War and Liberation – Episode 59
It was a war waged by the smallest of numbers.
The sound of clashing blades resonated like a symphony.
Through the night in Central District, red light and silver meteors darted about recklessly.
“Haha! You’re not one to shy away from a real fight, are you!”
“It does seem enjoyable. However, this tune is slightly dull for me.”
“In that case, I’ll make it more intense for you!”
The battle, growing fiercer, had already moved from the buildings to encompass all of Central District.
And rightly so.
S Rank referred to humanoid monsters possessing power surpassing even an academy on their own.
Thus, a battle between two S Ranks could truly be called a war.
“Eina, please ensure you won’t fall for illusions again!”
“Yes! I’ve updated the sensory information, so it should be fine… probably.”
“Come on now, declare that with confidence. Anyway, next time we’ll crush this guy before seeing any illusions!”
Placing his feet against the wall of a building, Rokuhara leapt up.
The force of his jump shattered all the windows of the building beneath him.
As shards of glass rained down, screams erupted from the bystanders who had been watching their fight.
But to Rokuhara, it seemed to only fuel his excitement.
“I’ll carve you up in that drab outfit of yours!”
“You have no respect for a lady.”
Hovering above the building, Solciera stood as Rokuhara closed in with a single leap, aiming his dual swords at her abdomen.
However, she deflected them with a great scythe that slipped into place effortlessly.
“Tch.”
“Completely ineffective. Let’s start over.”
Without even looking at Rokuhara, Solciera deployed a magic circle in mid-air.
It was a simplified version of a converging artillery attack — a cannon opening.
“You’re not too bad yourself!”
Relying on Eina’s assistance, Rokuhara defended against the artillery in mid-air.
Yet, propelled by the force of the blast, he fell approximately thirty meters straight down to the ground.
Cries of panic rose among the students as they fled, realizing that even a place they once deemed safe was now compromised. Even explorers with abilities beyond human limits couldn’t do much but flee from an S-Rank conflict.
“Hahaha, look at this mess, Eina. My clothes are all dirtied. It’s been a while.”
“Are… are you alright?”
“Who’re you talking to? Falling from near the rooftop of a building isn’t enough to injure someone like me.”
“Indeed…”
Shaking his neck, he looked up.
But Solciera was nowhere to be seen.
“Huh?”
“—I prefer my music loud and aggressive.”
A cold voice came from behind.
Without turning around, Rokuhara relied solely on his instincts to position his dual swords at his neck.
Shortly after, the high-pitched clang echoed as Rokuhara’s swords blocked Solciera’s strike.
“Hey, you don’t seem like the type who’d enjoy rock music judging by your doll-like appearance. Why don’t you stick to some classy classical music?”
“No thank you, it’s boring.”
Her great scythe was pushed upward by his dual swords.
Spinning around, Rokuhara swung his swords.
But it was a feint; instead, he delivered a powerful kick using the momentum.
The blow aimed at her jaw was narrowly stopped by a barrier Solciera erected just in time.
“…I see.”
Rokuhara closed the distance immediately.
Transitioning into an ultra-close-range combat involving kicks alongside his dual swords.
Solciera dodged gracefully, sometimes blocking with barriers while retaliating coolly.
The two exchanged attacks and defenses like dancers, advancing and retreating in perfect rhythm. Eventually, Rokuhara made the first move.
“Come on, where’s that fun artillery from before?”
As if responding to his words, a magic circle formed around Rokuhara.
But he stepped further into range faster than the circle could activate.
At such an ultra-close distance, firing would engulf Solciera herself.
Understanding this, she quickly dispelled the circle and began evading.
Attempting to jump back, Solciera found Rokuhara anticipating her move and following closely.
“Men who are too persistent aren’t liked, you know.”
“I’ve always been like this. Sorry about that.”
Once again, Rokuhara brought down his dual swords upon Solciera.
At that moment, another magic circle appeared.
(The magical formula is different from the previous artillery.)
In less than a second, Rokuhara realized the circle was different.
(I’ve seen this before—could it be?)
“Eina!”
Just as the circle activated, Rokuhara shouted.
Simultaneously, the circle glowed brilliantly.
It might appear as a mere dazzling light, but Rokuhara knew from experience that it created illusions.
“Yes, it’s fine this time. We’ve managed to block it.”
“Good job. …But, we’ve lost our range again.”
Being cautious about illusions opened a gap for Solciera to move.
Using teleportation magic, she had already ascended above Rokuhara, deploying multiple magic circles.
“Leader…!”
“What? Don’t worry. Getting hit by something like that isn’t a big deal. Besides…we can win this fight.”
With a fierce grin, Rokuhara readied his dual swords.
“Huh? Can you really beat Miss Solciera? Then I don’t need to write my last poem, right?”
“Don’t waste resources on that nonsense, idiot. She’s strong, but that’s all there is to it. Her fighting style is amateurish.”
His intuition, honed from battles with many powerful opponents, told him something important.
Solciera, being naturally powerful, hadn’t fully refined her strength.
“There’s no point in devising strategies when you’re strong. No need to think ahead to the next move. Of course, crushing ants doesn’t require skill or thought.”
Facing numerous magic circles, Rokuhara didn’t move.
“I hate people who are naturally strong.”
One magic circle after another activated.
In the center, Solciera pointed the tip of her scythe at Rokuhara and said,
“Know the brilliance of the stars.”
“I’ll bring you down, star and all.”
A silvery flash erupted.
Simultaneously, similar blasts were fired from the multitude of magic circles surrounding Rokuhara.
Faced with the destructive light that had once slaughtered even Ouroboros, Rokuhara merely scratched his head in disarray and laughed.
“Eina, got it yet?”
“Yes, Leader.”
A crimson light flickered.
Pushing back the encroaching silver light, it intensified until finally scattering all the concentrated artillery.
The shockwave sent violent winds howling through the area, shattering every window in the surrounding buildings.
Amidst the upheaval of asphalt, Rokuhara stood alone, simply gazing upwards at Solciera.
“Man, it’s been a while since I felt this sensation.”
Around Rokuhara, magical power swirled like a red wind.
“Guess when facing Demons Gear, I gotta go all out myself!”
Rokuhara connected the handles of his dual swords.
With a satisfying click, the swords transformed.
They became a massive bow nearly as tall as Rokuhara himself.
“I’ve been given limited permission by the Board of Directors to let loose. Wouldn’t be polite to hold back, now would it?”
“—Star Piercing Mode transition complete. Whenever you’re ready, Leader.”
A crimson string materialized on the bow.
Rokuhara gathered magical power in his hand, shaping it into an arrow-like form.
“Let’s start with a greeting.”
As soon as he released it, a red arrow shot forth.
Solciera deflected the highly condensed energy projectile with her scythe, flinging it skyward.
However…
“It’s futile.”
“What!?”
The arrow, seemingly endowed with will, changed its trajectory mid-air and returned toward Solciera.
Though startled for a moment, Solciera quickly countered it with artillery from her magic circles.
Watching this, Rokuhara muttered, “That’s the only thing you can do, huh.”
“Eina never lets go of a target once she’s locked onto it. Dodging? That’s not allowed, not at all.”
“Are we really pressing Lady Solciera!? Alright then, Leader!”
“Celebrate after we win.”
With that, Rokuhara drew the string again.
The arrows he fired flew toward Solciera and were destroyed by artillery.
“From now on, you’ll face each of my arrows one by one. And I won’t let you dodge.”
Standing before Solciera wielding her great scythe, Rokuhara grinned like a predator eyeing its prey.
“Let’s dance to a tune of my choosing this time.”
