CHAPTER 135: AMY’S FRUSTRATION

　I wait for the next words, but she doesn’t seem to want to speak.

　Amy held up her rapier.

“(Wait a minute. I’m sure you’ll be fine if I don’t answer, right?)” (Nesis)

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” (Toru)

“(If you fail, you won’t just die, you know. Your soul might be toyed with and you might be extinguished!)” (Nesis)

“When that happens, it’s just my time.” (Toru)

　I summon my Skill Board and run my fingers quickly.

>> Activating [Ad Lib Lv5]…

>>Skill points: 130→0

　—tap, tap, tap…

　I use my points in my new skills and I’m ready to go.

Holding up my [Magic Sword], I concentrate.

　Slightly, Amy’s center of gravity shifted.

　At that moment, I stepped forward.

I swung the sword down from above her head.

　My opponent does not try to avoid the sword.

　She did not even show any sign of blocking it.

(So that’s how it came to be!) (Toru)

 

The [Magic Sword] cannot damage humans.

　In other words, my attacks are ignored.

(Once she gives me a chance…) (Toru)

“(Don’t worry. The damage will pass through).” (Nesis)

　Believing the voice of Nesis echoing in my head, I swung the [Magic Sword].

　I don’t feel like I’ve killed anyone.

　However, there was a faint response, as if I had cut a leaf.

　Perhaps it was the sensation of touching a soul.

　Amy’s expression didn’t change.

“(She is just trying to be strong. The power of the weapon is guaranteed by me. So—don’t lose.)” (Nesis)

“—Yes!” (Toru)

　At that moment, I felt a slight killing intent.

　The next moment, the rapier is in front of me. *Jump*, I kicked the ground and moved backward.

　The next moment, the tip of the rapier passed right in front of me.

　Amy attacked from my blind spot. It was an assassin-like attack.

　Amy was originally equipped with a dagger. That’s why she is good at that kind of attack.

(I see. She dared to take my attack in order to create an opening.) (Toru)

　I attacked continuously, being careful of the ultimate counter, sacrificing her soul.

　Amy clicked her tongue a little as if she could see that I was on alert.

　Unlike before, she carefully parried my attacks.

　However, her guard was slightly lax.

 

　When she was able to block or evade, the tip of the [Magic Sword] sliced through Amy’s body.

　Although it did not cause any wounds, it must have surely shaved Amy’s soul.

　Slash down, stab, and slash up.

　I break down my opponent’s guard.

　I am inflicting damage little by little.

　Yet, Amy’s expression is relaxed.

(She has a lot of patience?) (Toru)

　I don’t know the pain of having one’s soul cut away, but at least I don’t expect to see that kind of expression when I’m being cornered.

　She is a creepy opponent.

　I stepped back immediately.

　I resumed the breath I had been holding.

“Hmm… I think it’s getting hard for you, don’t you?” (Toru)

“Eh, that’s my line though?” (Amy)

　I tilted my head at Amy’s words. The one who is getting cornered is not me. It is she who is being pushed into a corner. Despite this, she looked relaxed.

“This Sacred Treasure—it seals the skills of those who dealt damage to the bearer—You who attacked me, your skills have been sealed and it is getting harder and harder to fight, isn’t it?” (Amy)

~3rd Person Perspective~

　Amy believes in Toru’s imminent immobility. No matter how many blessings he has, still, humans are humans. There is nothing to be afraid of as long as their skills are sealed.

(Now, what are you going to do?) (Amy)

　She carefully waited for his next move.

　However, Toru once again slashed at her in the same way as before.

(…that’s strange.) (Amy)

　While receiving Toru’s attack, Amy felt something strange.

　Her Sacred Treasure seals the skills of those who inflict wounds on its owner. One skill is randomly sealed per attack.

　At the moment, Amy has been slashed eight times by Toru. However, she does not see any change in the skills that should have been sealed.

(Lucky for him, only the combat skills remain, huh?) (Amy)

　The average number of combat skills possessed by an adventurer is eight at most. That is the limit of human talent.

　Since Amy has now been cut eight times, she calculated that all of Toru’s skills are sealed. However, Toru’s movements remain almost the same.

 

(Does he have non-combat skills?) (Amy)

(Or do Inferiors possess more skills than Eargardians?) (Amy)

　But even for non-combat skills, he cannot possess that many.

　If she gets cut a few more times, Toru will probably succumb. That’s what Amy thought.

　But even after being slashed three, six, or ten more times, Toru’s movements did not change.

(Why!?) (Amy)

　No matter how many times she is cut, his movements do not stop.

　At this point, the number of souls remaining was down to about eight hundred and fifty. However, the number of souls destroyed by a single blow of the [Magic Sword] is at most five to ten. There is still room for eighty-five attacks.

(It’s still okay. I’m going to be okay.) (Amy)

　There is still room to spare. Even so, Amy felt as if she was being cornered.

　That’s the way it should be. Until now, Amy had only challenged opponents whom she thought she could win without fail. It was the same with Finlis and Yuster. If she thought that her own life was in danger, she would not directly attack the target but would finish them off indirectly.

　But now, for the first time, Amy was in a battle that she was not sure she could win.

　For the first time, she felt fear as if a blade were thrust directly into her own soul.

“……Aaaaah!” (Amy)

 

　Her body jerked, and Amy’s hands went crazy.

　Toru severely hurt her during that gap.

　She was severely slashed by a diagonal slash.

　Her soul was—slashed.

“Gyaaaaa!!” (Amy)

　Amy cried out loud from the excruciating pain.

　The wound to her soul was not serious. It was only a graze. Even so, the pain of a direct attack on the soul is unimaginable.

　Five hundred souls remain. With just one attack, nearly 300 souls were destroyed.

“Can you nullify the curse of the Sacred Treasure?” (Amy)

“No. I can’t.” (Toru)

“Then how can you continue to attack without any changes!?” (Amy)