Another Side
The space where a part of the God’s body has manifested.
Whether to call this an anomaly or divine, it’s impossible to say at this stage.
At the very least, one thing can be said.
“Hahaha!! What was that human? No, it’s questionable whether they can even be called human. I never imagined that besides the Demon Lord, your faction would have a being capable of fighting on par or even better with a manifested divine body, even if it’s only a part of it!”
“Kakakaka! You must be envious. Unlike your faction filled with incompetents, our side is rich enough in talent to hold onto our hidden treasures.”
The fact remains that there exists a being capable of confronting a god alone is an anomaly.
The Undead King, Nōraifu, and Aiwa, the first in the Seraph hierarchy, collide in the sky, attempting to take each other’s lives.
Despite being in a state of exhaustion, they engage in a full-speed clash as if their bodies were perfectly fine, with both aware that they are performing beyond their usual capabilities.
“I’m truly envious!! He’s so excellent, I can’t help but think what if he were in our faction!”
With a slender blade, she cuts through the Undead King’s magic, closes the distance, and slices through the Undead King’s barrier, which is several times harder than steel, as if it were paper. She then thrusts a smile, as if enjoying a battle against an Oni King, towards the Undead King during a sword lock.
“That’s an impossible delusion!! He is here, and his blade is pointed towards you!! However, I shall accept your compliment honestly. But if he were with you, I don’t think he would have achieved such greatness!!”
However, the Undead King did not simply let Aiwa get close.
To kill Aiwa, he calculated the risks, bore the danger, and succeeded in his gamble.
As he blocked Aiwa’s sword with his staff, his mantle moved the moment he intercepted the attack.
A torrent of black blades shot from his mantle, all made of chaos. Any ordinary barrier would be no different from Shoji paper against them. These blades, if they pierce, inject a potent poison; even a Seraph would sustain a fatal blow.
One arm is not enough to defend against them.
Moreover, her rapier was entangled with his staff.
“You might be right!! He achieved greatness precisely because he is with you!! At best, he would only be a soldier in our ranks!!”
However, Aiwa did not falter. Instead, using the fraction of a second of leeway, she moved to take the Undead King’s life. As if to say there is life in death, she increased her thrust mid-air, pushing the Undead King further and attempting to cleave his staff in two.
The Undead King disliked this, deliberately deflecting his staff and forcing Aiwa back.
Naturally, the attack missed, and they engaged in a hair’s breadth exchange of blows, for the umpteenth time.
“That might be the case. Honestly, I never thought the difference in environment would affect the overall situation so much. After all, except for one area, his talent was something even I couldn’t fully grasp. And now, it has resulted in the creation of an anomaly who can rend your precious god!”
Dodging does not stop their movements.
Aiwa flaps her wings, and the Undead King uses magic, as they exchange feints while moving at high speed.
Their attacks collide, or narrowly miss, they avoid or counter incoming attacks that would obstruct their path, and they constantly search for ways to land a blow that could be fatal.
“To be praised so highly by an ally makes me want to clash with him even more.”
“That is impossible. You will be killed by me here.”
Amidst such a deadly space, they casually discuss the man who is carving up the god, while simultaneously measuring the distance for deadly intent.
“That ending suits me as well. The end of a battle should be a battle. However, I still want to fight. And I cannot afford to lose the battle that made me draw this sword!!”
Far from fading, the killing intent only intensifies.
“Kakakaka!! What pleasant killing intent you direct at me!! Ah, I understand, I truly understand your feelings!! I too, cannot face my loyal subordinates if I were to lose in this state!!”
They both have pride that prevents them from losing, for their own distinct reasons.
It is natural for them to sharpen their resolve, concluding that they must kill each other.
Exchanging smiles that mask killing intent.
Attacking with heartfelt prayers for the other to die.
These two are not contradictory; rather, they bring about destruction in the name of increased power.
Silver high-speed slashes.
Jet-black carpet bombing.
In terms of area of effect, the Undead King has the advantage, but in terms of penetrating power, Aiwa does.
The difference in abilities is nearly equal.
Aiwa has grown far more powerful compared to when she wielded the Divine Sword.
The Undead King is not so senile as to fail to grasp the reason for this.
The silver rapier in Aiwa’s hand.
Compared to the Divine Sword, the Holy Sword possesses less power.
However, her strength has increased manifold compared to when she possessed the Divine Sword.
So much so that the word “defeat” flickers in the Undead King’s mind.
The sharpness of her swordplay, the power of her magic, the movements of her body – all surpass her previous battle in a way that negates her past self.
These abilities were sufficient to put the Undead King in mortal danger.
So, has the tide of battle tilted in Aiwa’s favor? Not necessarily.
Aiwa, too, had imagined defeat in her mind regarding the Undead King.
She is not confined to a special space like that time.
She can fly freely, her physical condition may not appear perfect, but it is; she is armed with the best weapon among those available to her, and even the favorable condition of a one-on-one battle has been arranged.
A battle where everything seems to be a tailwind for Aiwa.
However, an unusual headwind is blowing against her, canceling out that tailwind.
This is a tailwind for the Undead King.
The Undead King’s equipment is not much different from back then.
However, the Undead King’s body, having acquired a subordinate’s body, has significantly improved his abilities.
The offered body not only compensates for what could have been the Undead King’s weaknesses but has also dramatically improved his ability to deal with close-quarters combat, to the point where it can be described as his forte.
What has been born from this is the absence of any distance wherein he is weak, both at long and short range, and a mental composure.
This mental composure can be a weakness in combat, but if used as a remedy rather than poison, it becomes an overwhelming advantage.
He can calmly cope with close-quarters combat.
There is nothing more frightening than this if it is possessed by a Mage who primarily engages in long-range combat.
The Undead King’s magic attempts to shoot down Aiwa, who is trying to close the distance.
Aiwa, cutting through that magic, attempts to cleave him in one stroke.
However, if that single stroke is downgraded from a sure kill by the Undead King’s composure, Aiwa must upgrade that blade to a sure kill.
This exchange takes place on the battlefield under overwhelmingly powerful individuals, making intervention impossible.
After all, Aiwa is the legendary first Hero who defeated the Demon Lord, and the other is the Undead King Nōraifu, who could easily have been known as a Demon Lord.
This clash between rivals of such caliber could easily be considered the final battle.
“Ah, from the bottom of my heart, I’m glad you are my enemy!!”
“Indeed, I share your sentiment of being glad to have such a troublesome existence as an enemy, but that is as an individual. As a general, I lament.”
While showing glimpses of enjoying the battle, the two of them assess the battlefield.
Even now, as the Undead King forcibly pulls her away from nearly charging into the Demon Lord’s fleet, reinforcements immediately fire from the fleet, and Aiwa retreats from the barrage.
“Ah, precisely that, that feeling. It is only that part, that specific part, that is regrettable. This battle is not eternal. Eventually, it will end with this blade!! As the person in charge on this side, I must also bring it to an end.”
Neither of them wants the battle to end, but this is a personal feeling.
Their stamina, magic power, and spirit are all such that they could engage in this battle for a long time.
However, as forces that will determine the outcome of the war situation, they must quickly defeat the enemy before them.
“Well said. Even so, your gods would not be satisfied with merely manifesting a part of their arms.”
However, the Undead King and Aiwa sense that there are other ways for this to end.
Even now, a being disguised as a human is fiercely attacking, trying to cut off the Sun God’s arm, but not seriously trying to kill him.
This is because the preparations for the operation are not yet complete, and the God has not fully manifested.
Aiwa senses that the Demon Lord’s Army is aiming for something, but she does not know the specifics.
She has a bad premonition.
But.
“Yes, even gods can be crude, can’t they?”
“Kakakaka, you truly make me doubt if you are a Seraph serving a god.”
“I am here on this side solely for my own objectives. It’s simply more convenient to be here.”
None of that matters to Aiwa.
What matters is how much she can fight against strong opponents.
Therefore, in the extreme, it doesn’t matter if the gods lose.
“You said earlier that he was disguised amongst us, but you too might have been disguised if you were here.”
The Undead King involuntarily smiles at this stance, finding it amusing. Aiwa smiles back at his smile.
“If that were the case, our side would have been easily annihilated. That would be boring, so I would have ended up constantly challenging the Demon Lord.”
“Troublesome. You are truly a disruptive element.”
“Yes. Heroes are symbols of ending conflict, but at the same time, they are beings destined to fight. The battlefield is my place.”
They continued to clash.
Cutting through the jet-black magic, the magic the Undead King is proficient in, encompassing flames, lightning, ice, and curses.
“In a way, heroes are quite hollow.”
“Please don’t demand productivity. It’s outside my jurisdiction.”
She attempts to plunge into the Undead King’s guard.
However, this time, before she could get close, the Undead King’s magic slightly prevails, preventing her approach.
“Still, you have a lot of composure. After clashing multiple times, you must realize that our abilities are equal. This battle will drag on. In the meantime, the gods will manifest, and the battle below will become even more dangerous. Even if you have excellent talent, fighting a god alone for a long time is reckless, isn’t it?”
Aiwa, who exchanges words without hesitation, speaks words that suggest she anticipates the gods intervening in this battle.
That means Jirō, who is fighting below, will be defeated.
In fact, a new magic circle has been deployed, and gradually, the God’s torso is beginning to be summoned.
The upper body is complete.
Once that happens, Jirō will be even more fiercely targeted to be erased.
“Kaka! You don’t understand. We should be the ones worrying.”
The end of the battle is near.
The Undead King laughs heartily, finding it entertaining to hear the Seraph speak of such a premonition.
“He will lose? My disciple? Will he fall to such adversity!? What a funny joke!”
He declares that the battle is not over yet.
“The real main event hasn’t even begun yet.”
He states that this is nothing more than a prelude.
“…Hahahaha!!”
At his words, Aiwa burst into laughter, her emotions soaring.
“You call this a prelude, Undead King?”
“Yes, that’s right. An actor to liven up the main event. First Hero.”
The battle, as if between old acquaintances, had only just begun.
Today’s Word
Now, let’s begin the overtime work.
Thank you for your continued feedback and for pointing out typos.
If you find this interesting, please leave a review, rating, or bookmark.
I am currently serializing another work:
Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, But We’re Fighting Back with Secret Bases and Stuff!!
Please give that one a try as well!!
