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Last Embryo Volume 7 Chapter 2 Part 2

However, this casually dressed woman has already shown that she was someone to be reckoned with during the search for the stone pillar inscriptions.

If she is a Game Maker dispatched by the Roman Catholic Church, then she must be careful as to not reveal too much information to her carelessly.

「Hi, Kudou Asuka-san. I believe this our first time talking like this?」

「… Yes. So if you don’t mind, can I ask you to introduce yourself?」

「Oops, excuse my rudeness. I am… for the time being, you can just call me Misha.」

Asuka felt that there was something more to it, but even if she asked she probably wouldn’t get an answer, so she allowed Misha to introduce herself while shrugging her shoulders.

Behind her, a boy with blond hair continued to stare at the training ground while holding two spears in his hands

「I’m sorry for suddenly calling out to you like that, but my friend here seems to be interested in the girl in the training ground. If you don’t mind, could you tell me more about her? You’re her friend, aren’t you?」

「Well, we are not really friends…」

Asuka hesitated when she was asked about that.

To tell you the truth, the relationship between Ayato and Asuka could best be described as… very complicated.

They are not a part of the same Community, and they are not blood relatives anymore. However, when asked if she’s a friend of hers, she honestly didn’t know how she should answer that question.

In terms of relationships, she feels like being friends with someone is the sign of extreme closeness, but her relationship with Ayato is not something that can be explained in a single sentence like that.

Alma, who senses Asuka’s feelings of hesitation, stood in front of her.

「As you can probably imagine, my master is on good terms with Ayato-san. Therefore, this should be more than enough information for you, since we cannot share anything important… is that okay with you?」

「No problem. By the way, I know that she is a Queen’s Knight.「

「You must have quite a good hearing if you learned that.」

Alma heightens her vigilance.

Few people know that Kudou Ayato is actually a Queen’s Knight. This is one of those pieces of information that would normally be inaccessible to anyone who did not personally knew her before they came to Atlantis.

However, before they could dive deeper into the subject, Alma was stopped by the blonde boy stopped her from staring a hole through Misha with her narrowed eyes.

「This discussion is a topic for later. We need to go now.」
Right as the boy said that, the atmosphere in the training ground changed.

The two in the middle of the ring still didn’t even move a single step, but the young man in the turban suddenly opened his mouth and declared:

「…I give up. In this current situation, none of us would be able to move a muscle. Thank you for showing me how big of a place the world is, young lady.」

The man in the turban laughed in a troubled manner. It seems that he concluded that if they cannot move easily, there was little sense in dragging this duel on. Ayato also broke into a cold sweat and smiled back at him.

「I may be young, but I am keenly aware of the vastness of the world. You are clearly stronger than me, and it is no exaggeration to say that you are the best martial artist I have ever met. This is the first time I’ve met a martial artist who surpasses even my sensei.」

「Haha, now that’s embarrassing. If you ask me, your own ability is too dazzling for such a young age, and it makes my head spin. I’m sure you have been blessed with a good teacher if they trained you to such an extent. By all means, I would love to have her teach me her ways as well.」

A young man in a turban spoke words of respect to Ayato’s sensei. His words sounded genuine and void of any falsehoods.
For some reason, a boy with double spears made a complex face when he heard that. Was he trying to be humble and hide his true abilities with that, or was that perhaps a sign of absolute confidence?

「…..」

Or maybe he really possesses an outspoken personality like that? However, with this, Ayato would end up despising herself as a warrior if she were to allow such an opponent to surrender without even making a first move.

Having made up her mind, Ayato released her articulated sword.

「Oh….Now this is quite peculiar.」

Her articulated sword draws many curves in the air as it filled the area with the sound of the wind cutting through it.

Like a meat-splitting mixer, its sharpness far surpasses that of a spear-axe. Even if the scorpion’s stinger fails to reach its prey’s head or belly, the snake’s body is still going to cause them harm.

This weapon is the one that does not allow the enemy on the receiving side of it any freedom of movement, an makes them pay the price if they decide to act foolishly without thinking their actions through.

It is a weapon that is truly worthy of being called its name: Serpens Scorpius Sword Flash. There is almost no strategy allowing to beat it and get close to its wielder in order to land a successful strike.

The brilliance of this technique is unlike the one she used when she rushed to beat Miss Uesugi in her previous training session with her.

(With the appearance of the giants, the danger level of this game has risen exponentially. I cannot allow myself to let my guard down. I have to do everything in y power to protect Suzuka and Homura-senpai!)

Ayato glared at her opponent with vigor and determination. If she wants to get her ordinary daily life back, then she cannot let her guard down for even a single second!

The young man in the turban also received her fighting spirit and finally became serious while looking back at her.

「… Ayato-san, was it? Are you really going to challenge the giants with this weapon?」

「…? Yes, that is what I intend to do.」

「If that is truly the case, then you should stop using this weapon. The compatibility between this weapon and the giants is the worst. If you decide to fight them while using it, then you won’t be able to save anyone, including yourself, so I recommend you challenge them with a different weapon.」

The words that he spoke might have left his mouth out of kindness, however, Ayato hasn’t cooled down enough to put down her beloved sword, which has helped her cross the line between life and death many times before.

Taking those words as a provocation aimed at her, Ayato silently moved her wrist backwards, allowing her Serpens Scorpius Sword Flash to bare its fangs.

In response to Ayato’s attack the young man in the turban took it from the front with his spear-axe.
When he flicked away the Serpens Scorpius Sword Flash that continuously attacked him from all directions, a violent metallic sound of weapon clashing against weapon began to resound throughout the entire training ground.

The young man managed to repel the attacks of Ayato’s beloved segmented sword, which attacked him with the speed of four consecutive attacks in a single breath with his blade or the handle of his spear-axe.

The young man in the turban effortlessly bounces off a series of her instantenous attacks, but Ayato didn’t mind that and simply continued to attack him without hesitation.

Asuka gasped at the incredible display of Ayato’s skill, and the woman who called herself Misha whistled in admiration of what she saw.

(Will this level of strength be enough for her to break through this stalemate?)

Both of them repeated the cycle of going back-and-forth with their offense and defense while scattering sparks all around them for a while. Before long, the number of warriors who noticed the battle between the two and began to gather around the training ground has increased as well.
The young man in the turban, who flipped the articulated sword with his spear-axe, raised his index finger and began lecturing Ayato on the weaknesses of her weapon of choice.

「Weakness number one: Your articulated sword draws a large arc, and it’s a type of weapon that shows its true potential after trapping the opponent in a cage-like sphere of about five meters. In other words, it can’t demonstrate its true value against giants. How are you going to make up for that glaring shortcoming?」

The maximum range of Ayato’s articulated sword is twenty meters, but the proper distance when creating a cage of blades around the enemy is five meters.