Chapter 93: All Cards on the Table, The Final Ending
When the two reappeared, they were already on a deserted island.
"This place is..."
"That's right. The island we stayed on before."
Kobayashi said softly, "Don't you think this is the perfect place for our final battlefield?"
"Indeed. I am very fond of this location for our battle," Esdeath said, satisfied.
If the two of them shared any common memory, it would be the time they were teleported to this island by Syura's sneak attack. It was precisely because they had spent three days together here that they had become so close later on. And it was here that they had gradually developed feelings for each other.
"Don't tell me you think you can defeat me all by yourself, Kobayashi? You'd better bring me at least a few dozen more Teigu users!" Esdeath declared, her domineering nature and the arrogance of the strong on full display.
Kobayashi raised Murasame in his hand and said, "Of course I know that. But please rest assured, Captain. I will definitely leave you satisfied."
"Oh? You're that confident?"
"We shall see."
The two of them raised their swords, facing each other from a distance.
Their auras flared at that moment. The coercive pressure from each of them was released. Frigid, cold air and gentle water elements collided in mid-air, then intermingled.
The coconut trees on the beach rustled. It was impossible to tell if it was from the sea breeze or from the pressure of their auras.
When both of their auras had climbed to their peak, a cold light suddenly flashed. Their swords collided briefly in mid-air, and the two crossed past each other, appearing where the other had just stood.
Rip—
With a crisp sound, the clothes on both Kobayashi's and Esdeath's chests were torn open by the sharp aura of their blades. The scenery he hadn't seen before was now completely visible.
Skin as white as jade entered his vision.
"Nice move."
Esdeath gently touched her chest in praise, but her eyes were sharp. "You wanted to dodge just now for a moment. How strange. I didn't reveal any opening, yet you were able to dodge in advance... as if you had read my mind."
She noticed? As expected of Esdeath. Her combat intuition and sharp senses are far beyond an ordinary person's. To think she noticed the abnormality in just an instant.
"Aren't you the same, Captain? I was clearly aiming for your neck, yet you slightly dodged at the last moment, neutralizing my 'trade-injury-for-injury' attack."
"That's because you didn't conceal your own killing intent. Your gaze was too intense."
"I see. I've learned something."
Kobayashi bowed slightly. When he looked up again, a green eye pattern had already appeared on his forehead. He said, "As for why I could dodge in advance, that's because... the Teigu [Spectator] has the ability to read the enemy's mind."
"It really is a Teigu?!"
Even Esdeath was shocked.
As everyone knew, a Teigu user could generally only use one Teigu. After all, the mental strain was immense.
However, Kobayashi was not only using RyuZU (as she believed), but also [One-Hit Kill] and [Spectator] at the same time.
At first, she had thought that the burden of a humanoid Teigu wasn't large, which was why he could forcibly use Murasame. She never expected him to now bust out [Spectator] as well!
Esdeath exclaimed in admiration, "Three Teigu... You truly surprise me."
"Three? No, it's more than just three!"
With that, a purple light array flashed at his feet. His figure instantly disappeared and reappeared behind Esdeath, slashing down with his sword without any hesitation.
However, Esdeath did not panic. With a twist of her wrist, she hooked his blade with her rapier, barely managing to block the ferocious attack.
Seeing his attack had not landed, Kobayashi immediately flashed away.
He adjusted his angle, his figure flashing back and forth in the narrow space, as if performing a dance, attacking her from all sides. The crisp clang of their swords colliding was the accompaniment to this magnificent dance.
Throat, nape, waist, calf—every move was sinister and fatal.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—
Countless sparks erupted on the beach, then vanished.
Kobayashi's attacks grew more and more ferocious, his speed so fast he was almost invisible. But Esdeath's smile, on the contrary, grew wider, and her attacks gradually shifted from passive defense to active offense.
Although he was faster, it was as if Esdeath could predict his moves, always attacking a step ahead of him. The teleportation ability of the Teigu [Shambhala] had, instead, become a hindrance.
Seeing that if he attacked, his own neck would be cut off by her counter-attack, Kobayashi gritted his teeth and was forced to retreat, standing not far away and panting slightly, a stark contrast to the perfectly composed Esdeath.
"What's wrong? You're not coming?"
As if she hadn't been satisfied, Esdeath beckoned for Kobayashi to continue getting handsy with her so she could enjoy herself more. However, he was indeed a little drained right now.
"Incredible. I was the one attacking, yet the Captain is the one who forced me to retreat. How did you do that?" Kobayashi was completely mystified.
He had expected a difficult, evenly-matched fight. He hadn't expected to be the first to be beaten back so quickly.
Esdeath shook her silver-blue hair, which flashed with a unique, dazzling color in the sun. Seeing this, Kobayashi seemed to grasp something.
"Because of the ice."
Esdeath revealed her secret, saying proudly, "Just now, I condensed invisible ice particles within a 5-meter radius of myself, floating in mid-air. This serves as my domain. Therefore, every time you appeared, I was able to sense you a step ahead."
"...You're truly a monster."
Even Kobayashi couldn't help but sigh in admiration. This was a method she had definitely just come up with during the battle. One could only imagine how much talent she had for combat. She really couldn't be underestimated at all.
But there was still an opening.
"Does the Captain mean to say that the range of this ice domain is only 5 meters?"
Two disc-like objects appeared on his back, and then wings extended from them, carrying him into the air.
In that case, I'll just attack from a distance!
"The Teigu [Mastema]... I didn't expect you to be able to use Run's Teigu as well. You make me more and more excited, Kobayashi!" Esdeath's spirits were high, her smile growing more savage.
Kobayashi, just like Run, gave an elegant bow.
But his next attack was not the least bit vague.
Countless feathers shot out from his wings, covering the area around Esdeath, transforming into sharp daggers that rained down from all angles with a slight whistle, attacking her limbs and vital points.
He had thought she would defend passively, but Esdeath chose to return the favor. Her personality would not allow her to be on the passive defensive.
Standing on the beach, she continuously condensed an equally numerous number of ice projectiles around her. Defying Newton's laws, they shot upwards, colliding with every single feather to form an absolute safe space around her.
The two transformed into environmental destroyers. The originally peaceful and quiet island was turned into a complete mess by the endless beam struggle. Large chunks of ice scattered everywhere, turning the place into a frozen wasteland.
Esdeath's boldness was on full display. With just a wave of her hand, she whipped up a frigid ice storm that swept toward him with tremendous force, blowing the mid-air Kobayashi off-balance. He managed to control his Teigu and stabilize himself, but by then, his area-of-effect attack had developed an opening.
As the old saying goes, "In a beam struggle, the one on the left always loses."
Kobayashi, whose name was not "Dyna," was no exception. Being on the left, he could not form an effective suppression. Gradually, he was no longer able to affect her, and was instead suppressed by her.
The important thing was that his mental state was now very poor.
At this point, he had already used five Teigu, but he had not used them all in perfect combination. Because he lacked the mental power. He was not an orthodox mage, after all. With insufficient spiritual power and the inability to perfectly fuse their wavelengths, it was extremely difficult to clear his mind of stray thoughts and control them all. Moreover, he could only use two Teigu at most at any one time.
And with one of his equipment slots permanently fixed on [Murasame], none of the combinations he had tried had caused Esdeath any trouble.
"What's wrong? Is that all you've got, Kobayashi!"
Esdeath continuously formed ice projectiles and fired them, suppressing him while taunting him. "You want to satisfy me with this level of performance? You underestimate me too much! Come on! Let's continue the slaughter!"
Tsk, what a terrifyingly insatiable woman.
Kobayashi clicked his tongue softly. No wonder the person she liked was scared enough to run away. What man could withstand such endless demands?
He gritted his teeth and ended the endless beam struggle.
"One-Hit Kill, Spectator, Shambhala, Mastema, and RyuZU... to think you can use five Teigu at the same time. This is truly unheard of!" Esdeath looked at him as if she were looking at a rare treasure, and couldn't stop herself from shouting, "What else do you have? Bring it all out!"
"As expected of the Captain..."
Even Kobayashi was a little scared by her soaring fighting spirit. Najenda had once said that to defeat her, they would need at least fifty thousand elite troops and more than ten Teigu users to besiege her. Now it seemed that such an absurd number was indeed necessary.
But he still had a chance to win.
"Captain, I didn't just use those Teigu. There is one more..." Kobayashi spread his hands, revealing [Perfector].
Seeing it, Esdeath's eyes narrowed, and she said coldly, "As I thought. You were the one who killed the Doctor."
Now that she knew he was an enemy, any pot could be thrown on him, and it was highly likely it wouldn't be wrong. Although Esdeath was a villain, she was especially fond of her subordinates. Therefore, upon learning her subordinate had been killed, although she would say the other party was too weak, in reality, she would still avenge them.
"I won't be holding back anymore, Kobayashi. Let me see just how tenacious your life force is. You can just struggle to your heart's content!" For the first time, Esdeath took the initiative to attack.
Which was exactly what he wanted.
Close combat was now unavoidable. If he wanted to defeat her, he had to rely on his own hard strength.
To this end, he would forcibly use three Teigu at once!
[One-Hit Kill], [Spectator], [Perfector]!
The strongest combination for close combat!
Come on! Let us enter the final climax!
Esdeath's swordsmanship was based on her own research, mixed with Imperial swordsmanship. Therefore, it suited her style better, and its power was even greater.
Her rapier continuously thrust towards him. Throat, chest, abdomen, groin. As long as he revealed the slightest opening, she would instantly detect it and stab over. This made it extremely difficult for Kobayashi to even block.
However, all of this was alleviated after activating [Spectator].
Being able to know the opponent's attacks a step ahead, he could also quickly adjust himself and learn her style.
However, Esdeath had long been prepared for this.
Just as he read her mind a step ahead and held Murasame vertically in front of him, she suddenly changed her straight thrust into a curved one. The attack, in an arc, went around Murasame and stabbed into his shoulder. As it was pulled out, a stream of fresh blood spurted out.
Only then did Kobayashi realize: he could no longer read her thoughts.
"How could this be..."
"What's wrong, Kobayashi?" Esdeath flicked the blood from her rapier and said proudly, "If I don't think about anything in my heart, are you at a loss?"
Not fighting with her brain, but by instinct?!
Kobayashi was astonished, but he didn't panic. Because he had a countermeasure.
[Spectator] couldn't just read minds, it could also use Precognition. As long as he could read her next move...
Before he could react, the rapier had once again stabbed into his shoulder. And to humiliate him, it had even stabbed into the exact same wound.
"What?! But there should have been a warning!"
He never expected that [Future Sight] would be completely useless. The rapier just now had actually transformed into two arcs, deceiving [Spectator] through the rapid twitching of her muscles?!
Unbelievable. She was truly a monster!
He knew very well that this wasn't a gap in strength, but a gap in experience. Esdeath, who had been through countless battles, had far more combat experience and talent than he, who had relied on tricks, could ever hope to defeat.
But Esdeath wouldn't give him a chance to recover.
A frenzied offensive, one after another.
"Take this, and this, and this!"
She had completely transformed into a battle maniac.
It was unknown if she had discovered [Spectator]'s weakness, but [Future Sight] had become a tool for her to lure him in, as she continuously deceived him by twitching her shoulder muscles.
Her rapier transformed into a curtain of steel, enveloping him. Although he used [Perfector] to make micro-adjustments and barely block her attacks, the frigid chill contained in her rapier still transformed into ice blades that extended her attack range, continuously adding wounds to his body.
"What's wrong? Fight back! Attack me!"
"..."
Kobayashi didn't speak, only barely managing to defend.
Gradually, Esdeath lost interest. "In the end, this is all you amount to. Since that's the case, then you can just die!"
Her shoulder pulled back, accumulating power, preparing for an even faster and more ferocious barrage, attempting to utterly defeat him.
In this instant, an opening!
"RyuZU! Imaginary—"
"Mahapadma!"
[Imaginary Switch]. RyuZU only needed an instant to fully activate her gears.
How long is an instant?
The answer is 0.36 seconds!
And Esdeath, who had long since stored up her energy, only needed a single "snap" to use [Mahapadma].
How long is a "snap"?
The answer is 0.018 seconds!
"Your humanoid Teigu has never appeared. How could I not be prepared for it? In the end, the victory is still mine. But I enjoyed this battle very much."
In the world of ice, where only one person could move, Esdeath gently stroked the brim of her hat and slowly walked towards him.
"—Goodbye."
Her rapier stabbed straight at his chest. The next second, it should have pierced through.
However—
At the very moment her sword was about to pierce him, Kobayashi's body suddenly moved. The Murasame in his right hand swung in an arc towards her throat.
"What?!"
Esdeath hadn't expected him to be able to move within [Mahapadma]. In her alarm, her rapier instinctively turned to block. At the same time, her left hand slapped at Murasame. The powerful force of her palm instantly shattered the blade, sending fragments flying.
But before she could react, his left hand had already attacked her chest.
Splurch—
It pierced through, and fresh blood sprayed backwards.
This was much more serious than just copping a feel.
Esdeath grabbed his left hand. The power of ice instantly exploded, attempting to freeze him solid and take him down with her, but she suddenly stopped and slowly melted the ice on his hand.
Once again, she gently embraced him, pulling him closer to her chest.
She said with gratification, "To actually be able to move in a world of ice... you really are amazing, Kobayashi. I acknowledge you."
"It's just that a certain goddess is too fond of me."
At this moment, the necklace on his chest was emitting a faint glow, as if boasting that this was all its doing.
Esdeath chided him slightly, "What are you talking about? Equipment is also a form of strength."
"But I also took advantage of the Captain's arrogance."
"It doesn't matter."
"Even though I deceived the Captain in the end?"
"It doesn't matter. That was also your strategy. You can puff out your chest with pride."
Kobayashi hadn't brought RyuZU with him at all. Because she wasn't a Teigu. If Esdeath, with her time-stop, had destroyed her first, he would have cried his eyes out.
In the final moment, Esdeath was as magnanimous as her chest. He buried his face deeply into it.
"Thank you, Captain."
"Mmm."
Esdeath replied softly, her breathing stopping in his embrace.
"Please rest for just a little while."
Pausing for a long moment, Kobayashi slowly picked up her body. A purple light array flashed, and the two of them disappeared from the island.
Just as his figure appeared, RyuZU walked over.
"Master Kobayashi..."
"I'm fine."
Although his body was stained crimson, he had not been seriously injured. He just needed a little treatment.
Facing the expectant gazes of everyone, Kobayashi shouted loudly:
"—I won!"
"Oooooooooohhhhhh!!!" xN
The people cheered loudly.
With his declaration, the corrupt Empire was officially overthrown at this moment.
A new era had begun.
(End of Chapter)