In the World of Midgar 117 — The Vampire Capital Mjolnir (6)

꒰ঌ The Vampire Capital Mjolnir 6

.

.

The aura Lucifen let off changed. Ruby felt it keenly, and she stopped attacking and put some distance between them. Up until now, she'd been attacking one-sidedly, but she'd never once thought she had the upper hand. After all, she knew that Ouzelia Lucifen's true strength was nothing like what she'd shown so far. The enemy and rival that Ruby had wanted, feared, loved, and chased after could never be so weak. That was why she was so sure that Lucifen would definitely show herself… And she finally had.

"You're here…!"

"Hmm…"

Lucifen's composed smile never broke as she stood up and gave Ruby a look before moving on to her surroundings. She moved as if she were looking at something nostalgic, which gave Ruby some pause before she quickly gave up thinking about it.

The important thing is the present and everything that is here. Lucifen is finally getting serious… I'm fine with just that.

"So it really was you. We knew you would be the one to wake us up."

"What…?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. We're just a little drowsy. We have been half-asleep up until now. Well, We expected all this, though."

Lucifen took a step forward. Following her lead, Ruby unconsciously took a step back, and she realized she was afraid of Lucifen.

That's right… This is the real Ouzelia Lucifen, the only one I respect and my feared enemy. She, Ouzelia Lucifen, has to be like this, Ruby strongly reminded herself. She took a step forward as if to make up for the one she'd taken back.

"Thanks to you, We are awake. That was a bit too extreme for a wake-up call, but it was perfect for us. We believed that you would be the one to smack us awake. That means it was worth coming here." Lucifen giggled as she extended her black wings. "We can't do this with Fiona or Anko. They're excellent in their own way, but We'd be able to deal with them even while half asleep." Lucifen paused. "We have to give you our thanks, Ruby." Lucifen gathered mana in both her hands. Both divine power and magic power circulated around her equally as she gathered more and more power.

There's no doubt. Right now, Lucifen is totally in the mood to go.

The Blackbird of Death, who once dominated the world one thousand years ago, overcame time to finally stand before Ruby. Her joy at that fact had Ruby's mouth curving upwards, and she once again ran off at almost the speed of light.

"AAAAAAAAARRGGHHH!"

With a war cry, Ruby charged at Lucifen at her maximum speed and with all the strength she had. This assault was nothing like how she'd been acting until now, trying to get a sense of what was up. Ruby was now focusing everything she had on this attack.

A normal person wouldn't even have been able to recognize they'd been attacked, let alone spot her before they died. Her strike occurred at basically the speed of light. The attack she'd used had once destroyed an entire continent, along with the monsters and grimmfolk on it. Ruby didn't hesitate to unleash that attack again, and after a moment's delay, a shockwave dissipated behind Lucifen.

The ground was gouged out and turned into a wasteland. The forest that had been behind her was completely destroyed, not a single trace left behind. Both the sea and the sky split, and even then, the wave of force didn't stop as it split the atmosphere too. Midgar wasn't the only casualty of Ruby's attack either. A single asteroid of around five kilometers in diameter that happened to have been close to Midgar suddenly and without any warning cracked, caving in on itself. After a few seconds, it completely disintegrated, turning into nothing but space dust.

Ruby's attack literally destroyed a heavenly body, of all things. Her strike was transcendent, fitting of the strongest of the Seven Maidens of Midgar. But the Rose Princess's all-out strike, which could even destroy an asteroid, was stopped by just the tip of Lucifen's finger.

The ground and even an asteroid behind Lucifen looked as disastrous as if they'd been hit directly, but the fingertip that'd taken the full brunt of Ruby's strike wasn't wounded at all. In fact, the attack hadn't even broken through a single layer of skin.

Ruby froze for an instant, but she quickly moved on to her second attack.

I knew this would happen. I expected it. Predicted it, even. Yeah, my opponent is none other than Ouzelia Lucifen. She's the only one to ever surpass me and the ultimate being, so it's only natural that she can do this much. It's a matter of course. She's a wall so high I can't see over it. That's exactly why she's so worthy of overcoming. She's worthy of challenging!

"WOOOOOOAAAAARRGGHH!"

Stronger, faster, sharper! The attacks Ruby unleashed with her magic-infused scythe were like a storm. Yet every single one of them was stopped by Lucifen, and Ruby wasn't able to hurt her even once.

Lucifen smiled kindly and raised her hand to Ruby's forehead. She flicked.

Ruby received a shock strong enough for her to believe her head had been snapped right off for a moment as she was blown backwards. The scenery passed by her in an instant, and suddenly Ruby saw the ocean and then land again. That was when Ruby finally flipped in midair and landed… and she realized that just that attack had forced her clean across the ocean and onto another continent.

What a huge gap in power… It's like this even under a full moon?! Ruby wiped the blood flowing from her forehead, and her mouth twisted upwards in a crazed laugh.

I've waited for so long… so long I almost got tired of it. She's worth surpassing. She's worth challenging. This isn't some fight where I'm guaranteed to win, so a victory is nothing special. I don't know if I can win this one… No, it's more like I have almost no chance of winning, so I'm challenging a tough enemy with all my strength.

Now this is a true fight! A true challenge! Right now, I'm experiencing firsthand what it's like to be a challenger, an underdog. Sure, I'm frustrated. But more than that, I'm happy. The opponent I've set my sights on really is incredible. And that fact brings me such bliss.

Those feelings were exactly why Ruby didn't falter at all. She kicked off the ground, just that causing it to crack, as she headed back to where her long awaited enemy was waiting.

Seeing that, Lucifen praised Ruby. "As expected. You didn't lose your nerve."

"What a foolish notion. Of course not. If I'd lost my nerve from that, I wouldn't have challenged you in the first place."

Lucifen thought fondly of Ruby's unending spirit as she looked over her own stats.

[ Black Emperor Ouzelia Lucifen ]

[Level]: 3000

[Race]: Flugel

[Class Levels]:

・Warrior: 200

・Swordmaster: 200

・Grappler: 200

・Champion: 200

・Monster Tamer: 200

・Alchemist: 200

・Ranger: 200

・Strider: 200

・Acolyte: 200

・Priest: 200

・Esper: 200

・Psychicer: 200

・Mage: 200

・Sorcerer: 200

・The Archenemy: 200

[HP]: 1805000

[SP]: 72290

[STR (Strength)]: 46600

[DEX (Dexterity)]: 29250

[VIT (Vitality)]: 40900

[INT (Intelligence)]: 34900

[AGI (Agility)]: 42334

[MND (Mind)]: 34650

[LUK (Luck)]: 27840

[Equipment]:

・Head: -

・Right arm: -

・Left arm: -

・Body: Bird of Sovereignty's Dress (Status condition nullification, HP

regeneration)

・Legs: Swift Horse Boots (Field movement speed up)

・Other: Cloak of Celestia (Halve all elemental damage)

Eighty… No, seventy percent, huh? After confirming her own stats, Lucifen realized that she was still far from being fully recovered. Still, this should be enough to fight Ruby.

In this world, level 1000 was normally the limit for people. That was the absolute rule set by the Goddess. As long as her rules were obeyed, there was no way to rise above that limit. Lucifen had managed to surpass that limitation, which meant that she had surpassed the restrictions the Goddess had made for the world. That ability was not limited to Lucifen alone. Ruby had done so as well, coming close to Lucifen's level. And for Lucifen, that was something to be happy about.

[ Rose Princess Rozelia Ruby ]

[Level]: 1500

[Race]: Vampire

[Class Levels]:

・Grappler: 200

・Champion: 200

・Assassin: 200

・Strider: 400

・Mage: 200

・Sorcerer: 200

・Necromancer: 100

[HP]: 705000

[SP]: 31430

[STR (Strength)]: 26112

[DEX (Dexterity)]: 10787

[VIT (Vitality)]: 14305

[INT (Intelligence)]: 14318

[AGI (Agility)]: 42001

[MND (Mind)]: 11295

[LUK (Luck)]: 10282

[Equipment]:

・Head: -

・Right arm: Scythe of Blackrose (Steals target's HP on hit)

・Left arm: -

・Body: Garments of the Immortal (HP regeneration)

・Legs: Silhouette of Black Shadow (Double evasion rate)

・Other: Cloak of Moonlit Night (Double HP regeneration speed during nighttime, ※Equippable only for vampires)

Seeing Ruby's stats, Lucifen felt true admiration, not scorn. While her stats couldn't be compared to Lucifen's, she'd still managed to free herself from the limits set by the Goddess. And even though she was being supported by the full moon, her combat ability could only be described as superb.

It was understandable that the grimmfolk weren't able to get past her. There was no way those who were still bound by the Goddess's rules would be able to face Ruby, who'd surpassed those rules. Ruby was now also qualified. She'd obtained the right to challenge the Goddess.

Still, she won't be able to win against me, and I don't feel like allowing her to win just yet either. But simply defeating her when she's waited so admirably and earnestly these one thousand years would be too pitiful. There wouldn't be any reward in it. It'd be way too rude to delay our date all this time and not even give her a present for it.

There's only one thing for us to do, and that's to use all my might to mercilessly and relentlessly beat her until there's nothing left. I won't resort to any petty tricks like my Pressure. She'd probably be able to ignore skills like that, but her movements should still be dulled if I use it. Winning like that would be just too boorish… It wouldn't make for a good reward for her.

I'm going to accept all that Ruby can put out and overwhelm her anyway. That will serve as the best thanks, the best show of my respect, and the best present to her.

"Be proud, Ruby. You are worthy of our best. Thus, We will need a weapon worthy of you."

Lucifen paid Ruby a sincere compliment as she raised her hand. Both divine power and magic mixed together inside it. The two different powers clashed, warping the world created by the Goddess and ripping a hole in it. The hole in the world became a gate, and it temporarily connected two different places, effectively making their distance nothing.

"Come, my weapon, through this Xgate."

It was a summoning by the Black Emperor. Responding to that, Heart Tower, which rose high into the sky in a faraway land, started to rumble.

.

.