Chapter 8 Part 45
Translator : PolterGlast
The waves of
destruction from the battle mercilessly hit the [City Isolation Barrier]s that
protected Mars and the others.
The dispersed magic
power chipped away at the elements that formed the barrier, and rubble and
debris, along with the magic power that could not be blocked, flew in through
the gaps in the thinning barrier.
"Oraaa!"
While breaking out in
a cold sweat at the creaking [City Isolation Barrier]s, Mars blew away the
magic and debris that had come through the barriers.
His forehead was covered
with beads of sweat.
A number of holes have
already appeared in the barriers, and their number has been gradually
increasing. Even the [City Isolation Barrier]s, with their superior ability to
reconstruct themselves, were not enough to contain the aftermath of the battle
between the two combatants.
But even this would be
better.
Even though it was
gradually being destroyed, the barriers protecting Mars and the others still
remained in shape because of the presence of Nozomu between them and Vitora.
If not, the barriers
protecting Irisdina and the others would have already been destroyed by a
barrage of [Thin Garments of the Ice Demon].
Nevertheless, the
limit is near. The speed of destruction is gradually surpassing the
regenerative capacity of the barrier.
"Seriously,
what's wrong with that vampire!? Something is obviously not right!"
"I can't see her
limit. So this is a real monster, huh..."
Irisdina clenched her
fists in frustration as she stared at Nozomu fighting Vitora.
She has no way to
fight now.
She had been sealed
from her own power by Nozomu's [Soul-Sealing Chains], along with the Vitora's
magic power that was eroding her body.
Even if she were able
to fight, she would not have been able to do anything.
"It's
frustrating. I am so frustrated that I can't do anything at a time like this.
In the end, I am completely relying on him..."
A weak voice that she
unintentionally uttered. The words she let out slowly and steadily bound her
heart.
At that moment, with a
loud roar, the [City Isolation Barrier] that protected them shook.
The barriers, which
had been shattered and repaired repeatedly, began to crack here and there, and
the strength of the barriers fell at once.
"Kyaaa!"
"Damn it, I'm at
my limit!"
Screams and cries of
frustration were heard.
At that moment,
countless bats flew in through the gap of the barriers.
"Excuse me,
everyone."
The one who jumped in
was Rugato, who had just fought with Mars.
In an instant, he
transformed from bats to a humanoid, and quickly drew a circle with his fingers
to fill in the gaps in the [City Isolation Barrier] with his barrier magic.
"Bastard, what
are you playing at? No, you've saved us, but..."
Rugato, having closed
the hole in the tattered [City Isolation Barrier], turned around to face
Irisdina and the others.
"I do not want to
cause my Lord any unnecessary concern, because that is my mission."
Vitora was truly
enjoying her fight with Nozomu. Looking at her, it would be easy to guess why
Rugato helped Mars and the others.
"It's a shame...
Are we a hindrance?"
"I am sincerely
sorry to have to tell you this, but ..."
"No need to make
it vague. It's frustrating, but even as I am now, I ain't gonna interrupt that
fight..."
If anything were to
happen to Mars and the others, it would cause unnecessary feelings to be mixed
up with the fight. Even for Vitora, who enjoys fighting, this would not be
good.
Mars honestly
acknowledged Rugato's words with a sigh.
"Rugato-san, was
it? There is one question I would like to ask you."
"What is it? Elf
young lady"
In the midst of all
this, Shina asked Rugato.
"She is... What
exactly is your Master?"
"What? What do
you mean by that?"
"No matter how
good a vampire she is with her individual abilities, her power is still too
abnormal. She has completely surpassed even a juvenile dragon, nevertheless, it
is still a dragon, the king of spirits."
Regardless of the
difference in magical power and elements, Vitora's power completely surpassed
that of the young dragon Azel, whom Shina had fought before. Vitora's powers
are not the kind of power that can be contained in a humanoid creature.
Therefore, Vitora,
like Nozomu, has some secrets. It was natural to think so.
"If Nozomu-sama
has the qualifications, we'll find out soon enough."
"Qualifications?"
"You see, please
take a look..."
Rugato pointed to
where the balance of the battle between the two had finally begun to crumble.
=============================
A continuous arm
strike.
Vitora's arms, which
had undergone repeated physical transformations, were no longer humanoid.
Numerous wings,
reminiscent of swords, sprouted from the huge reddish-black mass of flesh. The
auxiliary arms, reminiscent of bat arms, move freely at the will of Vitora,
rushing toward Nozomu.
"Fuh!"
Nozomu kept slashing
away at the approaching countless arms with his [One Billion Severance].
The blood that danced
up in the air blocked his vision, but he sensed the slightest hint of a
presence flowing through the gap in the storm and brought out his blade at the
optimum angle, speed, and power.
However, the battle
gradually shifted towards Vitora.
No matter how many
times Nozomu's blade continued to slice through the approaching threat, the
magic power that continued to surge in like a tidal wave and the arms that had
been restored with astonishing regenerative abilities continued to block any
opportunity for a counterattack.
(Even though I can use
Tiamat's power, it still isn't enough!)
Nozomu clenched his
fist as he felt himself being gradually pushed.
The difference between
the two was determined by the simple difference in power output and the
difference in race.
Nozomu, who is thin
and small and repeats optimal actions by focusing his power, and Vitora, who
always flows his power at full throttle without thinking about the
consequences.
Normally, the latter
would be the first to get tired.
However, Vitora, who
is out of the ordinary even among vampires with the highest abilities on the
continent, and who is drunk on blood and unhinged, continues to raise her magic
power even more the more she is injured. The more wounds she sustains, the more
she raises her magic power, even to the point of self-destruction.
(Is this what I get
for attempting to finish her off right from the start!)
Above all, the attack
that should have been fatal was not fatal. This fact forced Nozomu to fight for
a long time, and made Vitora draw out her magic power without limit.
(Phew...)
While launching his
techniques, he adjusted his breathing and calmed his head, which was about to
heat up.
I wonder what should I
do to repel the attacks in front of me? How can I surpass her regenerative
abilities?)
The key, of course, is
the power of Tiamat. Now the question is, how do I strike it in a way that
would surpass Vitora's regenerative ability?
The magic power that
kept flowing out was still flooding into the [City Isolation Barrier], reacting
to Vitora's thoughts, clinging to her deformed arms, and beginning to
strengthen them. Unless he do something about this, it would be impossible to
even get close to her.
And it was impossible
to do so with [Phantom] or [One Billion Severance]. Even [Core Piercing] was
not powerful enough. Even if he could annihilate a part of her body, she would
regenerate it immediately.
So what should I do?
There is only one way to do it.
(I have no choice but
to do it... Here I go!)
Once he had made his
decision, Nozomu began to take action at once.
Returning [Mumei] back
to his other hand, he raised his fist, not his katana, against the arm strike
that was approaching like a cleave.
"Hmm?"
"Guu~!"
While enduring the
strain on his fist, he managed to knock up the deformed arm that had been
cleaved off.
The auxiliary arms,
with wings as sharp as swords, rushed in next, but he removed the scabbard from
the sword belt at his waist and mowed them all down at once.
"Oooo!"
While stepping
forward, he kicked away Vitora's outstretched left arm, rotated his body with
the same momentum, and again slashed at the approaching swarm of auxiliary arms
with his katana.
The movement was
different from the solid movement he had just made and somewhat resembled
dancing, making Vitora snicker.
"What is that?
Are you asking me to dance!?"
As if in response to
Vitora's thoughts, the magic power whirled around and the [Thin Garment of the
Ice Demon] was released.
Making a gap in the
storm of magic power that approached with the [One Billion Severance], Nozomu
slipped in but only half of his body.
(Damn, my moves don't
fit the pattern as I thought they would. Is it because I'm swinging my katana
in the middle of it!?)
Perhaps because it
incorporated movements that were different from the original movement pattern,
it was not as effective as it should have been.
Vitora's random
attacks were also preventing the pattern from being established.
(Don't match her
moves. Guide her into my movement pattern instead. Her attacks, though
powerful, are crude...)
In the midst of the
storm of arm blows and auxiliary-arms blows that keep being delivered, Nozomu
gradually adjusted his moves.
He took into account
the pattern he was trying to change, his opponent's preferred movements, and
his own thinking tendencies.
(Is it like this? No,
maybe like this?)
"Hm?"
*clunk*, *clunk*,
*clunk*, *clunk*...
The movements of
Nozomu and Vitora gradually become more in sync, as if the gears were beginning
to mesh.
And as they gradually
modify their movements, Nozomu's eyes also become accustomed to Vitora's
movements.
Indeed, both her speed
and power of the attack were off the charts, but because of the enlargement of
both arms, her movements were very limited. Cleave, strike, or thrust. There
could only be three types of movement.
The same was true for
the auxiliary arms. Even if she grew multiple arms, it would be hard to say
that she was taking a sophisticated tactical approach.
That's why the means
he was currently devising had a chance of working.
*click-clack*, *clack*...
*snap*!
(... All right)
And the moment he felt
the sensation that everything was in place, Nozomu started to move at once.
Like a fish rising up
a rushing current, he began to move forward.
With a flowing motion,
he cleaved away the swarm of auxiliary arms pouring down from above his head,
and slammed the swung arm blows to the ground with a heel drop.
He repelled the magic
currents that slammed into him with a spinning kick, and deflected the
thrusting arms with a hip hook.
"What is ... the meaning
of this?"
All of her attacks
were repelled and avoided, with no sign of even hitting the target.
It was as if she was
avoiding the target herself, and she let out a bewildered sound of discomfort.
Her feeling was right.
Vitora was now gradually falling into Nozomu's trap.
"Kuh, What is
this sickening sensation!?"
Vitora's heart was
shaken by the sensation that she was being seen through, even though she was
pushing in with an overwhelming difference in ability.
This impatience
further led her to fall into the trap that Nozomu had set for her.
A master of martial
arts can see several moves ahead of his opponent just by being face-to-face
with him/her. The number of moves ahead is determined by the relative
difference in skill, experience, and tactical sense.
If there is an
overwhelming difference, the martial arts master can lead his opponent to do as
he wishes.
The direction of one's
gaze, the way one moves one's body, the opponent's tendencies. He is able to
instantly recognize everything from his own skill and experience, and fit it
into a predetermined "pattern," even dozens of moves ahead.
And to fit his
opponent into that "pattern" is Nozomu's aim.
"Ugh!"
By the time she
realized that she had fallen into the trap, it was already too late.
The surrounding magic
power began to flow toward Nozomu. Even the magic power released by Vitora was
absorbed by Nozomu against her will.
"Hmph!"
Finally, he began to
repel Vitora's brute force head-on.
While she was still wondering how in the world he did it,
Nozomu was smashing Vitora's attacks and closing the distance between them.
"What kind of
magic trick did you use? Nozomu Bountis"
"I'm not doing
anything special. I just guided you to fit into my pattern and made you offer
your magic power to me."
Ritual Body Technique
[Rinne Kaiten]
Originally, by
continuing to perform the movements using only body techniques, the surrounding
magic power would be absorbed, and the body would continue to be strengthened.
However, it would be
impossible to surpass Vitora's attack with body techniques alone. Therefore, he
changed his movement pattern to that of wielding the katana and continued to
guide Vitora's attack so that the pattern would not be broken.
Nozomu understood the
movement pattern of [Rinne Kaiten] perfectly, having it fully engraved in his
body. He knew what each move meant and which techniques it corresponded to.
That is why he was
able to change the patterns without changing the effects of the [Rinne Kaiten]
techniques. Vitora's fighting style, which was more poorly developed than
expected, was another factor that made this improvised development possible.
As a result, a ritual
body technique was established.
The high-density magic
power floating in the surroundings was poured into Nozomu, raising his physical
capabilities at once.
Furthermore, as the
ritual body techniques began to interfere with the surrounding mana, both the
power and accuracy of Vitora's magic dropped significantly.
Originally, her magic
did not receive any support from her techniques. Her magic was only activated
as a result of the enormous amount of magic power reacting to her will as the
owner of the magic.
Furthermore, by being
included in Nozomu's movement pattern, she herself was also included in his
[Rinne Kaiten].
As a result, she ended
up offering her own magic power to Nozomu.
And now, by
multiplying the absorbed magic power with Tiamat's power, Nozomu went on the
offensive at once.
"Phew!"
When the footstrike,
which was accompanied by magic power, knocked off Vitora's log-like arm and
countless auxiliary arms collectively, the collected magic power and the power
of Tiamat were infused into [Mumei].
In the previous battle
with Jihad, Nozomu was unable to control the magic power gathered by the [Rinne
Kaiten].
However, the
[Soul-Sealing Chains] perfectly handled the control of magic power, which
Nozomu is not good at, and made a blade in the form he wanted.
"Ha-, ha ha...
What the hell..."
Admiration leaked from
Vitora's mouth.
The blade, which
concentrated all the magic power within the [City Isolation Barrier], was clad
in a pale blue light that seemed to envelop Tiamat's five-colored elements.
"Eat this!"
Then, he unleashed a
thrust with all his might.
Vitora reflexively had
both of her bloated arms blocked the thrusting blade, but the blade burst
through her main arm and all of her auxiliary arms in a single instant.
The blade gouged out
and obliterated her from the chest down, scattering an enormous amount of magic
power and elements, while crushing her bloated arms into powder in an instant.
"Gaha~!?"
The pain of losing
nearly 70% of her body at once nearly knocked Vitora unconscious.
Then, Nozomu closed
the distance to a point-blank range at once and struck her with his "main"
blow.
"Phew!"
The fist that was
delivered pierced Vitora's chest, which was in the process of regenerating.
Furthermore, with
Vitora, who was still only has the upper half of her body, floating in the air,
he slammed Tiamat's element into his fist with all his strength.
[Rinne Kaiten], [Core
Piercing], and everything else were just preparation for this.
They were only
preparations to completely finish off Vitora, who could not be destroyed from
the outside.
"This is the end,
annihilate her soul!"
Then, he slammed her
body into the ground, and released the Dragon of Destruction's power toward her
heart.
[Light of Extinction]
The released elements
of destruction burned Vitora's body in an instant, even annihilating her soul,
while creating a huge pillar of light.
