Episode 41 – The Name of the Strongest VI
“—O fire.”
Ameisha never changed her routine, no matter the time or place.
She would not change it now.
That held true even as she entered the newly appeared thirteenth room on the seventy-seventh floor. Even if there was a chance another adventurer had reached it before her, nothing she did would change.
As always, she would chant her Gift and unleash it. That was all.
“It is a flame of exalted honor. Vast above all, mighty beyond all, and a terror to every being. I am a dragon, a king of high renown. Claiming both heaven and earth, burning all things to ash. Into my soul—”
Ameisha could use the seven Gifts.
Even among Gift-users, that was on the high end; thus, she was said to be the strongest Gift-user in the academy.
Ordinarily, a Gift-user capable of handling even three Gifts was already considered exceptional. One wide-area Gift for wiping out groups, one Gift aimed at a single monster, and one supportive Gift for allied adventurers—possessing those alone would make someone highly sought after by any party.
However, in the academy, there were many who could not even use three.
In contrast, Ameisha was extraordinarily talented as a Gift-user.
She could choose from numerous Gifts, and each of them was among the highest-level in the academy.
Of all her abilities, the one she had chosen to use against her target—the stray, the knight, the Hundred-Armed Knight—was Queada Shama. It boasted the highest offensive power among her Gifts and was capable, at times, of even tearing apart dungeon terrain.
Ameisha stepped into the room.
She did not bother recognizing the enemy.
She checked only one thing:
Whether another adventurer was present.
Within just a few fleeting moments, Ameisha confirmed she was alone.
The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she recited the final invocation.
“—Become infinite karma.”
Ameisha extended both arms.
Her right hand rose upward. Her left hand pointed down.
It was like the gaping jaws of a dragon—and from those jaws, crimson fire radiated endlessly outward.
Its destination was singular: the stray. The knight. The Hundred-Armed Knight.
In Ameisha’s vision, there was nothing but overwhelming flame.
She could see nothing else.
Her surroundings, as always, were drowned in fire.
But suddenly, a single slicing sound of wind reached her ears.
The flames obscured her view, yet from within them came a sound she instantly disliked.
Ameisha twisted her body on instinct.
A thick arrow tore through the air exactly where her head had been an instant earlier.
Her guts, hot just moments ago, chilled.
That arrow had certainly been aimed to kill her.
The flames cleared at last.
Though the ground still sizzled like molten lava, the Hundred-Armed Knight stood with its greatbow, not a speck of soot marring its armor. A new arrow was already drawn, unmistakably aimed at Ameisha.
Ameisha began a new invocation.
“I am fire. Into this body, heat and—”
The Gift’s effect was the enhancement of physical ability.
Normally, she cast it on her own party members, not herself—but today was the exception. Today, she cast it upon her own body.
Ameisha quietly, calmly searched for a path to victory.
Queada Shama was the highest-power Gift she possessed. She had chanted the invocation to its fullest; her concentration was perfect, and the resulting power had been superb. The blast had struck the knight squarely.
Yet the damage to the knight had been negligible.
Ameisha had no Gift stronger than that.
If so, then she had no choice but to search for her chance to win by other means.
“—Become karma.”
The moment Ameisha cast her Gift upon herself, the knight released another heavy arrow. With the speed of a light warrior now coursing through her, Ameisha slipped sideways to evade it and drew the sword she kept at her waist for emergencies.
Its length was sixty centimeters. A standard double-edged blade, yet befitting a first-rate adventurer, it made lavish use of hihiirokane. Naturally, its weight and sharpness were guaranteed. A red gem was set at the center of the winglike guard—believed to amplify the Gift of the Fire God—and leather was wrapped around the grip for easier handling.
Ameisha immediately began chanting her next Gift.
“O fire, become the strength that walks beside my soul—”
As she spoke it, flames rushed out from the base of the blade near the guard. By the time she had finished uttering the last word, the golden-red sword was completely wreathed in crimson fire.
“Burn and cleave away all karma—!”
This Gift enhanced the sword’s sharpness and imbued it with the power of flame.
It was one of the Gifts Ameisha used constantly on herself and her companions, and thanks to this ability, she had escaped countless dire situations.
“Arrows of flame—”
A short invocation.
Several fiery arrows materialized around her, and she sent them flying at the knight as a form of suppression fire.
By then, the knight had already stopped using its bow. It drew the zweihänder strapped to its back—a massive sword, far longer than anything a human could normally wield, likely three meters in length. At the base of the blade was a ricasso, the unsharpened portion. The knight held the very end of the hilt with one hand.
Ameisha concluded the knight possessed physical strength no human could.
The knight's body hovered just slightly above the ground.
Thus, instead of running, it approached like a low-flying glider skimming the air. It weaved past several arrows, and even when struck, the shots bounced harmlessly off its armor—showing no visible damage.
“Kuhh—!”
Its movement offered no readable initial cues.
Because of that, Ameisha’s reaction lagged a fraction.
The knight brought its zweihänder down.
Ameisha rolled aside to evade.
The knight swept the blade horizontally at once, but Ameisha detonated several of her own fire arrows against it, letting the shock and noise break the knight’s focus long enough for her to reset her stance.
“Arrows of flame—”
As Ameisha focused on her Gift for a heartbeat, a bolt shot from the knight’s off-hand crossbow.
Her previously launched arrows struck it mid-flight, causing the bolt to veer slightly—just enough for it to graze her. Her white robe tore, revealing her pale thigh, and a thin line of blood appeared.
Even so, Ameisha did not falter.
She flung all newly formed fire arrows straight into the knight’s face.
The arrows burst.
There was likely no damage.
But the knight’s attention drifted from her for a moment.
Ameisha gripped her sword tightly.
With the speed of a frontline swordsman, she closed the distance to the knight.
She saw the zweihänder coming down again—but her blade reached first. She couldn’t aim for the neck. Instead, she targeted the gap between the armor plates at the knee. Sliding low across the floor, Ameisha slashed.
I did it!
She definitely felt resistance.
But immediately afterward, the knight’s other leg swung and kicked her in the abdomen, sending her rolling.
She tumbled roughly three meters, then saw a despair-inducing sight:
The knee she had supposedly cut bore only the faintest scratch—barely even an injury.
Yet Ameisha forced herself up at once to avoid the knight’s next attack.
There was no time to lie on the ground.
Weighing her various abilities against the enemy before her, Ameisha felt the overwhelming gulf between them.
If only my allies were here—
But no one else was.
Preparing to evade the knight’s next strike, she quietly, calmly searched for what she could still accomplish before defeat claimed her.
◆◆◆
By the time Nada arrived at that room, a fierce battle was already raging inside.
And aside from that, two adventurers were present.
Reaon and Ouro.
“So the next one to arrive is you, Nada—”
Reaon was the one who spoke.
He was leaning against the wall near the entrance, waiting. But his sword was already drawn, and his eyes were fixed on the adventurer and the knight fighting violently inside, ready to leap in at any moment.
“According to the rules, the order in which we arrive is the order in which we may challenge it. In that case, Sir Nada, you are third.”
Ouro spoke in a tone that resembled a laugh.
He had not drawn his sword—it remained sheathed on his back.
“And who arrived second?”
“I did.”
Ouro answered Nada quietly.
“And I came right after him, Nada—”
Reaon said with a grin.
“And after that, it’s me? Hey, what happened to those three? They’re supposed to be our seniors, aren’t they—?”
Nada found himself more bothered by the absence of Iris, Corvo, and Koroa than by the brutal battle being fought in the center of the room.
Because, to his knowledge, those three were the strongest in the academy. Nada knew their strength well.
That none of the three were here struck him as odd.
“Looks like they haven’t arrived yet.”
Reaon laughed.
“That’s surprising—”
“Is it? Nada, I don’t think it is. I think this is the natural outcome.”
“Why?”
“Because all three of them have already released the parties they used to lead. They’ve fulfilled the graduation requirements, and at this point, there’s no reason to maintain a party until they graduate. That’s why I think this: those who still have a party and continue adventuring regularly are the ones who are truly active right now—”
“Is that really so?”
“Think about it. The first person to arrive was Ameisha of Avelient, and the second was Ouro of Deuza demo Aural. It lines up perfectly with the academy’s party rankings, doesn’t it—?”
“Maybe so—”
Nada responded while turning his gaze back to the fight before him.
Ameisha was already at her limit.
She was barely managing to dodge the attacks.
But she was clearly close to collapse.
Her dust-stained habit was torn in many places, revealing pale skin at her flanks, shoulders, thighs, and stomach—giving her an almost indecent appearance.
Her breathing was ragged, and whether from the fierce battle or overuse of her Gifts, her face was pale.
By all accounts, she was finished.
All that remained was for her to accept defeat and yield the challenge to the next adventurer.
Ameisha gripped her sword.
The flames that once enveloped the blade were now tiny—just a faint glow near the tip.
The knight held a crossbow in its left hand. Its arrows were automatic. Small lights gathered and formed into bolts that loaded themselves. Though it was a single-shot weapon, the knight could fire several within moments.
Ameisha fired her flame arrows, as usual, but the knight no longer bothered to dodge them.
However, Ameisha would suffer fatal wounds if she didn’t evade the knight’s arrows.
One—she dodged sideways.
Two—her flame arrow clashed with the incoming bolt, but her weakened fire had no power to stop it. The bolt’s path shifted only slightly, grazing her calf.
Ameisha attempted to chant a long incantation in hopes of a reversal, but the knight closed the distance like a gliding predator before she could begin. It swept its zweihänder at her.
Ameisha clenched her teeth, stepped in to dodge, and raised her sword—but the knight took one more step, and its knee struck her. Her body folded like a bent hinge as she vomited blood and rolled across the floor.
The knight then brought its zweihänder down on her—but Ameisha slammed the remnants of her earlier flame into the ground, blasting herself backward to evade the strike.
The knight still didn’t rush. It slowly approached Ameisha, who had collapsed in the distance.
During that time, Ameisha somehow forced only her body to stand.
Her hair was disheveled, her face smeared with sand and blood. Her beauty was already gone without a trace. Her eyes were dull, holding no hope of victory.
Even in that state, she still fought like an adventurer.
“Looks like I’m next…”
Ouro said with a sigh.
He watched Ameisha with a pained expression.
“I’d appreciate it if she loses quickly. It’ll be my turn after her.”
“Then I shall pray that won’t happen.”
At the same time Ouro reached for the great blade on his back, Reaon spoke to Nada with a challenging smile.
“Tough luck, Nada. You made it all the way here, but your turn will never come. Because I go before you. I’m going to beat that stray. You can just sit there and watch.”
“Is that so…”
Nada replied without the slightest emotion.
He kept his eyes fixed on the battle in front of him.
Ameisha fired flaming arrows and swung her sword, but none of them reached the knight. Facing weapon after weapon, she was being cornered—step by step, steadily.
Her defeat was only a matter of time.
On that point, Nada’s view was the same as Ouro and Reaon’s.
But what bothered Nada was the Hundred-Armed Knight’s eyes.
Those glowing blue eyes.
Again and again, they glanced this way.
Even though the adventurers at the room’s entrance had no intention of interfering, the moment Nada entered the room, the knight had already noticed him.
It was clearly directed killing intent toward him.
Nada couldn’t ignore it.
Reaon and Ouro never looked away from the stray knight, but they didn’t seem particularly conscious of its gaze.
But Nada glared at the knight as if he himself were fighting it.
The knight looked at Nada.
Nada looked back.
As Ameisha reached her limit—her breathing quickening, and her movements slowing—Nada didn’t even spare her a glance.
As though it were he who would battle, strength filled the hand gripping his crescent blade.
His right foot stepped forward.
—In that instant, the Hundred-Armed Knight fired an arrow.
It pierced the floor right in front of Nada.
And when the knight was about to deliver the final blow to Ameisha, Nada reflexively pulled out a throwing knife and hurled it at the knight, forcing its attention off Ameisha and buying time.
He immediately dashed toward the Hundred-Armed Knight, raising his crescent blade to intercept the blow meant for Ameisha.
A loud clang rang out.
Nada diverted the knight’s zweihander to the side and swung at it in return, but the knight leaped far back.
“Nada—”
Ameisha stared at him in disbelief.
“Nada! Why would you do that!?”
Reaon, on the other hand, shouted in fury.
Nada raised his voice and said—
“—I’m an adventurer! If there’s a monster right in front of me, letting it go isn’t in my nature! And honestly, I couldn’t care less about the title of ‘strongest’! It doesn’t matter to me at all! Yeah, that’s right! I just want to kill the bastard who came after my life. That’s all!”
Nada shouted.
His face looked refreshed, and he stood as if to shield Ameisha behind him, staring straight at the Hundred-Armed Knight.
And someone else charged at the knight.
Ouro.
“Well said, Sir Nada! I’ve been thinking the same. What kind of man just stands around watching a lady struggle with all her might! I shall lend my aid as well!”
The great blade Ouro swung down with glee was caught by the knight’s zweihander.
At some point, the knight had switched from its crossbow to a shotel—a crescent-shaped blade—and aimed it at Ouro.
Ouro quickly stepped aside to widen the distance.
The knight then hurled its zweihander at Ouro with full force.
When Ouro dodged, the zweihander flew toward Nada and Ameisha.
Since Ameisha was right behind him, Nada tried to deflect it with his crescent blade—but Reaon’s furious shout cut in.
“Ah, damn it! Nada, duck!!”
Nada reflexively crouched, and not only the zweihander but also an arrow, fired from the crossbow the knight somehow had in its right hand, flew over his head, hidden behind the zweihander’s path.
“Oho, Reaon, well done.”
Ouro said in admiration.
“Damn it! Damn it all! Nada always ruins my plans! And you’re siding with him too, Ouro!? Hey, Ameisha! Take this! Get back in the fight already!”
Reaon rushed over to Ameisha and handed her the recovery potion he had.
Meanwhile, the knight approached, intending to finish what it failed to do earlier—and Nada threw himself at it, clinging on with everything he had, swinging his crescent blade desperately to hold off the halberd-wielding knight.
At the same time, Ouro closed in from behind.
“Kiyeeeaaaaaahhh!!”
With a fierce roar, Ouro attempted a diagonal slash.
The knight glided a step to the side, putting distance between itself and all four of them.
Nada and Ouro immediately moved to shield Ameisha, glaring at the Hundred-Armed Knight as they stepped forward alongside Reaon.
“Oi, Nada! What the hell are you planning!? What about Corvo’s rules, huh!?”
Reaon growled, unable to contain his anger.
“Like I care! None of that matters now! More importantly, let’s take that thing down already!”
Nada held his crescent blade, eyes fixed solely on the knight.
“These two… honestly…” Ouro sighed. “More importantly, Lady Ameisha, are you all right?”
“Yes… somehow. But what exactly is this situation…?”
Ameisha blinked repeatedly, staring at the three adventurers standing between her and the knight.
“Oi, Nada!”
“You’re an adventurer too, aren’t you!? Do your damn job at the very least!”
“Who do you think you’re talking to!? Nada, hurry up and stop its movements!”
“I know that already!”
Nada and Reaon moved at the exact same moment, perfectly in sync. Nada charged the knight head-on, while Reaon moved in from the right flank to pressure it.
“This is getting interesting…”
Ouro alone laughed gleefully as he began moving in from the left.
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