Chapter 57: Late Night Festival ① – Rematch

I only found out about this yesterday.

Narcissus had requested a rematch, and Alweld accepted.

He specified the final night—the arena.

“Shall we begin?”

Even at night, his golden hair shone softly, and his eyes—blacker than the darkness itself—watched me.
From his deeply chiseled, almost Western-sculpture-like features, no emotion could be read.

He wore a red cloak draped over one shoulder, with mysterious white armor underneath.
The first time I saw him, he looked exactly like this—divine and unchanged.

“Please.”

I greeted him, then activated [Deep Silent] and began chanting.

“[Vanish]”
“[Crash]”

We collided. A strangely high-pitched metallic clang echoed, as if the clash of sword guards had been amplified.

“[Vanish]”
“[Crash]”

Evenly matched. Completely even.
Alweld must have felt it too.
For a moment, I thought a faint light flickered in his black eyes as he looked at me.

“[Vanish]”
“[Crash]”

Exactly the same timing, exactly the same force. The clash screamed sharply.

“[Impact]”
“!?”

A sudden shock hit me. I was violently repelled, and pain shot through me.

“Impressive. To have reached this level in such a short time is commendable.”
“[Vanish]!”
“[Crash]—[Impact]”
“Ugh!”

The impact wave was unleashed immediately after the clash. I was hit full force again.

“What’s the matter? Too soon to go down on the ground.”

“…Indeed.”

So, [Crash] and [Vanish] cancel each other, and then comes the follow-up [Impact].
It’s unbelievably fast. With almost no time lag, there’s barely a chance to respond.

No—there is. I drew “Agaro-san’s Knife – Modified.”
The blade glowed like blue flames, rippling like a liquid crystal panel.
I took my stance and ran forward.

“[Vanish]”
“[Crash]—[Impact]”

The clash and the impact wave came. I timed it with the pointer and swung my knife.

“Hmm.”

The impact wave was cut. Agaro-san’s Knife – Modified can cut concepts.
If so, it should also cut an impact wave.

In an instant, I closed the distance to Alweld. One step.
As I suddenly appeared before him, his black eyes… I thought I saw them darkly glint.
He must be planning something—but I’m faster. I raised the knife in my right hand.

“Misdirection!”

The Agaro-san’s Knife – Modified in my right hand vanished as I swung it down.
Simultaneously, a knife appeared in my free left hand.

“Hmph.”

I struck at Alweld from a perfect blind spot.
He elegantly dodged, and my knife sliced his cloak.

“…He dodged.”

As expected.
The knife in my left hand isn’t Agaro-san’s Knife – Modified.
It’s a standard-looking knife. Called a Magic Knife.

Misdirection.
Attract attention to one side, strike from the unnoticed side.

A basic magic technique.
Yes. This is the relic [Knife Magic].
A relic granted by the Knife Goddess.

“Interesting.”

Alweld said this as he removed the torn cloak.
Beneath it, his sheathed sword was visible. He drew it.

A finely made double-edged sword. Possibly an OOPArt.
Not flashy, but highly practical. Very him.
For the first time, after taking his stance, Alweld attacked.

A straight, sharp strike. I blocked it with my knife. Heavy.
His sword slightly yielded, sliding smoothly as it pushed.
My knife blade was sliced cleanly.

“! [Vanish]”
“[Crash]”

Two relics clashed. Not over yet. I still have two Magic Knives left.
These knives appear only when using [Knife Magic].

[Knife Magic: Upon use, three “Magic Knives” appear. Magic can be performed using the knives. When knives are depleted, cooldown begins. Cooldown: 6 minutes.]

“Hide and Seek!”

I jumped back while throwing a Magic Knife.
Alweld easily deflected it. As expected.

The deflected knife vanished, then suddenly reappeared from his lower-left.
Again deflected, it then fell from the upper-right, also blocked.

“Huh.”

Even when deflected, the knives continued to attack, as if seeking a target.
You never know where they’ll come from—hence, “Hide and Seek.”

One knife is manageable, but what if I add another?
Two Magic Knives now hunt Alweld.
Unless he destroys them, they will continue to strike.

He remains calm and counteracts.
As expected. Alweld von Rutvelt.

But it’s not over. I now wield a square, cleaver-like knife.
I join the two knives with my new one.

“Well, well.”

Alweld still handles it.
He dodges and deflects the two knives from blind spots and counters my strike as well.
Perfect response to misdirection.

It wasn’t flashy, but Alweld’s precise and flawless swordsmanship felt even sharper than Axe-san’s.
No—he might be equal to Ens-san.

And Alweld still seemed completely composed.
As I thought, fighting him head-on won’t win this.

“…[Rave Move].”

I pictured the ideal movement in my mind—
the absolute best action I could take to land a guaranteed hit on Alweld.

The two knives are knocked aside at the same time.
I launch a frontal attack.
Alweld easily dodges it—
but before his dodge completes, my figure vanishes.

I appear behind him and slash with my knife.
But he blocks it. What a monster.

Still, for the first time, Alweld’s black eyes opened wide.

I have two uses of [Rave Move] left.

The two knives aim at Alweld from diagonal angles above and below.
Once again, I attack from the front.

“Cunning.”

He cleanly avoids the two knives, and when I attack, he swings his sword at the same moment.
I attacked first, but Alweld is still faster—but before his blade hits, I vanish.

He immediately counterattacks behind him.
That’s exactly what I was waiting for.

I appear in the same spot as before, thrust my knife, and chant:

“[Vanish]!!”

Alweld’s armor shatters, and my knife grazes his side.

Blood.
His first wound.

“Guh… [Crash]!”
“[Vanish]!”

Erasure.

The violent collision and aftershock echoed through the arena.
And then—at that moment—Alweld moved his lips.

“———[Brechen]———”

Instinctively, I guarded with the Holy Silent Gauntlet.
In the next instant, it disintegrated.

Not just that— the two Magic Knives shattered as well, cracking from the inside before exploding apart.

Losing all three knives, [Knife Magic] enters its six-minute cooldown.
And [Rave Move] has only one use left.

“Haa… haa… haaa…”

My breathing was rough—
but Alweld was more damaged than I was.

Still, that relic just now…

The gauntlet didn’t break— it collapsed entirely.
The knives shattered too, cracking from the inside.

It wasn’t [Crash] or [Impact].

[Brechen]—

Is that the true power of the Breaker of Ruin?

“Phew… I didn’t intend to use that on a person.”

Alweld wiped the blood from his stomach.
Seeing it, he smiled.

“It’s been a long time. No… how many years has it been since a human wounded me?”

The knife wound wasn’t as deep as it could have been.
Of course—it’s because I don’t want to kill him.

I want to win.

“I will win!”

“Come. [Brechen].”

“[Vanish]!”
“[Crash]!”

“Teaaah!!”

I slash with Agaro-san’s Modified Knife.

“[Impact]!”

“Gwaaaaaahhh!!”

I’m blown back by the shockwave.

Damn it, that three-relic combo is brutal.
I don’t have enough hands.

My only hope—

The single remaining use of [Rave Move].
If I don’t use it perfectly, I can’t win.