I made a mistake with the controls!
But, there’s a five-minute grace period!
It’s a grace period!
“The Absolute God Sword Altihate” is, in a way, the “Hero’s Sword” that the Hero Alex once wielded.
Its origins are unclear, though it’s said to have existed since before the Evil God War. To obtain it, the “Priestess of Sealing” is required. When the priestess speaks the passphrase at the ruins of a fortress called Old Castle, the “Trial of the Gods” becomes accessible. By clearing this trial, one can obtain the “Absolute God Sword Altihate.”
If the pre-release information was accurate, its Attack power is a highest-in-class 999, overwhelming all others.
The second highest Attack power was said to be 666 for “Soul Eater,” which should give you an idea of its superiority.
However, what’s even more incredible is its special ability.
It nullifies all ranged attacks against the equipped user and grants a bonus to their base stats based on the number of friendly NPCs in the Field, increasing by 1% for each. This makes it an unbelievably overpowered weapon.
Although, in reality, after all the hype, it was never implemented in Nekoneko’s game. But the possibility of obtaining it now is incredibly moving.
However, the “Trial of the Gods” to obtain Altihate was quite maliciously designed.
When the priestess speaks the keyword, a portal to a special map appears. Upon crossing it, you enter the special map where the Absolute God Sword Altihate is enshrined. There, you’ll see a path of light, about thirty meters long, and Altihate at its end.
Companions can only go this far; only the one undergoing the trial can step onto the path of light. If two or more people try to proceed together, the path of light, which serves as the footing, disappears, or so it seems.
The trial itself involves avoiding blades of light that attack from all directions while advancing along the path of light. Touching Altihate marks the end, but the person undertaking the trial has their physical abilities limited to that of an ordinary person, and they cannot use skills, magic, or items.
In game terms, it means your stats are fixed, and it becomes a restricted map where only the player’s skill matters, not their level. It becomes a pure action game where stats are irrelevant, which, for me, who usually brute-forces challenges with skills and stats, is quite a formidable obstacle.
But being bad at it doesn’t mean I can just leave this trial to someone else.
Only those who undergo the trial can wield the God Sword Altihate. It seems to be a dedicated weapon that only those who clear the trial and touch Altihate can use.
Perhaps the only positive development is that when I announced my intention to retrieve Altihate at the village of the Priests of Sealing clan, I was able to hear some helpful information from Shudo, Sahzan’s father.
It seems that among the past priestesses, there were about five who activated the altar where Altihate resided, according to records. Among them, one was satisfied just by confirming Altihate’s existence. The remaining four, however, each challenged the Trial of the Gods with a companion recognized as an exceptional individual.
Summarizing their stories…
The first person was apparently the strongest in the village. However, being strong proved to be of no use in this trial. After advancing only a few meters, they judged it beyond their capabilities and retired.
The second was a man proud of his agility. However, in the trial, that physical ability was restricted. After advancing about a third of the way, one of his arms was severed, and he desperately returned. On his way back, blades of light appeared, further injuring his leg. However, he managed to return to the starting point, received the priestess’s healing magic, and thankfully, his life was saved.
The third man was a scholar. He challenged the path of light after casting various support spells beforehand, including levitation… but all of them were nullified the moment he stepped onto the path of light, and he died within seconds.
The fourth, who made the most progress, was a very cautious man. He challenged the trial numerous times, retreating at points where he felt it was too risky, thereby gradually gauging the trajectory and timing of the light blades.
“I can do it! I can do it! It’s certainly difficult to clear this on the first try, but the light blades have a fixed pattern! If I keep practicing and take my time, I think I can somehow break through!”
On his several-dozen-th attempt, about halfway through, the man left these words behind. Then, on the very next attempt after saying them, he met his end.
The results are enough to make one shy away, but several things became clear.
Even if you fail the trial, you can retry as many times as you want.
On the path of light, not only are skills nullified, but any buffs you had also disappear.
If you return to the initial floating island, you can use magic and skills, and recover without any issues.
And perhaps… once more than half the trial has passed, and the challenger has grown accustomed to the mechanics, ‘something’ will happen.
There’s no time to be discouraged. After hearing the story, we cut our plans short, departed the isolated island, and pulling Mitsuki, who was protesting with her cat ears twitching, we returned to Sky City and set course directly for Old Castle.
Fortunately, getting this far wasn’t too difficult. After all, we had the airship that appears in the latter half of the story… no, Sky City. The altar at Old Castle was exposed on the ground, so we maneuvered Sky City directly above Old Castle and descended towards the altar using the escape device. We reached the altar without engaging in a single battle.
Thanks to Sahzan’s cooperation, we were able to reach this hidden map. Now, all that’s left is for me to touch this sword, and it will be all clear.
“If this wasn’t an independent map, I could have just jumped from Sky City to the goal,” I muttered to myself, but then shook my head. This time, I have no intention of using such cheap tricks.
I’ll walk straight, touch the sword, and return. That’s all.
Of course, failure could mean death. But…
“If I’m going to pursue a whim that could decide the fate of the world, I should at least risk my life a little.”
That, I suppose, is my way of taking responsibility.
“S-Soma, are you really going to do this?”
Maki’s anxious voice interrupted my thoughts.
“I already told you about the specs of the Absolute God Sword Altihate. We absolutely need that weapon to defeat the Evil God.”
“U-uh, I understand that… butt… Soma, you’re absolutely terrible at sports, so can you really clear it with no skills or magic?”
To Maki’s continued concern, I smiled.
“Don’t worry so much. I’m not going into this completely unprepared. Today is just a reconnaissance mission.”
Taking risks doesn’t necessarily mean throwing your life away. Unlike the sudden troubles of the past, I intend to face this trial with thorough preparation.
“Ringo, please prepare some recovery items, just in case.”
Saying that, I confirmed Ringo had scurried to the side of the starting point and moved to the front of the path of light.
Maki seems worried, but I have a chance of success. After all, I may lack athletic ability, but in return, I have a huge, huge “weapon” that other challengers don’t.
“Alright, let’s start with some practice.”
With that, I took out the slate containing the Evil God War Video Record and touched the part labeled Episode 12. The moment I did, the adventures of the Hero of old, the heroic figure of Alex challenging the Trial of the Gods, materialized before my eyes.
“The twelfth episode of the Evil God War Video Record begins with Alex arriving at the altar and challenging the Trial of the Gods.”
As Nephelia uttered the incantation and the viewpoint shifted to the Trial of the Gods, I silently rejoiced at the sight that unfolded before me. Because the scene in the video was exactly the same as the trial area I had just witnessed. I couldn’t be sure based on memory alone, but comparing them now, the width and length of the path of light, the distance to the goal where Altihate floated – everything seemed precisely the same.
This further increases my chances of success. If I can practice using the video record, I should be able to handle the real trial.
(Oops…) If I become complacent, there might be a trap. With more seriousness than I’d previously shown, I intently watched Alex facing the trial. It began with Alex dodging a blade of light, launched at an ankle-cutting angle, with a simple hop. I was impressed by his acrobatic movements, but by trying to imagine myself in his place, I discovered new insights.
(I see…) Alex’s movements are indeed remarkable. Despite his physical abilities being restricted, he dodges one pinch after another with incredible reflexes and adaptability. This isn’t just about high stats, but about movements born from knowing how to use his body. If I were to challenge this for the first time, there’s no way I could move like that. However, that’s assuming the level of knowledge is the same. If I know where the blade will come from next and have simulated how I’ll move at that moment, I might be able to move in a way that, while not identical, is certainly comparable.
(I’m quite good at memorization games.) As I watched, Alex finally reached about two meters from the goal. But then…
(Wh-whoa!) A blade of light materialized at Alex’s feet without any warning and flew towards him. From appearance to flight, it took a mere 0.5 seconds. Was it a wild intuition, or divine protection? Alex, who happened to look down, narrowly avoided the blade, but undoubtedly, if he hadn’t known, he would have never dodged it. …Yes, *if* he didn’t know.
(Was that fourth man caught by this and died?) However, if these are the only “traps” in the trial, then with the slate, they pose no threat to me. It shouldn’t be a problem.
(I should also test the trap activation.) Watching Alex admire the God Sword with apparent joy after successfully clearing the trial, I couldn’t hide my own excitement as I thought about that.
“Soma!!”
A scream struck my ears. This time, it wasn’t a voice from a simulated past, but a cry of alarm from my companion, Ringo. And the reason for that scream was obvious. A blade of light, generated from around the Absolute God Sword Altihate, was flying towards me at high speed.
“Yo, that was close.” With a casual voice, I dodged to the side with an exaggeratedly wide movement. The blade of light passed by my side and disappeared into the void. “Th-that was scary…” Seeing the blade up close for the first time sent a shiver down my spine. But there’s no mistake. This place is exactly the same as the trial depicted in the video record, and that blade of light that just appeared was the exact same first trap I saw in the video. While I’m not good at physical activities, all I need to do is advance thirty meters, and with enough practice, I should be able to do it! With a sense of certainty, I clenched my fist.
“…I can do it! I can do it! If I keep practicing and take my time, I think I can somehow break through!” Seeing me so excited, my companions, who had been tense until moments before, offered gentle smiles. However, only one person…
“…You can really trust me, can’t you, Soma?”
…excluding the girl, my cousin, who continued to look at me with concern.
Q. Can you really trust Soma?
A. There’s no reason you should trust Soma.
Next update: Today!
