The New Gate (LN)

The first attack was a thunderbolt. Next was a slash.

Filma quickly moved away from the explosion, and before Schnee and the others could cover her, she heard a metallic sound and saw a flash of light that seemed to be lightning.

Even with the use of skills such as 【Through Sight】 and 【Far Sight】, it was impossible to see completely through the black smoke, perhaps because of the area or the effects of the skills.

The only way to avoid being swallowed by the huge black smoke was to keep a distance.

“(Filma, Sh-)”

That was all Filma could hear in Schnee’s 【Mind Chat】.

She realized the killing intent was directed at her. It was just a hunch that she held up the 『Scarlet Moon』 in front of her as she jumped back.

After a slight pause, a blue-white lightning strike landed.

“Damnit!”

A strong shock and numbness was felt throughout her body. Although not paralyzed, the lightning strike inevitably slowed down her movements. She endured the impact and prepared for the follow-up attack, scraping the ground with her feet so as not to lose her position as soon as she landed.

Black smoke exploded in front of her field of vision. The fake Shin was coming this way. Though Filma thought so, she noticed that the fake Shin was nowhere to be seen beyond the black smoke that exploded.

A decoy to divert attention. An attack from another direction. Magic to pursue. The options for dealing with the situation appeared and disappeared in Filma’s mind.

There was no doubt that she was being targeted.

The discomfort that burned her neck was still there.

She focused. She held her weapon in a straight line of sight, in a wide field of vision. Her willpower subdued the numbness of the lightning strike.

She felt a strange sensation on the ground at the edge of her vision.

At the same time Filma swung the 『Scarlet Moon』, a blade appeared from the void.

Detecting the movement of the sand caused by the step, she managed to intercept the fake Shin’s blade.

However, as if to mock Filma’s thought that the weapon she caught was a sword, a scythe with a sinister appearance was revealed. The scythe’s blade split in two. Sparks flew as it clashed with the 『Scarlet Moon』, but it did not seem to break. 

(Are you reproducing weapons other than the 『True Moon』 as well?)

The scythe’s blade firmly bit into the blade of 『Scarlet Moon』.

The 『Scarlet Moon』 that was strengthened by Shin’s hands was indestructible to that extent, but the scythe sealed its role as a weapon.

By taking combat action, the 【Hiding】 skill that hid the fake Shin was released. However, another weapon appeared faster than the fake Shin’s body.

(Shield?)

What was held in the outstretched hand was a small round shield that Filma had never seen before.

She was trying to keep her distance by releasing her own weapon, but this made her feel uncomfortable.

An offensive shield, no doubt. But why would he use it in a situation where her opponent’s weapon was sealed?

Even Filma did not know all the capabilities of Shin’s weapons. However, her experience told her this was not a good distance.

She let go of 『Scarlet Moon』 and distanced herself from him, then called her weapon back again – that’s what she decided to do and tried to carry it out. Then, a magic power blast was used to make a quick escape.

The fake Shin figure who had started to move stopped immediately.

The magic power blast was activated, but the scythe was biting into 『Scarlet Moon』, so it was impossible to get far away. The magic power blast should have enough power to fly the weight of two people, but the fake Shin’s feet did not leave the ground.

Filma tried to think of a countermeasure, but the attack on her did not stop. 

However, the fake Shin suddenly let go of the scythe he held.

Filma, who was about to pull out the 『Scarlet Moon』 with a magic power blast, suddenly stopped resisting, causing her to jump backwards.

Before she could even wonder why, she felt a shock on her back.

No damage was done, but the unintended movement and the unexpected impact caused her to lose her balance.

The fake Shin appearance was right there. Her evasion was too late.

Filma swung 『Scarlet Moon』 with the scythe, which had lost its handle. At the same time, she released a magic spell.

Although she did not have the same number of moves or control as Schnee and Sety, she was far more powerful than ordinary magicians.

The 『Scarlet Moon』 was blocked by the barrier that appeared in the air, and the fireball appeared between them at the same time. 

Even if they could not do any damage, she could still distance herself from each other. Filma thought so, but the fake Shin lunged at her as if he did not see the fireball.

The fake Shin’s outstretched hand pierced the fireball.

Although the fireball hit the fake Shin at close range, he still did not stop.

The right side of his face burned red as if his magic resistance could not be fully replicated. However, there was no sign of slowing down in his steps.

Filma quickly released a kick and noticed that a small barrier had been deployed around her knee. This would not be powerful enough to activate the skill.

The fake Shin’s right hand touched her armor.

A jolt ran through Filma’s body, followed by a light thump.

“Kahah…”

The air in her lungs was forcibly expelled with a sensation as if her stomach had been stirred.

If she had received it near her heart, it might have been dangerous, but thanks to the explosion, the fake Shin’s hand touched her stomach. It was not a fatal wound.

With her consciousness switched to combat use, Filma calmly analyzed her situation. At the same time, she understood that there was nothing she could do.

The fake Shin’s attack was not over yet. As much as she tried to fight back, her hand remained on the weapon, and she could not swing or pull back due to the barrier.

Due to the damage caused by the impact raging inside her, her limbs were unable to move immediately. Because she had some HP left, she was not in an abnormal state – However, her body could not move completely at any given time. Even the simple damage was enough to slow down her body’s movement.

She locked eyes with the fake Shin. No emotion could be read from his unburned left eye.

(No wonder Schnee is worried…)

Unlike Schnee, who was assigned as the storekeeper at the Moon Shrine, the other supporting characters, including Filma, hardly ever saw Shin in his Grim Reaper days.

After it became a death game, Shin often took Schnee and the others with him into the dungeons, but he did little of that during the period when he was known as the Grim Reaper and went around killing the player killer (PK).

Filma and her colleagues had no real understanding of the state of Shin in that era.

High-performance weapons, high status, and even more state-abnormality resistance and skill selection for killing people. He would seal weapons, block movement, and aim for a fatal blow without regard for injury.

What would happen if a High Human specialized in PK? Here was one of the answers.

In the fake Shin’s hand, a sword was held. There was no hesitation in his stance.

Filma, in a last-ditch effort, put all her strength into her trembling arm. The 『Scarlet Moon』 cut the barrier with the scythe, but it went no further.

The fake Shin’s blade was approaching her neck.

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