Full power. All out.
I pour everything I have into this, unleashing every ounce of strength I can muster without holding back in the slightest.
And since I will end the moment I am struck, the only choice left is to keep attacking without pause. Yet Hayato calmly parries each blow, searching for openings, breaking my posture, and turning the tide to strike back at me.
In those moments, I have no choice but to devote myself entirely to evasion with all my might.
A single hit means certain obliteration. The difficulty is on par with clearing that one notoriously lethal game on the very first attempt.
「『Holy Sword of Light (Excalibur)』」
The sword of light that Hayato swings down tears into the highway and fells trees in a single sweep.
He is giving everything too.
A stinging tension. Piercing fear.
And at the same time, my heart leaps with exhilaration at facing Hayato in true, earnest combat.
Incredible. He really is incredible.
Stronger than anyone.
My skin prickles more intensely than it did when I first stood before Rare Gaia.
I feel the overwhelming gap between us so keenly that not even a shred of overconfidence remains.
If I am off by even a fraction of a millimeter, I will not simply be minced, I might be erased entirely.
「Kuh……」
「Haaaaa!」
Even as pain twists my face, you do not let up.
That is exactly the you I acknowledge.
But I am not someone who will simply take it lying down.
「……this……」
「『Invisible Jail』」
「Such a thin wall…… I can break it in an instant……wait, multiple layers? Something like this…… is nothing more than a delay tactic!」
「Exactly. A delay tactic. Look, my attack is coming…… from above.」
「Cold! Rain……? No, this is……!」
A torrent pours down onto Hayato with a thunderous roar.
It is not ordinary water.
It is hot spring water.
From earlier, I had been secretly storing the hot water I normally channel into the springs high in the sky using Output.
And now I release it all at once, letting it cascade down to submerge Hayato inside the cage of Invisible Jail that seals him on all four sides.
「Glug……」
「Did you know? Compared to air, the resistance of water is roughly twenty times greater. And when one’s status grows higher, does the time one can hold one’s breath increase as well, I wonder?」
The weak point in status.
Lung capacity is not tied to any stat, is it?
I spin leisurely once to show my composure, then halt abruptly and level my blade toward Hayato.
The resistance is tremendous. He cannot build the speed needed to swing even the Holy Sword of Light downward.
Just black out already.
And thanks to the nature of Invisible Jail, my attacks can still pass through from outside.
Now then, let me paralyze you without reservation!
「……!」
「Tch. How are you dodging even this?」
「Glug glug glug……」
「But is that wise? The more violently you breathe, the more it will only make you suffer. This ends here――」
With a tremendous boom――an aura of light erupts upward from Hayato, and in the same instant every layer of Invisible Jail shatters. The hot spring water gushes out in all directions.
「……Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.」
「Gohoh, gehoh…… That was impressive, Itsuki-san. For a moment, you actually made me panic.」
「Don’t praise me. You’ll make me happy. If anyone deserves it, it’s you for enduring that.」
Damn it. That was my one-shot trump card.
And he broke it like it was nothing.
「It’s a power I gained right after defeating the Demon King the other day. By cloaking myself in the light of 『Holy Sword of Light (Excalibur)』, I can dramatically raise my physical abilities. Without this…… well, even without it I probably could have punched a hole in the ground and managed somehow.」
He says it so casually, like it’s nothing.
Something similar to Shiro’s Cloak of Black Shadow, huh.
Which means every speed I’ve seen from him until now is completely meaningless……!
Pain shoots through my leg. No, before I can even register the pain, my body is already lifted off the ground, tilted sideways in mid-air…… a kick! I raise my guard――
「Gah…… haa」
「I might not have mentioned it, but I also possess hand-to-hand combat skills, not just swordsmanship.」
A leg sweep, followed by a roundhouse kick straight to my center…… shit, direct hit.
The agony forces my eyes shut. I roll across the ground trying to ride out the pain, but it refuses to fade.
Worst of all, the poison is still in my system. I cannot drink a recovery potion yet.
This is bad. If things keep going like this……
No choice.
You can call it dirty if you want.
I already told him I would use everything I have.
「This ends now……」
「Gu…… Come forth! Cassandra!!」
「Yeees.」
Rising from the earth appears Cassandra in her humanoid form.
Thanks to the earth-attribute magic power balls I scattered earlier, she already knew exactly where I was, right?
We never planned this in detail, but I knew she would come.
「……No way. An earth dragon!?」
Cassandra bursts from the ground below and reaches out to seize Hayato’s ankle.
Yet even while floating in the air, Hayato twists his body with inhuman grace and evades completely.
「Eh? He dodged? Well now. I am Cassandra, chief of the earth dragons. You…… are this generation’s hero, aren’t you? Normally I would have no business with you, but…… let’s just say I would appreciate it if you didn’t do anything too terrible to my sworn ally.」
「Haha, hahahahaha! You actually became friends with an earth dragon!? That’s incredible. Truly incredible!」
Thanks.
Sorry, Cassandra. Hold him off until I can recover a little…….
「I figured since Shiro is watching, it would be one-on-one…… but you called me anyway. Sorry for interrupting. In exchange, I’ll take him on one-on-one myself.」
「That wasn’t exactly decided. Itsuki-san is the kind of person who would throw away all shame and reputation if it’s for his lover, so I don’t mind. Your bond with him is part of everything that makes him who he is, right? Besides…… do you really think you can handle me?」
「You’ve got some nerve…… Even if you’re a hero close to the brave one, you shouldn’t get cocky. A mere human. Should I tear you apart and devour you?」
「I’ve already hunted several dragons. I know how delicious the meat can be.」
「Hahahahaha. Nice. My sworn ally is in tatters right now, so honestly, I’m a little angry. I can go all out without holding back. It’s fine even if I end up killing you, isn’t it?」
Ah…… that…… is bad…….
「I need to defeat Itsuki-san quickly too…… so let’s finish this fast, shall we!」
Cassandra trades blows bare-handed while Hayato counters with the Holy Sword of Light.
When she fought Sicilia, not a single scratch appeared on her…… but now Cassandra’s skin is tearing in places, and wounds are appearing here and there.
A flurry of sword strikes and fists…….
From the difference in motion, fists should have the advantage in sheer number of attacks, yet Hayato matches her with speed so blinding it almost leaves afterimages.
「Whoa, this is completely unexpected…… The hero of this era is this strong, huh. My sworn ally really fought well to last this long.」
「This was unexpected for me too. Truly…… Itsuki-san is amazing, isn’t he?」
「Hm? Oh, my sworn ally is amazing, yeah. You’re strong, but my sworn ally is far more interesting.」
Even as they chat leisurely, neither stops moving. They exchange a storm of blows too fast for the eye to follow.
But the moment she senses she’s at a disadvantage, Cassandra stomps the ground hard. The surrounding earth transforms into countless needle-like spikes that shoot toward Hayato from every direction.
Likely magic. Hayato leaps into the air to evade, then forces both of Cassandra’s arms up in a guard and slams down a devastating blow that drives her straight into the earth.
Just like he did to me earlier, the instant he lands, he unleashes a spinning kick straight into her gut. Cassandra is sent flying right toward me.
「Kuh……!」
「Cassandra!」
This is bad if it keeps going like this.
The pain…… has subsided enough for now.
All right…… my turn.
「You’re really used to fighting, huh…… Sorry, my sworn ally. Isn’t that thing a little too strong……?」
「Right? But you saved me. Thanks. Rest up now.」
「I could still go on, but…… are you sure you’re okay?」
「Yeah. Leave it to me.」
「Got it…… Don’t lose, okay?」
I won’t lose.
Not ever.
Just a little more…….
「……You’re still going to fight?」
「Obviously.」
「Do you actually have any chance of beating me? Do you have more tricks like the one you used on the earth dragon just now?」
「Well…… maybe five or so left…… but after that, it’s just sheer guts.」
「Guts…… I never thought I’d hear that from you, Itsuki-san. You hate that kind of gritty, stubborn stuff, don’t you?」
「I despise it. Fighting hurts, pain sucks, and all that talk about guts is a joke. But…… giving up on Wendy? That’s something I’d never do, even in death. So I have no intention of losing. As long as I don’t lose, you can’t win. Got it?」
「Not winning, but not losing…… huh. This is going to be quite the ordeal.」
「Same goes for both of us. Though for me it’s literal on the physical side too!」
I ready my weapons once more.
Like a ritual, I move slowly and deliberately, making large, clear motions.
I hold the yin-yang blade upright in my right hand and grip the Mana Eater horizontally in my left.
……There. Preparations complete.
I keep Vector Accel deployed fully in front, carving a path straight toward Hayato.
Then…… I let both the Yin-yang blade and Mana Eater drop to the ground as I step onto the surface of Vector Accel itself.
「Fists…… fine by me.」
Perhaps sensing my intent, Hayato hurls the Holy Sword of Light skyward and shifts into a boxing stance to meet me head-on.
Yeah, I knew you’d do that.
When men go all out for real, it always comes down to fists in the end.
I accelerate, charging straight toward Hayato in a single line.
I swing my cocked fist straight toward the side of his face.
Hayato pulls his own fist back in perfect timing, then drives it downward to meet my face――
「……Kaha」
「……It’s over.」
The counter lands perfectly.
My body collapses forward as if folding in on itself. The ground rushes up to meet me, but I can’t even take a proper fall.
「……My victory.」
「……Maybe.」
I can’t move a single finger.
My mouth is filled with the taste of blood.
Probably one of my back teeth is broken; I think I can feel something gritty crunching inside.
A sharp clack echoes as I somehow twist my body around. It is the sound of Hayato catching the sword he had thrown high into the air.
He levels the blade at my throat.
「……It’s over. Give up.」
「……Guess I have no choice.」
「Yes. No choice at all.」
「No choice, huh…… Fine. Let’s call it a draw.」
「A draw……? No matter how you look at it, this is your loss, Itsuki-san.」
「Nah. It’s a draw. ……Shiro.」
「Hmm. Leave it to me. 『Cloak of Black Shadow, Fourth Cloak: Dull Serpent』」
Shiro is enveloped in a dull gray aura. From the base of her knives extend slender, twin-headed serpent-like forms that split further at the tips.
And then…… they race at blinding speed straight into the forest.
Shiro’s new technique.
『Cloak of Black Shadow, Fourth Cloak: Dull Serpent』
An ability specialized in restraint. While her physical functions remain unchanged, the aura-like substance can now physically interfere with the world.
The aura behaves like smoke. It can separate and recombine freely. When it strikes an obstacle, it splits in two, passes around, then rejoins on the other side, ignoring barriers entirely.
It threads between trees, advancing in a straight line toward its target before coiling around the enemy like a serpent to bind and capture them.
「I already know the location. Lord showed it to me……. I will strangle them before they can do anything.」
「「「「「Guu!!」」」」」
The five black-clad figures Shiro seizes.
Oboro and the others who had been watching Hayato are instantly constricted and rendered powerless.
With this…… no one remains to track our movements.
「That’s…… Oboro? They should have been using stealth skills to hide their presence completely. How did you pinpoint them……?」
「By using 『Area Pointing』. I told her the sword tip during my stance would indicate the direction.」
The number came from that earlier comment, five ways left to beat you.
I had already instructed Shiro to watch my words and actions closely, so I figured she would catch on.
At the very last moment like this, you really think I’d have that many tricks left?
「……With that, everyone watching you is taken care of. Even if you betrayed us, no one is left to report it. There’s no reason left to fight. That makes it a draw. So how about this, we each save the other’s lover? I can open a direct route for you right now.」
「Wha…… The castle has a barrier…… Ah, wait, could it be Aina-san and the others?」
「Exactly. Nothing binds you anymore. Hurry up and go save Letty. If too much time passes…… you might sense something wrong and be unable to help her.」
「……You planned all this while fighting me…… Itsuki-san…… tha――」
「It’s a draw, remember? No need to thank me.」
All right. Time to send them the signal.
I shatter the Invisible Jail I had stretched along their backs. That serves as the sign.
That was really tough…… Fighting while making sure not to release the one on their side was incredibly difficult.
I endured the pain without ever letting it go, so honestly, that was practically a handicap.
So yeah. In reality, this is my win.
The moment the barrier breaks, I use Area Pointing to locate Letty and my Wendy, then instantly open two Point Gates.
「Hurry up and go. Letty’s prince.」
「……Yes.」
「Mii is coming too nano desu!」
「Mii…… Sorry…… It’s all because I’m so useless……」
「It’s fine nano desu…… In the end, the one who saves Hayato-sama is onii-san after all nano desu…… Thank you nano desu!」
Hayato swallows whatever words he was about to say, while Mii bows deeply to me. The two of them vanish into the gate.
「Gu…… We should go too……」
「Lord, are you okay?」
「Yeah…… Somehow…… Just barely.」
Really just barely.
If he had followed through with that punch, I’d be dead.
In the end, I had to rely on his kindness after all…….
「……You pushed yourself way too far.」
「Sorry. I got too heated…… I wish I could have let you know more naturally and sooner……」
「Geez…… lord, what about these guys?」
「Leave them. They won’t be able to do anything until the final phase anyway.」
「Hmm. I’ll tighten the bindings again.」
With another small groan, Shiro cinches the ropes even tighter and leaves them there.
Hands bound behind their backs, wrists and thumbs locked securely.
「Aniki……」
「Hm? What’s up? Oh yeah, you were gonna say something to Hayato, right?」
「You know…… Aniki really is badass.」
「Hmm? Yeah. Shiro, Makoto, once we’re inside, take control immediately.」
「Hmm!」「Yes-ssu!」
All right then. Let’s go.
Wendy, I’m coming to save you right now……
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