WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 20: The Way of the Gale
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The blade, already tinged with blue, slowly began to gather a chill.
“Then, shall we begin?”
The moment she finished speaking, Senia rushed at me.
No, I never said I was ready.
Clang!!
The instant my sword crossed Azure Night, a blue gem appeared above my head.
My turn.
Chrono Dive activated.
“Oh? You feel different from before.”
“I’m in Blade of Ruidel, Valhilar mode right now.”
“Ahaha. You have an unexpectedly amusing side. Still, judging by the keen aura flowing from your sword, it seems you aren’t joking.”
She had noticed Chrono Dive’s effect.
Until now, Adeline was the only one who had recognized it. That meant Senia had talent on Adeline’s level.
I slashed across Senia’s chest with Carving Sword.
[Weak!]
“Just as I heard... it really is difficult to dodge.”
“Yes. The next one will hurt more.”
Ashen Light.
Boom!!
An ash-gray flash condensed at the tip of my sword shot toward the X-shaped wound.
Senia was driven far back by the direct hit from Ashen Light, then came to a stop with her eyes wide open.
“Could that be... our family’s Shattering Light?”
“No. It’s Halibal Style.”
“You’re shameless too.”
I had to do what needed to be done.
Fine. I knew Senia was strong.
I knew she was crazy too.
So could she dodge Break?
Unlike Avenger, Lapis Lazuli had no counterattack effect. Even Varhatan died after taking this two-hit combo. There was no way a human could endure it.
“Halibal Break.”
The extended slash tore into Senia’s entire body.
Dust rose from the impact and scattered in every direction, slowly swallowing her figure.
‘It’d be nice if that ended it.’
That hope was immediately betrayed.
“You’re too cruel. To treat a lady like this.”
“...”
“Still, I’m impressed. You’ve become much stronger than when we first met.”
I was just as surprised.
Why wasn’t she dead?
“Hehe. I’m suddenly curious what Halibal’s expression looks like right now. Could it be that you’re a little flustered, thinking, ‘Huh? Why didn’t that finish her?’”
“Can you read minds too?”
“It’s nothing special.”
Senia took out Lapis Lazuli’s Shard socket and showed it to me.
“My body is rather weak... so I usually arrange my Shards like this.”
The moment I saw the socket, I let out a hollow laugh.
Right. The characters appearing from here on out would obviously have Cores and Shards. I’d overlooked that.
If Shards strengthened the body, they could endure attacks that an ordinary human never could.
‘But isn’t that a little excessive?’
Fifteen Yellow Shards and one Blue Shard.
You goddamn defense-stacking bitch.
“Then it’s my turn now, right?”
At the same time, a red gem appeared above Senia’s head.
Senia’s turn.
Maybe she understood the concept of turn-based combat too. Or perhaps instinctively grasping something like that was proof of her genius.
I cleared my mind and took a defensive stance.
I knew every one of Cecilia’s Arts, but I knew nothing about Senia’s Arts, which hadn’t existed in the original story.
That meant I had to rely entirely on my senses to deflect her attacks with Just Guard.
Still, since her style was based on the Ren Sword Style, I hoped she’d use an Art I knew.
At that moment, a pair of ice wings spread behind Senia’s back.
Shhh-
The frost gathered on Azure Night’s blade began to melt, filling the air with mist.
“Ren Sword Style secret technique. Ice-White Sword Dance...”
‘What the hell is that, you fucking otaku?’
Unfortunately, it was an Art I had never heard of.
All I could do was brace myself.
Brace myself to get hit.
Holding Azure Night straight before her, Senia shot forward as though gliding across ice.
Just before her sword reached me, I swung mine as well.
‘Now!’
Clang!!
[Just Guard!]
Thankfully, I succeeded.
But why did it hurt this much?
My wrist throbbed.
Still, it should be my turn next...
“Sixfold.”
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
[Just Guard!]
[Just Guard!]
[Just Guard!]
Azure Night, brimming with cold energy, came at me without giving me a moment to breathe.
‘Fuck.’
Since my turn hadn’t returned, this entire chain had to be a single Art. And Sixfold meant six consecutive attacks.
‘That’s completely broken.’
I desperately deflected the slashes crashing down like a raging tide.
[Just Guard!]
Maybe I was getting used to Just Guard.
I somehow managed to deflect the first five.
But the moment I raised my sword to stop the sixth and final strike, Senia spun once through the air and instantly slipped in toward my side.
“Did you expect this as well?”
How was I supposed to expect an offbeat attack?
Kra-boom!!
One side of my armor shattered under the final blow, and Azure Night’s tip drove deep into my flank.
‘Even with a defense-stacked build, her attack still hits this hard?’
It didn’t end there.
[Weak!]
‘A weak point too? It didn’t hit anything vital.’
When I looked down at my side, frost was spreading from the wound, slowly consuming the injured area.
‘Of course. It had freezing too.’
This was what I had been most wary of before facing Lapis Lazuli.
When I fought Varhatan, getting hit by Fear made me realize something.
Status ailments existed in this world too.
In the game, it might have been nothing more than “additional elemental damage,” but in reality, keeping ice against your skin for too long would eventually give you frostbite.
Senia approached until she was close enough to touch me, then gave me a gentle smile.
“But you’ve seen this once before, so you should be used to it now, right?”
Azure Night shone blue, filled with cold energy.
“Ren Sword Style, First Sword. Shattering Light.”
Boom!!
Senia’s slash fell with a dazzling flash.
It was aimed at the area around my abdomen, where my armor had been torn away during my fight with Ran.
Senia went straight for the spot that anyone could see was a weakness, without hesitation.
Its power was beyond comparison to the Shattering Light Cecilia had used against me years ago.
Pain like my flesh was being torn apart and my bones scorched ran through me as my body slammed into the ground.
A heavy pressure bore down on my left arm.
When I looked up, Senia was pinning it beneath her foot.
“Is this the end?”
Azure Night’s blade touched my throat.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask you one question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Who have you set as your goal, Halibal?”
It was an uncomfortable question to hear in a situation like this.
Still, her clear eyes looked as though they were threatening to kill me if I didn’t give her an answer, so I gave it some thought.
Someone to set as a goal... Adeline?
Aren, who would become the strongest in the future?
Duke Ren was strong too, and there was also the founder of Ultimate Divine Sword, who appeared near the very end of the story.
Who should I name to get this crazy woman to accept it as the right answer?
“My Lady.”
But I soon realized something.
Since falling into this world, I had never once made another person my goal.
“I think that’s a strange question.”
“...Pardon?”
“Do people make other people their goals?”
My goal had never changed.
To survive.
There had been smaller goals along the way, but they were only destinations.
I had run to reach the finish line. I had never thought about who might be waiting at the end of it.
“Does that answer your question?”
For the first time, Senia’s gaze darkened as though she wasn’t satisfied with my answer.
A smile remained on her lips, but only coldness lingered in her eyes.
Either way, I stood up.
“Then it’s my turn.”
“Wouldn’t it be difficult for you to move any further in that condition?”
It was an arrogant declaration of victory.
“From what I can see, Halibal, your stamina has reached its limit.”
Hearing that, I felt relieved instead. It confirmed that Senia knew nothing about me.
“Who have you set as your goal, My Lady?”
“...What?”
“If you have one, are you looking straight at that goal?”
I casually pushed her sword aside and quickly rose.
Then I threw myself backward, opening the distance between us in an instant.
“Ah?”
For the first time, Senia looked flustered.
“...How is this possible? By my calculations, Halibal shouldn’t have been able to stand.”
That would have been true before I defeated Varhatan.
But things were different now.
I had Adamant.
Adamant gave me 3 Health and 3 Defense. The numbers might have looked underwhelming, but at this point, it was worth as much as six Shards by itself.
Unlike Black Cloud, no one but me even knew that I had Adamant.
“It seems your calculations were wrong, My Lady.”
A blue gem appeared above my head.
My turn.
The goal I set for the entrance exam hadn’t changed.
Defeat every applicant.
“Other than Lady Cecilia, do you remember the names of every opponent you defeated on your way here?”
“How could I remember them all? I’ve defeated thirty applicants already. Halibal, you too, will probably...”
“Richard Dane.”
Whether Senia was included among them or not.
“Who is that...?”
“For the record, I remember every one of them.”
It had never mattered to me from the beginning.
“Alex Rooker. Ron Kraus...”
“...!”
“...Eugene Reygal.”
‘This is how it’s done, right?’
I raised my sword diagonally and drew my right foot slightly back.
Eugene’s Noble Cross was an Art similar to Carving Sword, yet different from it.
Carving Sword used the turn-based system to slash twice almost simultaneously. Noble Cross simply swung the sword twice, sending out a cross-shaped slash.
And I learned in my exchange with Eugene that the source of its power was his Abyss Core, Aegis.
Then couldn’t I do it too?
I couldn’t use a Unique Ability outside a boss battle, but Renee was also a Special Core, not a Standard-Issue Core.
If I could borrow her power...
The moment I focused, the energy pouring out of Renee began to wrap around my entire body.
Like wind. Like I had been before receiving the grand epithet Funeral Sword, back when I was Ashen Wind.
“...Ran Pen.”
I stomped the ground, creating a shockwave.
Boom!!
The principle of the shockwaves I had confirmed in my exchange with Ran.
As time passed, their force grew larger and larger, eventually spreading over a wide area.
That inspired me. An inspiration that I might be able to create a new Art with shockwaves.
Hummm.
The vibration ringing through the ground spread rapidly, soon beating against the earth like a drum.
“Senia Ren.”
“I haven’t fallen. And I have no intention of falling.”
“I was just calling your name.”
As I looked at her, I thought:
Why was she faster even though I had the first turn?
Why did she get to use a six-hit Art all by herself?
Wasn’t that completely broken?
But that wasn’t it.
She wasn’t faster than me. I had only been setting limits for myself.
Didn’t the gem floating over my head prove that I was faster than Senia?
Then all I had to do was move.
As fast as I possibly could.
‘May your new choice be filled with time’s blessing.’
A young voice filled my mind.
For the first time, Senia’s eyes froze.
“That... could it be...?”
“For the record, I’ve been looking straight at you this entire time, My Lady.”
A genius like her had probably already noticed what I was about to do.
Wind wrapped around my blade and body.
As ash-gray currents filled my muscles, my arms and legs sprang lightly like coiled springs.
The instant my eyes caught Senia, my brain gave the command before I could even finish thinking.
Move. Cut. Tear apart.
An Art that reinterpreted the principle behind Senia’s Ice-White Sword Dance in my own way, borrowing Renee’s power and placing shockwaves beneath my feet.
[Abyss Core - Renee is evolving.]
The moment I became a raging gale and raced across the ground, the howling wind swallowed the space around us.
Boom!!
“Gale’s Path.”
Blades of wind cut through Senia’s body one after another.
Her shoulder, left arm, chest, back. Wounds were carved across her as though a storm were shredding her apart.
“Sevenfold.”
When I came to my senses, I was already standing behind Senia.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!!
In a silence that felt as though time had stopped, seven ash-gray slashes erupted at once.
Senia’s body staggered heavily from the seven consecutive strikes.
Gale’s Path was an Art one level above Ashen Light.
Ordinarily, taking that attack would be enough to bring someone down.
Yet she endured without falling.
“Unfortunately... this doesn’t finish it. You didn’t cut through any of my vital points.”
“As I said, I’ve been looking straight at you this entire time, My Lady.”
Ever since she entered this room, I had never taken my eyes off her for even a moment.
That was why I saw it.
Her left arm wasn’t moving properly.
For some reason, her breathing wasn’t as steady as it should have been.
Her legs had trembled right after taking Halibal Break.
She had desperately tried to hide it, but I could tell.
‘She’s injured. Pretty badly, too.’
Judging by her movements, it was probably a recent injury.
What could have put a woman who had cut down thirty-one applicants by herself in that state?
The answer was obvious.
“It seems Lady Cecilia has become quite strong.”
“...How do you know that?”
The injury on Senia’s left arm wasn’t one I had made.
It was probably a wound Cecilia had inflicted during their fight just before this.
[Weak!]
Gale’s Path struck that wound and gave me an extra turn.
“I don’t think sisters fighting each other is a good thing.”
“What are you...”
“So I’ll be fair.”
I clenched my fist and looked straight into her eyes.
Like always.
Then I drove my fist straight into Senia’s face.
Crack!!
Die, you crazy bitch.
Footnotes:
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