NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22
22. Wide Open
As Luca swung her longsword down towards Haruto’s shoulder, a kaleidoscope of colors flooded her vision.
(An unfamiliar spell—this must be his defensive magic.)
Undeterred, she continued her strike.
Reversing the blade as declared, with a peak strike.
The Divine Dragon Supreme Sword, Force Greed, wielded by Luca, was a specially crafted weapon obtained in a certain dungeon.
Forged by a skilled dwarf artisan, it possessed two special effects.
One combined physical and magical attributes, able to cleave not only through matter but also magical energy.
Furthermore, when combined with another special effect—rarely used though it may be—it could slice through even the scaled barrier of an S-class magical beast like butter.
Certainly, the defensive magic of an applicant was nothing more than a scrap of paper.
The blow she confidently unleashed, however,
(It’s hard—)
was effortlessly repelled.
Luca halted her second strike and jumped back from the spot.
“The defense is stronger than expected…”
It seemed necessary to revise her evaluation of him upward.
Nevertheless, it was still just magic.
To swiftly strike down before the spell’s incantation was complete—.
Fighting a mage as a swordsman followed a simple rule: strike as per the opponent’s rhythm.
“Draw out more of the factor’s power.”
Factor.
It was an extraordinary power manifested occasionally by those who were not human—beings with the blood of gods, demons, dragons, and the like.
Among the “factor-bearers” who could acquire powers beyond human limits, some saved war-torn nations with outstanding martial prowess and rose to become kings. In contrast, others were feared as incarnations of evil for their extreme cruelty.
Luca, who was once a village girl on the frontier, had her life dramatically changed when her factor manifested at the age of ten.
Scouted by the neighboring adventurers’ guild upon hearing of her power, she ascended to the highest S-rank in just two years.
Subsequently, she defeated numerous formidable dungeons and powerful magical beings, and her fame grew.
It wouldn’t be long before she became a renowned figure known throughout the continent, perhaps even called a hero.
But Luca had no interest in such fame.
Despite amassing wealth beyond measure, she had no interest in it either.
What made her heart leap with excitement was only battle.
Though naturally lacking in emotions, Luca’s spirits soared only when clashing swords with opponents.
Had she lived as an ordinary village girl, she would surely have never realized it.
Battle with a sword—was her true essence.
(That’s why, even now)
her heart raced uncontrollably when facing him.
The formidable defense that deflected her strikes.
Challenging it brought her a sense of bliss.
(This time, I’ll break through that defense)
Activating the “melee” factor.
Boiling heat.
Flaring flames.
Ignition.
Crimson Acceleration.
Limb Enhancement.
Nerve Reinforcement.
Reflex Enhancement.
Speed Augmentation.
To clarify the image in her mind, she recited keywords in her head.
Heat brewed in her forehead, igniting a flame.
Gradually, the burning flame spread throughout her body as a wave of heat.
This was Luca’s image when activating her factor.
Just as an incantation was necessary to cast magic.
To draw out the power of the factor, the holder’s image must be vividly clear.
To manifest the extraordinary “power,” preparations such as incantations in magic or vivid imagery in factors were essential.
Unless one was a god, it was impossible to manifest “power” from a state of nothingness alone.
Soon, Luca’s image spread to every corner of her consciousness.
The expanding heat wave resided at the tips of her limbs, and her muscle memory, sensory perception, and reflexes—all of them—.
Transcended human limits.
“Show me your defense, Haruto Riva.”
With that, Luca kicked off the floor.
In the next moment, she was closing in on Halt at a speed as if she had leaped through space.
“Huh.!?”
Haruto’s face showed surprise.
His eyebrows raised, eyes widened, a faint breath escaped his lips, and his entire body tensed.
Every movement, every gesture of his seemed unusually slow.
It was evidence that her perception had surpassed its limits.
“I’ll strike before you can react. Your incantation won’t make it in time. This ends here.”
Luca swung her sword.
—Faster than before, much faster.
“Huh…!?”
The downward strike was repelled by the kaleidoscopic brilliance that appeared before Haruto.
“You reacted again? Can you see my movements?”
Luca stared at the boy in front of her with a puzzled expression.
No, that wasn’t it.
Clearly, her actions were surpassing his reactions.
There was no way he could defend against it.
“I didn’t see a thing.”
Haruto stated nonchalantly.
“It’s impossible for me to react. So, I set up a defensive barrier in advance. Before you could move—”
It was a ridiculously simple explanation.
But Luca hadn’t noticed it because there was no trace of him chanting a spell.
(Is there something odd about this kid’s spell?)
It was different from an ordinary mage.
However, Luca had a way to overcome it.
“Then, you lose.”
“Huh?”
“Magic has a duration. It’s impossible to maintain a defensive barrier forever.”
“A duration… Well, it’s impossible to defend forever, that’s for sure.”
Haruto chuckled.
“Now, get ready. I’ll crush you with my serious sword.”
“Then, I’ll go all out—defend.”
Luca charged once again.
Haruto’s body was still covered in a kaleidoscopic brilliance.
She struck regardless.
Clang, accompanied by a metallic sound, Luca’s sword was easily repelled.
Another strike, a third, a fifth, a tenth, a seventeenth, a thirty-first—.
“…You’re fast.”
Being relentlessly attacked, Haruto muttered.
While his defense boasted abnormal hardness, in other aspects, he was amateurish.
There was no sign of him using offensive magic, and his movements were far from those trained in combat.
Unless he had some hidden ace, she assumed there would be no counterattack from him.
Continuing to press with attacks, the effect of the defensive spell would soon expire.
If she attacked faster than he could redeploy the spell, the match would be decided.
Sixty-two strikes, eighty-five strikes—.
A hundred and sixteen strikes—.
Had she unleashed sword strikes for about a minute?
The brilliance covering Haruto’s body slowly began to fade.
“…This is about the duration I expected, just as I researched before.”
Haruto muttered.
“Whether I hit myself or get attacked by Luca, the duration doesn’t change… So, regardless of the attack’s power, the skill’s effect duration remains constant, huh?”
Luca didn’t know what he meant by “skill,” but the end of the spell’s effect was imminent.
In an instant—,
“Burst.”
“Ugh!?”
The moment Luca unleashed her strike, she was blasted several meters away by tremendous repulsion.
“This is—”
While it felt like striking against a solid wall moments ago, this was different.
An equal force of Luca’s sword strike rebounded towards her.
The dazzling brilliance covering Haruto’s entire body had completely disappeared this time.
This was the end of the spell.
At this distance, Luca could close the gap and land a strike before Haruto could chant the spell again.
“I win.”
Closing the distance at super speed, Luca swung her sword, but—
“Huh!?”
In less than a split second, her strike effortlessly got repelled by the dazzling brilliance that once again covered Haruto’s entire body.
“Your incantation is too fast…”
Luca gasped.
While the size of a spellcaster’s magical power could affect it, typically, the stronger the spell’s effect, the longer the incantation.
But there was no sign of Haruto chanting a spell.
It was the same as before.
(It’s not an ordinary magic. No, perhaps—)
It’s not even magic.
Luca immediately discarded the fleeting thought.
It was impossible.
To cause events without spells—.
That was almost like a divine miracle.