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Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 12 - Chapter 2




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Chapter Two: Battle for the Penultimate Throne 
Prism Rider, Ray Starling 
We were greeted by Gideon’s immense outer wall, which I was actually kind of nostalgic for at this point. 
There were fireworks bursting up above the city as if it was New Year’s. Did they have something to do with the upcoming battle between Tom and Kashimiya? 
Once I led Azurite and Canglong to the count’s mansion, the quest was complete. If you ignored the freezing cold atmosphere created by Azurite and B3, the sudden bandit attack, and the encounter with F, I would say that it was fairly uneventful. 
When Azurite rewarded me, she said that she might call for me again tomorrow. Also, after both she and Canglong had entered the guest house, B3 heaved a particularly long, deep sigh. The trip seemed to have taken a heavy toll on her. 
“...You were really tense, huh?” I asked. 
“Of course I was. My position in Altar depended on how well that quest went,” she said. “Unlike Eldridge, I actually want to stay in the kingdom.” 
Apparently, she thought she was on the verge of being added to the wanted list. Honestly, I really doubted that Azurite would go that far. It seemed like she was just trying to get a feel for Masters like B3.. 
Following the incident at Quartierlatin, Azurite had decided to rely more on Masters, but whether that went well depended on both tians and Masters, not just one side or the other. 
Altar had both worlders and ludos, and each and every one had their own outlook. I’d heard that most of the participants in the previous war were worlders, but it was clear that the kingdom also needed the ludos to stand a chance in the upcoming round two. 
This quest was like a test. She entrusted B3 — a ludo and a PK terrorist — with an escort quest to see how she would behave. The dragon carriage thing might’ve been just a front. Even if B3’s ride was insanely good, the kingdom surely had a fair amount of dragon carriages that would have been well-suited for this trip. 
Then again, despite being a PK terrorist who turned into a bad guy when she donned her armor, B3 was a sensible person, so it was hard to say that Azurite had figured out what all ludos were like just by observing her. Even Logan had been acting on the will of the imperium, though, so perhaps you could say that as long as the reward was right, ludos might be even more eager to contribute than worlders. Regardless, this event might’ve been one of the factors that would ultimately decide Altar’s guiding principles in the coming war. 
We then went to meet up with Rook and the others. 
The location was the same one we’d used when meeting up with Rook and Marie for the first time — the café with the open terrace. 
“So I’ll finally meet your party and brother,” said B3 as we walked. “I’m a bit nervous.” 
I’d thought it would be great for her to join us on our ventures, and I’d already asked what she thought of that. She’d said that she hadn’t had much to do lately after her clan disbanded, so she didn’t mind joining us. 
“Ah. We’re here,” I said, as we arrived. 
“Ray! I haven’t seen you in a while!” Rook called out with a smile. Marie sat next to him. 
“It really has been a while, hasn’t it, Rook. You too, Marie,” I replied. 
This reminded me that we hadn’t met since the day our plans to go to the ocean were disrupted by Tsukikage kidnapping me. It was only a week in real life, or three weeks in-game, but I felt like it had been way longer than that. 
“Ray... I’m glad you seem well,” said Marie. 
“You too... is what I’d like to say, but you actually don’t look so great,” I said, noting how tired she seemed to be. 
“Well, I had this and that going on... Hm?” 
Marie was usually like this when she either had too much Journalist work or was handling something Elizabeth-related, so with the match coming up and Elizabeth’s arranged marriage, it could honestly be either. 
Also, she was glaring behind me, for some reason. Why? It was just B3. 
“By the way, where’s Shu?” I asked Rook. 
“He left the city for some urgent business. I have the tickets.” 
Urgent business? Here? As in, not in reality? What could it be? 
“By the way, who is that armored person there?” he asked. 
“Ohh, let me introduce her. This is B3, my senior in real life and... armored?” 
It took Rook pointing it out for me to realize that B3 had used Instant Wear to switch from her normal clothing to Magnum Colossus. 
She was giving off her usual violent aura, and it was clear that she was ready to fight. “So... I have to look at your ugly mug once again, you goddamn hitman RPer.” 
“And you haven’t changed a bit, you villain RPer.” B3 and Marie glared at each other, clearly ready for murder. ...I could feel their bloodlust even past their armor and sunglasses. 
They seemed to know each other... Well, they were both fellow PKs who took part in the blockade around the capital. It wasn’t that surprising that they would be acquainted. 
“Do you know each other from the capital blockade?” I asked. 
“As if,” they both said in unison. 
Huh? I guessed wrong? I thought. 
“She ambushed me after my clan disbanded... Sometime after whatever happened here in Gideon,” B3 explained 
...Seriously? I was wondering why I saw Marie so rarely back then. Was that the reason? 
“What an awful way to put it,” said Marie. “I put my PK job on hold after I joined your party, Ray, but I received a lot of requests from newbies who wanted me to get revenge on the PK at Sauda Mountain Pass.” 
...That explained it. Though, I wasn’t sure what to think about someone hiring a PK who was just doing the exact same thing north of the city. 
Then again, not everyone knew that the PK in the north was the Superior Killer... 
“Umm, did she PK you?” I asked B3. 
“Hell no. I held ’er off. It cost me a bunch of accessories and items, though.” 
“The matchup isn’t in my favor,” Marie said. “My basic shots just fall to the ground, and even Daisy did almost nothing because of your elemental defense and Dragonscale Wards. And why were you wearing that armor like you were expecting an ambush?” 
“I’m really damn used to PKs who attack outta nowhere.” 
“...Does she mean that wolf-eared musclebeast shotacon?” Nemesis wondered telepathically. 
Each of those words totally fit Rosa, but stringing them all together is too much. Tone it down, I said. 
“Ray was talkin’ a lot about some ‘Marie’ person. Funny as shit that it turned out to be you. I’ll settle the score before I join Ray’s party,” said B3. 
“Fine by me,” said Marie. “I still need to complete the hit. White, black, and blue should do the trick. Coincidentally, those are the colors you’re going to be once I’m done.” 
B3 readied her shields, while Marie brandished her handgun and dagger. 
I didn’t think it was a good idea for the kingdom’s top PKs to fight in town in broad daylight. 
Oh, wait, I thought. We’re in Gideon. 
“Why not use an arena?” I asked. 
“That wouldn’t be PK, then, would it?!” they replied in unison again, totally rejecting my suggestion. 
...Why are these two so in sync with each other?! Are they secretly close friends or something?! 
“They are similar in personality, so perhaps this is less about their history with each other and more about simple hatred for one’s own kind,” Nemesis commented. 
They’re not that similar. I mean, aside from the fact that they’re both bespectacled PKs who hide their identities and tend to reliably provide polite and thorough exposition. 
“Umm, shouldn’t you stop them?” Rook asked. 
“I should. The PK seems unavoidable, but that’s not something you do in the middle of a city.” 
Honestly, they should’ve been moving to some mountain far from civilization. But they were even more ready to fight than before, so there was no telling what might set them off now. It was clearly “kill or be killed” between them. 
...Why was it that so many women around me seemed to have some kind of “battle switch” that made them hunger for conflict? My sister was the most obvious example. 
“But how can I stop them?” I wondered only a moment before the presence of a third person startled me so much I let out a gasp. 
I wasn’t the only one who felt it. Nemesis, Rook, and even the two battle-crazed women were staring at the source of this presence. 
Who could blame us? After all, it was more overpowering than even the women’s bloodlust. As for who caused it... “I sense an overworld match. It’s rare for them to happen outside of Tenchi.” 
It was a boy clad in woolly clothing, sporting blades that didn’t suit his small frame and wearing an expression full of excitement for the upcoming bloodbath. 
“I would like to take part in your overworld match,” he said. “I haven’t had one in a while now.” 
The boy was The Unsheath, Kashimiya “the Guillotine.” 
The bloodlust of some of the kingdom’s greatest PKs attracted the greatest. 
Needless to say, the battle was immediately called off. The two were aware how pointless it was to fight with Kashimiya present. I couldn’t help but notice how they were rubbing the back of their necks sheepishly. Kashimiya, however, looked somewhat disappointed. 
Anyway, though B3 and Marie’s bloodbath had been called off, they still wanted to settle the score before joining the same party, so they’d decided to do it in the arena. 
I considered watching their match, but Kashimiya stopped me, saying that he wanted to have a word with me. Apparently, he hadn’t found us just by chance — he’d actually been looking for me or my acquaintances. 
Whatever he wanted to talk about, it seemed pretty serious, so I entrusted Marie and B3 to Rook and talked to Kashimiya. 
“So, what do you need?” I asked. My only real link to Kashimiya was the time Rosa attacked me on the way to Torne, but if that’s what this was about, he would be better off talking to B3. 
If it wasn’t that, then what could it be? 
“You recently defeated the Hell General, didn’t you?” he asked. 
“Yeah.” Now I understood. Logan was a Dryfean Superior, as well as their top-ranking duelist... though, I’d heard that the King of Thieves had defeated him and taken his throne. 
Did Kashimiya want to talk about him, as a fellow high-ranking duelist? 
“I want to ask about the skill you used to defeat the Hell General,” he said. “How fast can it get?” 
Huh? That wasn’t the kind of question I expected, I thought. 
“I saw the video. I believe that the skill gains more speed and power the longer you charge it... do I have it right?” 
He clearly meant Payback Beyond the Stars. Apparently, it wasn’t Logan he cared about, but that particular skill of mine. 
“Not exactly,” I answered. “It does need to be charged, but it’s for the process of converting the damage I received from the enemy into power, range, and speed. The speed is actually proportional to the damage taken.” 
I wondered if I should be revealing so much of my hand like this, but I figured that it was now public enough knowledge that people would have it figured out sooner or later; I decided to just come right out and say how it worked. 
“I... actually don’t know how fast it can become. When I used it against Logan, it had 60,000 AGI, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the limit.” 
“Hmm...” Kashimiya pondered something for a moment before speaking, “Thank you, Mr. Ray, for explaining it to me, even if it meant revealing the nature of your ability. I’m indebted to you.” 
“Hey, don’t be. People would’ve had it figured out in no time.” 
“Even so, I insist. Also, this might be impudent of me, but could I ask you a favor?” 
“What, exactly?” 
“When you have time, I would like you to use that skill on me in a mock battle.” I’d sparred against rankers many times by now, so I had nothing against Kashimiya joining them. There were probably many things I could learn from the kingdom’s third duel ranker and strongest PK. 
But... why did he want me to use Payback Beyond the Stars? 
“This might sound arrogant, but... I actually don’t know anyone who’s faster than me at the moment.” 
“...Which is why ‘The Kingdom’s Fastest’ is another one of your nicknames, huh?” 
“Exactly.” B3 had told me that nobody could beat Kashimiya’s speed. Even the Figaro was said to be far slower than him. 
“However, cutting down those who are slower than me does not help me train to cut down those who are faster.” That made sense. I’d more or less gotten the point. 
Payback Beyond the Stars gained more speed the more damage I’d accumulated. Theoretically, if I took enough damage, I might be able to outpace even The Kingdom’s Fastest. Kashimiya wanted to face that and maybe learn something new. The Unsheath was part of the “The One” series of jobs, so perhaps it had something to do with skill creation. 
Personally, I didn’t mind cooperating, but... 
“Hmph. So you basically want him to act as your pitching machine,” said Nemesis. 
“Ah. Umm... I’m sorry!” Kashimiya apologized and bowed his head, feeling that he upset Nemesis somehow. Honestly, she did look slightly offended. 
“Nemesis?” 
“Just think about it, Ray. Just how badly would he have to cut you up to get the speed he needed?” 
“...Ohh.” That was a problem. The very fact that we were talking about this meant that he was at least faster than Figaro. It was possible that I would have to take 1,000,000 damage to reach his speed. 
“By the way, what’s your AGI?” I asked. 
“Normally, it’s 5,000.” Huh? That’s unexpectedly slow... “But it’s 500,000 when I’m using the art of sword drawing.” 
...Scratch that. What the hell is with that speed?! And what’s with the giant gap between the two numbers?! 
“...To pass that with our skill, we’d have to take 5,000,000 damage,” I said. 
“Oh... that doesn’t work,” Kashimiya replied. Even at my current HP, that would mean basically dying hundreds of times. How long would it take and how many potions would I have to drink? It was best to not even think about it. 
“Cutting you up that much would be inappropriate, so never mind about that...” 
“Yeah, thanks.” Not even I could handle all that. It’d turn me into mincemeat. 
Anyway, though we wouldn’t be doing everything he asked, we did agree to have a mock battle sometime. New sparring partners were always good in my book. 
I decided to hang around and chat until the three who’d gone off to the arena returned. I did consider going to watch, but I didn’t know which one they’d be using... and honestly, I was kinda scared of seeing what was going on there. 
“Hm...” As we talked, I belatedly noticed something about Kashimiya. His weapons were enormous katana — odachi — linked to chains capped off by decorations shaped like rabbit and shark skulls. He had two of them, both of which had the rabbit skull biting into it. They were about ten centimeters longer than Kashimiya was tall. 
Such large weapons were clearly unfitting for a boy his age, and he seemed on the smaller side, too. 
I also didn’t forget that Kashimiya’s job was The Unsheath. That was a job focused around iai — the art of drawing the sword, cutting down the opponent, and quickly resheathing it. Not even a full-grown man could do that with odachi like these, and he was just a boy. 
“Umm, is there something wrong with my swords?” Kashimiya asked, curious why I was staring. 
“I’m just wondering how you can perform iais with those.” 
“Everyone does...” So I wasn’t the only one with this question. 
However, the answer that followed made me somewhat confused. 
“When I demonstrate, people don’t even see it...” 
“What?” 
“It seems to be caused by the difference in AGI.” He’d said that his was 500,000. It’d gotten him the title of “The Kingdom’s Fastest,” so it wasn’t that weird that no one else could perceive it when he employed his sword skill. 
“Hey, what was that about your AGI being different when you’re drawing your sword?” I asked. 
“It’s the effect of ‘Godlike Unsheathing.’ That’s the ultimate passive skill of The Unsheath, and it multiplies my AGI by 100 only while I’m unsheathing a blade.” 
That made sense to me. Real life experts of iai were said to be able to do it so fast that it looked like the sword never even left the sheath, and this skill was basically that taken to the extreme. My guess was that he could instantly cut down anyone who entered his range. It was a potent skill indeed, but like I’d been told, it seemed to be a bad match for Tom. 
If it ended after the first swing, he wouldn’t be able to get rid of all eight Toms at once. 
“All right, I get that you’re too fast for anyone to see you draw them, but how do you draw them? I mean, your arms aren’t even long enough to pull them all the way out, right?” 
Kashimiya nodded in response and stood up. 
“Well, I can show you how I am before I draw them, so let me demonstrate.” 
Saying that, he assumed a posture. 
It seemed to be a sword-drawing stance, but it was odd. His left hand — which would normally be holding onto the sheath — was just hanging in the air. His right hand, however, was on the grip, where it was supposed to be. 
Just as I was thinking that unsheathing the sword would be impossible like that, the chains connecting Kashimiya’s waist with the blade began moving on their own. 
The rabbit skull-shaped holder bit into and held the sword’s sheath in the air. It was as though the chains were taking over the left hand’s role and holding the sheath for him. Was this his...? 
“You haven’t seen anything like this before, have you? This ‘tachio’... sword strap is my Embryo, Inaba.” 
Inaba... as in the Hare of Inaba, clearly. 
The long chains fixed the sheathed odachi in the air — specifically, at a level that made it easy for Kashimiya to unsheath it. 
“A chain... no... an auxiliary arm Embryo.” 
“Yes.” That answered that question. These chains explained why Kashimiya, who was small even for a boy of his young age, was able to unsheath these large blades. With support from something like this, even children were able to perform iais. Aside from the strange quirk of replacing his left arm with a chain, his stance was quite masterful. 
His aura was so intense that it was hard to believe it came from a young child. My survival instincts were raising the alarm, warning me that my head could be on the ground the very next moment. This was probably what B3 and Marie had sensed. 
“Thanks,” I said. “Now I get how you draw your sword.” 
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to answer your question.” 
He then relaxed his stance, instantly dispersing the tense atmosphere around him. Maybe he was releasing a surge of some sort of “grandmaster swordsman’s essence” or something. 
...Why was an elementary schooler capable of anything “grandmaster?” 
Then again, the world of Dendro was no stranger to outliers of any age. 
“Also, if you don’t mind me satisfying my curiosity... are these odachi both MVP special rewards?” I asked. The two blades in different sheaths — one red and one blue — seemed to have an unusual presence. The red one in particular gave me a feeling similar to what I’d felt when looking at Figaro’s Gloria ? and Xunyu’s Suling Yi. If the chain was his Embryo, were the weapons special rewards? 
“This one is like a special reward, yes, but the other one was crafted for me by a smith I knew back in Tenchi.” The former was the red one, while the latter was the blue one. “It’s made out of Mythical metal. It’s very reliable and it helps me a lot in duels and the like,” the boy added, all smiles, while holding the odachi with the blue sheath. 
There was a subtlety there that I definitely noticed. 
“You can’t say the same about the one with the red sheath?” I asked. It was as though he’d said that it was unreliable and didn’t help him in duels. 
“This one... It gets moody when I try to use it inside duel barriers.” 
...So, it has a mind of its own? Is it cursed or something? I wondered. 
“Perhaps it’s of the same kind as Gardranda?” Nemesis commented telepathically. “The bracers aren’t saying anything now, but they do possess intelligence, yes?” 
Oh yeah, they were much like that. 
“So, when you fight Tom tonight...” 
“I won’t use it. Mostly because I won’t be able to. I just accept that, though. It’s a blade that doesn’t leave its sheath unless it will be used in a real battle to the death, or at least an overworld match against a Master.” 
What a blood-crazed hunk of metal... “But then, how do you repair it?” I asked. 
Or is it best maintained by cutting living creatures? That’d fit a cursed blade perfectly. 
“No. It does come out for maintenance. Like so,” he said, taking out maintenance equipment such as Japanese paper, a pot of oil, and polishing powder before removing the odachi from the red sheath without any issue at all. 
It was a fancier blade than I’d realized. It had an intimidating aura, and the “Horobimaru” kanji on the blade made it look pretty cool, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was looking at an unruly pet that became obedient at the promise of treats. 
We talked for quite a bit longer before Kashimiya stood up. 
“I will be leaving now. Thank you for talking to me today,” he said. 
“No problem. I’m looking forward to your match against Tom, as well as our mock battles.” 
“Same here! I’m looking forward to them, as well!” he said, beaming. It made him look like an ordinary boy his age... and a really good kid in general. 
...But that just made the bloodlust he’d given off seem all the more out of place. 
“If I may ask before you leave,” Nemesis spoke up. “Do you wish to fight those stronger than yourself for the purpose of skill-crafting?” 
“Yes.” 
“I assume you would create a powerful speed-based skill you can use against Tom?” As far as I knew, Kashimiya had lost against Tom several times now, and the reason for this was Tom’s Octachrome Cat — Grimalkin. 
That was the fearsome ultimate skill that allowed Tom to split into eight different people, as long as one of the eight was still alive. Kashimiya had nothing that could counter it, so he’d suffered multiple defeats against Tom by now. 
With that in mind, trying to develop a counter was indeed a very good way of preparing for the... fight... Hm? 
Nemesis, that can’t be right. While we were still considering it, Kashimiya said that he wanted me to help whenever I had free time. Therefore, the skill he would make wouldn’t be for use against Tom. 
“That isn’t exactly the case,” said Kashimiya. “That isn’t why I want to craft a new skill.” 
“Really?” 
“Also... I already have a counter.” 
“Eh?” question marks appeared above our heads. 
“I already have a means to remove all eight heads of the Monster Cat Mansion.” He said that as casually as he would speak about buying groceries for dinner, looking completely certain of his victory. 
His attitude didn’t match the carefree words at all, however. 
“I’ll show you the skill in today’s match. I’m sorry if you don’t see it,” Kashimiya said before bowing and leaving. 
From the back, he looked just like a small child. However, the intimidating aura he’d given off when he mentioned that he had a counter to Tom was much like the one I’d felt when I’d first met Xunyu before The Clash of the Superiors... only even more deadly. 
“...The world is truly full of absurd children,” said Nemesis. 
“...Indeed it is,” I nodded before sighing in relief as tension left my body. 
 
After Kashimiya left, Rook and the others returned. It... didn’t look like the issues between Marie and B3 had totally vanished, but at least they had nothing against partying up now. 
For the record, I didn’t ask which one of them won. I felt like that would be like throwing fuel on some still-hot embers. 
Anyway, with all four of us here, we headed to the central arena. 
“So Shu’s been training you since then, huh?” I asked. 
“Yes!” Rook replied. “Ah, but... it was hellish.” He remembered something that made the smile on his face vanish. 
O, dear brother of mine, do not cast my friend into hell, I thought. 
“After the battle training, I just did some powerleveling,” he continued. 
“What level are you now?” I asked. With my Paladin level at 100 and Prism Rider level at 40, my total level was now 140. As a low-rank job, Prism Rider was capped at 50, but I still hadn’t decided what I would take after I maxed it out. 
“My total level is 290. My current main job, High Tamer, is at level 40. I already maxed out Tamer and Harlot.” 
...He’s more than double my level! I thought in shock. This gave me flashbacks to the time before we partied up at the capital. “I know I’ve got college and stuff, but he’s so far ahead of me now,” I muttered. 
“...Rook always gets stronger so fast that we don’t even notice it,” Nemesis added, and I was inclined to agree. I could totally imagine coming back to find him with all his low and high-rank jobs maxed out... or perhaps even with a Superior Job. 
His “Harlot” job made me raise an eyebrow, but apparently he’d taken it because it offered a passive skill which increased the success rate of Charm. That skill, along with his tamed monsters, was his lifeline, so I could understand his reasoning. 
“During this round of powerleveling, I used XP-increasing items and traveled through high monster population areas with Babi and the others. I still had money from the incident a month ago.” 
“XP-increasing items... Didn’t know they existed.” 
“Oh no no,” said Marie. “Just so you know, even with an XP boost, you never get levels as fast as Rookie did. If XP boosts were that powerful, Journalists would be in higher demand.” 
So they weren’t that extreme, huh? 
“I just had lots of free time. After the incident with Gerbera, I spent about five real life days not sleeping or resting so I could just hunt constantly... I’m actually kinda sleepy... right... now...” Rook said, his head wobbling like it had earlier. 
“Hey! Take care of your body, damn it! That can’t be good for the real you!” I cried out. 
“I did some training to help me stay active for longer without sleeping. I’m totally finay and oke.” 
“Now you’re not even speaking properly!” Nothing ever showed on his face, so you could never tell if something was wrong with him! 
“I’m not getting much sleep, either,” said Marie. “I’ve been busy with preparations recently...” 
“Preparations? You’re gonna cover today’s big duel?” I asked. 
“No. This is for the DIN-sponsored... Oh dear, I can’t say that yet.” 
“Well, that’s fine, I guess. I did notice that you looked tired, though. So that’s what it’s about, huh? I assumed it was related to either the duel or Elizabeth’s marriage interview.” 
Marie and Elizabeth were close, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been asked to do something for the interview. “There’s some ordinary journalists covering today’s duel... Wait. Hold on a second. What did you just say?” Marie grabbed me by my scruff and glared at me. 
I’m scared. 
“On my way back here, I was acting as Azurite’s... the first princess’ and the third prince of Huang He’s bodyguard,” I explained. “During our chats, I learned that Elizabeth and the prince would be having a formal marriage interview.” 
At hearing this, Marie buried her face in her hand and threw her head back. 

“Ellie’s... going to a... marriage interview... engagement... marriage... birth... They’re rushing things! Big sis doesn’t approve!” 
“You’re the one rushing through this with all those predictions... And her big sis is Azurite, not you.” 
“GHAH!” Marie heard my response and collapsed where she stood. 
“...I know you get along with Elizabeth, but does this really hit you that hard?” And so, carrying Marie — who was mumbling something to herself — we went to the arena. 
We gathered into a box seat like the one we’d used last time and waited for the duel to begin. 
Marie was still moaning and mumbling, and I occasionally heard some terrifying words, like “Third prince... assassination... engagement canceled...” 
Please don’t cause an international incident. Azurite will die inside, I thought. 
“Also, you’re already talking about engagement, but so far they’re just at the marriage interview stage,” I said. 
“Ngh... I’ll hope that Ellie has good taste in men.” 
...If she does, then you better prepare to congratulate them on their engagement. 
Canglong was extremely mature and stable for someone his age, and they would no doubt make a fine couple. ...As long as Marie didn’t assassinate him, anyway. 
“Well, this is a negotiation between a prince and a princess. All we can do is watch how it pans out.” 
“Nngh... Ellie...” Marie groaned as she rolled on the ground, took out a sketchbook, and began drawing a portrait of a girl — most likely Elizabeth. 
...Am I looking at a person with a strange kind of sister complex? I wondered. 
“More like a lolita co—” 
Nemesis, some things need to be left unsaid. 
Anyway, we had about half an hour until the main event started, so I decided to buy some drinks and snacks. Marie was still sulking, while Rook and Babi were napping. I didn’t feel good about leaving B3 there all by herself, so I had Nemesis keep her company. 
As I walked towards the store, I noticed the central arena’s reception area. 
It was taking the final bets for the coming main event. The odds were 1.3x for Tom and 5.5x for Kashimiya. It reminded me of the odds I’d seen for The Clash of the Superiors, but those had been affected by Figaro being the local favorite. 
The difference here was purely due to their battle history and abilities. Kashimiya had lost against Tom all four times he’d challenged him. Apparently, he was so unable to deal with Tom’s ability to multiply and split that almost nobody had any hopes for a Kashimiya victory. 
Also, it was widely known that Kashimiya had been inactive for a time, so most were predicting that Tom would just win again. 
...Since I was here already, I figured I might as well bet on one of them. 
The odds and the info available made it seem like Tom was the likely winner... but I couldn’t help but consider what Kashimiya said to me. 
That had been no bluff. I could tell that he was at least confident in his victory. 
“Well, I guess I’ll bet on... him.” I eventually just let my intuition guide me and went through the betting process. Though, I did make sure to bet less than I had on Figaro. 
“...Huh?” After betting, I checked today’s notice board and saw info about the semi-event, the betting for which was already over. I’d focused so much on the main event that I completely forgot the semi-event, which also happened to involve names I knew well. 
Fallen Knight, Juliet VS Nobushi Princess, Rosa. 
I returned to the box to see that the semi-event had already begun. 
“TCH! It’s really damn annoyin’ how you’re scamperin’ about, Juliet!” 
“Blackwing Requiem!” Rosa was clad in the exoskeleton created by the ultimate skill she’d employed against us, as well. Juliet, on the other hand, was attacking her with dark elemental magic attacks from the air, where Rosa couldn’t reach her. 
We had experienced first-hand just how tough Rosa’s exoskeletons were, but the dark elemental black orbs released by Juliet’s feathers were dealing steady damage to her. 
The main quality of dark elemental magic was its anti-life properties. It dealt nearly no damage to objects, but in exchange for not being effective against as wide a range of targets, it could ignore most physical defenses when it did deal damage. Apparently, it would fare differently against magical barriers or its natural enemy — light — but in this case, where the opponent was merely clad in tough armor, it bypassed that almost as if it didn’t exist. With Rosa being so focused on the physical defense from her exoskeletons, it was fair to say that this matchup was in Juliet’s favor. 
Rosa, on the other hand, couldn’t even bring Juliet down to the close range that she specialized in. Her only means of fighting were jumping or throwing her spear, but that was far from enough to make up for the gap in mobility created by Hræsvelgr, which allowed Juliet to fly around freely. 
It was clear who had the upper hand in both offense and defense. 
“...I can see why the odds were 1.2x against 5.6x.” Rosa had had a chance here. The Nobushi Princess ultimate job skill, A Kill Supreme, was the most damaging skill in Rosa’s arsenal, and with duels disallowing Brooches, that skill could end it all right away. 
However, the fact that the battle was still continuing was proof that she had missed. A Kill Supreme was a surprise attack skill, after all, so it was probably hard to land it from the front. 
Juliet still hadn’t used her ultimate skill. She was fully focused on evasion and long-range dark elemental magic attacks. 
“She looks used to this,” commented Nemesis. “They’re fourth and fifth in the rankings. I suppose they fight quite often?” 
“They do. Rosa’s challenged the Black Crow many times now,” said B3. “If she takes fourth, she’ll be right next to Kashimiya in third, you know?” 
“A wolf-eared musclebeast stalker shotacon to the core, eh?” 
“...You added a new word to that!” I shouted. 
“All of those words do apply to her, but I recommend against actually saying that in front of her.” Anyway, the duel continued, but Juliet still seemed to have the advantage. 
One of the reasons for this was Rosa’s lack of composure. 
Like B3 mentioned, if Kashimiya won his battle today, he would be second in the rankings. Was she acting like this because she feared Kashimiya might be even further away from her if that happened? 
Regardless, Juliet, being the skilled ranker that she was, was taking advantage of every opening created by Rosa’s panic, slowly but surely chipping away at her HP. 
And once it reached a certain threshold... 
“Corpse-Eating Bird — Hræsvelgr!” 
...Juliet used her ultimate skill to finish her off. 
It created a black tornado combining the power of dark and wind magic. 
A direct hit from that quickly ended the fight... Or so I thought. 
“That’s... the skill from back then!” Rosa’s body, which had been bleeding within the tornado, had been replaced by a decoy before anyone realized it. 
That was the special reward she’d used when she’d attacked us, too. 
“Aren’t these kinds of items forbidden in duels?” I asked. 
“You can’t use Lifesaving Brooches, Dragonscale Wards, or consumable restoration items,” B3 said. “But special rewards are exceptions.” 
That reminded me that Figaro’s Closer had worked just like that. 
“More importantly, Rosa is now... there, eh?” B3 was looking behind Juliet. 
Now without her exoskeleton, she was brandishing her spear — Gashadokuro. 
“Backslayer!” Rosa used an active skill which, according to B3, increased damage when attacking from behind, and thrust Gashadokuro forward. The damage was great enough to pierce even through the hardy armored gothic-style dress that Juliet was wearing. 
Because she was still using her ultimate skill, Juliet couldn’t dodge it. The tornado channeled through her arms vanished, and Juliet collapsed towards the stage. But just then, she grabbed hold of Gashadokuro with both arms. 
“The Darkness of Valediction.” Once she’d used that skill, a black, mud-like darkness began to creep up Gashadokuro’s handle. 
The Darkness of Valediction was an active skill from the Dark Knight grouping, and it was basically the opposite of the Purifying Silverlight we Paladins had. In exchange for some of the Dark Knight’s HP, it briefly cursed the weapon they wielded. Since Dark Knights could overcome curses, it essentially allowed them to increase the power of their weapons... 
“Shit! You got me with this one...!” 
...As well as make an enemy’s weapon completely unusable. Once cursed, Gashadokuro couldn’t even be used by its Master. If Rosa tried, she would be subjected to curses that, among other things, limited her movements and continuously reduced her HP. 
I had been in serious danger when Juliet had used it against me in one of our mock battles. If I hadn’t used Purifying Silverlight, Nemesis would’ve been cursed, too. 
Being a vanguard build, Nobushi Princess, Rosa, didn’t have Purifying Silverlight or any uncurse skill, and consumables like Holy Water weren’t allowed in duels. Thus, the only way for her to deal with the curse was to let go of her Embryo. 
“Tch!” Rosa let go of Gashadokuro and used Instant Equip to take out a spare spear, but then... 
“Reverse Crusade!” 
...A black light — dark elemental energy that chipped life away — surged out from the surface. 
This was the Dark Knight’s equivalent of a Paladin’s Grand Cross — their ultimate job skill. Caught in the torrent of darkness, Rosa lost HP and mobility all at once. 
While that was happening, Juliet took out a small, bag-like inventory with her left hand, and cut it open with the sword in her right. Once broken, the bag released an enormous amount of cursed weapons, swathed in black or red auras. 
Either gathered by Juliet or simply cursed by her afterwards, they were all cursed blades... and her bullets. 
“Cursed Phalanx...” Juliet pointed the tip of the sword in her right hand towards Rosa, still bound and unable to move in the torrent of darkness. “...DISORDER!” She unleashed her skill, launching the many cursed weapons littered about the arena. 
This was the ultimate job skill of the Fallen Knight: Cursed Phalanx Disorder. It was a truly devastating, expensive ability that, in exchange for the user’s HP and MP, animated those bloodthirsty weapons, setting them all on the enemy. It basically turned them into homing missiles. The cursed weapons were akin to crazed beasts, moving in chaotic patterns as they went to bite into their target — in this case, Rosa. 
“UOAAAGHH!” Rosa somehow jumped clear of the Reverse Crusade’s torrent and used the spear she had equipped to try and fend off the cursed weapons coming her way. 
I couldn’t tell whether she was just that good of a fighter or if she was simply being stubborn. Even though she was wounded by many of the weapons, she managed to parry the ones that would have killed her. Which would give out first: Juliet’s curses, or Rosa’s HP? 
Beyond the curtain of cursed weaponry, Juliet stood, joining her hands as though preparing to use Corpse-Eating Bird — Hræsvelgr again. 
“Huh...?!” Rosa looked at her in shock, seemingly unable to believe that Juliet could cast her ultimate skill again after all that. 
It was just a bluff, though. Neither the cooldown nor her mana reserves allowed Juliet to cast her ultimate skill again. 
The bluff was enough to distract Rosa, however. Using this opening, a single cursed weapon pierced her abdomen. 
It was none other than the newly-cursed Gashadokuro. 
For all I knew, she might’ve been unable to sense it coming because it was her own weapon. 
Regardless, the attack was fatal, and it paved the way for more weapons to strike home. 
“Liberation!” 
And then Juliet used the final skill, releasing all the curses within her arsenal and obliterating Rosa in a massive explosion. 
Thus, Juliet emerged victorious. 
Considering that she was above Rosa in rank and the matchup definitely favored her, this result was expected. Still, the ability, technique, and strategy involved in this battle was extremely high-level. 
“She really made good use of her ultimate job skill, didn’t she?” said B3. 
“She did,” I nodded. “Though, honestly, she might’ve lost without it.” 
This was my second time seeing the Fallen Knight’s ultimate job skill. The first time was during a mock battle, when she’d used it to utterly defeat me. 
Though, from what I could recall, that skill was what she called her “secret weapon.” She’d told me that it was an ace up her sleeve she would eventually use against Kashimiya or Tom, and that she hadn’t used it in any public matches. 
That was probably why she’d tested it in a mock battle against me — a non-ranker. 
Of course, she’d told me to be quiet about it. “In regards to my most esoteric of powers, I seek nothing less than supreme silence. Exchange with me a blood vow that it shall never reach the ears of worldlings,” she’d said, which basically meant, “It’s a secret! Pinky promise!” 
The fact Juliet had used it against Rosa — a challenger — rather than someone who was higher in the rankings, meant that she’d been backed into quite a precarious situation. 
Rosa’s substituting special reward and Juliet’s ultimate job skill. In a way, this was a battle where both sides bared their abilities to each other and fought as hard as they could. The performance was definitely worthy of praise and applause. 
And with the semi-event over, it was time for the match between Tom and Kashimiya. 
“TO THE EAST! WE HAVE THE CHALLENGEEERRR! THE THIRD IN THE DUEL RANKINGS... THE UNSHEATH, KASHIMIYAAAAAAAAA!” As the announcer finished, a plume of smoke appeared around the western entrance. 
The stage of the central arena had two entrances — one to the west and one to the east — and the east one was usually used by the challenger. During The Clash of the Superiors, Xunyu had entered through the east, as well. Kashimiya now did the same. 
At his sides, Kashimiya had an odachi in a blue sheath and another sword about the same size in a green sheath. Since he couldn’t use the red one in duels with barriers, he must’ve taken the green one as a substitute. 
“TO THE WEST! WE HAVE THE SECOND IN THE DUEL RANKINGS... THE LYNX, TOM! CAAAAAAAAAAT!” Tom entered from the west. He looked the same as he had in Quartierlatin, complete with the fat cat — Grimalkin — on his head. Naturally, there was still just one of him. 
The two gathered on the stage, set the duel rules, and made some distance between them. 
All that was left was to wait for the start of the match. 
Kashimiya’s chains were already floating, and he was ready to draw his sword. 
“Logically speaking, Kashimiya will move the moment the match starts,” B3 said as we all waited eagerly. 
“I don’t know much about Tom Cat... but I did hear the rumors, particularly the one that says that your only chance at beating him is right as the match begins.” 
“...I see.” Tom’s multiplication was a result of his ultimate skill, Octachrome Cat — Grimalkin, which he couldn’t activate before the match actually started. It was reasonable to argue that if you were able to defeat him before he used it, you wouldn’t have to deal with his clones. It seemed obvious, really, but so far, no one had actually been able to do it. 
Tom surely had something that let him survive long enough to activate the skill. In fact, it had to be so potent that it couldn’t even be overcome by Kashimiya’s insane slashing speeds. 
Or had Kashimiya developed something that had allowed him to shatter Tom’s defense? As I was considering that... the moment finally arrived. 
“LET THE MATCH... BEGIN!” The moment the start of the duel was announced, Tom threw Grimalkin into the air. 
“Hm...?” Kashimiya, on the other hand, wasn’t moving at all. 
“...Why?” This moment was said to be his only chance, yet he did absolutely nothing. 
He was only waiting for Tom to finish splitting. 
“Now dance, Octachrome Cat — Grimalkin.” Apparently, even Tom was bracing for Kashimiya to act right away, and was confused when he didn’t. 
Regardless, he’d instantly activated the skill, and the Grimalkin he’d thrown into the air to keep him safe became Tom. Both then split again, until finally there were eight of him. Now, Kashimiya had to defeat them all faster than they could multiply. 
However, he hadn’t moved at all, even though Tom’s preparations were already complete. 
Tom seemed to find it strange, as well. He sent one of himself to act as a scout. He moved so fast that he became a blur despite the slowdown from the barrier, but once he was close to Kashimiya, his head fell off and vanished. 
The barrier had slowed it all down, but I couldn’t even see what happened anyway. 
“...What was that?” I couldn’t see the moment the blade was unsheathed. It went from its sheath to fully drawn as if I was seeing it frame-by-frame... and Tom — who was moving at supersonic speeds, by the way — simply no longer had a head. 
Tom quickly multiplied and recreated the eighth, but if Kashimiya’s opponent had been anyone else, this battle would’ve already been over. 
Tom was best known for his clones, but he was powerful even when he was alone. He was a Superior Job holder with a lot of battle experience, and even without his clones, he would still be a highly ranked duelist. 
Despite that, Kashimiya the Guillotine instantly chopped his head off. 
“Did Kashimiya remove all of Tom’s HP with just a single hit?” 
“That’s not exactly right, Nemesis. I’m pretty sure that what killed him was an injury-based debuff.” 
Some of the first status effects I’d ever had were Broken Left Arm and Broken Right Leg, so honestly, it wouldn’t be that strange if there was a Severed Neck debuff. Its effect as a debuff? Instant death, of course. ...It was basically the human equivalent of targeting a monster’s core. 
“So he lopped off the defenseless head with his speed alone, eh?” Nemesis continued. “But wouldn’t that not work on people with high END, or those clad in armor?” 
The one to answer that question was B3. 
“In eastern swordfighting, there’s a passive skill called ‘Blade Speed-Through.’ If the opponent wasn’t able to defend against your attack, the opponent would lose END equal to 10% of your AGI multiplied by your skill level.” 
So, with 1,000 AGI and skill level 1, the opponent would lose 100 END, and with skill level 10, it would be 1,000 END. 
“Kashimiya almost certainly has this skill maxed out at 10,” she continued. “However, the speed of Kashimiya’s blade is already so insane that END basically doesn’t exist for him.” 
“...By the way, can the END go below 0?” I asked. 
“That’s the only saving grace of that skill.” It was hard for me to imagine what having a negative END would be like, but apparently, Kashimiya’s attacks couldn’t do that to you. 
“You said it reduces END, so I assume the defense from armor stays the same?” Rook asked. 
“Yes. However, Kashimiya also has the attack power of his weapons. With all those unsheathing-based active skills on his attacks, it’s difficult to withstand them with just defense from equipment... He could even cut through my Magnum Colossus, unless I used Astro Guard.” B3 spoke, rubbing her neck. 
The match continued even as she explained the situation. 
Kashimiya returned the blade that had felled Tom’s head back to its sheath, then became immobile again as though waiting for something. 
What could it be? 
“Sgh!” Since Kashimiya remained immobile, Tom moved first. 
The eight Toms all equipped bows, throwing knives, and other mid-range weapons. At supersonic speeds, they split up and moved to encircle Kashimiya. 
Kashimiya’s silence and stillness was contrasted with the sound of Toms’ feet hitting the stage as he ran. Tom continued to attack him from a distance, watching out for Kashimiya’s techniques, but Kashimiya evaded them all with only slight movements of his body. 
However, Tom anticipated his movements and released a focused attack from an angle he thought would make it impossible for Kashimiya to evade. For a moment, I pictured Kashimiya with tons of arrows and knives stuck in him... 
“Hareshark Nullstep.” 
...But, for a brief moment, a magic circle with patterns reminiscent of sharks appeared beneath his feet. The next moment, Kashimiya appeared several dozen metels away... right next to a Tom. 
This was followed by the Tom’s head falling to the ground. 
“Was that... teleportation?” When I’d first encountered Kashimiya, he’d appeared before me seemingly out of nowhere, just as he had just now. He probably used the same skill as he had that time, but as far as I knew, only ultimate skills were powerful enough to allow you to teleport. But that name clearly wasn’t that of an ultimate skill. 
“Hareshark Nullstep,” B3 said. “That’s Kashimiya’s Embryo’s — Inaba’s — active skill.” 
I appreciated the explanation. 
“With Brother Bear not present and Maria being useless, B3’s explanations sure are welcome,” said Nemesis telepathically. 
Yeah, I thought. And man, I sure have a lot of explainers around me. 
“The shark-like magic circle that appeared below him for a moment is basically a moving floor.” She called it “shark-like,” but honestly, I couldn’t actually get a good look at it, myself. 
“So it’s not teleportation?” 
“No. It’s not nearly as useful. In fact, for an Embryo’s unique skill, it’s extremely lackluster.” 
“Lackluster?” 
“All it does is let you move at speeds allowed by your AGI without actually using your legs. The benefit is that as long as you’re inside the circle, you aren’t subjected to air resistance or inertia and can move while maintaining your unsheathing stance. In the hands of anyone but Kashimiya, it would be a very unremarkable skill.” 
It let you move without using your legs, but your speed didn’t change, huh? Well, that did sound like an unremarkable skill, but... 
“So it would be unremarkable if Kashimiya wasn’t The Unsheath, huh?” 
“Yes.” With Godlike Unsheathing, Kashimiya’s AGI reached 500,000 whenever he was drawing his sword. So, if he timed his Hareshark Nullstep movements with the motion for unsheathing, the AGI used for the skill would be 500,000. That made it extremely easy to approach the enemy and slice their head off. 
“...On the other hand, Tom’s dealt with this skill many times now, huh?” At the same time, I now understood why Tom didn’t just attack Kashimiya with all the clones at once. Tom made best use of his regeneration ability by leaving one of him in safety while letting the other seven fight, even if it costs them their lives, but with Kashimiya’s movement ability, that was a bad idea. 
It wasn’t impossible for Kashimiya to cut down all the Toms ganging up on him, then use Hareshark Nullstep to cover the distance between him and the final clone to kill him, as well. Kashimiya had two odachis, as well as four arms, counting his own and his Embryo. It wouldn’t be hard for him to slash twice in a row. 
Tom was aware of this, and that was why he didn’t fight him by ganging up on him, instead electing to keep his distance. Kashimiya was only fast while he was unsheathing, so his super speed on Hareshark Nullstep also couldn’t last forever. Unless at least one Tom was in range, Kashimiya couldn’t cut down all of them. 
“This battle would’ve been long over if he was fighting anyone else but Tom.” Kashimiya’s ability was nearly a match even for those of the Superiors I knew. In fact, if he fought Logan, he could easily break through the devil army and decapitate him. 
I now understood why Juliet and the other rankers said that Kashimiya was the true second strongest ranker. If compatibility hadn’t gotten in the way, I honestly wouldn’t be so sure if Figaro would still be the current duel champion. Kashimiya had just as much of a claim to the throne. 
“...The Embryo and Kashimiya’s abilities are just so well-matched,” Nemesis said. She had a point. Auxiliary arm-chains, Hareshark Nullstep... Kashimiya’s Inaba was all about the art of unsheathing. 
To be more precise, it was focused on making the art usable to someone of his small stature. Inaba made up for both his short arms that were unsuited to drawing a sword as well as his short cutting range. 
Embryo abilities weren’t unrelated to Master personalities, though. With that in mind, did Kashimiya have a reason that drove him to pour so much of himself into the art of unsheathing? 
“...This seems like it’ll keep going forever,” Rook said as he observed the match. 
Well, it did look like a stalemate. Tom wasn’t able to break through the combo of Kashimiya’s unsheathing and Hareshark Nullstep, but Kashimiya also couldn’t defeat all of the Toms. They both lacked moves they could play. 
“In their previous duels, Tom always won because Kashimiya always ran through all his SP by using too many skills,” said B3. “So it’s a battle of attrition, huh?” Apparently, despite being so broken, Tom’s Octachrome Cat — Grimalkin was unusually efficient. Of course, Tom also didn’t use other skills along with it, but that was the reason why there was such a gap in their stamina. 
It was looking like Kashimiya would once again be unable to topple this fortress and... Hm?! “Ray?” B3 looked at me. 
“What’s wrong, Ray? You look pale,” said Nemesis. Both of them seemed worried. 
Was my expression that surprising? 
Even if it was... I wasn’t actually sure why. As I watched Kashimiya, I suddenly felt an unexplained chill run down my spine. 
B3 and Nemesis didn’t seem to feel it, though. 
Rook, too... Wait, no. 
“...” 
He was feeling the exact same way I was. Just like me, he was immensely shocked by something, but didn’t know what it was. 
“What was that...? Huh?” Just then, I noticed something strange. 
The entire arena was oddly quiet. 
Everyone was staring at the stage in confusion. 
On the stage, there was Kashimiya, slowly returning an odachi to its yellow sheath. 
You could no longer hear the footsteps of the Toms surrounding him. 
Instead, there were eight headless corpses littering the stage, all with their heads lying next to them. 
“Personalized Mystic Blade Technique: Octachrome Thunder.” After Kashimiya whispered that, the eight bodies... the eight Toms became light. 
A moment later, the barrier vanished. That could mean only one thing. 
Kashimiya had defeated Tom. 


“...I-IT’S OVERRRR! THE WINNER IS THE UNSHEATH, KASHIMIYA! WITH THIS, KASHIMIYA RISES TO SECOND IN THE RANKIIIINNGS!” The announcer belatedly realized what was happening on the stage and hurried to announce the conclusion, which was followed by a roar from the crowd. It wasn’t praise of the winner or the duel itself. Everyone was merely... confused. Just like me, they wondered when it had even ended. 
And so, without anyone seeing the conclusion or any sign of it... the duel was over. 
All that we knew was that Kashimiya ascended to second place in the rankings, giving him the right to challenge Figaro. 
...Wait, no. There’s one more thing. 
“Hm? Ray, why are you spacing out like that? What’s that ticket in your hand?” Nemesis asked. 
“...I bet on this duel.” 
“Again? So, just like on The Clash of the Superiors, you bet on the one who had higher odds, but this time ended up losing, eh? That’s how gambling usually goes. How much did you bet, anyway?” 
“Fifty.” 
“Fifty lir? That’s absurdly little.” 
“Fifty... million.” 
“...Hold on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, YOU IDIOT!” 
Nemesis gave me an indescribable look, grabbed my collar, and shook me back and forth. 
“F-Fifty mi... A-Are you stupid?! That’s so much money, so much... EEEEHHH?!” Unable to process reality, Nemesis couldn’t even speak properly. 
Marie and B3 looked at me with faces asking “What did you do wrong?” 
Rook, however, was all smiles, clearly following the whole thing. 
“Nemesis. You’ve got it all wrong. It’s the other way around.” 
“Wh-What do you mean?!” 
“I mean that... I bet on Kashimiya.” 
“...Huehh?” 
Nemesis was now so dumbfounded that it looked like her mental circuits had shorted out. 
“I went and bet on Kashimiya. He looked pretty confident when we met him today.” 
And he went on to win. With his odds being 5.5x, my 50,000,000 lir was now 250,000,000. Wow. 
“...I have so much to say that my words are all stuck in my throat. I’ve just got one thing for you,” Nemesis spoke with a completely exhausted expression as she stared into my eyes. “Stop gambling. It’s scary.” 
Those words, coming from the bottom of her heart, left me unsure how to respond. All that came out of my mouth was... 
“...Does gacha count as gambling?” 
In response, I received a very familiar dropkick. 
 





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