Watching Luca, whose skin was barely visible as he was engulfed in darkness, I let out a bitter smile. Things went just as I hoped.
Luca, possessed by Agra's power, had completely lost his reason.
Now, there are two problems.
The first is whether I can withstand his strength.
The second is whether the tactics he uses are the same as what I know.
"Die #%#%!"
I watch as the attack of someone who has lost even their human voice approaches.
There are three major signs. The tremendous steps that shake the ground. The exaggerated buildup of power as if his waist might snap. The energy gathering at the tip of the axe.
The timing I remember is from the moment the axe swings, 0.3 seconds later.
If that timing is accurate, I should be able to withstand Luca’s attack.
Luca’s strike comes.
The tendons in his arm become more pronounced, as if they might tear.
His crimson eyes, filled with fury, lock onto me.
The axe, powered by the strength of the evil god, heads toward me.
Boom!
A violent shock passes through my shield. My hand trembles as it grips the shield.
My body, having withstood the shock, screams in agony.
A metallic taste floods my mouth.
I failed the parry.
It’s not a complete failure, though.
I couldn’t nullify the shock entirely, but I did manage to significantly reduce it.
However, even with the shock mitigated, Luca’s strength, bolstered by the evil god’s power, is difficult to withstand.
Ignoring the pain searing through my body, I watch Luca’s next move.
His chin lowers slightly. His axe pulls back. His center of gravity shifts forward.
He’s planning to charge with his shoulder.
I remember the timing. 0.5 seconds after his foot hits the ground. I’ve memorized it both with my head and my body.
But can I trust that timing?
I just failed by completely trusting my memory.
I need to think carefully. I can’t afford to handle Luca’s attack with a sloppy parry.
No matter how much I grit my teeth, my opportunities will be limited to just three or four.
I have to find the answer in that short time.
I open my eyes wide.
I focus all my senses on my vision.
I take in every movement Luca makes.
And I compare.
The Luca I saw through the monitor and the one in front of me now.
"Ah=%^#!%!"
As Luca charges, my body is sent flying through the air.
In the space where gravity has disappeared, my legs flail wildly. And beyond that, Luca’s axe swings toward me.
Luca’s axe reaches me faster than I am flying through the air.
I didn’t have time to wonder what to do.
I follow my instincts.
I load divine power onto my shield.
I cast a miracle.
The magical circle, intricately drawn by my aesthetic sense, is engraved on my shield just as the axe strikes it.
The shield and the axe clash, and soon after, the light breaks and scatters into the air.
And by that time, I was already re-positioning myself.
I look at Luca’s slightly narrowed eyes and think.
I’ve gained some certainty through the previous exchange.
I know now why I failed the parry.
Luca’s physical abilities are far superior to the Luca I knew in the game.
Even his physique is adjusted to suit that halberd.
So, the timing I know and the timing at which Luca swings his weapon cannot be the same.
So what should I do?
How should I handle this situation, where my knowledge has become useless?
What should I do?
I need to find a new timing.
With a sly grin, I once again take hold of my shield.
Luca’s pattern is not much different from what I know.
There’s no way Luca, who is consumed by denial and has lost his reason, would change his pattern.
So all I need to do is adjust my timing.
I assume that the enemy’s attack will be faster than before.
"Al!%$%!^%"
The axe’s blade is raised. His legs remain planted. The energy gathered at the tip of the axe.
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I know what attack is coming. I know how to respond.
But I won’t.
I watch. I simply watch the weapon he swings.
The signs of the attack.
The axe descending downward.
The energy that gathers at that spot, ready to explode.
The explosion that will shoot toward me.
And just when I think it’s really close, I raise my shield.
I’ve given up on parrying, so the shock from the attack reaches me full force.
This... was a bit of a gamble, wasn’t it?
It seems like it was crazy to try and absorb another attack right after I barely managed to perform a miracle.
As my arm, unable to withstand the shock, is pushed back, the shockwave from the axe tips the scales and crashes down on me.
Ah. Damn it. This hurts like hell.
When I see protagonists in stories, they always talk about their bones breaking or their organs getting damaged, but how do they even tell?
When your whole body hurts, how do you distinguish what hurts?
Oh. I could tell if a bone is broken.
My arm is completely immobile, so I think my bone might be broken.
I try to ignore the pain and use Armadi’s blessing.
Armadi’s touch. A skill that heals various status ailments and physical wounds. As an apostle of Armadi, carrying his divine power, I can perform miracles comparable to those of the gods.
"Ugh!"
The pain that floods through me when my wounds heal in an instant is something I can never get used to.
Even after going through this miserable state countless times, I still can’t become indifferent to the pain.
But I can endure. I can ignore it.
I can push through for the sake of the enjoyment that’s ahead.
I stagger to my feet and look forward.
I see Luca waiting for me to rise.
Even in his loss of reason, he still doesn’t deviate from his goal of enduring this trial.
And I smile.
So Luca can charge at me again.
"Ah!%^#@!"
His movements are the same as the first time I saw them.
Good. I can now confirm whether the new timing I came up with is correct.
In the past, when I was on the other side of the monitor, I was a weakling.
I was so busy being crushed by reality that I didn’t even think about the word “exercise.”
How nice would it have been if my reflexes were good, like those of a pathetic weakling?
Back then, I spent countless hours adjusting my timing.
Just from the signs, I would make the perfect response.
If it were the old me, I would have spent an entire day fixing just one timing.
No, maybe I would have had to stay glued to the monitor for several days.
And now, me?
The one who has fallen into this world?
The one inside Lucy’s body?
The one who has tirelessly worked and worked to hone my skills, the one who has an undeniable talent?
I don’t need that.
The axe flies toward me.
The monstrous strength that crushed me is approaching.
Like a guillotine that condemns me to death, it’s swung down without hesitation. But there’s no deafening sound.
In the corridor stained black, a clear sound rings out.
The axe, unable to crush my shield, bounces away.
In the confusion, Luca’s reason flickers back, just slightly.
And beyond the shield, my smile spills out.
"Didn’t you say this was a trial?♡ It looks like it couldn’t even be a toy at this rate?♡"
Luca cannot become my trial.
He cannot make me stronger than this.
What influence could an old, defeated boss have on me?
Apologies for the abrupt stop! Let me continue from where I left off and provide you with the full translation.
Continuation:
Luca cannot become my trial.
He cannot make me stronger than this.
What influence could an old, defeated boss have on me?
Cutting to Uden’s Situation:
"Ah... If only I had a few more companions, it would be easier."
Uden tried to maintain an air of calm, but her situation was far from good.
With the mage focusing on the magic circle’s interpretation and the priest doing their best to maintain the domain, Uden was left alone to hold the front lines.
It’s true that Uden possesses extraordinary talent.
But the circumstances were dire.
Behind her, there were people she had to protect.
Enemies waiting for the slightest chance to break the stalemate.
And the rage of the dragon, which would reduce her to ash the moment she let her guard down.
In this situation, simply maintaining the stalemate was proof enough that Uden had earned her title.
But she couldn't afford to stay like this.
Though power was steadily draining from below, she was losing energy even faster.
The Holy Lady had been healing her every chance she got, but she couldn't rely on that alone. The moment the sanctified domain collapsed, it would mean defeat.
Why hadn’t reinforcements arrived yet?
At a strategic location like Soul Academy, the kingdom should have reacted by now.
Normally, they would have.
"Wow, it’s even bigger from here. Annoying."
Uden, hearing the relaxed voice behind her, clicked her tongue without realizing it.
"Hey, Karia, is this really the time to act so leisurely?"
"Are you going to talk like that to someone who came all the way to help?"
"Then help already!"
"I will, don’t rush me."
Karia lazily spoke and stood next to Uden. In her hands were countless scrolls.
"Uden, you know how much Benedict admires you, right?"
"Why does that matter?"
"Because I was there when he hunted the dragon."
The incident that wiped out decades of Karia’s life. A curse that almost erased her very existence. An event she couldn’t have escaped without the help of a small child.
"I’m someone who likes to be prepared. If something bad happens once, I make sure I’m ready next time."
Well, she was prepared now.
The one who made me remember the nightmare of the dragon was none other than our employer.
That kid... how far is his plan going?
"In preparation for the shock. The dragon’s wrath is quite noisy, you know."
Karia opened a scroll, and light began to shine from it.
The wrath of the dragon, capable of erasing everything in front of her, descended from the magic circle into reality.