Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 17 - Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: The Knight and the Asura

Event Area, Middle, Front of the Gate

Two Masters were facing each other at the gate, neither of them moving.

Ray was considering the situation to pinpoint any paths to victory, while Jubei was merely relishing even this tense moment.

It could not last forever, though.

Ray had ten minutes until Alto’s buff expired and his chances of winning became even lower than they were now.

Jubei Kaga fought by commanding her ten weapons with extreme precision—which made her the one-man equivalent of a coordinated squad of warriors.

Currently, she wielded six floating weapons, three curseblades, and the single sword she held in her real hands. All of them were MVP rewards or greater, and Jubei herself was a combat-focused Superior Job.

Fighting her meant facing the assaults of nearly a dozen lethal weapons at once. King of Asuras was armed ten-fold.

To top it off, her Embryo, Asura, had an always-active ult that nullified all debuffs which weren’t accompanied by damage.

There were no flaws in her defense or offense—this asura was defined by her sheer power.

Her opponent, Ray Starling, on the other hand, was a retribution-based fighter—a counter-attacker.

Instead of attacking his enemies first, he fought by suffering damage and returning it multiplied by using his unique skill, Vengeance Is Mine.

He used his own HP—his life—as a bargaining chip, gambling it all on the possibility that he could manage to survive even the most lethal attacks and go on to defeat even those far stronger than himself. It was perhaps an even more insane combat style than that of the asura he faced, who was fairly straightforward despite her overwhelming power.

If these two were to fight now, the odds of winning would be just barely less than a hundred percent in Jubei’s favor.

Even if Ray were somehow able to build up the damage for his retribution, he couldn’t use Vengeance without somehow drawing Jubei into the range of his own blade. However, that would mean passing through her six floating weapons as well as the three curseblades, and that was a true fool’s errand.

During their first battle, Jubei had been curious about what it would be like to get hit by Vengeance—but this was a serious battle and she would surely fight him with all she had.

Ray also had his ranged counterattack—Payback Beyond the Stars—but it took an entire minute to charge, which was far too long against an opponent like this. Besides that, his MVP rewards—the pillars of his power—were also currently unusable.

The gap between them was obscenely wide. Normally, Ray’s only option would be to give up. However, he wasn’t someone who would resign himself to fate just because he was facing a superior opponent.

He stared at Jubei in silence, looking for a pathway that could lead to his victory.

One disperses breath attacks, one extinguishes magic, one ignores defense, one prevents healing, one can kill spirits, and one moves at insane speeds to attack anyone who comes too close, he thought, looking at each of the six weapons that floated around her.

He knew the effects of some through experience, while others he’d learned from Alto. All of them were powerful weapons and each seemed wildly different from the rest, but Ray could find one thing in common between them.

...They’re all her meta against specific situations, he thought. It was especially obvious with the katana that apparently attacked and landed a hit no matter how fast the enemy moved. Even Ray could guess whom, exactly, it was meant to counter.

All of these abilities were extremely useful, though he couldn’t help but notice something.

They’re all effective against specific opponents, but not so useful against anybody else. And that includes me, he thought—and indeed, he was right. The weapon that prevented healing meant little in a battle that would no doubt be short, while the one that canceled magic was even more useless in a clash where magic would barely be a factor.

In fact, the cursed spear that killed spirits could even help Ray by feeding his Greaves or giving him a chance to use Reversal.

She’s not going to change her gear, even though I’m the only one she’s fighting right now? Wait, no...

As that thought went through his head...

“Heh heh... Did you finally come to a conclusion?”

...Jubei, looking at Ray’s preoccupied expression, posed a question with a smile on her face.

In response...

“Yeah. The KoA skill that gives you the floating weapon slots doesn’t let you change them at will, does it?”

...he exposed one of her secrets.

“Oh my...” Jubei was both surprised and overjoyed at his insight.

Asuran Battle-Mounts was a skill that allowed King of Asuras to telekinetically control a maximum of six weapons. However, those weapons had to be chosen at the start of each day, and they couldn’t be switched for any others unless one of them was destroyed.

While Over Gladiator also increased their available weapon slots, the player using it still had to actually hold the weapons in their hands. Asuran Battle-Mounts, on the other hand, basically created six new arms—all with the same stats as the user—to wield its full arsenal and this limitation was the price of that power.

Jubei had actually been diverting attention from this particular limitation by being so open about everything else about her power. Ray, however, had seen right through it.

...Looks like I’m right, he thought, based on her reaction.

Jubei’s floating weapons couldn’t be switched. To account for the variety of participants she would face in this event, she’d opted for a wide variety of hard counters. That had come at the cost of focused power against a single opponent. If this had been an arena duel, for example, Jubei’s loadout would surely be far more aggressive.

That means...I can break through those floating weapons. Ray’s build already favored END; with his stats doubled, he would be tough enough to withstand non-critical attacks from any of Jubei’s weapons except the defense-ignoring Hora.

That fact alone made it so that Jubei was effectively wielding not ten weapons against him, but five.

I can let those hit me as long as the hit isn’t lethal. That’ll just give me more damage to send back to her. Ray’s thought process might have struck most people as indicating a few screws loose in his head, but he braced himself for a chance to take action.

◇

I suppose I should have expected this, thought Jubei. He saw right through me.

Their previous battle was the first time Ray had ever seen her, and he was too overwhelmed by her fighting style to think too deeply about it. However, that single battle was enough for him to unravel even information that she had yet to reveal herself.

Perhaps this was a power that someone needed to have in order to win against those much stronger than themselves.

Experiencing it firsthand made Jubei shiver with happiness.

Even his very aura has changed completely, she thought. Jubei had watched the videos where he’d fought Giga Professor, Hell General, and King of Beasts many times over, and right now he seemed closer to how he’d been in that footage than he had before.

The battle against King of Beasts... He only throws his heart and soul into the battle when it’s truly mortal combat.

The man who had overcome all the odds to shatter Giga Professor’s plot, defeat the Hell General, and fatally wound King of Beasts—that was the Ray Starling Jubei wanted to see.

Though...this is still not quite enough.

With the battle against KoB behind him, Ray had been slowly returning to his usual self—but his battles against Jubei and Carl as well as the promise to his friend were gradually driving him back to the brink, where Jubei wanted him.

Despite that, he was still a step away from being the person who would do what Jubei really wanted—someone who would exert far more power than she’d anticipated.

She silently reflected back upon what had happened an hour ago. Ray Starling. Let us meet again later. Until then, please think about what it was I lacked. I will do so as well.

That was what she’d told him before they parted ways after their first battle.

Just as she’d promised, she’d spent some time considering what she was lacking, doing so even as she cut apart the other participants.

The videos of Ray’s battles had been burned into her eyes, and as she’d watched them over and over, she had vaguely begun to grasp what it was she needed—what was necessary to force the Master known as Ray to take that final step.

...He might despise me for this, she thought. Jubei now understood him well enough to figure out how she ought to do this, and that was exactly what made her hesitate.

However... She was Jubei Kaga. An asura. An embodiment of strife that loved herself more than she cared about being hated and who valued mortal struggles above all else.

“Ray Starling, allow me to give a little...prayer for this battle,” she said.

“A prayer?”

“Yes.” The sweetest smile then appeared on her face as she continued to say, “If I win against you, I will kill that Nukenin the moment I return to Tenchi.”

“...You what?” Seeing Ray’s fierce glare as he spoke, Jubei realized she had successfully set him off.

“Y-You...! What nonsense is this?!” Nemesis exclaimed.

“Consider it compensation if Ray Starling fails to entertain me sufficiently. She is among the powerful few who managed to clear this event. Perhaps if I kill her enough times, I will force her talents to bloom...perhaps even to the point where I might find her diverting.”

This was no bluff—she had every intention of acting on those words. If Ray wasn’t able to defeat her, she would spawn-camp Alto over and over, caring nothing for her reputation or their feelings.

The most important thing for her right now was to fight Ray at his most serious, and those words were the means of bringing him out that she’d come upon after thoroughly analyzing his battles.

Ray Starling was a Master who went above and beyond when faced with situations that had tragic consequences.

“I had not seen much of what she was capable of, so...that would be something I could enjoy in its own right in the future, I suppose.”

And so, the result of Jubei’s analysis...

“Don’t worry... That future ain’t happening.”

...was more than enough to make The Unbreakable take that final step over the edge.

◇◆

Their exchange ended, and they both made their first moves.

The knight kicked off the ground and jumped onto the steed at his side. His legs wouldn’t carry him fast enough—instead, he mounted his silver horse to advance as fast as he could.

This meant exposing his precious mount to the asura’s blades, but he chose to do so regardless in order to protect his friend’s future in the game.

The steed followed his owner’s will and galloped as fast as he could.

This unity of horse and man was heading straight into the range of five floating weapons. The tachi, the spear, the shortsword, the chakram, and the hatchet all flashed towards them on strange, complicated trajectories.

Only Jubei knew what path to take to avoid the coming pain.

Heedless, the knight only charged ahead.

He cared nothing for the pain he suffered or damage he received—he only aimed to break through Jubei’s defenses without dying.

The only thing he’d actually evaded was the tachi.

The spear dug into his stomach, the shortsword pierced his chest, the chakram tore open his upper arm, and the hatchet sunk deep into the body of his steed.

It only took a moment to bring him to the verge of death.

Despite that, his mount kept galloping onwards.

Thanks to his doubled HP and END, the attacks that might have been fatal under ordinary circumstances had become bearable.

The last weapon to welcome him was the retaliating katana—the bane of all those who boasted supreme speed, which Jubei had acquired from a UBM after being defeated by the boy who was unparalleled at the art of unsheathing. It activated against the oncoming horseman as well, unleashing an attack that couldn’t be evaded and always hit its target without fail.

Thus, the blade struck home...

“Ghh!”

...and hit the object clutched in the knight’s arms—a large, black, round shield.

He’d made his greatsword transform into that, figuring that if he couldn’t evade the oncoming attack, he could simply block it.

The knight already had a good idea of the blade’s range from their previous battle, so he was able to prepare the shield in the nick of time.

And with that, the horseman had broken past the barrier of floating weapons arrayed against him.

“Hellish Miasma, full power!”

At that moment, the rider released a dark purple smoke from his right arm. Worthy of its name, it was the miasma that inflicted three heavy debuffs at once.

The breath-dispersing hatchet was still stuck in the steed’s metal frame, so it could do nothing to defend against this new threat. Thus, the smoke flooded the space around them almost instantly. The poison did nothing to the asura, so it was nothing but a smokescreen. She knew that was enough—using the miasma as a cover was one of his favorite tricks.

However, what awaited beyond the miasma was pure pandemonium.

“AHAH!” the asura laughed with a demonic grin as her three prosthetics brandished her curseblades. Each of them could sever a dragon’s head. With three such weapons arrayed in front of him, the knight was no doubt faced with a certain kind of hell.

One blade to the right and two to the left. An open right eye and a closed left eye.

Faced with this hellish choice, the horseman went left.

Although the eye on that side was sightless and there was the smokescreen all around them, he would still have to deal with the two murderous blades.

The asura couldn’t see, but she could still hear. She was, after all, a superhuman being who could fight with her multiple floating weapons using only sound.

Thus, the steed’s galloping hooves were more than enough to expose the knight’s position. She could sense that he hadn’t dismounted either, so she swung her left curseblades despite being unable to see her target. Their aim was true, but the sound that followed wasn’t that of flesh being cut, but the clash of metal on metal.

“Ah!” The two curseblades had been stopped dead as the asura’s wrists slammed into two black blades.

These were the knight’s weapons—the form assumed by the shield after blocking the asura’s katana.

And the asura herself was reflected in the mirror opposite her.

At this moment, her speed was his speed.

Her left eye was blinded, her vision was smothered, and he was free to strike her prosthetic arms with his twin blades.

“Vengeance is Mine,” the knight and his blades roared in tandem, severing the two prosthetics.

A fixed amount of damage, delivered back twofold after suffering enough damage to nearly die.

It was more than enough to completely destroy the Embryo-arms.

“AH HA HA HA HA HA!” Despite more than half of her prosthetics being destroyed, the asura laughed. This was exactly what she wanted, after all. The knight had overcome the gap in their power—he’d truly done more than she’d been anticipating.

Engaging in mortal combat with someone like this made her heart tremble with joy. Her right prosthetic hand twitched, yearning for blood.

The knight’s twin blades were not much of a defense. Their speed was equal to hers, but the knight’s movements were limited by his position on horseback.

Thus, the last curseblade had no issue splitting him in half at the waist.

It was a fatal blow. Nothing human could survive such a wound.

Despite that, the knight’s advance did not stop.

His power as a Death Soldier let him keep moving even after he expired. In fact, he’d actually taken the curseblade’s attack on purpose so that he could once again channel the power of retribution.

“...Vengeance is Mine.”

The blade in his left hand destroyed the final prosthetic. The many arms of Asura were now gone, leaving the owner with only her own body.

The asura no longer spoke. The combination of joy, shock, and sheer battle fever had driven all words from her head, just as gone as her prosthetics.

Despite that, she kept on fighting...and swinging her blade.

She still had the ace up her sleeve, Kasanehime—the murderous sword that turned the wounds it inflicted into power.

“Counter Absorption!”

The knight turned his twin blades and mirror into the greatsword and prepared for the attack with a barrier of light. He intended to block this attack and win by returning the damage twofold.

However, that simply could not happen.

Following the battle against the hunter, the asura had dealt more than 1,000,000 points of damage.

The barrier could only withstand 300,000 points, so it would easily shatter and the knight behind it would vanish without a trace.

Blocking the blow was surely the misstep that would result in his defeat.

“...Scatter Like Mist: Unsan-Musho.”

The deadly swing broke through the barrier of light like it was nothing. However, it failed to touch the knight or his steed.

“Huh?”

It was as though the horseman and his mount had evaporated like mist.

Despite her blade not touching them, they had completely vanished. The asura’s sword sliced through nothing but empty air.

The knight and his steed were nowhere to be seen, swallowed up by the miasma.

However, a moment later, they appeared right behind the asura.

Shock overcame her. She had no idea what had just happened.

In fact, the knight and his blade didn’t know either. But the knight didn’t actually need to understand anything to take action. His powerful will drove him forwards, intent on what needed to be done.

“VENGEANCE IS MINE!” he roared as he swung down his greatsword, wiping away the asura without a trace.

And that was the end—the final conclusion to the battle between the knight and the asura, as well as the finale of the blood-soaked event.