Volume 4 - CH 17

Volume 4 Chapter 17

The sword he drew out is superbly crafted and made of glimmering silver. It left one impression on me when I saw it.

That it is—— a Holy Sword.

I felt deep admiration for it, it is a beautiful weapon.

「…… Is that allowed, to switch weapons mid-bout like that…..?」

In a typical tournament, it is common knowledge that once your weapon is destroyed it is a “loss”, and there is no such thing as switching it midway.

Of course the rules do not apply in the time war, but this is just a match for the Dungeon Core.

The refereeing knight interjected.

「…… Larx-dono, do you think it wise to do that? The Generate Kingdom will be labeled as a country which can’t adhere to the basic rules of a match…… 」

Larx raised his eyebrow and gritted his teeth.

「I don’t recall any rule like that being placed before our match, was there? 」

Larx gripped his Holy Sword and stared at me waiting for confirmation.

His sword shimmered brightly. It looks to be made from silver mithril and forged by an expert blacksmith. It can no doubt shatter an ordinary weapon in just a few blows.

The Buster Sword I am holding, even though it is made of black iron, I’m not confident it can withstand it.

「……. I see, I get it. I’ll allow you to switch weapons 」

「Touya-sama! 」

「Touya! 」

I looked at the two girls who were shouting at me, Char and Liese, and smiled and gave them a small nod.

「It’ll be fine. I won’t lose 」

My opponent is a Hero wielding a Holy Sword, but I will absolutely not lose.

Larx, since the start of our match may have thought he wouldn’t either.

「……. I can’t lose either. For I am—— the Hero……..」

And he flat out exposed himself.

He has cast his pretense aside.

I suppose now that he has drawn out the Holy Sword, they don’t intend to carry on with the charade. The knights were smiling ear to ear the whole time.

Is this the length they are willing to go to obtain the Dungeon Core?

「…….. It can’t be. He’s the Hero……? 」

「…… That’s my father’s killer…… 」

「No way! Then, could that sword be……. The Holy Sword…….? 」

The expressions on the faces of the girls changed all at once.

It is to be expected. They were looking at the source of the Generate Kingdom’s power that allowed it to invade the Imperial Capital, to defeat the Kingsguard commander, and decimate Lunette Empire cities.

They glared at Larx, but he was intentionally avoiding eye contact with them.

「The wait is over. Time to finish this 」

I thrust my sword straight into the ground.

「Mind if I change my weapon as well? 」

I pulled out another Buster Sword from Dimensional Storage which made everyone gulp as they laid their eyes on it.

It is black from the hilt to the tip of the blade, twice as long as the Buster Sword I usually wield, and much sturdier.

It is decorated with ominous symbols which were too ostentatious, and would raise questions for an adventurer to have. It is a sword designed specifically to cut down large prey.  It is made of metal harder than mithril, adamantite, it is virtually indestructible.

Been too long…….

The name of this Buster Sword is “The Giant Slayer”, and it is a weapon I used in the game until I reached level 500.

It has two special effects. In the game it could unleash miasma and reduce the enemy’s agility.

「……. Impressive sword……. It makes my body tremble just from looking at it……. 」

Liese remarked on her fears about the sword. It was the same with Char and the other girls. They tried not shaking out of fear, but their faces gave them away.

The same reaction came from the Generate Kingdom’s side. The knights and adventurers were trembling with fear as well.

Unlike in the game, the miasma being released affected both friends and foes…….

It is my most powerful weapon of all in my Dimensional Storage. It should be able to handle Larx’s Holy Sword.

I swung it with one hand to get the feel of it. It was lighter than my usual Buster Sword due to its lightweight attribute.

As in the game, agility is affected by status and equipment. Heavy equipment will negatively affect agility, lowering it.

The Giant Slayer is a legendary weapon that applies enhancement to the wielder and deals damaging effect to the opponent.

I got accustomed to having it in my hand and turned my gaze to Larx, unlike everyone he did not seem bothered by the effect.

「…… As expected of the Hero 」

He is not called that for nothing, he has “bravery”  in him. He can somehow overcome the sword’s special effect.

「Thank you for waiting. Let’s continue」

Larx became tense all of a sudden.

「I’ve never seen a formidable sword like that before…… Who the hell are you…….? 」

「I’ll tell you if you beat me. I’ll even tell you my history with your host country 」

I finished my sentence already swinging my sword and bringing it down on Larx’s head. He reacted quickly and blocked it with his.

「…… Ugh 」

The ground beneath Larx’s feet began to break.

My sword is light for the wielder but —- not for the opponent. It is a powerful weapon that can easily decapitate a dragon with single swing, hence the name Giant Slayer.

I might not have the skills of the Berserker, but I can still as easily swing a sword.

I swung it again with great vigour at Larx.

「—- How is this possible…….? 」

The knight on the sidelines questioned.

He didn’t expect that there was a chance the “Hero” could be defeated. Larx may have been summoned and trained. But I have 10 hours per day of gaming in my arsenal. The moves of my game avatar are imprinted on my mind.

And I can trace those moves.

That’s why it is unlikely—– for me to lose.

Once he broke away, Larx wore an incredulous look on his face.

「No, how can you be this strong…….? Are you really level 52…….? I can’t…….. afford to lose. I am the Hero! 」

『Vacuum Blade』

Countless Vacuum Blades came hurtling toward me, cleaved horizontally, from the Holy Sword. I could use the same skill to cancel them out if I wanted.

But I decided to use——

『Earth Wall』

I created a wall of clay with intermediate attribute magic to catch all the Vacuum Blades. Larx looked surprised at the sudden earth barrier.

As a Sage, magic is my forte; I can invoke any magic with ease. I’m not a Recovery Priest as he believes.

I released the clay wall, raised my sword once more, and pointed it at Larx.

「For Lunette Empire I will not be overwhelmed even in the face of the Hero」

I gripped my sword tighter than before and swung it down in one fluid motion. In his haste, Larx caught it with his Holy Sword again, however —-.

—- Clank.

The Holy Sword snapped in half.

I stopped the tip of my sword right against his neck.

「Now this settles it, right? 」

I smiled at Larx.

He looked at his sword in utter disbelief, and then lowered his head.

「I’m done…… I’ve lost…….」

Hearing his submission, I withdrew my sword. I turned to the referee who had frozen up with a stupefied face. When our eyes met, he snapped back to his senses and ended the match.

「That concludes the match」

I returned the Giant Slayer, that’s been emitting miasma, to Dimensional Storage.

Char and the other girls ran up to me not hiding their excitement.

「Touya-sama! Amazing! It’s amazing how you easily defeated the Hero」

「Touya-san is Touya-san after all」

「I can’t believe it. He’s stronger than the Hero…… 」

「It really is unbelievable…….」

Natalie, slowly walking behind Char, Al, Liese and Myra, looked very satisfied.

「I am not close to being a “Sage” it seems. But I’ll catch up soon」

I didn’t think Natalie’s determination to become a Sage could get bigger. She looked even more certain than ever.

「Unacceptable. It’s impossible! The Hero shouldn’t lose! You two take him down! 」

The other knight  instructed the adventurers. The adventurers, however, shook their heads, not even making a slight reach for their weapons.

「That’s not happening……. Even if we took him on as the whole party, there is no way we could win. We aren’t dying that foolishly」

「Hmph, useless adventurers! We can take him on as just the three of us, Larx-sama, get up! 」

With the knight holding his arm, Larx reluctantly stood up, but without any desire to fight in his eyes.

「It’s just one man; three of us should be enough! 」

At that moment five women stood in front of me.

「Really…… Are you forgetting about us? It’s not just Touya here…….. Now you have to deal with Sage of Twilight」

Natalie identified herself by her nickname which was infamous in the Generate Kingdom.

The Sage of Twilight, for decades in the history of the Generate Kingdom has been its bitter nemesis. She stands as the protector of the Lunette Empire, and can ravage the enemy with one spell. Just her appearance on the battlefield can change the course of the war.

「…….. How could it be……. Even the witch is here? 」

The knight, too, crumbled to his knees, helpless.

「…….. It’s because you are looking at the Lunette Empire’s best…….. Blame your ignorance. And for your boorish behavior and attempt to attack our nobleman, I’m certain you will offer a reasonable apology and compensation, yes? 」

Char spoke up as well.

Attacking me, the Marquis of the Lunette Empire, can be seen as a sign of them inciting war. Guess the 200 million gils will not be enough.

I chuckled at how much Char has grown up and become more confident in politics.