Chapter 731: Piercing a Wound in Mythology

Rei-shi also seems to think we need to go to the bottom of the fissure. But the bottleneck is the white and black light/heat erupting unpredictably from the Great Severing Scar that's hundreds of meters deep. I tried throwing in some disposable armor meant for R.I.P. (which is fairly high-rank gear), and it vaporized in two seconds, so if I threw a human in, they'd probably vaporize in one.

And the most malicious part about this scar beam is that its activation timing is totally irregular. There's no telling when the instant-death beam will come flying up from the bottom of the fissure. There is a slight lag between when the bottom of the valley lights up and when it reaches the surface, so recognizing and reacting to the attack itself is possible, but that's where my train of thought hit a dead end—okay, so what do we do about it?

"...I will intercept the light from below using 【Zend-Avesta】."

"...Seriously?"

"Well... it's embarrassing, but when Scarlet-Deerhair Tatenashi bit Sunraku-kun... it seems the Taiji Gauge completely balanced out."

"Varururunh."

Ah, since it's treated as a tame, Scarlet-Deerhair Tatenashi's misdeeds become a matter of Rei-shi's responsibility. Not bad, horse. But it's nothing to be proud of, horse, you get that, horse?

I see, if it were simply a multi-hit attack of max firepower (without buff enhancements from others), there'd be no chance of winning, but if you consider it the "ultimate special move of the Sword of Taiji," it wouldn't be strange for it to exhibit some kind of special effect. Or rather, the flavor text apparently had something along those lines written on it.

"However, the problem is... um, the position to fire it from."

"Ah... because it's straight down."

"Yes, I don't possess a method to stand on the walls or in mid-air."

In short, it's my job to somehow get Rei-shi to stand on the wall.

The easiest method would be for me to stand on the wall while giving Rei-shi—who became lighter due to the gender change—a piggyback or shoulder ride. Most wall-standing skills change the direction of gravity toward the wall, so the only important factor is whether or not I can lift her.

That being said, there's no way she could swing a sword while getting a shoulder ride or piggyback ride, so if I had to think of a viable method...

"I guess I have no choice but to hang you."

"Eh."

Tying a rope to the horse and wrapping it around Rei-shi's waist to act as a lifeline. It's simple, but you could say it's the ideal method for letting her stand on the wall while keeping both hands and feet free.

If I were to be greedy, doing a kikko-shibari turtle-shell tie would provide even more stability... Ugh, is the Deep Slaughter factor still not fully purged from my brain? There's no way I can ask a girl from the same school, "Can I hang you with a kikko-shibari tie?!" My high school life would instantly die starting tomorrow!!

"Saina, what about 【Keep Out】?"

"Answer: Rust-sama currently possesses it."

Ah, crap, that's right.

Regardless of whether she's logged in right now or not, I'm not synced with Rust's Inventoria, so either way, I can't use the peculiar rope-type weapon "Tape" from among the Non-Standard series.

That thing, despite its appearance, has considerable durability against not only slashes but all forms of attacks, making it ridiculously useful outside of combat too. And if equipped to a Conquista Doll instead of a player, it's practically free to use with zero risk... but giving it to Rust undeniably results in higher "firepower"... because when it comes to robot-related stuff, she really is a cut above me.

So, because the Non-Standard Armament: Steel Wire Type 【Keep Out】 isn't available, I substitute it with a rope I shoved into Inventoria and completely forgot existed, using it to hang Rei-shi by tying it to Scarlet-Deerhair Tatenashi as an impromptu lifeline.

"Think you can do it?"

"Probably... I'll be fine."

The light and heat erupting from the Great Severing Scar is irregular, but if you look down, spotting the warning signs is easy, and it erupts fairly frequently.

Normally, if something like this was being blasted off left and right, it would stand out like crazy... or so I thought, but thinking back carefully, this area was completely covered by the smoke billowing from the volcano. Would it stand out if seen from a different angle?

I slowly lower Rei-shi down from the edge of the cliff. As expected of the horse, maybe it realizes it's the lifeline connected to its master, because it doesn't seem to thrash around or try to shake it off.

Ten minutes after Rei-shi was lowered. Right when I started thinking we should probably pull her up once, and that trying to gloss over the time with idle chatter was reaching its limit, a light illuminates the bottom of the valley.

"It's here!!"

"───I sing of my black half."

O-Oh crap! Come to think of it, 【Zend-Avesta】 belongs to a magic system that strictly requires chanting!! No, this is bad, I'm pretty sure it was an insanely long chant. I'd better pull her u—

But Rei-shi did not stop chanting. No, she actually accelerated her flawless articulation even further...!!

"That which is dreamt of is the Abyssal Source, the black god standing aloof in arrogance. The throne is but one, the PrincipleReason is also but one. Thus, my right half is the Principle of Black."

The light swells—a clash between white and black. If one calls it a wound, then that is the white malice still tormenting the black god even now.

"I sing of my white half. That which is dreamt of is the Empyrean Heaven, the white god turning tyrant through greed. The whole is but one, the PrincipleReason is also but one. Thus, my left half is the Principle of White."

The light approaches; won't she make it in time!? While keeping myself ready to kick the horse's ass at a moment's notice, because Rei-shi, standing against the cliff wall despite being suspended, was staring forward without fear, I too kept my eyes glued to her back.

"The left and right of my body, the antinomy of the Twin ReasonsTwo Principles, are nevertheless borne by my single self. My right is the Principle of Erebos, my left is the Principle of Aether. Twin Reasons inverted, I manifest Taiji through the twin gods and my own body. Genesis, manifest, for my body is the boundary of Taiji. The one who reveals the Principles to the distant present world."

She won't make—

"Clash and devour my flesh, myth of the Twin Reasons!"

No, not yet!!

"Rei-shi!!"

"【Zend───"

The light was already closing in on the point of being unavoidable. But before the white and black light and heat could swallow Rei-shi, the fleshy Dragoon driving her fist into the sword stabbed into the wall was faster!!

"Avesta】!!!!"

Against the light of white and black, an identical light of white and black was smashed down.

One was the torrent of light erupting from the wound of a god, while opposing it was the mythology unleashed by a storyteller!!

Both were monochrome black and white, but as if tearing through the marbled pattern of light, a spiraling pattern of light surged ever forward. Like a drill excavating rock, piercing the light, devouring the light, and rolling the light into itself as it pushed onward, was 【Zend-Avesta】.

"...I see, so that's how it is! Saina! Standby there with the horse!!"

The sight of the light that had tried to erupt from the fissure in the earth being pushed back down, and what I saw beyond it, led my brain to the answer. While ordering Saina to standby beside Scarlet-Deerhair Tatenashi, I severed the rope with the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the HeroEska=Wallach that I could pull out the fastest.

"Heh..."

"Excuse me."

"Hehyeh!?"

There was no time to spare; if my prediction is correct... Rei-shi needs to go down. Absolutely not be pulled back up.

Catching Rei-shi—who fell after the lifeline was cut—by scooping her up into my arms, I started sprinting down the wall.

The truth of this world is always located "down below"!!

Author's Afterword

The heroine is incredibly good at tongue twisters; she can articulate a normal long paragraph flawlessly at 1.5x speed without biting her tongue.