Chapter 208: Clever Tricks Part 3

The Unmoving Knight Ryute took a stance while gripping his huge hammer.

At a glance, he looked sluggish. But he was anything but simple.

Let your guard down for even a second, and that giant hammer would split your body and skull in an instant.

That’s why…

“If you gather all the gears, you gain complete rights over Ex Machina. Deus’s knowledge and achievements…everything he’s built.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Ryute seemed relaxed.

And he probably really was. Whether he came here knowing or not, the unfortunate truth was that our matchup was the worst possible one for me.

I knew that all too well because I’d faced him once in the game.

The Unmoving Knight… He wasn’t called that for nothing.

“Damn it.”

His gear was a Spur Gear.

Its ability? Complete control over his nervous system.

Coincidentally, it was similar in type to Shax’s ability. But unlike Shax, Ryute’s gear didn’t target the opponent’s nervous system. It fully controlled his own.

“So all I can rely on is my swordsmanship, huh?”

In other words, his body was under perfect control.

Which meant using illusion magic to create openings was out of the question.

“Diagonal strike from the left. Prepare yourself, Johan.”

“Urgh?!”

A hammer swung toward my head.

I barely dodged it by a hair.

Only one thought crossed my mind as the massive hammer swept past my face:

“He’s not trying to kill you.”

“I know that!”

This was a controlled blow.

If it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge it.

So he really was a former Holy Knight, huh?

Seems like he truly only intends to take my arm. He doesn’t want to kill me.

“Your side.”

“Tch…”

He’s fast for someone in such heavy armor.

But for that kind of speed, the force behind it was relatively weak.

Not that getting hit would be pleasant…I’d probably lose three or four ribs on the spot.

Still, Ryute’s goal was clearly to subdue me and retrieve the Babel Gear.

If that’s the case, then maybe I have a chance.

“Haa…”

With illusion magic off the table, I’m left with two tools to shift the odds.

One: the cursed sword crafted for me by Professor Georg.

Two: the Babel Gear’s ability which was the very thing he’s after.

“Why are you going this far, anyway? Anyone can tell just by looking…you’re not someone who enjoys violence.”

“……”

I can’t let my mouth rest. It has to keep moving.

It was crucial to keep engaging my opponent in conversation, buying time again and again.

If he responded, that would be ideal. But even if he didn’t, as long as it was clear he was hesitating, it would be easy enough to press on his guilt.

“Do you know what kind of person I am? Aside from the fact that I got my hands on the Babel Gear, do you know how I’ve lived? How desperate I am?”

“……”

Shake him.

Target his weakness.

This was a tactic only someone like me a coward, and the relative underdog could use.

“Yeah, I’m sure everyone feels that way. I don’t know how desperate you are.”

“In that case…”

“But you don’t know either. You don’t know what it took for me to stand here.”

“Then tell me. What is your cause?”

“I…”

Good. He was getting drawn in.

The nice thing about people like him was that if you initiated a conversation, they’d usually respond.

Even though they knew what they were doing was wrong, even as they claimed they didn’t need anyone’s understanding, they still longed for it deep down.

“I will lead humanity to evolution.”

“Why? And how?”

“Because humanity is weak.”

“Weak?”

“My wife was born with a frail body. I swore I’d make her happy for the rest of her life, but that dream never came true. She died. And I had to make a choice….my wife or my child. I had to choose which one to save.”

It was a common story. Predictable, with an outcome you could see coming.

And that was why it was an easy story to understand…and a sad one.

“That was my wife’s decision. So then, what do you think happened to the child born from that noble sacrifice?”

“……”

“The child too was born frail. And before long, passed away.”

Should I say, as expected of a Holy Knight of Elysium? He was following the same path that Kult once walked.

People who, instead of simply resenting the world for its unfairness, sought to change it. That mindset itself was admirable… but as always, the problem was with the method.

“Why is humanity so weak? If life is unfair, then at the very least, shouldn’t we all start on equal footing? I’ll make it so. I will lead all of humanity to evolution!”

“…That’s not something you get to decide.”

“Then who does? God doesn’t act. And even the prophet, God’s messenger, ultimately failed. That’s right…human progress and evolution have always been achieved by human hands.”

“……”

“I will guide humanity to evolution. And to do that, I need the Scriptwriter’s self-evolution program.”

In some ways, this side was even harder to reason with than Kult.

He wasn’t clinging to a god. He carried the conviction to accomplish it with his own hands.

Faith may waver, but belief in oneself… that doesn’t shake so easily.

“So I’m sorry, Johan Damus. I don’t know you. I won’t even ask you to understand my stubbornness. But what can we do? We’re both members of Ex Machina, a group founded on stubbornness.”

“Do you feel a bit better about hitting me after saying all that?”

“Shamefully… yes.”

“Then maybe that’s for the best.”

Thanks to that, I was finally able to shake off my hesitation completely.

I understood what the other person was after. I even understood how they felt.

But I couldn’t accept it. I couldn’t agree with it.

Which is why I can go all out. I feel no hesitation.

“Mephisto. You can still read the enemy’s attacks like before, right?”

“Of course. But first, there’s something you need to say.”

“I’m not making a contract.”

“I wasn’t expecting that anyway. Just apologize to me. Take back what you said about me being completely useless!”

“Oh, right. Sorry about that. But you know me, don’t you? This is just how I am. You should’ve taken that into account.”

“How many excuses are you going to tack onto a single apology?”

Such a pain. That’s exactly why I said to take my personality into account.

“Tch. Fine, I’ll let it slide.”

“Alright, then cooperate. But don’t do it like last time. I can’t react in time, so give me at least two seconds’ notice.”

“I’ll try.”

Good answer.

For better or worse, we’ve been partners for a long time.

If Mephistopheles and I join forces, we can definitely create a different kind of synergy than before.

Whoosh!

In that moment, a massive hammer filled my field of vision.

“Kh?!?”

Clang!

I drew my sword and blocked it almost on instinct… but you can’t block something like a hammer with an ordinary sword.

The blade shattered in a single blow.

“Mephisto, you bastard! Why didn’t you say anything?! You said you’d tell me!”

“The enemy took less than two seconds from preparation to attack. That’s why I planned to tell you on the next move.”

Mephistopheles always finding a way to betray expectations at the worst moment.

My blood was boiling.

I trusted this useless bastard, and now I’d lost my weapon.

“…Just call it out the moment you notice anything.”

“Understood.”

Now’s not the time to blame Mephisto. I can still manage thanks to him being here at all.

He may have looked a little incompetent just now, but I’ll let it slide.

For now! We’ll talk later, you piece of crap.

“No other choice, huh.”

Weaponless, I had no option but to pull out one of my trump cards.

– Screeeeeeeeech!!

The moment it emerged from the scabbard, an overwhelming presence filled the air.

An eye embedded on the blade’s surface. A twisted, grotesque mouth gaping open.

“What… what is that monstrosity…?!”

“…It’s not what it looks like.”

Even the holy knight couldn’t hold back his horrified voice.

And the excuse came out of my mouth before I could stop it. It was a pure reflex.

I’m the one being attacked here, but somehow, I’m the one who looks like the villain.

“Upper left!”

Clang!

Thankfully, this time I reacted in time. And since I blocked instead of dodging, my movement came off much smoother.

More than anything…

“A remarkable weapon.”

“I think so too.”

The cursed sword given to me by Professor Georg boasted considerable durability even without generating sword energy.

“Hup!”

Boom!

But that aside, continuously trying to withstand the force of that massive hammer wasn’t a good idea.

I deflected Ryute’s swinging hammer and moved out of the way.

“Mephisto.”

Quick and clean battles aren’t my style.

I prefer long, drawn-out fights that are messy, dirty, and exhausting.

That way, someone might come help me. What matters most is staying alive without dying.

But the enemy I was facing now wasn’t someone I could deal with using half measures.

The unmoving knight Ryute was on a whole different level compared to me.

If I wanted to stall for time against a monster like him, I had to give it my all.

– Screeeeeeeeeech!

I poured aura into the cursed sword.

The sword absorbed my mana like a beast, producing an eerie laugh as it unleashed a terrifying aura.

If I’m going to fight, then I should do it with the intent to kill.

“Mephisto.”

“I’m listening.”

Right here, I needed to unleash everything I’ve got.

If I could at least wound him, I might gain a window to escape.

If not… well, I can at least make enough noise.

“You can stop time, right?”

“…It’s difficult.”

“Difficult? Did the great demon just say it’s difficult?”

When did this bastard become so useless?

Was he seriously backing out now, saying it was difficult to stop time against Ryute, when he had done it against Yuna?

“The opponent is a Holy Knight, isn’t he? It’s no easy feat to stop time against someone with such an extreme elemental incompatibility.”

“Is that really all you’ve got?”

“…If it’s just three seconds, I can manage.”

“Now that’s more like it.”

Honestly, what a drama queen.

Three seconds would be enough for now.

That amount of time was more than enough to take the enemy down.

Of course, the opponent was a Holy Knight of Elysium, capable of wielding divine power.

Even if I dealt a fatal blow, it likely wouldn’t be enough to kill him.

But that was fine.

Three seconds would be plenty of time to create an opportunity to escape.

“Alright, then let’s get rea—”

“Three seconds are up.”

“You bastard!”

He should’ve frozen time on my signal!

No wonder it felt like I had so much time to think.

It wasn’t because I was focused. It was because I actually had a lot of time.

“Now I see why you’re called a great demon.”

“Right?”

“Sure, whatever.”

At this point, I had to acknowledge Mephistopheles. He really was a great demon.

If he didn’t have that power, how the hell would he have survived this long with that head of his?

There had to be a reason he’d survived all this time as a demon.

“To the left.”

“You—!”

Thud!

Why the hell would he say something like that in such an everyday, casual tone?

I hesitated for just a moment.

I managed to block it with my sword, but without putting enough strength behind it, I was sent flying through the air, sword and all.

The impact was no joke.

It already felt like a few of my ribs were broken.

“From now on, just keep your mouth shut. That’s how you can help.”

“How picky.”

“Son of a…”

I didn’t even have the energy to curse.

Right now, I had to regain my stance and prepare for the next attack.

There was no time to hold back on any means.

More than anything, it felt like things were getting worse because my ally was useless.

Mephistopheles was, in the end, still a demon. No matter how you got involved with one, demons always led people to ruin.

It had been a mistake to expect anything from a demon in the first place.

“I’m not counting on you anymore.”

“That’s hurtful.”

If this was some kind of elaborate provocation orchestrated by Mephistopheles, I’d give him credit.

If that were the case, then this bastard really was a genius. Every word out of his mouth got on my nerves.

I was never the type to lose in an argument, but with Mephistopheles, I felt some kind of wall between us.

“Hoo…”

Anyway, now that I was cornered.

I decided to play my final card.

“….…!”

I extended my right arm toward Ryute, who was preparing a follow-up strike against me.

It looked like the stance of someone trying to block a hammer with their arm. A posture that, by any common sense, was asking to get shattered.

But Ryute had no choice but to halt his movement. Of course he did.

What will you do?

His objective, after all, was to retrieve the Babel Gear.

Would he break it? Or would he go through the trouble of avoiding the right arm and try to strike elsewhere?

Either way, it didn’t matter.

The choice is yours.

After all, he was the one at a disadvantage in this situation.