Chapter 52
Chapter 52
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Roze and Lirian (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kkiiigik.
An unpleasant noise accompanied a massive finger tearing through space behind Lirian's back.
The finger pointed at Cecilia.
[You... I will never forgive you!]
A sinister mark appeared above her head.
The 'Gaze' pattern signaling the start of phase two. From now on, those two's attacks would focus on Cecilia.
I thought it would land on me, but it seemed they were pretty pissed about getting hit in phase one.
Even with the Gaze on her, Cecilia just shrugged her shoulders with slightly relaxed eyes.
"Don't worry. I can block it."
Right. Let's do this.
Roze and Lirian's turn.
Lirian grabbed Roze's leg and began spinning ferociously like a top in place.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!!
The spin quickly gained speed, creating a massive vortex centered on the two.
A movement impossible for a living body.
A grotesque dance possible only for soul-infused dolls.
Roze and Lirian's ultimate move, the 'Dance of Annihilation.'
The vortex soon began firing saw blades infused with demonic energy in all directions.
I deflected the saw blades while urgently shouting.
"Cecilia!"
Before the words were even out, she was moving away from me.
The Dance of Annihilation was a technique that unleashed five area attacks, then propelled Roze herself as a projectile with rotational force.
If even one saw blade hit, you couldn't dodge the following four attacks, so all had to be blocked.
The finisher flew at the Gaze target, so I'd instructed Cecilia to immediately create distance if she got marked.
The Serpent Belly Sword dragged along the ground as her feet moved.
'With a Serpent Belly Sword... Did she awaken Kalligo in the meantime?'
Kalligo transformed the weapon into a Serpent Belly Sword and boasted overwhelmingly higher attack power than Lumen.
But I'd never seen Cecilia wield a Serpent Belly Sword normally.
'Is she okay?'
Dispelling my worries, Cecilia gracefully dodged the afterimages of the saw blades falling at her feet.
The moment she leaped into the air to evade the final one.
[Lirian! Now!]
[Haat!]
Roze, at maximum rotational speed, shot toward airborne Cecilia like a bullet.
The spear gleamed under the chandelier light.
Cecilia flicked her wrist, and the Serpent Belly Sword whipped out like a ribbon.
Kakang!
[You... you bastard...!]
"Kh."
The Serpent Belly Sword coiled around her like armor and lightly blocked Roze's spear.
Kwaang!!
But unable to fully negate the impact, Cecilia plummeted to the floor.
Meanwhile, Roze rebounded off the wall back to Lirian's side.
That ended their turn.
Cecilia's turn came next.
She immediately rose, pushing through the debris.
"Hehe. That stung a bit."
'...No, it hurt a lot.'
Her lips curved in a smile, but her condition was far from normal.
Unlike her overwhelming presence against Lirian in phase one, her body was covered in bloodstains.
A dangerous amount of bleeding at a glance. Untreated, her life was at risk.
One arm was charred black from black flames, and her whole body trembled like a leaf.
Kalligo's power was tremendous, but Lumen's recovery effect was negligible in comparison.
I could feel a timer ticking in my head.
'End it quickly.'
Tick-tock.
I wasn't the only one who sensed it.
Cecilia shot forward, kicking off the ground.
The Serpent Belly Sword swept in a wide arc.
Her Arts with the most hits, White Heron Sword Dance, enhanced by black magic, struck the two dolls.
Kwaduduk!
[Kyaaak!]
[Again... this technique again?!]
With rattling noises, damage icons appeared above the two dolls' heads.
My turn.
I leaped into the battlefield as well.
Four weaknesses needed to whittle Roze to half health.
But with the condition of taking them down simultaneously, that became eight.
That meant five turns needed. Even considering Cecilia's attack power, at least four turns.
Enduring the Dance of Annihilation four times.
'In Cecilia's current state, impossible.'
No other way. I had to trust her and do what I could.
I carved one weakness each into Roze and Lirian, then immediately retreated.
But before I could fully exit their attack range, the dance of death began anew.
Deflecting incoming saw blades mid-stumble was nearly impossible.
Seogeok! Seogeok!
I managed the first three somehow, but ate the last two.
'...Shit!'
Blood spurted from the diagonal gash across my chest.
While I was sprawled on the ground, Roze's body slam predictably targeted the Gaze-marked Cecilia.
Kwa-gwang!!
Cecilia defended with her Serpent Belly Sword again but was flung back, vomiting blood from the shock.
Agony spreading through my body made my head ring.
"Huuk... huuk..."
I couldn't believe we were only at the end of act two in this five-act performance.
Yet the turns marched on mercilessly.
Cecilia's turn.
She staggered to her feet.
Wiping blood from her lips with her sleeve, her eyes burned with even deeper madness.
"This is fun... really fun."
She swung the Serpent Belly Sword once more.
Black magic battered the twins' bodies, but without prior power.
The bleeding and internal injuries were clearly eating away at her strength.
My turn followed her attack.
'...This won't work.'
Cecilia had at most one more turn, maybe two.
Beyond that, her survival wasn't guaranteed. We had to drop them within that.
My mind raced through tens of thousands of scenarios.
'Radiant Fang with Stormwind Path. Or chain Breakers...'
No matter how I crunched it, damage fell short.
Only one possibility.
'...Dual Arts. Nothing else.'
It cost an extra turn, no guarantee of success, and unknown what it even was.
Carve one more weakness each for three total.
If Dual Arts had enough power to finish, we had a shot.
If not, or if it wasn't offensive, game over.
A life-or-death gamble on luck.
Then, I recalled the message from before phase two.
[Party Bonus: Goddess of Luck]
[When partying with Cecilia Ren, the user receives powerful upward correction on all probabilistic elements.]
It wasn't suddenly activating. It had been, but now I could see it.
I looked at Cecilia.
'No way she was a real luck totem.'
She'd said variables don't always disadvantage.
And ultimately, she'd overcome her trauma by will, turning variable to constant.
'Yeah. Who knows.'
I gritted my teeth and carved the second weakness into each.
Roze and Lirian's turn.
Once more, the dance of death began.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa—!
"Kuh...!"
My vision blurred, body screaming.
Cecilia took the finisher too, crashing into debris. The Serpent Belly Sword couldn't fully protect her anymore.
"Haa... haa..."
The blue gem above her head flickered on the brink.
Meanwhile, Roze and Lirian spoke.
[Hoo. Annoying. But it's over now.]
[For a mortal to challenge God's servant—foolish from the start.]
Lirian looked down at Cecilia coldly.
[You'd show real pain, you said. This is it?]
Roze aimed her spear at my heart.
[Don't worry. Your brothers' deaths won't be in vain. Your flesh becomes beautiful wax dolls, souls offerings to the Great One.]
[We'll grant you the honor of staying here with us forever.]
I let their words flow past as I eyed desperately breathing Cecilia.
Now her turn.
If she could just push through, we'd get our chance.
Then somehow, really somehow, endure one more attack...
As if rewarding my hope, Cecilia raised her hand and swung the Serpent Belly Sword.
But this strike didn't graze their clothes.
Instead, a stone chip on the blade tip flew up, scratching Roze's cheek.
Wax trickled down like blood.
[Eek...!! To the end...!! You know it's futile?! Resistance means kneeling before greater power!]
[No use struggling.]
[Hope, justice... naive thoughts led you here. Like us before!]
[So watch closely. This is your world's truth. Your journey—mere pathetic reenactment of our despair.]
[Right here...!!]
Seogeok!
I skipped the clichéd dialogue, carving the third weakness into Roze's back.
[Weak!]
Doing the same to Lirian's back, their faces froze.
Whatever they spouted, none of my business.
So what? Not important now.
My turn—that's what mattered.
Finishing my turn, I rushed to Cecilia and supported her body.
Faint breaths reached my ear.
'What now.'
Three weaknesses complete.
But no next turn for us.
Had to end this one, but their skipped lines had them seething.
'No choice.'
I hoisted Cecilia on my back and aimed my sword at them.
Max out Last Guard and endure somehow.
That's when.
"Halibal..."
"Yeah?"
"...Let's go."
We can't.
Not our turn.
Lifting my head in disbelief, an unbelievable sight.
The red gems above Roze and Lirian faintly dimming.
Instead, a massive blue gem loomed over Cecilia's head.
Looking closer, another icon beside the damage ones above the two bosses.
A snail-shaped icon.
[Reduces opponent's fluidity with a certain probability.]
'Ah.'
The slow effect, never procced before, triggered on both strikes just now.
Unlike damage's 25%, slow's probability was much lower, so ignored strategically.
But it hit perfectly now.
Applied to both bosses simultaneously.
Jester's Sword effect shifted their turn order between Cecilia and me.
Original 'Roze&Lirian → Cecilia → Me' became 'Cecilia → Roze&Lirian.'
Only then did I see her faint smile toward me.
My Goddess of Luck.
Gathering all remaining strength, I shouted.
"Cecilia!!"
No need for me to use Dual Arts.
[Use Dual Arts?]
[Activation consumes an additional turn.]
Cecilia nodded, as if understanding.
That instant, gray and black flashes erupted from our bodies.
Kwaang!!
The two lights pierced the ballroom ceiling, etching a new star cluster under the dawn sky.
Our two gems merged into one massive crystal.
I felt the aura of time.
An ethereal sensation like first acquiring Chrono Dive enveloped me.
A voice echoed.
The forgotten girl's voice.
『May time's blessing fill your new choice.』
Guided by space-time, I leaped onto the stage where the two monsters stood.
Cecilia mounted the opposite stage.
Soon, we faced each other with Roze and Lirian in the center.
[W-what?!]
[Struggling to the end?]
I felt their panic.
Then, Cecilia's Serpent Belly Sword reverted to its longsword form.
Kalligo's pitch-black magic receded, Lumen's pure white filling the blade.
We aimed our longswords at the two.
Then simultaneously, as if one body, we thrust into their flesh.
Kwaduk!
The blades pierced deep through wax into flesh.
Seogeok!
We withdrew and slashed across simultaneously.
[Weak!]
Stardust burst from the wounds instead of wax.
[Eeeek...! Daring to touch our bodies...!]
[We won't forgive this!!]
I ignored their outrage.
Focused only on the message before me.
[Dual Arts - Halibal & Cecilia]
[Stardust]
[Expends all remaining health to unleash a flurry.]
Expend all health.
Realizing it, life force drained from my body.
The life force became gray flames gathering on the blade.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
Our voices overlapped as one.
The signal.
Gray slashes and white strikes filled the ballroom.
Each attack's momentary gap filled by the other.
Dual-colored sword trails wove a dense net of light over their flesh.
[Kyaaaak...!]
[T-this... impossible...!]
The monsters couldn't even scream properly.
Their vision filled only with dazzling star fragments flying endlessly.
Each sword cut sprinkled brilliant stardust.
Finally, thousands of stars merged into one massive flash.
Cecilia and I swung in perfect unison.
Kwaaaaang!!
With the falling twin blades, a blinding flash devoured the ballroom.
[Weak!]
Dust settled on battered Roze and Lirian.
[Kuh... kuh... now... our turn...?]
[We won't... forgive...!]
No.
Lumen grains scattered at their feet.
Flurry remnants.
Some seeped into Cecilia and me with warm healing light.
[...Ah.]
[...No way?]
They knew from the Alain fight what those grains did.
I crushed their hope.
"Not over yet."
With those words, Cecilia's sword flew toward me, slicing across.
I'd already thrown mine at her.
Teop.
We swapped weapons midair.
The dawn's dance continued once more.