Shujinkou Janai! - CH 57

The Class I chose for this duel was .

It’s a glass cannon Class that overemphasizes offensive stats while casting aside defensive stats, attained by equipping the , a drop item from the .

The has the highest MGC affinity revision of all Classes at 7!

Furthermore, the also has the effect of raising the MGC affinity value in exchange for lowering the MND affinity value, so when combined with Rex’s relatively high base MGC affinity, I have an astounding MGC affinity value of 12!

Well, since the has the effect of lowering your MGC affinity, it actually lowers down to 11, but even so, it’s still an incredible figure.

In addition, I wore the risky equipment I obtained at the casino, , which increases my AGI by 150 just by equipping it, but lowers my AGI affinity”, and I put on the Magic-users’ armor , which greatly increases not only my defenses, but also my MAX MP. With all these changes, my Status is now like this.

(It’s this! This is it!)

Naturally, due to the lowered level and my Status leaning offensively, my defensive capabilities had sharply decreased.

However, I would still lose even if I have proper defenses, so it would be the same anyway.

Just in this match, I can cast aside all defensive capabilities as I want.

And to compensate for this, I strengthened my offensive capabilities.

In fact, even though my level was reduced to half of what it was before, my STR and MGC, both of which are related to a person’s offensive capabilities, were higher than when I was Lv 50.

In particular, the increase in MGC, which I originally had a high base affinity with, had now tremendously reached a whopping B+.

(That’s right. Even Rex can achieve this if his stats had been properly optimized. When it comes to the offensive aspect, even against someone like Nirva, who likes the incarnation of a cheat, Rex won’t lo……)

As Nirva’s Status was revealed by my , I gritted my teeth.

(Even so, this doesn’t mean I would lose!)

To show my actual Status, I would also have to include the effect of my Enchanted rings.

Putting on my rings, I wore one AGI ring to cope with Nirva’s speed and two MGC rings.

Factoring these rings in……

My MGC greatly exceeds Nirva’s STR and VIT!

(How’s that!? With this, even Nirva can’t help but recognize my power……)

I looked at the Sword Saint standing in front of me with anticipation, but Nirva just looked at me with cold eyes.

[……What a boring farce. Let’s get this over with.]

Nirva moves forward and takes his starting position.

I was annoyed by his attitude, as if to say he doesn’t see the point of taking me into consideration, but I moved forward as well.

Taking my place in front of Nirva, I suddenly thought.

(Arehh? Was this guy always this big?)

Even though I was standing straight, my vision was shaky, and the figure standing in front of me seemed to expand two or three times.

My heart was noisily pounding.

Sweat beads flow down my hand as I grip my rod, making me clasp my weapon tighter.

Prana and Mana are cheering me on outside the ring, but somehow, they seem awfully far away.

(————No! Don’t be overwhelmed!)

Frantically shaking my head, I regain my senses.

Even if it’s a Sword Saint, he’s a human just like Rex, just like me.

Besides, no matter how much of a cheat and fighting genius Nirva was, he wouldn’t know the specs of the drop items of the Bosses in the .

(I will win! I will win this!)

In the midst of the agitation raging in my mind, a deafening electronic “Biiiiiiiii!” signaled the beginning of the duel.

※　※　※

(T- The duel began!)

Even though my heart hadn’t gathered itself, I quickly braced myself for the start of the match.

However……

(……He didn’t move?)

Nirva, even after the match began, held his two-handed sword in front of him, showing no sign of attacking.

His emotionless eyes just looked at me, as if to say “just go ahead and attack”.

Realizing that I had just been made light of, I felt anger brewing in my head.

(Quit messing around!)

On impulse, I pointed my off-hand rod at Nirva.

This rod is the .

Just like the in my right hand and , this allows anyone to activate magic by “using” it.

The only difference is that it’s just a cheap item sold in stores.

The MATK compensation it brings isn’t that great, and the magic it unleashes is the most basic of the basic Fire Magic: .

It would be foolish to challenge the World’s Strongest with such magic.

However……

[Fire!]

The fireball that was unleashed was as big as, if not bigger, than a fireball shot by a skilled magic-user.

————This is the power of the .

The description of the , the drop item acquired from the , reads as follows.

The wearer gains unparalleled magic power, but if a mortal touches it, their mind would instantly be corrupted and they would fall into the Status Ailment: “Insane”.

While under the effect of “Insane” state, the wearer’s MGC is doubled, but they would lose all resistances to magic, and when they use magic, there’s a 50% chance that their magic power will go out of control, causing self-inflicted damage commensurate with the power of the magic they casted.

Even though this equipment strengthens your MGC, there’s a 50% chance of self-destruction if magic is used.

At first glance, this looked like one outrageous landmine of an equipment.

However, this condition occurs only when “the person themself chants magic”.

When magic is invoked by a tool such as the case with this , no self-destruction occurs at all, and the user can simply enjoy the effect of increased MGC.

The fireball was so huge that even I could only say that it was a masterpiece.

Not really trying to aim that much, it flew right in front of Nirva.

[————Worthless.]

Just as it felt like Nirva’s sword moved, the magic was cut in half.

[He cut the magic……?]

The stunned voice of Prana in the audience showed how out of the ordinary the act was.

However, the person who had caused such an unorthodox action put his sword back in front of him as if nothing had happened, and looked at me with the same cold gaze as before.

(As I thought. I knew this would happen.)

Nirva’s weapon is called .

It’s a sword that can literally slay “magic”.

Half-hearted magic attacks are meaningless in front of the Sword Saint.

(However, that is why I chose the as my off-hand equipment!)

If we can cut them down, let’s see how he’ll do in the face of numbers.

[Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!!!]

I move off-hand rod up, down, left and right with minute movements, continuously activating Fire.

I try not to be monotonous and aim for unexpected places as much as possible.

However……

(D*mn it, what a guy!)

The Sword Saint remains unmoved by the countless fireballs.

He only slashed those that would hit his body with precision and showed no sign of moving.

(……No choice but to do that huh?)

I glanced at the rod in my right hand.

With the , I can invoke magic far more powerful than what the could unleash.

However, this requires a three-second charge before it can be used to unleash its magic.

If I were to be attacked during that time……

(No, there’s no time to hesitate!)

My MP is decreasing even while I’m unleashing this barrage of Fires.

If I continue like this with an endurance battle and my MP runs out, with me having no means of attack, then my defeat will be decided.

I thrust out my right arm and put magic power into the rod.

(Please! Please, please!)

Meanwhile, the barrage of Fire from my off-hand weapon continues.

I aim at a place that would block Nirva’s view as much as possible, hoping that it will at least be a smoke screen that will divert his attention away from my right arm.

Shoot!

Shoot!

(———–Alright!)

Did he not notice my aim thanks to the barrage?

Or perhaps, he was aware of it and just dared overlook it.

Either way, it doesn’t matter.

———–My rod is fully-charged.

There’s no reason for me to lose my presence of mind.

I firmly aimed my right hand towards the Sword Saint and called out its name.

[———–.]

At that moment, a dragon roared at the tip of my right hand.

An explosion of magic power so strong that you could feel it.

The heat, which couldn’t be neutralized by my fully extended right hand, felt like it was burning my face, and the manifested magical hell flames rushed through the air.

Everything is consumed in the face of the magic, which is so intense that it can be compared to a Dragon’s Breath.

The flames, which seemed to burn up the entire world, opened its jaws to greedily engulf the Sword Saint, who still wasn’t moving from his initial spot……

[———–In the end, it was just this much huh.]

The world was cleaved in half.

[……Ah?]

For a moment, I didn’t know what had happened.

The greatest, most powerful magic I had ever unleashed with my current MGC raised to the highest possible level, even to the point of using unfair equipment.

That was only one swing.

Even though I knew that my magic had been cleaved by the Sword Saint in half with one swing of his sword and pathetically fizzled away, my mind refused to comprehend it.

[You…… Monster……!]

I couldn’t help letting out a complaint.

Seeing me like that, Nirva just looked at me like I was a pathetic insect.

[I suppose this is it huh.]

He sighed.

After such a one-sided declaration, Nirva breaks his earlier posture for the first time.

Calmly holding his sword in front of him……

[———–.]

I couldn’t even follow what happened with his eyes.

Before I knew it, he was right in front of me, and at that moment, the match was already decided.

Without any hesitation or delay, the merciless blade swung down———–

———–And a high-pitched sound of metal clashing echoed in the stage.

[———–What?]

In front of me was the startled Nirva, whose attack was parried by the rod I held in my left hand.

Seeing this, I feel slightly satisfied.

———–Arts can turn a genius into an ordinary person.

I remembered the line Radd mentioned in passing.

It’s not easy to handle Nirva’s overwhelming attack speed and reaction time, and the only thing that I can parry without fail is this , which I have parried dozens and dozens of times in the game.

———–That’s why the only thing I had been aiming for from the beginning is this one.

The impact of the dual-wielding rods, the extremely magic-oriented build, and the magic attacks using the rods are all a cover to distract this guy’s attention from this parry.

They are all just fodder to induce Nirva to naturally turn my off-hand weapon into one I’m able to use to parry,  and at the same time, make Nirva’s “first strike” to .

This was a chance of a lifetime opportunity.

I thrust the rod in my right hand at Nirva, whose posture crumbled by my parry.

———–However, even though he was surprised, Nirva’s face shows no sign of impatience.

The rigidity caused by the parry is very slight.

I don’t know if he thinks I won’t be able to fire this magic in time or that even if I could cast this magic, he could withstand it.

(That’s what makes you so naive.)

I, who knows his strength better than anyone else, would never attack him with such a blunt attack.

Sending my magic power with all my might into the rod……

[Don’t tell me———–]

As if he has realized something, a shiver runs across Nirva’s face.

———–The item that was broken in a duel will not return after the match ends.

However, that’s exactly why!

This insane attack can be a devil’s bargain that not even the Sword Saint can predict!

(Taste it to your heart’s content, Sword Saint-sama. Take this billion wen strike!)

And thus, I shouted.

The name of the one and only skill that boasts of overwhelming annihilation capabilities at the cost of item destruction.

[———–!!!]

In that instant, magic power spurts out from the tip of the rod, blasting everything in sight white.

An overwhelming torrent of magic power so powerful that overshadows even a Dragon’s Breath.

However, if Nirva had been in perfect condition, he probably could have avoided even this.

Or perhaps, that strike he made with his could have cleaved even this .

However, the rigidity caused by parry turned even the strongest Sword Saint into a helpless scarecrow.

This time, Nirva’s face, which was covered with a look of astonishment and dread, was soon swallowed up by the flash of light.

[Well…… done……!]

As a faint voice from behind the light, the sound of the buzzer announcing the end of the match told me that the legend of the had finally been broken.