"d*mn it, what the hell?

　I'm confused by the sudden darkening of my vision.

　The darkness of the room hasn't changed.
　I can tell that from the Dimension.
　However, the perceived darkness has increased markedly.

　It's as if my standards for brightness and darkness were being played with.

　The information I pick up from the Dimension is also covered with a thin curtain of black, so I understand that this is not physical blackness, but mental blackness.

'My alias is 'the one who steals the truth of darkness'. But it's not called that because I control the darkness. What I'm good at is manipulating the darkness of people's minds. I'm a monster that specializes in state disorders and mental attacks.

　I can hear Tida's boastful voice from the depths of the darkness.
　She doesn't speak to her weaknesses, but I still appreciate this lightness of speech. It makes me more annoyed, but it doesn't decrease, and there's a chance I can find a chance to win from my mouth.

　Darkness. Abnormalities. Mental attack.
　Soon I'm digging out the game-like resolution I can associate with that group of words.

'Huh, you've touched me too much: ......'

　Tida pointed out my bypass.
　As soon as she did, the black liquid on my body began to stir. I brush it away as far as I can reach, but as I do so, Tida seems to have finished repairing my body.

　A figure can be seen behind the thickening darkness.
　Vision is no longer useful. The 《Dimension》 only gives me a sense that there is still a distance between me and the figure.

　The game-like thoughts I dug up determine my actions.
　I focus on myself, not the dark figure.


[Status]
　State: confusion 5.29, mental pollution 1.00, darkness 1.00


　I knew that kind of thing: ......!

'Come on, boy. Second round. ......!

　I would like to contemplate my status more, but I don't have time to catch my breath before I hear voices and shadows looming over me.

'I can still see the shadows!

　I had no choice but to slash at the figure in front of me.

Huh. That's a lackluster slash.

　But, of course, I didn't feel the slashing of a person's shadow.
　On the contrary, heat lit up my left shoulder.
　I understood that I was slashed through by the enemy's attack and roared.

''Kuu--!
Well, we have a deal again. I'm in. I'm in. --Magic, Heart, Variable, Paralyze, Foot.

　Then Tida made a sound like snapping her fingers.
　At that moment, I felt as if my feet weren't mine - and my knees collapsed.

'--what?'

　I didn't know what had happened.
　As soon as Tida declared her magic, I poked her in the knee.
　In response, I immediately tried to regain my strength.
　But I don't know how to put my strength--I don't know how to stand up (・・・・・・・) (・・・・・).


[Status]
　State: confusion 5.30 mental pollution 2.00 darkness 1.00 part paralysis (・・・・) 1.00 bleeding 0.31


　As soon as the meaning of this is confirmed by the 'display', Tida's shadow slowly approaches.

'It's hard to do magic this powerful, though, without my mud sticking to it. ...... but I guess that's it for you now.


　There was no way to counter it.
　My MP is also low due to the continuous attacks I just made.

　--I'm scared...

　I'm scared to death.
　An extraordinary fear takes over my body.
　The darkness that clings to me accelerates it.

　Tida said it takes away my experience of the darkness.
　It was like crying in the middle of the night for no reason as a child. The darkness frightened me every night, and I would think about death and get anxious. Such an unidentified, enormous darkness fills my mind.

''--Uh, uhhhhhh!　Don't come any closer to me!

　I screamed like a child.

'Fear' has taken hold of you, too. You too seem to be a weak mind consumed by the darkness ....... I had high hopes for your talents, but your spirit is not worthy of recognition.

　A cold voice replies.
　Instead of the happy voice I had just heard, it's a voice that seems to be willing to cut off the heads of livestock.

''-- 《Flame Arrow》!

　A flash of light flashed in the darkness as his voice was interrupted.
　It was Dia's magic.

'Christ, are you okay!

　Deere rushes over to me, worried about my devastation.

　There's no way I'm going to be okay.
　I can't fight like this.
　I can't win this fight by myself.
　I must somehow break Tida's spell.
　I know in my head that I have to break the spell.

　But my body won't stop shaking.

'Ah, there's the dainty you, too. The strategy is all about people and magic. You're not a threat on your own. Well, if that magic is all you have to do, you can take away three letters or so and be done with it. Not to mention taking away your voice.
What a mess!　Stay away from Christ!　"Frey--, huh?

　I can see Dia's dismay at the end of the darkness.
　If it was as Tida said, Dia was 'silenced'.

　Against a typical state-centric boss, the magic-specialized Dia is not a good match.

　We have to hurry. ......
　You have to deal with this spirit magic and spirit .......
　Spirit ......?　That's right. If you say this is working on the psyche: ......--

'Frey, Fre--, d*mn it, I could have said it before!　Why one word!
A wizard who can't even say a word without a chant is no match for a wizard.

　Dark.

　Very dark. Now I'm dark. It's dark.
　Dark cry, dark cry, dark...!　Dark, scary, scary, dying, dying, I don't want to die, I don't want it to end, in such a backwater, the family I left behind, my sister, she died alone and there's nothing left!　You're being unreasonable, don't screw around, don't screw around, you fuzzy little bastard!


A skill? ?" is out of control.
　Stabilize your mind in exchange for some emotion.
　There is a +1.00 correction to disruption


　--then, on the contrary, you can accelerate the anxiety and trigger that skill.

　With that 'display', the curtain of darkness faded and my mind stabilized.
　The experience of my legs won't fully return, but I'll force my feet to move.
　As long as the will to fight returns, there's still room for improvement.

　I thrust both of my trembling legs into the ground and pounce on Tida.

'Get away from Deer!'
What--?

　Tida was surprised to see me suddenly able to move, and she didn't dodge a stab from behind.
　My one-handed sword stabbed into Tida's back.

''-- Magic [Ice]!　Freeze!

　Furthermore, all of my freezing magic is released and drilled into me.

　The image is a rapid icing that emanates from the tip of the sword.
　The image refines the ice inside Tida's body and freezes it all further.

　All the remaining MP is poured into it. Naturally, her MP immediately drops to zero. But the magic continues. In the first place, I've never gotten confirmation that I can't use it if my MP goes to zero.

　And I understand.
　The missing MP is subtracted from 'life' - 'maximum HP'.


[Status]
　HP152/197 MP0/262
[Status]
　HP 140/190 MP0/262
[Status]
　HP128/183 MP0/262


　Amidst the diminishing numbers, I shout.

'Freeze!　Freeze, freeze, freeze--!

　I stake everything on this magic.
　I am going to squeeze all the power out of it and do the image of freezing.

　I'm going to create a cold wave across Antarctica, I'm going to suppress all the vibrations from the molecular level, all the vibrations, this monster called Tida, myself and everything--!　Explode the image that freezes everything--!

　Ice develops inside the Teada.
　The temperature in the room drops rapidly and the black liquid gradually transforms into a black solid.
　In the aftermath, my wound freezes as well.
　Sparks fly in my vision and the taste of iron fills my throat.

　And Tida's swinging arm strikes my defenseless cheek.

''--Goof!　That's pretty good!

　The distance between me and Tida leaves.

　Having been played, I regroup and glare at Tida.
　The skill '??' I'm not sure if it's because of the "?" skill, but both my vision and my mind have improved.
　My legs are gradually recovering.

　I'm not going to be able to get away with it.
　The skill "?". It varies.

''Hmph--, hahahahaha!　You're so good: ......!　How can you walk?　How can you stand up to them?　Oh, it's so good: ......!

　Tida's body is crunching with awkward movements as she speaks.

　It can be seen from that gesture that the freezing magic is working. However, it doesn't seem to be a decisive strike. Although awkwardly, it is trying to walk towards us.

　Feeling that I've done a blow job, I return my mouth without reducing it.

'Apparently, your signature magic ....... It doesn't seem to work on me .......

　I pretend to be comfortable, but the truth is that I'm dizzy with exhaustion that threatens to cut the blood vessels in my brain.
　Nevertheless, I do the best I can to keep up the bravado.

'No, I don't think so ......?　You were wandering around earlier, I saw that it would take some time to disable it.
'Come on ....... I wonder which one it is: .......

　Tida approaches me with a laugh.
　During the current conversation, I finish checking the status.


[Status]
　Name: Aikawa Uzumi HP101/171 MP0/262 Class.
　Level 6.
　Strength 4.12 Strength 4.21 Skill 5.11 Speed 7.24 Wisdom 7.23 Magic 11.43 Element 7.00　
　State: confusion 6.61 mental pollution 0.34 blood loss 0.31


　MP is 0.
　His HP has been reduced to nearly half, even though he has never taken a direct hit.
　The earlier reckless freezing magic must have severely harmed his body. But.

Magic Dimension.

　I further reduce my maximum HP.
　Using a slight magical aid, I intercept the laughing Tida.

''Haha, let's go!　Now, how do we get out!

　And then the deadly blade strikes.

　I catch Tida's blade with the belly of my sword just in time to catch Tida's blade.
　The power of this one's Dimension has been reduced, but Tida's movements are also getting worse with the freezing magic. I can still do it.

''You stopped it!　But if you touch it, the spirit magic is inevitable!　Now for the 'hands'!

　Tida keeps one hand on the blade, liquefying the shape of her other hand and sending it flying at me.
　I have my hands full as I receive the blade, and I let some of the liquid stick to my skin.

　And just as I declared, my hand's senses go haywire.
　I hold the sword in my hand and...

　Dead....
　If I drop the sword, I die.
　I'll die for sure. I'll die soon. Dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead... and yet we're not even close!


A skill? ?" is out of control.
　Stabilize your mind in exchange for some emotion.
　There is a +1.00 correction to disruption


　-- using the fear of death to bring the sword back up.
　And then he regains his grip on the sword.

'--Aaaaahhhhhhhh!

　Slip on Teada's blade.
　As it is, he tries to cut both sides of his enemy's frozen neck.

''Kuu--!

　Tida tries to stop it by solidifying her other hand, which had been liquefied.

　But it was too late.
　There was a definite gap between the liquid flying and the use of magic.
　I slashed off that arm before it could solidify.

　I cut off the tip of Tida's elbow, which was nearly frozen.

　The severed arm flies through the air.
　Understanding this, Tida leaps backwards with a huge leap. Then she caught her own arm in the air.

''Do it!　Hahaha, you really can't make my magic work!　This is why I can't get enough!

　Tida tries to liquefy the arm she received and put it back into her body. However, the frozen part does not liquefy and only about half of it is returned to the body.
　He throws away the frozen part and he hears the sound of ice cracking with a crunch.

'It looks like that part won't come back once it's frozen: ......
'Hmmm, what do you think?　You'll find out about that in the fight.
'Yes!　I will!

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get my hands on it.

'But even I'm used to having my magic resisted. Those wizards are often only able to do certain resists: ......!

　Saying that, Tida sends the liquid from her opposite arm flying at me while holding her blade at the ready.
　I'm not going to be able to get away with it because of the skill "? I'm not going to be the only one who's going to be able to do that.

''Your power, but ...... above all, your 'calmness,' 'feint,' 'judgment,' and 'observation' are a hindrance.

　Tida laughs as she distances herself from me.

　And then something unusual happens to me.
　It's a sensation of suddenly losing my vertigo and clearing my head.

　I try to trigger the skill "? I try to trigger the ?
　It's not a fatal mental condition.
　It's not a fatal state of mind, and even if I were to induce it, there would be a few gaps, so I wouldn't have to force myself to use it. I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it.

''Do it again!　I'll chop you up!　Tida!

　I unleash a sword strike on Tida.
　I slash at her again and again, and all of it is caught by the one-handed Tida.

'Simple as that!

　The gap is exploited and Tida kicks me away.
　I'm so close to being kicked away that I'm bleeding to death.
　With those emotions, I rush at Tida and try to swing my sword again, but--

'Christ!　Calm down!

　Deer, who was standing back, shouts.
　But that voice is just annoying.
　I'm almost ready to slice and dice that monster, but I don't want you to get in my way.

''I'm calm!
'Obviously, it's getting monotonous!　It's not normal with his spirit magic!

　Isn't that normal?

　I just barely contain my irritation and check the status.


【status】
　HP 92/169 MP0/262　
　State: confusion 7.61 mental pollution 2.35 bleeding 0.32 uplift (...) 2.01


　I check for mental pollution and uplift.
　I click my tongue and use the skill '??' with fear of death to trigger the skill ?


The skill "?? has gone out of control]
　Stabilize your mind in exchange for some emotion.
　There is a +1.00 correction to disruption


　But that doesn't stop the elation.
　The exhilaration in my head never goes away.
　The heat source of the will to fight continues to boil my head.


[Status]
　HP 92/169 MP0/262　
　State: confusion 8.61, mental pollution 0.08, bleeding 0.32, elation (...) 2.02.


　Uplift 2.02 doesn't go away.
　My skill '??' doesn't try to counteract the uplift.
　No, you don't recognize that this is a bad status?
　It was speculation and wishful thinking that it would counteract the bad status in the first place.

　The mysterious skill of increasing the confusion and leaving it in place '??' .
　Perhaps there was too much uncertainty to fight with this as a mainstay, even though I had no idea what the skill was.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get it right. But I won't give you time to settle down!

　Tida attacks me in confusion.

　She pounces on me with one hand, spraying black liquid with the other blade.

　There's no way I can fight while avoiding the liquid that's falling on me.
　I ignore the liquid and focus only on the blade.

'Are you sure?　--Mind Variable, Paranoia

　Magic permeates my body.
　My excitement builds and I lose all control.
　My blood boils and I want to continue slashing and tying with the powerful enemy in front of me.

''Kuu!''
'Good eye!　That's how humans are supposed to be!

　The body moves forward on its own.
　My body is too good to stop.
　My limp and simmering brain screams at me to defeat the enemy.

　Sure enough, the sword's speed is increasing ......!　It's getting more powerful: ......!　
　But I can't think of any techniques or tactics ......!　Wielding a sword feels too good to be true: ......!

　Sword and blade clash and strike again and again.
　And all the while, Tida's black liquid continues to invade me.

'Hey!　Isn't it great!　Clash of swords!　Deadly force and deadly force!　That's what it means to be alive!

　Tida speaks to me as if she were chanting.

　And there is a part of me that can't deny it.
　Now I can't help but enjoy fighting.

　Even if this is what Tida had in mind, I can't stop it.
　A head-on collision is always a shame.
　I can't think of retreating even though I don't have any more HP or MP.

''Hmph!　Hahahaha!

　The sound of Tida's laughter, the black liquid, invades me everywhere.

　It washes away everything.
　It's not harmful, on the contrary, it's a pleasant rinse.
　It's a pleasant rinse that cleanses my mind.

　It erases plans, calculations, and second-guessing.
　There is no need for pretense, advantage, or harm.
　There is only the battle at hand.

No, Christ!　Stay tuned!
Get out of my way!　Dear!

　I heard a voice of restraint from behind me.
　But I reflexively rejected it.

　I couldn't help but feel that everything that interfered with this happy time was like an enemy.

'Christ!

　A voice approaches from behind me.
　Still, I can't stop swinging my sword.

　My life is draining away.
　The longer it goes on, the worse my sword's sharpness becomes, and the worse my shape becomes.
　Still, I can't stop.

　Tida's blade continues to block my sword, and gradually only the enemy's blade gets closer and closer to my body.

　Eventually, my reckless attacks reach their limits.

　The decisive blade of Tida is swung at my neck.
　I was paying for my recklessness, and my body was losing strength.
　I had an opening.
　Aiming for the gap, the Teeda blade was sucked into my neck.

　Before I could reach it (・・・・), Deere's body interrupted me.

　I couldn't keep up with the too fast offense and defense, and I could see Dia in front of me, trying to protect me by letting her entire body jump in.

　-- followed by fresh blood dancing through the darkness.

　The first sword slashed Dia's torso into a kesa-slash.
　Still, Dia swung her own sword back at Tida.
　Naturally, Dia's slow sword flails emptily, and the second taiji sword slashes off his right arm holding the sword.

　Having lost his arm, Dia was unable to do anything, and crumbled down.

''Ah, ah, ......''

　The euphoria that had taken over me was extinguished in an instant.
　On the contrary, I even feel a chill as if an icicle has been inserted into my spinal cord.

　I recognize in slow motion that the 'stronghold of my heart' I've found is breaking down.
　In the middle of it all, the words I've been telling myself all along reverberate (refrain) in my head.

　Dia is a human from another world.
　She only uses it.
　If the situation arises, she will be used as a shield.
　It's wise to use it and discard it--

　--No!

　The one thing I cherished and treasured, not wanting to lose, is now about to be broken!

　That's why I can't forgive Tida for cutting down Dia.
　I can't forgive me for being protected by Dia.
　Two angry impulses tremble in my throat and I scream my name.

'Diaaaa--!

　Then, for a moment.
　For just a moment, I locked eyes with Dia.