Redge was standing right outside of the arc I had just slashed along. But before my slash could hit him, he unleashed a powerful burst of star power from within. Everything around us got slashed to bits, and the slash I released was also caught up in the destruction.
So far, I had managed to do nothing but defend myself. In order to turn this battle around... “...I’m going to have to do something a little crazy.”
I spun my twinblade twice and tripled my speed, just like I had done in the fight with Grom. Redge reappeared near me once again and swung his blade down. Halfway along its arc, I deflected it with my longsword, then quickly slashed upwards with my dagger. My blade lightly sliced Redge’s chest, splattering the ground with his blood.
Instantly, Redge disappeared – but my counterattack had been successful. It had been worth the risk. Even though the slice had been a shallow one, it had still managed to connect. I also figured out that my triple speed was fast enough to keep up with his high-speed teleportation combos. Due to the severe strain, I couldn’t keep it up forever – if I cared about physical stress, that is.
I’m just going to ignore it. Five seconds, ten seconds... I’m going to keep it going for as long as I can. I don’t care if I hack up my guts while doing it – I’m not going to let Redge get the jump on me.
And so, I put my triple speed to the test against his teleportation. As we traded blows, both of us slowly grew more and more wounded.
Suddenly, Redge stopped moving. Blood was dripping out of my mouth, and my entire body was covered in wounds, but he had incurred a fair share of his own.
“I see you’ve managed to keep up with me... In that case, I’ll end this battle with a different move.”
Redge teleported backwards, combined his blades back into one, then raised it up as if he wished to pierce the sky. Silver star power began to gather around the blade, and it was like nothing I had felt thus far. The light stretched up so high, it really looked like it was going to slice through the atmosphere.
If Redge swung that sideways, he would have easily been able to cut down every last building in the area, but this attack felt much stronger than the one he had used earlier.
And this time, he was going to aim it toward me.
This was the silver energy that killed Yukihime. Once he swung it down, I wouldn’t be able to escape no matter how far back I ran. I wouldn’t be able to dodge it to the left or right, either. What can I do? Is it impossible to avoid? Should I just try to destroy the attack itself? What if I threw my twinblade at him? No, that’d be useless, and it probably wouldn’t kill him even if it hit.
As Redge held up his massive, glowing weapon, his silver eyes pierced me. I no longer had any time to hesitate.
I spun my twinblade to the right, and restarted the triple speed boost that had worn off when Redge stopped moving. It felt like my entire body was burning up – but I pushed the pain out of my mind. If I focused on that, I’d get sliced right in two. Regardless of the direction I retreated in, I was dead, which meant I had to run toward him.
This is my chance to end it. In order to get a solid hit in, I had to use the time freeze star sorcery. Even if he nullified it several seconds after I activated it, there would be enough time to hit him, especially if I slowed down time like I did in the previous battle.
Stopping time is the only way...
“You’re ready to do this, right, Towa?”
“I know we can do it as long as we’re together, big brother!”
We’d only get one chance at this – and it would only last for a moment.
It all comes down to this!
With a roar, I ran straight toward Redge. Instantly, I saw disappointment in his eyes. He probably thought I had given up, and was just running blindly ahead. Good. I can’t wait to see the look on your face when I’m done with you.
I aimed my longsword at his glowing silver blade and slashed. Of course, my sword got cut in two. The broken piece went spinning into the air, and in that instant, time froze. The moment my longsword was broken, the spell had activated.
I knew that the spell would wear off in a few seconds, so I needed to attack him as soon as possible. I quickly swung my twinblade back up and slashed him with the dagger end.
It connected. As blood gushed out from Redge’s body, time began to flow once more. The spell had worn off quicker than I expected, and I had only been able to make one attack. But I wasn’t finished yet.
Redge instantly swung down his blade. I quickly swung my dagger up to meet it, and the other side of my twinblade was cleaved.
Time stopped once more – this was my last chance. I swung my right arm back – Progress Boost – and unleashed all the star power that was stored within.
When I used this move before, it had been limited. If I charged up too much star power, the pressure would end up crushing my right arm – but with Towa, that was no longer an issue.
“It’s over!” I screamed, and unleashed my final attack on Redge.
Suddenly, a silver slash shot across. Redge had somehow instantly pulled his sword back down and was now swinging it at my right arm. The time freeze spell had worn off much quicker this time. But why? Did he awaken to a new power right in front of me?
Redge sliced straight through my arm.
“It’s not over yet!” Towa shouted out from her ethereal form.
Instantly, I sped up my body to its limit. I had lost my twinblade, but as long as I had the Ruinmaker’s power on my side, I would be able to keep speeding up time. The next moment felt like a lifetime. I released Towa once more, in the hope that I would be able to immediately regenerate her. My severed arm disappeared into light, and she appeared in its place.
“Urgh!”
The moment Towa phased back in, she hacked up a horrifying amount of blood. Right away, I understood why. She hadn’t lied to me about being able to regenerate, but she had hid one important fact from me. When she took damage in her weapon form, the damage transferred to Towa herself as soon as she reverted back. She knew that if she’d told me that, I would have hesitated. She kept it from me so that I’d be able to act quickly when the time came.
Despite the shock in my eyes, Towa grit her teeth in pain and reached out to me. Then, she let out a shout, blowing away any shock I might’ve felt.
“I want to win, too! I want to give you strength! For Yukihime!”
Yeah... For Yukihime.
I reached back with my left hand and clasped Towa’s right. I had pushed her so far – I couldn’t screw this up.
I let out a shout as well, then chanted the words in order to make my final strike – words powered by all the memories Towa, Yukihime and I had shared together.
“Liberation – Ruinmaker!”
Towa’s body faded into light and reformed into my right arm. I had successfully transformed her into a weapon again, and she looked as good as new.
Now it was time for the real final strike.
“Redge, I’m going to end you.”
I poured all the star power I had left into my fist, swung back, and then–
Go. I’ve given you all of me.