Chapter 71: Forest Wave Second⑤ — Collapse
The explosion was somehow contained thanks to the gauntlet.
Pakira-san and Bid-san were protected by Lupinus-san’s shield.
Hoss-san and Garad-san were also safe.
“…Still… Guene?”
Pakira-san stared at the tip of her restriction relic, “Lightless Mausoleum”, which had clearly been cut by a sword.
That tip had now transformed—
into the naked upper body of a pure-white woman.
So that white shining sword… I see. It’s the daughter of the Sword Goddess.
And one of the three swords that was originally supposed to be defeated—the final one.
With Geiza-san becoming an ally and Rada and other uncertainties appearing, I had completely forgotten about it.
“…I see. So she used a vessel.”
The Sword Goddess’s daughter has two abilities: “owner” and “vessel.”
The owner controls the sword as herself.
The vessel transfers her soul into a body and takes it over.
I don’t know how she did it, but she must have used either “Kizumono” or the giant spider as a vessel.
Now that it has fused and become a queen, she must have used that as the vessel.
Troublesome.
“…M-my… relic…”
“You cut it, huh. So that really is the Sword Goddess’s daughter?”
“I’ve heard of her. So that’s her?”
“Hm. The Sword Goddess’s daughter… a divine sword…”
Pakira-san looked utterly shocked.
She probably never expected it could be cut.
“The Sword Goddess’s daughter… same type as Laada?”
“So she can cut relics… what a monster.”
Garad-san and Hossn-san both took battle stances.
They were battered, but their fighting spirit still burned strong.
“Ah—Nabel-san!?”
Come to think of it, he’s missing.
I panicked.
“I-I’m here. I’m here.”
Relief.
Nabel-san emerged from the bushes.
“I got knocked over by the blast…”
“Good to see you’re safe.”
Everyone was okay.
“…Ah—ah—ah! So annoying! So irritating!”
Gue, her upper body exposed and white hair streaked with black patterns flowing wildly, swung her sword carelessly.
A flying slash carved into the ground.
Her irritation was obvious.
“She’s in a bad mood, huh.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Maybe her stomach’s upset?”
Gue wildly swung her sword again.
Flying slashes cut down trees one after another.
It was environmental destruction, but since this is a dungeon, it’ll probably regenerate.
“Why, why, why isn’t it working!? I’ve been freed, yet I can’t do anything I want! And the others—each one worse than the last! One arrogant despite being inexperienced! One all brute force! One with no motivation! One who just follows others! And even one who serves humans! There’s even one who secretly manipulates villains from the shadows! Everyone lacks awareness! We are daughters of the Sword Goddess! Fragments of god—we are gods!!”
Guene screamed and complained.
But… well… what can you even say to that?
“That’s none of our concern!”
“Right, da be!”
Garad-san and Hoss-san charged.
True enough—there’s no reason to care.
But their blades were blocked by an invisible wall.
Their swords and halberd rippled like water upon impact.
“What!?”
“What is this, da!?”
“Ahahahahahahaha!! This is Dimensional Distortion Wall. Do you think physical attacks work on a god!?”
“Dimensional… what?”
“What the hell is this…”
“It’s a barrier, I suppose.”
“A shield?”
Dimensional Distortion Wall—a relic.
From my past-life memories, I understood its meaning.
Without that knowledge, it would be incomprehensible.
It twists dimensions into a wall.
No physical attack can pass through it.
To break it, you must reach into the dimension itself—
Dimension… dimensional space.
Ah, so that’s it.
This relic isn’t Guene’s.
It belongs to the dungeon anomaly—the giant spider.
So it was given as a restraint relic for subjugation.
In that case, it can be destroyed.
I stepped forward.
Then—
Four octopus-like tentacles erupted from the ground.
They tried to strike Guene, but were repelled.
Even the “knife of the different sea” couldn’t reach her.
“Ahahahaha!! Foolish! Even the other sea cannot touch me!”
“What the hell?! Why are there octopus tentacles!?”
Bid-san turned pale.
Right—she’s afraid of them.
She doesn’t even know about the “Knife of the Different Sea.”
“What is this… another enemy?”
“They look like octopus tentacles.”
“They seem like allies…”
“But they were blocked.”
So even Torquetum and Nabel-san and Garad-san are seeing this for the first time.
Only Hoss-san seems to recognize them.
“Still, there are apostles too? I won’t fall like the others!”
She swings her sword.
Flying slashes attack us again.
But Lupinas-san blocks them with her shield.
From behind it, Bid-san fires a precise headshot with “Kimuqui”—but it’s stopped by the Dimensional Distortion Wall.
“Useless. Useless. Foolish rabbit.”
“Damn it!”
“So she can attack freely while we can’t do anything!”
“What do we do?”
“No good. Even ‘Tortoiseshell Eight-Pattern Slash’ is blocked.”
“Ahahahahaha!! Useless! No one can break the wall of god!”
Guene laughed triumphantly.
She was completely carried away.
Well then… time to break it.
I’ve started to see where the Dimensional Distortion Wall is deployed.
Thanks to everyone’s attacks, its outline is faintly visible.
I reached out and touched it.
A ripple spread like water.
Strange sensation.
A wall that distorts dimensions.
From my past-life knowledge, “dimension” is another spatial layer.
It’s said there are eleven dimensions—time-space, parallel spaces, and so on.
This world is deeply connected to them… though I don’t fully understand it.
Maybe the Witch knows more.
Honestly, the “Witch is omniscient” theory is becoming solid in my mind.
Because she really can do anything.
I pressed my palm firmly against the wall.
“Child. Touching it is useless. Give up. You will lose to this god.”
“…Dimensional Crack…”
A wave of noise spread from my hand.
A sense of something being lost.
Cracks formed in the barrier.
So one hit isn’t enough.
Again.
“…Dimensional Crack…”
Another ripple.
The feeling of loss spreads further.
The cracks widen.
“Y-you bastard!!”
Guene panicked.
She swung her sword.
A flying slash came—but I reflected it with the Blue Holy Gauntlet.
The reflected strike hit the collapsing wall and was stopped again.
“Even divine slashes can’t break it.”
“Damn ittt!”
She was red-faced with rage.
Then a question came to me.
“Why isn’t she moving?”
Garad-san noticed it too.
Guene hadn’t taken a single step.
If she moved freely, we would be at a disadvantage.
“She’s not not moving… she can’t move, perhaps.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think she used a relic to cut Pakira’s relic. That cut might itself have been a relic. The cost is immobilization.”
“But isn’t that just cooldown?”
“I’ve heard ancient relics had physical costs. She’s a daughter of the Sword Goddess—using an old-type relic wouldn’t be strange.”
The Knife Goddess said something similar.
Modern relics replaced soul cost with time.
“I see… then she’s a stationary target.”
“Damn ittt!”
Guene roared.
Even her slashes came at fixed intervals now.
She really might not be able to move much.
“So our attacks still don’t work…”
“That’s where Woff comes in. He’s been doing something.”
Maybe only I and Guene can see the cracks.
Perhaps only dimension-users can perceive them.
“Yes. Everyone, next hit will break it. After that, attack all at once.”
“Alright.”
“Got it, da.”
“I’ll aim for the head again.”
“I’ll cut the spider’s legs.”
“Not allowed!! Not allowed!! I won’t allow it!!”
Guene screamed like she had gone mad.
From her other hand, she pulled out another identical-length sword that shone pure white, seemingly drawn from her own body.
“Dual wield!?”
“Cut everything down. [Twin Wings Dance]!!!!”
“[Dimension Crack]!”
The [Dimensional Distortion Wall] collapsed spectacularly at the same time as a storm of flying slashes came crashing in.
I activated [Blue Saint], slowing everything down, and further entered [Generous] mode.
“[Phantasmagoria].”
Countless [Vanish] effects erased most of the incoming slashes from [Twin Wings Dance].
Without hesitation, I threw a Magic Knife.
When it pierced the Queen’s body, I activated Knife Magic, swapping places.
(Please. Stop.)
“…Huh?”
A voice suddenly echoed.
(Why… why are you fighting? Why are you increasing sorrow… please stop.)
What. Who is that. A woman?
No—doesn’t matter who it is. I’ll finish this now.
I activate [Rev Form], transforming into a pseudo-divine state.
Even so, this is my strongest form. Time limit: 1 minute.
“Dagaa! Let’s go!”
“Na!”
When I drew Dagaa, it transformed into a strange triangular knife with a hollow center.
A sharpened triangle like a tip of a spear. The middle was split open like a fork.
In its center, a large teardrop-shaped jewel—the “True Eye”—shone brilliantly.
“What the—! That form, and that knife!?”
Ignoring the voice, I enchant it with [Vanish Lore].
A white blade of annihilation extended straight from the center of the triangle.
A blade that cuts even dimensions themselves.
Only then did I notice it.
Everyone was attacking Guene.
Hoss and Garad were slashing relentlessly. Bid was landing arrows on her head.
Nabel was cutting off her legs with [Tortoiseshell Eight-Pattern Slash].
We had won. All I had to do was bring Dagaa down.
(Please. Stop. Why are you fighting? If you can communicate, then you can talk… so why… why fight?)
A voice cried.
(So please… don’t give up—sorry. [Kingdom of Reality]—!)
And then, I stopped.
In an instant—just a fraction of a moment.
I immediately came to, but I was stunned.
I was somehow on the ground.
“…Eh?”
And my time limit had dropped to zero.
It should not have been finished yet.
I had returned to my original form.
“That’s impossible.”
“Wof-san, watch out!”
I turned toward the voice—and a flying slash was already upon me.
My gauntlet, everything—none of it would make it in time.
And above all, my mind was blank, unable to process what had happened.
“Mm… Sky Form… Subaru… Mya Blade.”
A red slash collided and neutralized the incoming attack.
“That was—”
“…Yo.”
There, appearing so suddenly, was Riv.
“…Another strange one shows up.”
And the one muttering that—wait, what?
It was Guene.
Now fully present in her form, standing there with legs as well, glaring at me while holding the white shining sword.