Chapter 98
I was shown around different places by Benetnash, but I was regretting things a little .
It looked like I really should not have left everything up to her discretion .
As I was thinking I could avoid fighting with her in the end by continuing this lax atmosphere, reality showed me that things were not that sweet .
The place that Benetnash took me to was a large building near the castle which was empty inside .
From the outside, the building looked fancy, but inside, there were only strong and reinforced looking walls, a ceiling and a floor with nothing else inside .
There were not even the bare minimal amenities required for day-to-day life, making was clear that the s.p.a.ce was not designed for habitation .
“This thing’s a building specially built in preparation for the day that would eventually come to pa.s.s . Because it’s built using Mizar Steel that was specially imported from Blutgang, the building won’t even crack a little in most situations . Even then, it should still be quite fragile compared to you and me . But at least it’ll serve as a location for us to be able to fight without having to worry about the environment . ”
“… . . However I think about it, this is not a tourist location, is it?”
“I wouldn’t have minded showing you around a bit more… but yeah, sorry, but I’m not used to restraining myself, you see . When the carrot is hanging right in front of me, I’m not able to hold myself back . Seems like I’m even worse than horses . ”
She was smiling as she said that . However, as opposed to her smile, she was very clearly emanating the intention to fight .
In all likelihood, if a low-levelled person were to walk into the building, that person would not even be able to remain standing due to the intimidating aura emitted by her .
She’s not even a flugel . She’s giving off that intimidating aura as if it’s the most natural thing in the world . What is even going on with her?
As she was clearly in a different league compared to all of my enemies in the past, this time alone, I would not be able to say that it would be an easy fight .
It looked like I had to fully prepare myself .
“I’ve waited too long for this moment… Just for this moment, I’ve waited way too long . ”
Benetnash’s facial expression distorted in antic.i.p.ation of battle .
Her beautiful countenance changed into a sharp evil expression and the ends of her mouth lifted to reveal her fangs .
Her eyes shone a crimson red colour and her silver hair waved about violently .
Matching that, I sharpened my consciousness, which caused everything in the environment to slow down .
Even then, the feeling of the aura emitted by her did not change . This indicated that the stretch of time she was experiencing was on par with mine .
“—Now, let’s begin!”
At the same time as she said that, she charged in .
Just by taking a step, the floor which was under her feet shattered and exploded, resulting in the debris stopping mid-air .
To clarify, it was not as if the debris actually stopped in the air . From a third party’s point of view, it would have seemed like Benetnash had disappeared and the floor underneath her exploded . And even before a single second had pa.s.sed, all the debris would have fallen back down on the ground .
However, it was different for me . I was experiencing a perception of s.p.a.ce and time where time itself was dilated to the extreme limit, such that the debris which was a part of the explosion effectively stopped mid-air without falling back down, essentially isolating me as I left the world’s concept of time behind .
I existed in a time and s.p.a.ce which were no different from the state of stopped time . In this situation, only Benetnash was able to move about nimbly, as she closed in on me .
It’s the same with the Demon King, but to think that they’re able to so naturally keep up within the time (world) between time . [1]
It seemed there was no falsehood in her being t.i.tled the strongest of the 7 Heroes . Needless to say, I was not joyful of this turnout .
“Tsk!”
In response to Benetnash’s claw attack, I grabbed her wrist to stop her and countered by kicking her feet away .
The instant I thought that I had thrown Benetnash off balance, she kicked behind her, which caused me to quickly release her wrist as I flew backwards .
In the s.p.a.ce between me and Benetnash, a cannon-like shockwave billowed through vertically, opening a ma.s.sive hole in the ceiling .
I wonder what happened to that “the building won’t even crack a little in most situations” thing… .
Also, this was an extremely irrelevant thing, but because she had raised her feet around in front of me, I saw something I should not have even if I did not try to .
… . White, huh . A little unexpected .
Anyways, wouldn’t it be better if the skirt was a little longer?
As I was thinking about such a stupid thing, Benetnash’s kick changed from a dropkick to an axe kick .
Distance-wise, there was no way that it would hit me . However, there was no way that her attack was performed to merely make a whiff in the air .
I took half a step to the side just in case, and as expected, a black slash pa.s.sed through the spot that I had just stepped away from .
Magic… . ! Not to mention a high-powered one without using an incantation from her leg!
However, I was not given any time to be surprised as Benetnash had already moved on to her next attack .
Something black shone and condensed within her hand . Subsequently, what could be described as a torrent of darkness was released from her hand as an embodiment of destruction .
A thick laser? A destruction ray?
It was a little troublesome to properly describe it in words, but it was effectively a large beam of light you often saw in mangas .
As a result of me dodging the ray that travelled straight forward, it pierced through the building’s wall and flew away somewhere .
Ah… it’s no good . This building’s not able to withstand Benetnash’s power whatsoever .
Anyways, to be on the defensive the whole time is kind of, you know? I guess this time, I’ll try attacking her .
I kicked the ground and closed the distance between us, then chopped at her with my hand .
In retaliation, Benetnash blocked the attack and thrust her finger to counter me . I side-stepped very quickly, however, Benetnash’s finger still scratched past my cheek, yet at the same time, I matched the timing of her counter by countering with a knee kick .
Nevertheless, Benetnash was able to stop that with her own knee, finally managing to land a swift punch onto my cheek .
Notwithstanding that, I was able to avoid taking any damage by spinning my whole body and head,making her punch slip .
Taking advantage of the centrifugal force, I tried to land the back of my hand on her, however, Benetnash lowered herself and swiped at my feet by kicking close to the ground .
Although I almost fell down, I placed my hands on the ground and pushed myself back up through the sheer physical strength in my arms . I kicked upwards towards her using the force I gained from the handstand and launched her upwards by connecting with her chin .
However, she spun in mid-air and closed back in on me, and in return, I decided to receive her head-on .
Both of our arms and legs moved about rapidly, and after layers upon layers of feints, our fists collided in the middle .
After being pushed back a little by the rebound, I switched into my next move .
“Psycho Compression!”
For now, let’s start with debuffing the enemy . This was just the fundamental basics .
I applied telekinesis on Benetnash and inhibited her movements, then tried to close in on her .
However, faster than I could get close to her, she forcibly shattered the telekinesis spell into thousands of pieces and countered back by using her claws . [2]
What the… how come you can’t be restrained at all…?
Although Ruphas thought as such, it was evident that Benetnash was delayed even if it was for a fraction of an instant . As a consequence, her claws swung at empty air, again having the effect of doing nothing but destroying the walls and the floor .
On the other hand, after I leapt into the air to avoid her attack, I moved around to land behind her .
She turned around in a hurry, but it was just a bit too late . My crescent kick landed on her and sent her slender body flying .
If she was one of the 7 Luminaries, it would have been certain death . Even if she was one of the 12 Heavenly Stars, she would definitely have taken significant damage from that attack .
Notwithstanding that, Benetnash halted the momentum mid-air and landed back down on the ground as if nothing had happened at all .
She did… not show any indication of charging in at all .
It seemed she was just testing the waters .
As our perception of time returned back to normal, the initial debris which was created as a result of Benetnash kicking the floor at the beginning of the battle fell to the ground .
“Hmm… I guess I should say it’s to be expected . I thought I managed to quickly guard against that attack, but seems my arm was fractured . ”
Whilst looking at her arm which was bent in a strange direction, Benetnash smiled joyfully .
In a battle for supremacy against an equal rival, to have one of your arms shattered was by no means an insignificant event .
It was momentous damage which could end up deciding the fate of the battle right away .
However, Benetnash forcibly moved her arm back into its original position and started moving her fingers as if nothing had happened .
The vampire race’s regenerative ability? No, even if it was, it was far too quick .
Looks like she’s got some HP recovery equipment or something .
But it’s definitely good news that her arms broke from just that .
However fast her regeneration is, her durability’s definitely not that high .
It’s probably fine to think that I’m stronger than her when it comes to power and endurance .
“But considering you, that was definitely a soft attack . I’m not too pleased with you holding back, you know . ”
Benetnash scowled at me as she said that with dissatisfaction .
Holding back, huh……?
Well sure, that attack was definitely not a skill nor buffed by divine magic .
So if you asked me whether that attack was the best I could do or not, it definitely isn’t .
Having said that, I seriously put effort into that attack .
Although that attack was not backed up by a buff or a skill, I had seriously kicked her without holding back .
This was the same situation as the fight against the Demon King .
Although I was fighting with all my might, from the opponent’s point of view, they thought I was holding back .
In other words, it signified that I was not at the point where Ruphas was two hundred years ago… and if Benetnash was able to fight against the Ruphas from two hundred years ago on equal footing, I was in a very bad position in this battle .
… . Looks like I really don’t have the leeway to be holding back, huh .
I cast a status-increase buff on myself and as if to match that, Benetnash also activated a skill to increase her own status .
“Next round! I’ll see how long you can keep holding back!”
“I really don’t have the intention of doing that, you know . ”
Benetnash flew towards me again, this time much quicker than before .
Fast! Even for me, I was only able to see the shadow of her movement and barely registered that she had charged towards me .
I quickly tried to guard the attack in response and when I did, I felt a heavy impact run through my arms from the other side .
Although I tried to counterattack her, Benetnash had already disappeared from my sight .
When I thought that a silver ray ran past me, this time, I felt the impact from behind me .
I was somehow able to guard against this attack using my wings, however… . . this is not good! I can’t keep up with her movement!?
From then on, it was clearly a defensive battle for me .
As the silver ray of light moved about and continuously a.s.saulted me from all directions, I could do nothing but barely guard against them .
Even if I felt like counter-attacking, there was nothing that I could do because I was not able to keep her in my sight .
Because I was able to barely keep track of her afterimage, I was somehow able to defend against her attacks in time . However, I probably would not be able to win the fight by just defending .
As such, there was only one option that I could take .
I predicted the upcoming attack, forewent the defence and threw my fist at Benetnash’s face, aiming to get an eye for an eye .
As predicted, she stepped in at the same time to claw at my cheek, however, in a test of power, I was above her .
Notwithstanding that I was able to get away after taking a small amount of damage, Benetnash went flying away quite easily and her beautiful face was drenched in blood .
However, Benetnash laughed in pure delight and came flying back in towards me as the wounds on her face quickly regenerated .
Oi… . Normally, people would be a bit more hesitant .
Even though I had managed to counter her, she did not pay attention to it at all and continued with her onslaught .
As I was getting cornered by her, I remembered the fight between the two magical beasts which I had just witnessed .
That magical beast that looked like a weasel… if I recall correctly, it was called a Bavarine or something?[3]
That guy… didn’t mind its inferior status and fought against the bigger hippo without fear . And in the end, it ended up winning .
There was nothing scarier than those who did not fear anything . The ones without hesitation were extremely troublesome because they did not care about what happened to themselves .
After all, we often hear the idiom, “the more cowardly you are, the longer you live” .
I had absolutely no intention of rejecting that notion, and if anything, it was probably how things really were .
Although the words “brave” and “courageous” sounded great, it could be taken to mean that those individuals merely unshackled themselves from their natural self-preserving limiters, therefore, it was only natural that they usually did not live for long .
However, when it came to a one-off battle, there was nothing scarier than individuals who did not fear anything .
And in all likelihood, Benetnash was one such individual .
Without a shred of doubt, she had entrusted her everything for this one single fight .
The line, “I have waited two hundred years for this”, was by no means an exaggeration . She truly believed that it would be fine to die right here and now .
Therefore, regardless of whether she was to end up receiving an injury that would last with her for the rest of her life or end up dying, she could not care less .
Until she died herself or I was killed, she would continue with the battle . She was standing in this place with such a mindset .
… . . This person, without even needing to debate about it, is definitely the most troublesome enemy up to this date .
“Trans.m.u.te – [Winter of Swords]!”
I trans.m.u.ted a single sword and stabbed it into the ground .
At the same time, countless blades grew out from the ground and created a field of no escape which all simultaneously a.s.saulted Benetnash .
Needless to say, I did not think for a moment that something like this would be enough to defeat Benetnash, however, it would at least serve the purpose of allowing me to read her next movement .
If she were to avoid the blades, her speed would naturally decrease and if she were to break them, the location of the broken blades would serve to tell me where she was .
However, neither of those scenarios came to fruition and there was no figure of Benetnash within the mountain of blades .
In that case, there was only one possibility . Without even looking, I leapt into the air and body slammed right into Benetnash who was attacking me violently from above .
As there was a swarm of blades on the ground, it was very difficult to attack me .
As such, the simplest way to attack me was from above, which also happened to be the safest place at the moment .
“Ha!”
I grabbed onto Benetnash’s arm and shot a kick right into her soft stomach .
At the same time, I elbowed down on her back and pincered her between my elbow and knee .
Blood spewed out from Benetnash’s mouth and even whilst I was feeling a little sorry for her, we flew up into the sky .
After breaking past the ceiling, I continued to ascend straight up, eventually reaching a point where Mjolnir’s buildings barely looked like small peas before rapidly descending back down .
Adding to the fall speed, I threw her towards an area of ground away from the capital with all my might and activated a follow-up skill .
“Trans.m.u.te – [Hrungnir’s Right Arm]!”[4]
From the ground came rising up particles of sand and rocks, eventually reaching past even the clouds .
Then, with the downwards motion of my arm, an enormous fist fell down after splitting the clouds .
It was an enormous fist weighing ten tonnes given birth by the alchemist’s skill .
And that skill slammed right into Benetnash without any mercy . With an ear-shattering sound, the ground caved right in .
“…………”
After finishing my attack, I inspected the enormous fist that I had created myself .
So how’s that? Is it over with that attack? Or did I go too far?
It’ll be for the best if she just stays knocked down though .
Nevertheless, my expectations were quickly shattered as a crack started to run through the enormous arm .
There was not even a need to mention who the one cracking it was .
Eventually, after it was completely broken, the silver-haired Vampire Princess came flying out from within, then stopped when she came in front of me .
Looks like there’s some effect, but… . her smile br.i.m.m.i.n.g with leisure is still there, huh .
“Just as I was expecting . It was quite a decent attack, but considering you, that was quite a soft attack . Are you unable to get serious with me as the opponent? Or is it that…”
Benetnash’s eyes shone suspiciously as she laughed after showing her fangs .
This is not good, I’m having a bad feeling about this .
“— you will feel like actually trying once I get serious first?”
Yeaahh, there it is, she said it . That cla.s.sic cliché, the “I actually wasn’t trying at all” line .
Honestly, I knew something like this was gonna happen, dammit .
__
(Author note)
Raising the curtains for the Ruphas vs Benet battle
By the way, between when Benet first dashed in and “I guess I should say it’s to be expected” scene, not even a single second of time lapsed .
Of course, if an ordinary person were to have observed this fight from the side, it would have just looked like the two of them disappeared and places here and there shattered and exploded randomly .
During the time the rock was falling back onto the ground, there was: Kick → dodge → dropkick and then magic → dodge → chop → finger thrust → knee kick → back-handed slap → ground kick → high kick tens of attacks exchanged → Psycho Compression → restriction negated → attack with a claw → leap into the air to avoid the attack and land at the back → high kick → Benet got blown away and stopped; are all the exchanges that took place .
Q: I don’t quite understand what you mean by how things can be so quick that it feels like time has stopped .
A: Please imagine Zell Dincht who’s able to repeatedly use Rush Punch and Head Shock within the span of one second in the game, but is actually many tens of minutes of endlessly punching the enemy from the perspective of the player . [5]
Ruphas and Benet are individuals that are able to live in that domain of the perception of time .