I was going to cut off his head, but he quickly let go of his greatsword and avoided me, so I only cut off two of his arms. By letting go of his weapon, Gillista became lighter and escaped from the bad foothold.

"Well, well, well, I'm beaten. I guess I'm lucky I still have my head.
"Looks like you still have some time left. But you can't hold a weapon with your hands. Or do you have a way to heal your arm like the chain of Exoik?
I can heal your arm, but it'll take time and you'll have to wash the fallen arm, so it's hard to do right here.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing.

I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm fine with losing. If you want your life, I'll give you a shot.

　Her will to fight is certainly gone. I should put a stop to it, but Parshero is starting to get serious. This is a Gillista who originally specializes in defense. He may not have the skill, but he can at least buy time. Wulfe's life is at stake if he loses time here. Fortunately, he has Lakra to protect him. So even if they try to play a trick on him, he should be able to handle it.

If you want to run, do it. Any funny moves and I'll put a bullet in your head.
I'll be watching. I'll see to it. If it looks like we're going to lose to Pershoro, I'll run.

　He left Gilista behind and headed for the battle between Wolfe and Parshero.

　--------------------------------------

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea. It's no wonder, the flames that Pershero is wearing have the property of igniting other magic.
　Not to mention the fact that Parshero's attacks are not easy. Even when defended by the flame-wrapped arms, the wolfe will ignite. In particular, both arms are filled with a certain amount of magic power to harden the body. In the case of the Urfe, which is still in its early stages of training, it is able to maintain a high level of hardness by forcing a huge amount of magic power into it. But this time, it is even more dangerous. It's like fighting with your whole body covered in kerosene. However, if you try to reduce the magic power and push it in, your physical ability and defense will drop all at once, and you will be beaten to death.
　The fact that he was able to avoid Parshuro's attacks was due to the fact that he was in good shape. In the early stages of the battle, his gear has risen to the top level. In terms of the degree of magical enhancement, Wolfe's gear surpasses that of Parshero. In terms of simple physical ability, he is second only to Ilias among the people in this square. As you can see, his high specs and his concentration, sharpened over time, can be used for evasion.

"Don't fly around like a fly, you little bastard!　You're boring us with your defensive maneuvers.
"Well, I'll go on the offensive then.

　Parshero blocks Ilias' attack as he dives at him. I'm not going to let him get away with it.

I'll let you know what happens.　It's chivalrous of you to interfere in a one-on-one duel.
"Say what you will. I'm not sure what to say.

　Parshero evades the next attack by flying backwards. The black flames ignited Ilias' sword as it was defended by the black flames.

"Hmph!

　But Ilias shakes off the black flames with a swing of his sword.

"Wow, you're really handy, Ilias. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.
"Thanks for the explanation, Rakura. It seems that Ilias has a good grasp of the characteristics of that flame.

　I'd like to say the same to Wolfe, but Wolfe's weapon is a gauntlet. Once it ignites, it'll be hard to shake off. Plus, the Iliad's skill is what makes it work. A weapon as long as a spear would be preferable, if Wolfe had the sense to imitate it overnight.

"Well, I don't care if there are two or three of you, you trash, you'll be at a good disadvantage.

　Parshero beckoned to him, provoking him. You'll be at a good disadvantage." Parshero beckoned and challenged, his expression unchanged even in the face of the Iliad. Without waiting for a reply, the Iliad launches an attack.
　Parshero avoids it, but it is Wolfe who jumps in from behind Ilias.

"You think you're so clever, you idiot, burn!

　Urfe's fist is defended by a gauntlet of black flame, and Urfe immediately breaks away. The fist was thought to have ignited, but the flames did not spread.

It's a trick, you trash, your knight's trick.
It's not like warding is the exclusive domain of Lakra.

　Ilias places a ward on the surface of Wolfe's gauntlet. I'm sure you've heard of it, but I'm not sure you've seen it. It's a one-time barrier, and it can't be reapplied unless Ilias and Wolfe make contact, but it certainly increases the number of moves.

I'll jump in. Wolfe, avoid getting counterattacked and attack with precision.
"Yes!

　They were an impromptu tag team, but they knew each other's strengths and moves. You'll be able to find a lot more information on this site. ...... It's about time. You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

Now.



　Clap your hands together. But there was no indication that anyone would react to this sound. But there was a change in the fight.

"Well, well, well. Burn to the ground, you little bastards!

　Parshero stomped on the earth. Pershusro stomped on the earth and black flames flared around him. Ilias and Wolfe, who had jumped into the air, quickly dove for cover. But Pershusro's kick, which came out of the black flames, hits Ilias.

"Agh!

　He must have been warding his own surface as well. It ignited for a moment, but the flame was extinguished. However, there is a huge difference between Lakra's defense and mine. It was originally designed to prevent the inhalation of poisonous mists. It is not effective in combat.
　Parshuro's fighting style has changed recently. He has changed his fighting style from using his fists with the gauntlet to using his footwork. The amount of black flame generated is less than that of his arms, but the threat is still there.
　Immediately, Parshero attempted to follow up on Ilias. Ilias is being overwhelmed by a flurry of footwork.

"What happened to your earlier bravado? You're on the defensive, b*tc*!
"Don't underestimate me!

　As soon as Ilias defended against the tenth kick, he launched a counterattack. It seems that he is adapting to the new style of Pershing. ......, but it's not so sweet. He claps his hands together.

Ilias, back off!
Don't be naive!　Don't be naive. Die, you f*cking idiot!

　Parshero thrusts his fist toward Ilias. Ilias quickly moved away, as if he sensed something in Urfe's warning, even though he was not within range.
　Instantly, black flames shot out at the spot where Ilias had been. After a fist and a kick, he now switched to an emission.

"Wow, that's a lot of functions, Parshero.
"Parshuro. But he's a real pain in the ass.

　The battle grew more and more intense. Parshero and Ilias took turns attacking, and Wolfe tried to take advantage. But they can't make a move on Pershusro. They could not create any.
　Ilias's sense of combat is very good. After a few rounds of fighting, he became accustomed to Pershero's movements and shifted from defense to attack. However, as soon as Ilias tried to go on the offensive, Parshero would change his attack.
　He manipulated and released flames like a flamethrower, and then created a flaming sword and slashed with it like a knight. As soon as he gets used to the flaming sword, he creates flaming claws on both arms and attacks with a new fighting style. Not only does he have a new fighting style, but he occasionally reverts to a style he has shown in the past.

Parshuro's basic strength is astounding, but the most annoying thing about him is his fickleness. He does not maintain the same style, but changes his stance on a whim. It's a tough opponent for Ilias and Wolfe, who can gear up while watching their opponent's moves.
"That's true. By the way, what are you doing with your hands?
Lacula! Front warding only!
Yes!

　The moment Lakra put up the wards, black flames flew towards us.

I'm not sure what to say.　I'm not sure what to do.
I'm sure you'll be angry if you're distracted by the crackling. The wards are on fire!

　It seems that they've read what we're doing. If you do it enough times, they'll notice, but ...... is enough.

"-Iliad, attention!
Ah!

　Wolfe's warning, followed by a change in Parshero's attack strategy.

"You're annoying me, you son of a b*tc*!　You've got no idea!

　Pershero's expression of composure is gone. Wolfe already understands the signs that Pershero is about to switch.
　He had been clapping his hands earlier in order to make Wolfe and Ilias aware of it. Parshero is extremely moody, his tone and style. He even switches moods. But just before he switches, he has his own habits.
　The condition for switching moods is a major change in surroundings. This is the case with the defeats of Ecdysius and Gillista. As for the change in tone, it's when you catch your breath or break your words.
　Of course, there are also signs of a change in fighting style. These are hard to detect on the surface. But I've already taken the time to observe. It is not so difficult to read someone's mood as it is to read their mind.
　However, it was risky to communicate it verbally, since our reflexes were slow and it could cause confusion. That's why he used handclaps, a reflexive imprint on Wolfe and the others. The moment he sensed a sign of a switch, he would clap his hands, and Parshero's movements would change.
　By repeating this, Wolfe was able to watch him carefully at the moment when Pershero's mood switched. Urfe's concentration was now in top gear, and he had trained himself to respond repeatedly in that situation.



Oh, shit!
Get out of the way, you little fish! You're in my way, you little ......!

　The frequency of Wolfe's attacks gradually increased. As long as he can see when Parshero is switching his attack methods, his accident rate will decrease dramatically.
　The more moves Wolfe makes, the more freedom Ilias will naturally have to move.

I'm not going to let you do it.
I won't let you!

　The moment Parshero's attack switches from a kick to a fist, Wolfe's foot strike hits him. He quickly regained his stance, but his attack was still able to hit.
　It seems that Parshuro is now able to anticipate not only the timing of style changes, but also some styles.
　Parshuro's strength is his ability to change his attacks as he pleases. However, the disadvantage is that he is also moody. The fact that he changes his mood means that he is not in the right mood at the right time. In other words, Parshero cannot act contrary to his current mood.
　When he is in the mood for a fist, he must use a fist, and when he is in the mood for a kick, he must use a kick. The fact that you can play rock-paper-scissors in ten different ways is meaningless if you are read before you play. Parshuro understands this, but he cannot change it. If you try to change it...

"What's the matter? You can't attack me with that kind of carelessness!
d*mn it!

　Your body and mind will be out of synch, and you won't be able to attack at a high level. At this point, you can aim for that move by Wolfe. A risky but decisive move.

"This is it!

　Wolfe thrusts out his right fist in a big swing. But Pershero shifts his body slightly to the left to avoid it.

You can't hit me with a swing that big, you're getting carried away.

　A dull thud echoed through the air. Parshero's body spins in midair. He bounces up and down, slamming into the ground as if he had been hit by a full-blown blow.

"...... That's it!
You did it, Wolfe!

　I'm not sure what to make of this. The protector around his fist was not for protection, but as a jet.
　The explosive power of Wolfe's magic has already been proven in his battle with the dark side. He turned that explosive power into propulsion by spewing it from a certain direction.
　Wolfe deliberately swung his right fist in a large swing, causing Parshero to evade inward. At that moment, the magic power stored in the gauntlet exploded, and a huge amount of magic power was released from the jet, and the right fist changed its trajectory as if it had burst.
　This technique is very dangerous. If this follow-up attack was avoided, Wolfe would lose his stance.
　If you strike a blow with all your might from a correct posture, your body will be ready for the next action. However, if the blow is struck from an unstable position, the body will not be able to hold its ground at all. During the trial run, I fell down and hurt my shoulder lightly.
　If you lower the power, you might be able to handle it, but then it would just be an irregular hook. It was the second high speed straight after the arm was fully extended that made it so unexpected and so powerful. Parshero was blown away and got up to catch himself. But he immediately fell to his knees.

d*mn it!　I didn't expect to be outdone by a subhuman. ......!
Ilias was right.

　Ilias is right, his knees won't stop shaking. His knees were shaking and he was struck in the head by a blow that would have killed him. The fact that he was conscious was more than enough. Parshuro probably couldn't even stand up.

"You've got to be kidding! You can't admit defeat with a wound like this. ......!

　Parshero grits his teeth and stands up. But it was obvious that he was weakening. You'll be able to move around after a while, but for now, you'll probably only be able to shoot out black flames.

"Well, well, well. You can just admit defeat, can't you?
"Shut up, Gillista, you're a useless piece of trash to begin with! I'm sure this is what happened to you. ......! I'm sure you're not the only one.

　I'm not sure what to make of it. You'll be able to find a lot more information on this subject in the following article.

You can't fight here with a wound like that, even if it's not fatal.
"Shut up, a**h*le!　I'm not going to let you get away with this.

　Parshero flies a black flame. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

It's a good thing I'm not the only one. Let's settle this.　

　Ilias holds up his sword. I have no doubt that the next round will decide the outcome.

"Oh, I'm tired of this. I'll finish you off as you wish!

　Suddenly, black flames burst into the air around us. Your body is engulfed in flames, and it's very hot. But it doesn't feel like you're actually being burned. It's intentionally suppressed, I guess.
　Parshero had done something to my clothes before I got here. It's a trick.

"Shh!


"Shoushou-sama! There's no way ...... you've been planning this all along!
I'm not going to let you get away with this. I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.
Are you that outrageous, you bastard!
Don't provoke me too much. It takes a lot of effort to keep him alive. You can't move, Exoik, but come here!

　Eckdropped towards Pershusro, who was looking at the situation.

What are you going to do, Pershero?
"What are you going to do, Pershero?" "I can't take much more of this fight, so I'm going to run. But that's not enough, is it?　They've come to save this man from certain death. Then I hope one or two of you will die!　
"......
Yeah, I'll kill that white kid next time! I'll kill the white boy next time, so kill Ilias Lazzell, and if he resists, the man will be burnt to a crisp!
You have no credibility. I don't think they'd be willing to die in exchange for the man's life.
No problem! I know she's guarding the man. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

　Ilias closed his mouth with a regretful expression. Iliad is closing his mouth with a look of regret. He looks as if he would seriously accept the offer of my life.

I'm sure you're not the only one.
"You're a priest and you're preaching to the choir, you're disgusting! If you are serious about your speech, then you should die first. If you're serious about your sermon, you'd better die first. I'll show you the pride of the powerful!

　It's too convenient to let Lakra take the fall. It's too convenient. You've just taken one man hostage and you want to escape or even win?
　You can't help but laugh.

I can't help but laugh.

　Parshero still doesn't understand what happened to him. He doesn't know why he coughed up blood, what the chain sticking out of his chest means, or the value of the organ he's strapped to.
　But you're not an ignorant fool, and you're about to find out. You've been mortally wounded by Exoik's chains.
　The flames that had surrounded us were dying down as if they were linked to the light of his life.

You'll be able to see that the man was right.
The man was right about everything. He's a miserable man.

　It's the kind of thing a villain would do to give you a souvenir of his death, but he's the kind of guy who holds people hostage. Let him have at least one regret.

"Lacula, can't you put out this flame completely now?
"Uh, yes, yes, yes.

　"Yes, yes, yes." "Have Rakhula extinguish the remaining flame. Now there's no more last ditch effort.
　You walk towards Exequik and Parshero, who is on his knees again. You don't need to get that close. The sound of his voice is enough.

"I know you don't like the idea of dying without knowing, so I'll explain it to you, Parshero. Ecduke betrayed you. He made you do it.
You know, you don't really ...... look like that.
Yeah, actually, Exoik was on your side right up until the last minute. Until the moment you got greedy and told him to kill Lakra.

　There was no doubt in my mind that the Iliad could beat Gilista in this battle. If Wolfe could buy time, join up with Ilias, and take advantage of Parshero's habits, he had a good chance of winning.
　The only uncertainty was the battle between Ekduik and Lakra. He also knew that, given Pershero's moodiness, if he were to lose, he would do whatever it took to win. That's why I planted the seeds of rebellion in Eckdruk.

"Ecdysium, for you, victory means defending your father's honor. You were raised and empowered by your father, and if you can defeat Lakra in a one-on-one match, you may indeed protect that honor. But keep in mind that your honor will be better protected if you lose.
"What do you mean?
What you win proves is that your father is well educated. But there must be another way to prove your father's strength. That is to carry Lakra. If you can raise Lakra to the point where your father, the demon, deserves to be defeated, then your honor will be more firmly protected. Even the demon king has been defeated by a hero.
"Do you think I'll give up my revenge because of that?
No, so you should fight fair and square with all your might. But if you lose, you should reconsider your course of action. I'll give you another warning. Even if you win, there are times when your father's honor will fall. Do you know when that is?
That can't happen. Winning proves my father's greatness.
Only if you win on your own merits. What if Lakra is defeated by you in some unprovoked way?　Would you call that a victory?　I wouldn't call it a victory. And if it's through the use of hostages, what does that prove about the man who won such a victory?
"You want me to release ......?
I'm sure you'll be able to understand that. You're not wrong. But what about the others, especially the moody Parshero? He could use the hostages to his advantage. Now imagine this. Parshero used the hostages so you could unilaterally kill Lakra. Now what will the world think of you and your father when it finds out?


"......
"I have no intention of running away. I'm not going to run away, but if you release me from my restraints, I promise I'll be there with you and Lakra to watch the game. If you win, that's fine. If you lose, you don't have to worry about Pershero using you. No problem, right?
"Yeah, okay.
"But still, if something happens, I can't help you. Just remember, if anyone tries to undermine you or your father, you're the only one who can get rid of them.
"Why do you care so much?
It's always tempting to support those who can make sense of things, whether they're righteous or evil. What you did to protect your father's honor was right and should be done no matter what form it takes. Your feelings should not be tainted. You must protect the value of what you hold in your heart.

　Eckdruk's anger towards Lakra, his father's avenger, was a little different from that of someone whose family had been taken from him. He had lived his life nurtured only by anger towards those who had abandoned him. But the demon who taught him this was defeated by Lakra. At that point, Exarch has lost sight of what is right.
　Not wanting to believe that everything he had gained was worthless, he sought the rightness of his father. But the voices around him are cold. A demon defeated by an incompetent like Lakra has no value.
　If his father is worthless, then even he is worthless. That's why he decided to take revenge on Lakra. But at the same time, it's also to measure Lakra's worth. So I prepared an escape route, which is to evaluate Lakra. If we can recognize Lakra, then Exarch can move on. There is no need to block other paths of escape. The more options he has, the more comfortable he is.
　And finally, he impressed the one who would ruin them all. Exdoik was defeated by Lakra. At this point, Ecdysius was forced to accept Lakra. But what would happen if he could kill Lakra effortlessly?
　It would completely diminish the value of Exoik's past. So it was only natural that Eckdruk would betray Pershusro, who had taken a strong stand.

I'm sorry, Parshero. If Eckdruk hadn't been so proud, this would have happened to someone else. And I don't trust moody people. See, I'm moody too, you know? I hope you've given up on homophobia.
"Don't ...... with me, ...... you, ...... you!
Yeah, but your moodiness was, shall we say, ...... easy to understand.