Soon enough, we find ourselves in something of a stalemate.
Everyone on our side is striving to land my attacks.
Administrator D does everything in her power to prevent it.
We keep piling on attacks and defenses by any means necessary.
Everyone here ranks among the most powerful fighters from our world.
As such, they all have command of many different techniques, enabling us to attack from any and all angles.
Yet D only uses her twin blades, perhaps because she is holding back her power.
She cannot hurt us unless we get close, but due to her unbelievable speed, it is difficult to prevent her from closing the distance in an instant.
What’s more, a good offense is indeed the best defense: Since our side does not let up on attacking for a moment, there are thus few opportunities for D to go on the attack.
Yet, despite our onslaught, we have yet to break through D’s defenses.
I doubt this is due to any special skill.
If her words are to be believed, she is simply enduring thanks to her approximate stats supposedly being in the range of a hundred and fifty thousand.
And because it is so simple, it is difficult to circumvent.
The only way to deal with such high defenses would be to break through with an even more powerful attack.
But the maximum value of any stat is 99,999.
It is impossible to reach a value like 150,000 within the constraints of the system.
In other words, the only way we can damage D is to either escape the limitations of the system, or to use a special skill like mine to deal damage that disregards the target’s defenses.
Desperation is slowly starting to settle in.
My stamina and MP are limited, you know.
If we keep fighting like this, my attacks are inevitably going to slow down.
And if that happens, we’re out of options.
We’ve got to break through D’s defenses before then somehow, or…
“EH?! NO!”
I let my impatience cause a lapse in judgment!
Just as the queen taratects’ twin breath attacks hit D, I jumped in while everyone else was at a standstill.
The queens’ attacks didn’t do any damage to D.
And if she doesn’t have to worry about being hurt, she doesn’t need to think about defense.
That means that for a moment, she has the option of going on the offensive.
D’s eyes meet mine as she turns in my direction.
Her gaze, with pupils so dark it’s like I’m being pulled into an abyss, is fixed on me.
Then her swords slash toward me.
“Harmony!”
Just then, all the attacks stop.
The sword passes right through my body without hurting me, as if it has no substance at all.
I don’t know what’s happening, but now’s my chance!
“YAAAAH!”
I unleash all my might in a single punch.
For this first time in this fight, I finally feel a clear impact.
My attack damaged her!
“Conquest!”
Another shout echoes.
In that moment, strength swells throughout my body.
Is this some kind of buff?
“Hey! This won’t last long, dammit! Make it count!”
Ah, it’s the reincarnation called Natsume.
And the “Harmony” skill before that was invoked by the pontiff.
Are these the secret second skills that come with the ruler titles granted to holders of Seven Deadly Sins or Seven Heavenly Virtues skills?
When you acquire a ruler skill, it automatically grants a corresponding title.
Usually, the first skill that comes with the title is a powerful but standard skill, while the second is a special skill that can only be acquired by gaining the title.
These special skills can only be used if the holder has ruler authority.
And it is best not to invoke them at all.
They are much too powerful, and using them always results in serious recoil for the user as well.
These skills are intended to be used against gods, like my Heresy Attack, Rot Attack, and Abyss Magic skills.
The pontiff’s Harmony skill probably nullifies an enemy attack completely.
And judging by this sensation, Natsume’s Conquest skill must add the user’s stats and skills to the stats and skills of all their allies.
Both are incredibly powerful skills.
As such, they must come with serious consequences.
They used those skills in spite of that in order to create this opening!
Just as Natsume says, we must make it count!
First, the queens’ threads wrap around Administrator D and hinder her movements.
Nia’s ice freezes over D on top of the threads, pinning her in place completely.
“Root of Evil!”
Sophia uses a skill on top of all that.
This, too, is one of the special skills that accompanies a Seven Deadly Sins skill.
An ominous aura surrounds her broadsword as it strikes Administrator D.
It pulverizes the ice around D, with a shattering sound like the scream of a banshee.
Yet in spite of this powerful attack, D still moves to counterattack against Sophia.
Then a blast of air strikes her: Hyuvan’s Wind Magic.
The powerful gust bears down on her, preventing her from moving for just a moment.
Sophia takes that opportunity to jump back, and Wrath leaps into her place.
“Wrath! Enma!”
On top of activating the Wrath skill, he also uses the special skill that came along with its corresponding title.
Blazingly hot flames erupt around Wrath’s body, giving him the appearance of some powerful god of judgment.
The flames bear down on Administrator D.
I activate my magic as well.
“Abyss Magic, Hell Gate!”
The darkness of the abyss opens up all around D.
It converges on her, consuming everything.
Invoking Abyss Magic certainly is hard at this point…
The darkness soon evaporates, yet D still stands there alive and well.
One young man dashes toward her.
Why?! He’s barely even strong enough to be a part of this battle!
What in the world is he thinking?!
Administrator D turns her blades toward the boy.
“Brother!”
The boy’s sister deflects one of the blades.
But the other yet closes in on the boy’s throat.
“Stupefaction!”
As Natsume shouts out, D freezes in place.
Natsume?! Isn’t that your other special skill?!
Just using one is too great a burden to bear, and now you’re using two at the same time?!
Are you that determined to die?!
“Sword of the Hero!”
But in the opening Natsume created at risk of his life, he bought enough time for an attack from the boy—Schlain the Hero—to reach its mark.
Dazzling light fills the entire area.
The Sword of the Hero is a weapon that can invoke enough power to kill a god, though it can only be used once.
And he hit D directly with that power.
…We’ve won.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Very impressive.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Just as our victory seems certain, Administrator D’s voice echoes.
✦ ✦ ✦
“But I’m afraid that still isn’t enough.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Then Schlain the Hero collapses in a pool of blood.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Giving it everything you’ve got is only the bare minimum. You’ll have to find a way to surpass that limit, or I’m afraid I can’t possibly grant you the bonus of saving the world.”
✦ ✦ ✦
There stands Administrator D, without a single scratch on her.