296 293. Those who steal blood.txt (2/2)

However, even while I was talking to Ragne, the blood level continued to rise.

Pushing through the pool of blood that had pooled up to a few centimeters high, I called out to her quite strongly.

''Okay, Fafner!　We're going to have a mock battle!　Let's keep it light!

Fafner, who was staring at nothing and muttering, notices me approaching instead of going back up. The light of sanity returns to my eyes for a bit.

'Ka, Vortex Wave ......?'

Knowing that I'm going to challenge him, Fafner regains the casualness of being a friend again.

'...... Oh, right!　The quintessential vortex wave!　I knew you'd understand!　Can you accept this hardship!　Haha!

The flippant knight comes back to answer my questions smoothly as if there was no such thing as an abomination just now. However, the range of fluctuation between when I'm losing my mind and when I'm not is too great, so I don't feel safe at all.

Fafner's body magic swells up as he watches carelessly.

'Then let's get started now!　Oh, let's both take on The One Who Stole the Reason for Blood!　Naturally, I'll do everything I can to resist!　Let's prove that our passionate bond is as strong as Nosfy's magic!　--Blood Field!

Fafner deployed magic that filled a wide area, overriding the wards that inhibited the dimensional attribute magic that had been applied to this lowest level.

Probably, the field was advantageous to blood-attribute magic users. But at the same time, this lifted the ban on my dimensional magic. Fafner guessed that he wanted me to use 《Distance Mute》, so I immediately concocted my dimensional attribute magic and went to fight.

I'm not going to be able to get it done right now. --Distance Mute.

Come on, Vortex Wave!　Like a thousand years ago!

Fafner spreads his arms, exposing his unprotected body.

In contrast, I maintain the Distance Mute in my left hand and hold the Treasured Sword of the House of Aleis, Rowen, in my right hand as I sprint over the pool of blood.

I have one goal.

Trust Fafner, and only direct hits from the ”Distance Mute”.

I run the shortest distance and go to insert my left hand into his heart.

But just before I do - Fafner swings his red sword down sharply.

Twisting myself to avoid the blade, I take a closer look at Fafner's condition.

Now Fafner was planning to take my blow. He never intended to counterattack. No doubt about it. However, his body must have moved against his will.

It was as if he thought, 'If I lose here, the most important thing in the world will be lost.

I know that obsession very well. I was in a similar situation when I was brainwashed by the Palinkulon who had obtained the power of the ”Stealer of the Darkness”.

At that time, the important thing was the Bracelet, but this time it is the World Tree.

Because I know that obsession better than anyone else, I won't retreat.

I'm going to lightly brush off my feet while avoiding the red sword.

The subfluidic technique is avoided by Fafner with ease, while he comes to hit me in the head with the surface of his small shield.

The flow of attack from evasion to attack is not stagnant.

You can see Fafner's rich sense and long practice.

I find it difficult to ignore the enemy's attack and insert my big move, Distance Mute, and switch my target to the enemy's arm.

''-- Magic, Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradient).

He activates the lifted Dimension with a momentary strength. Then, he aimed at the gap between Fafner's sword and a series of small shield blows and went to slash the tendon of the enemy's right arm.

The flash was wielded without a hint of madness.

It didn't miss the target by an inch - but the blade didn't pass.

When he slashed at Fafner's brown skin, what came back to his arm felt as if he had struck iron - no, it was even harder than that.

'The skin isn't human ......!

I was surprised at the hardness of the skin, which wasn't human, and took a wide berth.

Fafner did not chase me as I retreated. Instead of chasing him, he goes on to explain his own abilities.

''Ah, let me explain. This is the power of my fresh blood magic. By containing the deaths of one war in this body, it has the density of ten thousand people lightly. In addition, I can borrow skills from dead swordsmen, even though I can't use a sword under normal circumstances. ...... hahaha. It's a pretty cumbersome ability, isn't it?　But it has many weaknesses. The basic premise is that this technique is a papier-mâché. It's only borrowed, so you can't use all the techniques (skills) of the dead. It will never be truly impenetrable.

It even exposes the weaknesses of its abilities one by one.

'This is a magic that can only be used when it is in contact with the ground. I'm activating the magic by listening to the 'voice of the souls that have dissipated into regret' that has sunk into the continent. So if I can somehow get my feet off the ground, the effect of this enhancement magic will be drastically reduced. ...... or even something magical in between, okay?

As long as I don't approach it, it won't attack me from Fafner.

I take my time and continue to listen silently to the revelation of that weakness.

'And basically, blood-attribute wizards are vulnerable to light and dark magic. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're doing. To put it bluntly, it's easy to receive mental interference. That's why I can never beat Tida and Nosfi. It's called chemistry. On the other hand, I'm pretty good at dealing with Arti types. They say their attribute is blood, but they're quite watery.

Fafner says that it is also his domain to play the pool of blood underfoot with his feet and manipulate the water.

He talked about his strengths and weaknesses, he also talked about how to utilize his weaknesses, and he also talked about his strategies.

Exactly like Maria said, it's everything. Right now, Fafner is telling us everything about The One Who Steals the Truth of Blood. Perhaps, believing in the 'Aikawa Uzumi (me)' of a thousand years ago--

'The straightforward method is to weaken them with mental interference and aim for their only kryptonite, the heart. ...... There's another way to attack 'The One Who Steals Blood's Reason'. Now I'm a guardian (Guardian). I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. By the way, my ”task” is to watch Aikawa Uzumi grow up to the end - or is it more accurately ”helping Aikawa Uzumi grow up”?　Anyway, I really want to watch your life up close and personal. If I meet those conditions, I'm going to get weaker and weaker, you know?　Haha.

In the end, he also revealed his own 'unconsciousness'.

I heard that the 'one who steals the truth of blood' will be weakened if I show my growth, and I think about the truth of that.

Since I've been obsessed with 'hardship' and 'growth' from earlier, I don't think that 'unconsciousness' is far off. There is a section where Fafner is forcing me to grow, not just himself, but even me.

Of course, I don't think that's a real 'untried' thing to do, but .......

'My growth in ......--'

Maybe Fafner wants to see the difference between me and the man I was a thousand years ago.

If I'm not good enough, that could even be the real deal, rather than getting out of Nosfy's magic.

I think of the image of the progenitor Kanami from a thousand years ago in my memory.

A dimensional wizard who hides his face with a mask, his neglected black hair is shaggy and long, and he wears only a single ragged edge. The biggest difference between the current me and the Founder is--

I release the unfolding dimensional magic.

”Then--!

And as a swordsman and not a magician, I rely only on 'Swordsmanship' and 'Sensitivity' to sprint again.

I don't even have a ”Distance Mute” for my arm anymore.

Fafner is surprised by this uncharacteristic move of mine, but he tries to intercept the enemy that tries to approach the world tree.

I'm guided by the ”sword technique” of the Alais style, lowering my body and approaching.

Then I parry the enemy's red sword and shield attack with the belly of my treasured sword - and get in close.

At a distance where it's difficult to even swing the sword out, I gently press the sword against Fafner's neck.

I know that the enemy is hard. But in the 'swordsmanship' of the Alais style, 'techniques to cut enemies harder than iron' are a given. Originally, the swords of Alais are meant for fighting peculiar enemies like Fafner.

I press the blade of the treasure sword with my free left hand.

Even if the skin of my palm is lightly torn, it won't be cut off if I don't pull the sword vigorously. Using the strength of both hands to push the sword, I forcefully try to break Fafner's stance.

Of course, Fafner moves to escape from the sword. However, the difference in skill in ”Sword Art” reads all of his every move and controls him ahead of time.

Fafner's body is pushed down without any recourse, and the treasured sword falls to the ground like a guillotine.

The treasured sword compresses Fafner's throat and strikes the back of his head at the same time.

'Ggh, ahhh--!　This is--!

With a moan, I peeled my eyes away with a mild concussion.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I activated 《Distance Mute》 and tried to stab him.

''--Bu, 《Blood》!

But it's a beat too late.

Inevitably, it takes time to build the big move, Distance Mute.

In the meantime, Fafner came to himself and used his fast-acting basic magic to manipulate and slide the blood on the ground, shifting his own body slightly to the side to dodge.

After removing the 《Distance Mute》, I take a distance from the World Tree to redo the partition.

''It's close--!

I take a breath a little farther away and start thinking about a new strategy.

It's really nice to be able to take a break like this while fighting the guardians (guardians).

Slowly, Fafner stands up as he watches me breathe. Then he predicts the source of my movements, which wasn't the case a thousand years ago.

'Yea, now the catching and beating is ...... Lowen Alais?　I know because he's done it a few times. Now that's definitely a technique for me by that guy ....... Why, why is the vortex wave ...... the Aleiss technique?　Maybe ......

'Yeah, Rowen told me about it a while ago. They fought for the sword and I won.

I don't hide it, but I tell him that I possess the world's best 'swordsmanship' of 'The One Who Steals the Reason of the Earth'.

Upon hearing this, Fafner's doubts are put to rest.

...... Oh, I knew it was Aleiss!　Ah, aleis!　Aleis Aleis Aleis--!

Forgetting the fight, he begins to rejoice.

After repeating Rowen's last name over and over, he finally sticks his red sword into the ground and begins to pray to the heavens with his free hands.

Of course, when I look up, all I see is a dark hollow. The way he prayed to the darkness with the bright red world tree behind him, it gave me a little nasty goosebumps to watch.

'I knew it. ....... Yeah, I knew how you felt. I believed in you. I trusted you, and that's why I've been giving you a hard time. Haha, now you've been proven right, Areis. ...... A thousand years from now, after your death ......, you'll finally have ......!　Hahaha!

Along with my prayers, I speak to Rowen, who is not here. I realize that they had a friendship and that Fafner was causing hardship not only to me, but to Rowen as well.

'Oh. Uzumi, I'm sorry. At a time like this, I'm moved to tears by the emotion. ......

Tears start to spill out of both eyes as he continues to speak to me, perhaps overcome with emotion.

The tears are not just a light amount that spills down. The amount of tears that could be called a big sobbing fit a waterfall as a metaphor.

Without wiping those tears, Fafner looks at me with a big smile on his face.

His eyes are slightly out of focus again. I look at Fafner, who is spilling tears from his empty eyes, but continues to rejoice - I decide that I'm sure of it now.

I've only met him for a few minutes, but I'm going to make a determination.

The one who steals the reason for blood, Fafner Helvirshain, is somewhat insane.

It's not about Nosfi's magic, but Fafner's uncommon madness from the beginning.

Without a doubt, he is more severely ill than Nosfi in the mansion. I feel the same level of insanity as the early Titi - or even more.

Perhaps more than any of the 'Stealers of Reason' that I've encountered until now--.

”-- Yeah, you don't have to tell me (・・・・・・), I know. I salute the life of Aleis the Swordsman. And let us pray. It's in some scripture. 5:11, 'If you do not honor every soul, you cannot rest your own soul either.' ......

Fafner made a motion of flipping through some book, even though he didn't have anything in his hand.

That's where you feel a strong sense of discomfort.

The movement is too natural. It's not as if he's moving through a hallucination, but as if the book is really there. When I think about it, when I was looking up in the air earlier, it was as natural as if I was following something with my eyes.

Like I was seeing something I couldn't see: ....... Or, like I'm hearing something I can't hear ....... There is a lot of movement that makes me think that, from earlier on.

As I 'watch' sceptically, Fafner stops praying and gives me a determined look.

''Haha, this is no longer ...... a time to say that you want to lose after you get rid of your 'unfinished business' if possible. ...... That Alais gave up her own sword to someone else, ......?　I've got to show you that I'm worthy of Alais' sword, too: ......

Then he erases the red armor in his hands.

It has become an empty handed fist and the color of its body appears to have faded a bit.

However, he has not lost his will to fight. Rather, it is swollen and its magic power is dancing furiously.

''Fafner, what are you saying ......?''

I wasn't ready for this. -- the resolve to disappear without resolving the 'unresolved'. The weaknesses I mentioned earlier aren't my biggest weaknesses to be honest. I'm sorry, Uzuruami. It's a good thing that I don't have any memories, but I've been holding back. There was a spoilage somewhere: ....... I'm not done yet, you know, I'm a guy .......

It was normal to hide one's worst weaknesses. It wasn't a bad thing, and yet Fafner looked terribly regretful and ashamed.

'I'll show you what the soul of Aleis deserves - now, my true weakness, I'll show you...'

Fafner stared at the 'Aleis Family's Treasure Sword Lowen' in my right hand and abruptly thrust his right hand into his chest. It goes through my body like my 《Distance Mute》.

And then I take out what's inside of it.

It's not a magic stone.

What was in his hand was a heart that had been torn off.

I don't know if it's controlling 'blood' or not, fresh fresh blood isn't gushing out. However, there is no doubt that a living heart was taken out of the body. The pulsing, bright red heart is in Fafner's hands.

As soon as that heart was removed, Fafner's color was completely drained from his body.

His body, his clothes, his magic power, everything became transparent - he became a ghost.

The presence of the ghost is so weak that even if you look hard enough, you can't be sure that Fafner is there. It's a weakness that is typical of guardians.

But I have a hunch that this is the real Fafner.

This colorless ghost is the essence of Fafner, and the black hair and red eyes I saw when I met him are more like someone else (...)

”-- 'This heart I have dedicated to my Lord, and I have made her heart my tombstone.'

The moment he feels a presence separate from Fafner, he hears chanting.

At the same time, the magic power floating in the underground space - not Fafner's colorless magic power, but bright red magic power - gathers in his transparent body.

''--Fresh blood magic [Helmina Neisha]

A magic name is announced.

The magic name sounds like someone's (...) name.

I recall that Rastiala once called fresh blood magic ”magic that makes you someone else

--I now know its true meaning.

With the gathering of magical power like a blood mist, the figure of a girl begins to appear vaguely behind the transparent Fafner.

Long black curly hair. Eyes as red as blood. Skin as white as snow. The girl had all the features of the first Fafner. She was a year or so younger than me, and seemed to be smiling serenely with her eyes closed.

The girl wearing the white clothes that matched Fafner's is now overlapping with Fafner.

And I can tell.

It's transmitted.

I'm struck by the thought.

Her name is Helmina Neisha.

Probably the owner of the heart that is now in Fafner's right hand.

We are forced to understand that she is the real 'one who steals the truth of blood'.

' - ” -- 'With my claws in the sky, I scraped through the world (you)' --

More chanting continues while the girl's figure is transfixed.

As a dimensional wizard, I realize the 'cost' associated with the chanting.

Fafner is continuously trying to use unusual magic. Together, we are about to reach the identity of that magic.

Here, this is ......!

No way. ......!

”'Look up and be blinding. I will rain blood from the sky that has just split your flesh.'”--

Now Fafner is composing a life story.

Perhaps the life of the girl I just saw--

This is the true ”magic” of the guardian.

The ”magic (...)” that embodies life itself is about to be activated by Fafner on behalf of Helmina.

The pool of blood underfoot begins to surge and a cloud of blood begins to rise in the underground space.

The world is trembling with the magic that is about to be activated. The magic swells too much, and a screeching sound is heard.

The seriousness is also too serious.

This isn't just a mock battle, it's a battle for your life.

''Suddenly ......!　Wait, wait--

Hells Vilmillion Hells

Before I could stop it, the magic was complete.

The heart falls from Fafner's palm.

The heart is transformed by the magic of ”The One Who Steals the Reason for Blood” as it falls. To be precise, the blood spreading on the ground rises and coats (coats) the heart as if it were absorbed by the heart.

Then the heart turned into a cross.

One bright red, thin cross, over-carved and thin - erected in a pool of blood.

Facing the cross, which looks like a tombstone, Fafner replies.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you have to be careful about what you say,” said Fafner. ”Magic (...) is there to make everyone happy. We (...) will never threaten Uzuruha's life. I'm the only one who'll risk my life. This is the core of me, the monster in Ghost - my core. When I shatter it, I'm done. I can end it whenever I want: ......

He told me that this was his true weakness.

That now vanishing, transparent face twisted into a contorted look, as if she were about to cry again - but somewhat happily.