Chapter 61 – VS Fan

「Ayane-tan!」

「Yes!」

Two voices echo in the snowy world. They are Ayane and Myuu.

「We’re finally alone!」

「…… Eh?」

「Eh, you didn’t know? Look at the screen, the screen」

I did as I was told and looked at the bottom right corner of the screen. Then I saw the words, 『2 people left』…

Eh? Does that mean…

「… Is it 1 on 1?」

「Yes! As for me, I’d be happy to stay like this forever――」

「Let’s do it now」

For some reason, I felt fear, so I kept my distance and readied my sword.

「… I understand. It’s good that I get to fight Ayane-tan」

「…」

I started running when I saw my opponent preparing her large shield and one-handed sword.

I was blocked the first time we met, but I’m working on a countermeasure.

「Fu!」

「Fun! !」

My sword collides with the shield… I can do it.

The attack was a feint. Myuu-san is looking at me until the very last moment when the attack hits, but the moment she hides behind the large shield, she has a blind spot. I took advantage of this to retract my sword and sweep her off her feet.

「U gya! ?」

「Se ~ei! !」

――Zaku! !

I thrust my sword at her as she fell, but she narrowly avoided me and I only scraped the ice floor.

「… Ayane-tan, you’re strong!」

「You too! !」

「Okay, now we’ll start here!」

And then Myuu-san rushes forward with her large shield at the ready… Looking firmly at me. But I’m not just standing there watching either.

「《Flame Blade》!」

「! ? 《Water・Defense》!」

I unleashed the 《Flame Blade》, but Myuu-san’s entire shield was covered with water and the 《Flame Blade》 was drowned out.

But I knew that I would be blocked, so I made my next move.

「《Flame Blade》」

I used my skill and thrust my sword into the ground. It was the same strategy I had used earlier.

―――Dogogogogogogooooooon! ! !

「Ku… ! ! …Ue! ? It’s hot! ! O-Ouch! !」

A crack appeared in the ground, from which a pillar of fire rose toward the sky. Myuu-san avoided a direct hit from the pillar of fire by pointing her shield at the ground and riding on it, but the front and back of the shield are metal. The heated metal heats up Myuu-san who was riding on top of it.

So Myuu-san, who had thrown away her large shield that she could no longer hold, confronted me with only her one-handed sword.

「I don’t have my main gear anymore! I will defeat Ayane-tan! …If I still had my large shield, I could’ve used a greater variety of skills… ! !」

「…」

I silently hold up my sword. The opponent follows suit and holds up her one-handed sword.

「Yaaaa! ! !」

「Sei! ! !」

――Supan……….

The battle was won without the sound of metal hitting metal.

Myuu-san, who had been slashed from her left shoulder to her right hip, made eye contact with me and said a few words.

「… This time… I lost」

Unlike the previous times I saw Myuu-san, whose eyes were those of a dangerous person, now I could only see the seriousness in her eyes.

『Server 3: Ayane-sama, you placed 1/51st. Congratulations』

「Fu…」

I let out a breath of relief and closed my eyes, feeling my vision go blank again.

─────

──

「――Ayaaaaaaa! ! ! !」

「Muguu! ?」

This has been happening a lot lately. Myuu-san did this to me, too. Why do they all hug me… ? That’s a mystery.

「Aya! Congratulations!」

「Thank you! But Suzu too, right?」

「Yes, but… Why?」

「I can see it in your face」

「Really?」

「Un」

「… Okay」

「Hmm? What is it?」

「Hmmm! It’s nothing!」

「Fuun…」

『Thank you for your hard work! ! Next up is the competition you’ve all been waiting for, the Tournament! ! !』

「「「「「「Uoooooooooo! ! !」」」」」」

『I’ll be sending you the matchups for the Tournament, so please take a look! ! And now! We’ll begin in 30 minutes! !』

「Ah, they sent it, huh?」

「Un」

「Hmm? Aya’s first opponent is… Yasaotoko」

「Suzu’s is named Nuko」

「Wha! ? Nuko-san! ?」

「Eh! ? Do you know who it is?」

「Nuko-san is one of the top players and is a Cat Beast, you know?」

「A cat, huh…」

「……」

And so, half an hour later, the Tournament began.

○Today’s Skill○

Today we are going to look at 《Water・Defense》.

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【Name】《Water・Defense》 MP consumption: 100

【Effect ① (LV. 1)】 The user can affix a water attribute shield to the user’s shield. However, if the user’s equipment is not a shield or a large shield, it will not activate.

【Effect ② (LV. 5)】 It can be activated even if the user’s equipment is not a shield or a large shield.

【Effect ③ (LV. ☆)】 It can be activated even without the user’s equipment.

LV. 1: DEF＋20