Encounter with Unrestrained Kashabella
An encounter with Kashabella without her suppressor.
My hair stood on end for a moment—then a thought struck me.
What do we have to feel guilty about?
Nothing.
Right. We'd been startled by her sudden appearance, but there was no reason for us to be afraid of Kashabella.
So I decided to face her head-on.
"Ah, Lady Kashabella? It seems there may be some misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding have I made?"
"It rather seemed as though you thought we'd been caught plotting something."
"And you're saying that wasn't the case?"
"Yes."
Perhaps my approach worked. My confident demeanor took some of the edge off Kashabella's presence.
"Then what were you doing here?"
"Treasure hunting."
"Treasure hunting?"
"Yes. Lady Ellie discovered the location where Founder Merlin's legacy was hidden. I was helping her search for it."
Are you sure you should be telling her that?
For now, yes.
Honestly, I didn't want to say it either.
But—
I followed you because I wondered where you were scurrying off to like a rat, and look what interesting business you've been up to. And with Falaon's little rat, no less.
Kashabella already suspects us.
Those flickering red eyes were proof enough. Dispelling that suspicion was the priority for now.
In other words, the Founder's legacy was bait to redirect Kashabella's train of thought.
And it seemed my intention got through. A gleam of interest lit her eyes.
"The Founder's legacy?"
"Yes. Do you see this? What's inside this box is the Founder's legacy."
"Step aside. I'll examine it myself."
"Of course."
I stepped aside, discreetly tucking the rings into my coat as I did. I also checked on Ellie—and sure enough, I'd done right to secure the rings.
Ellie is… completely out of it.
I see.
From the moment Kashabella appeared, Ellie had been in near-total panic.
So we waited a moment while Kashabella inspected the legacy.
Honestly, the best outcome would be if Kashabella is satisfied with those platinum coins…
Just in case, prepare yourself.
For what?
To put on the rings.
The Ancestor seemed to be anticipating a fight. But I thought differently.
Kashabella may be an utterly hopeless golden child, but would she really go that far?
Unless her paranoia flared up, I didn't think she'd attack me without any justification.
And then—
"At last… I've found it. I've waited so very long."
"Lady Kashabella?"
The aura of Kashabella, who had been staring at the box as if entranced, turned strange. How to put it—it was as if she'd become a completely different person.
"You. Arch's descendant. Where have you stashed the rings?"
"I don't understand what you mean. My lady, are you all right?"
Kashabella didn't answer my question. Instead, she turned toward me with a creaking, stiff motion, like someone whose body had locked up after infection by a zombie virus.
And the moment our eyes met, the Ancestor spoke.
It's Inoxia.
What?
Who?
Inoxia, I said! Put on the rings—no, raise your shield!
The instant I heard those words, every hair on my body stood on end. I reflexively raised Kracion, the shield slung across my back, and covered myself.
The thunderous crash came right after.
BOOM—!
There was no pain. Just a mind-numbing roar that left me dazed.
What on earth just happened?
A voice reached me then.
"So you really are Arch's descendant. Quite sharp for a necromancer. Or is it that I simply can't handle this body properly… Hmm. Either way, it hardly matters."
Grab.
Kashabella—no, Inoxia, who had seized her body—clutched the shield.
"Son of a—"
I tried to hold on somehow, but the strength of Kashabella possessed by Inoxia was overwhelming.
Golgol—!
Tik!
Golgol and Tiktak rushed in belatedly, but it wasn't enough.
"How bothersome."
With nothing more than a casual sweep of one arm from where she stood, Golgol and Tiktak's Minitons shattered and scattered. Meanwhile, her other hand still gripped the shield.
I tried to hold on, but it was futile. At last the shield was forced down, and the moment our eyes met—
"Out of consideration for old times, I won't kill you."
Inoxia's fist came crashing toward my face.
She wouldn't kill me?
That's what she said, but my instincts were screaming a warning.
I'm going to die—!
If that iron fist connected, I was definitely done for.
Just as I braced for the end, something came barreling over me!
"Ghk…!"
Like getting tackled in a football game, I went flying helplessly. It saved my life, but a question immediately followed.
What was that? Who?
The answer was simple.
"Hah, hah… P-Prince Khtun. R-run…"
"Lady Ellie?"
That's right. My dear sister-in-law had saved me.
This is why family is wonderful, isn't it?
Shut up and duck!
I ducked without hesitation. A whoosh of wind swept over my head.
I glanced up and saw Kashabella finishing a kick—no, Inoxia—no, Inoxia occupying Kashabella's body, so let's call her Kanoxia.
Kanoxia stood there.
"I meant to send you off in one blow, yet you dodged again."
"You absolute bastard?"
So she really had been trying to kill me?
Inoxia is cunning. Never take the words from her mouth at face value.
I kept the Ancestor's words in mind as I slowly put distance between us. Then I assessed our odds.
Can we win?
Not at your level. So put on the rings already!
Then can we win with them?
We'll have to try and see.
Honestly, I had my doubts. After all, Founder Merlin's relics weren't particularly useful in combat.
But nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"So you mean to put on the rings. I'll allow a little thrashing about."
"Screw you."
Whoosh—!
I rolled across the floor at once. Another monstrous kick swept through where I'd just been. Seizing the gap as distance opened, I slipped on a ring.
One.
"This body is proving rather difficult to adapt to. And so rebellious."
Kanoxia's attacks didn't stop, but as she'd said, perhaps she hadn't fully adapted to the body yet. Her attacks were monotonous and purely linear.
Dodging them, I put on another. One by one, I slipped the remaining rings onto my fingers.
Meanwhile, a question lingered.
What difference does putting these on even make?
It was when I fitted the eighth ring, still wondering, that the change came.
"So you've equipped them all at last."
Kanoxia stopped where she stood and put some distance between us. But I had no attention to spare for her—because the change in my body was far too dramatic.
How to put it—it felt like I'd become a superhuman?
The human body is weaker than one might think. So it suppresses quite a lot—unconsciously controlling itself to prevent the body from breaking. But the moment you put on Levation's rings, those restraints vanish.
That was the Ancestor's explanation.
Excluding Protection, which activated a shield once per day, there were seven types of rings: Vitality, Healing, Health, Mana, Mental Immunity, Fortitude, and Detection. Each interacted with the others to elevate the body to a higher plane.
But that wasn't the end.
Put on the ring you obtained last.
I looked at the dark, grimy ring—a ring steeped in an ominous feeling I couldn't place.
Kanoxia's voice came right then.
"Descendant of Arch. That is not something you can handle."
"Hmm."
I didn't know what this ring was, but one thing was certain: it would be extremely useful to me. So I slipped it onto my finger without hesitation.
"Hmm. I was being sincere this time, yet ignoring a person's sincerity seems to run in the family—ancestor and descendant alike."
She's lying. She's preparing a spell.
I thought so too. But what function did this ring have?
Just as I wondered—
BOOM—!
A massive vibration thundered through my inner self. My heart pounded violently. It was as if the heart that should have been inside my body had grown enormous, and I was inside that heart.
What is this…?
That originally belonged to the Founding King Bastil. Bastil called that ring "Pride."
The Ring of Pride?
A sense of exaltation swept through my mind, utterly different in dimension from when I'd worn Levation's rings. If Levation's rings had made me feel merely superhuman, now it felt as though I'd become a being of a higher plane entirely!
Kanoxia's magic finished around then.
"The result won't change… We've only made things troublesome for each other."
Kanoxia's finger pointed straight at me. Black energy gathered at her fingertip. It sucked in light, condensing and condensing again, until it was the size of a bean and stopped.
Then—
ZIIIIING—!
The black energy exploded outward. I felt it instinctively.
I can't dodge that…
The moment that light fired, I would die. But why? I wasn't afraid at all. Partly because of Levation's Protection ring—but more than that, every kind of concept was swirling through my mind right now.
Then the Ancestor spoke.
Feel it clearly. A fragment of the potential hidden within you.
Mana from my heart surged forth like a flood, and my vessel vibrated terrifyingly. The first to appear was Golgol.
GOLGOOOOL—!
Golgol roared in fury at having been so easily defeated moments ago. And right after—
Crack! Craaack!
Valhalla Skeletons crawling out from subspace. The skeleton legion squeezed through the gaps like demons from hell and charged at Kanoxia.
At the same time, I seized a thread of inspiration drifting through my mind and fixed it into reality.
Tsz, tszzzz—!
Golgol turned black, and then the Valhalla Skeletons darkened in turn.
The Essence of Necromancy.
Not someone else's—mine. Something I had created myself.
Kanoxia's magic fired right then.
THOOOM—!
A black beam shot in a straight line.
Crrrack, crrack!
It tore through the skeleton legion, but the skeletons kept crawling out endlessly. As the black light and the wave of bones locked in a contest of strength—Golgol kicked off the ground.
GOLGOOOOOOL—!
I roared as well.
"VALHAAAAALLAAAAA!"
This was the cry of Valhalla. Blackened Golgol and its sword came crashing down toward Kanoxia's head.
And in that moment, Kanoxia's eyes blazed red as additional magic activated.
Tsz, tszzzz!
A black orb shot toward Golgol. White light bloomed along Golgol's blade then.
That was… Holy Aura.
The brilliant white radiance swung by a black skeleton scattered the wicked mage's magic without resistance.
Then—
KWAANG!
Golgol's sword struck Kanoxia.
Did we get her?
Just as I thought that, the black beam destroying the Valhalla Skeletons vanished without a trace. Bone dust slowly settled, clearing the view.
And standing there was—
"…"
Kanoxia, who had blocked Golgol's sword with her bare hand.
I readied myself again. Or rather, I tried to—if not for Kanoxia's final words.
"Not bad, descendant of Arch. I look forward to the day we meet again."
Having said that, Kanoxia crumbled. All that remained was Kashabella's body, vacated by Inoxia.
"So… it's over, right?"
It would seem so.
Only then did I collapse to the ground as if my strength had left me.