The battle in the Chamber of Wisdom, located at the heart of the Heavenly Capital Sanzels, has finally begun. To be precise, it’s being fought outside because the chamber itself was too cramped. Regardless, the fight has commenced. The enemy is Eld Aster, the leader of the Ten Authorities, and as expected of a leader who unites a hostile organization, he is a formidable opponent.
“Dark Black Sword!”
“With a dullard like that, you can’t even scratch me. Though, as long as you’re using the surrounding scrap metal as material for your weapon, it will likely disintegrate before it can even reach me.”
As you can see, he uses his Authority, ‘Integration,’ to copy the abilities of others, which has greatly fascinated me during this battle. The one who manifested white wings with Baldo’s ‘Training’ dissects any approaching matter into energy and uses it as his own material. In short, if I get too close carelessly, my equipment will be disintegrated too, leading to the same fate as Kelvum, who is currently left with nothing but his underwear. Furthermore, the fact that Kelvum’s S-Rank armor is completely gone suggests that the strength of the equipment has no bearing on the disintegration process. It’s truly troublesome.
However, long-range attacks aren’t going well either. As Eld mentioned earlier, even the Dark Black Sword disintegrates upon being thrown, just like my equipment. And if I try to add a magical blow with my Scythe, he uses the ‘Indestructible’ ability of the Hard Authority, rendering any successful hits completely ineffective. I understand that the weakness of his ability is the nullification of power-granting abilities by heavenly divine swords or divine salvation. I understand, but… to use these against him, I need to get close to Eld. But as mentioned, if I get close, my equipment will disappear, and I’ll join Kelvum in his predicament. Well, that’s a definite no. I have no intention of making my long-time companions disappear, nor do I plan on being naked here.
Hmm, what should I do? I considered the idea of granting the heavenly divine sword to Kelvum, but these magical abilities are of the type that are applied to equipment. A naked Kelvum has no target to begin with. I also attempted a simultaneous physical and magical attack, but I confirmed that he used both ‘Training’ and ‘Indestructible’ at the same time. It seems it’s not a convenient situation where he can only use one Authority at a time. Both are functioning splendidly. …Kukuku, he truly is a troublesome and perfect opponent, Eld! It was worth coming all the way to you!
“Kelvin, what are you spacing out for?! You’re in the middle of a fight, get it together!”
“O-Oh…”
That’s right, there’s absolutely nothing lacking about the enemy, but… well, you know. This is Keruvim, the self-proclaimed vice-captain of the Ten Authorities, with whom I’ve formed a temporary alliance. He’s the one I’ve been mentioning frequently, the Keruvim of rumor. He shares many similarities with me, such as a similar name and black hair. We’ve crossed blades once before, and I can vouch for his genuine strength as a warrior. He also seems to have some sort of feud with Eld, and his morale in this battle is high. That’s good, very good. It’s a good tendency. In his current state of having lost all his equipment, Keruvim is serving as the vanguard in my stead, inflicting numerous deathly slashes on Eld, functioning greatly as the cornerstone of our attack.
…But! Because he’s on the front lines, during this battle I’ve been looking forward to, I’m being shown… all of it… of Keruvim’s battle style, his manhood, which he’s hiding nothing of, a style that is, in a way, manly! Although it should be tactically correct, my morals are strongly protesting that this cannot continue…! Because of the fierce battle they are engaged in, things are getting intense in that department too…! Hey, even a battle junkie has to choose their fighting style!?
“Keruvim, no matter how much you fight, you know your Authority is incompatible with ‘Indestructible.’ If you wish to surrender, now is the time. Then, I shall bestow upon you the noble role of dedicating your soul to Adams.”
“Hmph, I am not one to be swayed by your sweet words! To abandon a fight because of compatibility issues is mere talk for the weak! I will forge my own path and slay you!”
Whether he knew of my complex feelings or not, Eld and Keruvim are immersed in their battle as if nothing else matters. They are even exchanging passionate conversation as usual. No no, why are you two acting so composed? Don’t fallen angels have any shame? My Kuromel is quite proper in that regard. She’s even more proper than Mel. You know, she’s the type who doesn’t allow walking around naked inside the house. Well, in that sense, I hope you can learn from Kuromel. My child is a mirror of fallen angels.
“You two should learn something from Kuromel!”
” “!” ”
As if to release my pent-up frustration, I unleash my full-power Heavy Wind Pressure, enhanced with ‘Mana Overload,’ at Eld. While it might not deal direct damage, it should have made him less agile.
“Suddenly shouting something nonsensical— No, this is a moment to be praised for what you did! Emperor’s Law Scythe!”
Sensing my intent, Keruvim slashes at Eld with the obsidian Scythe he holds. An attack targeting vital points of the human body, such as the eyes and neck. Hard was entirely metal, but Eld is simply flesh and blood. Perhaps there’s a weakness there—
“Futile.”
—As expected. Just as I predicted, vital points also seem to be within the scope of ‘Indestructible.’ Keruvim’s Scythe, which can even bestow death upon magic, merely disintegrated my Heavy Wind Pressure and, as always, failed to grant death to Eld.
“Hah!”
“Ngh!”
In return, Eld threw back at me the Dark Black Sword that was previously disintegrated— or rather, a very similar obsidian Greatsword. The wing-shaped energy gathered on his back generates new weapons like this and hurls them at us. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the throwing speed isn’t that impressive, so there’s ample room to dodge even after seeing it. Since the trajectory doesn’t change mid-flight, it’s a very straightforward attack.
“Your defense is impressive, but your offense is a bit sloppy! Is this all the Ten Authorities’ leader is capable of!?”
“That’s right! Kelvin, tell him more! That I’m worthy of being the leader of the Ten Authorities!”
No, I didn’t say that.
“I’m troubled by your excessive expectations, Grim Reaper? As I’ve said multiple times, my ‘Integration’ isn’t that convenient. Once it’s a one-on-two situation, I’m in a defensive disadvantage.”
“Then, perish quickly! There is my existence to take your place!”
“Hmph, I refuse.”
Even if it’s defensive, it’s a perfect defense. No matter how fierce our attacks, the battle is undoubtedly in a stalemate. However, it’s not *that* convenient, huh. If I take that word at face value, it probably means that while he can use Authorities in combination, he can’t draw out their full power? The ‘Indestructible’ deployed by Hard felt like an integrated offense-defense system, and the wielder of ‘Training,’ whom Serge fought, should have been able to create a more diverse range of weapons. Hmm, a shame.
But what concerns me more right now is the composure Eld exudes even in this situation. He can’t lose right now, but he can’t win either. Yet, where does that composure come from? …No, perhaps he doesn’t intend to win at all? For example, is he aiming to buy time… Ah, that seems quite likely. In that case, I might need to hurry a bit.
“Okay, let’s change tactics a little. Kuroto, please.”
I put away the Disaster (Black Staff) into Kuroto’s ‘Storage’ and have him bring out an alternative weapon. How long has it been since I last used this?
“It’s your turn, Clive!”
