113 – Showdown – 2
I am weak.
From nob le mt l dot com
People around me call me a genius, but I know who the real geniuses are.
Your Highness Leon seems to be literally giving us the word genius.
Miss Reina is said to be as talented as Charlotte in terms of magic.
Atal is the youngest person in history to be nominated for the Pope of the Church of Martires.
Miss Sophia, a saint chosen not by the church, but by God Eos himself.
And Young master Ike, who works harder than anyone else to move forward with them.
If there is anything that deserves to be called a genius, it must be people like that.
When I look at myself after looking at them, I think that I lack talent and effort, and I feel miserable because I am so shabby.
But do I deserve that?
I know how hard Young master Ike works, but have subconsciously concluded that I can’t put in that level of effort, do I deserve to despair?
Isn’t someone like Young master Ike who deserves to feel such feelings, who tried harder than anyone else but couldn’t reach them?
“Ms. Helen. I plan to go back to my hometown tomorrow.”
It has changed.
From nob le mt l dot com
Princess Ike’s pupils have changed.
Surely, just a few days ago, he must have looked in his eyes as he was in despair and was about to give up everything.
“I don’t want to lose anyone now.”
There were straight and clear eyes that would never give up now.
How the hell?
The Dean of Ender has passed away.
He also lost his life while protecting us.
Even at the end, I heard that you were mortally wounded while trying too hard to block the attack on Prince Ike.
Isn’t Prince Ike in despair because he thought it was his fault?
I thought even despair was a luxury, so I wanted to give up everything.
How on earth was Prince Ike able to overcome this?
I don’t know.
But after saying that, Prince Ike’s appearance as he turned his back and walked forward seemed to shine like a star.
“… Why am I doing this?”
I was having such self-loathing.
I like sparring with someone.
I thought that when we fight by bumping into each other, we can know the other person’s sincerity.
It doesn’t matter how strong your opponent is.
Even if you’re much weaker than me, if you can fight sincerely, that’s enough.
But was that right?
Isn’t that kind of turning a blind eye to reality for self-satisfaction after all?
The reason for my training was, then, what was it in the end?
I don’t know the answer.
That’s what I ended up doing.
“Young master Ike. I have a question, is it okay?”
In the end, it was to visit Prince Ike, who made me think of this.
“Yes. Anything I can answer is fine.”
It is rude to visit and ask a sudden question just before returning to the home.
But as if there was no problem, Prince Ike calmly nodded his head.
“Princess Ike, how are you so strong?”
That was a question that was difficult to understand the intention and meaning of.
No, in a way, it might have sounded sarcastic to Prince Ike.
But Prince Ike just quietly shook his head.
“I recently heard a similar question. My answer is the same as then, Miss Helen.”
“Yes?”
“I am weak. Just trying to stay strong.”
“… Can I become strong like Prince Ike?”
“Miss Helen is already stronger than me, right? There is no way I could be weaker than Helen, who is trying to find the right answer by herself, than a coward like me who was able to get up thanks to everyone’s help.”
I am weak.
Neither talent nor hard work, he is not at all close to the people around him.
But.
“I want to be strong, Uncle.”
That doesn’t mean it’s a sin to dream.
“For what?”
“I don’t intend to make an undeserved wish to protect everyone. Those are definitely words that only those who have worked tirelessly can put in their mouths. So, I want to be a person who can stand in front of such people so that they can advance.”
My uncle listened to my story.
“Remember the self-loathing you are feeling, Helen. That will definitely take you to the next level.”
I think he laughed when he said that.
★
“Haaa!”
Helen’s fists thrashed incessantly.
“Hey….”
Cron received her attack from the front and was sincerely admiring it.
‘He has a clumsy side, but his speed and strength are superior to S’.’
Even from the attack just a moment ago, it was clearly visible that her side was wide open.
And Helen, of course, was aware of her own weakness.
At most, three months.
No matter how hard I tried, there was no way I could completely change my old habits.
No, in the first place, Helen had no intention of changing.
‘Your strength is basically the amount of mana you are ignorant of. Then you should take advantage of it. You don’t have to use clumsy technology and read the situation. Push on If your opponent tries to take advantage of an opening, you hit it harder. Move with the mindset that if you hit one, you hit two.’
Helen has no strategy to change the situation.
There is no skill enough to overturn a disadvantageous situation.
Her The only thing she has is a physical ability that comes from an overwhelming amount of magical power.
She knew it herself, so didn’t she take on the role of holding out in front?
“Huh!”
With her spirit, she turned her body wide and put power into her fist.
Cron blocked her attack with her shoulder, but her posture collapsed as if she was blown backwards by the weight of her fists beyond her imagination.
“You are really amazing. As expected, until just now, you couldn’t use your strength because you were moving in line with Ike-kun, right?”
Crohn asked Helen, grabbing her throbbing shoulder.
But Helen didn’t answer, and she immediately went on with her attack.
The left fist aimed at the chin.
The right knee digging into the side.
The right elbow slams down the chest.
The left foot trying to pierce the stomach.
Literally, each one is a lethal attack to defeat the enemy.
“This could be really dangerous.”
Even if she finds a gap and digs in, Atal behind her assists Helen.
Helen’s attacks are too strong to target Atal first.
Cron’s intuition warned him that the crisis was greater now than when he dealt with the four before.
“I think it would be convenient to have a window.”
Cron knew that the method that blew Ike into the cave earlier would not work again.
I felt intuition that if I aimed for a counterattack, I would be pierced.
So cron.
“… But after all, fighting is fun like this.”
I changed my mind.
“What?!”
Cron’s fist colliding head-on with Helen’s fist full of power.
That fist had been transformed into that of a demon.
“I know. That kind of fighting style is certainly strong, but there’s no way it can last long.”
“Keuugh!”
Cron’s words hit Helen right in the middle.
The reason Helen could now squeeze Crone from her front was simple.
She didn’t consider the limits of her body at all, and she was constantly channeling her magical energy all over her body.
To put it simply, putting pressure on the enemy with quantity rather than quality.
Even though it looks simple, it’s a deadly tactic that only Helen can do.
But she wasn’t all-powerful that it could solve everything.
She overworked her body, and no matter how much Helen was, the consumption of her mana was enormous, so it was literally a way to win in a short period of time.
If time dragged on, it was Helen who would fall.
“Of course, I don’t have much mana left to use the monster’s ability anymore. So, this is a life and death game. Does your body reach its limits first, or does your magic power run out first?”
“Of course, I win.”
Even as she said that, tears of blood began to flow from Helen’s eyes, as if the limit had already begun to come.
Atal’s healing magic was so overwhelming that the whole body couldn’t keep up with the pain.
But Helen didn’t stop.
A little faster.
A little stronger.
She threw out her fist and stretched out her foot.
“Ms. Helen… !”
Atal’s voice was tinged with pain.
Helen’s body was deteriorating so fast that she couldn’t even afford to use her protective magic against Atal.
Helen’s body reached its limit, and Atal’s magical power began to run out.
Of course, Cron was never in good shape.
No matter how much he changed his body to fit the situation and reduced the damage, he had little magical power to transform in the first place, so he had no choice but to receive some attacks with his body.
But if there was one difference between Cron and the two.
“… After all, it’s fun!”
The point was that Helen and Attal did not enjoy the pain it caused.
Helen’s movements slowed down.
The pure white light of Atal’s healing magic gradually faded.
But the movement of the crone was almost the same as the first time.
“I won’t lose….”
As if reaching her limit, Helen’s voice became hoarse.
“I can’t lose.”
Atal seemed to struggle even to utter her words.
Still, the eyes of the two.
“”Because I promised that I would never die… !””
It was still shining like the first time.
Blue light ran from Atal’s hand and wrapped around Helen’s body.
Helen twisted her body and stepped forward with her left foot.
A final blow that anyone can see, with all their heart and soul.
Cron also noticed that, and all of her right arms were transformed into demon beasts.
“Haaa!!”
With a scream, Helen and Cron’s fists collided.
Ouddeuk, the sound of breaking bones resounded.
The one that flew backwards and landed on the ground like that.
“Helen, the sheep….”
Nevertheless, it was Helen who let out her rough breath and still glared at Cron.
“Wake up, it’s me….”
Before long, Atal, her mana completely depleted, collapsed on the spot.
Cron looked at that figure.
“I lost the match, but I won the fight.”
He quietly smiled.
Although Helen and Attal tried to get up by somehow pulling their motionless bodies together.
“Give up. And in the end, I want you to admit that I won.”
As I said that, I had no choice but to look at the approaching crone.