Chapter 281: The Dragon's Calamity Endures, and the Wolf Howls ~ The Beast of Lightning and Fire Confronts the Sword Wolf, Part 11

My body is physically burning. Until the recast for Moment Sight finishes, I can only execute simple movements, but even so, I have enough speed to shake off the Servant Swords controlled by Psyger-100.
My HP, halving as time passes, will drop to 1 in the not-so-distant future.
I removed the shackle of enhancement nullification with Shakkotsu Saishin, controlled the non-standard speed of Ancient Lightning using Moment Sight, and applied a double stat buff via the "Mirror Shield of the Nether-King."

"I'll declare this right now: if I take even a single hit in my current state, I'm instantly dead."

"...In that case, allow me to play all of my trump cards as well."

The Servant Swords vanished, and when they reappeared, their cast had changed.

"I will balance 【Servant】 and the Holy Sword at maximum efficiency."

Six Servant Swords, with the Holy Sword serving as the Conductor Sword. Having deployed a Septet, Psyger-100 raised her left arm—the arm not holding the Holy Sword.
The next instant, as if biting into her arm, the six Servant Swords waiting behind her slashed Psyger-100's arm.

"It's simple. By composing the six swords entirely of ones that trigger their effects upon 'Self-Harm,' I can fulfill the activation condition for the Holy Sword...!"

"That's just a self-made match-pump adversity!"

"The very fact that I have to use this means I am already in adversity... Domineion! Ivilomis! Vandal Gray! Funk Fang! Glut Blood! Ouroborossa! ...And, Excalibur!"

Damn it, what a ridiculously cool trump card.
The six Servant Swords triggered their respective self-harm effects, and because her HP fell below the required threshold, Excalibur awakened.
If I recall correctly, it buffs all stats and grants an Endure effect. If she's pushed to the defensive, she's going to be far tougher than she looks, unlike my brittle self.

"Now then..."

This is the crucial moment. The buff from the Mirror Shield of the Nether-King's Exceed Charge has a time limit. Since it's determined by the power of the absorbed magic, lasting three minutes off a clearly high-firepower spell like that falling Lightning Beast is a godsend.
Of course, if you try to catch a spell with too much firepower, the Mirror Shield of the Nether-King might just shatter, so it's a balancing act.

"I'll blow you away!"

"Come!"

............

.........

......

On one side, self-harm enhancement via six magic swords and Adversity Awakening via the Holy Sword. Using more than 80% of an immense HP pool as the price, a Player (Sword Saint) enhanced by a meticulously crafted synergy of abilities designed to not overlap.
On the other side, an absolute last-stand build that offset a "Curse" using another "Curse," essentially declaring that HP is meaningless as long as it's either 1 or 0. A Player (Demon) of flames and lightning who crushed extreme risks under the weight of even greater returns.

A slight similarity in Concept, a vastly different process, yet a fundamentally equal standing.

In short, a performance comparison between two styles: "Ultra Last-Stand Mobility-Specialized Dual-Wielder" vs "Adversity-Adjusted Self-Harm Last-Stand Magic Sword Saint."
This clash between two model cases—proving that even Players can reach this level—continuously renewed a level of intensity every passing second that made observers think, "It can't possibly get any more intense than this."

It wasn't as if they hated each other. One used the other as a punching bag to test the absolute maximum output she was capable of in her current state, while the other used her as a touchstone to test whether his current self could stand against the Emperor of the Night.
Paying no mind to the kind of play history the opponent had experienced to reach this point, they simply sought to define themselves by claiming victory over the other. It was the absolute pinnacle of PvP within the game system known as Shangri-La Frontier.

When the seven swords formed a formation to drop the hammer of sin, flying slashes obstructed them. When the flames dashed forward trailing pitch-black lightning as a tail, six swords obstructed him, and the seventh met him head-on.

An escalating, accelerating, and white-hot confrontation. The observers were completely captivated by the sight. What even started this battle? What was the flow of the agreement made behind the scenes? For this one fleeting moment, all of that was completely forgotten. Only the simple question of "Who will win?" remained, waiting for the moment its answer would be derived.

Reflecting the fierce battle in their eyes and crystals.

............

.........

......

There's no room for roleplay anymore. Running my reactions, predictions, and instincts at full capacity, I shook off the Servant Swords and dashed straight toward her main body to strike her down.
A single lapse in concentration could easily lead to stumbling and instant death, yet I unhesitatingly utilized Formula Drift (Accelerated Evasion) and jumped using Flit Float (Footing in the Void), treating even the empty sky as a foothold.

Even so, I still can't break through. It's not that she's physically hard, nor are my attacks being nullified. She's simply enduring my onslaught and attempting to counterattack.
You could call it a game of chicken for our concentration—stretching the thread of our focus to the absolute limit right before the moment it snaps.

If I take even a single hit, I die instantly. The moment she lets the chaotic dance of her Servant Swords falter, I chip her to death.
Skills were burned like water, as if we were mutually exhausting our resources, slamming down hands where every single card was a potential trump card.

"Drop deadddd!"

"Insolent!"

Aiming carefully in a slow-motion world, I threw the two Aspiring Blades of the Hero (Duxram). Without a moment's delay, I hurled the Decapitation Sword of the Flame General using a throwing technique inspired by the Bakumatsu tactic "Sunny with a Chance of Zanbato."
In response to the Servant Swords that defended against the throw and flew at me as a counterattack, I intercepted them using the Brilliant Scorpion Gauntlets (Gilta Brille)—which, while incapable of using Exceed Charge, functioned perfectly fine as blunt weapons. Amidst an Overflow-induced motion, I retrieved the discarded Isana Togetsu and searched for the moment to settle this.

The time limit is approaching. If I don't decide this here, I'll run out of gas.

"Combination Gauge is good... This is the climax!"

"I accept your challenge!"

This is the end. A sloppy, overnight-castle-like strategy pieced together by combining the scattered information on Psyger-100 in my brain with the nail of "what I can currently do."
Activating all available skills, excluding those intentionally preserved and those that would be meaningless to use right now.
Even though it was just a few hours ago, it somehow feels like a lifetime ago. I activated the combination function I had just used hours prior.

"A face-off where we stand directly opposite each other on a straight line, in a sword-drawing stance... Interesting!"

Perhaps realizing how I intended to attack, Psyger-100 readied the Holy Sword and prepared her stance to intercept me.

"........."

"........."

Silence.

The stamina management where a single misread could instantly prove fatal for either of us.
For this one fleeting moment, our rests to recover stamina synchronized. A silence stretched on, as if everything had already ended, or perhaps as if to declare that this exact moment was the true beginning of the match.

"───I declare my will to this infallible world."

".........!"

Initiation.
At the string of words spun by my tongue, Psyger-100's eyes widened. It seemed she never expected me to choose the option of chanting at this point... Well, I haven't actually learned a single spell, though.

"A realm of nothingness. Harboring billions of lights, yet still a deep darkness. An astrograph shining in the heavens."

"Kuh... I won't let you!"

The Servant Swords danced. The accumulation of everything up to this point made the very act of "letting me do something" trigger her caution. Furthermore, I had started chanting a mysterious spell; of course she would try to stop it. Well, it's all just random nonsense, though.

"The crimson... aurora! The transmigration of... mountains, rivers, and sand!"

Dodge, dodge, and advance. Merits and demerits can serve as a cloak to hide the true essence. The very fact that I was daring to do this in a situation where interrupting the chant was clearly the easier option created an imaginary blade.

"Flowers from this world! The sky from the abyss! From an ancient epic, courage is guided by a guiding light!"

"Kuh... In that case!"

Perhaps realizing that sitting and waiting would be a terrible move, she pointed her empty hand toward me...

"【Surging Lightning Melody (Stun Beat)】!!"

............

.........

......

Floating the widest grin I've worn during this entire match, I took a direct hit from the PvP-specialized flinch magic Psyger-100 fired.

"Wha—"

Why do you think people get surprised when they trip?

Because they didn't think they were going to trip there.

"Heaven's mechanism! Sing, O world! Dance, O world! Defy the infallible world, and march forward with a laugh!"

While spouting absolute nonsense, I spun around, caught the attack with my back, and from a posture resembling a fall, I spun once more. The instant Psyger-100 and I faced each other again, I dashed forward.
Why didn't I sink after taking an attack? What will happen when the chant is completed? What will the two combined swords bring forth? What was my aim in the first place? PvP and PvE are fundamentally the same: slam an overwhelming amount of variables at them, freeze their thoughts, and blow them away! Therefore, I will reveal the final piece I "procured locally" in this exact moment!

"Growing faint, 'Stun Be', 'it' is still spun───!"

"Gah!?"

Badjin, lightning sparked.
Even as she flinched, Psyger-100's eyes were dyed purely in astonishment. She seemed completely unable to comprehend why I had cast 【Surging Lightning Melody (Stun Beat)】 without a chant while I was in the middle of chanting... My chance at victory.

I'll settle this right here!

Author's Afterword
If you absorb magic by targeting yourself, this kind of usage is possible.
While writing this, I suddenly thought, "Wait, couldn't this be heavily exploited...?" so the management will probably deploy a silent patch after this battle restricting it to once per day.

• Camouflage Magic:
  A technique used in "Spell Creation Online."
  By inserting a different spell name into the middle of an ongoing chant, it's possible to fire off that spell while still chanting the original one. Furthermore, by slightly altering the words, there is an advanced application that turns "one long-chant spell" into "two short-chant spells."
  The ones who utilized this to the absolute maximum were the "Release Version Death Metal" and the "Fully-Voiced Erotic Novel," who clashed right before the service for "Forbidden Spells" shut down.