Drawing back, I immediately issued instructions to Kuro via telepathy.
“As a knight, wouldn’t it have been better to advance rather than retreat?”
“Hmph, wouldn’t you be at a disadvantage fighting from that position?”
“Well, thank you!”
I launched Gale Blade, a shotgun-type magic of wind blades, as a feint. It’s an area-of-effect magic, not a point-of-effect, and while its power is questionable, it’s difficult to evade.
The Gale Blades split into dozens of wind blades and closed in on Gerard, but Gerard swept his greatsword horizontally, deflecting the wind. The wind, its trajectory altered, sliced through the ceiling, walls, and ground, tearing at everything.
Kuro seized that opening and struck Gerard from diagonally behind with four whips. This was an attack that Raji couldn’t defend against, and it even received a speed boost from Kelvin’s wind legs.
“Nnn!”
“What!?”
I was stunned. Gerard blocked two of the sharp attacks, grabbed the remaining ones with his left hand, and crushed them with his right foot. Kuro’s strength was no match for Gerard, and he was restrained.
Does this guy have eyes in the back of his head too!?
“Gerard possesses the True Sight skill. Please consider it as having a modifier on instantaneous situational judgment.”
Half-hearted attacks are pointless, huh? This is troublesome. However, if this continues, Kuro will be in danger. Kuro, I’ll put Precipice between you and him!
Immediately after we communicated, Precipice appeared in front of Kuro. The whips restraining Kuro were cut by the wall, but as long as Kuro’s core was safe, it was fine. And then—
Alright, go!
Kuro’s body, remaining on Gerard’s left hand and right foot, moved again, clinging to him. For a moment, a red light enveloped Gerard, and he exploded. This was Kuro’s skill, “Split,” acquired after leveling up by defeating Raji. It allows him to detach a part of his body and control it as a copy. The detached Kuro copy triggers an explosion using some of the magic stored in storage. In other words, it’s self-destruction.
“…That slime is quite versatile. Even when you grabbed me, you were constantly draining my magic. And this self-destruction, it’s hard to approach.”
Gerard grumbled, but his unseen expression seemed somewhat pleased. His jet-black gauntlets were slightly distorted by the power of Kuro’s explosion, but they were still functional enough to wield his sword.
“Well, as thanks for showing me such an interesting spectacle, I shall demonstrate my swordsmanship as well.”
Gerard raised his greatsword to an upper stance and swung it down at me.
Hey, hey, I couldn’t see the trajectory of that greatsword that was as tall as him…!
“Please jump sideways with all your might!”
Hearing Melfina’s voice, more panicked than ever, I immediately leaped sideways. Immediately after I jumped, a sharp sound echoed.
“No way…!”
The place where I had been standing moments before was split in two. That bastard Gerard shot out a slash!
“——!!! To evade an aerial gap on the first try, you certainly are entertaining!”
“To possess such speed with invisibility, that’s a poor joke.”
Melfina’s quick advice saved me; if I hadn’t moved, I would have ended up like the ground. I’m sorry, Melfina.
Before Gerard could make his next move, I cast Earth Crack. Cracks ran across the floor centered around Gerard’s feet, and the next moment, the ground split and collapsed. Even the formidable Gerard lost his footing when the earth shifted. However, his sharp gaze, visible through the gap in his helmet, was fixed on Kelvin.
While off-balance, Gerard unleashed an invisible slash again. Not at Kelvin, but at Kuro, who was likely behind the wall.
Tch, he doesn’t care about that unstable footing, does he?
The slash passed through the Precipice as if it were nothing, reaching the wall behind it.
“Ngh, the slime is gone!?”
As soon as he uttered those words, a sword suddenly appeared from the collapsed ground and thrust towards Gerard’s abdomen. The sword was Cashel’s beloved Mithril Sword. Kuro, having advanced through the cracks in the ground with his slime form, retrieved it from storage and launched the attack.
“Gu…”
Even Gerard, with his True Sight, was unable to respond to this attack from outside his vision and was wounded. Furthermore, Kuro unleashed three hardened spear-like arms, concentrating the density of his body.
Gerard parried these with his sword, striking them all down with god-like speed. Kuro, who had attacked, was instead dealt damage.
He’s truly amazing.
Kelvin thought frankly. The attempts to outwit, surprise, and exploit an opening were all countered.
But—
“This is checkmate!”
Gerard, who had defended in an awkward posture, was now completely defenseless. Pouring all his remaining magic power, he activated Heavy Wind Pressure.
“—!?”
Due to the sheer weight of the air pressing down vertically, Gerard’s body was subjected to a load tens of times greater, making it impossible for him to move as he wished. Furthermore, the Mithril Sword was still lodged in his abdomen. It would be praiseworthy enough if he had merely deflected Kuro’s follow-up attack.
Kuro, unleash it with all the magic you’ve stored!
Kuro changed his body within the ground. His form resembled a dragon with its mouth wide open. Then, he unleashed his greatest skill.
—Super Magic Compressed Beam.
It was released from his open maw, piercing Gerard, destroying the ancient castle, and disappearing into the heavens.
