265 That's why we joined.

"--! That's enough of that, you guys!

shouted the numbed Arcreal. You've stuck it out a little longer than expected. Superimposed, superimposed.

What's the matter with you all of a sudden?

What's the matter with you? How long are you going to keep this up?

If we're talking about setting up or not setting up, then of course we're setting up from the start.

That's what Arcreal thinks. He thinks that the reason why Ilias is not fighting back against Arcreal's attack is because I am waiting for the right moment. He thinks that the man whom he recognizes as a strong opponent is attacking him in a way that he cannot predict.

If he were an ordinary opponent, he would have thought of such a strategy, but he is an opponent. With a fighting talent equal to Yugra's, Arcreal's strength is on par with the Scarlet Witch King. If it's just a simple specification, then the Scarlet Demon King, who has reached his physical limit with the power of the Struggle, is probably higher, but Arcreal has the ability to make up for it.

What? You didn't do anything!

I'll tell you what. You can fight while listening to me, can't you?

"......

Arcreal stopped interrupting. That means he's willing to listen. He was probably thinking that the Iliad would take advantage of this conversation, but he wasn't going to let that happen.

"ARKREAL. You're not very good at attacking yourself, are you?

What?

I'm not surprised. As far as I know, you've let the enemy escape twice. Duvraeori and Exdoik.

That's what Duvraeori told me about the battle with Arkreal. Duvraeori had come into contact with Arcturial when he was joining Ekuik and the others, and Duvraeori had planned to defeat him. However, he received an unimaginable counterattack and was driven back in the blink of an eye. After that, he took advantage of the opportunity to flee and headed towards Ecdysium and the others.

It's possible that he had a lot of time on his hands, or that he just likes to torment his prey. If he had such a personality, he would have been a fool to do the same thing when his friends Morari and Jastet were about to be taken away. And to top it all off, in the fight with Yokus, you didn't make a single move against him, did you?

The luxury of the strong, is that all? No, when I think of Arcreal's talent, a theory comes to mind.

"With your talent as a bastard, you know how to defeat your enemies. You know how to swing your sword to defeat an enemy and how to move optimally with your talent alone. But you didn't take advantage of that talent to learn how to use a sword on your own, did you?

"Ah!

Arcreal had the skill to defeat the enemy from the start. If that's the case, then he didn't need to hone his swordsmanship to learn that technique. Or perhaps he didn't even know how to hone it. It is quite difficult to understand how to do something that can be done from the beginning. How does a person who can swim from the start know how to get rid of a hammer?

You don't fully understand your own strength. That's why you haven't learned how to attack on your own. You're forced to adopt a fighting style that focuses on counterattacks.

"Wow, ......, you talk a lot of sense. So you think I can't defeat this woman if I don't keep trying?

I'm not sure. It's true that you have the strongest talent. Even if the quality is much lower than the counterattack ability, the basic combat ability should be sufficiently raised by the talent.

It's not like a systematic enemy in a video game, so a guy with the strongest counterattack ability can't just launch himself and call himself a small fish. It's just like Harkdock's detection magic, where his skill in detecting danger is raised to a higher level than others.

We can't know how strong Arcreal's offense is, and whether Ilias can take it, until we fight directly. But at least he had a good chance since he couldn't finish off Duvraeori. The strongest peak in front of him was well within Ilias's grasp.

"I see. I know you're not going to initiate this. Then we don't need to wait any longer, I'll make the move.

Even to the untrained eye, Arkreal's appearance had changed. From a layman's point of view, Arkreal's behavior had changed. He had changed from a wait-and-see approach to a move to finish off Ilias. I don't know how much energy Ilias has left, but I've made some arrangements with her beforehand.

One is that if she feels she is in over her head, she should tell me immediately. Even if Ilias pushes himself to buy more time, he's doomed if he loses to Arcreal and he heads for the underground. So, in that case, I was planning to escape with Ilias to the underground ruins and shift to the next mission.

However, Ilias did not send a signal. He judged that it would be no problem if Arcturial attacked with a wait-and-see attitude. Then, what about the next step, a serious attack by Arcturial?

I can't judge how much momentum it has gained by going on the offensive in earnest. If it's too much for you here, that's fine. What's important is whether or not Ilias can keep moving in this fight.

...... There is no signal despite waiting. Arcreal may still have a number of ways to attack, but this will do. We can take it to the next level.

It's been a while since we've had a chance to use the "Superhuman Glasses", an artifact that increases your dynamic vision when you wear them while they're filled with magic. Moreover, this is an artifact that has been modified to some extent for this battle. This time, the correction is not applied to both eyes, but to the monocle.

Close one eye and watch the two fighters through the monocle alone. It is difficult to follow their battle with his eyes even with his enhanced dynamic vision, but he has met the minimum requirement. That is to say, he can see Arcreal's figure and expression, even if it is only occasionally.

Well, here comes the real deal: ....... Good luck, guys!

I'll be back.

I'm going to restrain the unconscious Lakra and apply some curses to her. Even if she regains consciousness, she is still a Lahite. You can't let her kill herself or use her soul-moving magic.

But what are you going to do after that?

"Well... Take her to the man. He'll have some ideas. I mean, she's his girl, he's gonna take her seriously.

Hey, this guy's ......

Regardless of the extent of Lakra's existence to his people, they will not abandon him. In the worst case scenario, they would choose to let Raheit go and hunt him down later.

Don't be a wimp. I'm almost at the end of my sanity. Don't ask anything of a dead man.

...... Hey, Docola, is it really that hard?

"Yeah, enough to make me feel guilty for using it as a threat, you scoundrel. Well, I'm not sorry.

...... Yeah, I know.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing. You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier. Ao has been using such power on many people for a long time. Ao, who has been living in a state of emptiness, could not pay attention to these things.

It's no good if you realize the gravity of your crimes now. There's no one in a position to judge you, and there's no way to make amends.

...... I know, I know.

I know. - Well, maybe it's worth it. The most valuable thing to you is the weight of the guilt you now carry, and the fact that you were able to carry it. Even if it's a self-satisfied guilt, it's a great sign of being human.

Docora is another person who has gone off the rails in life. Docola is another person who has gone off the rails in life, who no longer feels the pain of tricking others. For her, the renewed guilt is probably more valuable than I thought.

"So, can I cancel it now? Don't I need to say goodbye to him?

"That guy's not my boyfriend, he's the guy who killed me. If I wanted to say goodbye in this life, I'd have done it by now. Dead men should just go back to the ground.

Do you mind if I ask you one last question?

You're not listening to me. All right.

You knew about Rakhula, didn't you? You knew about Rakhula, didn't you? You knew all the good things about him.

Docola died before Rakhula met his people. At that time, Lakra was more notorious in Mejis, and Dokora, who was in the dark, would have at least heard rumors about Lakra.

It is normal for Dokola to think that Lakra would be a drag on him. Nevertheless, Dokora believed that Lakra would do well and entrusted him with the plan to capture Raheit. This could only be done by someone who knew Lakra personally.

Docola looked at Lakra quietly, then replied with a snicker.

...... It wouldn't be a good story if the reason he wanted to become a priest was because he was such a scoundrel.

I see, so that's it. Then I guess I can't ask any more questions.

"Well, let me thank you one last time. Not only for this, but for bringing me and Lakra together. Thank you.

You know, you can't thank the bad guys enough.

That's what my people say. Ironically.

Yeah, they do. I'll see you later.

With those words, Ao releases the necromancy. D'cora's body crumbles, and all that remains is the mask that Ao left behind and a shattered piece of her skull. Dokora had been caught in the explosion of the undead. The skull that had been the nucleus of the explosion must have been destroyed by the impact. He collected the pieces of the skull and put them into a bag.

...... Let's ask our people if we can bury some of these bones in his hometown.

Yeah. He did such a good job.

So much for sentimentality. We have to think about the future. We got Rahite, we got past the middle guard. But at the cost of losing Lakra.

"Ao, you take Lakra and head for the upper levels. I'll continue on.

"...... Yes. We can't just leave her here.

Normally, I'd like to carry her to the surface, but it's too dangerous to go near her when Ilias and Arkreal are fighting. He had already found some rooms in the upper levels that could be used as refuge. Even if Arcturial went underground, he could stay safe if he didn't pass through the place when he went to the middle level in the shortest distance.

"Right. Any word from the rest of the team?

"Oh, yeah. Well, we've heard from ...... "Purple". They didn't make the cut.

Okay, ......, so that's where we're going, or the Harkdogs' route is .......

Be careful, Exduk.

"Yeah, I'll go.

Through the mausoleum and down the corridor. If my path is the right one, I must hurry as much as possible. It would be difficult for me to take on Nektokhar alone, but I could buy some time if I could get into a fight. If Wolfe and the others can join us before then, we have a good chance of winning.

...... No?

In the event you're looking for the best way to get the most out of your business, you'll be able to find a great deal more information on the web.

I'm not sure what to say.

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. You can tell just by watching them fight for a while that Gradna is actually the better fighter. I thought that if Mixu and I were added to the mix, we would have a good chance of winning. But...

"It's sad to see you two so young, ...... Gradna.

Ms. Gradna is not weak. You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. I'm not sure what to do.

You'll be fine!

The two people in front of you are taking a lot of damage from the counterattack by Ritual. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

"Lord Littoral, if at all possible, I would like you to stop using those names.

"Come to think of it, you didn't like those names much, did you? You didn't like the noise.

That's one thing, but ...... I've got another reason nowadays.

I'm a little curious. If you don't mind, I'd like to know.

It's the same as Ao's.

Oh, ...... such a reason? Oh, but I can understand why. I'm sure I'd have mixed feelings if I got the same name as the Demon Lord. I don't have a second name yet, but .......

I don't know. I don't think you need to worry about it because that power existed in the past and yours is a new one.

"You don't understand, Mr. Littoral. In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

"...... No, I kind of feel sorry for you. I'm not sure if I'd have been able to do that if I hadn't had the chance.

It's a bit of a joke, but the situation is near the worst. Mixu is trying to be mischievous, but you can tell at a glance that he's just being cheerful. This is all due to the influence of that holy sword, Dio Side.

Dioicide, also known as the "Slash of Two Choices". Its ability is to create illusions and hide itself in the shadows of those illusions. Is the current attack an illusion or not? If you misjudge that, your opponent will receive a blow in a defenseless state. It is a simple ability, but the problem is that it is handled by the "true eye", Ritual-Zentry.

He can read whether the attack is real or an illusion. For him, the ability of Diocide is not an uncertain thing that forces the opponent to choose between two options. It is an inevitable power that keeps the opponent guessing wrong.

Dioicide can be used not only for offense but also for protection. By creating the illusion of a stance, it can guide the opponent's direction of attack. Both Gladna and Mixu have been kidnapped by it and are unable to attack properly.

When I was younger, I was a little easier to hit. ......

I only took it easy on you because I didn't want to take away your confidence. Don't worry, you're the one who's genuinely strong, Gradna.

Ugh, I'm so old and this hurts. You're so popular!

Lytiar's physical ability is also quite high. You can't beat the holy knight Yox, and that's why you can handle the movements of Gladna, who is in a different category.

He's like a friend who can fight. ....... I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will work for you.

I'm not going to deny the superiority of the two. Well, let's just say you have bad taste.

Muki!

In close combat, he's a dead end due to his dioicide ability. I'm not going to say that I have bad taste. Even with knives with special effects, he deals with them optimally, as if he knew all the moves from the start.

It's as if there is no way to win. Apart from its overwhelming power, it's also a monster that can be called unstandard. How can you defeat an opponent like this? ......!

What was that noise?

I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm not sure what to do. No way, no way, no way! In such a reckless way?

Just when I was sure of my prediction, I saw a huge crack in the wall. And through that crack, a detection spell flew. There's no mistaking this magic.

"...... Defeated, T'Dourri.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm gonna blow you all to pieces! Aah!

A wall was blown down, revealing a muddy, scarred Harkdock. He's forcing his way through the divide!

"Hark-dog!

Good morning. You're still looking good. Gladna and Mix are at ...... Whoa, are you okay?

You look like rags to me, Mister Hark-dog!

Rags and tatters? You're a rag? You work harder than a new rag.

If you look closely, you'll see a scar on Hark-dog's face, like a blade. He must've been fighting someone after they split us up. It's a bit of a joy to see him, even though he's as battered and bruised as the rest of us. ......