I launched another modified version of Ava Split at the Apostle, but it had heightened its guard following my previous attack. It swiftly countered with a small fireball that easily neutralized my spell. The counterattack flowed directly into an assault on me.
"Tsk!"
I barely dodged the fireball, but then a lightning-infused spell, the Blast Bolt, came after me. How skillful can Ava be, battling while keeping her focus on me?
I couldn't deflect the lightning arrows with my sword. Instead, I dodged them using the Swift Wind Technique, and when that wasn't enough, I plunged my sword into the ground to act as a lightning rod.
The battle had reached a bit of a stalemate. Ava and the "Apostle of Beginnings" were locked in a clash, each restraining the other's movements. My only current means of dealing significant damage, the ice bullet, was being carefully watched. Trinity was no longer a concern for the enemy.
As I pondered what to do, Trinity launched a signal attack.
"Triple Shot!"
Trinity's throwing knives flew toward the eyes of the Apostle, but the old Drake wasn't a pushover; even if some made contact, they were swatted away. The sound of clanking echoed as four knives were deflected.
But the moment the fourth knife hit, a blinding flash engulfed the area, scorching the Apostle's eyes.
"Gaahhhh!?"
Yes, following the Triple Shot, Trinity had immediately launched a fifth knife—this one infused with a light magic spell at maximum intensity, yet with a duration of zero. The Triple Shot was the signal for this fifth throw.
As soon as I saw the signal, I shut my eyes and chanted a spell, closing the distance to the Apostle in one swift motion.
Ava also strides forward towards the "Apostle of Beginnings."
"Ava Subrit!
—Ava Subrit Slash!!"
Yesterday, I learned the magical sword technique from Ava, and now I apply the ice bullet enchantment to my sword, enveloping it in a soft glow. I unleash the sword skill "Slash" against the Apostle of Beginnings.
"Water Arrow! Ava Subrit! Black Needle!
—Triple Edge!!"
Ava also imbues her sword with three elemental spells, launching three slashes each wielding a different attribute through the "Triple Edge" technique.
As my magical sword strikes, the ice bullets effortlessly pierce the Apostle's body while simultaneously dealing a slicing blow.
Ava's magical strikes—the water, ice, and dark needles—slice into the Apostle's form like the claws of a beast.
"Ugh... ahhh...!"
Our combined assaults force the Apostle of Beginnings to fall heavily to the ground.
Since this is merely a trial and not a hunt, we take a momentary step back instead of pursuing. It's daunting to think that we might still not be enough, but—
"Ugh... splendid. I have thoroughly assessed your power.
You have successfully cleared the Angel Quest—Start trial."
With the Apostle's acknowledgment of our accomplishment, I finally relax and exhale.
**"Extra Heal"**
The spell cast by the Apostle of Beginnings rapidly healed our injured bodies.
"Wow, this is amazing..." Trinity watched, impressed, as the Apostle of Beginnings recovered, while I wore a serious expression.
Throughout the trials, the healing magic had never been used.
In other words, it meant we had been taken lightly by the Apostle of Beginnings.
"Should I unleash my true power, you would vanish without a trace from this world," the Apostle warned, as if to say it was only natural for them to hold back under the circumstances.
Indeed, if they truly wanted to, we would stand no chance.
However, I caught a glimpse of Ava and heard a murmur, "Well, there are exceptions..."
That implied Ava's combat ability was on par with old Drake.
"Now, I shall bestow upon you the proof of the Apostle," the Apostle of Beginnings announced.
At that moment, teardrop-shaped necklaces materialized in front of us.
I noticed that Trinity and I had purple necklaces, while Ava's matched Beautif's blue one.
"Oh, mine is a different color," Ava remarked.
"Hey, Apostle of Beginnings, what's the meaning of this?"
"Ah, in this case, the color distinguishes the difference in power.
Those with far superior strength receive blue, while others receive purple. Those who have slain the Apostle of Beginnings will be given a red proof."
"Hey, I get that killing it might yield something, but... an old Drake? Isn't that pushing it a bit too far?
Oh, wait, I suppose there are exceptions like Ava, so maybe it's not entirely out of the question... But if that happens, won't we lose the chance to take on the Angel Quest?
"Hmm, so Ava's power is really that impressive, huh? Speaking of which, if I kill you, I'll get the Apostle's proof, but then what happens to the challengers who come after me?"
Trinity, who had been gazing at the Apostle's proof, echoed my concern. "In that case, a new 'Apostle of Beginning' will be chosen from among the Drake clan. There have been instances before where the 'Apostle of Beginning' was defeated. Fire Drakes and Earth Drakes have faced this fate, and it seems like I was simply the one chosen this time due to the others being defeated too often. By the way, I'm the sixth 'Apostle of Beginning.'"
I see. So the 'Apostle of Beginning' is selected from within the dragons. It's certainly not impossible to defeat a Fire Drake, like the one I saw in the Drake nest. Some challengers might view dragons as foes to be vanquished.
And that's how we ended up facing this old Drake. This situation is just absurd.
"Back to the topic at hand, the color of the Apostle's proof will change based on your actions during the Angel Quest."
"Show good deeds or your overwhelming strength, and the color will shift to blue. If you only engage in slaughter, it will turn red."
"Does that ultimately affect your Angel Quest?"
"No, it has no impact at all. It's just a change of color."
What?! No impact at all?! Normally, shouldn't good deeds earn you a place in Arcadia, while a trail of killings keep you out?
"Well, it should make it easier for you to understand the actions of other quest challengers."
Hmm, I see. Given that there may be times when cooperation with other parties is necessary, it can serve as a guideline.
"Hey, 'Apostle of Beginning,' what's the special skill tied to the S rank Apostle's proof?"
Ava, who had been fiddling with the Apostle's proof, suddenly dropped a bombshell.
Special skill? Wait, what?
"...How do you know that? Very few are aware of this special skill."
"I just feel it's strange for a proof earned through so much hardship to exist solely for the purpose of reaching Arcadia. Besides, I've seen something similar before."
Seen it before? Could it be from her experiences in other VRs?
Considering Ava's background with various VR experiences as a cyber-security company, it isn't impossible, but still... She seems to know far too much about AIWOn, like the existence of the transfer magic circles in Drake's Nest and the Origin Forest, as well as this Apostle's proof special skill.
It's true that Ava claims this is her first time with Alive In World Online, but there's no doubt she has some connection to it. Could this bizarre death game, the Angel In incident, be involved? …No, for now, I'll choose to trust Ava. She seems to be hiding something, but I believe she'll reveal it when the time is right.
Meanwhile, the "Apostle of Beginnings" explains the Apostle's Testaments as if resigned.
"Well, it's fine. The S Apostle's Testament grants a special skill that doubles physical abilities."
"Seriously?"
"Indeed, seriously."
That could be a trump card in battle. …But such a useful skill surely has drawbacks.
"There are 26 special skills associated with the Apostle's Testaments. Currently, only the S imprint can be used. You can select one from those 26 and use it for 24 minutes. After those 24 minutes, you cannot use the Apostle's Testament's special skills for 24 hours. This applies not just to the skill you used but to all others as well. Additionally, after using the S imprint's special skill, your physical abilities will be halved."
Ah, there it is—the downside. You can use a special skill for 24 minutes, but after that, you can't use the Apostle's Testament for 24 hours.
Each imprint comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
"Ugh, this is going to be tricky to use!"
"But if you use it wisely, it can be a powerful skill," Trinity replied.
Indeed, as Trinity mentioned, finding the right moment to utilize these skills is challenging. However, as Ava pointed out, they could be incredibly beneficial for upcoming battles and exploration, thanks to other unique abilities.
"Now, my role is complete.
You have gained one of the tokens needed to reach the pinnacle of the gods. But acquiring the remaining tokens will not be easy!"
The "Apostle of Beginnings" highlighted the challenges we would face in the upcoming Angel Quest. But I had to find Yuki, and that meant I had no choice but to get to Arcadia.
"Hmph, like I said earlier, I have to get to Arcadia no matter what. I'll grab the remaining tokens quickly!"
I boldly declared my intention to conquer the rest of the Angel Quest.
—Angel Quest: Tokens of the Apostles, 25 remaining—
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
AIWOn AQ攻略スレ89
701: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:21:21 ID: F0kSb6C0nT
"Wait! The very first challenge in the Angel Quest is a dragon? This can't be happening!"
702: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:22:29 ID: braG6n199
"Oh, that? There's no way that's possible, right? Haha!"
703: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:24:02 ID: AnT1m9C9
"True! Even if there's no fight to the death, facing a dragon is a whole different story... Haha!"
704: Depuko: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:25:53 ID: Dpbl16Slv
"If it's a dragon, it's certainly not impossible to defeat it, you know?"
705: Ayami Harei: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:25:53 ID: EVA2014Fst
"That's right. But if we don't defeat it, there's no way to move forward."
706: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:26:02 ID: AnT1m9C9
">>704 Wait, haha! That's only something the princess can do!"
707: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:28:43 ID: HkOj33sSn
"Well, with the princess's abilities, it's certainly possible to defeat it."
708: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:29:21 ID: F0kSb6C0nT
"...I almost died, though! @@; Who is this 704 that claims they can take down such a dragon?"
709: Depuko: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:30:53 ID: Dpbl16Slv
"I'm Depuko! Ta-da!"
710: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/02/03 (Sun) 10:31:21 ID: F91zDB100
>709: "Well, that's totally unclear, lol."
711: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/03/2058, 10:32 AM ID: AnT1m9C9
"709 Translation: It's because I'm a princess that I can do this! Oh ho ho ho ho!"
712: Ayana Harei: 02/03/2058, 10:33 AM ID: EVA2014Fst
"This will be my third attempt."
713: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/03/2058, 10:34 AM ID: HkOj33sSn
">>711 That doesn't make sense either, lol."
714: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/03/2058, 10:25 AM ID: braG6n199
"Wow! Attempting three times is impressive!"
715: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/03/2058, 10:36 AM ID: HkOj33sSn
"Well, as long as you don't die, you can keep trying as many times as you want."
716: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/03/2058, 10:37 AM ID: F0kSb6C0nT
">>712 If possible, could you share any information about the 'Apostle of Beginnings' from your previous attempts?"
717: Ayana Harei: 02/03/2058, 10:38 AM ID: EVA2014Fst
"I don't know. I'm the third one."
718: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/03/2058, 10:40 AM ID: F91zDB100
"Wait, what? lol"
"Wait, the third one has died twice already? LOL!"
- Anonymous Adventurer, 3rd February 2058, 10:41 AM, ID: AnT1m9C9
"What a challenger, haha!"
--- March 20, year AL 103 ---
In a spacious garden behind the inn, I begin my warm-up exercises using the Shippūjinrai style of footwork. Once my body is sufficiently warmed up, I grab my sword and practice my movements from a ready stance. I'm confident in my footwork without the weapon, but I notice some discrepancies when wielding the sword, and I need to correct them. To fight effectively in this AIWOn world, adapting to combat with a sword is essential.