WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
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◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈
Chapter 45: Subjugation
──────
“What is that...?”
Noel’s bewildered question reached Aiden’s ears as she stared up at the sky beside him.
There had been a time before when ghosts poured out as a dimensional rift formed, but the sight before them now was entirely different.
“Because it’s not just some ordinary strong person coming out.”
What lay beyond that rift.
If it was the enhanced spirit of the Lord Protector, merely summoning it could cause this much fallout.
With that said, Aiden immediately sprang into action.
“Aiden? Where are you going...?”
“There’s something I need to confirm.”
Aiden strode down the courtroom corridor.
Come to think of it.
The phenomenon unfolding out there was strange in itself.
No matter how highly ranked the Lord Protector had been, even Meyer, the pinnacle of superhumans who had dominated an entire generation, could only exert enough influence over the material realm to cause Aiden a little physical harm.
But the Lord Protector’s spirit he had seen before looked as though it retained all the martial prowess she had possessed while alive.
It was as though this was not simply a spirit manifesting in the material realm, but an actual dead person being resurrected.
And if that abnormality was the focus...
He could make a fairly accurate guess about the identity of whoever had caused it.
‘... It’s not like anyone can casually bring back the dead.’
The problem was that there were people capable of forcibly summoning them by “twisting providence.”
The main scenario’s primary enemies.
And Aiden suspected that one of these two was connected to such a group.
When he kicked open the door, the Prince and the Minister of Administration looked at him in alarm from inside the waiting room.
“... Why are you here?”
Aiden looked coldly between them.
Clearly, the Prince and the people here had caused that phenomenon. At least, that was what Aiden believed.
They had launched media attacks as though they had been waiting for the first spirit to appear. Then, as soon as the Prince was placed at a disadvantage, it had appeared again and tried to attack Noel.
That was enough to move beyond suspicion and into certainty.
‘... They really are cunning.’
If the Pontiff’s appearance had muddled their claims, the solution was simple.
They only needed to create an “incident” strong enough to prove even the Pontiff wrong.
It was the harvest festival, a time when countless people were already moving about. If the Lord Protector’s restless spirit charged at Noel in the middle of the main street, that alone would refute the Pontiff’s claim.
The Prince started to say something in surprise, but before he could finish, a sphere of light bloomed around Aiden.
It was a Core made from Spiritual Power. He had only pulled one out and condensed it lightly.
Keeping it afloat, Aiden spun it around himself and slowly examined the Prince.
There was no reaction.
“Your Highness.”
Everything about this was sudden, but perhaps because manners had been drilled into his bones, the Prince obediently replied.
“... What is it?”
“You haven’t rotted to the core yet.”
“...?”
Having made that assessment, Aiden immediately turned and approached the Minister of Administration.
And then.
At that very moment.
-System Message
▶ ‘Skill: Savior’s Vow’ responds.
▶ You have discovered an ‘Enemy of the World.’
▶ In accordance with ‘Constraint: Protect the World,’ your ability is strengthened!
The sphere of light exploded in brilliance. The Minister of Administration grimaced and shielded his eyes from the blinding radiance.
Aiden let out a deep sigh at the sight.
The vow he had offered to Urgan was to “save the world.”
That meant its power increased when he faced an enemy threatening the entire world, fulfilling the condition of his constraint.
“Right. I thought it might be you.”
“... What exactly are you doing?”
“Just confirming something.”
Aiden scattered the sphere of light and continued calmly.
This bastard knew nothing about the constraint Aiden had made. Aiden had just confirmed this bastard’s true identity, but the Minister would not yet understand what that meant.
‘Then there’s no reason to touch him yet.’
In any case, he would have to fight this bastard someday.
But not now.
The main scenario’s primary enemies.
The demons.
The Forgotten Ones who served Wornil, the sealed God of Devouring.
He had expected to encounter them eventually, but he had not thought they would intervene this early.
‘... So I’ll leave him alone for now.’
They were not the kind of people he would benefit from provoking unnecessarily. If he did, they would retreat even deeper into the shadows, making them harder to root out and eradicate later.
For now, confirming the Minister’s identity was enough.
That alone told him the cause of the Lord Protector’s current state.
‘What sick taste.’
Mental disruption, seduction, corruption, and depravity were their specialties.
They must have done something similar to the Lord Protector’s soul. They had probably implanted a suggestion to kill Noel.
Aiden’s gaze briefly settled on the Prince.
Now that he had confirmed what he needed, his business here was done. All that remained was to go out and deal with that monstrous knight’s spirit.
“Your Highness.”
Still.
He could at least say this much.
As a courtesy to an enemy who had tried to show him respect until the end.
“... Honestly, I think you already crossed a line by taking part in something like that. But I don’t think you knew all the details.”
“... What?”
Aiden pointed at the sky stained with ominous color.
Well.
He believed the Prince had accepted the proposal made by the creature wearing the Minister of Administration’s mask. The Prince had probably disliked it, but approved it in the end.
So this was his last chance to offer this advice.
“Once this is over, think carefully about what you’re doing right now.”
“...”
“My advice is this. Don’t throw away the last of your humanity. From what I can see, this is the turning point.”
“...”
“I don’t know what you want, but if you fall that way, there’ll be nothing but ruin.”
Aiden glanced at the Prince’s widened eyes, then left the waiting room.
▣
-...
A “hand” suddenly emerged from the rift in the sky.
Compared to the size of the rift, it looked almost like a pebble.
-...!
-!!!
As though breaking free of its shell by its own strength.
It grasped the rift with both hands and tore it open. And visible through that ripped void was the Lord Protector in that same armor.
But there was one difference.
The armor, which should have been pure white, was dyed pitch black. Within the visor, red eyes flashed continuously.
Like two flames.
“W-What is that?”
“Call the police! Hurry!”
“What good will the police do? Call the Order of Knights first!”
Amid the commotion breaking out everywhere, the Lord Protector, having torn through the rift, abruptly turned her head.
... Precisely toward Aiden and Noel, who were watching through the open window.
Merciless killing intent spread across heaven and earth.
Its source was the Lord Protector.
-As though the very concept of death had been solidified and carved into shape.
Then.
-!!!!!!!!!!
The Lord Protector plunged down from the sky as though launching herself forward. The instant she regained her footing, she fixed her gaze on the window of the building where Noel stood.
As though that were her only target.
“...”
And inside the building, Noel’s expression twisted horribly as she faced that sight.
‘... Again.’
It was the same as before.
Teresa’s spirit was targeting her.
‘Why? Why? What am I supposed to do...?’
Her mind spun. Her judgment clouded...
Then, in that instant.
Someone sharply grabbed her shoulders.
Her fading sense of reality came rushing back, and her vision snapped into focus.
She slowly called the name of the person firmly holding her with both hands.
“... Aiden?”
“Lady Noel. Listen to me carefully.”
Aiden spoke in a stiff voice.
Honestly, he had roughly expected this from the moment something called a “subjugation battle” had appeared.
A far stronger boss. A far more urgent situation. What else could a term like that suggest at a glance?
So it had been obvious that things would start rolling hard from the beginning this time.
... Even harder than he had expected.
And to get out of this.
“Carry me on your back.”
“... What?”
“Let’s run.”
Before Noel could even ask what he meant by that.
The Lord Protector kicked off the ground.
The street shattered into fragments beneath each step. The Lord Protector charged toward them while radiating unrestrained killing intent, like a collapsing mountain.
“...!”
Naturally, the right thing to do became clear the instant Noel saw that.
Gritting her teeth, Noel grabbed Aiden and leaped out through the window. She had escaped from the Lord Protector once before using a similar method, so adapting was easy.
The difference this time was...
---!!!!!!!!!!
That a pursuer like the incarnation of a disaster was on their trail.
A violent Krrrraash! rang out behind the sidewalk where they had just landed. The moment Aiden turned around, chills ran down his spine at the sight of the armored figure rushing after them with ghostly speed.
She crushed and destroyed everything in her path, charging straight ahead regardless of any obstacles.
She was nothing less than a human-shaped tank.
“Lady Noel, faster!”
“Even if you urge me from here...!”
Noel was already running with her Ki unleashed, fast enough that the scenery flew past in an instant, yet the distance between them and the Lord Protector showed no sign of increasing.
Then there was only one option left.
Slow the enemy down.
“...!”
Gritting her teeth, Noel drew her sword with her free hand.
Pure White Ki immediately burst to life around her. She was carrying Aiden with one hand, so her sword strikes could not trace perfect paths, but even so.
Aiden could clearly tell, even at his level, what realm those attacks had reached.
Slashes swung at an untraceable speed streaked wildly through the air. Though he was not their target, the gale bursting from Noel’s arm made it impossible for him to keep his eyes open.
Every single one possessed the same power as the slashes that had cut through a building before.
Attacks powerful enough to carve away the entire landscape alone poured from one of Noel’s arms several times a second!
‘What...!’
There was no time to be astonished by those attacks.
An even more absurd sight followed.
The Lord Protector’s sword emerged from its scabbard in response.
And.
A cold sensation ran down Aiden’s spine when he realized that those red eyes, like lit lanterns, were following every path of every slash.
[I am steel.]
A murky voice rose from beneath the armor.
At the same time, Pure White Ki pulsed around the Lord Protector.
[I am the blade.]
Slightly murkier than Noel’s Ki.
But unquestionably almost equal in force.
[I am the scale.]
That Ki wrapped around the blade, in exactly the same manner Noel used.
[People of the Empire, do not fear.]
Then.
[-For I have come!]
The Lord Protector advanced.
She came forward while batting aside the barrage of slashes Noel had unleashed.
Every time her sword swept through the air, it collided with Noel’s slashes and sparks scattered in every direction. She advanced while deflecting and destroying, one by one, the storm of blades that had seemed impossible to block.
Her charging speed did gradually slow as a result, but the sight of her approaching while scattering every attack was terrifyingly bold.
If he had not been standing against her, he might have wanted to applaud that skill. So this was why she had been the teacher who raised the Empire’s strongest knight!
Even more absurd was Noel’s attitude after launching such attacks.
She had filled the air with strikes whose individual force would have been a trump card to anyone else, yet she moved into her next action as though she had naturally expected them to be blocked.
-!!
-!!!!
Their exchange continued like lightning, so intense that its mere aftereffects made it difficult to stay upright.
Every clash was something that would tear Aiden apart like cardboard if he got caught in the middle. It made no sense that they could keep exchanging attacks like this while both ran at full speed...!
‘These insane people...!’
Aiden gritted his teeth as that thought crossed his mind.
Come to think of it.
He had never seen it before.
How superhumans, especially those at the pinnacle, fought. How people like them treated an exchange like the one that had just taken place.
Now he immediately understood why Meyer had scoffed at his request. If Aiden himself were caught up in a fight like this, lasting a few seconds would be impressive.
His body began to tremble without him realizing it. His survival instincts reacted first to the clash of people who had long surpassed the boundaries of common sense and comprehension.
“Aiden, do you have a plan?!”
... And strangely enough.
The person actually fighting this battle seemed to be relying on Aiden instead.
Noel looked at him with shining eyes and asked.
“... Why are you asking that?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t...!”
“Of course I do.”
“...”
“I was just a little dumbfounded because you asked something so obvious.”
Aiden gave a faint smile to Noel, who glared at him as though she wanted to punch him.
“... First.”
He continued smiling as he spoke.
“We have to bring her down in the end. And to do that, I need some preparation.”
“What kind of preparation are you talking about?!”
“An open space.”
More precisely.
A place without anyone who could get caught up in it.
“So I can fire without feeling guilty.”
Well.
What Meyer had crafted for him was, in a manner of speaking, a cannon that was extremely troublesome to fire.
It required all sorts of conditions to use properly. It was a modest single attack without any flashy combinations, and there was no guarantee it would hit.
But when every condition came together.
“Then I win.”
It was.
Something close to a disaster.
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