Moto Sekai Ichi – 215 | Sousaku – 創作

215　The meaning of gazing

Arc 11: The Empire

=====

"It's okay, no need to worry about it. That said, don't let your guard down."

As the sun set, the sky grew dim.
Facing Anko and Miroku, Second stood upright and spoke.

"It'll be over soon."

His voice was calm.
His words were the embodiment of himself. Relaxed, alert, and natural.

"…………"

Cubero and Gloria held their breath.

Even an outsider could see it. Second's extraordinary concentration

It was only obvious. This was a life-or-death match. “Come at me with everything you've got” did not mean ”hold your punches”. He meant “kill me if you can".

To tell the truth, Cubero and Gloria thought that Second was just showing off. They thought there was no way he could fight against Anko and Miroku, who both had extraordinary abilities.

It was impossible, no matter how you looked at it. Two terrifying monsters attacking at the same time. It would be extremely difficult to avoid this.

But so what?――Those who knew him would say so.

He had demonstrated such difficult techniques countless times before, as if it were as easy as breathing.

"Are you ready? "

"Anytime."
"Likewise."

When Second asked, Anko smiled with narrowed eyes, and Miroku replied with closed eyes and a low voice.

"――Let's start! "

At Angolmois' command, the battle began.

"Here I come……! "

Miroku was the first to take action.
《Rook Sword-drawing》: The longer you charge, the more powerful your sword attack will be.

"Ufufu, I'll go now."

Next, Anko let out a laugh of joy that she couldn't contain, and pushed her right hand forward to activate 《Darkness Summon》――

"! ! "

――But cancelled it at the last second. With a quick decision, she erased the shadow.

《False Shadow》 skill. For three seconds, all attacks are nullified. The cool-down time is 300 seconds.

Before she knew it, Second was holding a bow in his hand. Ignoring Miroku as he approached, he activated his skill with such a subtle movement that it was impossible to tell when he had fired.

What flew at Anko was just a simple 《Soldier Archery》 attack. It's no big deal to just dodge them. However, for some reason, Anko felt that she couldn't avoid it.

That decision was correct. In an instant, a second arrow flew toward her. The angles of the first and second shots were subtly adjusted so that they would reach Anko at almost the same time. If she had dodged, she would have been hit by this.

"Hmm."

Second glanced at his watch and memorized the current time. This was to manage the cooldown of 《False Shadow》.

Meanwhile, Miroku continued his approach, building up his Rook.

However, Second calmly moved his gaze and put his bow away in his inventory……then took out the “16 lb fluorocarbon”.

"……Uhmm."

Second activated 《Gold Thread Manipulation》, a skill that binds targets within a 4-meter radius with threads.

Miroku, sensing the danger of the floating thread, stopped four meters away and calmly waited for a chance to attack Second.

Miroku, who only knew 【Sword-drawing】, had no means of attacking from a distance. As a result, it was incompatible with 【Thread Manipulation】, which had a long reach.

"Ufu."

That is why cooperation with Anko was so important.

They both understood that.
Certainly, they understood.

"! ? "

Anko used 《Darkness Transfer》 to teleport behind Second and activated 《Claw Attack》.

The next moment, Second turned around calmly and leisurely, as if it had been planned in advance―― And activated 《Silver Shield Arts》.

The shield's Silver is a skill that strengthens defense. And if you activate the skill during the 0.027 seconds before the attack hits, which is 0.01 seconds shorter than usual……

"It can't be! ! "

Miroku let out a cry of surprise.

After successfully parrying within the specified time, Anko was hit squarely by 《Silver Shield Arts》, which had a counterattack effect, and was knocked down.

The fact that he had brought down the monster that had taken his full force with his bare eyes sent an inexplicable chill down Miroku's spine, but now was not the time to be afraid.

Anko and Miroku's attacks were only a split second apart. Anko's attack could be deflected, but Miroku's attack couldn't, right? ――Everyone, even Miroku himself, thought so.

"Transform."

"Gah!――"

Immediately after……《Transform》 was activated.

Miroku's lightning-fast 《Rook Sword-drawing》 was mercilessly nullified, and Miroku himself was blown away and knocked down by the invincibility time of 《Transform》.

You have 8 seconds of invincibility. After 6 seconds, you can move freely.

"…………"

Anko and Miroku got up without saying a word.

They understood that they couldn't afford to waste time with idle chatter.

Miroku charged up a powerful area attack 《Dragon King Sword-drawing》 from the left, while Anko prepared 《Darkness Magic》 from the right.

A formation designed to completely overwhelm the enemy.

After all, they did hold back a little. They had unconsciously slacked off because they didn't want Second to die.

However, they realized that this was no longer necessary.

Taking advantage of the Second's inability to move during this transformation, they prepared attacks that could not be easily dodged. Taking advantage of Second's inability to move during this transformation, they prepared attacks that could not be easily dodged.

"! "

Six seconds elapsed. At the same time, Second put the Mithril Buckler in his inventory, threw the 16 lb fluorocarbon line in the direction he was facing, and began preparing for 《Dragon Horse Martial Arts》.

This was a dash punch skill. In other words, he planned to use the remaining two seconds of invincibility to complete his preparations, then move at high speed in sync with the two simultaneous attacks, crushing one of them while dodging the other's attack.

"I've seen through it."

Miroku was certain. He won't come toward me.

This was because 《Dragon King Sword-drawing》 is an area attack. You can avoid it by escaping outside the range, but it is an extremely powerful skill against those who approach within the range.

This was tied to Second's 《Silver Shield Arts》 that was used against Anko earlier. If all he wanted to do was deflect Anko's 《Claw Attack》, then 《Transform》 would have been enough. The reason for deliberately counterattacking with Silver was to deal damage and potentially finish off Anko with Dragon Horse here.

Miroku instantly arrived at that conclusion. Therefore, the words “I've seen through it,” came out of his mouth.

"You fool! "

Anko glared at Miroku with a murderous look in her eyes.

"! "

The moment the eight seconds of invincibility ended, Second began to dash toward Miroku.

Miroku was shaken by the unexpected turn of events and his reaction was momentarily delayed. As planned, he activated 《Dragon King Sword-drawing》, but――

"A-Above! ? "

Just before reaching the target, Second struck the ground and jumped upward to dodge the attack.

Drawing a sword was done by sliding it sideways, and 《Dragon King Sword-drawing》 was a wide horizontal attack. Therefore, the airspace above was somewhat neglected.

" "

Miroku felt a chill run down his spine.

Second approached Miroku from overhead, holding a mithril long sword he had taken from his inventory.

Then, while falling in a parabolic arc, he combined 《Silver Swordsmanship》 and 《Knight Swordsmanship》.

A powerful single-target attack, combined with a highly accurate attack that dealt extra damage to vital points. Second, without mercy, he aimed for the most vulnerable spot: the face.

"I won't let you! "

It was a last-minute decision.

As soon as the stun effect from using 《Dragon King Sword-drawing》 ended, Miroku canceled 《Human Shift》.

Immediately after, Miroku changed his human form into that of Asura.

"Guh……! "

As a result, Second's perfectly accurate blow missed the head and pierced the abdomen.

"Nice."

At this point, Second finally spoke a single word.

He seemed to like the method of evading the vital point attack.

"……Goh-fu."

Miroku, who was hit by a powerful attack combining Silver and Knight during his transformation, fell backward as his HP decreased.

"Lord, please pay attention to Anko too."

Meanwhile, Anko canceled her 《Darkness Magic》 and rushed forward to close the distance.

If the situation continued, Miroku would receive the final blow, so Anko activated 《Darkness Summon》.

What she took out was the Dark Flame Spear. It was a huge spear, perhaps three meters long, that spewed black flames with every swing.

This was the weapon that Second was most wary of. At Mobius, it was widely believed that if this was summoned, it meant Game Over.

But――

"Confiscated～."

"Huh……? "

――《Knight Thread Manipulation》. A skill that allowed the user to manipulate objects that came into contact with the thread for a certain amount of time.

Somehow, Second's hand was holding the 16 lb fluorocarbon fishing line.

Yes, he threw it away when he activated 《Dragon Horse Martial Arts》.

Fundamentally, 【Thread Manipulation】 was weak against fire. It is impossible to withstand the intensity of Anko's black flames, with their extraordinary heat. Therefore, given the distance between him and Anko, it would have been reckless to aim for something using a thread.

However, what if the thread was already stretched across the ground? The impossible becomes possible.

Second had read this development dozens of seconds earlier. Or rather, he predicted it even before the match started. It was only obvious to take measures against Anko using 《Darkness Summon》 at this timing.

"Ah, can't be…… it's almost like……"

Under Second's control, Anko was forced to drop the Dark Flame Spear onto the ground, and muttered with a slight tremor.

The rest of that sentence was what everyone present was thinking.

――Almost like playing into his hands.

Anko was shaking with anger. She was angry at herself for being stupid and unable to live up to Second's expectations.

"Nuuuugh! "

Miroku got up, groaning and spitting blood.

Taking full advantage of his three faces and six arms and his height of over two meters, he prepared 《Knight Sword-drawing》 and lunged at Second.

Second knocked Anko down almost as soon as Miroku got up, then canceled 《Knight Thread Manipulation》, took a Mithril Spear from his inventory, and prepared 《Rook Spearmanship》.

《Rook Spearmanship》 is a skill that involves rushing forward with a spear and delivering a final thrust. In a rush against Miroku, Second would be at a disadvantage because Anko would pick up the Dark Flame Spear after the first clash. If he rushed at Anko, she would only have time to react after getting up with her 《Claw Attack》 skill, and Miroku has no long-range attacks, so Second would have the advantage.

He most likely will go to Anko. Enduring the pain from the wound in his abdomen, Miroku activated 《Knight Sword-drawing》 as he thought about his next move――

"No. "

He noticed. Second will come his way.

Miroku immediately cancelled his Knight move in midair and activated the counterattack and defense move 《Gold Sword-drawing》.

Immediately after that, Second turned around and began rushing toward Miroku.

“That makes sense,” Miroku agreed.

Anko had another way to counter 《Rook Spearmanship》.

And that was……《Darkness Shift》. When in wolf form, all physical attacks against Anko were ineffective.

"Come."

Then, just as Miroku had predicted, Anko got up from the ground and activated 《Darkness Shift》.

Seeing this, Second seemed to pause his rush, but instead passed by Miroku, circled around him, canceled the 《Rook Spearmanship》, and began preparing for 《Dragon Horse Spearmanship》.

Meanwhile, Anko steadily transformed into a wolf. In four seconds, she will close in on Second with terrifying speed and deliver a claw attack.

However, the Dragon Horse being prepared by Second was a physical attack, albeit a long-range one using shock waves. It was not suitable against the wolf-shaped Anko.

"! ! "

Immediately after, Miroku and Anko came to a new realization.

Second used Synergy to combine 《Wind Attribute, Second Form》 and 《Earth Attribute, Third Form》 with 《Dragon Horse Spearmanship》.

That's right―― it was 【Magical Spearmanship】.

Furthermore, he expanded the range of Dragon Horse's long-range attack with the Second Form Wind and increased its power with the easily spreadable Earth. In addition, by moving behind Miroku, he had placed Anko and Miroku on the same line of fire.

It was a completely flawless move. “Always have multiple objectives,” is what Second always said, and that’s exactly what he did, not just killing two birds with one stone, but three or four.

"Guh……! "

Miroku realized that even if he ran to crush Second's Dragon Horse now, he wouldn't make it in time, so he canceled Gold and moved sideways to avoid it. However, due to the pain from his injuries, he was unable to move as he wished.

The next moment, Second's Dragon Horse activated. The shockwave caused by the wind magic and the 《Earth Attribute ・ Third Form》 attack scattered like cluster bombs, striking Miroku and Anko.

Miroku narrowly avoided a direct hit, but was caught in the aftershock, knocking him off balance and sending him down. Anko used 《Darkness Shift》 again, but――

"Ahh, nggh! "

《Synergy》 is a skill that combines two magic spells with a single attack. Unlike Combine, this skill had both Spearmanship and Magic attributes, although its power was slightly lower.

As a result, Anko was hit by the Dragon Horse attack and knocked down.

"……………………"

――Who would have thought that such a situation could arise?

They didn't understand.

Cubero and Gloria, who were watching, were speechless.

No, they may have been laughing at times. There was nothing left to do but laugh.

And then, with their hearts racing painfully, they stared as if spellbound. Right now, at the impossible, unbelievable, almost unreal situation in front of their eyes.

Anko and Miroku were both lying on the ground……!

On the other hand, Second was unharmed. Not a single strike had landed.

Even as spectators, the two understood that it was not simply a matter of strength.

Looking only at STR and AGI, Miroku might be superior. Looking at the complexity of each skill, Anko was definitely superior.

Even so, why was he so overwhelming?

……It was the skill. Skills in interpersonal combat. That one point made a world of difference.

In a match between samurai, Miroku would never have been pushed into such a corner. If Second only had 【Swordsmanship】, 【Archery】, and 【Magic】, Anko would never have been cornered like this.

In “anything goes” PvP, all that mattered was the difference in skill.

This man now held eight titles.

However, there was still a long way to go.

Gradually, he was getting closer. Back to his original position as world number one.

And the inhabitants of this world were gradually beginning to realize this. Second's vision of true entertainment.

"――Hey."

Second spoke quietly to Anko and Miroku, who were getting up from the ground.

His eyes were fixed and cloudy. Just like when he first came to this world.

"Are you underestimating me? "

It was a minor annoyance.

And above all…… a feeling of emptiness toward himself.

"I'm asking if you're mocking me."

"My Lord, how can you say such a thing! "
"I, too, am completely serious."

"Then, a betrayal? Please…… tell me the meaning."

Second, without even glancing at them, skillfully put the Mithril Spear away in his inventory and spoke.

His inventory management, once praised as “instinctual”.

Remembering those old memories, Second's emptiness accelerated even more.

In that moment, everything seemed meaningless.

Could it be that this world could never become that world? Just for a moment, he feared that.

"Ahh. What's with me? It's ridiculous. When? How long am I supposed to wait? Tell me. When will I be able to achieve it? My――"

The summit he was aiming for was not like this.

Always, constantly, consistently, and persistently, they fell short of his expectations.

No, there were several times when his expectations were pleasantly exceeded and his heart leapt with excitement. However, this was conditional on the expectation of growth.

The two people he had high hopes for did not ultimately let him down.

There was great potential for growth. This is an unprecedented high level. This a waste of potential. If it were refined, it would be a different story.

However, even so, it was still completely lacking.

When will it finally arrive? It was an agonizing feeling for him.

The difference was clear. To put it bluntly, even with two of the current Second, they would be no match for the Seven at his peak.

It was a world where even Seven struggled against many opponents.

The pinnacle of that world. That was the only summit he sought to return to.

"――When will I ever become number one in the world? "

=====
Thank you for reading.

Cheat sheet

Status Details

HP　Hit Points
MP　Magic Points
SP　Stamina Points
STR　Short range attack skill power, strength, physical power.
DEX　Long range attack skill power, dexterity, hit rate.
AGI　Quickness, avoidance rate.
INT　Attack Magic skill power.
LUK　Good luck, critical rate.
VIT　Simple defense.
MGR　Magic defense.

Skill Ranking

From lower (16th) to higher (1st) class, then it changes to the “Dan” system of martial arts, which means Grade

16th class
15th class
14th class
13th class
12h class
11th class
10th class
9th class
8th class
7th class
6th class
5th class
4th class
3rd class
2nd class
1st class
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9 (Can challenge Title when all related skills are at this level)

Types of combat skills

Named after shogi pieces (The word in bold is the one being used in this translation). From easier to acquire to harder.

Pawn/Soldier (Fuhyou)
Lance(Kyousha)
Knight (Keima)
Silver General (Ginshou)
Gold General (Kinshou)
Bishop (Kakugyou)
Rook (Hisha)
Promoted Bishop/Dragon Horse(Ryuuma)
Promoted Rook/Dragon King (Ryuuou).

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List of Swordsmanship skills

【Swordsmanship】　Damage： STR Dependent.

《Dragon King Swordsmanship》　Powerful ranged attack forward + stun.
《Dragon Horse Swordsmanship》　Powerful ranged attack in all directions.
《Rook Swordsmanship》　Very strong single-target attack.
《Bishop Swordsmanship》　Quick and powerful penetrating attack.
《Gold Swordsmanship》　Ranged attack in all directions.
《Silver Swordsmanship》　Strong, single-target attack.
《Knight Swordsmanship》　Precision attack＋added damage against vital points.
《Lance Swordsmanship》　Penetrating attack.
《Soldier Swordsmanship》　Normal attack.

(Rook＋Knight, Silver＋Knight, Lance＋Knight, Soldier＋Knight are possible for Combine)

List of Jojutsu (cane) skills

【Jojutsu】Thrust・Strike・Sweep

《Dragon King Jojutsu》　Extremely powerful wide-area attack
《Dragon Horse Jojutsu》　Wide range defense + knockback
《Rook Jojutsu》　Very powerful ranged attack
《Bishop Jojutsu》　Rush piercing attack
《Gold Jojutsu》　Very strong defense
《Silver Jojutsu》　Powerful ranged attack
《Knight Jojutsu》　Rush attack
《Lance Jojutsu》　Piercing attack
《Soldier Jojutsu》　Conventional attack

List of Spearmanship skills

【Spearmanship】

《Dragon King Spearmanship》　Extremely powerful single-target attack
《Dragon Horse Spearmanship》　Powerful long-range attack (shockwave)
《Rook Spearmanship》　Rush attack (charge thrust)
《Bishop Spearmanship》　Powerful ranged attack (Cleave)
《Gold Spearmanship》　Counterattack (Counter)
《Silver Spearmanship》　Powerful single-target attack (charge thrust)
《Knight Spearmanship》　Forward leaping attack (leaping thrust)
《Lance Spearmanship》　Ranged attack (Cleave)
《Soldier Spearmanship》　Normal Attack (Thrust)

List of Archery skills

【Archery】

《Dragon King Archery》　Powerful on-impact ranged attack.
《Dragon Horse Archery》　Powerful piercing ranged attack.
《Rook Archery》　Very strong single-target range attack.
《Bishop Archery》　Strong piercing range attack.
《Gold Archery》　Range attack with added knockback.
《Silver Archery》　Strong single-target range attack.
《Knight Archery》　Precise sniping range attack.
《Lance Archery》　Piercing range attack.
《Soldier Archery》　Normal range attack.

List of Shield Arts skills

【Shield Arts】

《Dragon King Shield Arts》　Very powerful ranged attack to the front.
《Dragon Horse Shield Arts》　Reinforced defense + all-range attack.
《Rook Shield Arts》　Powerful forward Rush attack (VIT converted to STR and added to net STR)
《Bishop Shield Arts》　Great Reinforced Defense (16th class: 250% ~ Grade 9th: 600% Defense)
《Gold Shield Arts》　Range homing defense ＋ Knockback（While active, attacks within a certain range would redirect themselves towards the shield）
《Silver Shield Arts》　Reinforced defense (parry grace time reduced by 0.01 second, successful parry triggers counterattack effect)
《Knight Shield Arts》　Defense + Knockback.
《Lance Shield Arts》　Piercing Reflective Defense
《Soldier Shield Arts》　Normal defense.
Success condition for parry: Activate the skill 0.287 to 0.250 seconds before the attack reaches the target.

List of Magic skills

【Magic】 (Four attributes: fire, water, wind, and earth)
Advantages and disadvantages: Fire>Earth>Wind>Water>Fire
・First Form　Normal Attack （Preparation time： Super short. Cooldown： Super short）
・Second Form　Extended range attack （Slow. Long）
・Third Form　Strong single-target attack （Short. Short）
・Fourth Form　Powerful extended-range attack （Super slow. Super long）
・Fifth Form　Very powerful extended-range attack （Slowest. Longest）

【Magical Magic】
《Combine》　Combines two magic skills into a single attack.
《Synergy》　Overlays two magic spells on top of another magic spell.
《Charge》　Magic attack that increases in magnitude the more it is charged up.

List of Martial Arts skills

【Martial Arts】　Attack：(STR+DEX+AGI)/2.56

《Dragon King Martial Arts》　A very powerful wide-area attack in the front (shockwave)
《Dragon Horse Martial Arts》　Accelerated forward strike (Dash Punch)
《Rook Martial Arts》　Very powerful single-target attack + charge (Punch)
《Bishop Martial Arts》　Omni-directional attack (Roundhouse kick)
《Gold Martial Arts》　Short-range attack plus defense (Tackle)
《Silver Martial Arts》　Strong single-target attack （Punch）
《Knight Martial Arts》　Forward jumping attack （Jumping kick）
《Lance Martial Arts》　Short-range attack (Kick)
《Soldier Martial Arts》　Normal attack （Punch）

List of Sword-drawing skills

【Sword-drawing】 (STR+DEX+AGI+VIT)/5.12+remaining SP/10^4（fire power when using a sword at the belt 128％）

《Dragon King Sword-drawing》 (The more you charge, the more power) Extremely powerful area of effect attack.
《Dragon Horse》 Range attack in all directions.
《Rook Sword-drawing》 (The more you charge, the more power) Extremely powerful Sword drawing attack (Single attack)
《Bishop Sword-drawing》 Quick and powerful thrust.
《Gold Sword-drawing》 Counter (Single attack + defense)
《Silver Sword-drawing》 (The more you charge, the more power) Powerful Sword-drawing attack.
《Knight Sword-drawing》 Large movement + Sword drawing attack (Single attack)
《Lance Sword-drawing》 Movement + Sword drawing attack (Single attack)
《Soldier Sword-drawing》 Sword drawing attack (Single attack)

List of Thread Manipulation skills

【Thread Manipulation】
《Dragon King Thread Manipulation》　The most powerful single attack, limited to the restrained target.
《Dragon Horse Thread Manipulation》　Simultaneously emits multiple threads, forcibly restraining the touched object.
《Rook Thread Manipulation》　Very powerful single attack using a bundle of threads
《Bishop Thread Manipulation》　Powerful penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Gold Thread Manipulation》　Thread restraints on objects within a 4-meter radius.
《Silver Thread Manipulation》　Powerful single-target attack with a bundle of threads
《Knight Thread Manipulation》　Manipulate monsters, humans, and puppets using strings for a certain period of time.
《Lance Thread Manipulation》　Penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Soldier Thread Manipulation》　Single target attack with a bundle of threads
(Gold + Lance or Bishop can be Combined)

ToC