Gazel felt a bit uplifted as he reflected on this. There was still room for him to grow.
“Kondo was your name, wasn’t it? Well, enjoy having a taste of my full powers.”
As soon as he said it, Gazel released his own secret move.
“Spirit summon! Elemental lord of the nameless earth, come to me!”
Unleashing his power as a Saint, Gazel invited the earth elemental lord to ensconce itself in his body. They were fully Unified now, and they had energy stores that rivaled or even exceeded that of an ancient, awakened demon lord. It operated on a strict time limit, but it was still Gazel’s ace in the hole.
But Kondo was unfazed.
“Ridiculous.”
Even exposed to Gazel’s onrush of energy, Kondo remained calm. Gazel didn’t show any displeasure at this, holding his sword forward. Sharpening his mind, he let the will flow within him, pouring it into his blade.
Gazel now had perfect control over the vast amounts of energy being Unified with the earth elemental lord granted to him. It was a feeling unlike anything he had experienced before.
Well done, Master. You allowed me to tap into the innermost workings of this school, did you not? Now, I can win. I can reach even greater heights than ever before!
He could feel his mind, his heart, and his body all rise up. His mind itself was a skill, energized with his full mastery of the unique skill Tyrant. His skills were an art—the art of Crestwater as taught by Hakuro, capable of converting spiritual energy to physical force. Right now, Gazel could use it to gather all the energy coursing through his body and focus it on a single target. Tyrant allowed him to put it all together, letting it grow into the best possible strike he could manage.
He was sure no one could defeat his sword—and now he made his move. A strike of divine speed. But it never reached Kondo. There was a small bang, and Gazel fell to his knees with a clatter.
“Kah…”
Blood poured out of his mouth as he looked down, dumbfounded at the red streak spreading across his stomach. Kondo’s Nambu semiautomatic handgun was in his right hand, a cloud of gunpowder smoke billowing from it. The bullet that felled Gazel had been fired from that very gun.
“Where…is your pride as a swordsman…?”
Gazel spat out blood as he spoke, his face contorted with anger and humiliation. But Kondo couldn’t have cared less.
“I told you I was done with playtime. Pride is useless in a battle. My duty is to win by any means necessary.”
His voice was cold, a completely different tone from the person so concerned with his sword technique a moment ago.
“Nonsense! This much won’t be the end of me…”
Gazel tried to stand up, a look of desperation on his face. But he couldn’t move his body the way he wanted—and soon, he was on the ground again. And no wonder: It was no mere bullet Kondo shot him with, but a Necrosis Bullet, a special type that contained Kondo’s own will.
It wasn’t driven by something he borrowed from Emperor Ludora, but rather an ultimate skill he had manifested on his own. Kondo had literally used his own power to awaken himself into an ultimate skill. This skill was Sandalphon, Lord of Judgment, and the command it held over battle made it supremely strong. It allowed him to fight on behalf of Emperor Ludora—a human being who desired to attain the throne of God himself. Sandalphon was what powered his Necrosis Bullets, which could destroy the veins and outlets through which magic flowed in the target’s body, allowing him to kill even spiritual life-forms.
Gazel was no weakling. In fact, he was one of the strongest people in the world. If the conditions were right, he could even defeat an awakened demon lord. But against Kondo, there was a strength barrier that not even he could ever overcome. It all came down to the presence, or lack thereof, of an ultimate skill. In that respect, the duel was decided even before it took place.
“Don’t waste your time. I have no intention of killing you, Your Majesty. I will detain you for the time being, but when everything is settled, I promise you will be released.”
Kondo’s voice was calm. He wasn’t lying, but—naturally—he wasn’t telling the complete truth, either. Gazel would be released, but only after a Dominion Bullet allowed Kondo to exercise his full domination over him. This was what he used to take control of Kagali, and it was also why he wanted to capture Gazel alive. It was an act as terrifyingly ruthless as it was perfectly rational…and that, too, said everything about the nature of Tatsuya Kondo.
Hakuro, too, was no longer in any position to move. Witnessing Kondo’s strength left him meekly standing there, looking frustrated. At this point, Kondo’s victory seemed all but assured…
“Gwah-ha-ha-ha! I am Gabil the Dracolord! Prepare to fight!”
With that shout, Gabil sized up the enemy and charged ahead, leaving the rest of his forces behind. It made him a total failure of a commander, but at the same time, it wasn’t necessarily a tactical mistake. The strength of his chosen enemy, after all, was truly outstanding. He was a kind-looking man in glasses, not really standing out from the group, and yet Gabil called him out without the slightest hesitation.
“I want you! Yes, you! I hereby order you to take me on!”
The bespectacled man’s lips twisted into a sneer as Gabil used his lance to point him out.
“Well, great. I was trying to act like an ordinary intelligence officer, but I suppose you noticed what I’m capable of?”
The man removed his glasses as he spoke. The moment he did, his entire atmosphere changed.
“Very well, then. I will take you on. But before that, will everyone around me please move a safe distance away?”
He was ordering his own allies, his previous shyness now gone. But his bewildered companions didn’t get the message.
“Whoa, Marco! You’re not cut out for fighting at all!”
“Yeah. Quit trying to act tough. You know any of us could kick your ass!”
The man called Marco smiled at his concerned comrades.
“Well…it was a real comfortable place to work…but that was just a front. I’m actually part of the Single Digits—number eight, to be exact. You understand what that means, don’t you?”
Looking at this suddenly changed man, everyone realized that good old Marco was actually in disguise the whole time. They also instantly realized that he had the authority to hand them orders—orders like the one he gave them a moment ago.
“Right away, sir!”
“Good luck!”
Marco’s companions scattered. With a sigh of relief, he turned his squinting, serpentine eyes toward Gabil. He, too, had seen Gabil’s strengths for what they were. In this world, attempting to challenge a truly outstanding fighter with overwhelming numbers was usually meaningless. Marco, well aware of that, shooed the rest of the group away from himself, even though some of them were Imperial Knight–level talents.
“You were Gabil, then? Well, thanks a lot for taking my job away from me. You’ll pay for that with your life, you know.”
“Gwah-ha-ha-ha! Sir Rimuru mentioned the Single Digits to me. He said that even he considered them dangerous, as I recall. But now I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to deal with one all by myself!”
Gabil sounded overjoyed…and with that, the battle between two great heroes began.
………
……
…
Marco was best described as a man whose main feature was his total lack of features.
He had joined the Imperial Guardians about eight hundred years ago, his unique skill Adapter attracting the attention of then-Guardian leader Damrada for its potential as an infiltration skill. Adapter offered Marco the notable ability to disguise himself to look exactly like anybody he saw. This wasn’t like Copy, part of Hinata’s unique skill Usurper; rather, it was the ability to mimic an exact duplicate of a given person.
Only so much could be imitated; if the target was someone who far exceeded him in strength, it wasn’t possible to duplicate all of that. Still, the more powerful the people he encountered, the more general-purpose strength the experience would grant him. That was how Marco survived the ordeal for awakening himself as a Saint, and how he eventually rose to the Single Digits. Now he had been part of the Imperial Guardians for about a hundred years.
It was precisely because of this skill that Marco could not shake the awe he felt for Kondo. Even if Kondo was a visitor from another world, possessing a soul more powerful than most, his strength was still ponderously difficult to comprehend. Marco was actually the first person Kondo challenged to a ranking duel, giving him a glimpse at his extraordinary strength. Marco assumed he received special treatment due to being a favorite of the emperor, but he quickly learned that he was wrong. Kondo’s strength was impossible to employ Adapter on, despite his Saint-level fighting ability, and that was how Kondo easily defeated the top ranks to become leader of the group. Even the Four Knights, all freaks of nature in Marco’s eyes, were defeated by Kondo without a second thought.
That was why Marco practically worshiped the ground Kondo walked on. He even followed Kondo’s example of sticking to his rank of lieutenant, serving as a similarly rank-and-file second lieutenant in the Empire. He served the Imperial Intelligence Bureau mainly so he could serve as Kondo’s fixer.
Right now, he faced a formidable enemy in the form of Gabil. He fought him back with a spear of his own, but he quickly understood that he couldn’t win the battle as it stood. So he decided to change himself into the form of the person he believed was strongest of all.
………
……
…
Moving a distance away from Gabil, Marco transformed into Kondo. The ultimate enchantment Alternative, a gift lent to him by the emperor, allowed him to use Adapter with even more precision than usual. Marco thus had strength and abilities similar to Kondo’s own now.
“Mmm. How strange. Is that your true form?”
“No,” Marco replied, posing as Kondo. “This is me imitating the man I believe is the strongest in the world. The Four Knights were strong as well, but they couldn’t hold a candle to Lieutenant Kondo. In fact…”
Marco took a glance at the battlefield unfolding next to him.
“…even King Gazel, the renowned champion, was no match for him, was he?”
Gabil groaned at this. His Magic Sense skill operated in a wide range now, and thanks to that, he knew all of it. His allies were not faring well; Hakuro was out of the battle, and as Marco pointed out, King Gazel was struggling, too.
“Mmm, it appears so.”
“The moment Lieutenant Kondo went into combat, there was no doubt as to who’d win. That’s why I didn’t want to reveal my full skills to anyone around here. You never know who might leak word out…and it’s better to keep your powers hidden anyway, isn’t it?”
With that casual comment, Marco transformed his weapon from a spear to a military sword. This was a Legend-class weapon lent to him for the moment, and Marco could change its shape to anything he wanted. He readied the sword as Kondo would, striking just as majestic an appearance.
Gabil, meanwhile, held up his Vortex Spear, a magical weapon that was now the treasure of all lizardmen. His father Abil entrusted it to him, and it now felt familiar in his hands. He had used it in many fierce battles, and whenever it was damaged, Kurobe’s able hands fixed it up for him. Its capabilities were Unique in nature, but it was also a stout ally to Gabil, one he cared a great deal for.
Still, it was no Legend. And given that differences in weapon performance can often determine victory or defeat, Gabil was at an overwhelming disadvantage. But Gabil also had the Dragonskin ability, and that brought his equipment closer to God-class. As he saw it, Marco was at the level of a Saint, equal in strength to his awakened self—and so he spared no effort from the very beginning.
Can this man truly penetrate my defense?
He was pretty confident in his defensive abilities. You couldn’t win a battle unless you inflicted decisive damage on your opponent. This wasn’t boxing—no matter how many blows you landed, if they weren’t fatal, it was all for nothing. Gabil didn’t think Marco’s weapon was enough to break through his own defenses, but he wasn’t about to let his guard down, either. Carefully, he watched his opponent’s moves.
“Here I go.”
“Yes, come to me!”
Gabil’s misfortune was that he entered into hostilities with Marco too soon. When he was awakened, his power was enormous—but he had yet to fully master it. Just as Ultima feared, even in this pre-evolutionary stage, he was not fully capable of handling his magicule count. Whether there was great power in his hands or not, he couldn’t use it to its fullest extent. He boasted extraordinary defense and healing, and that alone made him very strong…but he picked the wrong opponent this time.
“Baika Goka-totsu…”
“Vortex Crash!!”
Gabil survived only because of his careful response. In terms of strength, they were an even match, Gabil perhaps just a touch superior. But in terms of skill level, Marco’s perfect imitation of Kondo made him far more powerful. Marco couldn’t produce even 80 percent of Kondo’s actual abilities; he couldn’t simulate his ultimate skill Sandalphon, and if he was paired against Gazel, he would be doomed. This bare-bones version of Kondo was on more of an even footing with Gabil, and between that and his defenses, Gabil should have been assured of victory.
But sometimes the element of luck comes into play. Marco looked like the overwhelming victor, but his victory was a close call.
“Boy, I sure can’t laugh at Major General Farraga now. Gabil the Dracolord, eh? No wonder he mistook him for Veldora,” Marco muttered to himself as he watched Gabil collapse on the ground.
At this moment, Gabil’s fate was about to reach its end…
“My brother!!”
Just then, a figure stood before Marco, as if protecting Gabil. It was Soka, whose force had just rushed into the scene. Gabil’s own troops were there as well.
“Lord Gabil!!”
“Please don’t die, Gabil!”
“No! Lord Gabil should never die in a place like this!”
They knew they couldn’t defeat Marco, but still they dared to stand up to him. And it was that courage that saved Gabil’s life.
Individually, none of them were as good as the Saint-level Marco—but all of them still earned a Special A rank. They dove into their stores of healing potions, desperately trying to buy as much time as possible. But Marco’s technique, modeled after Kondo’s, let him destroy enemies from the inside with the fighting spirit he infused in them. The skill essentially nullified the effects of potions, and it meant Soka’s force had to be prepared to die for the cause.
One by one, Gabil’s troops began to fall. Now it was Nanso, part of Soka’s force, who was lying unconscious. The skill difference wasn’t that great, but the strength difference was. Even worse, Marco’s weapon was Legend-class. It was simply too insurmountable an advantage, and so the casualties gradually continued to rise.
Fortunately, none of them died. Rimuru’s evolving Gabil had made everyone under him stronger as well. That provided a boost to their endurance, and thanks to that, they just barely escaped a final exit. The ongoing effects of Marco’s attacks, however, meant they were out of the battle. At this rate, they were likely to be massacred before long.
So Gabil spoke up.
“Enough! Enough, all of you! It is time to run! Soka, this is an order! Take everyone with you and leave here at once!”
He desperately tried lifting himself up as he looked toward Soka. She didn’t even look back at him as she sneered.
“I refuse, my brother. I serve Sir Soei, not you. I am under no obligation to heed your orders.”
“What are you—?”
“Besides! If we run away at this point, that is guaranteed to produce deaths within our ranks! You among them, brother!”
The normally calm Soka screamed out, not caring how it looked. This confused the speechless Gabil.
“…What are you talking about?! It is the role of any commander to keep casualties as low as possible, even if by a little. Isn’t it your job to abandon the defeated and make sure that as many of us as possible survive?”
Gabil struggled to even get off the ground now. He could barely continue speaking as he watched his comrades fight on. But Soka dismissed his words.
“Then my plan is the right one. None of us are weak enough to be killed by a single blow. This is how we are buying time.”
They would continue to fight, not caring if their friends fell. They would use their numbers to harass Marco, being careful to take as little damage as possible from him. That was Soka’s plan—the way they’d search for a chance at victory.
“That’s nonsense! There’s no guarantee that rescue will ever come…”
Now that Rimuru and his other top officers were on their way to the imperial capital, they could not expect any support from them. And even if the currently evolving ones woke up from their slumber, none of them would be rushing to the rescue right this moment. They could count on the three demonesses, but they were currently dealing with Velgrynd, an even more powerful enemy. They were the ones who needed support right now; there was no way they could ask them for help.
Gabil understood this well, and so he issued the order to retreat. But his troops defied him.
“No, Gabil! It’s you! You’re the one we’ve been waiting for!”
“Yes, Sir Gabil! Get those injuries healed and rise back to your feet!”
“Indeed. We will buy you time as we await your revival, Sir Gabil. There is no other way to save everyone here!”
Gabil suddenly grew ashamed of himself. Was he the only one, he wondered, who had given up on victory?
“…Ah, what have I done? Very well, then! Hold your own until I stand back up, even if you must do it on willpower alone!”
He shouted it out, knowing full well how reckless it sounded. Hot tears spilled from his eyes, eloquently illustrating his emotional state. The goddess of victory will never abandon those who do not give up.
Now another pair responded to his call.
“Hoo boy. You’re as reckless as ever, aren’t you? If so, let me lend you a hand.”
“The young lady has given me an order. She told me to not let Sir Gabil down, for he is an important plaything to her. So, here I am.”
Ultima’s servants, Veyron and Zonda, had arrived on the scene at some point. “I think survival’s going to be a lot harder than death,” Zonda muttered, but the battlefield was now too loud for Gabil to make it out—fortunately for him.
Veyron stood to the side of Soka, ever the faithful butler. Then he raised his staff up toward Marco.
“I will fight him, Lady Soka, so please back me up. Zonda will aid you with healing duties, and so we’d like the rest of you to protect the wounded.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Let us begin, then!”
As soon as Soka responded, Veyron went on the move. He was a Demon Peer and marquis back in his own realm, and while his energy stores were less than a quarter the size of Marco’s, he exceeded him in skill level. It may not be enough to win, but it would certainly be enough to irritate his foe.
“Tsk… Why must you all annoy me so? You just keep coming in, one after the other, before I can finish any of you off.”
“Of course. It is our mission to gauge the strength of our enemy as well.”
“Great. It’s so frustrating, isn’t it, when people try to copy our own core strength? I’m going to take you out, and then I’m going to take out that nasty-looking—”
“Got you!”
As he fought back against Veyron, Marco turned his murderous gaze upon the downed Gabil. It was a momentary opening, but not one that Soka would miss. She spoke up on purpose, hoping to draw attention to herself and bring Marco further astray. If her kunai reached him, then good; if not, she figured, Veyron’s blade would stab him instead.
Marco saw this coming—and so he made the best choice possible. In essence, he decided to expose himself to Soka’s kunai instead of avoiding it. It was the correct answer, too, because any reaction he’d make against Soka would only allow Veyron to more seriously wound him.
Continuing to ignore Soka, Marco parried Veyron’s staff away, reminding himself of the perils of letting his mind drift during battle. Ngh… I’ll finish him off once I beat these two. They’re just so nasty!
There was no doubting that Gabil was the most dangerous out of them all. That’s why Marco wanted to finish him off quickly. Instead, he got greedy—and now he had a stab wound to show for it. It wasn’t anything too serious, but simply letting himself get hurt while taking the form of his beloved Kondo was unforgivable.
“Let’s get rid of you two first.”
“Do you think that you can, then?”
“I hope you’re not being a sore loser, Sir Veyron.”
“Heh. Perhaps I am. But no need to hurry. Let’s do our job.”
Thus Veyron and Soka formed a tag team against Marco, fighting on despite the odds. Zonda was on the move as well.
“This is quite tricky, isn’t it? You’re using aura…or fighting spirit, aren’t you, since you’re human…to leave your energy inside your opponent, as if emitting magicule-dispelling waves. Truly a frightening technique—and since we are spiritual life-forms, it will work on all of us.”
That was how he diagnosed Gabil’s injuries, and he was absolutely right. As with Damrada’s Spiral Penetrator, it was an explosive type of force, a wave of concentrated fighting force that destroyed an enemy from the inside. It was the ultimate form of Oboro Shinmei-ryu—or Battlewill, as it would be called here—and it functioned as a sword honed for dispelling evil. That’s why no healing potion that worked using magicules could handle its wounds.
But Zonda could heal them. Skillfully manipulating the magicules, he could adjust them to soothe the disturbed spiritual force, neutralizing the fighting force Marco implanted inside and restoring the normal flow of spirit within Gabil’s body. Gabil, too, wasn’t just lying there and waiting to recover; he intensely hoped for greater healing power than before, and that wish was about to manifest a new ability within him.
And yet, even in this most unpredictable of situations, Marco did something even more unexpected. He stood up straight, going out of his fighting stance.
“Well, great, I’m out of time. I’ve received the order to return, so I suppose we’ll have to save this for next time.”
As soon as Marco made that statement, he teleported himself out of there before awaiting a reply. Somehow, Gabil and his crew found a way to survive.
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