I can't remember the day when my love for the world faded. But that doesn't mean it was so long ago that I can't remember. There was no such day.
Little by little, little by little, its value was being eroded. No, the value of the world has not changed. What has changed is the way we value the world.
There are times when a beautiful sight makes you yearn to see it again. There are times when a good meal leaves you wanting to eat again. There are times when I am inclined to see nice people again. I know and understand the value of the world.
So why does it seem so faded? Is it because I've seen the ugliness of the world? Or is it because we have tasted the horror of the world? Is it because I have surrendered myself to the darkness of the world? No, if that were the case, there would be no value left to recognize good things.
It's probably much simpler than that. We have become fed up with facing the world with the idea of light and darkness, righteousness and evil, and so on.
There are people who are more fortunate than me, there are people who are unhappy, there are people who are superior, there are people who are inferior, there are people who are, how should I say it, various. There is a combination of factors, changes from time to time, all of which must be grasped, understood, and utilized. Then you will get tired.
The heat, the obsession, the stubbornness, lose their vitality at the drop of a hat. That's why you want to live like this, to feel at ease, to feel comfortable. Please don't trample on my petty wishes. I just want to live in peace.
If we can choose moderately, act moderately, be moved moderately, and be satisfied moderately, that's fine. If you want to interfere with even that--
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There are several squares in Taze. The largest is the central square, but the other squares also have a history as places of rest and relaxation loved by the people. This square would have been a popular place for harvest festivals. But now it is almost deserted and unpopular.
After this place was designated, a clearing operation was conducted immediately. False reasons were handed out to explain the situation to the people, and the people in the surrounding houses were evacuated. There was no one left around the square.
There are knights waiting some distance away. They will overrun this place if it comes to that. But that's when he and we lose our lives.
There are three of us here, Wolfe, Lakra, and I. Pope Eupharo could not have come to this place. We must first avoid harming him on that account.
It's appointed time! If you're here, why don't you show yourself!
"Well, well, well. You're a little short of the mark, aren't you?
Gilista and Parshero appear. Still no sign of him or Ecdysius.
You're ignoring my orders, you piece of shit.
"Pope Eupharo has been touring the villages outside the country since morning. He wasn't physically able to come. If you're planning to call him, you need to know that.
"Oh no, Pershoro, we've been exposed for our lack of planning.
It's because of your ill-considered actions in the first place, you idiot! In other words, now Pope Euphro is out there without any security.
I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
"Don't take a bite out of someone's prey, you idiot, but it looks like the other prey has arrived in good time, so let's enjoy it.
Where is Shisho?
Wolfe bites Parshlo in anger, but they are not intimidated by that.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist looking at him with such a good eye, don't you smell his blood?
Gilista points her greatsword. Don't let your anger consume you. It's true that there's a fresh trail of blood, but it's very small. It doesn't look like a fatal wound, and it may not even be his blood in the first place.
But Wolfe could smell that it was his blood. She tried to jump like a bullet, but Lakra held her back.
"Oh my god, Wulfe! Don't take advantage of that cheap provocation!
That's right, Wolfe, calm down.
Calm down! Shh!
He's here. Thank God you're okay. He had a bandage on his shoulder, but other than that, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him. He was not restrained in any way, and a sigh of relief escaped me. However, I can't turn my back on the fact that there is an extremely deadly Exoik behind me.
"Ecduck! Why are you unbinding him, you idiot! There's no benefit to letting him go, is there?
What do I know? What you're looking for here is a struggle. It's not like you want to be excused for not being serious because of the hostages, right? If you tried to escape, kill me then.
I'm sure you're right, but I want to have some serious fun with the Iliad, so I don't need those fetters, do I?
"If you try to escape, Pershing, your flames will burn you. If you try to run away, Pershusro, your flames will surely catch you, and even if you are protected, you will be able to kill one of them.
"I don't care if it burns your prey, you idiot, so you'll just have to watch and wait.
Yeah, that was the plan all along.
He's still in a dangerous position. If he tries to escape, or if he tries to escape, the first target will be him and the danger will only increase. But from the looks of it, I'd say he got away with it.
I've set up a perimeter to keep people out. Now there will be no interruptions during the fight.
Ecdysium lifted his arms wide and swung them down. A large number of chains fall from his arms and spread to the ground.
"Now, my father's killer, Rakhra Sarv! Let him die in his father's honor!
I'll let you die in my father's honor!" "...... Well, Mr. Eckdruk, I've never killed anyone before, but...
I've never killed anyone before, but..." "You don't want to accept that without knowing what you're talking about, do you, Lakra?
I'm sure you've heard of it.
"Oh my! I'm sure you're not the only one who's had a bad experience.
I was raised by a demon. How is that even possible? But if that were the case, he would have a grudge against the demon hunter, Lakra. But did he even know about that?
"Yes, the great demon you defeated that day, Beguragud, is my father! I will reclaim the honor of my father who lost everything when he was defeated by you, a man who was branded with the disgrace of being completely incompetent in everything but fighting despite being a priest!
"How dare you!
I'm sure you can understand the boiling feeling when you think that your father's avenger is Lakra. I feel some sympathy for you because I think I would feel the same way.
Um, may I ask you one more question while I'm at it?
"What?
What kind of demon is this great demon Beguragud-san? I'm ashamed to say that all of the demons I've destroyed so far have done so with the same degree of success.
"I have decided to ...... kill you as savagely as I can!
"Why?
"Why?" "What an agitator. If he did it on purpose, it would be a big deal, but I think he's a natural. Exoik's expression became even more grim.
"Ecdysium, give that unconscious fool some moxa!
"Even Master Shosho?
He seems to be in his usual state. He seemed to be in his usual mood. ...... Even at this moment, I felt a little tense, but I had to get back into it.
The moment you think about it, Exdoik triggers Lakra. The chain that was lowered to the earth jumped at Lakra as if it had a will of its own. However, the warding that Lakra had put up prevented the chain from charging.
At the same time, Gillista and Parshero began to move. Everyone is a type that excels at attacking a wide area, and a crowded battle must be avoided. I jump in before Gilista can move!
I'm so happy! I'm so happy!
I'm sorry you're so happy, but no games!
The battle is about to begin.
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Iliad and Girista, Wolfe and Parshlo, and Lakra and Ecdysiac. We knew that Pope Eupharo would not be able to come, so this is exactly how we expected it to go.
As for the Iliad, I simply believe in it. I have not fully assessed Lakra's abilities. I've never seen Ecdysium's fighting style before, so I can only pray.
If there's a problem, it's with Wolfe. Parshuro's strength is real, and he's probably even better than the Dark One he defeated before. He is definitely unbeatable in a straight fight. We'll have to wait for the Iliad to join us, or we'll have to devise some strange plan.
Wolfe is on the offensive, while Parshero is handling the attacks with care, and occasionally throwing in a check. Wolfe tends not to aim for the big moves because of his training against higher ranked opponents. He gradually increases the speed of his engine and attacks with his hands. The only time he tries to pull off an upset is when he is cornered and in trouble.
On the other hand, Parshero starts out with a wait-and-see approach and then goes on the offensive with a certain starting point. The difference in strength is obvious, but the styles mesh well. It remains to be seen how far Wolfe will be able to play to his potential, but he will be prepared. I'll wait and be ready to advise you only in case of unforeseen circumstances.
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I'll eat the shavings! I'll eat your scraps!
I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. It's a big sword that opens and closes like the mouth of a beast. Even if you evade the attack, you're still eating up the surrounding magic power.
The amount of magic power that can be drained at once is less than 10%, but it is a bad idea to engage in a prolonged battle. Normally, I would think that, but that's not the case.
In the midst of the fight, Gillista would occasionally show an opening. But these gaps should not be attacked, they are traps. Despite her strength in wielding a great sword and her crazy behavior, she has a meticulousness about her. She will create an opening for you to attack her, and then she will return the favor.
If you don't attack her, she will slowly wear you down. She is not a fast attacker, but an endurance fighter. Of course, if you don't attack, you can't win, and of course there is the matter of Wolfe.
What to do, then, is to create an opening instead of exploiting it. He moved around Gilista and checked him with his hands.
The sword is quite large, but what makes it even more unique is its weight. Its specific gravity is much heavier than iron.
"Yes, it's very heavy.
I'm sure it is. You can't even lift it without strengthening your arms with magic. And to wield it, you'll need to take a good step.
What about it?
Gillista's body sinks, and I mean that literally. Now the scaffolding around her is sand instead of earth.
"A form of earth magic. "It's a kind of earth magic." "Can you stand on a sandbox with your weight?
You're being cunning, aren't you?
It's no different than making an opening on purpose!
He steps from the ground and strikes a blow. Gilista swings her sword, but her feet are caught in the sand and she loses her balance. In order to regain his footing, he forcefully thrusts his greatsword into the ground. The sword is now sealed, and there is no time to pull it out. He dives at once and swings the sword down.
I got it!
"Not this way!
Suddenly the greatsword wriggles violently. The sword twisted at a right angle and opened. You can't do that. The sword looks like a pair of scissors, but in fact it has the flexibility to twist and turn at will. That is the true nature of this magic sword.
It's already too late to kill this momentum, the sword regains its stubbornness and closes its jaws.
The Demon Sword has stopped moving. This one's fine. I didn't expect it to change into a soft body, and I thought I'd take advantage, but it got me. But it was a mistake to make it hard again.
The jaws of the demon sword use the scabbard we released as a pincers to stop its movement. The steel sheath is slowly distorting. Oh dear, ......, the truid is getting on my nerves again.
He looks at Gilista. It's the first look of impatience I've seen. I already know the preliminary movements and the time it will take to transform the sword into a soft body.
"This--
"Too late!
I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
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The battle between Lakra and Exdoik is a battle of contradictions and shields. It's not that I don't like it. The onslaught of chains coming at them from all directions, but they can't break through the wards.
I don't want to kill people. I'm not trying to kill anyone. ......
"I'm the son of the devil. I'm the son of the devil. That's reason enough to fight, clergyman!
But you're still a human being, aren't you?
Aah!
The attacks became more and more fierce, and Exoik became more and more agitated. Every word Lakra says is hitting a nerve with Exoik. Isn't this guy doing it on purpose?
But I really think that chemistry is important. A ranged attack that allows no evasion. The power of a single blow can easily gouge the earth. If a civilian were to get caught in it, he would be turned into pulp in an instant. If Ecdysium had fought Ulfe, Ulfe would have been defeated long ago.
"Master Shosho! He won't listen to me!
No, let him fight. ......
He's always fighting against demons and devils! I can't reduce it!
You!
The chains of Ecdysium form a shape in midair. The chain turns into a huge axe that could cut down a house.
Crush and die!
"Oh my god, that's dangerous!
Lakra releases the warding and holds out her hand towards the axe. Then the axe stops just before it hits the ground. If you look closely, you can see that the axe has been warded and its movement is blocked.
"This is how you do it with noisy weapons!
When Lakra flips her wrist, numerous evenly spaced lines appear in the warding. Then she closed her palm.
The lines transformed into surfaces, and the wards became countless blocks that slid across each other's surfaces and fell apart in midair. It was as if I were being shown a magic trick of cutting a human body in a transparent box without a trick. Lakra had created a ward that blocked the target's movement, and then split the ward and split the target together. The huge axe was made of countless intertwined chains, and he chopped it down in all directions.
As the wards were lifted, many of the severed chains fell to the ground. Well, if you use that on a living being, you can kill most of them.
If there is a drawback, it is that the warding that protects you is instantaneous, but there is a time lag in activating and manipulating the warding at a distance. If the opponent moves quickly, it is difficult to catch him. But if the opponent is overconfident or huge, that's not the case. But that's a move that has a high probability of defeating a new opponent, and it would be foolish to use it just to disable Exarch's weapon.
"Now, give it up. Your weapon is already broken!
"Broken? What's broken?
The chains in Ecdysium's grip began to move, entangling the scattered chains around him. The chains that had been torn to shreds turned liquid for a moment, but then returned to their original form. Not only that, at first the chains should have been enough to cover his arms. But what about the amount of chain now, it's clearly increasing. The total amount of chains is already enough to fill a house. I wonder if those chains, like Gilista's magic sword, are out of the ordinary.
Well, that's convenient.
"These chains are my wrath, my vengeance! An endless chain that will never be broken!
A wave of attacks hits Lacla again. Rakura instantly reestablishes his wards and concentrates on defense.
"Ugh, Shosho-sama! I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure what to do.
One step closer and you're dead!
Then give me a hint! I don't care what it is!
Lakra sees Ecdysium as a person. And he's determined not to kill anyone. He's not even willing to hurt them. Even if it means killing him.
It's like a priest, but he's got a way to incapacitate people... no, he doesn't have any training against humans, which means that all of the magic he has is for killing. All of Lakra's magic is top-notch, and its power is unparalleled. There's a risk that any one of them could kill Ecdysium. That's why we can't attack.
If you can't kill it with your attack, use another attack!
"What? ...... Mr. Iliad!
Don't rely on the others!
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to do? - The chain wave will swallow Lakra whole. "I'm going to run out of magic.
You'll run out of magic and die!
"Aaahhhh! It's like a centipede that's wriggling around!
...... Okay, let's just let that one go. When Iliad is free, I'll help Wolfe, and then we'll deal with him when we can.
It's the same as before, if you break the wards, you will be attacked by an attack that will kill you instantly. If you cast a spell the moment you break the wards, you might be able to get away with it, but if you cast it inside the wards, you'll endanger yourself, and if you act too late after you break the wards, you'll die for sure.
But if it's not a bug, then I'm not afraid. Ack!
The chain blew off, sending wreckage flying around. A gust of wind reaches us. It's a form of wind magic. ...... He did it without hesitation.
You said you couldn't do that with bugs. ......
You said you couldn't do it with bugs.
That's not the reason.
But now Lakra was able to move again. But that didn't stop Exduk from attacking. He's regenerating the chains again.
"It will not end, again and again and again! I'll show you the weight of my wrath!
I've seen enough! No, I don't know what to do. ...... Oh, that's right.
Lakra activates her magic. A strange blur appears around your feet.
"Die!
"No!
Lakra leaps. Lakra, who should be physically weak, leaps far into the air.
"Jump magic! You can't escape!
The chain immediately extends into the air and attacks Lacla. Lakra leaps into the air several times and avoids the onslaught of the chains. I love that thing, it's so convenient.
Aside from that, the reason she didn't use the warding is because she noticed our advice. By the time you've figured out what we're up to, Lakra is right above the Exarch, completely surrounded.
Come on, there's nowhere to run!
"There's more!
She used her wind magic again to create an escape route further up in the sky, and then used her leap magic to escape farther up in the sky. But the chains that are connected to her are immediately chasing her and extending everywhere.
There's no point in running anywhere!
"No, this should be enough.
The moment the chain rising from below touches Lacla, it is blocked by a ward. Lacla lands on it.
Ecdysium realizes what's going on. The wards that Lakra has put up, they are not protecting her surroundings. It's a long, vertical warding that covers Ecdysium and the extended chain.
"You think you've locked me in here? "No matter how strong it is, if I attack you until your magic is exhausted--
I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
In the vertical wards, horizontal lines appear one after another. This is the same technique that broke the chain that just turned into an axe.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea. But on the other hand, a chain that is not in contact with you is just a chain, isn't it?
The disconnection turns into a surface, and the chain that stretches vertically is continuously cut into rings. And only the cut surface will have its boundary lifted.
I'm not sure what to do.
I'm sure you'll be able to figure out the best way to use it.
"La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
You can't even avoid it to the left or right. The shortened chains would not be able to defend themselves properly. A vastly increased rain of chains swallowed up all of Ecdysium's demise.
You were the one who found the thought heavy. ...... Shoushou-sama! I did as you suggested!
"Isn't this dead?
"...... Self-destruction is safe! It's not my fault!
It wasn't a "don't kill me" mentality. He was just a scum who didn't want to get his hands dirty. Return my admiration.
Ecduke was buried in chains, but he must be dead or unconscious. The growing chain shrank as it went. All that remained was a moderate length of chain and a collapsed, motionless figure of Ecdyke. Lakra seemed to have won without incident.
What about the others? He turned his attention to the Iliad. At the same time Gillista's arm was blown off. Looks like we've got a winner.
I turned to look at Wolfe, but things were still the same. But there was a change in the surroundings. That means it's coming.
"d*mn, they're all useless scum! It's no use, I'll take out the rest by myself. Playtime's over, subhuman!
Kuro flames appear on Parshero's arms. It's a special flame that ignites the magic power of the opponent and causes it to burn.
His whim has something to do with an external switch. The conditions can be anything. He just changes his mind when there's a big change in his surroundings. The defeat of Ecdysius and Gillista's deep wound at the same time flipped a switch.
Wolfe's feeling-- not bad. She seems to be warming up a lot. Her hair is slowly becoming more luminous. The magic in her body is active and flowing out. If this is the case, she should be able to use that technique at a viable level. The game is still 50-50.