I put my back into the wall and used detection magic on the crack. Somehow I managed to find the right path by repeating the process. Thanks to my instincts, my intuition works rather well in this kind of situation, thank goodness.
　But this scene was unexpected. I can't believe that Gladna and Mix were beaten up so badly.

Is Ritual really that strong? I'd say Gladona's stronger as far as detection magic goes.
You can think of me as your friend who can fight, and I'll be easy to understand!

　I've got goosebumps. I'm sure you'll be able to understand why. I'm sure it's partly because they can make good use of other people's power, but I've had more than one or two fantasies about what it would be like if they had the power.

And that sword is the rumored ......, uh, ......
"Dioicide! It's a holy sword that creates an illusion of itself, also known as the Slash of Two Choices!
Oh, yes, yes, yes. I love it. My whirlpool club is handmade.

　In addition, his right arm is possessed by a demon, so you can never tell which one is the bad guy. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it. You'll be able to get a lot more out of it. I just used too much magic to get here. You can only hit him once or twice, and if you want to take him seriously, you can only hit him once.

It looks like T'Douris couldn't stop you.
Why don't you at least ask him if he killed her? I mean, he's a guy who cares about you.
I can see it in your face. Thank you for letting her live, thank you.
"Thank you for keeping her alive. Well, just because you let your friends live doesn't mean they're going to take it easy on you. ......!

　I'm going to jump in at once and attack. I'm not sure what to make of it. It's a good idea to take a look at the web site and see if you can find any useful information.
　You'll be able to find a lot more information on this site. This is a great way to make sure that you don't end up in a situation where you're not the only one. I see, if I misjudged the position of the sword, my own thrust alone would be quite dangerous.
　Moreover, my instincts didn't respond to the current counterattack. Just like the way Ts'douari tried to cut me down with a low-threat attack, he missed so that it wouldn't be fatal.

Aah! You've got a bad character, deliberately letting your attackers off the hook!
That's the most effective way to attack you. If I could kill you with a single blow, I would, but I don't think you'd allow that, would you? I'm going to take my time until you lose control of your body.
I'll take my time until I lose my freedom." "Of course you can do it yourself, you're the kind of guy who teaches Tskdari how to attack me. But, well, I've already come up with a solution for that!

　It's a good thing that it's easy to understand that you can never win in a psychological battle. It's easy to understand that you can never win in a psychological battle. You just have to attack honestly without using your head. I jumped in and attacked just as before.

"Mister Harkdock! Be a little more careful.
If I could do that, I would!

　As soon as you get within range of the whirlpool club, you feel a sharp pain in your leg. The previous stance was once again an illusion, and this time the sword was sticking out in a position to pierce my leg. But this was an attack that my instincts would not respond to. It's not fatal, just painful.

I'm not sure what to do.

　Ignoring the sword piercing his leg, he swings the whirling club. There's a response, that's right. You can't defend yourself with a sword while it's hitting me.
　The illusion in my vision disappeared and I could see the real Ritual. It was his right arm that was not holding the sword that was hit, and it seemed to have been hit cleanly and slackly.

One leg and one arm, not a bad deal.
Hark-dog, you're being reckless!
I'm not reckless. I can avoid a fatal wound. That's why this is the quickest way.

　You can do the same thing to Gladna and Mikus, cut their flesh and break their bones. But they have no way to avoid a fatal wound. If a thrusting sword pierced his throat or heart, that would be the end of the game. But I have instincts that will react to a potentially fatal attack.
　If it stays quiet, it's a signal from instinct to punch through.

"Oh, Hark-dog. I'm joining you. I can't do a suicide mission like you, but I can at least disrupt Ritual's concentration!
"Please, Gladona. I'm no match for you in terms of strength.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this. The fact that he was able to take the arm with a blow that he was able to strike while he was doing his little tricks was huge.
　Mikus and Masetta checked with their knives and magic, and Gradna and I jumped in together to attack at close range. Gladna will blow up the ground in front of us to keep us out of the sword's range and prevent Ritual from taking evasive action. Thank you, now all I have to do is go back to--?
　The instincts reacted and immediately stopped their rush and flew backwards. At the same time, the illusion of Ritual disappeared, and his real form appeared, swinging his sword. You can tell what kind of attack it was just from the way he swung his sword. He was going to chop my head off!

"So you can avoid it. That's a useful talent.
Don't be so eager to kill me! You're scaring me!


"That's why. A killing blow from a superior with the intent to kill, you'd have to stop the attack and avoid it, right?

　A cold sweat ran down my spine. Oh, man, he's already come up with another way. If it's a casual attack, you can fight back, but if it's a serious attack, it's impossible.
　And that sword is nothing compared to the poisonous knife that Tudori used. If you don't avoid it with all your might, you're sure to be killed. What's hard is that you can't go all out with your current state of fatigue. .......
　If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can always ask your doctor.
　That's it. It's not like he lost an arm because he was careless. I'm not sure what to make of this. He reduced my mobility to make this happen.
　Even if my instincts reacted, my movement wouldn't be enhanced. If my legs don't work when an attack comes that I have to evade using my legs,.......
　I'm sure you'll be glad to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

"Phew, phew, phew, phew, phew, ...... oops, that's how I like to breathe.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure you'll do fine. It's not like they'll give us that much time.
That's not the kind of time you want. Especially not with me.

　The diozide won't be effective against me, and he won't be able to attack safely himself. He won't hesitate to take a shot at you while you're healing.
　So what are you going to do, keep fighting until I can't move my legs? Then I'll end up dead from Lytal's counterattack. How are you going to strike a blow at him if you're moving in a way that doesn't strain your legs ......?

How about you stop that sword even if I'm dead, Hark-dog?
"Don't do it, old man, he'll read how you can stop it and die a dog's death. ......

　Oh, yeah, that's a good idea. But will it work? I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. It's a good idea to take a look at the actual information on the web, as well as the information on the internet.
　Make up your mind, Harkdock. The only thing you've got over the rest of us is your stinky determination.

　◇

　To get the most out of Diodecide, you have to give them options that betray their thoughts. By manipulating gaze, words, movement, and presence, you can make your opponent anticipate the outcome and aim for the opposite. My eyes have the power to do this.
　It was no mistake that I ordered Ts'doari to keep Harkdok away. This man can sense danger by instinct, and no amount of trickery will make sense to him.
　She knew that it would be difficult for the inferior T'Douris to defeat Harkdock, so she understood his characteristics and gave him an effective means to buy time. ...... She was still unable to hold Harkdock at bay.
　But it was worth her effort. By breaking up the Harkdock, I was able to wear down Gladna and Mix. Even if I could read their movements perfectly, they were both fierce enough to take me out with a single blow. Thanks to Ts'doari, I was able to greatly reduce their strength before Harkdok could join them, which was a great achievement.
　In addition, the fact that Harkdock's means of joining up with us was quite burdensome for him was also a boon for us. Looking at the amount of magic remaining in his body and the damage to his entire body, we can conclude that Harkdock's fatigue is equal to or greater than that of Gladna and Mikus.
　I have the advantage now, but some part of me is still worried. The cause is obvious.

"Does your arm hurt? I'm sure it hurts a lot more than mine.

　My talent is to understand the other person. That's why I was able to see through their evasions, even when dealing with Gradna and Mikus at the same time.
　Gladna seems to have a free style of fighting, but his movements reflect the patterns of his continuous training. He has a habit that even he is not aware of, and if you can detect it, you can read his actions before he moves.
　Mikus prefers to use attacks that catch her opponent off-guard, and she uses a variety of tricks during battle. However, all of her actions have an agenda, and if you are aware of that, it is easy to see through all of her tricks. Even with Masetta's magical support behind her, there is no way I can defeat her, as I am in complete control of how the two of them are.
　But this man, Harkdock, is different. He's not particularly strong, and I'm probably better than him in pure combat ability. He's a brawler, with an unrefined, haphazard fighting style that I find terrifying. No matter how much I read his thoughts, he will come up with something on the spot that he would never have thought of himself.
　A strong man has his own way of behaving based on the core of his being. I understand them and look beyond them, but ...... this man has no future. Even he doesn't know what he's going to do next.

It doesn't matter who is more seriously injured. The only thing that matters is which one of us wants to win more.
You're right. But then, Ritual, you're better than me because you have a purpose, right?

　The fact that you understand this shows that you're not just another thug. Yes, my fighting style depends on how greedy I am for victory.
　If Harkdok defies my expectations, I can go above and beyond. He is a man who has only followed the cause of the people of Yugra, while I have risked everything for ...... this battle.

I don't mean to be naive about the difference in resolve. I don't mean to be naive about the difference in resolve, but a fight is the result of what you've put into it. At least I've been building up since before you were born.
"Well, yeah. If I had a few more decades of training, would I have been as good as you?
Yes, you would have.

　Harkdock is on to something with this conversation. He's trying to catch his breath and do something for the next assault. Maybe it's Gladna, maybe it's the mix, or maybe it's the right-hand demon. Doesn't matter which, return the attack and his breathing will be erratic again.

"Well, enough with the legendary adventurer vouching for me. Let's go!

　Harkdok leaps several times on the spot, and then charges. The other three don't seem to move. Then how about the demon in his right arm? No response. He's staring straight at you.


　Use the power of diozide to create an illusion of the same posture and take a stance. Aiming for a perfectly timed counterattack, he would be unable to respond except by using his harddog instincts to evade.
　The Harkdock's talents can be tricky, but they can also be exploited. A low-threat attack can inflict wounds without causing a reaction, while a high-threat attack can force evasive action.
　No matter what you plan to do, if you unleash a precise attack with the intention of killing it instantly, the hulkdock will stop in its tracks. This assault also forces a sudden stop or a sudden change of direction, which can injure the leg and put additional stress on the mind.
　At the same time as I swung my sword, Harkdock made a sudden stop. But he was still in my sword's path, and I could not avoid him from there.
　My sword is about to reach Hark-dog's neck. And yet, he doesn't move from his spot. I'm not going to stop the sword, then this attack will be a killing blow. His instincts must be forcing him to take evasive action.
　No, don't waver. It's possible he's trying to upset you. If he doesn't evade, it's the perfect opportunity to finish him off. Keep swinging your sword!

"Agh!

　Diozide is flicked by an invisible impact. That impact is not something that can easily repel a slash. Even though it repelled Dioxide's slash, it still blew my body away.
　The impact nearly knocked me unconscious and paralyzed all my senses. The only thing that was normal was my thought process. What happened, did he cast a warding spell? There's no way he could have deployed such a high level of warding, and the three people in the back didn't show any signs of activating their magic.

"Hark-dog! Hark-dog! Are you okay?

　The voice I heard was Masetta's. It's not me who's been blown up, but him that they're worried about? I forcibly suppressed my shaken consciousness and returned my vision to normal.
　Seeing this scene, I understood what had happened. He had countered my counterattack with a further counterattack. He must have used the same technique he used to destroy the wall, and took a direct hit, albeit from the top of the dioicide.
　But the question is not what kind of attack, but how it was done. I had deployed the illusion of diozide, so Harkdok could not see me. But he timed it perfectly.

"......Gobble, he...... heh. It's ...... a .......
"Don't talk! Masetha, stop the bleeding!
I'm trying!

　Harkdock crumpled to the ground, under the healing spell of Masetha and Mixu's hands. Masetta was holding his throat, and her palm was bleeding profusely. The blow of my diozide had hit Harkdock. Or perhaps I should say that I was targeted at that moment.
　Of course, I had taken into account the possibility that he would try to counterattack. If he sensed that, he would immediately move away. But it wasn't even a counterattack that Harkdock was attempting. He wanted me to kill him first and then attack.
　He didn't even give off the scent of an attempted counterattack, but instead counterattacked after receiving an attack that would kill him instantly. If he had timed it even a little too late, his head would have gone flying and he would have ended up dead.

"G......ou......oh......!

　He clenched his teeth and used the diozide to raise his body. You'll be able to't move your body as much as you'd like thanks to the huge explosion of magic power at close range. But he had to get up, because if Mixu and Masetta were treating Harkdock, then that meant he was still--

"You're not ready for this, Lytal. I'm sure that's why they're so desperate. But you, you can't waste a young man's chance of winning with the intention of throwing away his own life, can you?

　Gladna's kick entered the arm that was holding Diozide. The bone snapped and Diozide was sent to the back of the corridor. His unsupported body slammed into the ground again, and his vision blurred once more.

"Gra......d......na......
"Rest now, Ritual. I'm sure you'll be glad you did, Oralia.

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.