262. VS Vanguard – Total War (Part 3)

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

With all her momentum, Rikka kicked off the ground.

The air exploded, and Rikka’s figure vanished.

“Ts… She disappeared?”

“W-where did she go?”

Neither Ichinose nor Nishino could track her movements. The only ones who could follow her with their eyes were the two inside the barrier—the members of the Vanguard.

“Ts!”

“Nuun, ORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Rialdo, the Vanguard member known as the ‘Fist King,’ caught Rikka’s slash with his bare hands.

“—Ts!?”

There was a clear change on his face, different from before. Agitation, astonishment, and—

“O-oh…? This is amazing! Haha! What’s this, you guys were hiding this kind of power!?”

—Joy.

Blood seeped from the palm that had caught the blade. Faced with undeniable damage for the first time, a smile spread across Rialdo’s face.

“Not bad! This is how a fight should be! Randall and Beld think too hard about everything! When it comes down to understanding each other, these fists are the best way, aren’t they!?”

“You’re simple! But I’m not good at thinking hard either, so I can’t really talk!”

“Hahaha! Right you are! Come on! Give it to me with even more heart! Show me the ‘seriousness’ of an otherworlder!”

Zunnn! The earth shook.

A flurry of fists and slashes exchanged blows. At the center of the storm, Rikka and Rialdo laughed together while trying to kill each other.

—Vanguard ‘Fist King’ Rialdo.

The strongest pugilist of the other world, specialized in physical combat. His stats far surpassed the Flame Emperor Glen or the Ninja God Shuri, even approaching Randall’s. Of course, a man who fought only with his fists wouldn’t have been chosen for the Vanguard without more to him.

“—Berserk!”

Rialdo’s skin turned brown, and an ominous aura overflowed. It was the same transformation as Rikka’s “Onification” or a High Orc.

“Ts…! The same skill as mine…!?”

“There’s more! ‘Onslaught’! ‘Asura’! ‘Excision’! ‘Frenzy’! ‘Heavenly Chaotic Blossom’! ‘Kin-Killer’! ‘Massacre’! ‘Cadaver’s Heart’! ‘Great Treachery’! ‘Fist of Disloyalty’! I’ve acquired every skill related to physical enhancement! Including the ones specialized against my own kind!”

In that instant, an explosive torrent of power erupted from Rialdo. It far—no, overwhelmingly—surpassed Rikka, even after she obtained her unique skill. Just receiving the pressure of it would kill an ordinary person instantly. Even evolved humans or high-tier monsters would lose consciousness. Rikka was impressive enough just for enduring it.

“Are you serious…!? You’re amazing, old man.”

“Of course I am! I am the ‘Fist King’! I’m the man who climbed to the top of that world with nothing but this body and these fists!”

The stats she thought she had caught up to were pulled away again. Rialdo’s current stats—Strength, Endurance, and Agility—likely shot up into the tens of thousands.

—Only Sea King Shuram can withstand the Fist King’s blow.

That was how strong Rialdo was said to be in the other world. Even Randall or Libera would hesitate to face Rialdo in this state. For the current Rikka, resisting was impossible. In a second, she would be turned into a lump of meat. That was the gap in power. The pinnacle of the world. There was no way to win.

However, that was only in a one-on-one scenario.

『——————So envious……』

Shloop.

From the shadow at Rialdo’s feet, a hand slithered out and grabbed his ankle.

“Oh…!?”

He shook it off. In that instant, Rialdo’s stats plummeted. The power he had honed to the extreme as the Fist King, and every single one of his skills, degraded in the blink of an eye.

『So envious… so jealous… Why are you so strong? Even after becoming a monster, I’m still just a burden to everyone, so why are you so… Ah, even at a time like this, thinking like this makes me the absolute worst… Ah, I hate it, I’m so depressed… I’m jealous, I’m envious.』

Keita Ohno.

The boy who once killed his comrades and, having fallen into extreme mental illness, consumed a magic stone and descended into monstrosity. By being the first to mutate into a monster, he harbored the power of the unique skill ‘Envy’ within him.

The name of the other unique skill granted to him by Kazuto’s “Heroic Hymn” was ‘Degenerate Deadly Sin’.

There are seven Deadly Sin skills in total: Arrogance’s ‘Pride,’ Ohno’s ‘Envy,’ Peony’s ‘Gluttony.’ Others include ‘Sloth,’ ‘Wrath,’ ‘Lust,’ and ‘Greed.’

‘Degenerate Deadly Sin’ literally allowed him to use all Deadly Sin skills at 60% of their original performance.

“Ah, I want that power… If I had more power, I wouldn’t be a burden to Rikka or Nishino-kun… I want it, I want it…”

≪Application accepted.≫

≪Keita Ohno acquired skills ‘Degenerate Onslaught’, ‘Degenerate Asura’, ‘Degenerate Excision’.≫

“Fuhehe, power is welling up from inside me…!”

“This brat, did he copy my skills…!? But you think you can beat me with just that level of imitation!?”

Skill ‘Greed’.

It allows the user to temporarily acquire skills they desire from the bottom of their heart. However, as a backlash, the user gradually loses all restraint over their desires.

“Gaha… Ah, even this isn’t enough… Dammit, I’m so powerless. I’m so mad at my powerless self…! I can feel the rage boiling up…!”

≪Activating ‘Degenerate Wrath’.≫

≪Keita Ohno’s stats and skill levels temporarily increase.≫

Skill ‘Wrath’.

It increases stats and skill levels without limit in proportion to the user’s anger. It is the only skill among all skills that can raise a level beyond LV10. However, as a backlash, the user loses control over their emotions.

“No way, the stats are still going up…!?”

“Old man, don’t forget I’m here too!”

Following Ohno, Rikka also pressed the attack. But Rialdo still held the upper hand.

“Fufu, isn’t she great, Rikka? I’ve known her since elementary school. She’s kind to everyone, even a gloomy otaku like me. She’s cute, really… I… I wove her… fuhe.”

Ohno wore a creepy smile. Simultaneously, his stats dropped sharply.

≪Activating ‘Degenerate Lust’.≫

≪Transferring all stats and a portion of skills from Keita Ohno to Rikka Aisaka.≫

≪’Physical Regeneration’, ‘Degenerate Onslaught’, ‘Degenerate Asura’, ‘Degenerate Excision’ have been transferred.≫

Skill ‘Lust’.

A skill that transfers or confiscates stats and skills from a target based on the user’s affection. However, as a backlash, libido and interest/concern for the loved one gradually vanish.

“Oh, my power just jumped like crazy! Thanks, Ohnon!”

“It’s fine. In the first place, it’s best for me to stay out of sight and stick to the background. That’s right… yeah, just sticking to support from the rear is… actually, I’m so sleepy. I’ll just let everyone else handle the hard work…”

≪Activating ‘Degenerate Sloth’.≫

≪Party members’ stats and skill levels increase.≫

Skill ‘Sloth’.

The weaker and more lethargic the user is, the more the party members’ stats and skill levels increase. However, as a backlash, the will to take any action fades, eventually leading to debilitation and death.

“Incredible! I’m getting so strong it’s almost scary.”

“Oh…!? Amazing, this is a first! My power is just keep on dropping! Hahahaha! This is a first for me!”

Through ‘Envy’ strengthened by ‘Heroic Hymn’, Rialdo’s stats and skill effects were drastically reduced. Furthermore, with the skills obtained through ‘Degenerate Greed,’ the transfer of all stats boosted by ‘Degenerate Wrath’ and compatible skills, and the party-wide buff from ‘Degenerate Sloth’—the result was that Rikka’s power had been heightened to the absolute limit.

Since Ohno was using ‘Degenerate Deadly Sin’ rather than the original Sin skills, the backlash wasn’t as severe.

“Hahahaha! Not bad at all! This is a real pinch! It’s been a while since things got this dangerous!”

“You look pretty relaxed for someone in a ‘pinch’!”

“Of course I do! A pinch, you say? You think ‘this much’ is enough to make me break!?”

Rialdo effortlessly parried the attacks from the limit-broken Rikka. Even after all this, Rialdo still held the advantage. That was the Vanguard. The pinnacle of the other world. The strength of a man who rose to the top with nothing but his fists.

“Rikka! And Ohno, right! I acknowledge you as enemies! Come at me with everything you’ve got! I’ll welcome you with my full power!”

“Hah! We’re gonna win! I’m definitely not losing!”

The battle between Rikka and Rialdo grew even more intense.

And watching this battle, the other Vanguard member, ‘Ice Emperor’ Gashmash, stood expressionless. He made no move to interfere.

(Oh, Rialdo-san is really getting into it… The enemies got super strong all of a sudden, so I should probably help out, right? Ah, but if I help, will Rialdo-san get mad at me? But if I just stay quiet and watch, that idiot Randall will get mad at me… Ah, what should I do?)

Though it didn’t show on his face, he was actually quite agitated internally.

(In the first place, this barrier is just in the way. Well, if I can’t break it, I guess it can’t be helped. Lizzie or Narus will probably do something about it eventually. I’ll just stay here and relax without moving… hm?)

Suddenly, Gashmash felt a gaze. Looking in that direction, he saw a girl watching him from far away.

(Ah, that girl… It must be tough. Aiming and shooting from that far away is pretty impressive…)

Ichinose’s sniping. The bullet was fired and was heading toward him. From the gaze to the muzzle flash and the trajectory, Gashmash saw everything.

(But I’ve already seen it. So you can’t kill me, and you can’t kill Rialdo-san. You might be able to cause a surface wound, but it won’t be fatal. Ah, maybe she’s trying to pin me down so I don’t help Rialdo-san. I don’t really intend to interfere anyway, though…)

Thinking idly like that, he moved his hand to swat away the flying bullet.

(…Eh?)

He swatted it away—or so he thought.

And yet—the bullet Ichinose fired penetrated his hand and shot the ‘Ice Emperor’ Gashmash right between the eyes.

End of 262