RATH 112
TL: Eevee
12. It’s not over til it’s over (10)
“Fight him as if you were going to kill him!”
With the princess’s shout, the knights all swung their swords.
Five swordsmasters, the beings that could be said to be the beginning and end of swordsmanship.
With this number of swordsmasters, they had enough fighting potential to destroy the capital of a small kingdom with an ambush.
But.
“Kuuuuuugh!”
One knight was struck on the wrist, shoulder and ribs in that order and collapsed with a scream.
The reason why I feared swordsmasters despite wielding the self-proclaimed strongest and proclaimed by others as the worst weapon, the metal bat, was because of the sheer amount of mana they possessed that allowed them to wield sword aura.
And they would use that man to further raise their physical capabilities.
Sword aura?
Honestly the metal bat could even take sword aura slashes so I wasn’t too scared of it.
Since I didn’t have any magic power anyway, whether I died to sword ki, sword aura or a simple unboosted stab, the resulting reality of my death wouldn’t change.
But I had no way to deal with the strengthening of the body that came with it.
The common perception is that the reason why swordsmasters are called superhumans that have transcended the limits of humanity is because they can use sword aura, but it is actually because they have physical abilities that transcend humanity.
Even if without sword aura, they could cleave a rock into two.
If they wanted to, they could move even faster than magic.
And reactions speeds that allowed them to freely use that magic.
Even if the metal bat is all-purpose, I, the one wielding it, am not.
Swordsmasters possessed speed and reflexes to dodge every single one of my attacks, and power to make it feel like I would drop my weapon with every attack.
Even if I was holding the metal bat, if the basic specs are different, even if I tried hitting them then everyone else dodges and I’m the only one that gets. .h.i.t.
But if they have no magic power?
“Then of course everyone gets a fair metal batting. Fack it!”
“What the h.e.l.l are saying in a situation like this!”
What am I saying, it means that I can get all of you with the metal bat!
“Sloppy.”
“Kuwaaaghhh!”
Sloppy. Let alone their sloppy postures, with their dulled movements as well it would be hard to believe that these people were swordsmasters, but they would hardly do anything about it, either.
The beings called swordsmasters are ones that have achieved perfect unison between their mind, body and magic power, and right now, one of those three had disappeared.
The mind orders it, and through the use of magic, the body carries it out.
So what would happen if the magic power these people had normally been using so freely disappeared?
Their bodies’ specs have fallen but their mind still orders them to work like normal.
But since they have no magic, their bodies cannot work the way their minds want to.
Because they were at such a high peak, the moment a single deficiency appears, they cannot adjust to it and they collapse like a house of cards.
Compared to them.
-But, your almighty me is an invincible G.o.ddess who don’t care about no magic power! Hurry up and praise me, owner!
Indeed, hurrah for the metal bat!
This G.o.d’s divine weapon that cannot be checked even with this device that freezes all the magic power in this area!
Although if one were to ask which G.o.d it was the majority of the people around it would name it as the evil G.o.d’s weapon!
“Haap!”
“Ohh!”
The female knight that helped me so very much leaped through the air and chopped at me.
Although it was probably a desperate, futile attempt because the moment she failed to capture me was the moment a bleak future at the hands of Her Highness awaited her.
“Futile things are futile!”
The direct downward strike from the air is a powerful one, but there was no way I’d be hit by that unless there was a major discrepancy in skill.
Although of course her main objective was to probably give the two behind her an opening to attack.
There’s no way I’d get caught out…
Shiik!
“What?”
I predicted the approximate area and landing position of her attack, as well as the two knights’ follow up, and just when I prepared to finish off another knight I instinctively felt something flying towards me.
Having barely overcome the danger of my legs getting cut off, I could only stare bug-eyed at the imperial princess.
Because…
“Wasn’t it impossible to use magic? Hyah-chah.”
“Hiik!”
To the female knight who seemed to have sold her sense of chivalry somewhere to attack me from behind while I was talking to the imperial princess, I gave her another swing of the bat.
“It’s the power of love.”
On the sword of the demurely speaking princess was an incomplete but definite sword ki.
Was it even possible to use magic in a s.p.a.ce where a magic-sealing device had completely frozen the movement of magic itself?
Unless you were a dragon, the creatures called the race of magic power, it was impossible.
But……
“How are you throwing out sword ki like it’s perfectly normal?!”
Following the path of the sword cutting through the air, waves of incomplete sword ki flew at my ankles.
“Get him.”
Her emotionless appearance as she threw around sword ki without a single care for the knights fallen around us made me fear that I’d see it in a nightmare!
“Small fry can stay out of this!”
I swung the metal bat at the knights who ran in at the princess’s command, but they dodged it by the skin of their teeth.
d.a.m.n it. It’d only been a few minutes, yet their magic-less bodies had already adapted this much, one could say they weren’t the imperial princess’s subordinates for nothing.
“But I need to live as well?”
Judging by the imperial princess’s expression, the moment I was caught, I’d lose at least my legs.
Seeing as the sword ki flying towards me were mostly aimed at my lower body, if things went badly I could get hit in a very poor place indeed.
-Impotent? My owner’s an impotent?
-Not yet!
“Please… get caught, Sir Ast!”
As knight #1 pleaded and struck at the same time, I blocked the attack with the metal bat.
“Kuhk!”
The moment the sword met the metal bat, he whimpered, and I didn’t miss the opportunity and drummed him with the metal bat.
“Kraaaaaghhh!”
“d.a.m.n it, Pesh.e.l.l!”
“Abandon him and press the attack!”
Two knights didn’t even think of saving their comrade who was screaming from the metal bat’s pain and ran at me.
To these things not even have a sense of camaraderie.
-Owner, did ya ever teach ya kids the meaning of camwadewie?
-Your life is lived out by youself.
-And ya still lookin’ for camwadewie?
Now that I think about it, the person who deleted that useless thing called camaraderie under Her Highness was none other than me.
Under the motto [You fight alone, every man for himself!] I did my best to make them work but to think even the knights copied that!
“I offer my body, for Her Highness!”
“Are you some zealot!”
Like a zealot that ran into a minefield shouting “my life for Aiur,”(1) the final remaining knight who seemed to have lost his fear of the metal bat ran at me.
“Take this, my ultimate… sword throw!”
“Hmph! Without magic power your swordsmanship is… the h.e.l.l? Do you have no pride as a knight!”
I dodged the charging knight’s ultimate in a state of shock.
For a knight order made up entirely of swordsmasters each and every one of them were adept in zealotry.
What kind of knight throws away his sword?
In the end this lot managed to achieve the triple crown of knightly shame in attacking someone from behind, abandoning their comrades and letting go of their sword absolutely flawlessly!
“A knight carries out his master’s orders! I prioritise my master’s commands over my own pride!’
“You might as well say outright that Her Highness’s grudge is scarier than your sense of pride!”
Because I couldn’t predict that this knight would throw his sword, as the price for dodging his sword and the princess’s sword ki, I allowed the knight to get a grip on my ankle.
“Let go!”
“N, noooo!”
Was it because of the fact that despite his body being perpetually boosted by magic, as a swordsman his body was still tempered as a given?
Despite screaming at the metal bat’s beating, he held onto my left ankle in a vice-grip.
“Kuaaaaaaagh!’
“Let go of me!”
“A chance!’
Thanks to this meatshield which took one, two, three strikes, the princess found another opportunity to throw sword ki my way, and at the same time the last remaining female knight also aimed for my back.
Iya. One of my legs are caught, and behind me is a sword, and in front of me comes sword ki aiming for my legs.
-Where ya gonna block?
-I need to get rid of this leech first.
“Kuaaaaaagh!”
I gave the knight clinging to my leg a finishing 7 hit combo of the metal bat who fell with an ear-piercing screech, and jumped into the air as high as I could.
I barely evaded the sword ki, but there still remain the sword of the female knight running at my back.
“This is the end!”
Dodging this attack while I was already in mid-air was impossible!
So I stabbed down the metal bat as hard as I could, but the female knight dodged it with ease and swung her sword once again at the arm holding the metal bat.
“Really, you all have zero hesitation in cutting off other people’s limbs!”
As the sword came at me without a shred of hesitation, I too, unhesitatingly gripped the metal bat in my right hand as hard as I could.
“Hup.”
Using the metal bat, which had already touched the ground, as my support, I turned my body around and headb.u.t.ted the sword.
“Huh? Do you want to die!”
“It’s cause I want to live!”
Thankfully, because of her order to capture me alive, she tried to change the path of her sword but couldn’t change it properly because of her lack of mana, and.
“Kghhh.”
-That wooks wike it hurt.
My forehead struck the flat of the blade!
I staggered momentarily at the impact that shook my brain, but thanks to the metal bat I managed to avoid the princess’s follow-up attack.
-This is exhausting…
-And scawy. That pwincess that’s shut right up and been glaring at owner the moment she couldn’t use magic is weally, weally scawy!
The princess, who was even now still forming sword ki and waiting for an opportunity, her eyes were like a lion on the verge of starvation.
Her appearance as if she so desperately wanted something did not resemble the princess I knew at all.
-That means she wants ya that much, owner! Say it honestly! Just what did owner of that time do to that unni while I wasn’t thea!
-Why is it confirmed that I did something to her?!
-Well then, ya didn’t do anything and dat unni’s like that? Then I’ll apologise.
-Sorry.
I actually did do something.
The problem is that even I don’t know what it is that I did.
I only flailed around to try and live, I only realised the next day when I consulted the emperor that ‘ah, I went and did something~’.
-There there. This benevolent G.o.ddess can forgive all your sins. S’cough up. Why that unni’s got th’ eyes of a falcon locked on its prey! Me be very curious!
Differently from before, the metal bat pressed for me to confess as if she was some cop from a drama bringing in the beef bone soup I’d requested.
-Well…
-Well?
-I don’t know why. But apparently I stole something she valued like her life?
-Wazzat?
-If I knew I’d have returned it to her would I be so insane to hold onto it? All I know is that it’s something important to the empire.
-…Hm. Let’s see. Owner said it’s been nearly ten years since ya bid bye bye to that unni… and owner supposedly played around in the imperial palace for a fair while… how old ‘zat unni?
-Was she twenty-six now?
-Alwite. So if I do the math… when ya met that unni, that unni was about 10 years old?
-She was nine when I first met her.
-Hm… ho…. Hmmm……
As the metal bat hmmed and hummed over something, in the meanwhile the female knight dodged the metal bat 12 times and I dodged the imperial princess’s sword ki around 7 or so times, the metal bat screeched loudly enough to nearly upturn my consciousness.
-Kaaaaaaaaaaahhhh! My owner’s a lolicon! He’s a pedophile! He’s a pervert among perverts, he’s unsalvageable burnable trash!
-What bulls.h.i.t is that!
-What bulls.h.i.t, it’s that owner’s a downright a.s.shole! Ah! Now that I think about it this is the reason that owner made my voice loliloli as well! Ya put ya own desires into this G.o.ddess!
Some ridiculous misunderstanding had started up.
Although there was no longer any threat from behind, now wasn’t the time or place for this when we still had that oddly fast female knight and the princess who was staring at me focusing really really hard!
The moment the magic suppression tool is taken down, I’m a pincushion!
-So I will very concisely tl;dr it for you. I am not a lolicon!
-Not a lolicon! You stole a girl’s precious thing! A girl’s purity… you pervert!
-And like I’m saying, why is that her purity!
-‘Course. What else would be important to a 10 year old girl? That princess isn’t doing this because you stole her teddy bear!
The imperial princess in tears because someone stole her teddy bear. What, the. That’s scary?
“Guaahhhhh!”
While I was racking my brain to become victorious in this cold war with the metal bat, a sharp scream found its way into my ear, and as I focused back in front of me once again.
“N, no……”
“Too late!”
Unlike my mind, my body which had been on autopilot finally found its mark on the female knight, and the moment I noticed I immediately struck home with the metal bat.
“I, I’m a woman!”
“Oho! A knight caring about genders. And it’s alright. This doesn’t leave any wounds.”
“Gaahh! Th, that’s… not haaah! Hwu!”
One hit, two hits, three hits, four hits.
I wondered how long she’d keep twitching… I mean how many hits of the metal bat she could take as I kept on swinging, and she endured a whopping 11 hits before she finally departed honourably.
“It’s over, now……”
“It’s over, now……”
“Hm?”
The only one left was the imperial princess.
As I thought where even Sir Reia was absent, and there was no way I would lose to Her Imperial Highness with her barely coherent sword ki, someone else said the exact same thing I did.
Of course the only people present in this place were the knights that were lying like corpses, myself and the imperial princess, so my eyes automatically sought her out.
“Holy s.h.i.t?”
“This is the end.”
As she said so, the waves of silver that flew towards me were undoubtedly sword aura.
A veritable torrent of sword aura slashes that were created despite the presence of the magic-sealing device, rained torrentially down onto me.