297 294. The power of reason.txt (1/2)

Fafner's - no, the true 'magic (...)' by 'the one who steals the reason for blood' was activated.

As a result, a red cross stands in the pool of blood.

It is a red, thin, distorted cross.

It was about a meter and a half in size, extending from the ground to Fafner's chest. According to the Dimension, it is one meter and forty-nine centimeters and two millimeters long - about the height of a girl (・・・・・・・・・).

It is an ornate cross, common in churches, and depending on how you look at it, it may not look like a single-edged sword.

The unchanging pulsing figure shows that it is still a human heart, even though it may be coated (coated) with blood and changed in shape.

Just as Fafner declared, I am convinced that it is the core of the Thieves of Blood.

In other words, Fafner's most important thing is now out of his body and empty. Even if you ”gaze” at it, the guardian's ”display” is no longer displayed.

All the information that I can see shows the correctness of Fafner's story.

Finally, I cast a glance at Fafner, who is leisurely waiting for me, to which he replies.

'-that's what I mean. This cross-shaped heart is the 'one who steals the reason for blood' and I'm an ordinary person who has nothing to do with the labyrinth or the apostles,” he says. I didn't have any talent - or maybe because I had talent. Anyway, I couldn't be the one to steal the logic. People around me called me 'The Lights of Hell (Hellville Shine)' and I was given the title of 'Evil Dragon of the Apocalypse (Fafner)' and so on, but ...... well, I was just a witch who was everywhere.

He is a guardian (Guardian), but at the same time, he is also just a human being.

That is Fafner Helvirshine.

Fafner himself explains the slightly complicated situation.

The body of the 'blood thief' is a mess: ....... The only thing left in its proper place was its heart. So that's what happened (・・・・・). But I still think it's better than that, man. It's kind of like Alty's head. It's like Artie's head, only it's more important. A hell of a lot better than those guys who lost their minds. So, it's okay. It's all right.

I have a small amount of pity for the girl named Helmina, who has become nothing but a heart, but Fafner shakes his head that there is no need for that.

Then, as I brace myself in front of the 'magic (...)', he picks up a book that had fallen nearby.

At first, it's the book I was reading with my back against a tree. Now that I have The Dimension, I can get more information about the book.

Fafner declares that the battle is resumed, with The Revan Scripture in his left hand.

''Now, let's continue. In this state, I'm not going to fight like a knight, I'm going to fight like a fresh blood wizard. To put it in the vortex wave wind, attack power up and defense power down--a double-edged sword.

It's not a lie.

The 《Dimension》 has seen through the power of Fafner's magic.

The fact that the core (core) has been removed from the outer shell of Fafner's body means that the magic of The One Who Steals the Reason of Blood is blocked by the outer shell and cannot be attenuated.

Of course, the loss of the protection of the outer shell has greatly reduced its defensive power.

However, although it is an increased offensive power, it cannot be utilized by Fafner, who bears the rule of 'don't let any dead people out'. First of all, it would definitely be a negative situation.

It's clear that Fafner really wants to lose - even if he's going to be annihilated.

''Vortex Wave, can this cross be taken away?

Fafner takes a step forward.

As if to protect his own exposed weakness, he stands in front of the cross.

Then, he lightly waved his right hand to the side.

''-- O ghosts of the earth! Answer my voice and acknowledge the magic of Helmina--

Behind Fafner's transparent body, the cross glows red.

From the movement of the magic, I can tell that the cross, not Fafner, has used magic.

The light emitted by the cross fills the underground space and my vision turns bright red.

Stimulated by that red magic, the ringing of the pool of blood intensifies and bubbles in a raggedy manner.

After the frightening boil, something in the shape of a human is born from the pool of blood.

Only magic and blood make up that human form. It is a bright red doll. But it has four limbs, wears armor like a knight, and wears a sword.

About ten blood knights are spawned and surround me, immediately raising their blood swords and attacking me.

I use 《Dimension》 to grasp all of the blood knights and tightly grip the ”Treasured Sword of the Aleiss Family, Rowen”.

You dodge the sword from the front and swing the Sword of the House of Ares to avoid the sword in your blind spot. The body of a blood knight is cut in two by my sword, and as if melting, it loses its human form.

However, the same form of knight is immediately spawned from where it melted, and it raises its sword again.

'This is ......!　Like a necromancer!

It's a troublesome ability.

The most troublesome part is that it's not just a wooden doll attacking you, but each and every one of the blood knights has its own personality.

It's as if ten skilled knights were procured from the battlefield somewhere, and it's as if they were competing against each other.

I'm sure that's exactly what it is (...). I'm not sure if this is the kind of summoning magic that Fafner is talking about.

''Haha, I'm a death spirit user (necromancer)?　Well, that's a shame. This magic is not my nature. My class is always going to be the shield-bearer. If you could see my status now, it would definitely say so!

'Ta, shield-holder ......?　What?!

My body!　This flesh and blood was the shield that protected the Vortex Wave!　It was my role to keep the Lord safe--!

He doesn't mean a shield bearer - he doesn't mean a knight's apprentice, but he wants to say someone who fights with his body as a shield. He is fabricating a joke of a class, but there seemed to be a sense of pride and pride in it.

However, the opposite of the claim is the way they attack in reality.

The amount of material by the Blood Knights is constantly attacking them from all sides.

Furthermore, magic was added one after another from Fafner in the far rear.

''--Fresh blood magic, Blood Crossfield, Blood Heel, Blood Arrow.

It's a continuous magic chant from a stick up.

Slightly annoyed by the tactics that can only be considered genuine wizardry, I fend off the heating onslaught.

The red color of the pool of blood increases, amplifying the magical effects of the fresh blood attribute. The blood knights are strengthened with magic, accelerating their movements with vibrancy. As they focus on the blood knights even more, blood arrows come flying in.

This is the way the 'Blood Stealer' fights.

There is no time to breathe. The red knights become a wall, and I can't reach the Fafner and the nucleus (core), which is the rear guard. The next thing I know, my forehead starts to sweat and my breathing becomes more and more ragged. I think while recognizing my physical strength that is being cut down by the minute--

--this much is not a bad idea (・・・・・・・).

As Fafner claims, this necromancerous way of fighting is probably not what is inherent in him. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a bit awkward.

If it's a stopgap strategy, you can always break through.

For example, I can activate one of my real magic--Dimension Decisive Arithmetic (Gradiate) on top of it.

This is a future prediction magic that will be even more accurate than when I used it against Titi and Sith. If you draw in the future that is impossible to defend against, you can always destroy the cross.

However, while I think it's possible, at the same time I think it's too easy.

In the past, the guardian (guardian) battle was never this easy.

Maybe that's why I wonder in the corner of my mind if this is really the right way to end it.

Now Fafner is accepting his annihilation.

He has gone out of his way to make an easier way for me than getting rid of my 'unfinished business'.

I don't need to be shy about it. I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it. Even using the real 'magic (...)'.

However, even though real ”magic” can be used ...... definitely, Fafner is not serious.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do that.

I'm not using real magic either. I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not using any real magic, but I'm going to say that I'm in the flow.

It's not a real clash.

It's not a real fight.

It's a mock battle that resembles a farce, and the two of us are really engaged in a half-hearted battle.

...... Do you really want Fafner's life to end with a fight like this?

...... Am I not losing one friend while forgetting something important?

...... Shouldn't we try to unlock Nosfi's magic here and settle with Fafner later?

Such hesitation crosses my mind.

In the middle of it all, a serious voice mixed in - as if to dispel my hesitation.

”--It's okay to finish (・・・・・・・), it's obvious (・・・・・・・)

It was a voice that wasn't mine or Fafner's.

It was the voice of Ragne, who should have been behind me.

It came from further back than Fafner - the red cross at the core (core) of The One Who Steals the Truth of Blood - and from further back.

Naturally, Fafner and I, who were focused on the enemy in front of us, were surprised.

''--?

Wha--

Fafner turns back in response to the voice.

My eyes widen at the sight in front of me.

Before I knew it, Lagne-chan was holding a cross in her hand, pierced by a pool of blood.

Holding the pulsing cross like a sword, Ragne-chan laughs in triumph and is about to jump wide open to escape as it is.

'Alright, I've stolen it. The rest--!

-What?

Fafner reaches out to cling to it.

Of course. Fafner has a rule that he does his best to not lose.

There was just ...... one thing that was too different from earlier.

Fafner had a cold, blank expression stretched across his face for the first time today. And he's holding 'something' in his right hand and trying to swing it out.

The moment I saw that poised ”something”, I became scared.

You can say that I was terrified and cowered.

My body went rigid, my lungs hardened like a stone, my breath stopped and I couldn't move.

I just can't wrap my head around what that 'something' is.

It's a feeling of confusion that leads to confusion.

That ”something” was red.

It was red.

It's probably the reddest red of my life.

The red that I knew would remain at the pinnacle of red until the end of the world - blood, red, vermilion, cherry blossom, azalea, azalea, boxwood, coral, and sappanwood - was redder than any other red I had ever known.

Frighteningly, the only information I can see is that too painful color information, beating on my brain, and I don't know what the substance of the 'something' is.

Barely, if you follow the outline of that 'something', you can only see that it is a stick-like object like a sword.

A red 'something' that messes with people's perceptions just by the intensity of its color.

It's not just a killing intent. I can feel a grudge to kill the world as well.

It's exactly the kind of resentment that 'thrusts its claws into the sky and cuts through the world'.

Just looking at it makes me think of death.

Unworldly colors fill my brain with only signals of rejection and disgust. It's not me that's being targeted, but I can almost see the running lights.

-- the moment is stretched out to nowhere.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

The outline of that ”something” is getting closer to Lagune-chan's neck as if it were absorbed. If this continues, she will definitely die. I can see the future where her head will be neatly blown off, as if she was executed with a guillotine. Not because I'm a dimensional wizard, but I can see it vividly as a human instinct.

Fafner's movements are too fast. It's fast enough to prove that the fight up to now has been a true farce.

This is not the right time to stop it.

It's not the right time to avoid it.

Ragnet must know that.

He looked at the red 'something' and was pale with fear of death. I could tell by her expression that she was searching for every possible means of survival in the slowness of the experience, as if she were watching a running lamp just like me.

And at the end of that thought, Ragne-chan chose to--

Oh, noooooo--!

He jumps up and down and bends his upper body backwards in a big way.

Of course, it's not enough. I can't avoid it.

Lagne-chan makes up for that shortfall not by herself, but by others.

Lagne-chan throws the cross in her hand at Fafner while avoiding him.

Fafner followed with his eyes as his life (core) was relinquished by his enemy. After that, the sharpness disappeared from the flash. It was attenuated, though only slightly.

If the attack was unavoidable, he would have his opponent turn it into an attack he could avoid.

That was Ragne's choice.

--and the stretched out moment ends.

A sputtering flash was swept out and blood flew.

Following that, Lagne-chan, who lost her stance due to being on her back too much, landed on the pool of blood. While adjusting her stance further, she takes her guarded distance and complains that she's not talking to you.

''Oh, that's dangerous ......!　I thought you couldn't kill people, Mr. Fafner: ......!

It was probably a rush, thinking that if he failed, he wouldn't die.

But in reality, it wasn't. He almost got his head off.

With a flash of Fafner, Ragne's left cheek was split open in a snap.

From the looks of it, the wound was deep. An amount of blood was flowing from the slash that seemed to have possibly reached the mouth, which could not be left unattended.

Ragne holds the wound with her hand and tries to recover it with sacred magic.

Fafner, with a cross in his hand, watched the figure in amazement. He couldn't believe what he had done, and his understanding didn't seem to have caught up with him. There was no more of the blank expression and killing intent of the earlier one, and he was back to his original Fafner.

Then, after enough confusion, Fafner opens his mouth.

'Chi, little guy ....... Hey, how did you approach ...... now?

First and foremost, Fafner was concerned about Ragnar's method of surprise.

Honestly, that's what I want to hear too.

During the entire fight, I had been activating the 《Dimension》. Probably, Fafner was also grasping all of space through blood.