Manowa

Due to Kazane's kick, Koromi Alternative's head started flying. The head drew a parabola as it soared through the air, and when it was about to fall down to the road,

「Gotcha.」

A man caught it before it fell. It was Tatsuyoshi Copy. And at the same time that the buzzer for the end of the battle resounded, Koromi Alternative opened its mouth to talk to that Tatsuyoshi Copy who was holding its head.

『Onii-chan, I lost.』

「Yeah. It was a complete defeat. I never expected she would break through by brute force. Well, that's a valid option, of course, but as the creator, I guess I have mixed feelings?」

After Tatsuyoshi Copy's words, Kazane tilted her head.

「Um, what are you talking about?」

Tatsuyoshi Copy didn't give a direct answer to Kazane's question.

「Well, I'm looking forward to Yumika-chan and Naoki's subsequent challenges... I guess you could say. Naturally, I doubt the challenge will be promptly overcome twice in a row. More importantly, Kazane. You were able to successfully win against Koromi Alternative, but how was the battle against this child?」

When Tatsuyoshi Copy asked that, Kazane groaned「Nnn」and opened her mouth.

「How should I put this? It doesn't feel like I won. It didn't feel like a serious battle.」

『If beating to death was fine, I could have done more to you.』

After Kazane's words, Koromi Alternative replied. In response, Tatsuyoshi Copy admonished her「Please don't beat people to death.」If beating to death became fine, the subsequent challengers Yumika and Naoki would be killed.

「By the way.」

Kazane interrupted the conversation between Tatsuyoshi Copy and Koromi Alternative.

「Does this Koromi Alternative currently exist somewhere? Perhaps it's Tsuvara's secret weapon or something?」

Those words were purely out of curiosity. Kazane thought the real thing might be a stepping stone into puppeteering, but Tatsuyoshi Copy shook his head.

「The real thing this child is based on has already been dismantled. This girl is Number Two, and Number One broke when she and Gaiel simultaneously killed each other, so there are no existing versions of Koromi. Number One was my culmination of making a serious killing machine, but Gaiel was strong.」

Those words made Kazane's brow furrow. Judging from his words, that person named Gaiel fought seriously against and traded lives with the superior version of Koromi Alternative.

From those words, Kazane felt the immense power that Gaiel, the Dragon Emperor of the Jilberia Empire that caused the Human-Dragon War, and his dragon mount Black Dragon Hagasu possessed.

(Well, but it's already been 600 years ago since then.)

Be that as it may, that person was no longer around. Reassured by the fact that she would never meet that person, Kazane asked Tatsuyoshi Copy a follow-up question.

「You said she was dismantled, which means you didn’t leave that child behind?」

「Yeah. I made too many powerful things. Most of them were disposed of. Mintia's Ruby Griffon alone was sufficient for protecting the country.」

「Well, that's true.」

Kazane had heard about the Ruby Griffon's『Flame of Destruction』, which was used during the battle with the assassin group. When defending the royal capital, the Ruby Griffon would be connected to the Magical Power River, and with that inexhaustible supply of magical power, it could continually spew that flame.

Prince Sieg also connected the White Sword to the Magical Power River when he drove off the Ogre army; being called a Guardian Armament meant it was a weapon that could connect to the Magical Power River in one's own territory like that. Since they could only be used in one's own territory, they were fundamentally only used as a means of defense, but their power was tremendous.

「It seems that decision was not mistaken, which was a relief.」

That impression must have come from seeing Tiara and Mefirus. Tsuvara currently existed as a very stable nation that had almost no disputes with neighboring countries. That future was exactly what Tatsuyoshi desired.

「Well, that's enough talk about that. Kazane worked hard, so I have to give you a reward.」

「Mm-hmm. That's what Transfer Quests are for.」

After Kazane's words, Tatsuyoshi Copy nodded and threw the Koromi Alternative head he was holding into the air.

「Koromi, please.」

『Okey-dokey, Onii-chan.』

In accordance with Tatsuyoshi's words, Koromi's appearance started changing. The head glowed, and before long, it started transforming into a slender rod.

「Ooooh!」

Kazane raised her voice as she watched. It continued shining until it eventually turned into a silver sword with little ornamentation. After the transformation was done, it fell and pierced into the ground.

「Um, a sword that transforms into Koromi Alternative?」

「No, that was just a production. It's something different.」

After those words, Kazane was heartbroken. She thought she would surely be unbeatable if it became her companion, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Then Tatsuyoshi Copy opened his mouth while looking at the sword.

「This is the weapon I'm giving to Kazane, the Divine Sword of Destruction『Earth Breaker』. It is a sword filled with my desire to one day split the Earth in two.」

「I see. That's incredible, Tatsuyoshi-kun.」

Kazane honestly praised the name. It was a weapon filled with the same desire as Kazane Bazooka・Terra Buster.

In the first place, Kazane's eccentricity was mostly due to Tatsuyoshi's influence. Which is to say that while Tatsuyoshi looked like a gentle herbivore, he was the kind of eccentric person who was qualified to be Kazane's teacher. He was a man who could even be called the culprit. Therefore, it was only natural for them to have similar ideas.

「Umm. But, it looks like a normal sword?」

「Yeah. It looks that way, right?」

Tatsuyoshi nodded.

「This is」

「Let's see here?」

And when Tatsuyoshi Copy tried to explain, Kazane slipped past him and went to pick up the sword,

「Ah, wait a second!」

「Nn?」

At the same time as Tatsuyoshi Copy's panicked words, Kazane grabbed it.

(What's this?)

And what Kazane felt was some kind of enormous darkness, a world of emptiness that could never be filled. A sensation of greediness that seemed like it would devour everything. That was the image she felt from the sword she had grabbed.

「Uu, aaaaaa, aAAAAAAAAA!?」

And the next moment, a tremendous amount of energy flowed into the sword from the hand Kazane had grasped it with. It was a mix of both Magic Power and her life force. That vigorously poured into the sword.

(This is bad)

Kazane's consciousness wavered due to that excessive momentum.

「AAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAA」

Then, while eating Kazane's power, the silver sword continuously grew brighter and the pressure increased. As Kazane felt her vision growing darker, she looked at it.

(It's absorbing my power and compressing it... this is)

「Release your hand. Quickly!」

「ABYAAAA」

Tatsuyoshi Copy's words didn't reach Kazane. And then, two shadows rushed out.

「NYAAA」

「UGAaAA!」

The two monsters Yuuko-nee and Berserk Ogre screamed and ran towards Kazane. As a matter of fact, since the battle ended, Yuuko-nee's nonlethal paralysis was canceled.

The two rammed into Kazane's body, blowing her away and making her let go of the sword she was holding, which fell and pierced into the ground immediately after.

「Fu, fuu, haa……wh-what, just now?」

A large amount of sweat ran down Kazane's entire body, and she felt that whatever had happened just now had exhausted her both physically and mentally. And the dropped sword had changed into a mere silver sword again.

「Ah, it was after the battle, so it couldn’t absorb that much power. If it had been used, it would have burst open this Field.」

Tatsuyoshi Copy said that with a discomposed voice. If the Field had been blown away, the whole area around the origin point, ​​Sesu Inn, would have probably collapsed. After those words, Kazane shuddered.

「Or rather, what is this thing?」

Kazane asked while looking at the sword stuck in the ground fearfully. Yuuko-nee and Berserk Ogre behind Kazane were also staring at the sword. Seeing their state, Tatsuyoshi Copy said「Good grief」and smiled wryly.

「You should properly listen to explanations, Kazane. Once something has happened, it's too late.」

「Ye, yeah. I'm sorry.」

After Tatsuyoshi Copy's words, Kazane obediently bowed her head. After that, Kazane replied「Thanks, both of you」to Yuuko-nee and Berserk Ogre. Kazane would have been in danger without the two of them. It felt like she had just barely been saved.

While watching their state of affairs, Tatsuyoshi Copy opened his mouth.

「This is the Divine Sword of Destruction『Earth Breaker』. It absorbs life force, Magic Power, mental power, etc. to fire the strongest attack, and it has the highest offensive power among the swords I've made.」

「For some reason, it felt like it absorbed so much it would normally be life-threatening, though?」

「Well, you're only Level 40. You might be able to handle it for a short time, but your ability is fundamentally lacking.」

After Tatsuyoshi Copy's words, Kazane's mouth turned down at the corners.

「Ehh, you mean I have to hold off until my Level goes up?」

However, in response to those words, Tatsuyoshi Copy shook his head.

「No. I'm transferring this weapon to Kazane, but it wasn't made for Kazane's use.」

「It isn't for my use?」

After Kazane tilted her head, Tatsuyoshi nodded.

「In other words, this is」

◎ Reisan City, Sesu Inn, Dining Room

「A sword for Sieg's exclusive use?」

Yumika raised her voice. In front of her were Kazane and Tatsuyoshi Copy, with the silver sword placed on the table.

After coming back from the room, Kazane took out the sword to show it to them. And with a worn-out expression, Kazane had started ravenously eating the peach tart that had been prepared in advance. She felt like her whole body had lost its strength. She had started eating the peach tart to replenish her energy.

Then, on Kazane's behalf, Tatsuyoshi Copy nodded in reply to Yumika's words.

「Yeah. Since Sieg is by nature focused mainly on defense. He has Health, defensive power, and evasion ability, but with the 10 minute time limit he has now, I thought he might not be greatly impactful and made it.」

After those words, everyone pondered. During the times of Diablo, the Black Rock Dragon, the devil invasion, and the Odanobunagas, Heroic Spirit Sieg didn't one-sidedly overwhelm the opponents, but he was impactful. Then Jinrai interjected「However.」

「I've never seen a warrior with that level of skill before... and yet, you say he has low fighting strength; how can that be?」

Jinrai had been charmed after seeing Heroic Spirit Sieg's abilities. Getting closer to that level could be called Jinrai's current goal, so it was natural that he opposed Tatsuyoshi's words. However, Tatsuyoshi Copy prefaced with「That is the case, but」before he continued.

「It is true that Sieg prioritizes defense and evasion without sparing many resources for offensive power.」

After Tatsuyoshi Copy spoke, Jinrai groaned.

「Naturally, that doesn’t mean Sieg is weak. If he has time, Sieg can win against or fight to a draw with almost any opponent. However. While Great Wing Sword Rien is powerful, it isn't lethally strong, so he lacks decisive power. In fact, with Kazane's current strength, while defeating Sieg would be impossible even if you fought with all your power, wouldn't you be able to endure Sieg's attacks?」

After Tatsuyoshi Copy's words, Kazane licked her hands, which had become sticky with peach sauce, and groaned「Mmm」as she thought.

「If I get on Rokuten-kun, I should be able to outrun him for 10 minutes? It's too tough, I wouldn't get hit anyway, and while it's doubtful I could cause much damage to Sieg, the magic defense from Rokuten-kun's full equipment would likely completely block Rien's Zexia Ray.」

Kazane replied. Exactly as stated, the weak point of the current Heroic Spirit Sieg was the time limit. Since Sieg was focused on defense, his attitude in battle was also passive, and even if he tried to proactively launch an attack, he lacked a decisive factor.

「That's why this sword exists. Though even Heroic Spirit Sieg can only use it for about a minute.」

「That's how incredibly excessive the settings are.」

As might be expected, Kazane had a dumbfounded face. A sword that a Heroic Spirit could only use for one minute was terribly peaky.

「Aneki, lend it to me. I'll analyze it for a bit.」

That was from Naoki, who possessed the Skill『Magic Sword Ruler』. If it's me, then... or so he thought, but Kazane shook her head.

「You'd better pass on doing that. If you're unlucky, your brain might explode.」

「Seriously?」

Kazane's words made Naoki take a step back.

「No, your brain won't explode.」

After Tatsuyoshi Copy spoke, Naoki held his ground,

「You might fall into a vegetative state, though.」

After the subsequent words, he moved back even further.

「I see. It seems you received something remarkable, Kazane.」

After Jinrai's words, Kazane couldn't help but smile wryly.

Because it was powerful, it was difficult to know when to use it. Would there ever be an opportunity to use this sword? Right now, Kazane didn't know yet.

Name: Yuihama Kazane

Occupation: Dragon and Beast Ruling Tenma Monarch (Apprentice)

Title: Ogre Killer, Dragon Slayer, High Beast Summoner, Rea King, Liberator, Guardian

Equipment: Staff 『White Blaze』, Draghorn Tonfa x2, Dragon Eating Ogre Army Armor (True), Indestructible Cloak, Mysterious Pouch, Crimson Saint Coffin, Heroic Spirit Summoning Ring, Circlet of Wisdom, Aim Bracelet, White Magic Accumulator (Revised) ×2, Rainbow Necklace, Rainbow Dragon Ring, Angel Bracelet

Level : 40

Health: 156+20

Magic Power: 378+520

Strength: 81+45

Agility: 83+39

Endurance: 45+20

Wisdom : 75

Dexterity : 53

Spell : 『Fly』『Torch』『Fire』『Heal』『Firestorm』『Healer Ray』『High Heal』『Golden Dusk「Dragon Exclusive」』『Mirror Shield』『Rabbit Speed』『Flare Mirage』

Skill : 『Apprenticeship Cancellation』『Nil Principle』『Skill Hand (１)』『Halo: Lv2』『Evolution Hand (１)』『Kick Devil: Lv2』『Kick Decapitation Wave』『Warrior's Memory: Lv2』『Night Vision』『Crushing Blow』『Dog's Sense of Smell: Lv2』『Golem Maker: Lv4』『Aegis Shield』『Fire Principle: Third Chapter』『Healing Principle: Fourth Chapter』『Air Jump: Lv2』『Killing Leg: Lv3』『Fear Voice』『Invisible』『Tiger Eye』『Wall Walking』『Intuition: Lv3』『Cheat Death』『Nimble』『Charge』『Material Shield: Lv2』『Information Link: Lv2』『Optical Camouflage』『High Dash』『Bloodsucking Blade』『Dragonization: Lv3「Dragon」』『Regenerate』『Soul Breaking Blade』『Stealthy Hand Placement』『Thunder Chariot: Lv2』『Sturdier Teeth: Lv2「Dragon」』『Crystallization: Lv2「Dragon」』『Devil King's Intimidation』『Stone Minotaur: Lv2』『Mega Beam: Lv2』『Space Expansion』『Pseudo-Silver Creation』『Poison Claw』『Fireball「Dragon」』『Cuticle「Dragon」』『Arms Creation: Black Flame』『Ingredient Connoisseur: Lv3』『Dragon Pheromone「Dragon」』『Boost』『Monkey's Strong Arm』『Two-sword Style』『Boobies Plus』『Living Armor』『Alarm』『Six-sword Style』『Mental Attack Complete Protection』『Spider Web』『Wire Cutter』『Flexible』『Magic Power Absorption』『Red Body Transformation』『Friendship Tag-team』『Battleship Tonfa Summoning』

Yumika: 「Sieg, for one minute?」

Kazane: 「Yeah. Honestly, it's a weapon that makes one wonder if there will ever be a chance to use it. Well, it would be best if such a chance never comes, though.」