𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥
“Sword Saint… Valkyrias… I remember. They’re the names of those who took my right eye.”
ㅤ
Beneath Fezard’s dislodged eyepatch.
There was. . . . . .a right eye covered in massive scars.
Not old scars.
Rather, unhealed wounds that looked like they were inflicted just now.
He had an idea why this was the case.
ㅤ
“Is it a wound from the Holy Sword?”
“Yes. Back when I invaded your kingdom alongside the Demon King, it was inflicted upon me by two Sword Saints who wielded the Holy Sword, at the cost of their lives.”
ㅤ
Indeed.
I’ve heard that in desperate times, when there’s no hero, Sword Saints can wield the Holy Sword at the cost of their lives.
And the true power of the Holy Sword has a healing prevention effect.
In the previous world, it was a power that left wounds on the Demon King that took decades to heal.
Judging from Fezard’s tone, her right eye was taken by that power of the Holy Sword. . . . . .
ㅤ
“I see. So you’re the enemy of Sievert and Asuka. . . . . .my son and his wife.”
ㅤ
Giritto, Ruberto-san’s sword was tightly gripped.
There it was.
There was a fate between these two.
ㅤ
“They were strong. It’s not my place to say, but I respect them.”
“I never thought I’d hear such words from a demon. Then, I will take up the fight of my strong children.”
ㅤ
A surge of fighting spirit erupts from Ruberto-san.
He’s prepared to kill the enemy before him, even if it costs him his life.
His incredible fighting spirit is palpable.
ㅤ
“Demon King’s Army Four Heavenly Kings leader, 『Wind』 of the Four Heavenly Kings, Fezard.”
“Sirius Kingdom’s elite knight squad leader, Sword Saint Ruberto Valkyrias.”
“”Let’s go!””
ㅤ
Fezard and Ruberto-san clashed.
ㅤ
“『Seven Star Sword』!”
ㅤ
Fezard struck first with her superior speed.
Six magic swords held in her tentacles, and dual wind blades wielded at godly speed.
All seven slashes attacked Ruberto-san simultaneously.
ㅤ
The display of simultaneous attacks from all elemental attributes except darkness was like the swordsmanship version of Auntie Elle’s “Judgment of all Attributes.”
Auntie Elle’s power may surpass her, but Fezard’s speed is much greater.
The only relief is that the speed of the tentacle magic swords is slower than her wind blades, but still faster than an average Holy Warrior’s attack.
ㅤ
It’s hopeless.
Even my specialized defense swordsmanship, using two-sword style’s “Distortion Chain,” would barely manage.
Stella might break through with physical abilities and magic, but Blade and Imina-san would be minced in an instant.
Against such a torrent of hopeless sword attacks, Ruberto-san. . . . . .
ㅤ
“『Instant Deflection』!”
ㅤ
Charging head-on, he effortlessly parried all the attacks.
With the speed of Instant Slash, he swung his defensive sword, deflecting Fezard’s slashes.
It’s not like he’s blocking everything perfectly.
Numerous slashes from the magic sword grazed Ruberto-san’s body, inflicting various wounds like burns, frostbite, and lacerations.
However, whether it’s due to his battle-hardened experience, he never receives a fatal blow.
ㅤ
And yet, despite the injuries, he remains unyielding.
With the physical capabilities of a Sword Saint that I don’t possess, he deflects all the attacks without dodging.
Because if he dodges, the attacks will hit me.
Damn it!
Being a hindrance is frustrating!
ㅤ
“『Gap Wind』!”
ㅤ
Perhaps realizing that breaking through solely with a barrage of slashes is difficult, Fezard, like when she was fighting me, closed the distance and unleashed her attack.
In an instant, she bundled her six tentacles back into wings, achieving super-fast slashing using the propulsion from the flapping.
Apparently, she can switch between wing and tentacle modes instantaneously.
What kind of technique is this?!
ㅤ
“What?!”
ㅤ
However, Ruberto-san dealt with it.
He caught Fezard’s swinging blade with his own sword and pinned it to the ground.
Immediately shoulder-checking her, he blew Fezard away.
Advancing further to attack, but Fezard, having been blown away, parried with her now uncontrolled blade, resulting in a clash of swords.
ㅤ
“How many swordsmen do you think I’ve seen? A bizarre technique like yours may be quick, but it won’t easily outpace me!”
“. . . . . .This is a formidable enemy.”
ㅤ
And so, the two resumed their sword fight.
The aged Ruberto-san is holding his own one-on-one against one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
It’s nothing short of amazing.
ㅤ
However, this is by no means an evenly matched fight.
Ruberto-san is just barely clinging on, using all his sword strikes for defense and diversion.
As evidence, he hasn’t inflicted any damage on Fezard.
In contrast, Fezard’s unblockable attacks are steadily wearing down Ruberto-san.
ㅤ
It’s not just the wounds that are increasing; his stamina and spirit are also being rapidly drained.
Continuous use of Instant Slash-level attacks.
Letting his guard down for even a moment could be fatal.
It’s an extreme situation that his old body can hardly endure.
As evidence, despite only a few minutes of combat, Ruberto-san is starting to breathe heavily.
He won’t last much longer.
ㅤ
That’s why I focused on healing myself.
I ran to my right arm, which was slashed off right after their fight started, and took out a fire-starting magical tool shaped like a small wand from my Magic bag and activated it.
I attempted to thaw the frozen stump of my right arm.
ㅤ
I won’t waste the precious time that Ruberto-san is desperately buying for us.
The only real chance we have of winning is if I finish my healing and we take on Fezard two against one.
I don’t expect my right arm to fully recover, but even a slight improvement is much better than fighting one-armed.
If Ruberto-san can help, we might be able to defeat Fezard. . . . . . maybe.
Anyway, to increase our slim odds of victory, I need to finish healing quickly!
ㅤ
“Damn it. . . . . .! Is it done yet?!”
ㅤ
I’m getting impatient with the ice that refuses to melt.
I’m even willing to burn myself if that’ll get it to stick back on. I’m using the magical tool at its maximum firepower, but it’s still just a fire-starter.
Melting the ice from the magic sword takes time.
ㅤ
And of course, Fezard isn’t going to ignore me either.
ㅤ
“I haven’t forgotten about you! 『Wind Demon Slash』!”
“Huh?!”
ㅤ
Somehow, with the Distortion technique using left arm’s Onryomaru, I managed to deflect the attack from Fezard, who had shaken off the exhausted Ruberto-san with her winged high-speed movement.
Kurotenmaru, which I had grabbed and sliced off, is what’s holding my right arm in place. My mouth is holding the fire magic tool in place.
I can swing Onryomaru with my left arm.
ㅤ
However, in my current restricted condition, I can only defend against a limited number of attacks.
Any more than that, and I’ll have to discard my right arm and Kurotenmaru to cope.
Doing so would significantly reduce my chances of winning.
I’m prepared to continue fighting with one arm, but I still want to maintain a minimum winning rate.
ㅤ
“What are you looking at!”
“Tch!”
ㅤ
Ruberto-san interfered by slashing at Fezard, who was about to launch a follow-up attack.
From then on, not a single attack reached me.
Ruberto-san, summoning all his energy in a desperate struggle, ensured that not one attack got through to me.
I feel indebted!
And thankful!
Thanks to Ruberto-san’s efforts, the ice on my wound finally melted.
ㅤ
“By the fragment of divine power of healing, save this injured lamb.! ━━『Healing』! By the fragment of divine power of healing, save this injured lamb.! ━━『Healing』!”
ㅤ
I layered my available Healing Magic on top of that.
Of course, you can’t expect much recovery from such basic magic.
However, even basic magic is still magic.
I managed to slightly reattach the surface of my arm, which couldn’t be helped by just a Recovery potion.
ㅤ
Doing so allows the effects of the Recovery potion to reach even the parts that should have been torn apart.
I took out several of the highest-grade Recovery potions, which are supplied to the Hero’s Party from my Magic bag, and splashed them liberally onto my right arm.
The wounds began to close rapidly.
The right arm, which felt like it could tear off if pulled a little, is gradually being repaired—bones connecting, nerves connecting, muscles connecting.
By the time I used up all the Recovery potions, although far from fully healed, I was able to treat my right arm enough to withstand combat.
ㅤ
After confirming that, I activated my storm leg armor, intervened between the two fighting individuals, and returned to the battlefront.
ㅤ
“Sorry for the wait!”
“Hmm! Now, this is where the real battle begins!”
“Grr. . . . . .!”
ㅤ
Fezard, who had reluctantly allowed my return, scowled, and we both charged in alongside Ruberto-san.
Finally, we realized a two-on-one assault.
With this, we’ll break through!
. . . . . .However, despite her bitter expression, Fezard didn’t falter even when we both attacked.
ㅤ
“Haa!”
“Huh?!”
“Hmm?!”
ㅤ
Fezard intensified her offense.
Seven types of slashes emitted from her seven swords.
Not just attributes but also shape, speed, and the way she swings differ.
If those differ, the optimal way to deflect them changes.
It feels like I’m fighting against seven master swordsmen of completely different types at the same time.
On top of that, her coordination is perfect.
ㅤ
“Damn!”
ㅤ
Strong!
We’re being pushed back even when it’s two against one.
The difficulty of not being able to fully move my right arm is also painful.
Still, the number of times I was hit has definitely decreased compared to when I was alone.
ㅤ
Then move forward!
Step out!
This is Fezard’s range.
The conclusion is the same as before.
We won’t stand a chance unless we close the distance!
ㅤ
“Hmph!”
ㅤ
But every time I think I’ve got the upper hand, she always seems to be one step ahead of me.
Fezard’s tentacles switched to wing mode.
Moving at high speeds, left to right, up and down.
While moving, she keeps rapidly switching between wing mode and tentacle mode, unleashing a storm of slashes from every direction.
ㅤ
“Guh, oh?!”
ㅤ
I can’t block them all.
It’s not easy to get close when she moves like this.
If my right arm were in better condition, maybe I could have done something, but Fezard outmaneuvered me there.
ㅤ
I can’t see any way to break through.
It’s like a stormy night, I can’t see the light.
As I remain unable to see the light, my wounds continue to multiply.
ㅤ
I’m getting whittled down.
I’m breaking.
I’m crumbling.
I’m being cornered.
But that’s exactly why—my movements became more refined.
ㅤ
I read Fezard’s movements.
Right, right, left, up, down, left.
This is it!
ㅤ
“『Flowing Blade・Dark Moon』!”
ㅤ
I deflected her wind blade and the moment I entered her blind spot—where her right eye used to be—I unleashed a counterattack with black flames.
But Fezard dodged it as if she saw it coming.
ㅤ
“Futile! My missing right eye is my pride! Know that it’s not a blind spot!”
ㅤ
From what I’ve seen, she’s right.
The blind spot from her right eye isn’t a weakness.
Actually, she moves as if she has eyes on the back of her head.
There might be no blind spots at all.
ㅤ
But even if it was dodged, I was able to release a counter through the storm of slashes.
That’s definitely different from a moment ago when I had no such leeway.
ㅤ
“Huh?!”
ㅤ
Fezard’s umpteenth direct attack.
This time, I parried it with just my left arm. I could do that.
I deflected her attack with a perfectly timed Distortion and my sword left a scratch on Fezard’s body.
It’s just a scratch.
But it’s the first time I’ve managed to damage Fezard since my right arm got injured.
ㅤ
“『Wind Demon’s Blade』!”
ㅤ
This time, Fezard, who overtook me with a passing attack, released a wind blade from behind.
ㅤ
“『Distortion』.”
ㅤ
Without turning around, I deflected it with Kurotenmaru, held in my less-than-perfect right arm.
I knew without looking.
I knew what kind of attack Fezard would launch, and how to block it.
I’ve always been able to swing my sword even within the rotating view of Flowing Blade, practicing the swordsmanship that doesn’t rely on vision, but the technique I used now was more precise than ever before.
My skills are evolving.
ㅤ
Difficulty, adversity, and formidable opponents are what make people grow the most.
Struggling to overcome difficulties, honing your strength to break through adversity, and becoming stronger to defeat formidable opponents.
When driven by necessity, people evolve by the skin of their teeth.
I have always, always become stronger this way.
My survival instincts are sharpening.
My body is breaking its limits to survive.
The inefficiencies in my movements are being cut away.
Breaking. Crumbling.
The thick, hard wall that has been hindering my growth is.
ㅤ
“『Seven Star Sword』!”
“『Distortion Chain』. . . . . .ugh.”
ㅤ
But even then, I still can’t reach Fezard.
I deflected her downpour of seven different slashes in the direction I wanted, and although I countered her attacks, the ones I couldn’t completely block damaged me.
I haven’t been hit directly even once so far, but even a graze deals significant damage to my frail body.
ㅤ
The pressure has piled up to the breaking point.
The initial injuries from the skirmish were treated alongside my right arm, but too much blood was lost.
My vision is blurring.
My head feels dizzy.
Even a scrape at this point could be life-threatening.
ㅤ
Still, my body moved.
As my vision got fuzzier and my mind became less responsive, my senses began to sharpen.
But I am truly on the brink.
My instincts tell me so.
The acute sense of approaching death, honed through countless near-death experiences and even an actual experience of death, was reacting.
As things stand, I will die before my blade can reach Fezard.
ㅤ
“Aaaaaaaaah!!!”
ㅤ
The fatal fate I could never have dodged alone.
The one who forcefully carved out a path of survival was Ruberto-san.
Pushing his battered body to move, reading Fezard’s movements, in the moment the wing mode switched to tentacle mode.
Aiming for the only moment that couldn’t be dodged with high-speed movement, he charged in, taking multiple slashes on herself.
He unleashed Instant Slash.
ㅤ
“Nuuu!”
ㅤ
Fezard parried it with her blade.
But she was overpowered by Ruberto-san.
Despite various tricks to enhance her speed, her physical abilities aren’t that high.
Naturally, she was weaker than Ruberto-san in brute strength.
ㅤ
However, getting overpowered must have been within her calculations.
Fezard used the force of being blown away, much like my Rapid Current, to create distance.
Then, while maintaining distance, she swung her six tentacles.
Six slashes other than the blades that couldn’t be swung immediately after the parry attacked Ruberto-san, who had pushed himself too hard to create an opening.
ㅤ
Before that happened, I was able to insert myself between the two, positioning myself to shield Ruberto-san from the attack.
Thanks to Ruberto-san landing a hit on Fezard and stopping her flurry of slashes, I was able to make it in time.
ㅤ
The distance to Fezard is close.
She can’t convert her attacks into movement speed as effectively as my Rapid Current, so even though she has created some distance, a single step from my Storm Leg Armor would close the gap.
In other words, if I can perfectly fend off this attack, I can finally return to the close-range fight where we were evenly matched.
ㅤ
I focused.
Surprisingly, nothing but the slashes in front of me entered my mind.
Unnecessary information was entirely blocked out.
ㅤ
Colors vanished from the scenery I was looking at.
I couldn’t hear sounds.
I couldn’t smell anything.
I couldn’t even feel pain.
Neither the heat of the magic sword’s flames, nor the sounds of water splashing, nor the rumbling of the earth, nor the thunder, nor the cold air, nor the blinding light could be felt.
No, it’s not that I couldn’t feel them.
I could only recognize them as necessary information.
And all other information was blocked out.
The remaining senses were honed to a fine point as the unnecessary elements were eliminated.
My supposedly dizzy head cleared up, and the flow of time felt incredibly slow.
ㅤ
It was quiet.
At least, that’s how I felt.
No colors, no sounds, no smells, no pain.
All that remained was the necessary information that my senses automatically captured.
My body autonomously chose the best movements from my experience, and my uncluttered mind corrected any minor mistakes.
ㅤ
A quiet world.
An eerily quiet world.
And an incredibly familiar world.
ㅤ
Yes.
I know this sensation. I remember it.
This was the sense I reached in the previous world—during my former peak.
ㅤ
“Fifth Strike━━『Calamity Return』.”
ㅤ
The moment I recognized it.
I had deflected all six slashes with Calamity Return.
Fezard’s six tentacles were sliced apart by six types of slashes.
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