning around, but she was beaten to the punch and Kazuki’s katana collided with her sword, she was held back. She couldn’t swing the sword to the end. Like that no slashing wind of fla was created.
「It won’t be a fight if I don’t chant reinforcent magic too huh……」
Ikousai still showed a composed smile contrary to her words.
Ikousai began to knead her magic power. Kazuki who succeeded in taking the initiative was making his superior position rock solid while he had to stop her chanting no matter what.
If he allowed her to invoke reinforcent magic, then the magic she would invoke should be a reinforcent magic with terrifying might too.
Kazuki poured his power of bond with Hikaru-senpai into Zekorbeni again.
「O flow of atmosphere, converge into this body, and beco the storm that rejects the hated enemy! The eye of the typhoon is mine throne! Storm Fort!」
Kazuki invoked Baal’s magic and covered his body with storm armor.
The vortex of wind that moved following Kazuki’s will obstructed the enemy’s movent by blowing in opposing direction while supporting his own movent by blowing in the sa direction.
Ikousai’s movents dulled while Kazuki’s accelerated further. Kazuki repelled Ikousai’s Shinkatou once more and circled to her back. He swung an attack with even more leeway than before.
──Shin’iki!
An impact was resounded at the most important pillar of the magic power that Ikousai kneaded in her chanting. If an attack was unleashed with careful aim so that an impact would be resulted from the enemy’s Resist that resounded until that key pillar, it was possible to destroy the chanting at once. It was a divine technique that demanded perfect movent and timing.
It was a difficult technique, but Kazuki succeeded. Ikousai’s chanting was crushed under that attack.
「……Just now what!?」 Ikousai raised a shocked voice.
Ikousai who chanted defensive magic even while getting hit by fierce lightning and laser before this, this ti she wasn’t even allowed to carry out any resistance or opposition before her chanting was forcefully interrupted.
「I see……it’s the strange technique that you also used at the end of the previous duel! So that technique destroyed the chanting!」
Ikousai turned around and tried to swing her sword, but Kazuki shut that out with his sword.
It was an offense and defense that was exactly the sa like before.
He circled to her back again with his superior speed.
When she began chanting again, he would strike her with Shin’iki no matter how many tis.
But, at that ti sothing unforeseen happened──Ikousai’s left arm swelled up many tis larger and she circled around with a speed that didn’t lose against Kazuki.
「Secret Technique, Ajirogi(Wickerwork Tree)!」
[*GASHI!*] ……With a terrifying strength, the index finger and middle finger of Ikousai’s left hand caught the blade of the katana that Kazuki swung down.
This kind of stupidly strong power was impossible for human flesh.
「Fufufu, don’t forget that I can do partial possession with Susanoo!」
Ikousai’s left arm beca Susanoo’s left arm! Power, speed, it didn’t lose in any aspect against Kazuki who was using reinforcent magic. No, far from that, A no Murakumo that was held between the two fingers couldn’t move as though it was constricted by a vise……
Ajirogi, it was a legendary ninjutsu to catch a sword between two naked fingers. But, to actually make it possible in reality showed just how terrifying Susanoo’s power was.
Kazuki didn’t actually forget. But actually what was stranger was──how she was able to block a blade that was swung down from behind her so accurately with two fingers. It was like an acrobat.
Kazuki was only reinforced in speed while his strength stayed the sa. That was why he was vigilant, that it would be bad if he got caught.
……However he didn’t even expect sothing like this acrobatic two-fingered blade catching.
「This is because you tried to repeat the sa attack over and over-!」
Ikousai turned around with her left hand still clutching A no Murakumo. Her right hand was finally able to swing Shinkatou!
Kazuki couldn’t dodge without letting go of A no Murakumo!
No other way. He also had Joyeux. The instant Kazuki thought that,
『Wait! That reasoning is strange!!』
A voice resounded inside Kazuki’s head.
It wasn’t telepathy from his comrades. At the sa ti A no Murakumo in his grasp was tinged with heat and vibrated *jiiiin*. This was the voice of A no Murakumo.
『A swordsman letting go of his sword while he is still unable to master it is out of the question! Right now is exactly the ti for you to seek my strength, the ti of liberation!!』
He felt sparks scattering at the back of his mind. And then Kazuki yelled.
「Avoid capture and slice the sky, that should be called as the moving fortress of dicine Wheel.
There was no doubt that this was Arthur’s strongest battle mode where she made full use of her King’s authority. Her last remaining trump card. The many summoned Sacred Treasures were floating in a circle behind Arthur’s back.
However Kazuki parried everything she threw at him.
It didn’t matter whether it was physical attack or magical attack, they were all disturbed, shook off, and erased.
That was all.
「…………Why aren’t you attacking!?」
Arthur yelled.
「You should be able to use mind attack magic too! Are you planning to go easy on !?」
Kazuki looked completely exhausted like a dried twig, he was simply parrying the fierce attacks while replying back.
Not the slightest killing intent was residing in his eyes.
「Arthur will die if another King defeats Arthur.」
That was Arthur’s geass that Gino told him about.
「That’s why I’ll win without defeating Arthur.」
He parried every weapon with Instant Positioning. He parried every magic phenonon with Midashi.
If Arthur chanted magic that affected the whole space that he couldn’t parry, he would step forward with Shin’iki and destroy the chanting. Although Arthur was specialized in Sacred Treasure creation and she didn’t use that kind of magic.
With all the techniques of Hayashizaki-style, he would seal all of King Arthur’s moves.
If he couldn’t do that……Kazuki wouldn’t be able to persist in his way of fighting.
He wouldn’t be able to protect Arthur who was already included among those important to him.
There was no leeway for Kazuki. It was Kazuki who made a cornered expression.
There was nothing Kazuki could do except that.
However for a warrior that was a nightmarish declaration that was extrely cruel and scornful.
Kazuki declared.
「I’ll make Arthur recognize defeat……without attacking even once. I’ll win, by snapping Arthur’s heart as a warrior.」
It was the thought he was hiding in his heart from the mont Gino spoke to him.
However, Kazuki had no confidence that he could do it in reality.
But Kazuki faced Ikousai before he fought Arthur──that changed Kazuki.
Against the strongest swordsman that was his equal as his opponent, they stimulated each other, they learned each other’s movent and sword principle while protecting their body from every single unleashed technique and magic. From repeating that tens, hundreds of tis, his magic power and physical strength were worn away until the limit while in exchange his technique was polished to the extre.
That was a ti that equaled a training of several decades.
Kazuki obtained such a mont just before his promised duel with Arthur.
Winning without defeating──Ikousai dragged up Kazuki until a domain where he could realize that.
「I’m wielding techniques with intention that might kill you here!!」
Arthur yelled as though she was howling.
Disturbance of consciousness, death, from magic intoxication──those were things that was unavoidable in a fight using magic. Arthur disparaged the shallowness of Kazuki’s resolve.
However, even so sothing like a certain death that ca when one was defeated, the weight of such thing was definitely different. Kazuki had already witnessed Lancelot’s death. He had promised that Lancelot about Arthur.
Kazuki felt heat welling up from Joyeux’s handle. Gematria fluttered.
Kazuki was suddenly made to notice. Kazuki was pressed with need in the middle of his fight against Ikousai, and then he wielded Joyeux with his left hand in a two sword style. And then he displayed precise sword handling that wasn’t inferior compared to when he held one sword with two hands, and he imdiately beca able to also use with just his left hand even though he only realized the technique using two hands a short ti before.
He thought that it was because of his desperation where he couldn’t afford to lose, like soone who exerted desperate strength when trapped in the middle of fire but……this Joyeux, Lancelot who was residing in it might be lending him a hand.
Wielding precise swordsmanship with perfect control even while changing violently blazing emotion into strength……that was the strength Lancelot showed with Joyeux in hand. Gematria was drawing out that trait from Joyeux.
The domain he was currently standing at wasn’t a domain that he reached only because of his own effort and coincidence.
All the people who wished for his victory were pushing him up until the domain where he was standing right now. In that case, as expected, he must not doubt his own path.
──Arthur was single-mindedly attacking fiercely.
Kazuki’s absolute defense was also like dancing on a thin ice. If even the slightest stiffening or hesitation occurred in his body handling or muscle operation, his gears would imdiately go out of order and it would allow Arthur’s breakthrough.
With his current magic power amount, if he got swallowed into Arthur’s consecutive attacks then most likely the result would go beyond magic intoxication and end up with instant death. That was how much power that Arthur was wielding.
While understanding that, Arthur didn’t go easy at the slightest. She constantly showered the pressure of death on the teenage youth. That was the only path to victory that she could find.
──However in front of her there wasn’t any ripple in the dance of Kazuki who fluttered his Gematria. There was no emotion like anxiety or hesitation that could be peeked from him, as though he was fighting while being encouraged by the voiceless voice of his comrades.
His exhausted limbs looked like the sacred dance of a shrine maiden that was possessed by a god.
Suddenly, an image lightly floated behind Kazuki.
It was Legeton. She wasn’t lending Kazuki strength anymore, she was attentively watching Kazuki fighting with a smile.
Like she was a mother who was watching over her son.
……Like a shrine maiden that was possessed by god, even such taphor felt outrageous.
This youth was fighting without relying at all on god’s strength anymore.
What was residing in his body was──the very dignity of humanity itself.
And yet no wavering emotion could be seen from him at all. She didn’t feel humanity from him.
He was a monster. It was Arthur instead that felt fear of him.
She was facing sothing that wasn’t human, yet personified humanity the most……
She was shouldering a country and challenged the battle with pride as a King. She resolved her heart facing this final battle. And yet it was her whose heart was shaken, why was that she wondered.
She wondered just what in the world was the difference between them.
When she noticed the simple fact, Arthur stopped her countless weapons.
──He was fighting with his own strength.
Those who were defeated by him, everyone similarly thought ‘If it’s him then……’ and beca his ally, the reason for this must be that. This Arthur Basilleus was also a human.
When she looked at him, she couldn’t help but be reminded of that……
「As I thought the one who is worthy for victory……isn’t .」
Arthur recognized it with a fragile voice. The countless Sacred Treasures also disappeared along with her voice.
……Kazuki stayed wordless while losing all his strength. His knees staggered as though the string of tension was cut off and he fell forward, his face landing softly on Arthur’s chest.
「Oops…… O, oi! Don’t bury your face on my chest!」
Even Kazuki who displayed miraculous blade handling unwaveringly like that was just barely at his limit, even more than Arthur’s imagination.
Arthur breathed a sigh while her arms moved around the collapsing Kazuki in an embrace.
「I have lived all this ti as King as much as possible. But because of you, from here on I’m just a woman. ……Fuh. I wonder if I’m also conquered by you?」
Arthur recognized her defeat. Without getting defeated.
Kazuki thought, that she recognized his fight.
Kazuki recalled that when they first t, Arthur showed him their difference of status and conduct as King, and he learned from that.
「Thank you, Arthur.」
Kazuki was completely exhausted and his face was buried on Arthur’s breasts. Arthur’s hand gently scooped his hair and she caressed his head. She looked like a normal big sister, not a King.
And then, there was no more opponents that had to be fought on Atlantis.
From the sky, rainbow colored light descended down beside the exhausted Kazuki.
『……Looks like we are called.』
The images of Clark, Hrotsvit, and the others who watched over the battle were slowly fading. Their presence was becoming distant. Gematria couldn’t sense them anymore.
The light descending from the sky was increasing in density, and before long it beca a shining bright stair that possessed substance. A stair to heaven. The Stairway to Heaven.
……Kazuki didn’t know if this was the comndation for him, but Basileus Basileon must be ahead of this.
「The winner, the sole King, co up.」
Basileon’s disgusting voice ca from the heaven, exactly as he thought.
Atlantis that was continuously moving in the sky stopped, and it slowly began to descend.
Atlantis was losing power.
It looked like the power of illusion was gathered in one place.
To ahead of this stairway, at the place where Basileon was waiting.
「It seems I’m also losing the power of a King.」
Arthur who was supporting Kazuki’s exhausted body said so and she let go of him. She softly pushed on his back.
「You go ahead.」 Arthur said that as the last one defeated.
Kazuki exerted his last strength.
……The problem was that, what Kazuki wished for, Kazuki’s conclusion, they weren’t sothing desirable for the administrator of this joke battle.
Kazuki squeezed out his willpower and headed to the last battle.
Every ti Kazuki climbed up a step, the step below him vanished──he was separated from the descending Atlantis along with his comrades.
It appeared he would face him alone.
The King of Bonds felt a slight helplessness.
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