Midnight Festival ③ – The Final Battle.
Alveld’s golden hair lengthened, transforming to a black so deep it looked as if it were painted on.
His eyes, in contrast, now held a golden light.
His lustrous, sparkling black hair was like a pattern of the cosmos itself.
From the center of his golden eyes, black lines were drawn, tracing from his cheeks, down his neck.
I wondered if they reached all the way to his torso.
Just by his being there, I could keenly feel a difference in his presence, as if he were on another dimensional level.
His mere presence was overwhelming. My normal self would have fainted long ago.
Is this how one feels the Divine Energy that’s unleashed during Pseudo-Deification?
So this is his Pseudo-Deification Relic, [Thousand Kill Archos]?
It was only yesterday that I learned Alveld von Rootbelt possessed a Pseudo-Deification Relic.
Ms. Narcissus had told me about it incidentally.
But I had already suspected he possessed a Pseudo-Deification Relic.
Because it would be strange for Alveld von Rootbelt not to have one.
With this much strength—there was no way he wouldn’t have one.
It was quite an absurd and unreasonable argument, but with him, it was strangely convincing.
“—Pseudo-Deification Relic [Generous].”
I chanted as well. My hair and eyes turned purple.
If I had the Gauntlet of Still Saint equipped, it would have changed to cover both my arms.
Alveld pointed a hand, now marked with black lines, toward me.
“Well then, here I come. [Thousand Crash].”
What was that—black, translucent spheres were surrounding the area.
Thousand. Don’t tell me there were a thousand of them?
“!? [Phantasmagoria]!”
[Phantasmagoria] and [Thousand Crash] collided.
But I didn’t have a thousand of mine. The remaining [Thousand Crash] orbs were coming towards me.
I activated [Arm of the Cosmos].
My dominant arm was turning into the cosmos. I’d somehow manage with this and Agaro’s Knife Modified.
By becoming [Generous], my Relics reset.
[Knife Magic] and [Rêve Move]… Rêve… not Move?
[Reve Form: Able to become one’s true form, seen even in dreams. Action limit: 1 minute. Cooldown: 7 days.]
True form…? Huh? What did that mean? A one-minute limit and a one-week cooldown!?
This was beyond bad fuel efficiency. I couldn’t use it carelessly.
“[Thousand Impact].”
The arena shook violently. Shockwaves surged like massive waves.
“[Phantasmagoria].”
I’d deal with this and counterattack.
Somehow riding out the massive wave of impact, I threw a Magic Knife at Alveld.
After seeing him easily catch it with two fingers, my figure vanished and reappeared right in front of him.
Changing. Swapping places with the Magic Knife.
“Uooooohhhh…”
I struck with [Arm of the Cosmos], but Alveld’s sword flashed.
His slash passed right through my [Arm of the Cosmos]. Damn it. A second strike was coming.
“[Vanish].”
It was almost by chance.
Alveld’s sword and my [Vanish] met. His sword disappeared.
I felt relieved for just a fleeting moment.
“[Brechen].”
The arena’s fighting stage was obliterated. I evacuated using Changing.
It was a good thing I’d placed a Magic Knife on the ground beforehand.
Still, isn’t this against the rules? It’s a cheat. There’s no way I can win against this… No, I will win.
This is my selfishness, my ego. There are many guys stronger than me.
That’s fine. Isn’t that fine?
But it’s precisely because it wasn’t fine that I’m fighting.
What an arrogant person I am.
But there are people who lent their strength to someone like me.
They believe that someone like me can beat him.
“[Sombre Gladius].”
A sword appeared in Alveld’s hand.
The pommel was round, the guard short and square. A truly rugged design.
The blade was pitch black, thick, and wide. Its tip was sharply angled.
The blade didn’t have four swirl patterns; it actually had four swirling vortexes.
What an eerie sword.
As I was taking it in, Alveld closed the distance in an instant. He was really fast.
Having One-Step as his normal speed was too much of a cheat.
Once in range, he uncharacteristically swung [Sombre Gladius] carelessly.
The slash was a black vortex.
I received it with Agaro’s Knife Modified. The blade vanished with a clean cut.
“—Eh?”
The tip had been erased as if drawing an arc.
The second black vortex slash sacrificed a knife I had just bought.
The third swirling sword slash obliterated a silver cross-shaped knife.
The fourth time was a [Knife Magic] Changing—all my knives were gone.
Yes, all of them.
No, I wasn’t sure if it was there, but I had one more.
I had no more moves. My activity time was also cruelly decreasing.
All that’s left is [Reve Form], huh? That’s my only option.
Creating some distance, I took a deep breath and exhaled.
Alright.
“—[Reve Form]—”
Saying it aloud, I mocked myself. Chanting had somehow become a habit.
Now, what exactly was my true form? This was truly, genuinely the end.
Then, a strange pain shot through my forehead and across my entire face.
“Guuuhhh—”
But it was only for an instant.
Alveld attacked with [Sombre Gladius].
I slowly raised my head and stopped the black blade by pinching it with my fingers.
“Mu…!?”
“Oh. I managed to pinch it.”
“That face, that forehead…”
“My face?”
I wondered what it was.
Somehow, somehow, it felt strange.
How had it changed? Well, it was, that. That.
“Ah, I won’t lose anymore. With this.”
When I put strength into my fingers, cracks appeared on the blade of [Sombre Gladius].
Oops, if I put in a little more strength, it’ll break.
Alveld asked with some surprise.
“What… are you?”
“It would be a waste to break it, after all.”
It was such a beautiful sword.
It would probably sell for a high price.
The arena.
The VIP area.
At that moment, Ms. Narcissus suddenly stood up.
“God-King Crest!? N-No way. Could it be, could it really be the King of Generous…?”
The VIP area erupted in commotion at Ms. Narcissus’s words.
King? What’s a King? Did she say King? A King, huh. The Tier I Seekers murmured.
The place was already reeling from the revelation of Alveld’s Pseudo-Deification Relic.
On top of that, Woff’s [Generous]—those who didn’t know were dumbfounded.
Megadia, in particular, had confronted Ms. Narcissus and Munieca, who weren’t surprised.
Kaede Akima, “The One-Stroke Severing Master,” watched with an amused expression, her legs crossed.
Next to her, “Sword of Swords” was sitting properly and watching.
Doha. Saaoing. Gymnema Sylvester. John. Kessai.
This group was lively, but Saaoing was disappointed.
Because they had signed a contract prohibiting them from speaking about this match. As a Minstrel, it was extremely regrettable.
A purple crest had appeared on Woff’s forehead.
It was shaped like an almond-like eye.
Furthermore, Woff’s purple hair and eyes had a luster and sparkle like a sea of stars.
It truly seemed as if the cosmos existed within his hair and eyes.
“—A battle between Pseudo-Deification Relics. What was it called again?”
Alhazardo Abramelin said, stroking his beard.
“A Pseudo-Mythic War.”
Ms. Narcissus answered. And continued.
“But a King has never participated before. In the first place, even for a Pseudo-Deification Relic, a King is impossible. So that must be some kind of mistake. Absolutely!”
Ms. Narcissus was flustered. She was also frightened.
“It’s already over, but this time, unprecedented events just keep happening, don’t they?”
No one even managed a wry smile at Alhazardo Abramelin’s joking words.
[Sombre Gladius] broke.
But Alveld, as if not minding, let it go, and as he moved away, it vanished.
Was it a product of a Relic, like the Magic Knives?
“[Thousand Crash Impact].”
A combination. He was hiding a trump card like this?
Enough [Crash] and [Impact] to destroy this arena surged towards me.
But I was calm.
Even considering the effect of [Deep Silent One], I was remarkably composed.
That was right. In the end, it was nothing more than child’s play.
“[Vanish Lore].”
Everything vanished.
“[Thousand Brechen].”
“[Phantasmagoria Lore].”
They canceled each other out. No, Alveld suffered wounds all over his body.
“…Overpowered… you say?”
Ah, Dagaa was here. I could feel him. In the arena’s VIP area. Among the spectators.
On Ms. Pachira’s lap? Nice.
What was this? Suddenly, my field of vision had expanded incredibly.
If I reached out my hand, I felt like I could even grasp the stars in the night sky right now. Less than 30 seconds left.
Shall I end this soon?
“Dagaa!”
When I called, Dagaa in the VIP area woke up and came straight to me.
Sorry for startling you, Ms. Pachira.
“Na!”
He jumped high, spun, and turned into a knife. When I caught and gripped it, it transformed.
It was a strange triangular knife with an open center.
It was a slightly pointed triangle like an arrowhead, and moreover, the center was open like it was bifurcated.
At the center of that bifurcation, a large teardrop-shaped jewel, a True Eye, was shining.
This was from that time with the Menos Unit—I got it. I was supposed to Enchant it.
“[Vanish Lore].”
Once activated, the white blade of Vanish extended from the center of the triangle.
“…【Thousand Sombre Gladius】.”
A sword like a great black vortex was grasped in Alveld’s hand.
It was a black sword, its vortex larger than before.
10 seconds remaining—I gripped the Dagaa Knife tightly with both hands and swung it up.
We dashed forward almost simultaneously. We were running at nearly the same speed.
Normally, I would have been a step or two behind.
Almost simultaneously—I would’ve been a step or two late with this as well…—I swung down, and the white and black blades clashed.
Twice, thrice, four times, five times, six times. The white and black blades crossed, struck, parried, deflected, and clashed.
Clashing white and black. Me and Alveld.
However, with cracks appearing all over the surrounding space… is this really alright?
5 seconds remaining.
If I don’t get serious and settle this soon, the Pseudo-Deification Relic will also reach its limit.
Its limit… It’ll revert… 3 seconds remaining.
We created some distance, then clashed fiercely in an instant. Flashes of white and black became pillars, piercing through the arena.
“Wonderful. Truly wonderful, disciple of The Witch!”
“It’s Wof. I’m Wof, Alveld-san.”
“Wof. Don’t you find it sad that this wonderfully meaningful time is coming to an end?”
“Indeed. I’m enjoying myself too.”
Various parts of the arena look distorted. I have a bad feeling about this space itself.
2 seconds remaining. A deadlock between white and black. We’re evenly matched. I can’t win if this keeps up.
What should I do? There’s no time left. In moments like these, what can I… what can I possibly do?
Wait a minute. This current state—That’s it! I leaped back.
Then, with a One-Step, I closed the distance to Alveld in an instant, bringing the white blade down.
Naturally, Alveld blocked it with his black sword.
1 second remaining.
At that moment, right before his eyes, I feigned a downward swing and dropped the Dagaa Knife.
“?!”
“Take thiiissss!”
The unexpectedness of it created an opening in Alveld for a mere instant, about one second.
I didn’t miss this opening and, with 【Roa’s Celestial Arms】, I punched him with all my might, sending him flying.
I used the same move Ax-san used to punch Ex-san in the Exhibition Match.
“Guooohhh… Guaahgah!”
Alveld cried out in agony, but he still didn’t go down.
As expected of him.
As expected of the Tier I Seeker, “The Collapser of Ruin,” Alveld von Rootbelt.
That’s why I was already following up. I never thought he’d go down in one hit.
Aiming for the center of his chest as if to drive him into the ground, I imbued my fist with 【Vanish】 and punched.
“【Vanish Knuckle】!!!”
“Gaaahhh… tsk…!!!”
Alveld sank into the arena floor and lost consciousness.
And then, with the unconscious Alveld at its center, the arena’s space warped, and cracks began to form.
Immediately after that—the entire arena crumbled and was destroyed.