Avangarde Royal Capital
“I’m so cute, I can’t help it!”
A pink mist escaped from Luke’s mouth with a sigh. This skill, which even Elmera’s Imagination Magic couldn’t penetrate, was a mystery to me. The sickly sweet, blinding pink enveloped the four of us, including the leader. I tossed a small stone at it, but it slipped right through, passing by the others inside.
“Ugh, what a nasty skill.”
“That mist probably prevents anything that Luke’s ‘airhead’ self can’t accept from entering. It’s a skill born from ultimate self-love, establishing only her own world.”
“Exactly! I tried several of my skills, but none worked at all. Maybe I should just give up on being S-rank. What do you think?”
While Eeks was earnestly explaining, Tiferia exaggeratedly sighed beside him. She had no intention of quitting; she probably thought she could take it easy now that I was here.
“Ku ku ku, Luke’s ‘My Lover’ can pass through any obstacle. Truly, it is the pride of the Comet Wolf Brigade!”
“Right? That person has been making noise with explanations while doing nothing at all.”
“Silence! You too, were too terrified of my skill to step forward!”
“Isn’t it something like inflicting the damage you receive onto your opponent? I believe there’s a skill or magic like that, though it’s quite high-level. And with that mist, she can execute it without any risk to herself…”
“W-What makes you understand so much?”
“The only reason a lightly armored backline class would confidently step forward is that much, I can’t think of anything else.”
Watching Tiferia tease Tenkei, I almost forgot that this was a grim battlefield. Setting that aside, that mist was akin to Lord Daigami’s Absolute Divine Territory. It wouldn’t disappear, but anything Luke didn’t accept would slip right through, even if you entered it. What a skill.
“Why don’t you just die already! Hurry up and die! Faster! Right now! Die! Kya ha ha!”
With every thrust of the knight’s rapier within the mist, a tremendous shockwave erupted. Tiferia and Eeks were managing the damage to the buildings, but the knight’s relentless assault continued. His thrusts were so frenzied that if they connected, the castle walls would be reduced to splinters.
“Fuhahaha! The knight’s ‘Destroy Invisible’ has both range and power at will! If I wanted, I could turn this town into a wasteland in an instant!”
“T-This is tough…!”
“Wait, the power can be adjusted freely? Impressive.”
“You’re handling it so calmly!”
Eeks, please don’t make such a ridiculous noise. You say it calmly, but if you miscalculate the lower limit of your power, the aftermath could wreak havoc around here. Some buildings are already in danger, and we need to do something about Luke and the others.
“Fuhahaha! My Lover is the absolute defense! A Flash Strike Girl who can only rely on brute force is at a disadvantage here! This is divine revelation! Hahaha!”
“Really? Then I’ll break it.”
“You can’t! Fuhahaha!”
“That old man is so loud… he hasn’t done anything this whole time.”
Indeed, he was grinning smugly with his egg-like head shining. By the way, My Lover is so impenetrable that even Elmera’s Imagination Magic can’t get through, and it won’t be broken with simple methods. Using the Power of Destruction would be easy, but could I have defeated it back when I was weaker? No, even Lord Daigami’s Absolute Divine Territory could be breached, so there’s no way that wouldn’t be breakable. Now that I recognize the Power of Destruction, I could take it down without a second thought.
But that would be boring; there’s a better way to stop that egg-headed old man’s laughter.
“Here goes!”
“Fuhaha! What are you—”
See? Tenkei’s mouth is shut. Just like inserting a spoon into ice cream, I swiftly slid Disballade through. I carved into the ground around the four of them, and once I was done, it was complete.
“U-woah!”
“What’s happening?”
“O-oh! What is this?”
“Kya ha!”
I hollowed out their footing like ice cream, sending them flying upwards. Suddenly, the four of them, along with their footing, were thrown off balance and fell to the ground.
“Kyaah!”
“Guh!”
“It hurts!”
The four of them, including the leader, rolled helplessly on the ground. For these S-rank level beings, the damage was almost negligible. What I wanted to show was that My Lover could be easily broken like this. In fact, a startled Luke had already canceled My Lover.
Unlike supportive magic like the Rainbow Barrier, this was proof of a flaw. Even if it hadn’t been canceled, such an attack would still be effective. Even if it could slip through, as long as they were standing on the ground, they weren’t slipping through at all. If that was the case, I could just collapse their footing. If Luke were to be thrown off by some impact, that would be one of her weaknesses.
By the way, I remembered Kurinka, who had been about to cry after failing to flip an egg in a frying pan.
“Luke! Slip through the ground!”
“I can’t do that, it’s too hard!”
“Did you just call me bald?!”
“Tch, whatever. Knight, finish this!”
“Die, you brat!”
With a furious expression, the knight attempted to unleash his skill again. I swung my sword down horizontally, aiming for his head. After a dull thud that felt like it could crack his skull, he fell face-first to the ground like a frog.
Both allies and enemies seemed unable to comprehend that I had taken down one of the strongest members of the Comet Wolf Brigade in a single blow. The raucous laughter ceased, and I realized just how quiet it had become.
“That’s… the Flash Strike Girl…”
“What level is she?”
“Rumor has it she exceeds level 2000…”
“Unyielding effort pales in comparison to talent, huh?”
Hearing that made me feel a bit pained. I didn’t cheat, so I didn’t want to be labeled like that.
“Rua-chan has been fighting in the Abyss Cave for ten years! In a dark, damp cave with no one around, she fought against incredible monsters! So don’t just call it talent so easily!”
Overwhelmed by Kurinka’s loud voice, everyone seemed to appreciate her support, but I doubted they fully understood.
“Wow, huh? I don’t know what’s going on, but she seems like an interesting kid.”
“Luke, deploy My Lover again.”
“The knight can’t possibly do it in one shot. That’s just impossible!”
“I’m telling you to deploy My Lover!”
“No way, Captain! You’re bullying me!”
“Tenkei, this kid has made her mark on that airhead. There’s no way My Lover can defend against this anymore. That self-centered brat has left a deep impression on her!”
“Ugh! With that brain of yours, you still remembered to feel fear…!”
Tenkei had been the worst from the start. Spitting in disdain, he glared at Luke. Ignoring him, Vattel threw off his jacket.
“Looks like I have no choice but to take care of this! As the top of the Comet Wolf Brigade!”
“Do you really think it would be better if the kingdom disappeared?”
“Of course! Because I’m standing above you!”
“Huh?”
I was a bit surprised when he lunged at me while talking. Seeing him attack with his bare hands instead of a weapon, I thought he might be similar to Dedrov.
“Here I come! Here I come! Skill, Hundred Fist Punch!”
It looked like nothing more than a series of punches, and it wasn’t impressive at all. It wasn’t weak, but it wasn’t as fast as Dedrov’s, and I wondered how someone like this could be the leader.
“Dragonfly Hunt!”
Now he was doing a handstand, spreading his legs and spinning. It was impressive, but of course, it wouldn’t hit. Just as I thought he was moving skillfully, the knight’s shockwave slammed into me. I hadn’t expected him to unleash the knight’s skill with his bare hands, and I had no choice but to be blown away.
I was glad Eeks was behind me. He caught me firmly, saving the many people behind him. At this momentum, several of them would have surely died.
“Just hit!”
“As expected of the captain!”
“Come on, praise me more!”
“Captain, you’re so cool!”
“Next time, I’ll make it even cooler!”
Now, My Lover enveloped Vattel’s entire body in pink mist. I couldn’t believe it, but he could use all of his subordinates’ skills. That fighting skill from earlier belonged to someone else. I didn’t know if it was thanks to the Divine Nature of Plunder or if it was another one of his skills.
“I’m going to make this look cool!”
Sonic Ripper
I unleashed the Sonic Ripper at Vattel, who had boldly approached me head-on. Of course, I aimed slightly at his left shoulder, adjusting the power just enough to sever it cleanly. While Dedrov might have managed to withstand it, Vattel was caught off guard by the speed of the Sonic Ripper and spectacularly lost his left arm, tumbling to the ground.
“Ughhh! I-it hurts! What the hell?!”
“This is impossible! I should have been wrapped in My Lover’s protection!”
“That’s nothing compared to Lord Daigami’s Absolute Divine Territory. Once you can cut through the mist, the effect of slipping through disappears. Even I can understand that.”
“You cut My Lover…? No matter how much of a Flash Strike Girl you are, you can’t cut something that has no physical form! It’s physically impossible!”
“If you rely solely on skills, this is what happens.”
Even when he glared at me with bared teeth, it couldn’t be helped; I was just stating the truth. If a single skill could determine the outcome of a battle, I wouldn’t have taken ten years to conquer the Abyss Cave. There are various enemies, unbelievable attacks to respond to, and dodging to be done. And victory can be grasped. Though, to be honest, I often relied on brute force since I wasn’t great at strategizing.
“Comet Wolf Brigade, just give up. I don’t know what your plan was to attack the Royal Capital, but as long as the Flash Strike Girl is here, even the Demon Lord Army can’t take this place.”
“You…! How dare you, a mere livestock of the royal family! If we fall here, I won’t be able to face the comrades who followed us!”
“You actually have some sentiment, huh…”
“My son Tenmei and I hail from Noibranz. We lived modestly, building a church and surrounded by a few who agreed with our beliefs.”
Tenkei began to speak, trembling. I thought it was just my imagination, but the small raindrops were gradually growing larger.
“However, in that country, ideological activities are forbidden. Because in that country, King Braamd is the God. To hold any other belief is nothing less than rebellion against the divine King Braamd. My church, which could be called a hideout, was burned to the ground overnight. My dear followers were killed in such a brutal manner that it stripped them of their dignity as humans. It was the leader who reached out to us, the only two who barely survived!”
“Then target Noibranz. This is a huge misunderstanding.”
“Our ultimate goal is Noibranz! The leader promised us that! But first, we must erase the concept of royalty from this world! Whether big or small, nations are ultimately heretics who believe in the royal family as gods! They are nothing but evil gods! If we don’t slay the evil gods, the world will perish!”
“…This is bad. He’s too consumed by hatred; there’s no reasoning with him anymore.”
Tenkei laughed maniacally, raising both hands to the sky as if to embrace the pouring rain. A sharp pain pierced my chest. I shouldn’t feel sympathy for someone like Tenkei, yet here I was, grappling with my emotions. Even feeling happy about the time spent with Kurinka felt wrong. If Tenkei had lived without incident, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. One day, happiness vanishes suddenly. Just like that day ten years ago, misfortune begins for others too. I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if I weren’t here right now.
“The former leading expert in water magic, ostracized by the Magic Society; an ex-actor expelled from the theater for failing to satisfy his twisted desires; a son, gifted in earth magic but despised for his grotesque appearance and physique, banished from a noble family; a thug who could only feel pleasure through violence… They all scattered before their dreams could be realized. I swore that one day, I would bask in the light from the depths of the earth. And yet…”
Dragging his heavy feet, Tenkei approached the fallen Vattel and crouched down. Then, to my surprise, he took Vattel’s hand.
“Leader…! Please accept this life! Everything I am belongs to you! Over this corpse, I will surely create a utopia!”
As Tenkei gripped Vattel’s hand, wrinkles multiplied, competing with each other from his shoulders. The wrinkles spread, covering his entire body, making him appear as if he had been drained of life. He shrank down to a size far smaller than when he was alive, as if his insides had been sucked out, leaving only bones and skin.
“Wh-what’s happening?!”
“Ughhh…”
In the midst of the panic, many were too disgusted to even vomit or raise their weapons. Next to Tenkei’s small corpse, drenched in rain, Vattel stirred and sat up. The arm I had severed was now reattached, and the bleeding had stopped.
“Sorry, Tenkei. I’m definitely going to kill these guys.”
Was it just my imagination, or did Vattel seem a bit larger? No, it was definitely not my imagination; he had been smaller than Eeks just a moment ago, but now he was a head taller, with thicker arms and legs.
“Leader, I want to become one too!”
“You’re cute, so how about you join with Knight?”
“Okay!”
Vattel grabbed Knight’s head and then took hold of Luke’s head with his other hand. Luke and Knight showed no signs of suffering, drying up just like Tenkei. Vattel tossed aside the two desiccated corpses, and his body now appeared to be three times larger than before.
“Did I just level up by several hundred?”
With that single statement, those who hadn’t grasped the situation were plunged into terror. It was clear what had happened. Vattel had absorbed his subordinates. Even without being aware of his innate ability to plunder, he could achieve this much. And above all, he had absorbed and killed his subordinates without hesitation.
Now, he wore a satisfied expression, as if he had just enjoyed a drink. He looked as if he had just come out of a bath, blissfully relaxed. This was bad; he was no longer human. I couldn’t believe that someone like him existed.
“This guy…!”
“Don’t, Eeks. Right now, his level exceeds one thousand…”
“W-what does that even mean?! How can you tell?!”
[Vattel Lv: 1407 Class: Bandit Cross HP: 24020]
As Eeks and the others looked at the numbers on the Detect Ring, their faces stiffened. I felt the same disbelief at the absurdity of growing stronger by absorbing others. In just an instant, he was reaching levels that had taken me ten years to attain. And he did it by killing his comrades, without a hint of remorse.
“My brother graduated at the top of some prestigious knight school. Both my dad and mom doted on him. It was infuriating. I don’t care what kind of talent he had; he shouldn’t stand above me. I was so mad that I stabbed him to death one night. That invincible, once-in-a-century prodigy was taken down so easily.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets, swaying his massive body, clearly in a good mood. I couldn’t comprehend how he could talk about such things with a smile.
“And that didn’t quell my anger. I killed both my dad and mom who praised him. Well, that’s beside the point. It annoys me that some so-called king is sitting on top of me, acting all high and mighty.”
“You mean to say you did all this just for that?”
The reason he formed a bandit group, picking up Tenkei and many others, was summed up in a single sentence. In the pouring rain, lightning illuminated the sky, casting a glow over him and the surroundings.
“My subordinates are mine; I won’t let anyone complain about it.”
From the bodies of the fallen bandits around us, something like smoke began to escape. As it was drawn into Vattel, the bandits’ bodies shriveled and dried. He was even absorbing the bandits who had died far away.
“But now that I’ve risen above them, I have to create something. A utopia or whatever. That’s the fate of those who stand above others.”
――――Let the curtain rise on a new era.
At that moment, as lightning illuminated the sky and the area, I and everyone else clearly heard the voice. We didn’t know where it came from or who it was. It felt as if a heavy voice resonated inside our heads.
“Surely even the gods are cheering me on, right? This has happened before.”
Inside that soul, Dedrov must be included. The one who had absorbed all his subordinates was no longer in human form. He was enveloped in something flickering, like smoke or light, with a muscular upper body. Below that was a massive wolf. His entire body glowed blue, devoid of eyes, nose, or mouth.
“The falling comet kind of looks like a wolf, doesn’t it? They’re strong even alone, but they gather in packs, right? So if we band together, we’ll be strong too. We are the Comet Wolves!”
Vattel—no, the being that was once Vattel—was indeed as he had said. This was not Vattel; what stood before us was the Comet Wolf Brigade. Like a pack of shooting stars, they had come together to challenge us in this final battle.
“Here we go, everyone!”
【The Comet Wolf Vattel, who has taken everything, has appeared! HP 391870】
The power radiating from him was incomparably greater than before. I had a vague sense that the voice we had heard was connected to this surge of strength, but I decided to put those thoughts aside for now.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Rua will demonstrate her power by destroying the city of Jōkamachi.
You will properly explain the legs you have carved out later.
Truly, this is where childishness shows.
Wolves establish territories even among their own kind and will fight to defend them.
The Comet Wolf Brigade has an exceptionally strong territorial awareness,
so much so that no one dared to believe them.
The leader is, in fact, just a fool.
Yeah, this is getting annoying.
Believing or not, they are merely a band of ruffians—
no need to adorn them with any grandeur.
And now, those ruffians have come together
to unleash their destructive power.
This is how it ends.
Once it’s over, make sure to wake them up properly.
Shin will sleep.