Volume 6 Chapter 16
Volume 6 Chapter 16: At the Lake
Lorie watched closely as the suit of armor approached step by step, a sword sheathed in a scabbard hanging at its waist, its metal joints clanking loudly with every move,.
「It looks like we have no choice but to investigate that armor first,」
「So it would seem.」
Axel nodded, also unfamiliar with that armor.
They had noticed it earlier, but had largely ignored it until now.
「I think it started moving the moment we touched the spring,」
She had no idea what it truly was, but clearly, it contained magic. Just as she wondered how best to investigate it—
There, the Divine Codex resting on her lap glowed brightly, then rose slightly into the air.
「Now what…?」
*Whoosh*
A single page from the glowing Codex abruptly tore itself free and flew straight toward the armored figure.
「—」
Embedding itself seamlessly into its chest, as if it was absorbed by the armor.
「Eh…?」
It all happened in just an instant.
It was so sudden that Lorie simply stared in shock, but then,
【Welcome to my spring, children of humans and spirits.】
She was further surprised by the glowing words that appeared across the armor’s chest.
No, rather, the words appeared on the armor, but she also felt them being spoken directly into her mind.
「It’s speaking?」
「Y-yes. Since it used the Codex’s letters, perhaps it’s the Spirit God…?」
As if in response, the eyes within the helmet lit up orange, and the armor’s metal face curved eerily into a smile.
【Precisely. But this armor is merely a medium—an avatar.】
With those words it removed its helmet
「——」
Revealing nothing but emptiness within.
It moved, despite being empty.
After reattaching its helmet, the armored knight resumed its approach.
「So, Spirit God, appearing here means you have business with us?」
The armored figure replied to Axel’s question with a nod.
【This is your final trial.】
The Codex in Lorie’s hands lit again, and new words appeared.
And what she saw was,
【By any means necessary, defeat the avatar standing before you.】
Just that.
The moment Lorie finished reading,
「…Eh!?」
She felt herself getting pulled back with a force.
Axel was the one who yanked her back.
She didn’t even have time to wonder what was that for before,
*Clang*
The sharp clash of metal rang out right in front of her.
That was the sound of swords clashing, the one possessed by the armored knight, and then one wielded by Axel, who stepped in front of her to block the incoming attack.
Had Axel not reacted swiftly, it would have hit her squarely in the head.
「You alright, Lorie?」
「Y-yes, thank you, Axel…!」
The knight, who had its attack blocked, immediately leaped backward, taking a distance.
Once again, the metal helmet twisted unnaturally, creating something resembling a chilling smile.
【I enjoy seeing effort, so show me the best you’ve got.】
It spoke, swinging his sword a few times through the empty air, as if shaking off blood.
His movements were sharp, the sound of slicing air reaching even to us.
「I see. Looks like you’re pretty fired up.」
Axel stepped forward in response, raising his sword.
It was at that moment—
That Daisy raised her voice.
「…Hey, doesn’t that knight’s sword look a lot like my friend’s…?」
Prompted by Daisy’s words, Laurier’s eyes moved between Axel’s sword and the armored knight’s.
「It does, now that you mention it.」
The ornamental details were clearly different, but—
The texture of the blade’s metal, and the sense of magic contained within it—those were strikingly similar.
「That sword he’s carrying gives off the same overwhelming magic as Axel’s.」
「Yeah… They said mine was a sword granted by a god, after all. If he’s a god too, it wouldn’t be strange if he had a similar weapon. The way our blades clashed—it felt a lot like back then, when I clash the sword with the spear.」
That earlier blow—Axel must’ve noticed it then.
He accepted our speculation without any surprise. But in turn, that confirmed something outrageous.
「So this means you supposed to fight and defeat a god wielding a divine sword.」
Just saying it out loud makes it sound like something you’d rather not imagine.
In the first place, there are almost no cases where fighting a god ended well.
…Even in the Descent Festivals, where gods come to the mortal world to test their strength—those who could hold their own, even a little, were rare beyond rare…
And now, that’s what’s being asked of us.
【Show me, children of man. Show me the very limits of your mortal lives.】
Saying this, the armored knight once again advanced toward them.
But this time, it wasn’t a walk.
It was a full charge.
Splashing through the shallows, he rushed forward—and seeing that—
「Take down the armor, huh? Well then, guess I’ll take a crack at it.」
Axel stepped boldly out in front.
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