Chapter 60: The Era of Revolutionary Change
"Shi—!"
The sound of air escaping through gritted teeth. With a sharp, focused breath and the intent to end things with a single surprise strike if possible, the sacred blade Clé-shouse swung in a figure-eight pattern.
The blow, unleashed from a quick-draw stance, saw its blade extended by Asuna's OYS ability. Clad in the Heart-Scar Attribute, it reduced everything it touched into particles, as if bringing a forced equality to all matter.
It was a nasty, two-hit area-of-effect attack. Anyone well-versed in games would grumble about screen-clearing map weapons, while light novel geeks might make a crack about a certain overpowered mother who hits twice.
Naturally, Blue was forced to dodge. He looked at Clé-shouse as it returned to its sheath, his face twisting in annoyance.
"I thought for sure I’d snapped that thing earlier."
"My bad, my bad. This guy told me he doesn't want to leave my side yet."
"It seems even a veteran S-Class cannot interfere with Clé-shouse, the Crystal of Paradise."
In that single instant, it became clear that the caliber of this fight was on a different level than before. I wondered if he had even been trying when he faced off against Yellow.
"Well then, next is my—"
"Idiot. It’s too early to switch from offense to defense and end your turn."
"I’ve still got units in attack position that haven't tapped yet!!"
Alter launched a full-scale assault, whipping out two submachine guns from her waist. However, because they were outside their effective range, the bullets landed in a scattered mess behind their target.
"You can't hit anything from that distance."
"They say even a poor archer hits the mark eventually if they shoot enough, don't they? In other words, if you fire enough rounds, you’re bound to hit."
Her hands moved faster than the eye could follow as she reloaded, the muzzles jumping as she unleashed another barrage of buckshot.
"I told you, you’re missing."
"Bend."
".....!"
Whether by fluke or design, the bullets that should have traveled straight suddenly veered as if possessed by a will of their own. They slammed into the electronic barrier Blue must have erected in advance, warping it.
"Huh?"
"I’m not done yet!!"
The sounds of gunfire overlapped. The number of curving bullets increased steadily until every single round followed suit. The trajectories converged on a single point, swarming around Blue like a restrictive birdcage, chipping away at him from the edges.
"Ugh, damn it. The rifling on those guns is unique. How annoying."
"Full marks for that answer. Pretty clever, isn't it? I carved the rifling longer than usual, allowing me to master the trajectory by manipulating the angle of the muzzle at the moment of firing and twisting my wrists."
"If you fire that much, those guns are bound to break soon, aren't they?"
The custom-made tips shattered in a shower of sparks. They appeared to be a type of attachment, similar to a suppressor.
"Now you’re out of tricks. It’s my turn."
"These days, even an early-game aggro deck usually features a double-action breaker."
The barrage began anew. This time, however, she couldn't use the same trickery. Blue dodged with room to spare.
Yet, for some reason, the bullets struck his shield.
"What now!?"
"Nihahaha!! I’m glad you’re so bad at this!"
"No way!?"
The bullets headed for the wall, but this time was different.
The current rounds struck the bullets that had been embedded in the wall from the first volley. Through precision adjustments down to the millimeter, they ricocheted off the metal instead of sinking into the soft concrete.
"I might not be on the level of Asuna with Clé-shouse, but my Heart-Scar Attribute is nothing to sneeze at either!!"
"Oh, I’ll sneeze at it alright! Thanks for grouping them all together so nicely; it makes them easy to dodge!!"
The bullets lunged at Blue like magnets drawn to a core. But just as he said, her precision proved to be her undoing. In a display of god-tier play, the bullets lined up in a single row, and Blue twisted his neck to avoid them—or so it should have been.
"Gah!?"
The bullet that had been dodged first slammed into the wall, serving as a backstop for a secondary ricochet!
"One hundred and thirty-six rounds from both hands. I used one for the ricochet, so that’s minus one. Shatter!!"
Cr-cr-crack... SHATTER!!!
"We’ll let you have it. Turn end."
".....What a pain. Why am I the only one available to work at a time like this...?"
"You’ve gotten strong, Alter."
It was partly due to the influence of No. 4, but she had gained even more formidable power.
"We’re both in the same boat. More importantly, here he comes."
"Sigh, fine. Let’s get to work... Alter the Oracle, I, Hypnos Blue, the Sleep-Mad Blue and oldest of the S-Class Slayers, officially recognize you as a new S-Class Slayer."
"This is where the real fight begins."
"Accordingly, you are granted the duty to uphold the Slayer’s Vow. You have violated Article One, 'Never adhere to a nation and maintain a steadfast neutrality,' and Article Two, 'Interference with the Curse of Lica is forbidden.' Therefore, as the eldest, an execution order has been issued to me."
"The Curse of Lica?"
"The mental liberation of all Lica series. That is Alter's final objective."
"If I make everyone special—not just Asuna—then everything will be fine. I don't want to stand by Asuna’s side just because I’m 'special'!!"
".....I’ll take that as a confession, then."
"In that case... divine punishment."
Author's Note
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