Valoran Subjugation Battle (1)
"You didn't forget anything, right?"
"Uuum..."
Elixir, check.
Top-grade potions—one, two, three... four... ten bottles, check.
Daggers—one, two, three, four... twelve blades, check.
Painkillers, three bottles.
Anesthetics, four bottles.
"Yes. I packed everything... probably."
"'Probably'?"
Cartia's voice, laced with its usual laughter, echoed across the quiet Cartia mainland.
Two days ago, with Cartia's help, I had managed to persuade the others. After that, I finished my preparations in high spirits.
Not that there was much to prepare—just a few bottles of potions and some medicine...
Of course, not everyone had been idle.
More precisely... only I had been idle.
The rest of the party had been running around like their feet were on fire...
Ser had been racing about, trying to map out the constantly shifting magic circles.
Rubia, together with Hermila, had been planting artifacts all over the place to reinforce the barriers.
Time passed, and today—the day of the subjugation—arrived.
Along the way we had silently killed or blocked the incomplete Masters who came sniffing around, and somehow we finished the preparations without any major trouble.
Aside from the fact that there had been no word from Sirin... it was a pretty good start.
Sirin's fine. She has to be...
"Huuu..."
"Nervous?"
"A-a little?"
Nervous, yes.
Scared, too.
But also... just a little bit excited.
Attacks I had never been able to counter because of cutscenes—here, I might actually be able to catch them.
If I could do that, the fight would get easier.
More openings to attack.
Shorter clear time.
"But, Lady Cartia... d-did you get all your memories back?"
"Eh, more or less."
A bitter look crossed Cartia's face.
"'More or less'...? Um, then... do you remember what kind of relationship you had with Carpeng, too?"
"We weren't lovers or any crap like that. Just... just comrades who were pretty close."
And then—
Poof.
Ears and a tail popped out and began to sway gently.
"Carpeng... what were you doing that you're only showing up now?"
Swish— swish—
"You had something to think about...?"
Rustle—!
"I seeee... hehe."
I grabbed the tail that had shoved itself right into my face and hugged it tight, rubbing my cheek against it.
Soft. Warm. Instantly calming.
"Anyway. You sure about this?"
"About what...?"
"Wouldn't it have been better to leave at least one of the three by your side?"
Cartia glanced around as she spoke.
"Even if they come running later, one wrong move and you're dead on the spot."
I shook my head.
"Valoran's aggro... um... being the target—it's best if I handle that myself..."
From start to finish.
Valoran's aggro had to stay on me and only me.
If it got pulled somewhere else, my whole routine could fall apart.
Of course... even if it did break, I could just pull the aggro back and it wouldn't be a huge problem.
But finishing clean was always better.
Especially from phase three onward—absolutely.
Absolutely, absolutely no interruptions allowed.
"Fair enough. You're the only one with a real weapon anyway."
"Uh... am I?"
Hermila used her fists.
Rubia fought bare-handed.
Ser... some kind of stick.
"Y-yeah, you're right...?"
What the hell... listing it out like that makes us sound like a complete disaster waiting to happen...
"Plus you're ridiculously good at parrying. Might actually be better this way."
"Heh, hehehe... y-yeah. I'm the best in the world at it."
"But isn't Sirin a little better?"
"W-what? I'm better."
"Sirin could do it steady on one leg. You face-planted right away."
"Ugh... th-that... that's because Sirin isn't even human...!"
"Whoa. 'Sirin isn't human.' Bold statement... even Sirin would get hurt hearing that."
Cartia's snickering voice rode the wind away.
"So annoying..."
I hugged the tail tighter and turned my back on her.
A moment later, a cold sensation touched my neck and a thin thread of connection formed.
"Ah... hehehe... this really turned out well, don't you think?"
"Yeah. Suits you perfectly. Wear it for life."
That was definitely a compliment... so why does it feel so annoying?
Just... Cartia's way of talking, maybe?
"Looks like Rubia's finished her part too."
"Yes."
"Hermila should wrap up soon as well."
"Right..."
"And last, Ser's signal flare?"
I nodded and shrugged off my robe, tossing it carelessly to the side.
"Ugh..."
The cool air wrapped around my body and cleared my head.
"Once this is over, we need to buy you some proper clothes. It's winter now."
"I-I have a coat made from Tyrant hide...?"
"Not that, you idiot. That's an outer layer. I mean something to wear underneath. What if you catch a cold?"
Cartia, who had been floating in the air, lightly touched down right in front of me.
"W-why the sudden lecture...?"
"I try to worry and you still give me attitude. Unbelievable."
"...You were worried?"
"Tsk."
Clicking her tongue, Cartia picked up the robe from the ground and draped it over my shoulders.
"Huh...?"
"Cold stiffens the body. Stay warm before a fight. And... a woman's body needs to stay warm."
"Ugh... d-don't say cringey stuff like that."
"You little brat."
Even while swearing, she reached out and ruffled my hair roughly.
"But... um, you know..."
"Nope."
"Hey... just listen for a second."
"Pfft, fine. What is it."
Cartia's hand stopped.
"The other day I was too shocked to ask, but... Lady Cartia... why did you banish Valoran into the dimensional rift? Couldn't you... subjugate him?"
"Subjugate... well. If I'd gritted my teeth and gone all out, maybe it would've been possible."
"Th-then why...?"
Cartia closed her mouth for a moment, then smiled bitterly.
"Because that was the one and only path to victory."
"Victory...?"
"Yeah. Victory over everything. The victory I wanted most."
"I see..."
Do people around here just like talking in riddles or something?
Always saying stuff that's hard to understand.
"I'll tell you someday for sure. So for now, just wait."
At the same time, a voice came through the crystal ball Hermila had given me.
"Miss Noah. Lady Rubia and I are ready."
"Ah... yes. Thank you for your hard work."
"...Are you truly all right alone?"
"O-of course."
A soft sigh.
"Very well. Once it starts, we'll run as fast as we can... so just don't get hurt for three minutes."
"Yes."
I nodded and set the crystal ball on the ground as the connection cut off.
Then I stood and spread my Qi Sensing wide.
No living people nearby. Good.
Everything had gone smoothly. A relief.
A faint smile tugged at my lips as I drove the greatsword at my hip into the ground and stood it upright.
"What are you gonna do once the subjugation's over?"
"Uuum... I don't know."
I stretched my open hand forward.
"Just... I want to laugh and talk with my friends."
And closed it into a fist.
"With peace of mind."
At that exact moment—
KWAANG—!
An explosion roared in the distance, and a line split open across the sky.
"Until he dismounts. Two hours."
The thin line thickened, connected, split, and formed the shape of a massive gate.
"One hour."
Gooong—
A colossal sound like a giant bell being struck rolled out, and—
Tak—
From beyond the open gate, Valoran appeared astride an enormous horse.
"He's... huge."
Easily three times the size of a normal horse.
A greatsword that looked twice as big as Frey.
Eyes steeped in rage, and a savage killing intent.
The thick demonic energy blanketing the sky blotted out the sun and cast sticky shadows everywhere.
"Huuu..."
I let the robe slip from my shoulders.
Both hands closed around Frey, and I awakened the dormant rank within me.
The power that burst forth sank into my body.
Blood energy flowed out and wrapped around me.
The chill at my throat lifted me upright.
"He's coming."
Cartia's words reached me at the same instant—
Tak—
Hoofbeats, and a massive greatsword swung down as if falling from the sky.
The trajectory was exactly as I expected.
No need to dodge.
No need to block.
Just like always.
Just like I always did.
I twisted the greatsword upward.
And—
Jjeong—!
My hands went numb as if electricity had shot through them.
The ground beneath my feet cratered outward.
The shockwave from the clashing blades alone swept through the surrounding buildings and brought them all crashing down.
But at the same time—
Kkiik— kaang—!
The giant greatsword was launched skyward.
Next—
Tak—! The horse's legs lifted.
Close-range pattern.
I drew a breath.
Start from the right.
Kwaang—!
Then above.
Kaddeuk—
Below.
Kaang—!
Then left, below, above, right, diagonal left.
And the continuous overhead smash that followed.
I swung the greatsword with everything I had.
Jjeong—!
Valoran's greatsword bounced into the air, and Frey slammed into the ground.
A horrific shockwave swallowed the area and cracked the earth.
"You're actually doing it, you crazy bitch."
With Cartia's snickering laughter as my background music, I charged at Valoran's exposed torso.
The horse's front legs rose to protect him. Valoran's greatsword twisted its path and came screaming toward me.
I didn't stop. I pushed forward instead.
I stepped on the leg swinging at me, vaulted over it, and knocked the charging greatsword aside.
Then I forced my body around with blood energy and swung.
Kkagagak—! Frey, blocked by the dense demonic energy, hung frozen in midair.
Demonic energy poured from the horse's gaping maw and turned into fog that sealed my escape routes.
Masses of floating demonic energy closed in from every direction.
A fist that looked ready to swallow me whole came hurtling in.
If I thought before moving, it would be too late.
Instinct. Sense. Memory. Body.
I trusted them, and moved.
First, the fog of demonic energy.
[GRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAA—!!]
A savage roar, and the blood energy I unleashed blasted every last scrap of fog away.
Next, the orbs of demonic energy.
I used the horse's head as a foothold, stomped hard, and wrenched Frey free from the demonic grip.
At the same time I poured every scrap of Qi Sensing into mapping the orbs' weak points, then cut along the lines.
A sensation like my eardrums tearing, and every mass of demonic energy exploded.
Finally, Valoran's fist.
I planted Frey as a foothold. Used blood energy as my legs. Locked my body in place. And met Valoran's fist head-on.
My own fist, wrapped in rank and blood energy, shot forward to match it.
Jjeong—!
Insane recoil blasted my body backward.
The hand that had met Valoran's fist cracked.
Shattered. Crushed.
I clamped it together with blood energy, smashed a potion bottle, and soaked the hand.
I felt the bones knitting at high speed and gripped Frey again.
At the same moment, a massive magic circle bloomed beneath my feet.
A homing spell that followed the player.
My absolute favorite of Valoran's patterns.
The little trick that let me clear him in the shortest time possible.
Exactly like the game.
Feeling the corners of my mouth lift on their own, I charged at Valoran.
Just a fraction faster than the magic circle chasing me.
Maintaining that razor-thin gap, I ran.
Clearing demonic energy, parrying the greatsword, dodging orbs—never stopping.
And when I finally reached Valoran—
I deliberately slowed.
I knocked aside the greatsword that came screaming at me. Kaang—!
Confirmed the brief stiffness that hit his body from the impact.
Then stomped on the magic circle that had caught up to me.
Kiiing—! A sharp sound rang out as the magic activated.
At the same instant I poured out blood energy like mad and blasted my body outside the circle.
And—
KWAAAAANG—!
A ferocious pillar of fire erupted from the magic circle and swallowed Valoran whole.
"Holy shit. What the hell was that...?"
I poured a potion over the cracked ribs I'd gotten from rolling hard across the ground, and laughed brightly.
"Easy."