I was tense for the first time in a long time.
Right now, I have morphed into 『SEVEN』 thanks to a wraith.
For some reason, the clothes were the initial equipment, but I was able to change my appearance to what it once was. Since weapons, armor, and other equipment were not morphed, it seems like only the appearance was changed by the wraith.
――But, I can morph into SEVEN. In other words, somewhere in this world, the information about SEVEN is stored. The "data" of SEVEN, who should've been hacked, exists.
This world is connected to Mobius Online. That's now confirmed. I don't know the reason, the purpose, or anything else, but...
Well, never mind. I'll leave that aside for now.
The issue now is not that I could change into SEVEN, or that this aloha shirt feels totally out of place in this winter season.
If I get hit once, it's over.
If the wraith takes even a little bit of damage, it will undo the morph. In other words, if I take even one hit, the fact that I'm Second Firstest will instantly come to light. And as a result, many troublesome situations might arise. I want to avoid that at all costs.
Now then, Nex's stats are multiplied by 20 due to the Madness Agent.
To put it bluntly, that's "cheating".
If you think about it normally, if the difference between you and your opponent is 20 times, you'd definitely won't win.
...However, I knew it when I faced him. Apparently, there's no need to worry about this. Because–
"You're not there yet..."
Nex hasn't arrived there yet.
He wasn't even close to the stats of the world rankers, who were regularly competing against me for the top spot in the world ranking at that time.
"――Die!"
A foolish "Silver Swordsmanship" slash.
No matter how low my stats are now, and no matter how much of a difference in stats there is between me and the crazed Nex... Let's be clear on one thing. It makes me yawn.
"Let me show you something good."
I readied my mithril longbow to use the knockback effect of "Gold Archery", and I spoke to the guys other than Nex while making some distance.
It's easy to think that if you can withstand the ten minutes of the Madness Agent effect, you win. We tend to think that way out of fear of the 20-fold increase in stats, but with such an optimistic feeling things don't go well most of the time.
That's right, as the old saying goes.
"『Attack is the best defense』."
Do not give your opponent room to attack. That's the ideal case.
I took out a 'plate' from my inventory, equipped it, and used "Rook Shield Arts"'s rush to close the distance. In Mobius, when you equipped a dish, it was treated as a shield. This was a small move that made use of that.
I canceled the skill right in front of Nex, immediately putting away the plate, then activated "Silver Swordsmanship" while equipping a mithril sword, then canceled it immediately and then used Combine with "Lance Swordsmanship" and "Knight Swordsmanship", aiming the thrust at Nex's chest.
Nex tried to stop it by using "Soldier Swordsmanship" to repel it... but that was an obvious mistake.
As Rokunchea said, he might be weaker than Rothman. This was a move that Rothman would've been able to handle without being fooled by the feint.
"What!?"
The piercing effect of Lance can only be countered by a skill that also has a piercing effect.
And thus, the thrust I released passed through the "Soldier Swordsmanship" attack, hitting Nex directly in the chest.
Although it didn't go as far as to pierce him due to the 20 times increase in VIT, the multiplier effect added by "Knight Swordsmanship" special effect should have dealt quite the amount of damage.
"Damn...!"
Nex regained his balance in order to fight back, but... How should I put it? He's so full of gaps it's making me laugh.
I readied my sword to slash diagonally across Nex's right arm quickly using "Bishop Swordsmanship" while he got ready. "Bishop Swordsmanship"has a piercing effect. If I were to deal with it using [Swordsmanship], I would either counter it with Lance or the same Bishop or repel it using Gold. However, Nex hasn't prepared either of these options and even if he did it now, he couldn't be ready in time. With this being the case, the only option left is to dodge it...
"GUAAAH!"
Well, he could always also eat it.
But even so, Nex's arm couldn't be severed. This was also thanks to the 20 times increase in VIT.
...Then, shall I do that? The 「Parry-stun」.
"Die! Die! DIEEEEEEEE!"
Nex, perhaps growing impatient, slashed at me with a desperate look.
I took out the plate again and equipped it, observing carefully the situation.
Then, with 0.027 seconds elapsed from the 0.277 to 0.250 seconds range before Nex's "Silver Swordsmanship" slash connected to my head, I activated "Silver Shield Arts". That range is the timing to perform a Parry counter.
"Yoo."
Successful parry. Well, in the first place it would be strange if it did not succeed because, with an opponent like Nex, who swung his sword without any feint, you could see the sword's path to the last moment.
Now, this is where the hard part of the Parry-stun process begins.
Almost as soon as I parried, I switched to my bow and fired "Soldier Archery" shots continuously into the opponent's head, who had been blown backward.
What I aimed for was the stun effect that activated with a 6.25% chance from a direct hit to the head.
...All shots landed perfectly. I was able to shoot 5 arrows, including while he was down. Sadly, no stun this time.
"UAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Nex got up while screaming, and this time he slashed using "Rook Swordsmanship".
...I wonder what it is? This guy's [Swordsmanship] is really boring. Sadly, it turns out that this world's Issenza title matches were at a relatively high level.
Whether the opponent's attack was Silver or Rook, the response was the same. That is, parrying using "Silver Shield Arts".
"AAAHHHHG!"
Nex was repelled by the plate while letting out a frustrated scream.
I then fired "Soldier Archery" shots. One, two, three shots, and it was by the fourth that it succeeded. Nex was stunned. The Parry-stun was achieved.
"Good, good."
By now, the three minutes remaining on the Madness Agent should be almost up.
I moved to the side of Nex's head and prepared "Dragon Horse Archery".
That is "shotgun". "Dragon Horse Archery" is a ranged attack that fires dozens of powerful piercing arrows. And if those arrows are shot at "zero distance", all the arrows will hit the target, demonstrating the maximum instantaneous firepower in the [Archery] tree.
And so, I released the "Dragon Horse Archery" skill at zero distance, aiming at the top of Nex's head who was lying on his back, stunned.
"――!!"
Alongside a resounding boom, the air vibrated.
Critical hit. Nex was blown away about five meters while spinning and then fell to the ground with a thud. This must've done a lot of damage.
Right after that, I backstepped once, then swapped to my sword and started preparing "Dragon King Swordsmanship". Taking into account Nex's current AGI, staying 7 meters away while he's down should be enough to get it ready in time.
"GUHH...UH...!"
After the stun was cleared by the Dragon Horse's impact, Nex staggered, bleeding profusely.
As he swayed on his way towards me, and when he noticed that I had completed the preparation for my "Dragon King Swordsmanship" attack...Suddenly, his face was dyed in despair.
"Let's hear your last words."
Just a few seconds left. Also, the amount of blood loss suggested that his remaining HP was low. Perhaps low enough not to be able to withstand the "Dragon King Swordsmanship" attack.
...Whether he keeps coming at me as he is, or he gives up, either way, Nex's death is certain.
If there was anything left to say, now was the time to say it.
"I-I am..."
Grasping his sword tightly ...Nex prepared a "Rook Swordsmanship" attack. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
Then, he came slashing at me.
At me, not at anyone else. He decided to attack me.
"......"
If I go, I want it to be as a warrior. I felt that was his last will.
I activated the "Dragon King Swordsmanship" skill. This is a powerful ranged attack forward with an added stun effect. There's no way for him to avoid it.
Nex's bluish-white glow-covered body was engulfed by the Dragon King's reddish-black light.
An upward torrent of condensed power rushed forth as if ascending to the heavens.
And in the face of his impending death, Nex blurted softly.
"...Mother..."
...Nobody wants to die, right?
Facing his inevitable demise, thinking about the death he had no escape from. It was not loyalty to the pope that was left, nor his pride as a warrior, nothing of the sort. The only thing left was a child's cry for help towards his mother.
"Goodbye."
＊ ＊ ＊
Strange.
Downright abnormal.
The immensely handsome man who suddenly appeared, calling himself SEVEN, was strong beyond comprehension.
Brighton had slaughtered hundreds of soldiers, and Renko was also worth a thousand strong. And although both of them had fought at the same time, and even with Renko using her trump card, Transform, they were helpless against their opponent, 『the Maddened Nex』. Even the Titleholder, Rokunchea Kongou couldn't stand against this formidable opponent.
And such Nex was powerless against the man named SEVEN.
He wore an aloha shirt, shorts, and sandals. Showing off leeway while not taking a single hit.
It was nothing short of abnormal.
"...W-What the hell is that?"
Renko, who was watching the match while doing her best to keep her head up due to being in the dying state, muttered to herself.
She had the vague idea that the man called SEVEN might be Second Firstest.
She felt this because she had fought against him once. And the more she looked at it, the more it resembled Second's disgusting and unique style of "move to crush the opponent's offense".
"...Haha, it's weird. He's just weird..."
She laughed in disbelief.
Somewhere deep in Renko's heart, she believed that she was special. She thought she was special for saint Raspberry Bell.
Raspberry Bell had given her a way to acquire special skills, and methods of earning experience points, and she was even given the rare skill called "Transform", which she had never seen or heard of before. It was obvious that she felt special.
That night, in the forest, she should've been brought down from the pedestal she had placed herself in.
But it wasn't until this very moment that she truly felt the rug pull from beneath her feet.
She thought she knew the most about Raspberry Bell, that she would be the one most loved by her.
But she understood everything by taking a single glance at the smile of Raspberry Bell the moment SEVEN appeared.
Raspberry Bell and SEVEN were deeply connected, many times more, dozens of times more than Renko had imagined.
If you can be of use, if you risk your life, Raspberry Bell will look out for you. From this relationship of use and being used, Renko believed that a true friendship could be formed in time.
...But in reality, Raspberry Bell had only been looking at one person, be it back then or now. And that was her so-called "senpai".
"Brother, how's your arm?"
"Ah, as you can see, no problems. All thanks to your potion."
"That's good to hear."
Meanwhile, Brighton, whose arm had been cut off by Nex, was recovering after receiving a high-grade potion from Rokunchea.
They were brothers. But even so, it had been so long since they have last seen each other that they couldn't even remember when was it. And in this somewhat awkward atmosphere, Brighton opened his mouth.
"...He parries as easy as he breathes."
"Yeah. And there is no hesitation. Even I as Kongou fail to match up to him."
"That's not true! If you had swordsmanship, I think you would've been able to do something similar to him. You have that much talent."
"Hahaha, that's why they call you naive, brother...Frustrated as it is, I can't bring out such a beautiful flow."
They chatted while laughing.
Just a minute after SEVEN started fighting, the brothers felt with enough room to chat without worrying while in front of an enemy with 20 times increased stats.
There was this mysterious atmosphere in SEVEN's battle that made the viewer think "oh, it's already over".
"Is that person an acquaintance of yours?"
"No, I don't know him. But well, I do have a guess."
"What? You don't know him? If it's someone so abnormally strong, you shouldn't be able to forget it once you've seen him..."
"Yeah...Being that abnormal, you can't forget him even if you want to."
Rokunchea didn't speak of the identity of SEVEN.
He was aware that there might be some circumstances that were making him keep his identity hidden, and he felt a great debt of gratitude for the mithril earrings from the bingo prize, which was why he didn't even tell his own brother.
"...Thank you. You've really become strong, Rokunchea. If you hadn't come, the revolution wouldn't have happened."
"I wanted to take revenge with my own hands too. I'm just relieved I managed to make it in time."
"In the end, I made you dirty your hands. I'm a failure as a brother."
"Never mind that. But still, I didn't expect a revolution so soon after winning the title."
"Sorry, this was the only chance we got."
To become a titleholder, gaining international influence, making connections with the Castall Kingdom, while putting pressure on the Sacred Country of Kamel from all sides, while earning money for Dizart. This was Rokunchea's goal.
However, this was also due to Brighton's brotherly heart. He used his brother's love for [Shield Arts] to keep him away from the Sacred Country of Kamel and let him focus on fighting for the title. It was of his deep familiar love that Brighton didn't want to lose his only relative, his talented younger brother, to the revolution.
"And I would also like to express my gratitude to that person."
"Don't worry, that won't be necessary. I'll tell you why eventually."
"What? ...Oh, I see, I see."
Rokunchea was also caring in his own way.
"...Ahh. He's come. That's indeed him, that's the back of the man I admired..."
Goodbye, he said.
Raspberry Bell's heart was burning in her chest as she looked at SEVEN's "Dragon King Swordsmanship" slaughter while saying goodbye to Nex.
For several months since being reborn in this world, she had never forgotten, not even for a moment, the person she had longed for.
And she became aware again. That Raspberry Bell, that Suzuki Ichigo couldn't help but love Shichirou Satou.
It was love. Affection. Devotion. A love that overflowed and wouldn't stop.
"I-Impossible...!! For Nex to have lost...!"
Two meters away from Raspberry Bell whose eyes were almost heart-shaped, Pope Black shouted out loud.
Ahh, yeah, there was also this guy, she thought. And while revealing her murderous intent for being bothered while in her fantasy――The Pope glared at her with a crazy smile.
"Hahahahahahaha! If I've lost a piece, all I have to do is replace it! Sheik, it's your turn!"
"Yes, sir."
To everyone's surprise, the Pope took another Madness Agent from his inventory and thrust it at Nex's subordinate, his other personal guard, Sheik.
Sheik turned his back to Raspberry Bell and moved in front of the Pope.
"...What's wrong?! Are you scared?! Hurry up and use it! That's an order!"
The Pope threw the Madness Agent at him.
However, for some reason, Sheik stood still and refused to pick it up.
Everyone present was wondering what was going on, a question mark almost showing in their heads.
Then, the man in the aloha shirt opened his mouth.
"That's enough, Consade."
"As you wish."
The person who answered after being called Consade was... The guard, Sheik.
"What? Sheik, you bastard――"
The moment the Pope was about to say something.
Sheik's right hand moved slightly, and something thin glinted in the air.
An instant later.
Thud...
The Pope's head fell to the ground after parting from his body.
Next, his body collapsed to his knees and fell forward. Sheik took a step back, dodging the spurt of blood with an expressionless face.
"W-Who are――!?"
Surprised by the sudden events, Brighton turned his attention to SEVEN.
...But there was no man in an aloha shirt there anymore.
"He disappeared!?"
"...Ohh, I see."
Rokunchea instantly understood. He realized this was the 'teleportation' that he had seen at Karai, the delicious curry restaurant.
As predicted, Second kept Anko waiting at the Firstest state with "Monster Summoning", and sent a message to Yukari using the team-only communication to 'signal' Anko. As a result, it appeared as if he has just vanished without a trace.
"Say, are you perhaps Senpai's..."
While everyone was surprised by the sudden disappearance of SEVEN, Raspberry Bell spoke to Sheik.
Sheik faced Raspberry Bell, quietly nodding with an expressionless face, and then breaking the silence.
"Master said he will come to pick you up later."
"I see! Say hi to senpai for me."
They exchanged a few words and then Sheik also disappeared.
Anko's "Darkness Summon"'s cooldown time of 60 seconds had passed, and thus, Sheik, no, codename: Consade, no, Luna was also summoned to the Firstest state.
"......"
Everyone except for Raspberry Bell was the same.
They simply watched in amazement as the series of unbelievable events unfolded in front of their eyes.
However, one thing was certain.
The revolution had succeeded――