I shake off Dia's worried gaze at me and step out into the courtyard with Count Vicone.

''All right. We'll take the duel.

When I tell that big red-haired man that he's going to get a duel, he smiles with a hearty smile on his face.
　I was counting as I walked over to him.
　443 seconds to go.
　The two sides had already stopped fighting, as if the fierce battle they had just fought was a lie.
　That man had just blackmailed them and that was it. I can clearly see how substandard and feared he is.
　I finish walking a few hundred meters from the castle and face him on the flat ground with a clear view.

He's waiting for me with his red hair upside down and a two-handed spear in his hand, more than his height.
　Even at best, his muscular body was swollen to a bizarre degree with his S-ranked skill 【Berserk】, his eyes glowed faintly, his horns sprouted, and he looked like a demon.
　The fighting qi he wears is embodied and seems to be covered in flames.

........There's one thing that's strange.
When [Berserk] is activated, instead of obtaining overwhelming power, the side effect should be to eliminate reason, but although it is belligerent, the reason remains.
I have an idea of a skill that can counteract the disadvantages of 【Berserk】..............but can it be conveniently pulled off at the same time as 【Berserk】?
　And that's not even if the goddess made me choose it like I did.
　221 seconds.

What's your name?
Felli Marconi. He's a distant relative of Vicone.

I can't use my real name, so I take a fake name.

'Feri, I've learned it. You've given me a taste of my own blood for the first time.

As the man said this, he wiped and licked away the blood that had dripped from his forehead.
　The wound is already closed. It must have been a deep wound in its own right. Even though he has magical powers, it's not something that can be healed in a few minutes.
　It seems that she even has a regeneration skill.
　The robust body is strengthened with 【Berserk】 and is an absolute defense. With some kind of skill to counteract the shortcomings of 【Berserk】, the warrior's skills are not lost, so it's difficult to give a direct hit. Furthermore, if it's a half-hearted damage, it's an added bonus that instantly regenerates.
　How can I kill such a monster?
　I'm tempted to tell them to stop cheating.

'That's good to hear. It's not fair for me to be the only one to say my name. You're going to have to tell me your name too. We have a duel coming up. It would be unpalatable if you don't give your name. Knightly courtesy.

It's something I don't care about myself, but after all, this man wants to play knight.
　Then I'll go along with it.
　The more you get into the game of knighthood, the easier it is to control his behavior.

"Sorry about that one. I almost forgot. It's Setanta. Setanta McNeace. I like it. It's all about the battlefield.

The name McNeath sounded familiar.
　As I recall, he was a family linked to the royal family of this country. I wondered why he was attached to the aristocracy.
　And I also know the name Setanta.
　........Oh, so he is that [Clan's Hound].
　It was confirmed that he was the man most likely to be the bravest man who was caught in Balor's information network.
　No, I guess I knew that when I called that spear a gay borg.

'Setanta. I have something to confirm. This duel, if I win, you're going to draw your troops.
That's what I'm saying. I'm going to take my men and I will not let them hurt you again. Or maybe a Gesh.

Setanta cowered his shoulders in dismay.
　An oath 《Gesh》 is an oath to the gods of this world. If the magician does it, he or she is actually bound to do so.

I'm going to believe those words. But I will win the duel and kill you. I'm not sure I'll be able to deliver on that promise.

Unleash deliberately provocative words.
　To make it hotter.

'You know I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk to me like that before. Hey, Dirumula!　If I die, you will fulfill your vows for me!　Are you happy now?
Thank God. And one last question. What happens if I lose?
Then we take Princess Dia and kill everybody else. It doesn't feel good, but it's what's supposed to happen. Doesn't that make you more desperate?
'Yeah, it burns. I can't afford to lose now.
Then let's get started. I'm starving to death. I'm starving. I'm starving for something strong.

Honestly, it's pretty tiring to fit into a groove like this.
　Can we say that it's not a character?

''But first, why don't we make the soldiers around us draw each other?　I'm not sure I can keep everyone around me out of a fight with Setanta. The war will be over just by beating you. Then I won't have to kill you for nothing.
That's very kind of you. Did you grow up in a good family?
Yeah, I'm a hard worker. Fairness is my policy.

The soldiers from both camps pulled back after our words.
　I was prepared to make the necessary kills to save Dia, but I don't think I'm going to kill in vain.
　........Besides, this excuse is convenient for stalling and positioning.

We'll move away from the mansion a little at a time. Asking him where it would be easier to fight.
　By doing so, I guide him to his destination and fine tune it.

He used his magic to produce four titanium alloy knives, two at his waist and two in his hands.
　Forty-four seconds to go.

'Sorry, let them wait for me to get ready.
Yeah, you need to be in shape, otherwise it won't be funny. Oh, you're a two-faced man, huh? It's a very small knife. I don't think you can catch my spear with a small knife like that.
You'll find out when you fight. No, you don't.

This two-pronged approach is just a distraction, so to speak. It distracts your attention from your main mission by turning your attention to that side.

'What do you mean?'
That means this duel will be over without even having to take a spear.

Nineteen seconds.

You're full of shit. I'm having so much fun I'm going to kill myself. How do we signal?
If this coin falls out.
I love it.

Flick the coin with your finger.
　With a twirl, the coin hovers in the air.
　Setanta's consciousness was focused there.
　In a duel, the most important thing is the initial move. That's why you focus all your attention on the moment the coin drops.
　He couldn't focus on anything else.
　Eight seconds to go.
　He doesn't realize it. He doesn't know he's about to be assassinated.
　Assassination, when you get right down to it, is killing from the outside.
　You can kill someone while they're standing in front of you, or even while talking to you, if you're completely unconscious.
　Yeah, like right now.

"I'm not a knight. I can't give you any flair or style. Just ... die.

Count zero.
　The moment the coin dropped. His fighting and magical energy exploded and the setanta in front of him disappeared.
　It wasn't like he was moving at super speed. He was about to do so, but he assassinated him a moment before. With a blow that not even Touahade's eyes could follow.
　Next, the earth that Setanta was in gouged out several kilometers deep, shaking and spreading cracks in the ground.
　I was jumping backwards, turning all my magic power to both feet. Immediately after jumping, I turn all my magic power into defense.

If I did poorly, I used my magic to kill him, which could kill him in the aftermath alone. He had to defend himself with all his might.
　And then it came.
　The earth explodes.

A tsunami of shock waves and sediment radiates around the spot where Setanta had been.
　In an instant, they were swallowed up. Back and forth, left and right, I was blown away without understanding, buried alive, and swept away with the soil.
　The wind barrier provides oxygen.
　I continue to protect my body by releasing my magic power with the intention of dying. Otherwise, you will really die.
　We don't even know how much we've been knocked down and blown away.
　Finally, the shaking stops.
　Self-check, both of my legs are broken. This is a reaction to jumping backwards at a speed beyond the limit. Besides that, my ribs are cracked and my left arm is broken.
　Both legs and ribs should turn their magic and heal themselves. It's a clean break and you can keep it connected as it is.
　However, the left arm is a complex fracture. If you don't do anything to improve the self-healing power, it might bite you in the wrong way. Let's keep it as a first aid measure.
　I'll use earth magic to get out of the pile of dirt and sand.
　I was dumbfounded. It seems he was knocked down to the city wall from that position.

''The magic method I developed for the anti-brave, [Gungnir]. Setanta, that's the magic that killed you.

It was a horrible sight.
　The earth was gouged out in a cone for at least a few kilometers around the position where Setanta had been, the bottom was invisible, and the rolled-up sediment had fallen to the roof of the castle.

So much destruction in the aftermath. Setanta, which took a direct hit, is not safe.
　Not even a trace of its existence remains.
　Many of the surrounding soldiers were buried alive, the soldiers of Vicone were engaged in rescue operations, and conversely, the soldiers of the noble faction were frightened and confused and lost.
　It was good that we had evacuated them first, after all.
　If they were within a radius of two hundred meters, they would have killed them.

An assassination magic for anti-vulnerable people, [Gungnir].
　As a matter of fact, when he threw the tungsten spear from the window, the assassination was already 80% done.
　Among the earth magic, there is a magic that doubles the gravity of the target it touches.
　When I looked into it, I found that it was a technique that increased the strength of gravity by a specified multiple, and it could also be made negative by customizing it.
　The gravity on tungsten was doubled to minus two times.
　In other words, it accelerates to the heavens at about 19.8m/s per second.
　With my magic power, the maintenance limit was about three minutes. I would continue to ascend while accelerating for that long, and even if the gravity inversion was gone, I would continue to climb until that kinetic energy disappeared, stopping at an altitude of 1023.5 kilometers.

Naturally, once it was stopped, all that remained was to fall.
　A free fall from an altitude of 1023.5 km would accelerate to a speed of 4,480 m/s.
　100 kg of material would fall at Mach 14. Its power is approximately 3.6 x 10^9 joules.

The kinetic energy of a tank gun is 9 x 10^6 joules, which is equivalent to 400 tank gun shots. The more weight it weighs, the more powerful it becomes, but the more mass it consumes, the more magic power it consumes, and the less time it takes to maintain it.

Currently, this power is the limit of its power.

........The prototype of this 【Gungnir】 is the weapon rumored to have been developed by the United States, the God's Staff.
　A mass weapon with a power comparable to a nuclear weapon that could be realized by dropping metal from an orbiting satellite.
　However, it would be extremely costly to carry such a massive weapon on a satellite, and even if it did, it would burn up due to friction caused by air resistance before it could reach the surface.
　The magic of this world, however, could easily overcome this hurdle.
　The only way to carry it to an altitude of 1,000 kilometers is by reversing gravity, and there's a convenient magic technique that allows the wind to avoid the friction caused by air resistance, called 【Wind Protection】.
　Currently, 【Gungnir】 is my maximum firepower.

''We knew that, but aside from its power, it has a lot of drawbacks.

For one thing, no matter what you put down, it takes a long time to reach it.
　Due to the nature of rising to about 1,000 kilometers in the air and then falling, it would take about ten minutes for it to land.
　Also, it is only a pinpoint attack with a spear.
　An ordinary magician could be killed by the aftermath, so the killing zone is within a hundred-meter radius, but if you're assuming a brave class, you'll need to hit the spear itself.

Even though air resistance can be ignored thanks to magic, various calculations are required, including rotation.
　Even if you can do the calculations, the slightest deviation in angle when releasing the spear into the heavens will cause it to deviate fatally.
　In the first place, they would aim at the spear by eye measurement, so they often misjudged the distance.
　It's a good thing I had practiced many times on a deserted island.
　Otherwise, I would have missed. Kudos to Maha for finding that island.
　We were able to drop it this time as we calculated, but it's a technique that still needs improvement.

In the meantime, let's check out the bodies.

We used wind magic to search for the enemy.
　I think I've definitely killed it, but I can't say with certainty. The [Gungnir] that fell at the speed of Mach 14 was not even caught by Touahade's eyes.
　I don't know if it was a direct hit. If it wasn't a direct hit, that man would have an eventuality.
　Even if I spread the wind all around, I can't find the man. Even if you search the ground with earth magic, there is no response.
　But there's something else that's bothering me.
　The man's divine weapon, the Gay Borg, is missing as well.
　I can't find that one either. I've heard that divine artifacts are indestructible. That's why it can't disappear even with that shock.
　If it's not there, could it be that man took it with him and disappeared?

Is that not possible?

If he has enough time to run away with his spear, he'll probably try to continue the duel.
　Dear is coming running towards us.
　The aristocrats have already retreated-or rather, fled-so they are safe.

They don't want to fight a monster that would cause such a disaster and kill Setanta.

'Lug!　Thank God. You're safe.

Deere jumps on me and I catch it.
　Apparently, Dia has a habit of cuddling.
　Then Dia kisses me on the cheek and turns her face away, red to her ears, as if she's so embarrassed.

I can't help but love Dia, so I make her turn her face toward me, and this time I kiss her on the lips.
　Dia accepted it. It's adorable that she's struggling to stay on her toes, probably because of her reversed height.
　It was just a child's kiss, just a touch.
　And yet, why does it make me feel so happy and warm in my chest?

'I was surprised that it came so suddenly... but I'm happy.

Dia is cute with every gesture.
　.........Now, what shall we do now?
　If every last one of the aristocrats escapes like this, there's no way to fake Dia's death.
　My first failed assassination attempt in my life.
　But that's not so bad.
　Although I'm proud of my 100% assassination rate, I'm much more pleased that Dear was saved than that.
　Thinking like that was not something I would have done before.