Chapter 73: Momentary Thoughts Part 20 Part 1

Using the Secret Sword Art “Moon Water Mirror” I managed to get the aggro off, allowing Katsu and Pencilgton to get to safety and dodge the incoming pillar of flames. Now the only thing that was left for me to do is to prepare for the final showdown, just like I intended to do from the start.

「Okay, I’m readying my skill! Pencilgton, please try to endure its attacks for about fifteen seconds!」

「Ahh, shit!」

Oi, you only have about five seconds, you know?

Pencilgton was grabbed by the Gravekeeper and then he was smashed against the ground, turning into a bunch of red polygons. I throw the reviving item at him and he immediately goes back to focusing Wezaemon’s aggro upon himself. Good, you would be more than useless if you could only buy us a mere few seconds.

「Pencilgton, duck!」

「Ah, sorry!」

「Don’t give me that!」

If we don’t keep a close watch on time, the number of unnecessary accidents will only increase.

After confirming that Pencilgton had fallen back to a safe distance, I faced the Gravekeeper once more.

(Ten more seconds left…… eight…… six…… four……)

「Alright!」

All adjustments are now complete. Now, we only needed to endure for thirty more seconds and everything should be ready to go.

「Alright, bring it on! This is where the true climax of this fight starts!」

I avoid his blade, dodge the flame pillars and parry his attempts at grabbing me. Was it thanks to the energy drink’s power that I was able to withstand over a half an hour long battle like that? Thirty minutes was a lot of time, I think that while dodging thunderbolts, avoiding blizzard clouds and reflecting the blade again.

「High Blizzard!」

「Five seconds left!」

Four, I charge right through the gray blizzard clouds.

Three, I barely managed to avoid a super-fast Iai strike that was sent my way.

Two, the Gravekeeper stopped its movements for a single moment. There it is……!

One, I’m assuming the position to intercept him. I unite the pair of swords into a single blade. Then I sacrifice a portion of my own stamina to reactivate my skills with no cooldown needed!

Zero.

「Ah, huh?」

This feeling of collapsing, as if all of the air was about to go out of your body, it was the sensation that accompanied the failed attempt at casting a skill that was still on cooldown…… In other words, the skill failed to activate. Right in front of me, Wezaemon raised his sword in the air.

Lunar Fangs were already united. But in this state I wouldn’t be able to use Parry with them, since both Climax Boost and Hungry Wolf ceased to have an effect on me.

「No way……」

Could it be that I got the time wrong? Have I made a mistake somewhere? Ahh, I get it now, that’s not it.

「Is this my physical strength being cut down?」

「Well done.」

「Ahh…… Now I fucked up.」

I failed miserably to meet the trigger conditions. Making such a grave mistake, it was now impossible for me to prepare reviving items in time. The blade started to go down, and there was no way in which I could hope to react to that. Really now, there was nothing I could do……

「Hey, Wezaemon That-Makes-Women-Cry!」

It was at this moment that the Gravekeeper stopped momentarily.

「…… Ah.」

That’s because both Pencilgton and Katsu used the fact that the Gravekeeper’s attention was focused solely on me right now and they went towards Setsuna-san’s grave, destroying it and calling out to the Gravekeeper so he would notice.

With that action, the Gravekeeper completely stopped paying attention to me.

And right now, Pencilgton openly mocked Wezaemon for his duty, and the fact that right now he prioritized the enemies over the grave.

「Oi, Wezaemon, you sure you should be so preoccupied with mere humans right now?」

In real time, it was a mere one second. But that sixty frames were everything that I could possibly ask for right now.

My two swords right now merged into one, single-edged sword –– “Cresent Moon”. I then use that sword to cut my stomach open. Self-injury like that was draining my HP at a rapid pace and before long my HP was dangerously close to becoming zero. Oh, but I do know. The contents of the major update that went live just thirty minutes ago. It was one of the sentences that was etched into my memory since I have read about it in that magazine at the convenience store.

–––––– In this update, we will change one of the major conditions for triggering “Second Chance”. In particular……

「Instead of dying instantly from self-inflicted wounds or recoil damage, if your Luck is fifty or above, you shall be left with one HP instead!」

My draining HP slows down and then stops completely. My body feels numb and heavy, but it was a small price to pay for what was about to come. Once again, I activate both Climax Boost and Hungry Wolf.

It was truly a good thing that the Gravekeeper was so passionate about Setsuna-san that he would go towards her grave instead of finishing me off.

But what counted was that one momentary thought, that thought which would allow me to win.

Seiten Taisei is a set of actions related to his sword, “Tensei”. In other words, for as long as he holds that sword, it won’t end. …… You could say that this sword was the symbol of his vow as a Gravekeeper!

「In the name of a certain fluffy pops I will make you go back to your eternal slumber, even if it kills me…… “CRESENT VORPAL”!!!」

「…… “TENSEI”!!!」

“Cresent Moon’s” abilities are relatively simple. The stronger the enemy, the more boosts to stats you would acquire. HP, attacks strength, critical hit chance, luck…… you name it, you got it.

Doping, buffs…… It wasn’t something as incredible as Wezaemon’s buffs, but the most important thing here was the fact that “Cresent Vorpal” would give me a tremendous boost to both critical hit chance and maximum critical damage. Time to give the Gravekeeper a taste of my blade!

In that moment, my brain kicked into full gear as I focused my attention. It felt as though the time had slowed down. Wezaemon’s sword started to move, bearing the power to cut everything with one blow, and before it managed to reach me, I stroke the side of it with the power of critical strike, causing it to go off-course and miss its target.

「Immediate Death Blow…… The strategy is now complete.」

「…………」

Wezaemon strikes his sword, but I managed to avoid it and instead of cutting through me it got stuck into the ground.

There was a brief moment of silence, during which I exhaled deeply. I don’t know if it was in-game only or was it affecting my real body, but right about now I felt as though I was about to collapse.

「…… Splendid work.」