Episode 58: Great Lies and Falsehoods
There are two points to be mindful of should I ever have to seriously fight against Rokuhara.
One is Eina of the Demons Gear.
As you know, it’s a super-dangerous cursed equipment, and its performance is terrifying despite her cowardly nature.
The second point is Rokuhara’s personal abilities as an explorer.
This is on “super-game” level; to my knowledge, the only one who can defeat these abilities head-on is awakened Tourak.
With these two factors in play, I cannot win.
Even if the opponent were a Mysterious Beautiful Girl, it would still hold true.
“Come on, show me what you’re really made of!”
“Hmph, that’s quite rude.”
“Haha! Is that something a rat-like sneak would say?”
While dodging slashes, I was thinking.
Not about how to defeat Rokuhara or save Miroku Senpai.
It converged into one question:
What would a Mysterious Beautiful Girl do in this situation?
“Eina doesn’t seem to be using that function yet.”
Star Reader’s Staff quietly informed me.
I see.
Eina can be dealt with later.
What’s needed here is to make Rokuhara use his ability.
A Mysterious Beautiful Girl must be the strongest.
In other words, even if it means losing to someone like Na Takikai, it’s acceptable for that purpose.
For that reason, I needed to make Rokuhara use his ability.
“Huh?”
“Hey, this is gonna hit you, ya know?”
I intentionally narrowly dodged attacks.
Even though I’m just dodging, my body hurts….
But to achieve perfection as a Mysterious Beautiful Girl, I must always perform at my best.
Rokuhara seemed to be ramping up his intensity as he watched me.
This guy’s dangerous…
I’ll keep escalating things further.
“…Huh?”
“What? A distraction?”
I deployed a simple magic circle that merely flashed.
And made it glow once.
Rokuhara seems to think it’s a distraction.
“…Hmm?”
“What? Trying to run away?”
Running down the corridor with a flash of light.
I felt Rokuhara’s presence right behind me, then suddenly a slash came from the side.
I kicked off the ground at the last moment and jumped sideways with all my might.
I collided with the wall and broke through it.
“Cough… cough…”
This room… It’s useless, just a dim place.
“Don’t look away!”
As I stood up, dual swords approached me.
I barely avoided them by jumping sideways again.
The slash destroyed another wall.
On the other side, it looked like an office room.
Oh, that room has windows!
Let’s make that stage for my Mysterious Beautiful Girl act.
“Is this tag? I don’t chase asses for fun, ya know.”
Rokuhara kept chasing me.
While dodging his repeated attacks, I rolled into the office through a hole in the wall.
Windows, good!
Checking outside, good!
The sunset is almost gone, good!
Now let’s begin the “Rolling Around on the Palm of the Mysterious Beautiful Girl” operation!
“Tag…? The hunter is me, Rokuhara.”
“You talk big. For someone who just runs around.”
“I wouldn’t want to get too serious and appear childish. I’m waiting for you to put on glass shoes. Or should I help you wear them?”
My words changed Rokuhara’s attitude.
His usual bored expression turned into a terribly fierce glare aimed at me.
“Strange… Everyone who saw ‘that’ should be dead.”
That’s right, they’re supposed to be dead.
When Rokuhara uses his ability, he always kills the opponent, so very few people know about his power.
But I read the original work!
I know it well!
That’s why I can also say things that irritate Rokuhara’s nerves.
“What kind of weak ability could kill anyone? …Ah, maybe it could kill the tools in your hands.”
With a clatter, Eina in her dual sword form trembled.
I avoid looking at Rokuhara’s scary face.
Maybe I should look at the ceiling instead?
Oh no, there’s a crack from our battle earlier. Throwing a dagger there might work nicely!
“–Haha, looks like you wanna die.”
The usual carefree voice, but there was definitely anger in it.
Fun fact when dealing with Rokuhara!
Despite appearances, he gets along well with Eina.
So when you insult her–.
“I’ll gladly fulfill your wish and kill you!”
That’s what happens!
“Huh?”
A chilling killing intent pierced my skin, and the atmosphere changed instantly.
Like an execution ground, cold, terrifying, and making death feel real.
“Twelve seconds.”
As he declared, red crystal-like objects began wrapping around Rokuhara’s legs.
Covering below the knees, it looked like glass boots.
This… This is Rokuhara’s ability that I’ve seen multiple times in the original work!
“In twelve seconds, I’ll kill you.”
No sound, no wind.
Just a flash of light, and a heavy impact ran through my abdomen.
“Gah…?”
What?
False, my dynamic vision works against Rokuhara, right?
Eh? My stomach just went “thud”… eh?
As I collapsed, another shockwave hit my side, and I ended up embedded in the office wall.
Hahaha, it hurts so much I can’t help but laugh.
But it’s just internal bleeding, which is good.
Scattering blood leaves stains everywhere.
“Hmm?”
I somehow stood up, holding a dagger.
Good thing the Mysterious Beautiful Girl’s outfit isn’t cropped at the belly button…
Bruises all over the stomach wouldn’t resonate with anyone but certain perverts.
“Where are you looking?”
“Huh!?”
I swung the dagger towards the direction of the voice.
But it just cut through the air.
“You know, right? Someone like me can’t win against you now.”
“Hmm, maybe not”.
I stood up, battered and torn.
Of course, I don’t think I can beat Rokuhara.
Because in this state, Rokuhara becomes ‘superior in all worldly phenomena.’
In other words, invincible.
An unstoppable killer moving at incredible speed for twelve seconds.
How am I supposed to win against that?!
Isn’t this some sort of broken game?!
That’s why I need to end this broken time now.
Using this ability triggers a twelve-hour cooldown.
To ensure the upcoming Mysterious Beautiful Girl time goes smoothly, we need to prevent him from using it!
“Hey, what happened to all that bravado from before?”
While pretending to wildly swing my dagger and getting thrown around left and right,
Ah, he’s breaking me and dragging it out until the time limit, huh?
If I weren’t Super Mysterious Beautiful Girl, I’d be dead already.
My body undergoes destruction and regeneration repeatedly.
However, I maintain the appearance of being battered and torn.
It’s crucial that Rokuhara believes he has defeated me once.
Carefully avoiding any bloodshed, I continue receiving attacks.
Then, after being thrown near the window, I muster my last strength, stand up, and wildly throw my dagger upward toward the ceiling.
“Hmph, damn!”
“What are you aiming at?”
At the same moment the dagger embedded into the ceiling, a terrifying voice sounded beneath my face.
Simultaneously, exactly twelve seconds passed, and a kick exploded against my chest.
Now, explode the dagger!
As the dagger ruptures with magical manipulation, the weakened ceiling collapses.
Watching the falling debris, I broke through the window and fell outside.
Fufu, good.
Right now, I look extremely pitiful.
Which is why the next part will shine brilliantly!
Regaining consciousness briefly, I realize death was very close.
Seriously, Rokuhara was trying to kill me…
If I didn’t have Star Reader’s Staff inside me, I’d be dead.
Anyway, Star Reader’s Staff.
“Yeah, let’s get started!”
With an excited voice, a teleportation magic circle activates.
The coordinates are atop the newly created pile of rubble.
■
Against the backdrop of the rising moon, a large shattered window and the heap of rubble caused by the collapsed ceiling.
Glancing at it, Rokuhara snorted disapprovingly.
“Hmph, guess I misjudged. Thought it’d be more entertaining.”
“Leader…”
“To use such an ability on someone like him. Bit wasteful, but better than leaving a bad taste in my mouth.”
Rokuhara turned on his heel to deal with the remaining intruders.
At that moment, the wind blew.
“–Well, I’m glad if you were satisfied.”
“Huh!?”
The instant he heard the voice, Rokuhara acted immediately.
Without thinking about who the speaker was, he followed his instincts, spun around, lunged forward, and unleashed a slash at the source of the voice.
But, however…
“A rather uncouth move.”
A sturdy magic barrier blocked the slash.
Simultaneously, multiple magic circles deployed, launching magical artillery attacks toward Rokuhara.
“Tch”
Rokuhara evaded the barrage, took distance, and repositioned his dual swords.
Then, he glared at the girl standing with the moon at her back.
“You… You’re Solciera, aren’t you?”
“So what if I am?”
“Crush her. And bring her as a souvenir for the Board of Directors.”
“Barbaric. Sorry, but you can’t defeat me.”
Solciera sat down on the rubble, crossed her legs, and looked down at Rokuhara.
Her posture resembled a queen seated on a throne, stirring primal fear.
“I didn’t notice it. Suddenly, a magical reaction appeared… Is this teleportation?”
“Fufu, no, Eina.”
Solciera smiled gracefully at Eina’s words.
“I was always by your side. Watching you fight against Na Takikai.”
“Huh?”
“Huh? No way, that can’t be possible in front of me…”
Facing the surprised pair, Solciera chuckled softly and placed her hand on her face.
In that instant, her appearance changed.
“This form might be easier to understand.”
It transformed into the figure of Na Takikai, whom she had supposedly killed earlier.
“Eh? What does that mean? Eh, eh?”
“Ho… So that’s your true identity, huh?”
Amused, Rokuhara laughed upon seeing Solciera transform into Na Takikai before his eyes.
(Back then, I was sure I killed Na Takikai. That should’ve been the case.)
“Leader! He’s alive!”
Ignoring the confused Eina, Solciera continued speaking as Na Takikai.
“Hey, didn’t you find it strange? I never managed to land a single attack on you. I was just dodging. Isn’t that essentially the same as not existing?”
Realizing this, Rokuhara glanced around.
The devastated room and rubble.
Not a single drop of blood existed here.
Despite the intense battle that occurred.
(Thinking back, there were several odd actions during the avoidance. Breaking the ceiling, crashing into walls. Such behavior shouldn’t happen unless one’s gone mad… Which means.)
The collapsed ceiling and walls were all unnatural.
Therefore, this…
(My memories were being altered in real-time.)
The memory was modified to make it seem like Na Takikai performed those actions.
Right now, there’s absolutely no evidence that Na Takikai was ever here.
Furthermore, during this battle, Na Takikai never attempted to properly land an attack.
“What did you think when the attacks started hitting once the ability was used? Ah, you didn’t need to say it. Disappointing, that’s what you thought, right?”
Changing her appearance back to Solciera again.
She floated an enticing smile and gently held her hair swaying in the night breeze.
“The Na Takikai you fought was an illusion halfway through.”
With Solciera’s words, the certainty solidified.
“Did you show illusions…!”
“If your interference capabilities were utilized, theoretically it’s possible. Meaning we really were seeing illusions…? Leader, this current Star Reader is incredibly powerful!”
(The initial provocation was a bluff. That was to make me use my ability. But when did it start… Could it be.)
There was one instance where Na Takikai took action beyond mere dodging.
Soon after the battle began, there was an aimless magical light-induced blindness.
“That lame blindness trick… Was that your activation condition?”
Affirming Rokuhara’s words, Solciera smiled.
“Enchanted by the starlight.”
That was an abnormal situation.
It was an outcome that should have been impossible, given Eina’s superior perception, causing Rokuhara to choose caution for the first time.
“Having excellent perception is something to consider. Sometimes it can be used against you. Believing what you see is the truth. Since it was an illusion, it was unfortunate that I couldn’t harm you.”
“Doing quite the audacious act. You’ve got a nasty personality, woman.”
“I’m delighted you like it.”
Gently landing on the ground, Solciera elegantly bowed.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the current Star Reader—Solciera.”
A scythe was generated from the magic circle.
Grasping the pulsating weapon, Solciera gave it a light swing.
“Next, would you care to dance with me?”
