With the Golden Flame, my physical abilities and senses are enhanced many times over.
I wonder if it’s because of that but when I went around Skoll and slashed his leg, I realized something.
It’s hard!
My magnified perception told me the absolute difference in our strength. Just by touching his armor, it became clear that my opponent’s core was so strong that it could not be shaken. My opponent is wearing a full-body armor. A full-body armor that is 3 meters tall.
If he bend down, there is almost no gap in the armor. Moreover, half of his body is always protected by his large black shield.
“Kuu”
In a desperate attempt I slashed at his knee. But even though I was the one who attacked, I felt a shock that almost shattered my wrist.
I feel hopeless, it was as if I am challenging the World Tree alone.
“Oh, a puppy.”
The giant’s eyes turned into crescent-shaped. Skoll raised the club in his right arm.
“You’re quite fast, aren’t you?”
A massive pillar-like mass spins before my eyes.
—It’s a storm.
If I am touched by that, my whole body will be shattered for sure.
“Rion, I’ll get his attention!”
Mia-san throws her chainaxe at Skoll right after saying that. Manipulating the chains, Mia entangles Skoll’s arms.
“Hoh~, what’s this?”
That was it. The Axeman’s ability, 【Immovable】 was easily defeated. Mia-san was even lifted up with her chains and was knocked to the ground.
“Gah!”
Skoll was completely gripping the chains.
“One more time!”
I wake up the spirit and I created a cushion of wind under Mia-san. I intervened between Mia-san and Skoll to block his combo attack.
“Heh~ Interesting!”
He raised his large shield, obscuring the night sky. The cobblestones shattered when it hit the ground. Countless stone shards attacked us. My forehead was cut and blood obscured my vision.
“Rion! Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah.”
Mia-san switched from her chainaxe to a hatchet.
Skoll did not received any damaged at all though. This time, he raised his club.
“Rion!”
“Get down, Mia-san!”
Skoll’s physical strength is unmatched. The air shakes as the rushing sound of his weapon echoed. I dodged the club’s horizontal slash and got closer to him.
My cowardly self whispered in my head to run away. But this is the Royal Capital. I couldn’t run away.
Stand up, stand up.
I can only shout that in my head.
『Strong—』
Solana then said in a trembling voice,
『Unseal me Rion. 』
“B-but, now is—”
『I can buy you some time. In the meantime, you and Mia can escape or regain your footing. 』
Skoll opened his mouth wide.
“Haha, Daughter of the Sun, your presence has become thicker!”
Skoll approaches us.
『Rion!』
At her urging, I did as Solana said.
The power of Alarm awakens the Goddes. Solana jumped out of the gold coin and stood between us and Skoll. Her golden bangle sparkle even at times like this.
“……It’s puzzling. Why are you helping this city?”
Solana did not respond. She emits light towards the wolves and towards Skoll. But the general let the Great Shield take on most of the light.
“The sun that destroys monsters huh. But……you’ve gotten weak, haven’t you? How funny, you don’t even realize how weak you are now.”
Skoll stretched his neck and approached Solana in one go. With a snap, his mouth opened up and he swallows half of Solana’s body.
My heart froze.
“Solana!”
Solana’s body regenerated instantly. But… at one point, half of her body was consumed by the darkness.
“I-, I’m fine.”
She said that, but her face looked super pale. Her usually shining golden hair was instantly infected by a black area. The golden color is struggling against the darkness.
The bangle glows and pushes back the dark color that affects her body. If it hadn’t been for that—she would have gone black and disappeared…… wouldn’t she?
Skoll licked his lips.
“Mm, I can see it. That’s some impressive magic, your memories—”
Under his helmet, his mouth curled into an eerie grin.
“The kindest and strongest?”
Then his manic laughter echoes through the air. His huge eyes looked at me.
“Heh~, look at what this is. This guy is a believer!?”
Thrusting his club into the ground, Skoll pointed at me.
“Tsk. Tsk. You weakling! Protecting someone!? Hah! I call it foolish!”
His parted mouth sneers at me.
“And…… skills you say? I get it. That’s what you call it now huh.”
The loud voice makes me feel like lightning has struck close by. My legs are trembling. But I’m too scared to even run away.
Skoll kept staring at me with his huge eyes.
“But that’s the power of the gods to begin with you know.”
The trump card hidden in my heart are revealed. One by one, they are carefully crushed.
“I’ve seen both your swordsmanship and her axe abilities. When the gods almost lose to us, they shared their power with their human minions. That’s what you call skill, right? Let me tell you, they spread the power of the gods among humans that way.”
When he said that, what came to my mind are the myths and things that appeared in the dungeon. Huge hammer. Sharp spears. Fight against gods and demons.
So Odis-sama spread the God’s power to humans?
“I see….…”
It’s not surprising when I think about it that way. So that’s also what it means when God and man meet. Skills are a gift from God.
Skoll grinned widely.
“The original gods couldn’t win, what more you people? There’s no way I, who defeated a god, can be defeated by mere mortals like you with the skills you received from the gods.”
Right. There’s no way I can win against him….
It’s an absolute logic that shuts down any objections. It is all true —because my opponent is stronger than God in the first place. In fact, with only one move, Solana was almost defeated earlier.
The Golden Flame is also about to run out of time.
“We…. we can’t win……”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Skoll grinning. Then I sensed the presence of monsters all around. The dark wolves had gathered—then the wargs—they are all howling.
Skoll snapped his fingers and then the monsters spread out to surround us. Skeletons, goblins and more monsters increased one after another.
“That’s right. You can’t win.”
I was despairing but then my heart heats up.
“No! Not yet….!”
No, I won’t accept it. I may be someone who is just being protected, but that is exactly why I must not back down now. My father left me a skill. My mother and Lu encouraged me and they are still waiting for me to return.
With the last minute of my ability, golden flame, I dodged the club that is swung down.
Move!
Go one step forward, even if it’s just one step.
Even though the weapon is gigantic, the way of using them are the same. There is always a safe area near his hand.
“I was protected…… but I’m not helpless!”
If I admitted it, everything I had worked so hard for would shatter into pieces. When I really wanted to cry, Lu and my mother gave me strength. That’s why I have to stand up for somebody—especially now when Solana is having a hard time.
“Hmph!”
Skoll raised his shield and slammed it into the ground at his feet. I escaped at the last minute, but a number of burning buildings collapsed just from the impact. The ground shook so much that I couldn’t stand.
“……Oi, Goddess, aren’t you sad too?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a total defeat you know. There’s nothing left but this crawling dog!”
Skoll continued.
“I’m here now. I’m going to take control of these monsters again.”
Solana glared back at the giant.
“Hmph! What do you mean by defeated?”
“……Huh?”
“We’re not defeated yet. Plus, we’re not left behind. We’re just starting anew.”
Solana healed our wounds with White Flame. It’s not a complete cure, but Mia-san and I manage to get back on our feet. I wish I could use my “Golden Flame” ability once more. My magical powers had dropped sharply.
“Tsk. So troublesome. Should I just go ahead and do it?”
Skoll clicked his tongue and looked somewhere. With the general’s howl as a signal, the monsters attacked us at once. Mia-san and I fought while protecting each other’s backs, but the siege is getting tighter by the minute.
“Then you can be eaten, like the sun at that time!”
Swish!
At that moment, something was thrown in front me. I grasped it reflexively. It was a darkened and rusty object, but I felt a strange magical power in it. The appraisal ability under my Alarm skill told me what it is.
“Horn—?”
Then on top of one of the burnt house, a gray robe fluttered.
| Skill『Alarm』was used. Executing 【Unseal】. Gjallarhorn has been unsealed. |
“Rion, watch out! What’s wrong!?”
Mia-san’s axe stops the monsters that are rushing at me.
I quickly fought back again. But there are too many of them. They just keep on coming. Just as we can’t stop it, new adventurers stood in the way of unstoppable monsters.
There’s an emblem of a pair of ravens on their back. The dark-haired man looked back to me.
—The Raven Warriors in the Eastern Dungeon are protecting us.
“Sorry for the delay…… we were at the bottom of the Eastern Dungeon.”
The man puts his hand on the horn I am holding. He was the one who ordered us to go back from that unexplored area last time.
“You can use it.”
For some reason, the horn that was pressed against me was very hot.
“This is ….…”
“How should I say this, well, it was your father who originally found it.”
Then a voice could be heard from the horn, which had been awakened by my unseal ability. It was as clear as the voices of the other gods, but much stronger than them.
| ――Hohoh~, This was surprising! I never thought my horn would blow again! |
I saw a big hand reach out of the clouds and I felt it patting my head.
| ――And it’s a child. A child with the right heart! |
The voice and vision disappeared immediately afterwards. That big hand and the voice might be an illusion that I saw for a moment. But the shining horn in my hand was telling me that it was not.
I took a deep breath.
Then I breathed into the horn. A rainbow hung over the dark sky shortly afterwards. The rainbow connects towards the north, south, east, and west part of the city. The rays headed in the direction of the four dungeons in the Royal Capital.
| Skill『Alarm』was used. Executing 【Unseal】. |
The sound of a horn echoed throughout the area.
Monsters weren’t the only ones sealed away in the dungeon. I remembered the being that had been sealed in the ice that is facing Skoll.
Soon, thunder sounded like the laughter of a giant god.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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