Chapter 253: Directive

Chapter 253: Directive

–Kaaaaaahhhhhhhh.

Subterranean ruins.

In the clearing that lay deep within, Stardus threw a full force punch at the heavily armored knight lying in the center.

“Ugh.”

A tremendous shockwave rippled through her body from how hard she’d struck.

As strong as her blow was the ground around her cracked with a deafening sound as her fist made contact, turning the air into a cloud of dirt.

Stumbling back from the impact, she waved the dust away with her hand and muttered to Egostic.

“Did I do it...?”

[It couldn’t be.]

And just as she heard him say it.

Zeeeeeeeee-

A strange mechanical sound began to emanate from up ahead and through the dust clouds, a light blue glow.

“...That’s it.”

She muttered briefly.

Quang-. Quang-. The sound of heavy footsteps.Updated chapters at novelhall.com

Before Stardus, stood a massive knight, over two meters tall and clad in gleaming silver armor.

The blue glow of his eyes shone through his oddly shaped helm, seemingly lifeless.

[Stella prodidit. Protest. Sequentia reducitur]

Then, from the one in front of her, an eerie mechanical sound was heard.

As she swallowed hard and tensed at the sight of the knightly weapon muttering to himself, the earnest voice of Egostic rang in her ears.

[Stardus, for the last time, I’ll explain: that ancient weapon of destruction, the Knight of God, has a certain attack pattern. I’ll teach you that, and you’ll just have to follow what you see on the screen and my voice, and then you’ll be able to defeat it, okay?]

“...Okay.”

Hearing the unusually calm and serious tone of voice of Egostic, Stardus replied with a more serious expression.

...Surely, if he’s talking like that, he must be onto something.

And just when she was ready for battle.

[...Currens proditor remotio Program.]

He mumbled something to himself, and when he was done, he turned his head to look in her direction.

It clenched its fists, its feet clouding, a light blue aura hovering over its body.

[Guahhhhhhhh-]

It suddenly started to run like a rhinoceros towards where she was.

[Stardus, dodge to the right!]

With the echoing words of Egostic in her ear, she leapt to the right.

The battle had begun in earnest.

Or, more accurately, the proxy raid of the Knight of God.

***

In the deepest level of the ruins was a room large enough to hold hundreds of people.

There, Stardus was dodging attacks from a hulking paladin, following Egostic lead.

[Stardus, a fist will come flying at you from the left, duck your head, then immediately stand up and hit the glowing area on the right shoulder of his armor. 3, 2, 1...]

[Now he’s going to start pounding the ground like crazy, and there’s a shockwave coming out of it, just stay out of it for a second. Okay, here it comes. 3, 2, 1...]

[This is the third pattern. He’s going to hold still for three seconds, and then he’s going to summon a light blue greatsword from his hand, but before he does, kick him in the stomach. Now!]

-Kaaaahhhhhh.

“Hmph, hmph.”

After hitting the armor with all her might she caught her breath for a moment, while it repaired itself.

....It must have been an hour since they started fighting.

Certainly, it was a strong opponent.

No. Not exactly strong.

The ruins were already rumbling with the aftermath of the battle, half smashed and crumbling.

Only the silver paladin stood out in the ochre-colored space, glowing with an alien light, roaring and charging at her.

His orange blade spun around his body as he approached with tremendous momentum but she was not frightened by the sight.

[Dodge to the right, fly directly above him, then step back and kick.]

For she had him, whom she trusted, with her.

***

Stardus’ combat experience was quite extensive.

Her experience in combat, coupled with her extrasensory instincts, made her a pretty good judge of character.

In a situation like this, she had to admit.

[Three steps backwards]

One, two, three.

-Boom, boom, boom.

Before she knew it, orange blades shot up from both the floor and ceiling where she stood.

[Fist to the right, as it were]

And as she did as he said, she turned to her right and punched into nothingness.

-Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the knight leapt out of thin air, and lunged at her fist, catching it squarely and sending it bouncing back to the other side.

[Run and beat him up!]

And as soon as he’s finished, she launches herself into the air, right over to where he’s lying, and starts pummeling him.

So far, so good.

Egostic ordered her to do this, and she stopped thinking and did what he told her to do. It could be as simple as covering her ears, or as outrageous as punching the air.

And all of those seemingly meaningless actions, once she did them, had a reason.

As soon as she plugged her ears, she was hit with a mysterious sonic attack, and when she threw her fist into the air, the enemy mysteriously punched her back.

Add to that the fact that this next-generation hero-assist given to her by Egostic was showing her exactly where to dodge, or where to attack when a weakness was revealed, with red markers, her actions became extremely precise.

In a strange way, she felt as if she were one with him.

Gradually, she was overpowering this impregnable knight, until finally.

[Arg.......]

Black smoke rises from the knight’s body, his mechanical arms crumble, and his body seems to fail him.

He suddenly puts his hand to his armored chest, as if in a last ditch effort, and is engulfed in blue and orange energy, about to do something.

[Now is the time, punch him in the chest with all your might!]

Egostic urgent, final command came.

“Hmph!”

And with that, Stardus used every last ounce of her strength to lunge at the creature and plunge her yellow glowing fist into its chest.

———kwaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.

-Purrrrrrrrrrrr.

Finally, with a tremendous noise his body turned to dust and disappeared.

“Hah... Hah... I did it...?”

[Yes, that’s right, Stardus, you did it.]

“...Ha ha. Ha ha.”

With that, she finally defeated him, and sat back, exhausted, for a moment to catch her breath.

Finally, finally, it’s over...

She thought as she gasped for air.

Hold on, let’s take a break.

She thought to herself.

-Rumbleeee.

“Huh...?”

...until the ruins began to crumble in the aftermath of the battle.