Copy Skills with Affinity! - Chapter 35

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈

Chapter 35: Pulverization

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Faced with a situation that was plainly bizarre, the masked man immediately threw open the window. Light poured into the dark interior, which had not received so much as a ray of sunlight.

Aiden squinted outside. Judging by the view, they were almost certainly in an extremely tall building, practically a tower.

Despite being so high up, the masked man looked down at the ground and let out a groan.

“...Lionheart?”

Even from this far away, something stood out at a glance.

A woman was walking between the dull, low buildings, surrounded by dense white Ki so thick it looked like fog.

Anyone affiliated with the Empire would recognize that ability. Pure White Ki. Lionheart's symbol.

And then...

...

With every step the woman took toward them...

...

The mist-like Ki spread wider and wider.

It had already expanded enough to cover the area around her, creating immense pressure by itself.

An entire city block trembled with every step. The frames and exterior walls of the buildings, crushed beneath that ability, screamed as they shook.

“...Mom.”

It was enough to make someone let that slip without thinking.

A walking ability power plant. A one-person army. The Empire's vanguard in every battle.

Seeing her like this, it was impossible not to understand why one person carried all those titles.

“...You just called that your wife. Don't tell me you're Lionheart's husband?”

“Can't you tell? So please listen to me already...”

“But.”

The masked man who had asked the question spoke with confidence.

“Even Lionheart won't be able to rescue you easily.”

“...”

As Aiden let out a nearly resigned sigh, the man continued triumphantly.

“This building has been reinforced with every defensive measure available. Even an enormous magical beast would have a hard time bringing it down.”

There was enough pride in the voice to suggest they had not cut corners.

Then again, these were people who had brought all manner of goods into the Imperial Capital under the Prince and the Minister of Administration's protection.

It would not be strange for their headquarters to have all sorts of defenses.

But...

“That only applies to enormous magical beasts.”

Aiden remained skeptical of their assessment.

After all...

“That's Lionheart.”

The situation that followed proved him entirely right.

▣

In the original game, Noel Astria Seamus was always portrayed as someone whose martial strength ranked among the very best, regardless of the time or circumstances.

The setting was packed with people so monstrous that calling her unquestionably the strongest would be difficult. Still, there was no denying that she was a monster worthy of respect anywhere she went.

And that meant...

...At least in this situation, there was clearly no way to stop her properly.

“Hey, what's a woman doing alone in a place like... Eeeek!”

A thug who had been about to pick a fight abruptly shut his mouth in terror.

The Imperial Capital's black market was filled with all kinds of vicious people, but the moment they saw Noel walking slowly down the street, they scattered in panic instead of daring to provoke her.

Considering how Katia had been treated when she came here before, it was a remarkable sight. But anyone would react similarly after seeing the presence Noel gave off.

It was probably something like coming face to face with a house-sized predator that was clearly enraged.

Noel's gaze was fixed on one of the tallest buildings in the Imperial Capital's black market.

The place Katia had told her Aiden was being held.

“...”

Noel stopped walking.

That alone sent an explosion-like Thoom! through the area.

“Hah.”

As she adjusted her breathing, Pure White Ki settled over her vocal cords.

Those nearby would probably hear her as though she were whispering. But to the people inside that tower, it would likely sound louder than a megaphone.

It was extraordinarily refined Ki control.

“I do not know who you are.”

When someone capable of that spoke with hostility sharp enough to tear the skin, it inspired something beyond simple fear.

“I do not know what purpose you have either.”

The air rumbled. The pressure in her voice alone was vicious enough to make anyone weak-willed faint.

“But I know whom you have. Return my groom to me. Then...”

Her words fell like frost.

“I will spare you.”

“...”

The people inside the tower exchanged glances.

Their discussion, at least, could not be faulted for speed.

“...Can we win?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then buy time. Throw everything we have at her.”

Honestly.

Considering the atmosphere Noel was giving off, their nerve in choosing that response deserved some recognition.

As soon as her ultimatum ended, several iron pillars flew toward her instead of an answer.

Suppression Pillars. The same items used on Katia before. They weakened the abilities of those within their barrier.

Their effect had already been proven by the way they had suppressed even Katia's monstrous power.

The problem was...

There was a reason the knight before them was called the Empire's strongest.

...

...!!

The Ki floating around her body compressed into a single point.

Before the Suppression Pillars could even begin to resonate, the Pure White Ki gathered around her took shape and wrapped around the iron pillars.

Then Noel clenched her fist as though wringing something dry. The Pure White Ki began to spin violently.

In an instant, she crushed those treasures, carved from spiritwood and repeatedly refined by elite spellcasters.

Crunch!

She pulverized every one of them as though twisting straw stems.

“...”

Good heavens.

The people inside the tower stared with their mouths hanging open.

They had used at least twice as many as they had when attacking Katia, yet Noel had neutralized them in an instant. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

‘Just how high is her output...?!’

Ki's advantage over other abilities was that it could produce power more easily, but to do something similar, one would need the physical force to pull up an entire small house.

And she had done that...

Without an oath offered to a god, and without any particular movement?

“Th, th-that lunatic...”

“Quit standing there stunned and throw everything we have at her!”

“But our client ordered all of these items...!”

“If we can't get out of here alive, we're dead anyway! This isn't the time to worry about the consequences!”

“Even if we want to use them, we need time! We have to stop that woman from coming any closer...!”

Their cries alone made it clear how grotesque the feat just now had been. Even the people who had kept their heads until then fell into confusion at once.

And as always...

People in turmoil were prone to making the worst decisions.

“Let's use this, at least. That guy is her objective in the first place!”

Someone pointed at Aiden.

“...No, no, wait. That's really not a good idea...!”

“Use him! Tell her we'll kill him if she comes any closer!”

Before Aiden could stop them, someone dragged the chair he was tied to and shoved him toward the window.

“Damn it! Take one more step and I'll cut this bastard's throat...”

But before the sentence could finish...

Noel's eyes found Aiden, bloodied and battered.

“...”

Ah.

It was over.

Though she was far away, the murderous intent filling Noel's eyes made Aiden realize that instinctively.

Her gaze turned savage enough to make it seem as though scarlet flames had bloomed within it.

“Law.”

The Oath of Guardianship passed softly over her lips.

The Pure White Ki already pouring from her grew even stronger.

Then...

The world seemed to be pressed down in an instant.

At least, that was how it looked.

Noel's presence was so overwhelming that everything the eye could perceive seemed to sink beneath a crushing weight.

Though they were not even direct targets, the people nearby screamed and collapsed together. Their legs had given out.

“I swear.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the Ki around her condensed into a single point. The ability that had felt powerful enough to crush the world was drawn toward the sword beneath her hand, creating a momentary vacuum.

“To my enemies, fear.”

Her sword came free.

Noel gave the air a casual slash.

Space itself warped.

“...Huh?”

Someone watching from inside the tower let out a blank sound.

It was probably delayed comprehension. Something like, What is she doing?

No one could blame them.

What followed was something no human should have been capable of.

The next moment, the ceiling lurched and twisted.

Patter. Dust fell into the room.

Then...

“...Uh.”

Someone let out that final sound.

“Uh, uh, uaaaaah!”

People screamed and tumbled in every direction as the entire room tilted.

Only then did they understand what had happened.

The entire tower...

Was twisting as it collapsed.

The massive spire that required them to crane their necks just to see its top. The building they had just proudly claimed was reinforced with every imaginable defense.

A single casual slash from someone standing in place had cut through it diagonally, as neatly as a kitchen knife slicing vegetables.

“...”

What kind of woman am I engaged to?

The moment Aiden had that thought, chaos erupted around him.

Because the building was so tall, people rolled desperately across the floor to avoid falling outside. They clung to window frames, steel bars, objects, anything they could grab.

Then...

The person responsible for that scene came hurtling toward them in a single bound.

When Noel landed on the floor, which was still barely holding its balance, the faces around her turned pale.

To them, she probably looked like the Grim Reaper had descended.

...That was not an entirely mistaken impression.

Noel looked around with crimson flames burning in her eyes, then raised her sword again. Murderous intent sharp enough to tear skin filled the space around her.

Everyone who saw her was probably reflecting on their lives. This was the end of their insolence...

It would have been, if someone had not suddenly rushed in and grabbed her.

Aiden had somehow freed himself from his restraints and flung his arms around Noel from behind like a child demanding a piggyback ride. Noel flinched and turned toward him.

“...Mr. Aiden?”

“Please calm down, seriously! I told you I'm fine!”

“...”

The murderous intent vanished completely.

The crimson flames in her eyes disappeared at once.

Instead, all color drained from Noel's face.

Her whole manner turned soft and fragile. Anyone who saw her might think she was an adolescent girl who had just found her first love badly hurt...

“...A, are you all right?”

...The world of married couples was truly mysterious.

The change was abrupt enough that the masked people, who had just seen their lives flash before their eyes, could not help thinking that.

“Ah, yes. I'm just injured pretty badly.”

At that, Noel's gaze swept over Aiden's face.