I really didn\u2019t see her losing to Jiwu. If there was any concern, it was over whether she could actually control Yog-Sothoth, I suppose. So just for extra insurance, I sent an order over to Raphael.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Acknowledged. Beginning analysis of the enemy\u2019s possessed skill.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That should work, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, for now, I decided to watch the battle unfold, preparing myself to step in at any time if need be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Bernie was the first to react.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grasping his pendant, he funneled his strength into it once more. Then the pendant itself morphed, changing shape and turning into a spear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve never shown you this before, but spear combat\u2019s actually my specialty. Let me give you a little show before you die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After contemptuously declaring that to us all, he dropped down low and readied himself for combat. Then, without any spellcasting, he invoked some magic on his spear. This was Thunder Rain, a lightning-type magic\u2014a ranged attack, essentially, but all its energy was focused entirely on that spear. Pretty neat move, for sure, but not as much of a threat as I was imagining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru fought back, infusing Dark Flame into his own blade. The black flames entwined themselves around the crimson sword, giving off an enigmatic sparkle. Another fine move\u2014one that put him so high among the monster hierarchy that his command abilities seemed like just a nice bonus in comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then they both acted simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>I thought Bernie was only a magic-user, but his spear skills were incredible. All that bragging earlier really wasn\u2019t<\/em> just for show. Still, though, I was able to follow his movements with ease. What bothered me, though, was that Predict Future Attack still hadn\u2019t activated for me. Which meant\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Report. The subject Bernie\u2019s skill is preventing any interference.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah, I thought so. There was probably some kind of block on Jiwu, too, that prevented me from keeping up with her moves earlier. Both of them might\u2019ve had a skill that protected them from any outside interference, which was pretty helpful for them\u2026but what interested me more was what other sorts of skills they might have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru and Bernie were waging a pretty even battle. I saw no distress at all on Benimaru\u2019s face; he was keeping up with Bernie just fine. Bernie, meanwhile, was starting to look a tad irritated. Benimaru had more core strength, and that was giving him an edge. With the difference in equipped battle gear, I still thought this was Bernie\u2019s fight to win, so I could get it if he was frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGot some fight in you, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re<\/em> certainly a disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru\u2019s reply made Bernie visibly scowl. That must\u2019ve been an affront to his pride, because now he was glaring at Benimaru like he\u2019d killed his parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow\u2019s a monster get off saying that<\/em> to me? You gonna keep saying that once you get a taste of this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that shout, Bernie spun his spear around and attempted to get out of Benimaru\u2019s range. Keeping himself both defended and at the ready to strike, he stepped back in order to attempt a finisher. But Benimaru wasn\u2019t about to let him. He easily closed the distanced at once, expertly anticipating his moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was quite a sight. I knew Benimaru had been doing a little clandestine training of his own lately, but I had no idea he had grown to that<\/em> level\u2026 If you asked me, I\u2019d say his skills were even better than Hakuro\u2019s now. I mean, I thought Alberto was pretty fly <\/a>with a sword, but there was no doubt in my mind that Benimaru surpassed him. And the way he controlled his Dark Flame! He wasn\u2019t letting that stuff sweep him away at all. It was truly his own to handle, and I was amazed by it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The unique skill Born Leader granted him complete control over his own power, and you couldn\u2019t not have been impressed by it. I asked him not long ago whether Zegion was stronger than him, but looking at him perform now, I wasn\u2019t so sure who was on top of whom any longer. Depending on how things went, the goddess of victory could\u2019ve smiled at either one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cW-wow\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLemme just tell you right now, trying to fight power that<\/em> strong\u2019s just suicide, all right? And Rimuru\u2019s even stronger than that<\/em>, so maybe try not to mess around with me so much going forward, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cS-sure thing, Masayuki\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could hear Masayuki and Jinrai talking behind me. From their perspective, Benimaru and Bernie probably looked like a bunch of vague blurs in the air, jumping around in unpredictable directions. I\u2019m sure they could tell how awesome they were anyway, but too bad for them, I guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, I had been using Uriel\u2019s Absolute Defense to protect them both from any stray bullets\u2014or I suppose, stray explosive shock waves. But that was actually a lot tougher than it seemed. Bernie\u2019s ultimate skill was applying itself to all his attacks, so if I wasn\u2019t careful, he could absolutely bust through Absolute Defense. I mean, it was really Raphael\u2019s problem and not mine, but still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But enough about the pair behind me. I was more concerned about how Benimaru\u2019s fight would turn out. Apparently Bernie\u2019s finisher required him to be a certain distance away from his target to work. He\u2019d been trying to push Benimaru away from him for a little while now, no longer trying to hide his frustration. Benimaru, meanwhile, was the very picture of calm composure, coolly cornering Bernie and ever so gradually starting to land real wounds on him. At this rate, I thought his victory was just a matter of time\u2014but that turned out to be wishful thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>In the face of Benimaru\u2019s onslaught, Bernie found himself thrown off-balance. That momentary opening allowed Benimaru to slash him down with his Dark Flame\u2013infused blade. That should have been fatal, but Bernie just smirked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can\u2019t beat me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His face was bright as the sun, as if being cornered up to now was just a front\u2014like he\u2019d anticipated all this, or that we were all dancing in the palm of his hand, even. It was clear what had happened. Only an ultimate skill can counter an ultimate skill, and thanks to this ironclad rule, Benimaru\u2019s attack was canceled out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Bernie was the victorious one, while Benimaru\u2019s face twisted in frustration. He must\u2019ve thought that if his unique skills didn\u2019t work, his baseline swordplay would\u2026 But reality was crueler than that. His sword did<\/em> reach Bernie, but once again, his armor blocked it, preventing the blow from being fatal. Even worse, whatever damage it did<\/em> deal, Bernie promptly cast recovery magic to heal up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this rate, the only way for Benimaru to win was with a killing blow. He was the better swordfighter, but Bernie had the ultimate skill, making this an extremely uphill battle for him. He was\u2014really, for the first time I knew\u2014in a really tough situation, and before long, Bernie had him on the defensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n As Benimaru was put in that tight spot, Chloe was facing an unexpectedly tough bout of her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of sheer ability, Chloe was by far the best\u2014but Jiwu, a specialist at striking her foes\u2019 weak points, didn\u2019t even try to wage a typical swordfight against her. She was also doing things like putting up isolating barriers to keep Chloe from calling for backup or conjuring up toxic dark mist to blind her\u2014all these things to help give her a situational advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That sort of thing wouldn\u2019t work on the masked Chloe, but with Jiwu so intent on escaping her at every moment, she was having trouble catching her. Jiwu kept running away; Chloe kept chasing her; and the result was a very prolonged battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u2026But hey, unlike Benimaru, Chloe\u2019s got an ultimate skill, right? If she was more powerful than I<\/em> was, I didn\u2019t think she was about to lose to Jiwu. So I didn\u2019t pay them particularly close attention, assuming that everything was cool with Chloe, but apparently things weren\u2019t gonna go that easy. By the time Benimaru was thrown on the defensive, Chloe was facing some real trouble as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou sure love scampering away from me, huh?\u201d she said to Jiwu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course. Your sword\u2019s too dangerous. I have a hunch it could penetrate my defenses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jiwu was cautious. She was facing an unknown in Chloe, and she kept her head as she tried to deal with her. Chloe\u2019s Absolute Severance was a unique skill, but for some reason, it boasted so much power that you could feasibly call it an ultimate if you wanted to. Maybe Jiwu was just being modest when faced with its power, but no, a Legend-class suit of armor definitely wouldn\u2019t stop it. She even dealt damage to Veldora with it, so I\u2019d have to say that Jiwu was taking the right strategy here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou know running around all day won\u2019t beat me, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t deny that\u2026 But that\u2019s not the problem. I\u2019m not here to win; I\u2019m here to protect Bernie. And once he kills that ogre, we\u2019re both going to kill you next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wasn\u2019t about to take that sitting down, but then Jiwu started to get real<\/em> tricky with me. Every time I tried to join in the fray, she\u2019d start lobbing attacks at Labyrinth City behind me. The quarantined capital city was safely ensconced behind Masayuki and the others, but if any magic landed on them, I couldn\u2019t guess how much damage it\u2019d cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even worse, Jiwu was asking for Bernie\u2019s assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got too much unexpected trouble, Bernie. This woman\u2019s a lot more dangerous than I thought. She\u2019s too much to deal with alongside the demon lord Rimuru at the same time, so I want to play it safe. I need you to help me attack Labyrinth City to keep him from intervening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnderstood. I\u2019ll give you a hand when I\u2019m able.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Bernie joining in the potshots, that immediately doubled <\/a>my burden. Masayuki and Jinrai had Resurrection Bracelets, so they\u2019d be fine even in the worst-case scenario\u2026 But Labyrinth City was packed full of unwitting citizens. This was meant to be a safe space for them, and they wouldn\u2019t all be wearing bracelets at all times\u2014the adventurers evacuated in here would\u2019ve each had one, but not your average goblin on the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So now I had to not only keep the guys behind me safe from stray magic blasts; I also had to deal with Jiwu\u2019s and Bernie\u2019s harassment. All their attacks on the city were of the ranged type, so I could just swallow it up with Belzebuth, Lord of Gluttony, and that was that, but now I no longer had the free time to help Chloe at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like, seriously, man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good thing, then, that Chloe came here in time to help us out. If it were just Benimaru and me here, we might\u2019ve been defeated long ago. After all, Benimaru was only barely able to stave off Bernie\u2019s attacks. One false move, and he might be overwhelmed by them entirely, making it hard to keep his foe from attacking the city. The edge he had in absolute ability was what allowed him to keep this battle going, really. A single direct hit from Bernie\u2019s onslaught would instantly kill him, but Benimaru handled it all with a calm, studied demeanor. The tables might be turned skillwise at the moment, but I still thought Benimaru deserved a round of applause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, though\u2026 I thought of all these guys as little more than roadies for Masayuki, but they had some wild hidden abilities. In a way, the fact that they had deceived me for so long showed just how good they really were. Even Luminus didn\u2019t give these guys the time of day when she met them at the festival. I guess I can\u2019t blame myself\u2014okay, Raphael\u2014for overlooking them, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless, I\u2019d say we were in a pretty dire situation right now. In addition to everything else, my Thought Communication with Ramiris was cut off, so we were now forced to overcome this assault all by ourselves. And I guess Chloe could sense my anxiety, because she chose that moment to take a gamble\u2014and that led to an unforeseen blunder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf that\u2019s how it is, time to pull something out of my sleeve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If she had something to get us out of this situation, I\u2019d really love <\/a>to see it right about now. But for some reason, I had a bad premonition about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a single moment, the world went dark on me. All movement stopped, and I felt like someone had tied me up with rope. Unable to comprehend what happened, I realized I had experienced this feeling some time before. It was when Guy and Chloe were fighting, I think\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Report. The subject Chloe Aubert\u2019s life energy is confirmed to be falling. She appears to have failed to control her skill.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This was how having time stopped felt, I realized. Just as I did, Raphael spat out a warning\u2014and then I noticed Chloe was back in child form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhoa! Chloe?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, no way! This power\u2019s too inefficient for me to handle right now\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI told you it was too hard to control for long periods of time!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn\u2019t know what happened, but it was clear Chloe\u2019s \u201ctrick up her sleeve\u201d failed big-time. Even worse, it also gravely compromised Chloe\u2019s ability to fight. I guess she couldn\u2019t fully control Yog-Sothoth after all. She seemed to have it pretty well mastered in the last fight with Guy, but I guess that was mostly Guy\u2019s own power at work, with Chloe simply responding to it. That was still impressive enough, though\u2014if she wasn\u2019t able to move in that time-stopped world, it would\u2019ve been a one-sided whipping Guy dealt to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But a practice battle is different from a real one. It looked like Chloe could<\/em> still stop time for a moment, but it consumed a vast amount of energy. The proof was all in her current child form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See, this is exactly why using untested powers on the spur of the moment like this is such a problem! It\u2019d be a completely different story if she had full control over Yog-Sothoth, but not even Raphael had completed its analysis of that move yet, so it was a bad mistake to count on a miracle there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Yo! Chloe! You okay?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>(I might be in a little trouble. I can go back to my original form, but it\u2019ll take a while before I\u2019m my usual self again\u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n She sounded frustrated through the Thought Communication. But at least things weren\u2019t completely dire. Chloe wasn\u2019t out of the battle permanently, which was a great relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what you were struggling to do, but you\u2019re wasting your time. You can\u2019t even figure out your own strength? You\u2019re even more of a shambles than I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHa-ha-ha! Well, that\u2019s just who she is. You<\/em> were just being too careful, Jiwu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jiwu and Bernie exchanged chuckles over Chloe\u2019s mistake. But just then, a voice boomed in my mind like a message from the heavens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Report. Analysis of the enemy\u2019s skills complete.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Damn! That was fast<\/em>!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It still hadn\u2019t wrapped up Chloe\u2019s Yog-Sothoth yet, but Bernie\u2019s and Jiwu\u2019s ultimate skills were apparently a piece of cake by comparison. I would\u2019ve been satisfied if we could have narrowed them down to a specific family of moves, even, but this was a happy miscalculation on my part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what\u2019s up? Lay it on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Report. The subjects Bernie and Jiwu share a great number of similarities in abilities, to the point that they can be considered virtually identical. Unique skills are just that\u2014skills borne from one\u2019s personal individuality\u2014and ultimate skills are born when a unique skill is brought past its set limits. But the fact that both of their skills are so similar indicates that\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026Are you saying Bernie and Jiwu borrowed<\/em> their power from somebody?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Affirmative. The possibility is believed to be very high.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>I see, I see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You know, I was thinking this was a little unnatural, too. If you want an ultimate skill, like, that\u2019s not the kinda thing you acquire with some half-hearted backyard effort. Even Hinata was stuck at the unique level with her arsenal, and overcomers like Granville and Luminus hadn\u2019t awakened any ultimates, either. I don\u2019t mean to sound like a prick, but these aren\u2019t the kind of clearance-rack abilities someone at Bernie\u2019s and Jiwu\u2019s level could just pick up out of nowhere. An ultimate skill borrows a lot of its characteristics from the person possessing it\u2014and while both were showing great obstruction and concealment skills, neither was using their power for anything beyond that. I was on the lookout this whole time, thinking they were hiding something\u2014but it looked like they weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Affirmative. They are demonstrating absolute superiority over magic and unique skills, as well as complete concealment of their own powers. These are the powers that have been loaned to the subject Bernie and the subject Jiwu. Calculating backward from their energy levels, neither are in any position to exercise more powers than these.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So I was correct when I figured there was nothing left?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You never do know how things will turn out until they\u2019re over<\/em>, I thought as I looked at the smiling Bernie and Jiwu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Benimaru! Chloe! I found the secret to their power. They\u2019re nasty opponents, but they\u2019re not unbeatable. I\u2019ve got an idea along those lines, but\u2014can you guys hear me out?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n They both agreed without a second thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Of course. If I could get a good slash in with my sword, I\u2019d have won this long ago\u2026 But he\u2019s a defensive specialist, and it\u2019s incredibly annoying.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru must\u2019ve been prepared to keep fighting like this for a long while to come, in order to keep himself from losing. Just keep your eyes on the prize; don\u2019t let your opponent\u2019s moves faze you. <\/a>Diablo and Shion were bound to return sooner or later, and they could go on the counterattack then. That\u2019s my Samurai General, all right\u2014calm no matter the situation and totally reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (I believe in you, too, Rimuru! I wanna make up for that mistake, so if you have a winning plan, I\u2019m game for it, no matter what!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chloe was up for this, too. Unlike Benimaru, her fight was one she could\u2019ve won if she wasn\u2019t in such a hurry. Absolute Severance could\u2019ve penetrated Jiwu\u2019s defenses, and in a one-on-one battle, the assassin would\u2019ve been no match for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, this was a good lesson for her. Now we all knew how inexperienced she was with her ultimate skill, but that was something she could work on in the future. I\u2019m sure that\u2019s gonna work itself out with practice, so for now, I had to focus on ending this battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Okay, here\u2019s the deal. I want to get Benimaru and I connected with a soul corridor. That way, I can lend him some of my powers.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n (I\u2019d be glad to borrow them. It\u2019s somewhat embarrassing to ask for your help here, Sir Rimuru, but anything beats being defeated. I promise I will bring you victory.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru gladly agreed. That was typical of him\u2014practicality always came ahead of pride. Besides, if our opponents were tapping into borrowed power, too, I didn\u2019t see any reason to be ashamed of it. Pound for pound, Benimaru was definitely the better fighter anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, I applied Absolute Severance to Benimaru\u2019s sword. This boasts pretty much the same performance as Chloe has access to. It\u2019s essentially the reverse of Absolute Defense, so both might be canceled out when clashed against each other, but against Bernie, this oughtta work well enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So that took care of Benimaru. Now for Chloe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Chloe\u2026 Chronoa\u2026 Listen to me. If you can keep on buying time for us, Benimaru\u2019s gonna beat Bernie, I promise. After that, here\u2019s how you\u2019ll deal with Jiwu\u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n For her, we\u2019d take the opposite pattern. Chloe was back in adult form, but far from her usual self strengthwise. It was better to take a safe approach with her to ensure we could seal the deal. She merely had to survive until Benimaru won, and all would be well. That was my idea, but:<\/p>\n\n\n\n