\— Heart of the Evil God – Holy Grail Divine Realm
At the moment Efil began her battle with Dezez Gray in the sky, Gerard on the ground was locked in a fierce struggle with the Centaur-type weapon, Cyanrayne. Gerard fought back against the wildly rampaging Cyanrayne, which moved like a bucking horse, using his skillful swordsmanship and shield.
Cyanrayne’s basic tactic was a Lance Charge, initiated from a chaotic, unpredictable run. While its heavy shield and the arm that held it were destroyed by Efil, its simplified form had increased its raw speed and power. However, Gerard was no pushover, possessing the highest strength and durability within Kelvin’s Party. He perfectly anticipated Cyanrayne’s charges and thrusts, even landing a Counter as they passed each other. Despite its body being more robust than Blue Rage’s, Cyanrayne bore numerous sword slashes.
“Guaaaon…”
Cyanrayne expelled exhaust gas, hit by the pouring rain. It sounded eerily like a scream.
“Hmm, it seems I can finally repay my past debts. I shall finish this one off. After that, it’s you, Zildra!”
“You sound quite confident. But don’t think you’ve defeated Cyanrayne yet.”
“What?”
After Zildra’s words, a cracking sound was heard. It came from around Cyanrayne. The floor, slick with rain, had frozen over, forming an ice glaze. Anything hit by the gas Cyanrayne expelled had frozen without exception.
“Based on the data thus far, it seems that neither my daughter nor you are affected by moderately high-temperature gas. That’s why I decided to change tactics. This unit is equipped with a powerful cooling device, the exact opposite of high heat. Now, let’s see what happens?”
Cyanrayne launched into another Lance Charge. Everything in its wake turned into a world of ice, and as one looked closely, the spear itself was also emitting a similar gas.
“Hmph!”
Gerard, unfazed, slashed at the charging enemy with his Demonic Sword. He parried the great spear’s thrust and, with a returning blow, landed a powerful strike to its torso. A high-pitched sound, like metal shattering, echoed. But it was shallower than he had anticipated.
(This is…)
As Gerard moved the joints of his armor, something was cracking with each movement.
“You find yourself unable to move as well as you expected, don’t you? The rainwater that entered the gaps in your armor has frozen, restricting your movements. If you don’t finish this quickly, your body will become even more sluggish?”
“Ghh…!”
Cyanrayne approached, crushing the frozen ice with its hooves. Despite expelling so much gas, Cyanrayne itself seemed unaffected. It was likely a machine designed with this situation in mind. However, Gerard’s armor had no such functions, and the continuous downpour relentlessly froze it.
“So what, dammit!”
“…Oh.”
The clashing swords continued, a back and forth battle. While lacking agility, Gerard was still fighting evenly with Cyanrayne. The ice in his armor’s gaps was certainly troublesome, but it was far better than being exposed to this freezing world in his bare body. He felt no cold, nor did his hands go numb. He had considered many disadvantageous battles and had trained for them, so this did not provoke any panic.
“Hah!”
And, thanks to his armor, he was tireless. No matter how many times they exchanged blows, his sword strokes would not waver.
“Cyanrayne.”
As if it were a signal, magic power converged onto the centaur’s spear. The surrounding air and rain were absorbed into the spear, making it clear something grand was about to happen.
“Gerard, I have grasped your strength. It is indeed wonderful, you are completely different from when you were in Trisen. However, you cannot possibly evade this with that kind of speed.”
Cyanrayne’s spear emitted far more gas than before. Furthermore, it split into four sections from tip to base, and sharp ice spilled from the gaps. Gerard felt this was its ultimate attack.
— A few seconds before this, Gerard had received a telepathic message from Efil.
“Gerard-san, please be careful of falling rocks and other things. I will destroy this rain.”
“What!?”
Though he wanted to shout, “At this timing!?”, if the rain stopped, his armor would no longer have rainwater enter its gaps. Gerard saw this as an opportunity. And when Cyanrayne’s spear transformed, it fell.
— A furiously burning blue meteorite.
“Efil, falling rocks! Falling rocks!”
Even Gerard, who had maintained his composure until now, was flustered by this. But the rain had indeed stopped, and the heat from the falling debris melted the ice that had been hindering Gerard.
“Ah, this is not good. Cyanrayne, fire regardless.”
“Guaaaaa!”
The heat from the flames reached the great spear’s ice, beginning to melt its sharp edges. Realizing no more time could be spared, at Zildra’s command, Cyanrayne thrust its spear towards Gerard. Swelling ice surged towards the spearhead one after another, forming a distorted ice spear that sped towards Gerard.
“A trump card born of desperation. It seems to have power, but also a large opening. — Celestial Destruction!”
Dark, swirling magic power gathered on the blade of the Demonic Sword Dainsleif. The jet-black slash released from the swung greatsword advanced, swallowing the ice spear. The swallowed ice was used to enhance its destructive power and increase its size. The monster, devoid of any restraint, reached Cyanrayne’s right arm, and in the next moment, the centaur’s colossal form was gone, leaving only four hooves stuck to the floor. Celestial Destruction, colliding with the workshop wall, continued to devour it, seeking more prey, and vanished into the darkness.
“Hmm. I thought I wouldn’t be able to hit you if you kept running like that, but you never know what might happen. Well, Zildra?”
Gerard glared at Zildra, pointing the tip of his Demonic Sword at him.
“I’ve obliterated your proud Golem. I don’t think you have any chance of winning now, are you still going to resist?”
Efil, who had been fighting in the sky, also seemed to have achieved victory, descending with the heads of the eight Multi-headed Fire Dragons.
“Hmph… I do not seek victory. I wish to gather data and verify the process; victory or defeat is irrelevant to me. If I win, it leads to further development, and if I lose, I simply try another method.”
“You seem remarkably indifferent to anything other than research. Is that as an Apostle of God?”
“No, it is my personal ideology. Fortunately, the Proxy has already fulfilled the order I was given. Therefore, I will simply do as I please. I have lived my life to create a being that rivals God with my own hands.”
“…Then that too will end here. You have neglected people’s emotions for your own selfish desires. I will have my revenge.”
“Resign yourself, Zildra.”
Zildra was confronted with burning arrows and a jet-black sword. However, he was smiling, as if Efil and the others were saying something utterly absurd.
“Hehehe… You say truly, truly interesting things. Neglect people’s emotions? That’s the opposite. I’m not neglecting emotions. Rather, I sense great potential in their power. Having lived for too long, I know many cases. Especially those with strong emotional bonds exhibit extraordinary power when those they cherish are harmed.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“I want to see it. Power that transcends one’s limits, power that defies reason. Perhaps it will lead to ideas I could never conceive of myself.”
“You—”
Just as Gerard was about to retort, Efil coughed up blood. “…” Efil herself seemed unsure of what had happened. Zildra simply continued to laugh.
“Illness is a terrifying thing. No matter how robust a warrior or how great a hero, it is the cause of death for most in the end. Do you remember that green glass case Cyanrayne kicked around? Well, Gerard. What do you suppose that was?”
