Episode 26

The arrows of light Luke released――Divine Arrow――pierced through the darkness as they closed in on Zeke. Zeke dodged them with the minimum necessary movement and closed the distance all at once.

No matter how skilled a mage was at handling magic, there was a momentary opening immediately after activating a spell. Precisely because Zeke handled magic himself, he understood that weakness and struck it accurately.

“Tch, is the title of knight just a bluff?”

“You’re the last person I want to hear that from!”

Zeke had dodged the arrows of light. He had assumed they were spells that had slipped from Luke’s control, but from outside his awareness, the light arrows approached again. He stopped his assault on Luke and focused on evading the spells.

The light arrows pursued him relentlessly. No matter how many times he dodged them, they curved and returned to Zeke again. If it had been a single arrow, he could deal with it and be done, but there were multiple, and each one moved independently. In the original work, Divine Arrow had no tracking function.

“Light Sword!”

Luke’s position had not changed. But in his hand, he held a shining magical sword.

A knight who used Double Cast as though it were natural. His ability rivaled that of a mage.

Luke swept the magical sword from a distance. In accordance with the sword’s movement, which ignored mass, the arrows of light also changed their motion.

It felt as though Zeke was facing many people at once. He was forced to evade into the air.

“Normally, this would have been checkmate. ……But you’re not normal.”

Ice footholds appeared in the air. Using them, Zeke raced through the sky in every direction. He lured the light arrows into detonating against each other, canceled them out with magic, and carved up the light sword with his own blade. Before he realized it, every Divine Arrow targeting Zeke had vanished.

“An impressive bit of acrobatics, but if it does not hit, it cannot become a threat.”

He would not bother taking an attack he could dodge. Light-element magic possessed the property of “ignoring defense.” How much the people of this world understood about the original settings was unknown, but that was no reason for Hiroto, who understood the game system, not to make effective use of it. There was no need to fight fair and square.

“Where are you looking?”

“Kh……?!”

Sensing a presence, Luke turned around. But there was no one there, and Zeke standing in his original position entered his sight.

He had not teleported with teleportation magic. He had merely moved with Zeke’s original explosive power and physical ability.

Zeke was so fast that Luke mistook it for teleportation. It was not because Luke lacked ability, but simply because Zeke was too strong.

To begin with, Zeke and Luke were different in terms of innate talent. Zeke had top-class aptitude in both sword and magic. There were likely circumstances of the game system and scenario involved, but in terms of combat, it became a major advantage.

In addition, the current Zeke had power beyond the original work. He had Glanz’s magic, teleportation magic, Ciel’s power, sacred arts, and Van’s secret technique, Flame Demon. Life Convert and Life Absorber had risks, but they were cheat-class. Ancient magic like Cold Realm Summoning had already broken the system. If a character like this had been implemented in the original work, complaints would have flooded in.

Of course, with Hiroto’s personality, the idea of playing fair had never existed from the start. Things like standing out too much or not wanting to stir up trouble were nothing but the height of waste. He would use everything he could use. Zeke’s talent, the main characters’ powers, and his knowledge of the original work.

If he had not used all of it, Hiroto probably would not have survived this far.

――However, for some reason, only in this moment, he wanted to fight with Zeke’s power alone. Without relying on other powers, he wanted to fight Luke as Hiroto, as Zeke.

“What is wrong? Is that all? Was your worth only that much?”

“……You sound quite relaxed.”

“Of course. I am more special than anything else in this world.”

The young knight readied his magical sword again. Before the gap between them, sweat flowed down Luke’s forehead.

Zeke moved between heaven and earth as he pleased.

Even the reach that made use of the Light Sword’s characteristics could not reach Zeke as he raced across the ground at high speed. The many varieties of magic Luke was proud of could not catch Zeke as he soared through the sky. On top of that, Zeke’s harsh assault attacked Luke without pause.

“Holy Lance!”

“Ice Javelin.”

The spear of light and the spear of ice collided violently. Although Luke had begun chanting first, Zeke, who had moved afterward, manifested his spell at the same time.

His opponent was watching Luke’s movements, selecting the most suitable magic, and canceling out Luke’s power. The difference in ability between the two was clearly showing.

After activating magic, stiffness inevitably came. There were individual differences, but even an excellent mage could not fully overcome it. ……That should have been the case, yet Zeke moved around freely and closed the distance that magic had forced open in an instant.

“Guh……”

“……”

Sparks scattered violently, and the sound of metal rang out. Their swords clashed together.

The sword Luke held was the standard one supplied by the Knight Order. The special sword he had received from his best friend was broken.

A fierce exchange of sword blows continued, as if they were clashing their claims against each other. Each sword technique felt like a mirror image because they had the same sword teacher. On top of that, Zeke mixed in his own originals. ――Even with the sword, his opponent was superior.

“Saint Pillar!”

Luke activated the magic he had prepared during their sword exchange. He suppressed the flow of mana until the last possible moment so that his opponent would not see through it, then amplified it all at once.

To oppose a genius like Zeke, he had no choice but to polish fine techniques. In terms of magical power and mana quantity, he could not compete no matter what.

Zeke was swallowed by the pillar of light that appeared from the geometric magic circle. No matter how high his magic resistance was, if he took it head-on without defense, it should deal damage. Luke then prepared the next spell, and the one after that.

Double Cast. This too was a technique he had learned from Zeke.

“Not bad. But your opponent is me.”

The pillar of light vanished in an instant. Luke’s magic was erased by the wave of mana released from Zeke. There was no technique in it, only simple brute force. It felt as though he had been clearly told that an ordinary person’s efforts were no threat.

“Have you noticed? You seem pleased with yourself for Double Cast――but I can wield power beyond Triple Casting.”

Ice pillars jutted out of the ground as if to obstruct Luke’s actions.

A sudden cold from inside his body dulled his movements.

An ice hammer appeared above his head and closed in to crush Luke.

(From construction to chanting to activation. Everything is fast……)

Luke created multiple light swords and wielded them without directly gripping them. He received the ice hammer, cut apart the ice pillars, and blew away the cold air around him.

(Continuous use of this much magic. Normally, mental wear and mana consumption would exhaust someone immediately…… How should I attack?)

“I do not believe you have the leisure to think.”

“――Damn?!”

“Scatter. Shock Pulse.”

Pressure came from behind him. Before Luke could move even one step, the technique exploded.

Luke took the impact directly and was blown back toward the entrance area while shattering the ice pillars. Because of the disturbance in his mana, all of the magic he had prepared scattered away.

(My body…… won’t move.)

Shock Pulse. A physical technique that inflicted impact on the inside and outside of the opponent’s body. Precisely because it was a technique he had created together with Zeke, Luke knew its power. Once he took the attack, his brain was shaken and his mana was disturbed. To those who handled magic, it was a terrifying technique.

“Kh…… not yet. I’m……”

“So no matter how much power you gain, in the end, you are only an individual……”

Zeke muttered something while heading toward the altar. Even though Luke could not hear it clearly, he somehow understood. ――That disappointment was contained in those words.

(Am I going to lose again……?)

No matter which memories he searched through, he had never defeated Zeke, not even taken a single point from him. There was probably a simple difference in ability too. In terms of talent, it was not even worth discussing. ……But now, he clearly understood, understood all too well, that the greatest difference was the difference in resolve.

It did not matter if he was hated or criticized by the entire country. No matter what anyone said, he would carry through his own conviction. That was why Zeke was strong. Even if his heart hurt, he continued moving forward. That was the human being called Zeke Lagias. The figure of the best friend Luke admired.

(I don’t want this…… I don’t want Zeke to make such a pained expression anymore.)

Zeke never spoke weakness. But inside his heart, he was screaming in grief. Luke hated that, and he should have chosen the path of a knight because he wanted to become his best friend’s strength. Why had it turned out like this? What was tormenting Zeke? Why had he chosen to leave Zeke’s side?

(I don’t want this. I don’t want this. I don’t want this. I don’t want to leave Zeke alone anymore.)

His vision would not settle. His body would not move.

Zeke would go on ahead. He could not accept that. He did not want to accept it.

(Move, move, move. What are you going to do if you don’t stand now…… It has to be now. I’m not Luke Hartmann the knight. I’m……)

“……Z-Zeke.”

His consciousness faded. His vision worsened.

What surfaced in Luke’s mind were memories from long ago. He remembered the sight of his boyhood, when he desperately chased after Zeke’s back.

Just before he let go of consciousness, he felt a warm power from the sword Zeke wore at his waist.

“Force of Grande.”

Luke was covered in holy light that cut through the dark night.

Zeke’s eyes widened. Zeke, who had not changed his expression up until now, showed emotion for the first time.

“So it comes here……”

There had been two times in the past when he had felt wrapped in omnipotence. During the enlistment exam, and when he fought Rovinz.

He had not understood what had happened to him. But what they had in common was that he had strongly wished not to lose something.

(My body was so heavy, but now it moves freely.)

Luke stood up.

There was no need to understand the logic. He would use anything he could use. To stand beside him this time for sure.

Zeke drew his sword again. Apparently, he had recognized Luke as a threat.

“I can still…… fight.”

“……Then show me your resistance.”

Zeke clad himself in cold mana like armor. A pressure Luke had never felt before. Was this Zeke’s seriousness?

“……You really are a troublesome one.”

White radiance and blue light crossed and traced paths. Without falling behind Luke, who moved at light speed, Zeke kept up with him.

Ground battle and aerial battle. Sword and magic. They clashed without either side backing down.

“Thousand Swords!”

Cold, freezing swords. Thousands upon thousands of ice swords appeared above Luke’s head and rained down. A rain of swords filled the space. Dodging it would be nearly impossible――for anyone except Luke.

Luke raced through as if weaving between the swords. He avoided them without directly touching them, sometimes deflecting them with light swords as he advanced. Even a graze would allow the cold air to rob him of bodily freedom.

“Haaaaa!”

“Do not underestimate me!”

Luke closed in on Zeke, who danced through the air. They struck fiercely at each other with the swords they held. In the middle of their exchange of sword techniques, they also deployed magic at the same time and competed for the advantage. ――A battle beyond the domain of humans unfolded.

“Moonlit Strike!”

Zeke’s physical technique drew an arc. His leg, raised high, was brought down toward Luke.

Luke swung his sword through to knock it back. However, the sound of metal rang out mercilessly. The sword supplied by the Knight Order broke cleanly in two.

“Light Sword!”

In place of the broken sword, Luke immediately generated a magical sword and caught Zeke’s sword blow. It was a heavy strike, but the current Luke could handle it.

The talent inherited from Brink, a master of magical swords. The experience gained from continuing to chase the back of Zeke, a genius. The situation in which his abilities had risen dramatically due to his awakened state. All of these overlapped, and Luke had greatly exceeded his limits.

“Arc Ray!”

“Earth Eisen!”

Attack and defense had reversed from before.

The icebergs jutting from the ground pierced the rain of light released from the magic circles that appeared in the air. Due to the collision between spells, a storm raged, and his vision was dyed black.

“Hah, hah……”

“……”

Objectively, it would look as though they were unfolding an even battle. But there had been a process and battle leading up to this point. The difference in their ability, the difference in their base strength, was showing.

“Guh…… I’ll decide it with this strike!”

Luke raised his light sword to the heavens. He gathered the light he wore, all the light around him, into the sword. Literally, the next attack would be the last.

“You did well. But…… you chose the wrong opponent.”

In contrast to Luke, Zeke quietly readied his sword. There was nothing flashy about it. Mana compressed to its utmost limit surged forth.

“Saint Caliber!!”

“――Ice Blade.”

Their wills, their pride, and the feelings they could not yield became power and burst.

Zeke and Luke were swallowed by light.

The light that had filled the ruins settled.

When visibility returned, Luke was collapsed on the ground, and Zeke stood quietly.

“Time ran out…… is that it? Well, it does not matter. Everything was too late.”

Luke seemed to be conscious, but he could not stand up.

“……Tch, this can’t be used anymore.”

Perhaps because it could not withstand the impact, the sword Zeke held was heavily damaged. He threw it away on the spot and looked at the altar.

“Not…… yet!”

“Persistent!”

A light sword that seemed to have been generated by wringing out Luke’s remaining mana. Perhaps seeing Zeke’s discarded sword as an opportunity, Luke closed in. However, Zeke had the sword Masfelt had forced on him. He threw it at once, and Luke, reacting, deflected it with his light sword.

The sword flew through the air and pierced into the altar. ……From Zeke’s perspective, that instant was enough. He delivered a heavy fist to Luke, whose posture had broken.

“?! Gah……”

The light sword scattered, and Luke fell to one knee.

As expected, that seemed to have been the last of his mana. His stamina had also bottomed out.

“Understand already. You cannot reach me.”

“……”

Perhaps he had no leeway to speak, as large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and he wore a pained expression. Even so, only the color of his eyes had not changed. ――He had not yet broken.

(What is with this guy? Why is he so fixated on Zeke?)

If one considered the relationship between Zeke and Fonsell in the original work, the reason for obsession was understandable. But in this world, no such fateful connection existed between the two. Brink was alive without dying, and while there were suspicions, Masfelt had not been killed either. ……It made no sense.

(No, there’s no need to think about unnecessary things. I just need to destroy the altar in the back, and it’s over.)

He gathered mana in his right hand and constructed magic.

With this one strike, everything would end. It would finally end. Hiroto’s long journey. This shitty reality.

“?! What is this……”

The mana he had gathered to use magic would not settle. On the contrary, the mana inside his body rapidly vanished.

(Is this Luke’s doing…… no, it’s not. This is Mana Demand?!)

The exact opposite of Mana Supply, Mana Demand caused Zeke’s mana to disappear before his eyes. The destination of the mana was the altar, which seemed to be the foundation of the necromancy.

Zeke was struck by fatigue all at once. For the bodies of this world’s humans, mana was capital. If it was lost, stamina would also be consumed in conjunction, and if one forced out mana beyond that, one would shave away one’s life.

(This situation wasn’t in the game.)

His thoughts were disturbed by the unforeseen situation. That was why he could not notice it. ――The attack of a main character struggling with grit.

He was blown away by an impact to his face. Only after a little while did he understand. He had been punched.

“I took…… one point.”

Luke breathed hard. He was barely standing as he directed a strong gaze at Zeke.

Perhaps judging that it was no longer meaningful, he stripped off the armor that had become battered from the battle. In the light figure of only his knight uniform, he declared:

“The one who wins in the end…… is me.”

“Do not…… get carried away.”

Van and the others were freed after the effect of Invalid Room disappeared. As initially discussed, there was no rematch, and everyone proceeded together toward the deepest part of the ruins. The group reached the lowest level without any particular trouble. ……If one had to say something, it was only that Aaron had run down the stairs while taking incomprehensible poses.

“What exactly is this……”

“Those two.”

Traces of battle remained in the deepest space of the ruins. Cold air filled the entire space, and parts of the walls and floor were gouged out. Two different kinds of mana traces…… probably Zeke’s and Luke’s. The sight of the two still clashing fiercely entered their eyes.

“To think they really are fighting.”

“You were the one who said that.”

Eris retorted to Yorn’s wry smile.

The two were already battered. Perhaps they had lost their weapons, as they were striking each other with their fists. Judging from the situation, their mana had bottomed out, and they had almost no stamina left either. What remained was only stubborn pride.

“What the hell are those guys doing……”

“Men speak with their fists. Isn’t that passionate?”

Aaron acted proud while Van was bewildered. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the two.

“Don’t stop them, Ciel. It’s better to settle things clearly without leaving bad blood.”

“……I understand.”

There was no technique there.

They used each other’s fists and punched each other. There were no precise attacks, only swinging their arms through. They had no leeway to dodge or defend. The two who had lost mana and stamina looked like amateurs unused to fighting, desperately struggling.

Blood flowed from Zeke’s mouth, and Luke’s face was bruised blue. Both were breathing heavily from their shoulders. But neither stopped. Neither could stop.

There was no beauty in the sight of two young men punching each other. They swung their fists with muddy, forceful effort. It was nothing more than a clash of stubborn pride against stubborn pride.

“……How unexpected. I expected Luke Hartmann would not even be an opponent.”

“The altar in the back. Some kind of power is stealing Zeke-san’s mana…… This is……”

Luke’s right straight punch caught Zeke in the face, but at the same time, Zeke’s fist also hit Luke. While both bent back, they continued exchanging blows. Neither retreated.

“G-Go! Don’t lose! Zeke!”

“Kratz…… you……”

There was no technique, nor was it refined martial skill. They would defeat the opponent and carry through their own will, feelings, and stubborn pride.

It was nothing more than selfish violence. There was no justice or evil. ――But they were captivated. They felt something hot in the sight of the two fighting desperately. Their hearts were drawn in. Their souls were shaken.

“Luke! Blow away that self-absorbed bastard!”

“?! Aren’t you on Zeke’s side?!”

“……If seen in a broad definition, I’m also Luke’s superior.”

Yorn gave his theory that, although the Knight Order and Mage Corps were different organizations, they were still both the same national military. Van muttered that it was sophistry. ――But even Van could not take his eyes off the two.

“……Zeke. Eliminate that blond.”

“Please do your best, both of you!”

Cheers, jeers, and occasionally words filled with desire flew about. What they all had in common was the will to watch their battle to the end. No one intended to interfere with Zeke and Luke. In the deepest part of the ruins spread a world that belonged only to the two of them.

“Kh…… persistent. Just…… disappear already.”

“Hah, hah, you’re the last person…… I want to hear that from, stubborn as you are.”

Zeke received Luke’s rough technique and launched a counter. Luke fell backward. But he still did not collapse. He slowly rose. He stood up any number of times.

While staggering, Luke broke into a run, and the fistfight began again. Their straightforward contest without tricks continued.

“What do you want……? Disappear…… from before my eyes.”

“That’s…… impossible. Because you…… are……”

The two created many blue bruises and shed blood, yet they did not stop fighting. Neither backed down nor yielded.

Perhaps Luke had lost the use of his dominant hand, as his right arm dangled limply. Meanwhile, perhaps because Zeke had injured his leg, he barely moved from the spot.

Both were wounded all over. It was close to a miracle that they were merely standing. It was truly a death match.

“You’re…… my best friend. It doesn’t matter…… what you think.”

“…………I see. Then…… sink for my sake.”

Zeke and Luke drew their arms back wide. They poured everything into the next strike. They wrung out their last strength and slammed it into the opponent.

To become alone. To stand beside him. To obtain the future they desired. They fought.

Their fists crossed――just before that. The altar at the deepest part of the Hidden-World Ruins glowed dully. Everyone’s gazes gathered on the unknown power…… the necromancy they felt. Zeke and Luke had also stopped moving.

“This presence and this mana are…… could it be?!”

Something gathered in the sword stabbed into the altar. The invisible something took the form of a person and manifested once again in this world. That figure was an existence known by anyone living in the Kingdom of Diabalet. The strongest swordsman who had colored an era was summoned into the present world.

“Grandpa…… why?”

Glanz could not hide his agitation. Van was dumbfounded. No one could understand the situation, and they were shaken. Even Zeke’s eyes were opened wide.

The ruins were wrapped in silence. While everyone stood still, the spirit began to move.

“You fooooooooooool!!”

A roar echoed, and thunder struck.