Chapter 42 – 4th Pa.s.sage of the Legend: Fierce Duel with The Thunder G.o.d (1st part)
“DOORRYAAAAA!!”
“He?”
A strange warcry resounded in the G.o.d’s Realm that blows away the serious atmosphere of duel that had been heated up to the climax point. Even Renya returns an idiotic reply towards it.
Renya who thought that Alberg would attack by using lightings and it will come from either up ahead or straight ahead is surprised because he himself comes in charging at him.
He charges ahead with his fist glowed brightly from being charged with lighting.
Alberg attacks with a big swing towards him. Renya, naturally as a war G.o.d, easily evades it and attempt to do counterattack in that instant ---- but he suddenly feels a bad premonition and gives up trying to counter back and take a back step with all his might.
Alberg whose attacks missed his opponent just keep on pushing his fist into the ground without any hesitation. And when his fist connects with the ground, a loud explosion erupts blowing up all the stone and sand in its radius.
No, it’s not just stone and sand that is blown up by the explosion. It was the ground itself that is blown up and created a big crater in the center of the explosion. That horrible disaster was just like a scene when a large bolts of lightning strikes the ground and gouges a large hole where it falls.
If Renya decided to continue on with his counterattack, a scene where he got blown away by that explosion can be easily imagined. Just thinking about that possibility made a line of cold sweat appears in Renya’s forehead.
“Huumu, Seems like you managed to detect how powerful my lightning fist is and choose to retreat without any hesitation. Seems like your sensing ability is also quite high leveled”
That skill name is simple but the destructive power is not something to laugh at.
Alberg who is in the center of the explosion appears to be unhurt from the explosion. It seems like he himself is not affected by his own skill. This fact makes the difficulty level to deal with that skill leap up by many more levels.
Judging that Alberg is more of a melee fighter from only his appearance might be a bad move. There is still much unknown factor about him to decide. But Renya thinks that he is in disadvantage if he challenged him in a close ranged battle so he picks up a few divine armaments that are superior when it comes to long range attacks. He can easily just connect to his world and select the divine armaments that he wants to use even without any preparation but if he prepares it beforehand, switching between divine armaments could mitigates the time needed to do that by a few milliseconds and a few milliseconds in battle might be the cause of one defeat so Renya doesn’t dare to slack even for a bit.
“But! If you choose to use long range attacks because of my first strike then ---- You are still too naïve greenhorn!”
The G.o.d’s Realm sky is already covered by thick dark cloud and suddenly a bolt of lightning strike down from the heaven. But strangely that lightning bolt didn’t aim for Renya, for some unknown reason, it comes straight towards Alberg instead! And when that lightning is about to hit Alberg ---- he bounce off the lighting with his fist.
Aiming straight to Renya.
“Whaaa!?”
The lightning that had it course turned abruptly from vertical to horizontal flash forward in a squirming pattern to Renya like a dragon trying to shoot through him. But because it moves in a straight line, Renya was able to barely evade it in just time. But that attack just now is just too surprising that even Renya get baffled by it and makes him unable to hide his astonishment.
“Why such the roundabout way!?”
“Why? Because I can’t drop it anywhere I like that’s why!”
Didn’t this Thunder G.o.d just say his own weakness out loud just now?
Everyone gathered in this place naturally gathers their gaze at one person. And that person is Martina.
Under this much pressure, Martina at last opens up her heavy mouth.
“Thunder G.o.d Alberg is widely known as a merciless G.o.d who execute his divine judgment by using his lightning bolt. And to make things worse…… he didn’t only punish the sinner, but he also punishes those around the sinner. But in actuality ---- that is only a fabricated interpretation that actually hides his fatal weakness”
“Teacher…… I have this feeling of not wanting to hear the rest of this story though……”
“Brenda, never avert your gaze from the reality that is present in front of your eyes. Well, everyone seems to realize it already. Yes, that’s right. He is someone whose name sung in an exaggerated way as the G.o.d of Thunder but in reality he is just a nuisance G.o.d that couldn’t even control his lighting to hit the place he aims”
“Then…… don’t tell me”
“That’s right. That guy would keep on sending in lightning until it hits the sinner that is going to be punished. And as the result, let’s just say that the land around the sinner will also become a scorched ground”
It was often said that reality is even harsher than fiction but this inside story is unexpectedly outrageously cruel.
“Why did this G.o.d was entrusted with lightning in the first place!? Let me see the one who is responsible for this!”
“FUHAHAHAHA! The creator G.o.d who bring forth me to this world is already gone!”
“This is not a laughing matter! Dammit. Just when I thought I would have a good fight after a while… What I expect to be a battle with a similar combat type G.o.d was actually a battle with some oddball… I did expect some unexpected but this is just too far off!”
The reality behind such grand myth was such a joke just like that of a comedy movie. Renya can’t help but get bewildered by that fact.
But then again, Alberg way of fighting is too simple that it is not even worth a praise but it was because of its simplicity itself that his technique doesn’t have any flaw which make it a hard nut to crack.
If he challenges him close ranged then his terrifying thunder fist will come visit which is disadvantageous for him. But then again if he tries to attack him from afar, this time thunder will come flying. And the thing with him unable to control where the lightning fall in a meaning is also dangerous.
On that note, it seems that he can control it if he want the lightning to hit himself but ---- other than that one lightning, it means that the other lightning is unrelated with Alberg will. Where the lightning will strike, not even the G.o.d who reigns over it knows. And such random attack devoid of killing intent is very hard to foresee, much less dodge.
Alberg bounce the lightning with his fist and let it fly horizontally, and the rest of the lightning normally come striking from up above.
It was a real thunder crossfire h.e.l.l. If he focus too much on the lightning that Alberg throws at him, then the lightning from above might strike him in his escape path when avoiding. This kind of situation will surely happen a lot in this battle.
“Come on come on! Where’s your spirit from the start of the battle gone to? My lightning can still go up a few notches that this you know!”
And Alberg too, is in a state of excitement because he gets to fight again with an opponent that is hard to deal with after a long while at last. The number of falling thunder is beyond normal. Everywhere inside Renya’s line of sight is filled with lightning striking the ground.
What an extravagant way to splurge divine power.
(The way he fight is straight idiot but…… anyway I have to build my own momentum first……!)
For that purpose, Renya mainly uses ranged attacks to deal with Alberg but no matter how much he perfected his battle style, summoning divine armaments still have a very short time lag. But as he face Alberg who casually keep on shooting lightning towards him, he had to concentrate on the attack that come from up front and still have to be wary about the lightning that may come down and strike him from up above. Under this kind of situation, standing still means instant defeat.
He even can’t find any gap that he can use to even summon his divine armaments which is only a simple action normally. Alberg showers him with waves of attacks that make him unable to summon his divine armament much less using it.
The barrages of attacks that come from many angle surround him tightly. He feels like being inside a bullet h.e.l.l shooting game from his previous life and wants to scream out loud protesting about it but, the craving to win feeling inside him still burn strongly inside his heart.
First I have to get out from my opponent rhythm then get him in my own pace!
And like answering to his burning pa.s.sion, his divine armaments finally manifest in his left hand.
“Wha!”
“The music I play is a gun ensemble, the mark that I etch upon is a gun wound. Dance freely my magic bullet! The Undeceivable Shooter’s Magic Gun 「Tathlum」!”
The divine armament has a silver colored gun barrel and uses a 9mm caliber. It design is just the same as the beretta automatic pistol that exist in Renya’s previous life. But even if it outer design is the same, that item is definitely not just a normal pistol.
It can be seen in the gun barrel body that there are some unknown letter etched on it. Those letters actually doesn’t have any meaning. For the divine armaments ability it was being inputted by Renya when he made the divine weapon. But he felt that the design is too simple so he asked Floria to add magic insignia like pattern to it. That was a piece development story of this divine armament.
Well, let’s set aside that trivia that doesn’t have any connection with the divine armament ability.
This divine armament has a special action of ‘using’ it by pulling its trigger that is different from the other divine armaments. Well, it was a gun after all so it feature is the same of that a normal gun which operates with that action. For Renya, a divine armament real worth isn’t just from its raw power.
Especially for guns that is mainly used for shooting at long range, he pursuit a higher level of user-friendliness from the divine armaments.
He wants a gun with unlimited ammo.
He wants a gun with zero recoil.
He wants a gun with high rapid fire rate.
He wants a gun with that can hit its target even without the user aiming for it.
Originally, a gun isn’t something that is easy to use. It was after all a lump of steel, it was heavy just like a sword or a spear. With a half a.s.sed power, much less aiming, even holding it would become an ordeal.
That’s why, Renya thinks that a gun that doesn’t have such kind of limit would become a very strong weapon. In fact, Tathlum is a divine armament that is born from his wish for a fantasy like gun that definitely would excel a real gun. And the only one who knows about this trivia is only Floria.
And with that reason, Tathlum in reality is just a fantasy dreamed of by Renya that takes a shape but its firepower isn’t just a fantasy imagination at all.
Even though it was a divine armament that is made just to fulfill Renya’s ideals, Tathlum light bullets, with its loud firing sound that was intentionally made like that, isn’t inferior in the slightest or it might even be superior when compared to the lightning that Albert shots out.
The gun actually don’t use gunpowder based bullet as its projectile so the source of that loud gunshot sound is a mystery by itself.
It doesn’t use explosion mechanism to shoot so why it have to produce a loud gunshot? Well it was simply just one of Renya’s ideal. If it was about gun’s romance, then it should be that loud gunshot sound!
That divine armament indeed has many unnecessary half joking part added to it but again, the firepower is no joke at all. After all it can even set off the lightning that comes striking with just one shot. Moreover, Tathlum as a high rate of rapid fire available, making it possible to do the impossible like overpowering its opponent with a higher number of projectiles. A gun that can blast off a mountain with one shot, and not stopping at that, it even has an unlimited amount of bullets to use. Just how absurd is that?
“Nuuuu, Such a curious weapon you are using there!”
“I don’t want to hear it from you who use lightning in such a curious way either!”
You two both are a pair of curious existents itself. That was what the girls who spectate the battle anonymously think. And oblivious with the feeling of the spectator, the supposed to be a fist fight duel had turned out into a random shooting duel. Renya don’t have time to stop moving his feet.
Indeed Alberg’s lightning has a very low hitting chance. But just as the myth states, it will hit its target [eventually].
He doesn’t want his future to become burnt black like a charcoal. With that feeling pushing him, he keeps on pulling the trigger while runs around.
Renya off sets the lightning that was aimed at him with his light bullet at the most perfect timing possible and in turn showers Alberg with his light bullet as reprisal but those bullets too got swallowed by the lightning strike that comes down from above.
Such queer exchange starts to unfold in the duel of the two G.o.ds. But when one look at it objectively, it was obvious that the advantage are still in Alberg’s hand. Against Renya who keep running about swiftly in the battlefield filled with thunderstorm to avoid a direct hit while still busying himself with shooting back at his opponent, Alberg’s offensive resources are just too overwhelming. Especially the fact that the opponent has full control of the sky is the most disadvantaged point for Renya.
But even against all this odds, Renya is still smiling fearlessly.
He keeps thinking of how he could overcome this overwhelming tides of attacks that coming at him.
He keeps thinking of how he could overcome this stronger than a fortress thunder G.o.d.
He keeps thinking of how he should use the divine armaments at his disposal.
He is just like a teenage who is actually at their happiest when challenging the unknown! Renya actually enjoy this predicament that befalls him.
But even if he seems like enjoying the moment, it doesn’t mean that he has the upper hand either. After hundreds or more projectiles exchanges between them, at last, a lightning that comes striking from above finally hit Renya. He was. .h.i.t when he was stiffened for a while after doing an evasive maneuver. The lightning is just like has been aiming for this defenseless instant to strike. It was actually just a result of misfortune piled one after another that is caused by Alberg’s inability to aim his lightning.
“Kuh!”
With a G.o.dlike reflex, Renya points Tathlum gun point straight to above and pull the trigger. It was a close call but he still manages to avoid getting a clean hit in his most defenseless time. Then again because the lightning already comes very close to him, the firepower of the lightning couldn’t be offsets completely and grazes Renya. Renya felt like getting hit by a cannon sh.e.l.l in his sides when he got blown off by it.
“Uooowaaaaa!?”
Renya rolls on the ground like a ball from getting blown off by the impact but he had already deployed a barrier created by his divine power to protect his body so he doesn’t receive too much damage. But because he was blown by such a strong force which stirs him about in a random direction, the feeling is like getting on a jet coaster which ignores all safety regulation and gets derailed in the end, such kinds of reckless movement had made his sense shaken up and disorder him.
“Aaa…… that hurts…… I already evaded a direct hit and yet it still has this much power……!”
If he was a normal human then he probably would be dead 7 times because of that attack and that is still being kind. But as expected of a war G.o.d resilience power, the pain he experienced is just like when a normal human stumbled a little hard to the ground. His durability is indeed astounding that it will make others shrink back from it.
“NUHAHAHAHA! You did great enduring that! That quick wittedness movement that instant there is truly splendid!”
Alberg laugh audaciously after watching Renya’s performance but he still won’t stop his barrage of attacks. But against this, Renya is…
“Then at least can you please stop attacking when you are laughing!?”
Replying back to Alberg hearty laugh with a sharp criticizing tone while still steadily returning fire with Tathlum. In a sense, this two pair of people is somewhat similar to each other.
Floria and the other girls can only gulp their own saliva while spectating the grand duel that is unfolding before their eyes. But then a sudden small whisper from Floria breaks the silence.
“A~~ It’s been awhile since Renya shows such a handsome expression like that~”
“Floria?”
There is a person who react the most to Floria’s whisper.
That’s right, why did Renya was able to stand off against those nightmarish barrage of lightning bullet shower that is enough to freeze a person wits instantly from its terror with such a gleaming bright expression? Brenda couldn’t even comprehend it at all. From the start, if it was not for this barrier that was made up from divine power protecting them, much less spectating the duel calmly, even her own life is at risk.
Watching the strife between the G.o.ds right before her eyes like this, she realizes just how far apart their dimension of power is. But even so, she can’t help but to chase after Renya’s figure who is dancing inside that strife.
“Renya, in a different meaning, is also a war lover like daddy. But in Renya’s case, it was not about beating his opponent or achieving victories ---- He really enjoys the moment when he finally managed to break through a seemingly impossible to break walls”
“But, isn’t his power now…..”
Brenda was about to point out that Renya still haven’t been able to exploits his full power as a G.o.d and won’t he feel stressed when facing such a strong opponent with that shackles. But Floria just laugh and denies it.
“Ahaha~ You know~ Renya will always enjoys a battle in the end whether it was a full all out battle without any breaks or the handicapped battle that he is in like now even if that handicap is the one that he put it on himself. That time with daddy is an uphill battle where he has to keep on reaching an even greater height but Renya is actually a war G.o.d that can discover enjoyment in every kind of battle he is in”
If that"s the case then… Brenda suddenly arrives to an understanding.
(If that"s the case then… If Renya think that living his everyday life is already like a battle worthy for him to bet his status as the war G.o.d… then……)
He will, just like in this battle, only smile fearlessly when facing every single possible kind of misfortune and troubles and will diligently tries to overcome them. He is the G.o.d who has such kind of strength. He was once a human who knows exactly the bitterness of misfortune and troubles. And it was exactly because of that experiences that made Renya becomes as strong as now.
Spectating Renya that is battling as a G.o.d for the first time, Brenda feels that she at last finally sees Renya’s true figure as a G.o.d.
Looking at his back, she knows that he definitely would never shoulder any responsibility that he doesn’t want. In a bad way, yes, he seems very irresponsible from the front. But behind it that impression, he will surely to use his full power to get and protect the things that he desires.
Because for him, that is also a ‘battle’ where he can’t lose no matter what. And for that reason, the things that he managed to get ---- his family ---- he will spare no effort for protecting them.
Even for him to be this desperate in this battle, it was all because he doesn’t want to lose Hlidskjalf which he finally earns after dealing with many troubles.
No. such a shallow reason won’t drive him this far like this.
Ah, I see. He probably doesn’t want to let Anrietta get back once again into that isolated places by herself.
Maybe because he found a worth in breaking this wall that even in the face of this unreasonable fight, he still able to find enjoyment within it.
Inside Brenda eyes that chase after the figure of Renya’s back are like a little girl’s delirious from fever. But that fever is different from any common sickness.
“Did you fall for him again Brenda?”
“Wha, No, That’s….. not…… it”
Floria smiles impishly like she can read Brenda’s feeling right now. She can’t even retort back. Renya’s gallant figure in front of her eyes just make things get worse inside her heart. Even the other girls could see through Brenda because of her fully red blushed face.
“Being honest with your own feeling is the best you know? Well, Renya also take his sweet time when conquering me but I’m sure Brenda wouldn’t want t wait that long right?”
“L-like I said Floria, I’m just……!”
“Nyufufu, there’s no point in hiding it when you are this fl.u.s.tered. The usual calm and collected Brenda is nowhere to be found”
“T-this is not the time to talk about such things!”
“So that means it will be alright to talk about this later right?”
Floria’s response only brings a bad premonition for Brenda in the future but she did stop pursuing this matter… for now. But Brenda is quite thankful for it. She doesn’t have any confidence she can cope with this problem calmly right now so she just doesn’t want to think of it for now.
For now, she just wishes to concentrate in the pa.s.sage of legend that is unfolding before her eyes.
She is just like a little girl who has her eyes sparkled from being charmed by the impressive tale and longs to know the continuation of it. All she wants to do right now is just wholeheartedly chase Renya’s back with her two eyes. And while the girls blooming flowers around with their girls talk, a change occurs in the currently happening battle.