Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival [WN] - Chapter 61
Dungeon Trap (4)
“You, I’ll never forgive you!”
“…”
Daggart, the last of the Mercenary of Dawn – a Rank 4 warrior – howled into the dungeon as he tossed aside the corpse of Duncan, who had finally ceased to exist.
Come on, here we go.
“Oooooooohh!”
Daggart, with his great sword at the ready, slashed at me with a roar.
I felt the wind pressure on my skin and the presence of the blow. While I was barely able to avoid the attack, a few strands of my hair were still torn out. I threw the dark weapon I had pulled out from my waist at him.
I would have been mortally wounded by that blow if my Taijutsu, which affected my evasion, had not been raised to Level 3.
“Kuh!”
Daggart ducked as he tilted his head at the dark weapon thrown at his face from close range.
At that moment, I released a pendulum from the shadow in my palm, and Daggart again ducked while turning his head away from the curved flying blade of the pendulum and backed away to keep a wary distance.
With dark magic now at Level 3, the amount of space Shadow Storage, which was not that much before, had been expanded to a point where it could be put to practical use.
Even so, the storage that was only enough for a single knife had become about the size of a small bag, but I didn’t dare to store my main weapon in it, but rather a pendulum.
“…What are you doing?”
Daggart gave me a quizzical look when I didn’t chase after him.
I understood from the fight just now that no matter how fast the Rank 4 Swordsman was, I might be able to fight him as I was now, if he was angry and could only attack in a monotonous manner.
But…that’s not good enough for me.
“…Come on, be serious.”
Daggart’s eyes peeled back at my muttered words.
But this one thing was non-negotiable. The reason I went to all this trouble to kill Radha and the Mercenary of Dawn was so that I could fight a Rank 4 adventurer one-on-one.
From now on, I would be fighting against an organization called the Assassins’ Guild, albeit it’s just a single branch.
However, among them were Rank 4 fighters such as Dino and Sage…and some with a fighting strength of nearly Rank 5, such as Gord the Executioner.
I had to buy some time by falsifying my combat power while slowly reducing the assassin guild’s strength and making myself stronger, but if Radha did not return, they would indeed begin to suspect me.
I believed that I could buy enough time to return to the guild if I could get rid of the Mercenary of Dawn. However, if they checked my fighting ability again when I returned to the guild, their suspicion would surely become a certainty.
Therefore, I really wanted to experience a head-to-head battle with a Rank 4 before going back.
At first, I had Radha in mind, but even at Rank 4, all she had was mainly a Concealment and a surprise attack, and once the mystery of the shadow crossing was resolved, she was only the top Rank 3 in terms of direct strength.
That was why I used the Mercenary of Dawn as a decoy to defeat Radha and even used Radha’s death as a decoy to kill the Mercenary of Dawn‘s people, so I could fight head-on with Daggart, who might have Rank 4 close combat skills.
So, it would be troublesome for me if he were to fight in such a state of anger that he even forgot himself.
He was not that of a compassionate person, was he?
Even after Glenda, his mistress, died, he tried to trap me by dishonoring a dead person.
When the trap failed, he angrily threw Duncan’s corpse away.
Calm down and look at me, who is standing in front of you. I might be the little girl who killed your friends, but I am also an assassin who could kill a Rank 3 adventurer.
Show me your full strength. Fight me with all your might so that you can die and become my prey. In return, if you win, I will give you my life.
“…You little brat…what the hell is that look in your eyes…”
Daggart’s mouth twisted into a blatant sneer as I expressionlessly stared at him.
Perhaps he had regained his composure after a pause, but instead of anger, Daggart gripped his sword with fighting spirit.
“…I doubt that a brat like you can understand this, but there are some people in this world that you shouldn’t mess with.”
Daggart suddenly started to speak, and as I listened to his words, I quietly regulated my breath, which had been slightly disturbed by the continuous fighting.
People like him had a terrible mentality. Even monsters would be frightened when their opponents were stronger than they were, but those guys were not afraid to chip away at their own lives to win.
“…”
“I don’t think of you as a kid anymore. You are a monster. From now on, you are my greatest enemy and I will kill you without fail.”
Daggart, with a short great sword to counter his speed, nipped at me on tiptoe, and I, with my knife and dark weapons at the ready, slipped to the side to get out of his way.
*Dan!
“Ooooooh!!!”
“Ha!”
Daggart kicked the ground and I threw my dark weapon at him at the same time.
Daggart again tilted his head and ducked the dark weapon, and with the same momentum, he swung his great sword in an overhanded manner.
Even if I defended myself from that attack, I would probably be crushed instantly. After analyzing the situation, I made my resolve and dived forward into Daggart’s bosom to avoid the blow.
“Tsk!”
Daggart was out of time and quickly swung down the hilt of his great sword. I caught it with the back of my left arm, but was blown away by the difference in power.
Daggart saw this as his chance to win, and within a split-second decision, he dropped his great sword to the ground and slashed at me with the two short swords behind his waist.
His decision was correct, but also a bad one.
Although it was a blow from the hilt, I was knocked out of position and damaged, but if he wanted to deal with my speed and make sure to finish me off, the fast short sword was the best choice.
But even if his skills in Great Sword, Taijutsu, and Defense were Level 4, did his spare weapon skill, the dagger, also reached Level 4?
Clank!
The moment I received the attack, I understood. His skill with the dagger was not much different from mine.
Due to the difference in our physiques and the damage to my left arm, my knife that received the attack was swept slightly to the side.
“Die!!!”
Not missing that moment, Daggart thrust his right dagger.
In close combat, or when the opponent was on guard, Combat Art was not used to minimize the gaps that may be created.
“Phew!!!”
I stepped forward without hesitation as I blew out my pent-up breath.
Just in time, Daggart’s dagger sliced barely through my side. But I didn’t retreat, the Rank 4 warrior was trying to challenge me in my field. I was fighting to surpass him, so there was no way that I would retreat here!
*Gin! *Gin!
With a black knife in my right hand and a steel knife in my left, I clashed head-on with Daggart’s two-handed fighting style.
Daggart had the advantage in size, strength, skill, and experience.
My attacks didn’t even graze him, and any stray hits were bounced off by his hard leather armor. Just one blow from Daggart was enough to drain my strength and put little scratches on my shoulders and arms.
“Hahahaha! It looks like you’ve reached your limit!”
“…”
Generally speaking, the reason why it was said that melee combat skills could not reach Level 3 before adulthood was because a child’s body could not endure that skill.
That was true even for me, who grew up rapidly because of magical powers, and even though I only grew in height, my muscles were still lean compared to those of a typical early teenager.
But was that really the case? I mean, weren’t there exceptions to every general rule?
I made up for my lack of strength and power with skill and knowledge.
Following his eyes, I was trying to read my opponent’s movements.
I should not compete with strength. My current Physical strength wouldn’t be able to win the match.
If one lacked strength, they should use wisdom and techniques.
There was an example in front of me. There was a warrior who had been fighting for more than ten years. Steal their techniques, take their blades and use them as training.
If I could not do that now, I would simply die!
“Muh!”
The moment I received the attack, I twisted my wrists, absorbed the power with my two arms and upper body, and passed the impact with my legs and feet.
After parrying the second and third blows, I used the force I received to draw my strength like a bow, and finally unleashed a blow that sliced through Daggart’s armor.
“What?”
At that moment, something changed inside me.
*Gin! *Kin!
The sound of the knife clashing changed from the clash of steel to a clear ring.
Daggart and I were finally on an even footing in our attack. But a slight impatience appeared on Daggart’s face, who had been fighting with the advantage until now.
“–Cyclone–!”
Daggart unleashed his Level 3 Combat Art Cyclone.
This Combat Art used magic power to create a pseudo-wind blade that could attack even at a distance, but it was not frightening in melee combat as long as one was prepared for it.
While my skin was being cut by wind blades, I threw a steel blade at Daggart, who was momentarily stiffened after launching a Combat Art.
“Kuh!!!”
Daggart must have realized that the throw would target his face and neck.
Daggart, who had recovered from his stiffness, evaded the knife flying toward his face by tilting his head again but…
“–Gah!”
I timed my attack when Daggart evaded after seeing him do it many times.
The blade of the pendulum, which was released from the shadow of my palm at the same time as the steel knife, used the steel knife as bait to slash Daggart’s neck.
“Guuugggghh!”
But it was still shallow. Still not a fatal wound.
I shifted my stance and brandished the black knife sharply towards Daggart, who had been lacerated in the neck.
Daggart must have thought I was trying to use Combat Art. Without hesitation, he threw away his sword, and while I leaned forward, he scooped up the fallen blade with one hand and slashed at me sideways, attempting to counter my attack.
But I had no intention of using Combat Art from the beginning.
I deliberately created a gap for him to move, and with the momentum of the knife swinging, I fell backwards to avoid the blow.
I quickly snapped my heels and thrust the toe blade from my boot into Daggart’s unprotected neck, which had leaned forward with the momentum of the swing.
“Gugaaaah!!!”
Daggart’s eyes were still not dead as blood spurted from his carotid artery and gushed out of his mouth.
As expected of a Rank 4 warrior… he was a monster.
Daggart’s arms were extended to my neck as he fell forward. With those thick arms, he could probably snap my neck with his last strength.
But no.
You were going to die alone.
“–Magic Shield–“
A shield of light appeared in front of me.
It was a shield against magic, but it also had the physical defense of glass. If I used it as it was, it would shatter without being able to prevent Daggart from falling down, but I made [Magic Shield] appear not as a shield but as a line that went right across.
“Guh?”
The Magic Shield, immobilized in midair, sliced through half of Daggart’s thick neck with the momentum and weight of the falling Daggart.
At that moment, I grabbed Daggart’s hair with both hands, and Daggart’s eyes, still conscious, reflected me as if they were looking at a real monster, and I pulled with all my might until its head was severed.
Blood gushed from the headless torso as it fell to the ground, staining me.
I placed the fresh head of Daggart I was holding on top of his torso and muttered quietly as I looked down at it.
“Thank you…I have become stronger again.”
[Aria(Alicia)] [Race: Human ??] [Rank 3]
[Magic: 92/210] [Strength: 84/170] 22Up
[Strength: 7(9)] [Endurance: 8(10)] 1Up [Agility: 12(15)] 1Up [Dexterity: 8]
[Short Sword Technique Lv.3] 1Up [Taijutsu Lv.3] [Throwing Lv.2]
[Defense Lv.1] New [Thread Manipulation Lv.2]
[Light Magic Lv.2] [Dark Magic Lv.3] [Non-Attribute Magic Lv.3]
[Life Magic x6] [Magic Control Lv.3] [Intimidate Lv.3]
[Concealment Lv.3] [Night Vision Lv.2] [Detection Lv.3] [Poison Resistance Lv.2]
[Simple Appraisal]
[Total Combat Power: 443 (With Physical Enhancements: 514)] 40Up
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Also check out my other novels: Reincarnated into a Game as the Hero’s Friend, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, and A Girl Who Was Told “You Have No Talent” Turned Out To Be A Talented Monster