hotmtlnovel Book 5: Chapter 12
Book 5: Chapter 12
Book 5: Chapter 12
Mortal Combat VS Grave
Graves strength had increased even more compared to the last time I saw him.
Judging from the pressure that I could feel on my skin, he had surpassed a fellow rank 5 like Feld and approaching the level of people like Dalton or master.
You didnt heal that left arm?
Grave was waiting for me alone inside a vast room made of stone. When I asked him that, he raised his eyebrow slightly and moved his fingers while making artificial arm that was made from magic iron to creak to show it off.
It would be a waste of time spending half a year or a year to regenerate my arm. You also think so right, Aria?
True.
We exchanged a light talk. I finished gathering the minimum information from conversation and stepped forward soundlessly. In contrast Grave started walking while making loud footstep intentionally.
Now Aria, let me see your way of life.
*Dan!*
Grave and I kicked on the floor at the same time and leaped forward. We crossed each other midair.
I kicked on the air to move midair and dodged the sword that Grave swung with his flesh and blood arm. Even so I was unable to dodge it fully and a shallow cut was left on my shoulder.
Before Grave was using two swords. But why didnt he use his left arm this time?
Was it because he couldnt move his artificial arm well? No. That was because his left arm didnt need weapon anymore.
Inside the world where only my thought was accelerating while both us were midair, Grave slowly turned his left arm toward me.
Tsu!
That bad premonition made me rotated the slashing pendulum that I left behind when leaping forward. The slash that came from the side was deflected by Grave with his artificial arm. I landed on the ground and took a distance from him once more.
Youre being really careful. Where is your favorite poison? Show me your whole strength.
It was dangerous to fight an opponent who possessed an unknown trump card head on. Even so there was something that I learned from this short exchange. That magic iron arm was largely the reason of the increase in Graves combat strength.
Artificial limb wasnt developed well in this world. Usually people would cure their loss of limb with Cure sorcery if they had a certain degree of wealth. Only those who didnt have the money for six months long treatment chose to wear artificial limb.
But Graves artificial arm could move, even until the fingers. Originally the quality of equipment didnt affect the combat strength in appraisal, but judging from the magic particles that my eyes were seeing, that artificial arm must be a very high performance magic tool. It even surpassed his original arm in hardness and strength. Most likely it contained some kind of gimmick just like my boots.
Observe it, then expose its ability. I could rival Grave only in speed and observational ability that I had trained.
Ill come to you if you wont come!
Grave repositioned the one-handed sword in his right hand and leaped forward. I too immediately swept aside my skirt and pulled out knife from thigh and threw it, but Grave struck it down with his left artificial arm without slowing down.
Dark Mist
Useless!
The mist of darkness that I casted was swept away with a swing of his artificial arm. From the start my magic wouldnt have any great effect to Grave, but it seemed that artificial arm had the effect of dispersing mana to some degree like his previous magic sword.
HAAAH!
*Dogon!!*
I dodged. At the same time the sword that Grave swung broke the stone floor.
Whats wrong Ariahave you only trained to run around!
Grave repeatedly spoke obvious provocations.
Grave who was originally a light warrior type had switched to become a pure warrior type. He often got thought as a scout based on his responsibility in black ops, but originally his fundamentally fighting style was as a [warrior].
My fighting style wasnt suited to get into head-on sword exchange against a knight. But, I had my own way of fighting even against a knight.
Shadow Snatch
Nu!
Grave raised his guard against my original dark magic. This guy was there when I used it against Nero, but he shouldnt know about its effect too. But Grave cut down the darkness around him with his sword before stepping forward without hesitation.
Im using my trump card that Grave didnt know about effectively. I couldnt waste even a single move. Graves sword clashed with my black blade. Sparks scattered while my light weight body got sent flying to the air.
Grave pulled his sword far behind his back in that moment.
Vorpal Blade
A level 5 Battle Skill that unleashed five consecutive attacks instantly attacked me.
But I was aiming for that moment. I fired the crossbow that I took out from my Storage. The arrow got absorbed into the shadow of my skirt and attacked Grave from right below him.
Guh!
Grave dodged it just barely. But the Battle Skill he executed didnt stop. But with the Battle Skills timing shifted even for just a moment, even if other people wouldnt be able to dodge it, I had this.
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Iron Rose
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Aria Alicia RaceHuman Rank
Magic PowerStamina
Overall Combat StrengthWith Special Body Strengthening
Battle SkillIron Rose/ Limit 232 Second
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My hair changed color into grey iron blue like a burning iron. Residues of light scattered. I dodged the slashes with a movement that made my body groaned while my thinking speed doubled up. Without stopping I kicked on the ceiling and slashed at Graves neck like a shooting arrow.
OOOOOOO!?
Grave let out an astonished yell. His eyes I made the light residues flapped like wings and held my blade in ready while approaching expressionlessly. My figure was reflected on his wide open eyes.
Grave couldnt move because he had just executed a Battle Skill. But
Tsu!?
His artificial left arm alone was moving unnaturally. Its armoring opened and something shot out to cut me.
Kuh!
I immediately twisted my body and avoided a lethal wound, even so I got several places cut up and I rolled on the ground while bleeding. Even so I immediately raised my knife and saw Grave staring at me with a warped smile.
So thats your true power, Aria-!
The wounds from the slashes themselves werent deep. But my stamina would run out first if I kept bleeding like this.
What was that attack just now? Was it the gimmick installed in that arm? I glared warily at that arm like a beast, but Grave didnt continue attacking and held out his hand toward me.
Youre interesting just as I thought. If its you then surely you will be able to understand my conviction and become the shield and blade to protect this country. Ill say this one more time, Ariatake my hand!
Grave saw me as a fellow mad dog like himself. That was why he was targeting me, and if I had the conviction that allowed me to survive even then, he was thinking that it would be natural for me to join hands with him.
I refuse.
Even so my answer had been decided. Im your enemy. Certainly we might be similar in some parts. Even so, I had no sympathy for you.
Grave heard my words that were filled with that feeling. His eyes glared at me for just a moment and he pointed the sword in his hand toward me.
Very well. If thats your will, proof it to me then, Aria. Try stopping me if you think you can stop me with your conviction!
I dont need you telling me that.
I took a deep breath while also inhaling magic particles. I dyed my mana that was strengthened by Iron Rose with the magic stone in my heart, and stopped my blood from flowing out from my wounds.
Ill have you show me your seriousness. I see that technique has a time limit. Can you dodge my string in that state?
String? String huh! The moment I realized that, the artificial arms armoring opened once more and something unseen flew out.
There were half an hour until I died. And if I fought with all my effort, perhaps my state would reach critical level in half that time.
Grave should understand that too. If he let me get away, I would heal myself using Treat and came to kill Grave once more while he was still poisoned. Even if Grave ran away, I would catch up in my treated state compared to his poisoned state and finished him off without fail.
In order to survive, he mustnt give me any time to use Treat and kill me without fail in this place.
tsk
Grave too judged that he would just waste time to have a clash of blade with me. He grimaced and opened a distance with me, then he turned his artificial arm toward me and opened the armoring.
It looks like I have been overestimating you, Aria. No matter how strong you have become, you have allowed yourself to be reduced into a dog of the royal family who doesnt hesitate to die here together with me. In the end youre just a stray dog. Youre unable to reach the place where Im standing huh
The unseen blade, steel blade string was let loose from the artificial arms gimmick.
Shield
This sorcery shield was originally intended to block sorcery itself, but it also had slight defensive power against physical attack like a glass.
*Praang!*
Kuh
I heard the hallucinatory sound of the magic shield breaking. The steel shield reacted with the magic shields mana and struck my arms and legs. But, there was also something that I found out from using magic shield even though I had to dispel Iron Rose for it.
The steel string wasnt as flexible as my spider string. The string control skill also could control it only within a limited degree. It could be shot out with high speed despite not having any weight attached on it like my pendulum because the steel string was coiled like a spring. I couldnt be fired unless it was compressed like that. And then from blocking it with the magic shield, I had also grasped the amount of mana covering the steel string.
The bad smell of the corrosive poison had gotten thicker. I was starting to feel slight pain in my eyes and throat. Moving a lot caused me to inhale more air into my lungs, which shortened my life in turn.
Grave seemed to be feeling it too. He pressed his sleeve on his mouth to shorten his breath while turning his left arm toward me.
This is the end, Aria!
Grave fired the steel blade string once more.
Grave, you said that I was aiming to take you down at the cost of my life. That I had been degraded into a dog who risked my life for the royal family. But youre wrong. I spread poison in order to kill you without fail.
And alsoto corner myself.
Iron Rose
My pink hair changed color again into ashen iron blue color like a burning iron. Residues of light scattered away from my whole body and flapped like silver wings as though to represent my fighting spirit.
I dodged the string with a speed that was three times faster than ordinary person, even so I couldnt completely dodge the invisible string and my shoulder was cut.
I already saw that technique!
In that moment, I felt the mana that was released from Graves artificial arm spreading out. Most likely it was to make the steel blade string that was fired straightforwardly to split into several paths before surrounding me from all directions.
But, Gravethe technique that you saw wasnt the real one.
Battle Skill [Iron Rose] wasnt such a simple technique. I couldnt dodge the steel blade string and you thinking that you could kill me with that, those were all because I was unable to use Iron Rose correctly.
When I fought Gilgan of the assassin guild in the eastern forest, I sought speed that rivaled Iron Rose and reproduced Iron Roses mana flow just for a moment.
It resulted in my legs getting badly damaged, but it made me wondered if that action could also be used for controlling the Battle Skill.
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Aria (Alicia) RaceHumanRank
Magic PowerStamina
Strength1022Endurance1022Speed1736Dexterity10
Overall Combat StrengthDuring Special Body Strengthening
Battle SkillIron Rose/ Limit 163 Second
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I filled my legs with the strength of my whole body and dodged the approaching blades by relying on the killing intent enveloping them. Even so my arms and flanks got shallowly slashed.
Get serious. Drive yourself until the corner with no way out. Youll die if you lose here. Then nobody will save Elena. Its still not enough. Faster. Strain your eyes. Focus. The strength to fight is already inside yourself.
The faint mana that was inside the steel blade string. The killing intent that wanted to end my life. And then the mana of my blood that was stuck on the dozen or so steel strings after slashing me so many times, approaching from all direction. They all showed me the strings position just for an instant.
I tore away the muffler that was covering my mouth and took a deep breath without regard of the poison in order to exert my full strength. Then I yelled a word in spirit language.
A Re(Faster)-!
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Aria (Alicia) RaceHumanRank
Magic Power592Stamina113
Strength10148DOWNEndurance10148DOWN
Speed175216UPDexterity10
Overall Combat StrengthDuring Special Body Strengthening
Battle SkillIron Rose/ Limit 159 Second
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In that moment, my field of vision turned grey just like in the battle at that forest. While the scenery was moving slowly as though we were inside molasses, I slipped through the trajectory of the blades that I saw just for an instant and closed the distance to Grave. I passed him as his eyes slowly widened and tore his throat with my black knife at the same time.
Blood sprayed everywhere. Meanwhile I noticed how my whole body was screaming in pain and immediately dispelled Iron Rose while siding on the ground. Grave turned around with an aghast look and I met his dark red eyes.
Guo
Grave tried to say something, but blood spilled out from his mouth instead.
Cough
I also spat out blood because of the poison that I inhaled. I didnt wipe it away and raised my black knife at the ready.
There wasnt any difference with our way of life. But, at the last moment, when you became aware of death, you stopped moving and relied on your artificial arm, while I struggled to overcome death.
We stared at each other without moving at all. Graves right arm stabbed his sword into the ground, while his artificial left arm also stopped moving as though it had lost its function.
Even so I kept my knife raised in vigilance. I received Graves eyes that were filled with ghastly glint with a cold gaze.
Ill watch you until you die
I didnt let my guard down for even a moment. Was it anger or despair that rose into Graves head when he heard my words?
The blood that was flowing out from Graves neck was eroding his life. Just like when I killed a bandit leader as my first experience, I continued to stare at him with my knife at the ready until all spirits and light vanished from those eyes and he lost his life.
Graveas I thought, you and I cant understand each other.
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Aria (Alicia) Race : Human Rank 4
Magic Power : 121/32020UPStamina : 75/250
Strength : 10 (14)Endurance : 10 (14)Agility : 17 (24)Dexterity : 9
Short Sword Skill Level 4Martial Art Level 4
Throwing Level 4Archery Level 2Defense Level 4String Control Level 4
Light Magic Level 3Darkness Magic Level 4Non-Elemental Magic Level 4
Daily Life MagicMagic Power Control Level 51UpPressure Level 4
Stealth Level 4Night Vision Level 2Search Level 4
Poison Resistance Level 3Abnormal Status Resistance Level 1
Simple Appraisal
Overall Combat Strength : 1428 (With Body Strengthening : 1774) 89 UP