Part 6
—Outer Gate, In front of the Fountain Plaza.
Due to Shiroyasha's game, the fountain plaza was bustling with a rarely seen lively atmosphere.
The stall assistants of the street stalls, which were located in the usually desolate streets for a long time now, were also busying without rest in conjunction with the increase in the flow of people. And this was a rather rare sight for the lowest levels of the East Side.
There were also food stalls for snacks being set up in the area.
Izayoi stuck up a conversation with the feline shop assistant—Carol, as he bought a sandwich from the stall of [Six Scars].
"Yo. It seems like it's quite lively huh?"
"We are almost too busy to breathe! It's not always that we get this large scale hosting of minigames! And that makes today the best day to for us to earn. Neh~!"
Carol happily smiled as she waved her hook-like tail.
Placing the sandwich set before himself, Izayoi asked offhandedly as he looked around,
"There seems to be more participants than I expected. Are there famous Communities taking part in this game as well?"
"Yeap. Although we of [Six Scars] are considered a sizeable Community, there seems to be a few Communities that are much bigger in their scale who are participating too. Although they are mainly of the commerce type!"
"... Ho? Which large ones are they?"
"In the six digits, there's [Six Scars], [One Horn], [Willo'wisp]. In the five digits, there are the Communities under the flag of [Onii-Hime] Alliance from the North and [Kerykeion]. Although these Communities are fairly famous in this region... but the focus of the spotlight still goes to the one from Little Garden's Three digits, [Queen Halloween]!"
*Poing*The hooked tail straightened as informed Izayoi.
At this point, Izayoi's expression changed.
"... From the three digits?"
"But it is also impossible that the Queen would personally make her way down to join the fray. Moreover, there is this relationship between her and Shiroyasha-sama that can be likened to the tense relations of fire and ice. The one who's representing the Queen is from the important members of the Queen's Knights. And it was a task assigned to a lone knight by the Queen. All thanks to that, the number of Participants who are entering the game on the account of their personal curiosity have increased to an unprecedented crowd."
Carol happily placed the sandwich into a carrier bag and Izayoi subsequently took the sandwich and turned to leave the stall after the payment.
Sitting himself at the fountain of the fountain plaza, Izayoi grimaced as he folded his arms before his chest.
(... . Could it be that this is a game of an extraordinary difficulty level?)
His gaze shifted to the [Geass Roll] contents that was carved on the Golden Plate.
Although Carol had mentioned it in a carefree manner, but the Communities that were named were all organizations of a large scale. And even those who would usually stay away from the games of the lower levels, especially [Kerykeion] and [Queen Halloween] which were super large scale Communities.
The former being a guardian for the Greek God treasury while the latter being a DaiMaou who possessed Sun Authorities. [15]
And it mattered greatly that both the names of those Communities were well known enough for Izayoi, who came from another world, to have heard of them. They were also known to be the type of Communities that would usually not participate in the games of Little Garden's lowest level.
As his gaze fell back to the [Geass Roll], Izayoi put on a solemn expression as he studied the contents repeatedly.
"Golden Plate... huh. Mah, even if it isn't the technique to transmute gold, it should still be some kind of important blessing (Gift)."
Delivering the sandwich to his mouth and adding the details of the participant characteristics into the matrix, he started to give it more thought.
— The community of [Kerykeion].
The name of the Community was derived from the mystical sceptre that is possessed by the god of Commerce who made up one of the Greek gods from the "Twelve Pillars of Olympus". The flag emblazoned with the symbol of the ‘Two intertwined snakes" was also famous in the outside world.
Besides the organisations of the European commercial and medical sectors, it is also depicted on the National High School's badge to represent the core of creativity and is a flag that is known to both the Eastern and Western Seas.
If faith was similar to spiritual power, it would not be exaggerating to say that [Kerykeion] s a symbol that garnered a group of believers for the Greek gods from the 1900s to the 2000s and acted as their pillar for support. For that sort of Commerce focused Community to enter the game hosted by [Thousand Eyes], it would definitely signal a hidden agenda that only insiders would know about.
Following them— was the Community of [Queen Halloween].
By the 21st Century, Halloween has already become a festive event. However, if one were to turn back time to its origins, they would realise that it is a traditional ritual practiced by the ancient Celts at the peak of their prosperity.
The Celts had the tradition of hosting various harvest rituals in honour to the Sun, which radiance varied with the four seasons and was seen as a symbol for life and death. This is the faith that the Celts hold for the Sun. The origins of Halloween.
When talking about the Celtic mythologies, the better known Sun God would be the Sun God Lugh who had the alias of [The Bright One with the Strong Hand] and possessed the spear of assured victory. But that was only the Celts who elevated their ancestor to the level of the Gods to be worshipped as one of the ancestral spirits to be worshipped. And that was the foundation for the idol's creation. Originally, he was supposed to be categorized as a Heroic spirit but it was the faith and followers of the descendants who elevated him to the position of a God-class spirit after his death.
And even if one were to be elevated to the position of an Elder God, they would never be conferred the title of the strongest type if they had originally been humans.
It was only reserved for the pure-blooded dragon kind, the representatives for the planets and the natural God-class spirits.
To protect the Gods, it was imperative to possess a power that belonged to the strongest three as that sort of power was an isolated spiritual power which was a class of its own.
And among the Gods of the Celt descendants, there was the strongest kind that had its worship based on the faith of the Sun's trajectory, the Celestial spirit who controlled the Sun and the Boundary—[Queen Halloween].
(Even though it is said to be so, the sovereignty of the Sun is being repressed by Shiroyasha. Wouldn't that make it a personal grudge?)
Propping his chin with one hand as he pondered over the question, Izayoi was unsure about the origins of this existence in Little Garden that was called the Queen. Although he did have knowledge about the festival of Halloween, he was unsure if the Queen's existence was one that had been elevated from the position of Man or had it been by another method. All that he knew were the fire and ice relationship between her and Shiroyasha and her position as one of the three biggest problem children in Little Garden.
And that they were all strength types who were strong individuals who matched their names.
(If I recall Leticia's words correctly... "Do not lift a hand against the Queen of Gold" right? Although the advice seems exaggering, is she really that strong to warrant that warning?)
As long as he did not witness it with his own eyes, it was only acceptable for him to harbour such thoughts. Moreover he was in a bad mood. Although he had agreed to the game out of compliance sake, it turned out that he had participated in a suspicious game and besides the feeling of dissatisfaction, there were the feelings of dissatisfaction. But, he could not just get up and walk away even he felt that way about the whole business. Having the chance to get the rare authority to have KuroUsagi as a maid is something that would be much too regrettable if it were to fall into the hands of the other two.
(Mah, I must work hard if I want to obtain something that I want to get.)
As he shook his head haplessly and was planning to find a challenger for the game—
Suddenly, there was a huge cheer that erupted from the area next to his resting spot.
"That's super awesome, five consecutive victories in just a blink of an eye!"
"May even be the fastest person to clear the game!?"
"Bastards, the opponent is just a girl and you guys are losing this much? How can you give up just like that?!"
"That's right! Call our people together! After all there's no way for us to win! Everyone, let's do it together!!!"
What? He turned his head as he felt that the words sounded strange. Normally, one would have assumed that it was just the usual piece of misheard conversation but it would seem that things were not the same this time.
If this were to be a contest for the game, it would be fine. But if this were to be a start to a contest that is outside of a game's perimeter, it would really be infuriating. Perhaps hearing that a woman is being targeted by physical violence was something that irked him.
But the foundation of the reasons would be his bad mood. And that would be the biggest reason.
Izayoi stood up with the thought that this would be a good opportunity to sweep away his melancholic feelings. Just as he was about to turn to carry out his motto of "supressing both the strong and the weak"—- five grown men were sent flying at the same time.
"Hoh?"
Dodging in his astonishment, the men of huge statures rolled pass him with an intensity that seemed bent on scraping the top of the stone tiles in the fountain plaza and they soon passed out due to their inability to defend themselves in time.
In the middle of that scene, Izayoi's gaze had already shifted to size up the opponent with curiosity in his eyes.
The woman who sent the huge men fling was in a strange outfit of a linen robe that covered her from head to toe.
"...Hoh? Looks like the proclaimation of having an instantaneous five consecutive victory is not a lie."
Commenting frivolously, he continued to move closer towards the linen robed woman.
Although the face was mostly hidden in the depths of the hooded robe, one could still see the faint outlines of a mask like structure within that hood which was scrutinizing the scene before her. It would seem that it was a person who really wanted to hide their identity.
A self-composed Izayoi walked towards the other as his interest was steadily growing by the moment.
The masked female then wordlessly extended the [Geass Roll].
[–Name of Gift Game: "RaimundusLullus"—
Participant qualification E: The possessor of Strength.
Opponents: The Kind
The Great
The Heir
The Intelligent
The Determined
The Virtuous
Conditions for defeat: Losing the [Geass Roll] is equivalent to losing the participation rights.
Conditions to win: Gather all the "Plates of Lullus" and you shall receive the glory of the truth.
Additional information: The Game will begin when all participants have finished their preparations.
The end time for the Game is when all other contestants have been defeated.
Oath: Respecting the above information, swearing upon our glory and flag, this Gift Game is hosted by [Thousand Eyes].
"Seal of [Thousand Eyes]"]
[16]
After Izayoi confirmed the contents of the [Geass Roll], the masked female tilted her head as she spoke up.
"... My minigame is "strength". What's left would be "The Kind" and "The Virtuous"."
"Well, that's great. My [Geass Roll] is "The Kind". So we just need to bet on these things and hold the minigame?"
"That's correct. Although it would become the contest between "The Kind"and "Strength"..."
What is your opinion? The masked female tilted her head as she posed the unspoken question. From her actions and calm voice, it gave off a well cultured feel about this person and she probably did not belong to the lower levels.
Izayoi suppressed his soaring anticipation of facing this unknown strong foe as he managed two replies.
"I do not have interest in "The Kind". And it is too vague for an abstract term. I would personally choose "Strength"."
"I understand."
*KaChi!* Pulling the sword out of the scabbard, that movement gave a glimpse of the white gauntlet, abdominal armour and knight dress under the long robes. She was clearly a type of knight.
In the moment that Izayoi committed himself to the minigame's oath and took his first step forward—
*Shuu!* The tip of a sword narrowly missed his nose.
"—Hm?!"
By the time that he noted the image of the sword, his upper torso was already leaning back.
His body had responded earlier than his consciousness from his perception.
What Izayoi's vision had noted was just a minor twitch of that masked female's hand for just an instant. Although it was careless of him to ignore that information, but it really was a scary speed of unsheathing the sword.
(Ha...! This fellow is really worthy of praise...!!)
The unrelenting flash of the blade struck towards Izayoi again. The subsequent trajectory of the attack and the sharpness of its angle was fairly unusual. And it was the fastest strike that Izayoi had witnessed among all his opponents in the world of Little Garden thus far.
Switching from his carefree attitude, Izayoi instantly recognised the strength of his opponent.
But in regards to that point, the masked female also shared the same thoughts.
(He dodged it...?)
Although she wasn't haughty about her strength, but she did not expect someone from the lower levels to be able to dodge her sword. It might have been chance for the first strike but on the second dodge, that would be reflective of the true potential.
Immediately classifying Izayoi as a strong opponent, the masked female took a large step backwards.
Giving a twist to the sword's hilt to slowly and smoothly release it into its whip form.
Realising that the weapon is a whip sword, Izayoi immediately drew closer.
(Although the storing of that sword might be a very smooth move on her part, but it is definitely a bad idea in this case.)
The strike of a bladed whip is indeed a threat but as long as one drew close to the wielder, it would be nothing to worry about. And although the capturing of the blade tip movements is a very difficult feat, but as long as one watched the hand movement closely, it would be possible to trace the sword's trajectory. That was how Izayoi anticipated the moment that the whip sword would strike and used a ground exploding speed to close in onto his opponent's territory.
Charging with speed that reduced the ground to rubble
If it were just a normal enemy, just the wind pressure would be able to distinguish the victor.
But the masked female seemed to have anticipated this move as she drew out a spear for each hand.
(Wha...?!)
"It's the end. It was a fairly good fight."
Proclaiming her victory and simultaneously emitting a high speed flash from the long robes. It would seem that this was a strike that would also doubtlessly bring down any ordinary opponents.
But Izayoi's level of absurdity was a step higher.
Knowing full well that it was too late to halt his advance, Izayoi clenched his fist to punch towards the stone floorings to send the shattered ground flying into the air.
"...?!"
The sound of an explosion. And the stone tiles of the plaza which popped up from the reaction.
The masked female's foothold was instantly eliminated and could only dance in mid-air. Izayoi assumed the moment to be his best chance and lifted his head to press his pursuit.
But it was a pity that he was late by a fraction.
The masked female who gave a somersault in the air had switched to a bow in a flash to rain arrows upon Izayoi.
"Tch, bastard!"
Cursing a mouthful while dodging at lightning speed to escape the shower of arrows, the style of the masked female's way of combat finally dawned upon Izayoi.
Dual spears, whip sword and followed by the bow.
Utilising a close, middle and long range weapon to cover any potential openings in battle. Though it might sound simple in words, this was a really unusual martial art. It was a strategy that can only be possible if one refined their skills for the respective weapons to the same utmost heights that can be reached for each of the respective martial arts.
(... What will come will come eventually, right?)
As Izayoi dodged the shower of arrows, he shifted himself to hide in the shadows of the fountain.
The enemy beyond his expectations had finally appeared before his eyes but what appeared in his eyes weren't that of happiness.
What swam within his eyes were an intense mix of emotions.
The enemy was undoubtedly strong and one that was the direct opposite of Izayoi's type.
Different from the naturally gifted Izayoi, one could tell that the masked female had certainly undergone some unusual training and study in her martial arts. Having such an unusual confidence and trust in her sword, spear and bow techniques, one would require a strong determination or they would not be able to attain such a level of mastery. An evidence would be the ability to quell Izayoi's choice of attacks even when he held the upper hand in the speed of attacks and defence.
The enemy was more than just powerful. She was smart.
(KuroUsagi.... Although this is somewhat late, but this is a super GoodJob!)
Having had the chance to meet such a rare strong opponent whom he might never have the chance to meet in the near future, Izayoi clenched his fist tightly as he continued to think for the sake of defeating the strong foe before him.
And it was at that moment that the commotion started in the distance.
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