“I have no choice.”
Watching the giant walk towards me with a seemingly sadistic gleam in its eyes, I muttered to myself in my heart.
I had taken many hits from the Butcher, but thanks to my new armor and my tripled stats, I had managed to survive.
However, at this moment, no matter how much HP I had left, it didn’t matter.
If I couldn’t defeat it now, I would surely die.
It was already decided.
“The biggest obstacle to using ‘Incarnation of Rage’ in combat is, after all, the 30 seconds after skill activation.”
After the 30 seconds of acceleration and enhancement end, the effects instantly reverse.
All of my base stats, which had been enhanced by the skill, are now reduced to one-hundredth of their previous value.
It doesn’t affect weapons or armor, so my attack and defense power aren’t reduced to one-hundredth, but that’s no comfort.
If my HP and Endurance are reduced to one-hundredth, I won’t be able to withstand enemy attacks, and if my Agility is reduced to one-hundredth, I won’t even be able to dodge or escape.
Exposing myself to a monster for those 30 seconds can be considered an instant death.
“So, I’ll defeat it before then.”
The only way to break through this is through Skill Cancel.
If I can at least perform a Godspeed Cancel on Horizontal Slash and Step, I should have a chance of winning.
Step is the first movement skill, and Horizontal Slash is a basic skill. Both can be considered beginner-level skills.
Does that mean their cancels are easy? Not at all.
In fact, these two cancels are rather difficult.
It’s not an absolute standard since I’m just ‘Nekoneko’, but the duration of the cancellable time is generally proportional to the length of the skill itself.
Skills that last longer usually have a correspondingly longer cancellation time, while skills that end quickly tend to have instantaneous cancellation windows.
For example, Midarezakura has the longest cancellation受付 time among the skills I know.
With an effect duration close to 20 seconds, Midarezakura also has a long cancellation window, and players who can master this technique are said to find it harder to fail the Midarezakura cancel than to succeed.
On the other hand, Shukuchi, which has high movement speed and a short activation time, has only one cancellation point, and its duration is extremely short.
Combined with the fact that only Jump-type skills can be cancelled, this is why Shukuchi is considered an advanced skill.
Step and Horizontal Slash are somewhere in between, leaning slightly towards Shukuchi. However, the difficulty skyrockets when you have to execute them consecutively and without a single mistake.
Of course, it’s not just the Godspeed Cancel Movement that’s difficult.
There’s also the movement skill combo that incorporates Air Hammer, and the post-activation cancels for Oborojyuuji and Midarezakura.
Thinking back, all of my signature moves relied on Skill Cancels.
But right now, none of those seem possible for me.
“Can I do it? The current me?”
I couldn’t help but ask myself.
No, I shook my head.
“It’s not ‘Can I do it?’ It’s ‘I *will* do it!'”
With newfound resolve, I faced the Butcher.
For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw the Demon Lord’s form within its shadow.
“I will absolutely defeat it!”
After steeling myself, I focused my attention on the giant that was slowly closing the distance.
“The problem is trying to use skills with the same feel as before.”
“I should just think of it as a new skill with a timing window three times tighter.”
“No, since I know everything will be moving three times faster, the conditions are actually more favorable.”
I told myself.
In my mind, I pictured myself moving at three times the normal speed.
And then, at the break between those skills, I visualized the next skill activating.
I searched my brain for skills with similar timing and imagined the rhythm.
My consciousness sharpened.
All extraneous noise vanished from my mind, and everything outside my target disappeared from my vision.
An instant stretched out, diluted by a factor of several, and the Butcher’s movement as it raised its arm towards me appeared to be in slow motion.
“I can do it!”
Driven by a powerful conviction, though without any basis, I…
“Soma, no!!”
My concentration was broken by a sudden voice, and I missed the moment.
Time regained its normal flow.
The giant’s arm, wielding a massive Meat Cleaver, was about to swing down.
“Damn it!”
But at that moment, it was blocked by a flash of silver light that came from outside my focused consciousness.
The silver object that flew in struck the Butcher’s arm, momentarily halting its movement.
“Is that a Wakizashi?! Kongou Toshi?!”
I thought instantly, but it was too slow and lacked power.
In fact, the Wakizashi only stopped the Butcher’s movement for a very brief time.
Its blade was easily deflected by the Butcher’s thick, fleshy armor.
“It wasn’t a skill or anything, just a throw? But why…?”
While hastily leaping away, I scanned for the person who had thrown the Wakizashi.
Ringo’s figure, having swung her arm wide, came into view.
But she was still far away.
Lightning attacks, by their nature, are not suited for precise long-range attacks.
I didn’t understand why she hadn’t used the ‘Kongou Toshi’ skill, but I realized that Ringo, seeing my predicament, had thrown her Wakizashi from afar to help me.
“Soma!!”
Despite throwing her only weapon, Ringo was trying to rush to my side.
Even while off-balance from the throw, she was desperately trying to run towards me.
“Ah…”
She tripped.
Headfirst.
“Pffft!”
At the comical sight, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing, even in this situation.
I knew I shouldn’t laugh, as she was doing her best for me.
Yet, seeing her made something within me relax.
And then,
“What the heck is she doing…”
I muttered to myself.
A sense of relief washed over me, as if a curse had been lifted, or I had woken from a bad dream.
When my unnecessary tension eased, I finally understood the absurdity of what I was doing.
“Was I too impatient?”
I thought this as I sidestepped the Meat Cleaver, which was swinging down at me with a roar.
If I could just calm down, or rather, if I didn’t try to deliberately ignore it, I would immediately realize that this battle was ridiculous.
It was true, there were only 9 days left until the Demon Lord’s deadline.
But there were still 9 days.
Whether I was testing the three-times speed with ‘Incarnation of Rage’ or trying to enhance myself by defeating the Butcher, there was no point in me fighting alone under such reckless conditions.
If I had brought Mitsuki or Maki with me, I probably wouldn’t have struggled against the Butcher, and if I had at least imposed conditions like limiting the engagement to a 3-meter radius or prohibiting elemental attacks, I might not have been in such a predicament.
“Seriously, what am I doing?”
If I were to rationalize my own irrational behavior, it would probably be this:
“I was probably unconsciously seeking danger.”
The urgency to defeat the Demon Lord quickly, the guilt of pushing Ena into such a situation, and the sense of sin for being responsible for so many people being cursed, yet living each day without being blamed, had driven me to push myself.
I was even creating a meaningless crisis under the guise of preparing for the Demon Lord.
“…Haa.”
Dodging the Meat Cleaver, which was being swung around with a deafening roar, I sighed to myself.
It was no wonder Mitsuki and Ringo hadn’t let me go alone.
I hadn’t realized how much I had let my emotions get the better of me.
“Besides, awakening new powers in a pinch or something like that is not my style of fighting at all.”
“That’s something for manga and TV heroes to handle.”
“My fighting style is more…”
“Oof.”
Dodging a kick that the Butcher unleashed mid-thought, I looked at the white giant again.
Well, as expected, it didn’t look like a Demon Lord.
It was just a slightly large and creepy, ordinary monster.
“Alright, then.”
My head was clear now.
So, there was only one thing to do.
“Doesn’t look like I have much time, so I’ll finish this quickly.”
With that, I leaped backward.
I no longer cared about the 3-meter rule or anything like that.
That was the ultimate goal, not something I needed to achieve right now.
In mid-air, I thrust my left hand into my bag.
I pulled out the first weapon I found, whatever it was, and it turned out to be a Heat Knife.
“What bad luck.”
It was the weakest weapon I had anticipated.
But it didn’t matter.
As I landed, I began chanting a spell.
Completing the chant at triple speed, I raised my left hand, holding the Heat Knife.
Then,
“Catapult Wind!”
I unleashed the magic with a loud shout.
This was a slightly unusual magic.
It was an enhancement-type Wind magic, and when used with this magic while thrusting my hand forward, the weapon would gain Wind and Throwing attributes and fly out.
And today was no exception. As the magic activated, the Heat Knife in my left hand shot out in a straight line.
Towards the approaching Butcher… but far above its head, into the empty sky.
“Yes!”
But after confirming that, I quickly slipped into the Butcher’s guard.
With just the triple speed movement, not using any skills, the Butcher could barely react.
With a furious roar, the Butcher tried to crush me with its empty left arm.
“Thanks for your trouble!”
But as I ducked under its arm, I swung Shiranui at the approaching limb.
The slash, utilizing the opponent’s momentum, grazed the King Butcher’s arm and effortlessly severed it.
“Well, if it doesn’t have physical resistance, this is what happens.”
Confirming this with a detached gaze, I maximized my triple speed and began to repeatedly slice at the Butcher’s massive body.
The attacks, with a sharpness exceeding that of a Power Up, were more than the white giant could handle.
Why did my attacks suddenly start working?
The trick was simple.
The ‘Catapult Wind’ magic I used earlier.
It’s described as a simple magic: “It shoots out a weapon held in the hand with Wind and Throwing attributes.”
However, its actual specification is processed as “It shoots out the weapon gripped in the thrusting hand, and any weapon attacks that occur before the movement stops gain Wind and Throwing attributes.”
In other words, if you hold separate weapons in each hand, even if you attack with the weapon not being launched, Wind and Throwing attributes are inexplicably added to it.
When used normally, this magic would hit an enemy and its effect would immediately end. But this time, I launched the weapon into empty air, and the range of Catapult Wind had been extended through customization.
This should sustain for over ten seconds.
This ‘bug skill’ called ‘Magic Sword Catapult Wind’ is rather inconspicuous and not overly convenient, but in this situation, it could be a trump card.
Perhaps it was due to the significantly higher damage output.
With consecutive ‘staggers’ after each slash, I had completely sealed the Butcher.
I harbored hope that I could finish it off like this, but…
“Well, it wouldn’t be that easy.”
Suddenly, the Butcher ignored my attacks and changed its stance.
I recognized this posture.
It was the charging preparatory movement.
In this state, the Butcher had Super Armor, meaning it couldn’t be staggered or flinched, and a charging attack would come shortly after.
Dodging the charge would be easy.
However, defeating the Butcher during its charge would be a bit bothersome.
There was a possibility that the duration of Catapult Wind or ‘Incarnation of Rage’ would expire during the charge.
That would be bad.
So,
“An immobilized enemy makes a great footing!!”
I placed my foot on the Butcher’s body, which was frozen in its charging preparation stance, and climbed its colossal form.
In normal circumstances, the opponent would either move or flinch, but with the Butcher immobilized by Super Armor, this was not a problem.
I quickly reached the Butcher’s shoulder and,
“Power Up!”
Kicking off the Butcher’s body while chanting the spell, I leaped into the air.
I couldn’t manage the finesse required to pre-book combos at triple speed.
However, not a combo, but a single strike.
Even I, not yet accustomed to triple speed, could predict the timing of a single attack.
Soaring into the sky, I pulled back my arm to coincide with the Power Up activation.
“—Horizontal Slash!!”
Aiming for the King Butcher’s weak point, its hideous face, I unleashed a powerful strike.
To the battered, fleshy giant, I delivered the final blow.
“Grrrraaaahhh!!”
Due to the post-skill recovery animation, my body lost control and fell towards the ground under gravity.
As I descended, the Butcher’s death scream reached my ears, and I saw its body dissolve into particles of light.
The battle, which had taken a long and winding path, finally ended. However, what welled up in my chest was not relief at defeating the enemy within the time limit, nor regret for my rash actions, but…
“I’m going to get yelled at by Ringo like crazy after this…”
…a welcome sort of anxiety.
