Volume 8
Chapter 45
The aftershock of the battle mercilessly assaulted the City Isolation Barrier protecting Mars and the others. The scattered magic power eroded the elemental essence constructing the barrier. Through the thinned gaps, debris, along with magic that couldn't be blocked, came flying in.
"Oraaah!"
Mars, sweating bullets
at the creaking barrier, nonetheless blew away the magic and rubble that broke
through. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. The barrier already had several
holes, and their number was growing. Even the City Isolation Barrier, with its superior regeneration, was
insufficient to block the aftershocks of their battle with just one layer. But
even this was better than nothing. The barrier, though gradually collapsing,
was still holding because Nozomu was standing between them and Vitora. If he
weren't, the barrier protecting Irisdina and the others would have already been
destroyed by a barrage of 『Thin Robe of the Absolute Ice Demon』. Still, it was close to its limit. The rate of
destruction was beginning to overtake the barrier's ability to regenerate.
"What is with
that vampire!? This is insane!"
"I can't see her
limit. Is this... a true monster...?"
Irisdina stared at
Nozomu, her fists clenched in frustration. She had no way to fight. Nozomu's Soul-Sealing Chains had sealed her
power, along with Vitora's, that had been invading her. Though, even if she
could fight, she wouldn't have been able to do anything.
"It's
frustrating. To be able to do nothing at a time like this. In the end, I'm just
relying on him again..."
The weak words she'd
unintentionally spoken began to bind her heart. At that moment, with an even
greater roar, the barrier protecting them wavered. The frayed edges burst, and
the barrier's strength plummeted.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Dammit, it's at
its limit!"
Screams and panicked
voices rose. Just then, a swarm of bats flew through a large gap in the
barrier.
"Excuse me,
everyone."
The one who flew in
was Rugato, who had been fighting Mars. He instantly transformed from the swarm
of bats into his human form, quickly drew a circle with his fingers, and
constructed a barrier to fill the gap.
"What's your
game? ...Not that I'm not grateful, but..."
Rugato, having plugged
the hole, turned to Irisdina and the others.
"It is my duty to
see that my Mistress has no unnecessary worries."
Vitora was thoroughly
enjoying her battle with Nozomu. Seeing that, it was easy to guess why Rugato
had helped them.
"Worries, huh...
So we're just baggage."
"It is a most
difficult thing to say, but..."
"You don't have
to sugarcoat it. It's frustrating, but... even I can't cut into that fight
right now."
If anything happened
to Mars and the others, it would distract Nozomu. That was undesirable for
Vitora, who was enjoying the fight. Mars sighed, frankly admitting the truth in
Rugato's words.
"You are Rugato-san,
correct? There is something I'd like to ask."
"What is it,
young elf lady?"
In the midst of this,
Shina spoke to Rugato.
"Who... What...
is your master?"
"What is she, you
ask? In what sense?"
"Even for a
vampire, her power is abnormal. It completely surpasses that of a dragon, a
king of spirits, even if it was a young one."
Magic and elemental essence were different, but
Vitora's power completely overwhelmed that of the young dragon Azel. It wasn't
an amount that should fit in a humanoid being. Therefore, it was only natural
to assume that, like Nozomu, she had a secret.
"You will understand
soon enough, if Nozomu-sama is worthy."
"Worthy?"
"Here, please
watch..."
Rugato pointed. The
stalemate between the two fighters was finally beginning to break.
***
The relentless storm
of blows. Vitora's arms, having repeatedly transformed, were no longer human.
Countless sword-like wings sprouted from a massive, reddish-black mass of
flesh. Secondary arms, reminiscent of a bat's, moved at her will, surging
toward Nozomu.
"Hah!"
Nozomu continued to
slash through the countless arms with 『Dust Severance』. Even as flying blood
obscured his vision, he sensed the faint presences in the storm, unleashing his
blade at the optimal angle, speed, and power. However, the battle was gradually
tipping in Vitora's favor. No matter how many times Nozomu's blade cut through
the threats, the tsunami of magic power and her astonishing regeneration kept
robbing him of any chance to counterattack.
(Even with Tiamat's
power, it's not enough!?)
Nozomu grit his teeth
at the feeling of being slowly pushed back. The difference between them was decided
by a simple disparity in output, and the difference between their races.
Nozomu, who repeatedly took optimal actions by focusing his power thinly and
precisely, versus Vitora, who was constantly releasing her power at
full-throttle, with no thought for the consequences. Normally, the latter,
running at full speed, would tire first. But Vitora was an anomaly even among
vampires, and, drunk on blood, her restraints were off. The more she was
wounded, the more her magic power surged. So much so that she didn't even care
about her own self-destruction.
(I went for the kill
from the start, and this is still happening!?)
More than anything,
the attacks that should have been fatal, weren't. This fact was forcing Nozomu
into a drawn-out battle, allowing Vitora to draw out her limitless magic.
(Hoo...)
Even as he unleashed
his techniques, he regulated his breath, calming his heating mind. How can I repel this assault? How can I
surpass that regeneration? The key was, as he'd thought, Tiamat's
dragon-slaying power. The question was how to slam it into her in a way that
overwhelmed her regeneration. Her gushing magic still filled the barrier,
reacting to her thoughts, clinging to her arms and strengthening them. Until he
did something about that, he couldn't even get close. 『Phantom』 and 『Dust Severance』 weren't enough. 『Core Pierce』 lacked the power. Even if he annihilated a part of her body, she would
just regenerate. So, what could he do? There was only one option.
(I have to do it...
Here I go!)
Once he made his
decision, Nozomu burst into action. He switched 『Mumei』 to a reverse grip. Against the sweeping arm, he raised not his sword,
but his fist.
"Muh?"
"Guu!"
Enduring the pressure
on his fist, he managed to punch the arm upwards. Next, the secondary arms,
sharp as swords, rushed toward him, but he unhooked his scabbard rom the sword
belt on his waist and mowed them down.
"Oooooooh!"
He lunged, kicked away
her thrusting left arm, and spun, using the momentum to slash through the swarm
of secondary arms with 『Mumei』. His movements, so different from his previous solid
stance, almost like a dance, made Vitora grimace.
"What is that? An
invitation to dance!?"
As if in response to
her thoughts, her magic swirled, and she unleashed a 『Thin Robe of the Absolute Ice Demon』. He used 『Dust Severance』 to create an opening
and slid in.
(Dammit, I can't get
the form right. Is it because I'm swinging my sword in the middle of it!?)
He was incorporating
movements that weren't part of the original form, and the desired effect wasn't
appearing. Vitora's random attacks were also hindering its establishment.
(Don't match her. Lead
her. Her attacks are powerful, but crude...)
In the storm of arms,
Nozomu gradually corrected his form. Factoring in the changes he was making,
her preferred movements, her thought patterns...
(Like this? No, like
this?)
"Muh?"
Clack, clack,
clack... Nozomu's and Vitora's movements began to synchronize, like gears
meshing. And as he corrected his form, his eyes grew accustomed to her
movements. Her speed and power were extraordinary, but because her main arms
were so enlarged, their movements were limited. A sweep, a smash, or a thrust.
Only those three. The secondary arms were the same. She wasn't using any
refined tactics. That was why his plan had a chance of working.
Click, Click,
Click... Snap!
(...Alright.)
The moment he felt it
all click, Nozomu moved. He advanced, like a fish swimming up a raging river.
He mowed down the swarm of arms raining on him with flowing movements, and
slammed her swinging arm into the ground with an axe kick. He deflected the
magic current with a roundhouse kick and parried a thrust with a solid hook.
"This is... What
is this?"
None of her attacks
were landing. They were being parried, deflected, dodged. This strange feeling,
as if her own attacks were avoiding him, made her voice her confusion. That
feeling was correct. Vitora was, step by step, falling into Nozomu's trap.
"Kuh! What is
this... disgusting feeling!"
Even as she was
overwhelming him with power, the feeling of being seen through... it made her
heart waver. That agitation only drove her deeper into his trap. A master of
martial arts, just by facing an opponent, can see several moves ahead. And how
many moves they can read is determined by the relative difference in skill,
experience, and tactical acumen. And with an overwhelming difference, a master
can lead their opponent at will. By instantly seeing through their gaze, their
body language, their tendencies... they can force them into a "form" that is decided dozens of
moves in advance. And forcing her into that "form" was Nozomu's goal.
"Guh!"
By the time she
realized she was in a trap, it was too late. The surrounding magic power began
to flow toward Nozomu. Even the magic she had released was, against her will,
being absorbed by him.
"Hah!"
He finally began to
repel her brute strength head-on. Even as she wondered how, Nozomu smashed her
attacks and closed the distance.
"Haha! What kind
of trick is this, Nozomu Bountis!"
"It's nothing
special. I just guided your form to fit my form. I just 'made' you offer your magic power to me."
Ritual Body
Art: Wheel of Reincarnation. Originally, by just repeating the forms, it would
absorb ambient magic and continuously stack enhancement magic on the user. But
he couldn't have withstood her attacks with just his body. So, he had changed
the form to incorporate his katana, all while leading her attacks so the form
wouldn't break. Nozomu understood 『Wheel of Reincarnation』 perfectly. He knew what every movement meant, and what formula it
corresponded to. That was why he could change the form without changing the
effect. Vitora's unexpectedly crude attacks were another factor that made this
improvisation possible. As a result, the ritual art was established. The
high-density magic power in the air poured into Nozomu, drastically increasing
his physical abilities. Furthermore, as the ritual art began to interfere with
the ambient magic, the power and precision of Vitora's own magic plummeted. Her
magic had never had the support of a formula. It was just her immense magic
power, reacting to her will. And now, by being incorporated into "Nozomu's form," she herself had
become part of the 『Wheel of Reincarnation』 formula. As a result, she was now, against her will,
offering her own magic power to him. And, combining that absorbed magic with
Tiamat's power, Nozomu now went on the offensive.
"Hah!"
A magic-infused kick
mowed down her massive arms, and all the gathered magic and Tiamat's power was
slammed into 『Mumei』. In his fight with Jihad, Nozomu hadn't been able to
control the magic he'd gathered. But now, the Soul-Sealing Chains, which perfectly handled the magic he was so
poor with, forged the blade exactly as he wished.
"Ha, haha...
How..."
A voice of admiration
escaped Vitora's lips. The blade, having converged all the magic within the
barrier, was wrapped in Tiamat's five-colored elemental essence, and now glowed with a pale, blue light.
"Take this!"
He unleashed a
full-power thrust. Vitora reflexively tried to block with her hypertrophied
arms, but the blade pierced through all of them in an instant and exploded. The
immense magic and elemental essence
scattered, instantly pulverizing her arms, gouging out her body from the chest
down, and annihilating it.
"Gahak!?"
At the pain of losing
nearly 70% of her body at once, Vitora's consciousness almost blacked out. And
then, Nozomu instantly closed the distance to point-blank range and slammed in
his "main attack."
"Hah!"
His fist pierced her
regenerating chest. And then, holding her upper-body in the air, he slammed all
of Tiamat's elemental essence into
his fist. 『Wheel of Reincarnation』, 『Core Pierce』... it was all just a
setup. Just preparation to completely finish Vitora, who he couldn't destroy
from the outside.
"It's over! Be
annihilated, soul and all!"
He slammed her
airborne body into the ground and released the Dragon King of Destruction's power straight into her heart.
『Annihilation Light Impact』
The unleashed elemental essence of ruin instantly
incinerated Vitora's body, annihilating even her soul, and creating a giant
pillar of light.
***
A Brief
Character Introduction
Vitora Lutarâk
Datt Wajiart
The Vampire Princess.
A monster whose simple output surpasses even an awakened Nozomu. Due to her
overly prominent talents, her combat skills are crude, but she's a "cheat" princess on a level where
that doesn't even matter, and she has the ability to fight even the Dragon King
of Spirits head-on. If she has a weakness, it's that she has always overwhelmed
all challengers with her sheer power, so her range of combat techniques is
narrow. If you can somehow deal with her absurd magic output and her
starfish-like regeneration, you might have a chance. Other than that, just her
personality, which, like a true vampire, is very honest about its desires.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Gabriel Flores
Geral Aponso
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Good or Hype
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
aviel zaken
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Didntpassit
nick nasca
rads
Xavier O'Donoghue
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
