Chapter 70

□【Holy Knight】Ray Sterling

"Arms, Gardeners, Chariots, Castles, Territory. Which of these five basic categories, the foundation of <Embryo> evolution, do you think has the most numbers?"

This was the first night after entering <Infinite Dendrogram>. It was when, after helping Miriane, I was eating and drinking with my brother and Nemesis. I don't remember what we talked about between the war and this topic, but I remember this.

"Arms, I guess?"

Nemesis is a Maiden but also an Arm. My brother Baldur was a Gatling gun. At that point, I didn't know any other <Masters> besides my brother and me, and both of our <Embryos> were Arms, so I answered like that.

"Correct. Arms is the most numerous category in <Infinite Dendrogram>."

I was right.

"Also, the most diverse."

"Most diverse?"

When I asked, my brother answered like this.

"The scope of Arms is wide-ranging. Not just weapon types like your greatsword and my firearms, but also tool types like pots and lamps, and even replacement types like artificial eyes and hands."

"So, there are a lot of odd ones, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

That's right, and then he said this.

"Especially, 'that guy's' Arm is the oddest of all."

At that time, I had no way of knowing who 'that guy' was.

◇◇◇

The central arena of the Duel City Gideon was enveloped in silence. None of the spectators understood what had happened. Probably, only the two on stage—Mr. Figaro and Shunba—understood everything.

"It's the result of Shunba's continuous setup."

No, there was one more person who understood—my brother standing next to me.

"First, the declaration of 'not moving a step' at the start. That was to make it seem natural not to move his feet hidden by the long hem."

Now, those feet were grabbing Mr. Figaro's lungs.

"Shunba's ultra-long-range, supersonic attack. The intention behind his words was to mislead, making it seem like a provocation out of confidence in his fighting style. Well, Figaro would have seen through it as a bluff with another purpose."

However, even if he saw through it, he couldn't avoid it.

"Next, the magic attack with the talismans. That was also a setup to place the talismans for the next major magic. The elemental 'Raging Thunder' was a temporary distraction. The problem was the major magic."

Hundreds of talismans scattered on the stage created a pillar of fire that broke through the arena's barrier.

"True Fire True Lamp Dragon Tyrant, right? That power is almost certainly the strongest move among the <Corpse Immortal> skills... but Shunba used it just to stall."

"Stall?"

"A major magic with such power and range. If hit, Figaro wouldn't be unscathed, and with Shunba's skills, it would be difficult to escape to a safe distance. Besides, there are no accessories that nullify instant death damage according to the rules. So, the only option was to use a defensive skill that blocks attacks from all directions."

The MVP special equipment Mr. Figaro used, which creates a barrier to block external interference for a certain period.

"But that was Shunba's goal."

"!"

"Most all-directional defensive skills can't be moved or used while active. So, while they are solid, they also have many weaknesses. That's what Shunba aimed for... no, he aimed for it from the start."

He had been waiting for that moment of weakness from the start of the match.

...It was like a landmine.

"Wait a minute. If the MVP special effect worked as you say, he shouldn't have been attacked, right?"

Marie objected to my brother's statement.

Indeed, how could one attack a barrier that completely defends from all directions?

"Yeah."

To that question, my brother simply answered,

"From the outside."

"Ah...!"

Marie seemed to realize something from my brother's words.

"Mr. Ray's brother already knows the true nature of Kyonshi's ultimate skill, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, you seem to have a good idea too, Luke."

"It's circumstantial evidence."

It seems that among the players present, only I didn't understand.

"What kind of attack inflicted such severe injuries on Mr. Figaro, Kumanisan?"

Nemesis, who also didn't understand, asked my brother.

"It's easy to see if you observe carefully. Look. Despite being injured to the point of coughing up blood, Mr. Figaro's skin has not a single scratch."

"!"

His equipment is stained with blood from coughing, but there are no wounds. An attack that could rip out his lungs should have left large holes in both his equipment and body.

"And the ultimate skill is the culmination of <Embryo> characteristics... you should understand the rest."

"...I see!"

The ultimate skill is the pinnacle of <Embryo> characteristics, a crystallization of the power of <Embryo> and <Master>. It can be a dark tornado or a golden tsunami, among other things. Then, what is the ultimate characteristic of Shunba's <Embryo>, which is characterized by speed and range? Perhaps it reaches hypersonic speed, but since objects cannot exceed the speed of light, there is a limit to this ultimate. If not limited by this, what is the ultimate of speed and range? The answer is found in science fiction. The name of this "phenomenon" is,

"Warp"

That is the answer. A superluminal, ultra-long-distance, and multidimensional movement ability, Warp.

"Instant teleportation, you could say. He teleported his right foot directly into Figaro's body and tore out his lungs."

Mr. Figaro's equipment could block all external interference with a full-directional defense. However, even that couldn't stop this attack. If there were two points, A and B, on a piece of paper, and a circular wall was drawn around A, saying "A cannot reach B"... but if you fold the paper to make A and B touch directly, it becomes irrelevant. No matter how many walls there are in between, they can be jumped over.

"In that case, wouldn't it be more certain to place the talisman inside the body and make it explode, or to sever all the internal organs, not just one?"

...Your thinking is scary, Luke.

"Probably due to skill limitations. For example, 'only that <Super-grade Embryo> can warp' or 'can only connect for a very short time.'"

"I see."

As we were discussing this, Mr. Figaro on the stage spoke again.

"...Forced transfer attack into the enemy's body. I see, this is a killing move."

From the words that came from his blood-stained mouth, we understood that Mr. Figaro himself had understood Shunba's attack.

"I was waiting for the moment you stopped moving. It would have been better if you had challenged me and said something like 'I won't move.' Ah, there were actually fools who died that way, hahaha!"

Shunba's laughter echoed in the silent arena.

"Originally, it's a skill used for surprise attacks from a much greater distance, but he set up quite a bit to hit it in a duel."

"That's my style."

As my brother said, Shunba was waiting for the moment Mr. Figaro stopped moving, when he could use the fatal transfer attack. However, he must have also intended to defeat him with supersonic attacks and major magic. Supersonic claw attacks, talisman techniques, Raging Thunder, and Dragon Tyrant. Any of these would have instantly killed a weaker opponent. And that ultimate skill is the trump card to finish off a strong enemy that couldn't be defeated even then. The effect was clear. Mr. Figaro wasn't defeated, but the damage was significant.

"Can he recover from those injuries?"

"Even with a little bone fracture, it would be manageable, but his internal organs have been torn out. Reduced HP cap, movement restrictions, continuous damage... this treatment is not easy even with magic."

"Can't he use the [Universal Healing Elixir] in the match?"

"The [Universal Healing Elixir] has almost no effect on such severe status abnormalities. To heal the damage of missing organs... a super-grade healer could hope for a quick recovery, but it would take a considerable amount of time with high-level healing skills or potions. It might be faster to take the penalty."

Since the battle takes place within the barrier, Mr. Figaro will be fully recovered by the end of the match, Marie added. However, this means that Mr. Figaro will not be fully recovered during this battle.

"...Huh?"

That voice was Luke's again.

"Why aren't they moving yet?"

The two Luke was referring to were, of course, Mr. Figaro and Shunba. Mr. Figaro couldn't move as he was severely injured. But what about Shunba?

"Could it be the backlash from using a skill?"

"No, they are being cautious."

"Cautious?"

Shunba was just about to corner Mr. Figaro.

"I see, the ace that Figaro has never shown in countless duels... he is cautious about his <Super-grade Embryo>."

Marie's words made me realize.

"Until now, Mr. Figaro has only used his own power and the skills of his equipment. He has been holding back the power of his <Embryo>!"

Then, Mr. Figaro still has a chance to win,

"That <Embryo> has been in use all along."

"““Huh?””"

The stunned voices came from me, Marie, and Nemesis.

"All along? Since when?"

"From the start of today's match. Actually, all the duels before that too. He's not the type to hold back that much."

This was something that not only I, but also Marie and Nemesis, and the spectators in the arena, had not expected. Mr. Figaro's <Super-grade Embryo>, whose name and details were unknown until now, had been in use all along.

"Is one of the equipment he's wearing the <Embryo>?"

"It's impossible. I've been checking his battles with the [Appraisal Eye] skill active, but all of them were identified as items."

I see, the <Embryo> cannot be identified by the [Appraisal Eye] skill. If there was an item in the equipment that couldn't be identified, it would be the <Embryo>, but Marie says there isn't one. The equipment is not the <Embryo>. Then...

"Mr. Figaro's <Super-grade Embryo> is..."

As I was about to say, a murmur rose from the audience. I hurriedly returned my gaze to the stage... something strange was happening to Mr. Figaro. He was on his knees, but his attire was different from before. First, his coat was enveloped in light and disappeared. Then, his light armor disappeared, followed by his innerwear. The rings on his ten fingers disappeared, and the hat he hadn't lost even in the supersonic exchange also disappeared. All that remained were the hakama-like lower body armor, greaves, and the two swords in his hands. I thought it might be Shunba's doing, but Shunba also looked puzzled. No, that light... it was the same light that appeared when my brother changed his costume before the match.

"[Instant Equip]... a skill to change equipment instantly."

Hearing Marie's murmur, I recalled the [Instant Equip] skill I had learned but never used. It was a skill to instantly equip weapons from the item box, so this must be a similar skill.

"But..."

Mr. Figaro was using it to put away his equipment, not to equip new ones. If