CH 25

[Grappler God]

With a height a bit less than 2m. A huge muscular body that gives off luster even while being colored jet black wholly.

The founder of the martial art ‘Kongeki (Lit. Soul Attack)’ which exerts a high offensive ability against ghost type, and Iris’s foster parent.

Wearing a piece of loincloth on his trademark jackal head and golden rings on his limbs, and dressed in an outfit that could be said to be of a pro-wrestler’s.

He is the lord of the ‘Netherworld’, Anubis Niflheim.

Normally, one wouldn’t think of fighting him, as even a flick of his fingers could crush one’s bones. Higaki and I are boldly challenging such an opponent.

““Flame Sword ・ Blaze!!””

‘Blaze’, a combination technique using two people’s ‘Flame Sword’.

A special skill called Union Attack in the original work activates.

The flame-cladded swords of the two swordsmen, Higaki and I, launch a total of 16 ‘Fire Snakes.’

Facing the approaching snakes that run rampart in the audience room, Anubis uses his limbs to hit, pierce, and crush them.

A gladiator who uses his hands and feet, his elbows and knees, and on top of all that his head and his back, practically his whole body as a lethal weapon.

Although he’s an opponent with such a ridiculous spec that your skin would get torn just by being grazed by the wind released from his fist, Higaki and I always try keeping to be in his front and back respectively so as to surround him, cooperating and covering up for each other to repel his attacks.

“‘Kongeki ・ Nioh——,”

“Shockwaves are coming! Jump!”

“——Hakyaku’!”

A log-like leg is thrusted into the ground, and shockwaves that spreads in ‘all directions’ are released.

If you fail to dodge any one of the triple shockwaves that is brought forth by the ‘Kongeki ・ Nioh Hakyaku’, you will be stunned for a short while, and will end up being rained with attacks in that opening.

I jump up and kick the wall, avoiding two shockwaves.

When I try to jump away from the last wave approaching, a jackal head come flying by leaping into the air.

“Tsk!!”

If stay on the ground and counterattack him, I will be swallowed by the shockwave, and if jump away and avoid the shockwave, I will be attacked by him. If damage is unavoidable no matter which one I choose, I have to choose one that seems to damage less, even by a bit.

I promptly jump toward Anubis. Throw my sword at him to earn even a little bit of time, and take an empty-handed stance.

“Thou intend to challenge us unarmed, huh!!”

“As long as there’s enough time, anything is possible!”

That ordinary-looking aerial combo, I’ve memorized the motion pattern released from that stance from the original VR version of Iris.

In that case, if I match the speed and timing, I can guard against his attacks with ‘Perfect Guard’!

In the original game, you fight by giving commands to the characters basically, but you can activate ‘Perfect Attack’ or ‘Perfect Guard’ by pressing the button according to the attack motion.

When this ‘Perfect’ is activated, the attack power will increase when attacking, and the amount of damage received will decrease when defending.

This is the reason why I memorize the various motions, and it allowed me to see the skill of a player depending on how stable they can activate ‘Perfect’.

Of course, in the game, it wasn’t a fast-paced action battle like my current reality, so it was easy to adjust the timing, but for the sake of what I’m thinking of doing from now on, I have to at least guard against all of Anubis’s rain of attacks with Perfect Guard, else it would be out of the question.

“‘Kongeki ・ Gomon’!”

“Arright! C’meere!!”

From right hook to backhand chop, from double kick to left straight! I know those motions!

Our fists and feet hit each other with perfectly mirror copy movements. The circular sparks generated at the time of contact are proof of the activation of ‘Perfect’, and although it doesn’t completely nullify the damage, I’ve succeeded in surviving without dying.

“Higaki!!”

“Seiyaaa!”

After the exchanges with Anubis in the air, I land on the ground. From behind Anubis chasing me, Higaki, who is wielding two swords with the sword I threw before, rush in and attack him.

The rotating slash, cladded in the flames generated by the ‘Flame Sword’, looks like a whirlpool of flames already, and succeeds in hitting Anubis from the side and blowing him to the wall.

Higaki then moves to stand beside me while throwing me my sword, and I grab it without looking at it.

Anubis, who was blown away and is kneeling, let go the defensive posture he took just before being attacked and slowly stands up.

A stare down continues for a few moments, and finally, Anubis release his fighting stance first.

“…Certainly, we have seen thou’s power. Very well, let us hear thou’s proposal.”

“Hah hah…”

“Why are you exhausted with just this much, Ao-chan? Come now, take a deep breath.”

“Hah… hah… don’t call me Ao-chan in public.”

“If you have the energy to say so, that means there is no problem, right?”

We fought against Anubis to get him to listen to our talk, and it seems we managed to make him recognized us.

The level of the battle on and after the middle stage of the original works (50-65) would’ve been hard for Higaki at the time of academy’s enrollment (Level 40), but thanks to her presence, we managed to convince Anubis earlier than expected.

I was rather worried that she would be knocked down halfway, but it turned out to be a needless worry.

Has she perhaps become a little stronger since we came to the Netherworld? Speaking of which, she went wild with me in the ‘Tower’, so it’s not weird if she has become a little stronger (leveled up), huh.

While thinking about that, I put my common sword back into its scabbard and stretch my back.

Next is to have the equipment be prepared as soon as possible preferably, then we can get going. To that end, we need the help of Anubis, the lord of the ‘Netherworld’.

“Phew——Alright. I hope you can accommodate us the weapons and armors I am going to list from now on. Also, various recovery items.”

“We will get them arranged shortly. We will also contact our brothers as soon as possible.”

“Thanks, I mean thank you very much. After that is done, can we have a final meeting… and start moving by the end of today?”

That’s right. Just in case, I’ll hunt for books and see if Babi’s motions in the literatures matches with what I remember. If I know how he was rampaging in the past, I can guess his movements to a certain extent… probably.

They’d probably the same generally, but it’d be troublesome if he does a motion that didn’t exist in the original work, like Higaki. What? I haven’t forgotten about the 9th ‘Fire Snake’ yet, ‘kay?

“Sakurai Tōru.”

“Yes?”

After writing out the equipment I wanted from the items obtainable in the ‘Netherworld’, Anubis called my name.

Although he is looking down at me due to the height difference, his appearance that gave me the feeling of him being a sublime ruler rather than a sense of intimidation made want to exclaim as expected of Anubis. Involuntarily, I correct my posture and face him.

“We think of her, Iris as our real daughter. We were thinking of entrusting her to the conqueror of the path of righteousness if possible, but the one who is here now is not the person of the ‘path of righteousness’, but thou. If it be so, this might also be another fate.”

“Ha-haa?”

“We will respect Iris’s will, whether thou are destined to conquer evil or ridge like a snake. Be that as it may, if thou ever burn her with that ‘heat’ of thine, thou will have the same doom as Babi. Do not forget that, even a little bit.”

For some reason, I was lightly dissed even while being warned not to make Iris-san cry. I nod obediently.

Wha~t, no matter what, my humanity wouldn’t be lower than that of Babi Niflheim, so it’s a no problem, no problem.

That said, I want this and this, and that and that, but can I count on you, Lord Anubis!?

“Very well. Rest thy body and wait.”

God is really a god.

Having said that, Anubis leaves the audience room that is clear of people. Then I see him giving instruction to his subordinate waiting beyond the door.

The appearance of me and Higaki that were left just like that are contrasting, while I begin to practice-swinging energetically, she is sitting with her hands on the floor, propping her body up.

“Hey. Where in the world does your stamina come from?”

“This is the ‘Netherworld’. The main point is your frame of mind.”

“Meaning?”

“Unlike in the real world, we are currently existing only as souls. Although we transformed into the shape of our body in the real world carved in our souls, actually, we don’t need food or sleep.”

“Is that, so?”

“Except those who originally belonged to the ‘Netherworld’, like Iris and Anubis, everyone is like that. And you see, the fuel that moves the soul is willpower, so as long as it overflows, there’d be no problem.”

It seems the reason why there are inns, restaurants, and entertainment facilities in the ‘Netherworld’ despite that is to improve and restore that willpower.

That setting was talked about in a fan book or something, so I remembered it a little, but the fact that I can move without feeling tired now means that must be the truth.

Really, it sure is the best environment where I can reduce my meal time and sleep time to zero. If this is a place where I can get many ‘Star Seed’, I might have been immersed in it for a while, putting the revival aside.

“In other words, you are not tired because you are full of willpower?”

“That’s right.”

“…I’m still worried about Iris-san, so it can’t be helped, but… How can you… how should I put it, seems to be enjoying it?”

“How? You do know the thing that can make me do my best, right?”

In response to Higaki’s question, I stop my practice-swinging and answer with a big smile the answer that is already becoming synonymous with me.

The thing I attach great importance to and motivated me the most. There is only one such thing, and that is——

“——Because it seems that I’ll be able to train (leveling) plentifully in this battle!”

Hearing my answer, Higaki sighs while shaking her head.