Book 5: Chapter 28

The sounds of swords clashing resounded.

Swords and shields. The ones that possessed the same weapons fought each other.

That’s right, weapons. To both sides, shields weren’t for defense. Similar to the swords, they boasted deadly force when swung.

Sword and sword, sword and shield, and then shield and shield would collide.

Ichika and Shironos’s fight could be said to be straightforward.

The one that pierced through the other’s defense would win.

Each and every attack had contained definite intent to kill.

「As expected of you……Though I look like this, I had confidence in my battle techniques.」

Ichika didn’t reply to Shironos’s words. She just silently increased her attack speed.

Intercepting Ichika’s unleashed sword with his shield, Shironos smiled.

「Oya, do you not have the leeway to answer? I am terribly sorry for that. Honestly, I might have overestimated you, Ojou-san.」

Ichika breathed a sigh at those provocative words.

Ichika answered while being expressionless to Shironos whose eyebrow twitched.

「How stupid. I thought that you would be a fellow who spoke with his weapon but……I overestimated you. Allow me to apologize.」

「What……?」

「Allow me to answer in addition to that. For you to have confidence in something of this level. If I were you, I would be embarrassed and be unable to speak.」

Ichika’s shield sent Shironos flying away.

When Shironos corrected his stance and readied his sword and shield once again, he felt a rise in magical power from Ichika.

Noticing that that was the sign of the 「Magic Sword」 that was said to be the secret technique of the Magic Swordsman, Shironos also raised his own magical power to utilize Magic Sword as well.

「O Fire.」

「……O Light!」

Fire magical power dwelled in Ichika’s sword, and as if in opposition to that sword blade that shone red, Light magical power dwelled in Shironos’s sword as well.

Shironos and Ichika glared at each other, and measured the distance between each other.

「……You seem to have quite a lot of confidence in yourself.」

「Naturally.」

Ichika answered to Shironos’s words.

That’s right, she naturally did.

Living an irrationality that seemed like an eternity, and then dying irrationally for what was like an eternity.

In order to overcome that irrationality, she trained herself.

This sword technique was Ichika’s culmination.

Staring from Ria and continuing until Ichika, the culmination of all of her lives.

Swordsman, Knight, Warrior, Magic Swordsman, Guard, Adventurer, Noble, Royalty, Assassin……

And then, Maid Knight.

The sword technique that was trained in all kinds of lives, was completed into the current Ichika’s sword technique.

Therefore, there was no way should lose.

It was because everything she accumulated was right here.

「A novice in the middle of their first life shouldn’t think they could win against me.」

「What nonsense are you spouting!」

Shironos readied his sword and rushed in.

The offensive ability of Shironos’s sword that had the Magic Sword invoked that remarkably higher than before.

However, even with that before her, Ichika didn’t even change her expression.

Quietly pulling in her sword, she readied herself in a stance for a thrust.

However, like that, Shironos was able to completely understand what Ichika’s next attack method would be.

「Did you think that such an easy to understand attack would get through to me!」

Shironos readied his shield and raised his speed.

Plunging in with his greatest speed, he would send Ichika flying along with her thrust with his should.

Thinking that way, Shironos approached Ichika──however.

「Thrust・148 Consecutive Attack」

If it were to be likened to something, it was a wall of blades. The consecutive thrust attacks that seemed like they were innumerable became an impact on Shironos’s shield and attacked him.

「Wha……U, AAAH!?」

The largest class of alarm resounded within Shironos as the impact was transmitted to his shield.

On the shield that he should have had pride in thinking that there was nothing that could rival it, there were cracks.

This attack would not be repelled.

Determining that, Shironos jumped away from Ichika.

However, his shield was already in a state where he couldn’t expect it to have the same defensive power as before.

「……I see. Like this, my sword certainly is equivalent to mere child’s play. Just who in the world are you?」

「I am Ichika. One who progresses together with the path Vermudol-sama goes down, and always nestles close to it.」

「That sort of thing isn’t……really what I was asking about though.」

Shironos muttered that, then looked down at his own cracked shield.

The balance was already crumbling. In a match of swords, Shironos had no chance of winning.

That being said, if he had to talk about if he could win in magic, that was also questionable. The magical power he felt from Ichika wasn’t ordinary.

In terms of overall magical power, there was no mistake that Shironos was higher, but he had the unpleasant premonition that his opponent possessed a ace up her sleeve even in magic.

Even in the worst case, he couldn’t allow himself to lose.

No matter how cowardly the action had to be──Even if it was an act of crushingly defeating the opponent with overwhelming power that went against chivalry.

「……」

Taking a glance, he looked at his master──at Ykslaas.

Over there, a Mazoku that wasn’t there before was confronting Ykslaas as if protecting Vermudol.

He couldn’t waste anymore time here than this. He needed to defeat Ichika who was before him, and assist Ykslaas.

The moment he thought that, Shironos’s resolution was decided within him.

*Fuu* Letting out a light breath, Shironos focused on Ichika.

「I shall admit it. In the match as a Majin, it is my loss.」

「I would not even have to ask about something so obvious.」

Shironos made a wry smile at Ichika’s cold words, however, his expression was immediately erased.

「That’s true. But, I cannot approve of this conclusion.」

「And?」

「I will overturn this difference in strength. And then, I shall offer up the victory to Ykslaas-sama.」

Shironos’s magical power drastically swelled up.

Shironos’s head changed into an inorganic helmet, and even his body changed into metal.

He looked as if he was a white Magic Operated Armor.

Having completely changed his appearance, Shironos chanted the words to release all of the power within himself.

「……Bale Killer」

An explosion of enormous magical power occurred with Shironos as the center.

Ichika received the impact of it with her shield, but a gigantic something that appeared from within the dust had blown her away with an intense ramming attack.

That slammed Ichika into the wall, and as if that wasn’t enough, it sent Ichika flying outside of the castle while destroying the Demon King Castle’s wall.

「This power is……!?」

To give damage to Ichika from above her defense, it wasn’t ordinary power.

When Ichika looked up at the sky while she was falling, a gigantic white metal lion was chasing after her.

The white lion that was about as tall as two adults worth had opened its mouth and fired a thick beam.

「……Kuh!」

The beam destroyed the Magic Guard・Light that Ichika hurriedly deployed, and pierced her body.

Having received that pursuing beam, Ichika was slammed into the ground.

However, she immediately stood up, and swung her sword at the white lion that was attacking her.

The white lion easily evaded that, and confronted Ichika.

「……Come to think of it, I have yet to introduce myself.」

With the same voice as Shironos from before, the white lion spoke to Ichika.

「Up until earlier, I was the head of the Four Knights that serve the Demon King of Harmony Ykslaas, the Head Knight Shironos. And then, right now, I am White Lord. One who is clad in light, and will masticate everything for the sake of my master.」

「……So that is your true form.」

Ichika readied her shield in front of her, and cautiously took some distance from White Lord.

Speed, power, magical power, the white lion in front of her had strengthened everything by a tremendous amount.

「Yes. However, if it were possible, I wanted to settle things with you as a knight. I shall apologize in advance for biting you to death with this sort of form.」

「There is no need.」

「Hou?」

While having her shield at the ready, Ichika glared at White Lord.

「As for why, it is because I have a technique to break in a lion that babbles that sort of thing.」

Ichika’s eyes shone red. That was the radiance of her 【Magic Eyes of Coercion】.

Having been invoked at full power, her 【Magic Eyes of Coercion】 increased their brilliance to break White Lord’s spirit.

「……I see! 【Magic Eyes of Coercion】……So you were hiding something like that on you!」

「I was not hiding it. I merely had no need to use it on you up until now.」

Hearing those words, White Lord grandly opened its mouth and laughed.

「Haha……hahaha! I have no words to retaliate with! I can only lament at my inexperience! However, but however! If turn that around, it means I made you pull out all of your strength! I will surpass you, and clear away this humiliation!」

Ichika silently sneered at Shironos’s words.

「……I have said it already, you know?」

Once again having Fire magical power dwell in her sword, Ichika announced it to White Lord.

「A novice in the middle of their first life shouldn’t think they could win against me.」