8-16. The Day of the Final (2)
Good grief, what a farce.
Even if the king is attending, why do I absolutely have to do a mock battle with the prince?
Moreover, the prince is using the holy sword, Claiomh Solais. It's a sword that embodies the [Invincible] Shiga kingdom.
There's no way I can win.
The person who holds the holy sword Claiomh Solais must never lose. That is because doing so means suggesting that the invincible Shiga kingdom is defeated.
Losing is not permitted even if it's just a fantasy.
Although, even if I don't deliberately try to lose, the prince should be slightly stronger than me if we exclude magic.
I can't win unless I use my trump card. If I use it, I would undoubtedly kill the prince. As expected, that's bad.
Aah, this is depressing.
◇
I can hear people from the audience seat cheering my name. There are also cheering for the prince, but isn't it because of the [Prince] title I wonder.
I'm wearing the magic armor Chaftar that I've got when I became the hero's follower, while shouldering the lightning great sword I've got from when I was a labyrinth explorer. The armor grants the same effect as physical reinforcement magic to the person who's wearing it. I can produce mana shield and magic for blocking sniping if I put mana into the magic circuit.
I enter the circle for the match.
Right when the match starts, I invoke the mana shield. Following that, I put mana into the lightning great sword, and activate the lightning edge.
I feel a bad premonition before I can add up physical reinforcement magic, I jump to the side.
A firebolt goes through where I was.
Firebolt Wand?
That's not a military weapon.
It's not something that you should use without chanting you know?
"Nostalgic right? This is the thing you've made in the school after all."
The prince attacks while drawing blue trails with the holy sword.
What speed.
The legend that states the holy sword (Claiom Solais) user flies in the sky might be true.
I ward the holy sword away with my great sword.
Heavy. My wrist is really hurt.
The lightning clad on the great sword transmitted to the holy sword, and got uneventfully scattered away in the air.
Even though he would have fainted or paralyzed if he had used a normal sword.
Returning the favor, I swing the great sword to the prince's legs.
He invokes the defense film (Barrier) of the holy knight armor and block the great sword.
As expected of the equipment of the kingdom's strongest, the holy knight.
This time I'll entrust my armor to block the prince's sword, and focus my attention to attacking.
Executing Heavy Blow skill. The aim and accuracy are lower, but right now, I need might.
Executing Magic Edge skill. I don't usually use it since it's a waste of mana, but there's no meaning in preserving mana right now.
The great sword is tinged with red light.
Executing Sharp Edge skill. I don't want to kill the prince, but if I don't fight with the intention to kill, I won't be able to penetrate that armor's defense.
"Furious Whirlwind Blade"
I shout the technique's name even though there's is no need to do that.
Looks like I've been infected with Hayato's foolishness.
I was sure that it'd be blocked, but it easily breaks the armor's barrier.
This is bad, he'll surely die if I don't stop.
I managed to stop the blade before the prince received a fatal hit.
However, the prince doesn't miss my unstable posture.
I was splatted to the arena's ground like a ball.
◇
Cheering, screams, and jeers.
It seems I've lost my consciousness for an instant.
The prince shoots pursuing firebolts rapidly. Are you trying to kill me?
It appears that his swelled pride is hurt because I stopped the sword earlier. The prince's eyes have scarily turned bloodshot.
I chant Quick Burst to destroy the firebolts.
However, our fight ends here.
Summoning circles are formed in the sky.
Thatisdangerous.
My intuition tells me the danger as if my head is split.
I begin to chant Break Magic magic. Not good, the prince hasn't realized the summoning circle in the sky. He only looks at me.
I stop the chanting in order to avoid the prince's attack.
I shouldn't have stopped the blade earlier if I knew that it'd turn out like this.
I wasn't able to stop the summoning.
A yellow-skinned demon appears from there. That presence and coercion, it's unmistakably an upper demon. The vibration from the massive body, taller than five meters, that lands on the ground almost makes me fall.
Hayato said this before.
He had only ran away from a demon once.
At that time, half of his companions sacrificed themselves in order to let him escape, he said so while looking so frustrated. I couldn't believe how that absurdly strong Hayato could lose, but I understand now.
That's an order of magnitude different.
Is a demon lord even stronger than that?
It's impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
My soul, not reasoning, is screaming. I want to immediately escape from here now.
The words that helps me keep my heart that was on the verge of breaking comes from an unexpected person.
◇
"Demon, no demon lord, your fate is over now."
Prince, how are you not able to measure the opponent's strength. He doesn't seem to be bluffing. If, at this time, I had any interest in a man who can bluff to a person with absolute strength, I might not had canceled the engagement.
The demon lord tilts its head to the side, and looks at the prince's sword interestedly.
"That sword is Claiom Solais right? A descendant of Yamato eh."
I wonder what's the some kind of howl sound I hear when the yellow-skinned demon is talking. It's the other head of the demon that's chanting.
In order to interfere with the summoning, I throw Quick Burst to the yellow-skinned demon.
It's no good.
The demon casually defends against the weak elementary magic with its hand.
I need more more than speed!
I execute Chanting Shortening and chant Explosion. It probably won't make it. However, I won't let this spell go to waste.
When the yellow-skinned demon complete its chanting, monsters begins appearing from the magic circles that are formed on the ground. Centipedes, scorpions, praying mantis, and even two-horned beetles.
It won't be easy fighting them while dealing with the yellow-skinned demon. The magic Explosion just now didn't give it much damage too.
Oh right, there are the participants of the main match and their friends still. Let's leave the monsters to them.
I call out to the warriors on the place using amplification magic.
"Brave warriors, let's cooperate together to subjugate the monsters. Magician, prioritize supporting the warriors with reinforcement magic over attack magic."
The people who have been fighting the monsters separately begin to cooperate together.
They're veterans. They probably won't lose to monsters as long as there are chances.
A centipede monster is attacking. The prince is also being attacked by a rhinoceros beetle monster.
"Fumu, the hero isn't here after all de~su. The souvenirs that I've brought have no meaning then."
While grumbling, the yellow-skinned demon casts reinforcement magic to the summoned monsters.
I'd have been able to use powerful magic if only the prince could take care of the front.
"That's strange de~su. The blue and the red should have butted in with this much uproar."
This centipede is strong. My sword can't cut it well. If only Hayato and those girls come at this time.
"Ahaha~ Onee-san, you're having a hard figh~t."
"Don't look away, let's go help the prince."
Leilas-dono of the Shiga Eight Sword, and the holy knight boy head toward the prince to assist him. The boy cuts one foot of the centipede as a parting gift.
I defeat the centipede with three consecutive explosions when its attention has turned away. The chanting was long, but since Explosion has Stun and Knockback effect, I was somehow able to do it.
Leilas-dono blocks the yellow-skinned demon's Inferno by using a great shield. He's amazing. He was probably using magic too, but I didn't think that there was anyone who could withstand that much attack beside Hayato.
"Hou? That's a nostalgic shield. How about this then?"
The demon throws white flame that easily pierced through the great shield of Leilas-dono in high speed.
I cannot let him die. The front will collapse if he dies.
I choose one option from among my selfish thought.
"O great Parion, please grant my selfish wish to summon the hero! I am the follower, follower of the hero Hayato, Ringrande."
It is not a chant.
It's a prayer for the god Parion. I don't know how much of my life span decreases with this prayer, but I'll give 10, or 20 years of it than letting my hometown gets violated.
The talisman of divine gift on my chest is shining in respond to my prayer.
Now, come, Jules Verne.
Carrying the hero, to the battlefield!