Chapter 31: Holy Knight vs. Ainika, the One Who Loathes All Life (Part 2)
I was slashed across the side by a massive serrated sword. The speed of the attack was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even register what had happened.
This place was already a death’s door. Another attack was imminent. There was no time to use a potion. So, I gritted my teeth against the pain and invoked,
“Autobahn!”
A partial acceleration of my brain—stretching the time for thought.
I had learned from that previous strike that my opponent was not to be underestimated. Before I could recover with a potion, I needed to understand my foe.
How resilient were they against physical and magical attacks? Would defeating them once be enough, or would I need to take them down multiple times like before?
For now, that would suffice. With my thoughts accelerated, I declared,
“Out Strider del Sole!”
Reaching the speed of light, I immediately drew Gram and cleaved Ainika in half with sheer force, then swung my sword again, slicing through their sturdy body into pieces.
While keeping an eye on the situation, I gulped down a potion. It was my favorite high-grade potion.
“Damn that hurts…”
Before my eyes, the pieces of Ainika began to gather together. In no time at all, Ainika had resurrected.
I knew it… I knew it, but this was a tough situation. Honestly, if I could escape, I would want to.
“As expected of Yamada Ichiro.”
Ainika clapped their hands.
“You are truly a remarkable warrior.”
“What do you mean…?”
They spread their arms wide.
“Imagine if I brought here a swordsman considered the pinnacle of humanity in this world. He would have slain hundreds, thousands of monsters, saved the people, earned their respect, and conquered numerous labyrinths, thus being called a hero—such achievements are indeed commendable. However, sadly, in front of me, such things are akin to dust. Because with just my first strike—just that single blow—he would perish.”
As the battle began and excitement mounted, Ainika’s demeanor shifted to one resembling theatrical performance, their words becoming elaborate.
“You sure love to talk, don’t you? I absolutely despise those who speak in such exaggerated ways.”
I felt a wave of nausea as I recalled someone from somewhere.
“Oh, but I am praising you. I could even say I respect you. Unlike the common rabble, you not only survived my attack but also managed to slice me into pieces.”
Yet, their haughty tone was fitting for the King of the Undead.
“And even now, like this—”
Their massive sword vanished—closing the distance—the blade gouged into my shoulder—followed by a powerful kick from below. I instinctively crossed my arms to block, but the force was too great—I was slammed hard against the ceiling.
“Guh…!”
I fell to the ground with the rubble, crashing down heavily. Unable to hold back, I coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“—You are not easily broken.”
Damn it. Keep talking, bald head. While kneeling, I accelerated my thoughts again—then activated my light magic,
“Condenser!”
I wrapped my index and middle fingers of my left hand with the laser-like light magic. Though I could extend the Condenser up to a hundred meters, I compressed it to its limit. If I were to name it, it would be Revol Edge, the Light Dagger—I used Autobahn repeatedly on my legs and hands, diving straight into Ainika’s embrace—piercing through their abdomen.
“Take this!!!”
With my arm still embedded inside Ainika, I unleashed the fully compressed Revol Edge.
A blinding flash raced across my vision. I unleashed the light magic, which was a special attack against death attributes, directly into their body at an unprecedented concentration after all my training. Honestly, I wanted this to be the end.
But,
“As expected of Holy Knight Ichiro, not a bad attack.”
It wasn’t going to be that easy—Ainika, having exploded into a cloud of ash from the high concentration of light magic, quickly reformed and casually remarked,
“I believe your existence as a Holy Knight is terribly distorted. A Holy Knight is supposed to excel in support magic to protect allies, yet you are solely focused on offense, like a raging flame.”
I felt a jolt. I was aware of it.
“Moreover, a Holy Knight should be proficient in healing magic, yet you rely entirely on potions for recovery.”
Ainika smirked at me mockingly.
“Even in defense, as a Holy Knight, you are supposed to be a shield-bearer, yet you choose to receive enemy attacks with your sword or evade instead of equipping a shield.”
I had no need to use healing magic. Mana has its limits, and if I could compensate with potions, that was the better option. As the sole attacker, I had no resources to spare for using a shield, both in terms of time to learn and practical combat.
In the Arcana Kingdom, there were hardly any Holy Knights to serve as my role models. Even if there were, my previous party situation (which was practically a solo party) meant I had no choice but to fight outside the norm of a typical Holy Knight. It was inevitable that I developed this combat style.
“Ah, there must have been some deep circumstances behind it. I believe you—”
He spoke as if he had just realized something obvious. What a terrible hobby he had. Anyone who wore that expression never said anything good.
“—are alone. Without allies, you had to handle everything by yourself. That’s why your combat style is so distorted.”
This was probably just a simple mental attack—
“How about it? Am I right?”
But I couldn’t respond.
“Poor Holy Knight. Ichiro, I shall remember you as the solitary and valiant knight who stood alone before me, and after I annihilate humanity, I will ensure your tale is passed down through the ages in the next world.”
Words failed me, and my sword was drawn. It was a thoughtless sword. Ainika was not an opponent I could afford to overlook. My Gram was violently deflected.
“Too bad. This is a return for earlier.”
Ainika’s great sword was infused with a dense aura of darkness. Just touching it would—
“Farewell, Ichiro.”
The unavoidable deadly blade was mercilessly swung—when suddenly, a translucent fist appeared with the light and pierced through the pitch-black blade.