by Aneko Yusagi
“No problem. That’s hard to believe, but I hope you do. You’ve come a long way, just like Eclair, so maybe you can pull it off like she did too.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more positive than that, but I actually thought pretty highly of Rishia. Everyone ridiculed her for being weak, but she never gave up. And she had the inner strength to stand up to an enemy even when they were far more powerful than her.
Either way, it looked like Itsuki was finally prepared to accept Rishia as his opponent. Now the problem was what to do if she lost. I wasn’t sure what our best course of action would be if Rishia was defeated. But for the time being . . .
“Let’s get the slaves out of here. They’ll just be in the way if we have to fight. Sadeena, S’yne, and Atla, I’m leaving the evacuation to you three.”
“Sure thing, little Naofumi.”
“Ok —— ”
“Leave it to us!”
I gave the order and had all of my shills removed. Itsuki, Rishia, Raphtalia, Ren, and I were the only ones left in the coliseum. But jeez, Rishia was hopeless. Did she really love Itsuki that much?
“Here I come! Haaaaah!”
Rishia closed in on Itsuki rapidly.
“Ugh! Saint Arrow Rain! Spread Strafing!”
Itsuki backstepped away from Rishia and shot several arrows at her. He carefully timed it so that the arrows he’d already shot up into the air came raining down toward her just as he shot another straight at her. It would be difficult to dodge them all.
“ Hengen Muso Small Sword Technique! Circle!”
Rishia spun her small sword around in a circle. A shrill noise rang out and all of the arrows were deflected. Both of them seemed to be holding back, but Rishia was holding her own, despite the fact that Itsuki was a hero. Was this the true power of the Hengen Muso style? Eclair mentioned that Rishia had mastered even more difficult techniques than she had. Rishia was definitely a force to be reckoned with now.
Seeing all of his arrows knocked out of the air, Itsuki glared at Rishia with an annoyed look on his face.
“Mr. Itsuki, I am your opponent right now. You’re getting distracted.”
Itsuki kept glancing over at me every now and then. He considered Rishia to be nothing more than a checkpoint he had to pass to fight me. But he wouldn’t be able to defeat her with that mindset. Rishia was one of my top fighters, whether we were talking about stats, technique, or resolve.
“Hmph . . . You’ve become quite brash, haven’t you, Rishia? But do you really think I’ve been fighting seriously?”
A sinister aura radiated from Itsuki as he raised his bow.
“Law Fanatic!”
I felt some kind of barrier develop around Itsuki abruptly. He let out a wild howl and his eyes began to glow an eerie red. The sinister aura condensed around him and transformed into a full suit of armor. At first glance, it looked like a holy set of armor meant to resemble a winged angel. But I could also see decorative elements of the design that looked like horns and demons in several places.
The skill boosted his own stats. There was no doubt about that. On top of that, it formed some kind of pseudo-armor. It was a full suit of battle armor like you’d see in Power Rangers or Kamen Rider.
Rishia just stood there silently, waiting for Itsuki to attack. Her expression couldn’t have been more serious. If anyone tried to interfere, I was sure Rishia would never forgive them. Ren was fidgeting and edging forward like he wanted to give her a hand, so I held my hand out to stop him.
“Here I come, Rishia. Once I’m finished, you will realize that I am right, and then we can defeat Naofumi together!”
“I will not. I will never accept you the way that you are now, Mr. Itsuki. Even if it costs me my life!”
Rishia thrust her small sword into the ground and crouched down low. What was she doing? She was gathering up so much life force from the earth that I could visibly see it. Her small sword was completely enshrouded in life force now.
“Hengen Muso . . . Secret Technique, First Form . . .”
Rishia plucked the small sword from the ground and dashed toward Itsuki.
“Sun!”
Rishia began radiating light as she thrust her small sword at Itsuki. Something about the technique . . . It seemed like some kind of divine ultra-power-up.
“Shooting Star Bow!”
Itsuki fired off his version of the Shooting Star skill that us heroes all loved so much. His was particularly annoying. When he used it, his arrows left a trail of stars flying around in the air behind them. It was safe to assume that the arrows themselves were pretty dangerous too.
“Second Form! Moon!”
The light that was surrounding Rishia intensified. It formed a crescent-moon shape that shot out and cut down Itsuki’s arrows. Itsuki had a look of disbelief on his face, having just seen his finishing move quashed.
“I’m not done! I still haven’t shown you everything I have!” he shouted.
Then what the hell are you waiting for?!
Ren had said something like that too. I reflexively glanced over at Ren and he averted his eyes in embarrassment.
“Third Form! Star!”
Rishia closed in on Itsuki rapidly. When she was mere inches away, she released a barrage of thrusts. Eclair’s Multistrike Demolition skill seemed to last forever, but Rishia’s string of attacks would give it a run for its money. With each single thrust, another piece of the armor protecting Itsuki broke away and disappeared.
“Argh . . .”
Rishia kept thrusting at Itsuki. It seemed like the attacks would never end. And I’m sure each one of them was fortified with life force. I couldn’t really tell just by watching, but the attacks made a distinct, sharp thwacking sound. Those attacks were no joke. I had no doubt about that, because I was the Shield Hero and just seeing them made me cringe.
“Enough!” Itsuki thundered.
His sinister aura exploded outward and sent Rishia flying through the air.
“Feh —I’m not finished!”
Rishia took a defensive stance while still in the air to soften her fall. After landing, she steadied her breathing and prepared to resume her attacks.
“There’s no way that someone like you could possibly thwart justice, Rishia! Don’t interfere with my finishing moves!”
What the hell? Was he seriously telling her not to fight back? This wasn’t a turn-based RPG, for crying out loud. On the contrary, overcoming the enemy’s finishing moves was the key to progressing in something like an action game.
Ah, that must have been it. In a superhero-type setting, the bad guys would always basically just wait for the superhero’s finishing move. Laser beams, a super kick, or five people combining their weapons to fire off a special attack, for example.
“Mr. Itsuki, stop this already. Your justice is flawed! Please, relinquish that power before it’s too late!”
Rishia’s sounded emotional as she forcefully admonished Itsuki. The battle did seem to be pretty one-sided in Rishia’s favor. It wasn’t like when Eclair fought Ren. Itsuki was actually taking damage.
“You’re wrong! I . . . will use this new power . . . to save . . . the world!”
Itsuki’s bow began to change shape. I could see the sinister aura around him change color in response. He’d most likely unlocked another curse series, just like Ren and Motoyasu had done. Even Rishia might be at a disadvantage against Itsuki if he’d powered up his weapon and unlocked multiple curse series. From the looks of it, it didn’t seem like he’d implemented all of the power-up methods like Motoyasu had, but I couldn’t say for sure.
“Are you going to be okay, Rishia?” I asked.
“Yes. I don’t need assistance.”
“Alright. Whatever works for you.”
Depending on the situation, I might have to step in. But if Rishia said she was fine, then I’d just keep watching for now. We were all on the edge of our seats as we watched the situation unfold.
The thing was, it se
emed unlikely that Itsuki would pass out like Ren had. No matter how pathetic he had become, he was still a hero, I guess. But Rishia still lacked a decisive blow that could end the battle, just like Eclair had.
“Take this! Shadow Bind!”
Itsuki aimed at Rishia’s feet and shot his arrow. The name of the skill gave me a really bad feeling.
“Rishia—”
The arrow didn’t hit her. It landed behind her.
“My . . . my body!”
Before I could warn Rishia, she had been paralyzed. Just as I expected. If the arrow landed on an opponent’s shadow, the skill would restrict their movement.
“Bind Arrow!”
Rishia already couldn’t move, but Itsuki shot another binding skill at her. When the arrow reached her, it stitched her body to the ground.
“I . . . I still haven’t lost!”
“Wrong! You’re finished!”
“Let this foolish sinner pay for her transgressions with her being roasted to death in a brazen bull! Let her writhe in pain as her dying screams are converted into the cries of a raging bull!”
“Bull of Phalaris!”
It reminded me of my Iron Maiden. A bull-shaped statue appeared, and its belly opened up and closed around Rishia, trapping her inside. Then the belly was engulfed in raging flames.
“Rishia!” I screamed.
Itsuki was confident he had won. A grin crept across his face. There was no doubt about it. That skill was the equivalent of my Iron Maiden.
“Victory is mine. Now, Naofumi, prepare to meet your doom.”
Damn it. I’d thought Rishia might be able to win, but I guess I was being overly optimistic. I needed to figure out how to rescue Rishia before anything else. Ren took off running in her direction without hesitation. But then, all of a sudden, cracks began to form on the surface of the bull that Itsuki had summoned.
“Huh?”
Itsuki had a look of disbelief on his face. A sharp cracking sound rang out and the bull shattered. Rishia leapt out.
“Fourth Form! Demon!”
Rishia closed in on Itsuki again and swiped her small sword at him. What was that? The tip of her sword was glowing, but it left a trail of darkness in its path.
“Ugh . . . My . . . my eyes!”
Itsuki covered his face with both hands and started groaning. The attack must have had a blinding effect.
“Don’t think you’ve won just yet!” Rishia shouted.
She was breathing hard. Rishi had managed to surmount a skill named after an instrument of execution. Her growth was truly amazing. Incredible. I had no idea that someone who wasn’t a hero could become so strong. That pathetic, little Rishia who was ditched by Itsuki finally got to show him how much she had grown.
“How long . . . How long do you plan to stand in my way?!”
Itsuki screamed at Rishia while rubbing his eyes.
“This is absolutely unforgivable! I am justice! To think you would cause me this much trouble! You’re nothing but the opening act! You’ve overstepped your boundaries!”
Itsuki’s bow took on an even more bizarre form. What had been white wings turned into demonic-looking bat wings.
“Die . . . All who defy me . . . must die!”
“Mr. Itsuki, I’ll say it again. Relinquish that power before it’s too late. Return to your normal self. You must not rely on that power!”
Rishia was crying now. She was crying because the person she loved was being consumed by corruption and she was watching it happen. She believed she had enough power now to stop it, and that’s why she was fighting. But to Itsuki, she had become nothing more than another target of his hatred.
“For justice! Die! This world . . . is defiled by . . . your evil!”
Itsuki jerked the bowstring backward ridiculously hard and let go. A barrage of arrows went flying toward Rishia. She knocked them all out of the air, but then I suddenly heard a sound that I knew was bad.
“Mr. Naofumi!” Raphtalia shouted.
“I know!”
It was the sound of Rishia’s small sword—the Pekkul Rapier—snapping in two. She was still swinging the broken sword around . . . and using her life force to replace the missing piece of the blade. But the prolonged use of life force to replace a physical object like that was extremely difficult. I pulled a sword drop out of my shield and threw it to Rishia.
“Rishia! You’re at a disadvantage like that! Use this sword!”
But Rishia ignored the sword I had thrown and continued her exchange with Itsuki.
“I’m sorry, Naofumi. That . . . would go against my sense of justice!”
Itsuki had a crazy look in his eyes. He smiled.
“What are you smiling about? Mr. Itsuki, I haven’t been defeated yet.”
“How can you say that? You’ve already lost.”
“No. You told me once, Mr. Itsuki, that justice never gives up.”
“Heh heh heh . . . Fool. You . . . are evil.”
“Mr. Itsuki, I will never give up, no matter how painful or hopeless things may become. You taught me that when you rescued me from despair, Mr. Itsuki. And Naofumi showed me the same thing too!”
Rishia calmed herself and steadied her breathing. I could tell from her stance that she was about to cast a spell. I guess she decided that she would use magic, since her sword was broken. She wasn’t going to cheat, and she wasn’t going to give up. That was the mindset she had. Her growth . . . I don’t know why, but it made me feel really proud that such a completely hopeless girl could change so much. It surprised even me. It reminded me of the saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
“I’ll say it again. Mr. Itsuki, I beg of you, relinquish that power. Then you can start over and regain the trust of the people of this world by fighting for them!”
“Why should I relinquish this power?! I . . . I will use this power to save the world!”
“Mr. Itsuki! I can say with certainty that your justice is flawed! After being at Naofumi’s side and watching him fight, I am confident of that! Naofumi fights even to save the inhabitants of other worlds! He stands at the forefront to protect everyone, no matter what!”
“Silence, evil! Be gone!” Itsuki shouted.
And then it happened. None of us could believe our eyes. This was on a totally different level than anything like Rishia’s growth, strength, or Hengen Muso techniques.
Itsuki’s bow began to glow intensely. The brightness forced even Itsuki to close his eyes. I could see all of this because I was watching from a distance. And then the light sprang forward from the bow and flew at Rishia. It had happened too quickly for her to dodge. The light hit her. But she was completely uninjured. The light from Itsuki’s bow had leapt into the palm of Rishia’s hand.
And then, for whatever reason, Rishia’s slave curse icon shattered and disappeared from my status screen.
“What . . . was that?” I muttered.
“Mr. Naofumi.”
“Oh, hey, Atla. Is the evacuation complete?”
“Yes. But more importantly, Mr. Naofumi . . .”
Atla was gazing in Itsuki’s direction.
“Inside of that sinister aura was a bright, pure flow of power that leapt toward Rishia.”
“Pure? Do the legendary weapons have some kind of power that we still don’t know about?”
It was clear that some kind of power had jumped from the bow to Rishia. I guess that meant we could assume that Itsuki’s bow had lent Rishia its power.
“Rishia?”
Ren called out to Rishia.
“This is . . .”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Rishia was holding a knife in her hand. It was shaped like an ordinary knife, but it had a flashy jewel set in the handle. It was semi-transparent, and its form seemed to waver. Was it some kind of magically formed, unstable weapon? What was it?
Rishia held her other hand to the blade of the knife and it transformed into one of those kunai weapons that ninjas used. Then it turned into a boomera
ng. So it could change shape like the legendary weapons. What in the world was it?
“Wh . . . what in the world is happening?!” Itsuki shouted.
Even he had no idea what was going on. At the very least, Itsuki didn’t seem to be behind whatever had happened.
“I see now. I understand.”
A look of realization came across Rishia’s face. She pointed the boomerang at Itsuki and spoke confidently.
“Mr. Itsuki. Even the legendary bow can no longer accept your justice. It has lent me its power so that I may stop you!”
“Lies! That can’t be! My bow would never betray me!”
“I will use this power to stop you!”
“Stop screwing around!”
The sinister aura overflowing from Itsuki’s bow intensified. He drew the bowstring backward powerfully and an inordinate number of arrows launched toward Rishia. The fletchings of the arrows were shaped like angel and demon wings. The mass of arrows transformed into the shape of a bear as they shot through the air toward Rishia.
“Hengen Muso Throwing Technique! Rolling Spin!”
Rishia channeled her life force into the weapon and then threw it at Itsuki.
“Wha—Why?! I am absolute justice! Why do you still persist in defying me?! Gah!”
The boomerang spun around Itsuki and sliced at him.
“You’re wrong, Mr. Itsuki. You’re wrong, and your bow is trying to correct that.”
Rishia held her right hand up into the air and the boomerang returned to her. Then she transformed it into a chakram. She blinked slowly, and it looked like her eyes changed color ever so slightly. She was drawing life force into her eyes.
“I can see everything clearly now. I see the flow of power that is tightening around you, Mr. Itsuki. I see the parasitic power leeching off of your bow. And now that I can see it . . .”
Rishia threw the weapon at Itsuki.
“Air Strike Throw! Second Throw! Dritte Throw!”
Air Strike? I was pretty sure only the legendary weapons had skills that used that name. Did that mean she was using a legendary weapon? Or maybe it was a seven star hero weapon. Rishia had thrown a different weapon for each of her three skills. There was a knife, a hatchet, and a short spear.
Just what kind of weapon was it? Even assuming it was a seven star hero weapon, the spear belonged to Motoyasu. None of the three weapons she threw even belonged to the same category. Or maybe . . . She’d thrown them all, so maybe it was a throwing weapon.
