Manowa - Chapter 32

32th story   Chatting with a Heroic Spirit

———————————————————————-

Putting aside physical attacks, this shield reflects 100% of all magic attacks. Invisibility and Fear Voice are also invalidated by that circlet, humph.

Factoring Zirg’s equipment, Kazane’s only means of attack are physical ones, but

Because of that auto-counter skill, attacking him would mean a one hit KO (for me). Well, even if the opposing Zirg and our side’s Zirg meet in that moment, the attack would be invalidated.

The timing is very strict. If the counter isn’t certain or in a lacking state, it means instant death.  

In short, with this side’s Zirg as the attacking core, if a gap appears while also restraining him with golems which don’t mind suffering damage, I will also go on course to attack.

“Let’s do it, let’s Zirg, please!”

“Understood!”

Kazane raises her voice; Zirg nods and prepares the sword.

The stone-masked Zirg also readies himself.

“[Skill – Golem Maker – Tebasaki-san!!]”

Thus, Kazane started with a pre-emptive strike. The summoned hand-type golem emerged from below the stone-masked Zirg.

However, the stone-masked Zirg, with a single swing from his sword, shattered Tebasaki-san.

Destruction in one strike? Oh…if we consider its specs, that would be natural. But still…

The ally Zirg advances toward the stone-masked Zirg.

“Uoryaaaaa!!!”

“Skill – Rush!”

And  simultaneously, with little to no delay, Kazane also rushes in.

Zirg slashes downward with his sword, and stone-masked Zirg receives it. Because of the destruction of Tebasaki-san, a difference in timing which resulted from the delay of its attacking motions appeared. And in this delay, Kazane attacks…

“Tsk”

…But the stone-masked Zirg defends Kazane’s attack with the Heavenly Mirror Shield.

“[Skill – Air Jump]”

Kazane endures the aftershock from the defence, rising into the air with a multi-jump.

“[Skill – Killing Leg!!]”

She smashes into its head from a blind spot above it.

Hard…

That one attack from Kazane, which could crack the cranium of a ogre, merely shook the stone-masked Zirg’s head.

“–toh”

Noticing the change in her surroundings, Kazane retreats by invoking Air Jump twice.

The Divine Emperor’s Mantle’s Interception skill!?

Although not as quick as the auto counter, in certain situations, it cast a fiery blaze comparable in class to the [Second Chapter of the Fire Principality]. Usually it’s used to protect from small fry, but I can’t make light of the damage.

I won’t die from it, but …who knows.

Until now, though, all the flashy actions performed by Kazane were just the beginning.  

“UooOO!!”

With fighting spirit, the ally Zirg presses toward and cuts at the stone-masked Zirg who was still paying attention to Kazane. Just like At the stone masked Zirg who oriented his attention at Kazane, with fighting spirit Zirg presses and cuts. Just like that, he was repelled backwards.

“[Skill – Golem Maker – Tebasaki-san]”

Kazane summons two of the hand type golems and, this time, gets a firm grasp on the stone-masked Zirg which still hasn’t recovered its posture.

“Do it! Zirg!!!”

“You don’t need to say so.”

In response to Kazane’s shout, Zirg starts running.

In a flash, stone-masked Zirg’s left arm, along with the Heavenly Mirror Shield, is sliced off and sent flying.

“One more time!”

Kazane yells again, but stone-masked Zirg pushes his sword with his right arm towards ally Zirg. Zirg puts up his large shield in front of him.

“Danger~!?”

Kazane sees it coming and immediately escapes, since she already knew the stone-masked Zirg’s goal.

Looking behind Kazane’s back, a terrifying flash shoots out.

*UwaaAA* (Sound of the Ray firing)

The released form of the Great Wing Sword [Rien]. The wings which were folded into the form of a sword spread out into 8 beams, each of them firing light from a different attribute in a valiant move [Zexia Ray].

However, Zirg’s Heavenely Mirror Shield didn’t let any magic arts pass through, only physical attacks. The stone-masked Zirg already knew this, and therefore, the skill was aimed at no one other than the vulnerable Kazane.

“[Skill – Golem Maker – Golem-kun and Golem-kun and Golem-kun]”

Kazane began summoning a large amount of golems to protect against this attack.

Shit, shit, shiiiiiiiiiit!!!!

The golems were defeated in a single attack, and Kazane’s mind became semi-panicked, but she knew that if the attack wasn’t warded off here, then death was certain.

Uwawawawawaaaaaaa

Make golem. Make golem. Make. Make. Make. Make more.

Wawawawawaaaaaaaa…a?

While continuing to frantically summoning golems, Kazane noticed that the attacked stopped, blocked by stuffing 5 more bodies into the space where the destroyed golem-kun’s originally were.

“I- It stopped?”

Half in doubt, Kazane stops summoning golems; well, she was in a situation where the Crimson Saint Coffin didn’t have enough power to continue summoning anyway.

“‘Tis normal, mine other half. It is unthinkable for me to be hurt or to be killed. ”

This voice came from above Kazane: it came from atop the golem’s head. Kazane looked up and there, holding half of the destroyed stone-mask, sat Zirg on top of the golem.

“Zirg!?”

Surprised, Kazane makes a really pleasant face while a “fumu” sound escapes her mouth.

“For the sake of your panicking appearance, ‘twas quite a heart-breaking shout. Iya, after the stone-mask’s destruction, I continued, for a short while, to shoot, but that was a splendid defence you had just now.” (mllhild: yes, her ally killed the opponent and then also shot the same attack her opponent used at her just to test her defence a bit.)

Somehow, something unbelievable just came from his mouth.

“WHAT–did you do !?”

Crestfallen with sagging shoulders, Kazane raised her voice in complaint, but Zirg just laughed it off.

“How should I put it–this has been exactly my intention since before your reply, thinking about how I felt that I should be doing something like this. Is it somehow strange?”

Zirg spreads his arms as he talks.

“Of course it is! Even though I have established Zirg’s personality to be arrogant, he should still be a perfectly nice and righteous man! It seems that the actual Zirg is nothing but pomp and haughtiness. “

Zirg, after thinking a bit about Kazane words:

“Fumu. That expression is a bit faulty. ” He said.

“Surely, I am your player character Zirg. However, I am also you, therefore, I am also Yuihama Kazane herself.” (Zirg)

“Haa?”

“Look at the past me.” (Zirg)

Upon hearing Zirg’s words, Kazane inclines her head to the side in doubt.

“In other words, the Zirg that existed in Zexiahart, along with Yuihama Kazane’s roleplaying, has probably changed the Zirg’s expected behaviour.” (Zirg)

Unbelievable.

From inside her head came this instant retort.

“Of course, you only loved the character Zirg to a minimum degree, only to the point of not destroying or running away with your character setting, but the foundation of this plan was to humor yourself, which was the first and foremost thing to be considered, am I not correct?”(Zirg)

“I’ll think about, ne.”

I’m sorry to say, but it’s almost as if I can’t deny it.

“After all, I’m such an existence.” (Zirg)

“Etto, so…that terrible prank was a thing of character?”

Yes, Zirg nods. Kazane somehow became sad.

“By the way, as I am also you, and therefore, possess no knowledge besides yours, how an existence from a game, such as myself, came here to this reality and what this world is, as I said, is an understanding I do not possess.” (Zirg)

“Muu……”

Once more beaten to the point, Kazane couldn’t help but groan.

“Then the fight is over, and there is nothing more I can ask, so  now you have no significance?”

Kazane asks this in a considerably rude way. Well, since the other party is herself, she has no need to restrain herself.

“Maa~, don’t say it like that. Aren’t you lonely?”(Zirg)

“You’re being too noisy!”

“Be that as it may, still, a bit of time remains. Moreover, there is a message addressed to you that I have been entrusted with.”(Zirg)

“Message?”

“This one.”(Zirg)

Zirg raises the half destroyed stone mask. At that moment, the stone mask’s mouth opens and began to spin words.

[[Qualified Person. You have defeated the trial.]] (mllhild: think of a voice resounding like a boss enemy voice)

[[From here on, you carry the power to kill a god. What kind of person will you become with this power? Or maybe I should say, who will you not become?]]

[[“I will not stop at this (gaining the power of the gods). Making a harsh road become a lazy/easy one, living further and furthering death –it’s good to advance in everything just as one wishes.]]

[[“Our desire is the same as your desire: to live.]]

[[“This world is the world of the gods.]]

The stone mask said this and started crumbling, turning into sand.

“……..What was that?”

“No idea. If you judge it favorably, it seems like something good. That is also my conclusion.”(Zirg)

“Useless.” Kazane sighs.

Even so, if only at the very end, that voice sounded like that of a normal person. All of you, are you by any chance a film actor or some kind of messager? (IcedTea: I apologize. We have no idea what this is supposed to mean…)

“Aa, also, my time’s up. I shall return from here.” (Zirg)

“Is that so, time limit, huh?”

The heroic spirit summon should last for 10 minutes.

“Just in case, I will ask. Your summoning period is 10 minutes, and then, I can only call you out once every 10 days, right?”

“Aa, quite so. But just like in the game, this time right now does not count.” (Zirg)

“And then, this person also…”

“Aa, just like that.” (Zirg)

To the sluggish Kazane, Zirg answers in monotone.

“This response was unexpected.”

“Just like I said. I’m also you.” Said Zirg while laughing.

“Then we shall meet again, mine other half.”

Leaving behind those words of parting, Zirg turns into grains of light and vanishes.

“But I certainly don’t want to meet you again.”

Thus, Kazane was left behind alone in the arena.

Now then, having reached my goal, what to do now?

Kazane opens the status window.

“Anyhow, it would be hard to get back with the rest of my magic power.”

It takes half a day to recover my magic power fully. Since it is now close to noon, she guesses that it will be night time once she has collected enough to leave here.

“Yesterday, I didn’t sleep. I will rest here and descend the mountain tomorrow.”

Kazane’s head began to sway as she gradually became sleepy. Recalling the guest room in the upper layer, she leaves the arena behind.

——————————————————-

Status Window: (IcedTea: Dear Readers, the author, unlike us here at Lazy 9, is pretty organized. Thus, he has created this section for you all to remember what your MC is all about. Enjoy!)

Name : Yuihama Kazane

Occupation : Magic Swords‐woman

Title : Ogre Killer

Equipment : Cane [[White Blaze[[, Two Handed Sword [[Black Fang[[, Leather Jacket,

Fur Coat (with Hood), Metal Gauntlet, Plain Clothes, Leather Trouser, Leather Shoes, Pouch,

Crimson Saint Coffin

Level : 19

Vitality : 64

Magic Power : 107+300

Strength : 25

Agility : 18

Endurance : 14

Wisdom : 27

Dexterity : 19

Spell : [[Fly]] [[Torch]] [[Fire]] [[Heal]]

Skill : [[Goblin Language]] [[Night Vision]] [[Crushing Blow]] [[Dog’s Sense of Smell]] [[Golem Maker]] [[Rush]] [[Fire Principle: Second Chapter]] [[Healing Principle: Second chapter]] [[Air Jump]] [[Killing Leg]] [[Fear Voice]] [[Invisible]]