Chapter 78

This is the second of today's two updated chapters.

If you haven't read the previous chapter, please start there.

■？？？

Bremen.

The four-unit TYPE: Legion used by the "Concert King" Berdorber.

Strings, a centaur-type unit that plays string instruments.

Horn, a kelpie-type unit that plays wind instruments.

Percussion, a kobold-type unit that plays percussion instruments.

Clavier, a harpy-type unit that plays keyboard instruments.

Each of the four units is responsible for a different type of instrument and can play the sounds of other instruments of that type simultaneously, allowing them to produce melodies that surpass an orchestra with just the four of them.

In combat form, each unit can use supersonic blades, hypnotic music, vibration waves, and infrasound to eliminate enemies.

For Berdorber, who had dedicated his life to music even before coming to <Infinite Dendrogram> and now sought battle as well, the abilities of his <Embryo> were truly for him.

This was also true for other <Masters>, as most of them were satisfied with the abilities of their <Embryos>.

It was only natural that they could not dislike the form of the power that arose from within them.

However, despite this, when Berdorber first saw his <Embryo>, he honestly detested it.

What Berdorber disliked was the "motif" of his <Embryo>.

<Embryos> are named and shaped based on motifs from Earth's mythology, legends, fairy tales, and great figures.

Bremen was no different.

The motif was the Bremen Town Musicians, a fairy tale that most people in a civilized area would have heard as children.

However, Berdorber hated the Bremen Town Musicians.

-- The Bremen Town Musicians were animals who set out on a journey with the dream of becoming a music band.

-- However, in the end, they stole a warm home and food from robbers and settled there, content with their new life.

-- They had compromised, those animals.

This was a form that Berdorber, who poured his entire being into realizing his ideals, could never tolerate.

It was a form that symbolized his own foolishness for once compromising and degrading his ideals to give them shape.

Therefore, Berdorber continued to dislike the form of his <Embryo>.

But at the same time, Berdorber...

◇◆

“...”

Berdorber stood alone in the ruins of Gideon's Ninth Street.

Bremen's ultimate skill, <Beastquake Orchestra>.

A skill that concentrates all of Bremen's power into one unit and releases a music skill with output far exceeding its normal state.

Due to its nature, it is a rare ultimate skill with four different patterns, but the current attack, which expanded Percussion's vibration wave, had gouged a stretch of the main street for several kilometers.

This skill, while an ultimate skill, is still a music skill, and its effectiveness was multiplied several times by the passive skill <Concert King's Conducting> of the "Concert King."

Its power was so great that it could be said to be on a different level even compared to the vibration barrier.

There were no people around to begin with to avoid being caught in the battle, but if there had been anyone, not even a fragment would have remained.

That someone... Marie's figure was no longer there.

“<Sound Exploration>”

Berdorber ordered the three units other than Percussion to search the surroundings.

The three units each emitted sounds, searching the surroundings like sonar.

Even if the target were hidden, as long as it had a physical form, it would be found.

“Not there.”

The conclusion was absolute.

There were no living beings within the range.

This meant that Marie had already left <Infinite Dendrogram> due to the penalty, or had somehow escaped and headed for Franklin.

Either way, Berdorber had defeated Marie.

“...<Hard Beat Palpation>, release.”

Berdorber finally released the <Hard Beat Palpation>—the vibration barrier.

In fact, the vibration barrier had not been released even when he stopped conducting just before using the ultimate skill, nor after he had used it.

The only exception was the moment he used <Beastquake Orchestra>.

If Marie had judged that the performance was over and rushed in at that moment, she would have been scattered without waiting for <Beastquake Orchestra> to be used.

“...As expected, you've used it up.”

The music skills used by Bremen, enhanced by the passive skill of the "Concert King," have their effects multiplied several times, and their consumption of MP and SP is reduced to a fraction.

Still, a powerful and sustained skill like <Hard Beat Palpation> is costly.

If sustained, it would reduce the MP and SP of the super-class Berdorber by 4% per minute.

The use of the ultimate skill also contributed, and to conserve and recover MP and SP, Berdorber released the vibration barrier and attempted to use a recovery item.

At that moment, a blade flashed, severing Berdorber's spine.

“!?”

The fatal attack was blocked by the accessory <Brooch of Salvation> that Berdorber wore.

However, the attack did not stop there.

The attacker, before Berdorber and Bremen could take their next action, continued to slash at his back and neck with dozens of strikes.

“<Hard Beat Palpation>!”

As Horn took action, the sonic vibration barrier was deployed, and the attacker, moving at "supersonic speed," retreated to the rear.

‘You... You are!?’

As before, Berdorber spoke through his performance.

His voice would be drowned out by the vibration barrier.

However, there was no need to ask who the attacker was.

“Sixteen on the right, twenty on the left. Well, have you run out of decoys?”

In her right hand, she held the legendary paralyzing dagger <Bee Sting Sword Velspan>, and in her left, the dagger <Night Pain> that conceals the attack trajectory.

This was the figure of <Absolute Shadow> Marie Adler, equipped with two different daggers.

（Careless...）

Berdorber should not have released the vibration barrier just because the enemy's shadow had disappeared and was not detected by sonar.

The only reason Marie could not attack was that she was blocked by the vibration barrier.

Without the sonic vibration barrier to protect him, Berdorber would have been killed instantly.

Berdorber is a super-class "Concert King."

However, he is a non-combat super-class.

While he boasts near-top combat power when combined with Bremen, his physical stats, except for MP, SP, and DEX, are extremely low.

As Marie had said to Ray earlier, the difference in combat speed and the number of actions taken is a fundamental issue, regardless of tactics or skill.

Berdorber managed to withstand the attack due to the effects of his equipment,

（Destroyed, huh?）

The defensive and decoy weapons he had equipped were completely destroyed in the contact.

Berdorber resolved that he would not release the vibration barrier until he had defeated the opponent before him.

‘How did you withstand <Beastquake Orchestra>?’

“Well, how did I do it?”

Marie smiled with ease.

However, she was not as calm as she appeared.

The damage she had taken from Clavier's infrasound attack had not fully recovered, and her SP was almost depleted.

The depletion of SP.

This was the cost Marie paid to withstand <Beastquake Orchestra>—the cost of her "secret technique."

The super-class <Absolute Shadow> secret technique <Vanishing Technique>.

For a short time—completely "disappear" from the world, the greatest secret of the stealth class.

Invisible to all, untouchable by all, unheard by all.

A perfect stealth ability.

This was the true nature of the technique that allowed her to withstand the devastating ultimate skill unscathed.

This skill also enabled her to escape from the arena.

While not as powerful as a direct attack like the <True Fire True Lamp Dragon Tyrant> of the <Corpse Immortal>, it was a skill that could rival or surpass it.

Of course, the consumption was severe, and using it for a minute would drain all of Marie's SP.

This time, she used it for thirty seconds, but including the SP she had already used, her remaining SP was below 20%.

However, thanks to this, she had managed to strip away all of Berdorber's defensive means with a surprise attack from a feigned death.

（...I will defeat this opponent for sure.）

Having used <Vanishing Technique>, Marie had given up on the rest of the battle.

The opponent before her was far more dangerous and powerful than she had anticipated, and if she did not defeat him here, the possibility of someone else defeating Franklin would be greatly reduced, she thought.

Therefore, Marie resolved to use all her might to defeat Berdorber and took a bullet from the emblem of her <Embryo> with her left hand.

It was three times larger than the "paint" cartridges she usually loaded into Alcanshelle and had a character drawn in red and black on its side.

‘This is not over. I cannot leave this scene now.’

Berdorber's words, conveyed through his performance, reached her.

‘Tonight is likely to be a turning point in the history of this land. A scene that should be depicted as a legend.’

Though it was a melody, it was more emotional than a spoken word.

‘Therefore, I cannot leave until I have burned this moment into my eyes and etched it into my soul.’

Berdorber roared through the sound, his eyes bloodshot under his bird-shaped hat.

‘Otherwise... I cannot complete my work!!’

It was the appearance of someone desperately seeking something.

Marie... the appearance that Aiko Nishima, who controlled Marie, had seen many times in the mirror.

“...Ah, I see.”

Marie whispered, as if she had understood.

“You... are someone close to me.”

To obtain something she lacked.

To fill a void within herself.

To advance her own work.

To step into this world.

In this one point, Marie and Berdorber were the same.

“Still, I will have you leave the stage here, old man.”

Aiko Nishima—Marie—did not hesitate.

If she did not defeat Berdorber, she could not achieve her goal.

And—because the memory of the girl from yesterday would be shrouded in sadness.

Marie did not hesitate to crush the man who was a mirror image of herself.

‘Draw your weapon... little girl...’

With those words, the melody that conveyed the words stopped,

“<Final Orchestra>!”

The skill was declared in a spoken voice.

It was the ultimate technique of the "Concert King"—a performance command that, in exchange for 90% of his HP, would increase the effects of music skills tenfold for the next minute, a performance that risked his life.

Immediately after using the skill, the four units of Bremen connected.

With another ultimate skill, this time to bury Marie.

“Unfortunately, being polite is part of my character.”

And Marie spun the pistol—Alcanshelle—in her hand.

Instantly, Alcanshelle transformed dramatically.

The six-shot revolver barrel became a large single-shot pistol.

She loaded the large bullet she had just taken out and aimed the barrel at Berdorber.

There was no attempt to dodge or toy with her using supersonic movement.

Perhaps to avoid being countered and defeated, or perhaps...

Because she wanted to face this man, who stood in <Infinite Dendrogram> for the same reason as herself, in a straightforward battle.

Both took their stances.

There was a distance between them, but it was as good as nothing.

The one blow each was about to unleash was a decisive strike.

Whoever won, whoever lost... this one blow would decide the outcome.

A moment of silence—then both moved.

“<Rainbow Phantom Gun—'Explosive Daisy Scarlet'>!!”

“<Beastquake Orchestra—'Horn'>!!”

The two ultimate skills collided—and the battle was decided.

◇◆

<Beastquake Orchestra> has four patterns.

The magic slash of Strings.

The wide-area physical attack of Percussion.

The stealth infrasound attack of Clavier.

And the hypnotic music of Horn.

Why did Berdorber choose Horn, the only non-damaging type among the four?

There were three reasons for this.

The first was that Percussion could be withstood again.

Berdorber did not know how Marie had withstood the <Beastquake Orchestra> of Percussion.

Therefore, he thought the same move would be countered in the same way.

The second was the existence of decoy accessories.

Berdorber himself had withstood Marie's combo with an accessory.

If Marie had an accessory that nullified fatal damage, it would be difficult to finish her off with a simple attack.

This was also true for the first <Beastquake Orchestra>, but to maintain the vibration barrier without performing after using the ultimate skill, he had to target Percussion, the source of the vibration barrier.

In contrast, Horn's hypnotic sound waves, once applied, would continue to work until the target died, even with an accessory.

And the third and most significant reason.

The ultimate technique of the "Concert King" and the ultimate skill of Bremen, the melody released.

Among them, Horn's melody was the most complete as pure music.

The confidence that this melody would move the opponent's heart, spirit, and soul.

The melody of Horn, released with the full power of Bremen and Berdorber's entire being, was a divine performance.

A melody worth dedicating one's life to.

In other words, Horn's melody was not just hypnotic music.

It was a divine performance that made the opponent offer their life.

In a sense, it was the pinnacle of <Enchantment>.

A sound that cut through all resistances