Volume 16

by Reki Kawahara

  To be accurate, the divine instrument Bercouli held, the «Time Piercing Sword», was the only option.

  Bercouli focused entirely on his mind while standing firm in the middle of the second unit with both hands against the pommel of his precious sword in its scabbard.

  He could constantly sense the difficult battles the three integrity knights and the guards of the first unit went through.

  However, he could not take even a single step.

  After all, Bercouli had already activated the armament full control art for his cherished sword.

  A humongous clock mounted on the Central Cathedral in an age long past had informed the residents of Central Capital Centoria of the time. Its minute hand and hour hand were reforged into a divine instrument, the Time Piercing Sword. The power it concealed was to «cut the future». The power behind a slash would remain in the trajectory where the sword was swung and anyone who touched that would be cut, a technique that was just as exceptional.

  Just before the Great East Gate collapsed, Bercouli straddled the knight dragon, «Hoshigami», and created a gigantic «slashing space» spanning a hundred mel in width, two hundred mel in length, and a hundred-and-fifty mel in height right before the Great Gate. Swinging his sword time after time with subtle vertical and horizontal movements, he drew out a fine mesh in the empty air. The total number of slashes exceeded three hundred.

  Maintaining those «incarnation blades» on such a scale for over tens of minutes was a first for Bercouli, the practically immortal being who had lived for over three hundred years, as well. The technique was made possible only by separating his consciousness from his flesh and concentrating solely on his mental state. He had left command of the first unit to Fanatio for this one and only reason.

  —Hurry… if you’re coming, come quick.

  That earnest wish remained with Bercouli despite having reached a realm detached from needless impatience. Putting aside his mental exhaustion, over half of the Time Piercing Sword’s sacred energy was already consumed. He could not dispel the armament full control art for the moment and repeat the act. If he failed to annihilate the enemy’s minions and they assaulted Alice, preparing a large-scale art in the sky above the first unit, they would lose their one and only hope.

  —Come, quick.

  * * *

  Though Renri Synthesis Twenty-seven who abandoned his post was the one stuck with the most pessimistic state of mind among the seven high ranking knights gathered at the Great East Gate, Eldrie Synthesis Thirty-one, too, was up against the wall despite how he should have much more experience in actual battles.

  That emotion differed from what Dakira of the «Four Oscillation Blades» held for Fanatio, that honest love. He wanted to offer all of himself to serve under Alice, yet at the same time, he experienced the contradictory desire to place her under his protection as his senior.

  Alice was reputed as the greatest genius in the church’s history ever since he awoke as an integrity knight. She possessed a talent at the sacred arts far surpassing the ascetics and priests, was chosen as the owner of the oldest divine instrument, the «Fragrant Olive Sword» with its alternate name, the Eternal Immortality, which had rejected all resonance with other knights, and even had the gift to take in all of Knight Commander Bercouli’s techniques.

  She could be seen only as a young girl on the outside, but to most of the knights, Alice was like a lone star in the northern skies, distant from all else.

  The circumstances had also spurred the rumors that she would succeed the highest minister, Administrator.

  As such, Eldrie, too, made no effort to approach Alice after awakening as a knight. It could even be said he actively avoided her.

  Though his memories in the Human Empire were stolen through the «Synthesis Ritual», Eldrie was the eldest son of Eschdol Woolsburg, the greatest commander-in-chief of Norlangarth North Empire and a first class noble. In addition, in Year 380 of the Human Empire Calendar, he was the first representative swordsman from the north empire and the champion of the Four Empires Unity Tournament. Even after becoming an integrity knight, his innate pride and conceit as a noble remained.

  To that personality of his, Alice’s existence as a knight far superior to him despite being young and female, and her position as Knight Commander Bercouli’s only disciple should have brought him discomfort and never affection.

  However, it happened late at night some time after she became a knight.

  Eldrie spotted an utterly unexpected aspect to Alice by accident.

  Delving deep in the rose garden in a bid for some secret sword training, he saw Alice, dressed in simple sleepwear, throwing herself down before a coarse grave marker and sobbing. The name on the grave marker, a mere cross carved from plain wood, was that of an old flying dragon whose Life went dry several days prior—the mother dragon who gave birth to Alice’s knight dragon, «Amayori», and Eldrie’s knight dragon, «Takiguri».

  They might be highly valued for their war potential, but still, they were mere dragons. Was she not just a lower, kept beast? What reason was there for a grave and that grieving?

  That was what Eldrie thought then.

  However, when he tried to turn aside and snicker, he was shocked upon noticing something hot welling from his own eyes.

  Alice, crying as she mourned for the deceased mother dragon. He still did not know why that had made his heart quiver hard enough to have it tear apart. However, Eldrie could only stand still, unable to even wipe his tears, as he realized. That graceful, fleeting figure was the true Alice Synthesis Thirty.

  Ever since that day, the aloof Knight Alice appeared completely different when reflected in Eldrie’s eyes. He saw her as a crystal flower, capable of withstanding any draught with her head firmly held high yet close to shattering at any moment—

  He wanted to protect her. He wanted to guard that girl from any tormenting, cold wind.

  That emotion in Eldrie grew only stronger day by day. Still, his thoughts of protecting were too impertinent. Alice’s talents surpassed Eldrie’s be it in arts or the sword.

  The only possibility he had left was his desire to receive Alice’s guidance as her disciple.

  From then, Eldrie lived while holding onto a single desire. To have his master, Alice, recognize him as a swordsman and as a man.

  That goal was difficult or even impossible. With the true strength of that genius knight, Alice, at a level recognized by even Knight Commander Bercouli, Eldrie’s zealous, desperate training was more to keep his patience strong rather than to catch up to her.

  At the same time, he made great efforts to draw his master’s smile out, by even the slightest bit, with conversations over all sorts of topics, meals together, and a pompous manner of speech that just came to him—though that was, in fact, a resurgence of his personality from before becoming an integrity knight.

  It was around those days when his effort began to bear fruit, with his skill with the sword growing and him succeeding in having his master’s lip form an extremely faint smile.

  The cathedral was assailed by the largest incident in the church’s history.

  It should have been standard duty at the start. Certainly, the major crime, «murder», committed by the two swordsmen-in-training was horrifying, but still, accidents involving disputes with bloodshed, the accumulation of unfortunate circumstances, did happen throughout the vast Human Empire at times. In reality, he felt practically no danger or enmity from the students when he saw them brought to the cathedral. He thought them no more than utterly dejected youths from the common folk.

  That was why, when his master, Alice, shut them away in the cathedral’s underground jail and ordered at the end of her contemplation—

  [Guard the exit to the underground jail for a night just in case.]

  —Eldrie was somewhat astonished. And he took up the duty with the thought that keeping vigil in the rose garden was nice once in a while, but felt a great shock when the criminal did escape just as the easter
n skies began to turn white.

  Admiring his master’s insight, Eldrie stood before them to accomplish his role—and yet of all things to happen, he had to lose; and he had no excuses to deny that. He faced off against commoners with torn chains as weapons and he even made use of the memory release art for his divine instrument, «Frost Scale Whip».

  Truly, he could only admit his defeat. In the end, those two broke through the upper ranking knight, Deusolbert, Deputy Knight Commander Fanatio, his master, Alice, and even Knight Commander Bercouli, and ended up even defeating Highest Minister Administrator. Alice had clearly mentioned as well, in the log house at that meager north village he did not know the name of, in front of one of those criminals. That he was the strongest swordsman who surpassed even the integrity knights.

  He did not feel regret over losing to that black-haired youth in terms of might with the sword.

  That was not it; he was not the one; those thoughts hurt.

  The one to release his master, Alice, from the ice garden that confined her heart was not him but that youth. Eldrie’s heart jolted at that realization.

  Hours before the Great East Gate collapsed, his master, Alice, spoke with a gentle smile he had never seen even once in the past.

  [I had continued down that bleak journey to reach today only with your support. Thank you, Eldrie.] …Or so she said.

  Eldrie resolved himself with tears of gratitude when he heard those words. He would show how much Alice’s guidance had helped develop himself on this battlefield, at the very least.

  That strong determination lent strength to Eldrie as the power of incarnation and drove him into a corner at the same time.

  Even if the mountain goblin army had waged a normal war on the left flank of the first unit he led, Eldrie would show ferocity in no way inferior to Deusolbert at the right flank.

  However, in reality, the mountain goblins came up with the unexpected strategy of completely robbing the left flank force with a dense smokescreen and slipping past their feet to assail the rear.

  He was done in by goblins. He showed that shameful sight to Alice, watching on from the sky.

  That impatience robbed the capability for composed judgements from Eldrie. He recklessly looked about in the dense smoke that concealed even his own nose from his vision and thought to give instructions to the guards. But he noticed in time at least, somehow, that an order to attack in this state would end in friendly fire and yet could think of no means to get rid of the smoke.

  Eldrie could only stand stock still, disheveling his light purple hair and chewing on his lips hard enough for his blood to flow.

  2

  “Heey, you know, the left doesn’t look so in control.”

  As Fizel, her partner, reported to their commander in a somewhat carefree voice, Linel nodded as well as her pigtails wavered. However, no reply came from their commander. She shifted her sight forward while thinking about how she barely spoke.

  Fizel Synthesis Twenty-eight and Linel Synthesis Twenty-nine, apprentice knights, were stationed at the front of the second unit’s right flank of the Human Empire Defense Army. Despite the ruckus at the first unit’s right flank positioned a hundred mel in front, no enemy had penetrated the defense line. It seemed the senior high ranking knight, Deusolbert, was making quite an effort.

  The center of the first unit that Deputy Knight Commander Fanatio was entrusted with, too, held its position for the time being. Though Linel and Fizel treated her like an elder sister and a natural enemy of sorts, they could not deny her might. That tense feeling she gave off previously, too, had mostly vanished after she shed that iron mask and revealed her bare face.

  What worried her, as expected, was the left flank of the first unit.

  Eldrie Synthesis Thirty-one, who took up command, was a newcomer who awoke merely seven months ago and though his abilities recently improved significantly, the sudden, major role might have been a little too heavy for him. He did command the front lines by his own wish, but it felt like it would have been better to leave it to the other senior knights instead—

  She pondered over those thoughts as she pictured the stations for each knight in her head.

  The high ranking knights gathered on this battlefield numbered merely seven.

  The first unit had Eldrie on the left, Deputy Commander Fanatio in the middle, and Deusolbert on the right.

  The second unit had the young Renri on the left, Knight Commander Bercouli in the middle, and the silent female knight on the right.

  And the last position, in the sky, was taken by Alice Synthesis Thirty.

  “…The left is a cause for concern no matter how you look at it, isn’t it…”

  Fizel was the one to curtly nod her head instead, this time, to Linel’s mutterings. In fact, the situation at the left flank had been strange since minutes ago. There were no signs of injuries, but countless disorderly cries could be heard from across the troops in the middle. What appeared to be thick smoke, darker than even the darkness at the bottom of the valley, could be seen lingering there after squinting hard.

  In the off-chance they slipped through Eldrie in the first unit, the second unit commanded by the young Renri should still hold them back—or at least, they should.

  “Will that kid really be okaay?”

  Nodding to Fizel’s words, Linel drew her head closer to her partner before whispering.

  “I did not say anything because I figured Esteemed Uncle Bercouli would have something in mind, but the left and right flanks of the second unit really should have been swapped. I’m not sure at all about lining up Eldry with Renry.”

  Fizel lowered her voice even further at that and replied.

  “I thought about it and all, but dear uncle’s probably thinking about making us fight as little as possible, don’t you think…?”

  “……Aah…”

  Coming to an understanding, Linel watched as a slender figure quietly stood up a short distance away.

  The thin armor was in matte grey, a rare choice among the integrity knights. Her hair, dark grey as well, was separated neatly at the middle of her pale brow and tied up at the back of her head. She appeared around twenty years old with single eyelids on her eyes, narrowed in a refined manner, and no rouge on her lips.

  She was named Scheta Synthesis Twelve. Her alias seemed to be «Silent», but the origins for that were unknown. However, at the very least, Fizel and Linel understood well enough that this knight was nowhere as harmless as she looked. This knight was dangerous. They had no desire to even remain near her when she draws the rapier at the left of the waist.

  Knight Commander Bercouli must have thought of having Scheta avoid battle as well, thus setting her behind the senior Deusolbert instead of the young Eldrie. In other words, if that archer continued to hold his ground, Linel and the rest would see no action.

  That hardly constituted a valid reason, but—

  “Excuse me, Scheta-sama.”

  Linel spoke to their taciturn commander once more. She shot a glance at them, so she voiced out the rest of words.

  “May we go take a look at the rear?”

  The knight’s slender right eyebrow moved just two millice at that. As she felt a questioning “why” from that, she replied in a hurry.

  “Erm, well, we are a little concerned…”

  Her eyebrow moved once again. It must be asking “over what”. Her answer made her hesitate and she struggled before she somehow got out the words.

  “Ermm… that person who should be together with the supply unit. The rebel… Kirito.”

  Fizel nodded with slight motions from the side at that.

  In that great turmoil seven months ago, Fizel and Linel fought against the rebels, Kirito and Eugeo, on the Central Cathedral’s grand staircase. To be accurate, they paralyzed them with concealed, venomous swords in a surprise attack and dragged them before the deputy knight commander before trying to behead them.

  It should have been easy. However, that rebel,
Kirito, had recited the detoxification art without them noticing, stole their swords, and paralyzed them in the end.

  When Kirito swung the venomous swords down towards Linel and Fizel, collapsed on the ground, they did not feel any fear in particular. They simply sighed and felt slight regret, missing out on the opportunity to advance to being real integrity knights from apprentices. Thinking that it would be nice if Kirito killed them skillfully—in a clean and relatively painless manner, in other words—Linel awaited the moment her Life would be severed.

  However, Kirito did not kill the pair. The venomous swords stood stabbed in the floor and he turned his back to them, standing against Deputy Knight Commander Fanatio. And he achieved victory in that unwinnable battle with wounds all over his body.

  Fizel and Linel could still clearly recall the words Kirito’s partner, the rebel, Eugeo, gave them right before they left.

  —Fanatio and Kirito are that strong because they have their sacred instruments and armament full control arts; that might be what the two of you thought, being who you are, but that’s wrong. Those two are much, much stronger. They could fight on even when hurt that badly not through their skills or weapons but through their heart and mind.

  To be honest, she did not truly understand the meaning behind those words even after these seven months passed.

  However, it was reality that the rebels, Kirito and Eugeo, defeated even Highest Minister Administrator. In exchange, Eugeo lost his life and Kirito lost his heart and an arm.

  What did the two rebels seek as they fought? What strength did they gain from their hearts and minds?

  It was in pursuit of that that Fizel and Linel participated in the Human Empire Defense Army and came all the way to the faraway Great East Gate.

  The answers remained obscure. However, an unfamiliar sensation went through Linel’s chest when she saw Kirito, atop the wheelchair pushed by Knight Alice, appearing on the battlefield. She could not determine what she felt and thought then; a first for her.