After another day of travel, we finally arrived at the border with the Kamel Godland.

　It was a bizarre scene.

　The Oranj Kingdom's army was waiting for us, its soldiers lined up in a row in the desert, dotted with the remains of ruins.

　There must be no more than three thousand of them.

　And the infantry here are just as numerous. It seems that Mr. Cigarone's prediction was right.

　Now, however, the fact that they've lined up their troops in such a way that it's a peaceful meeting is a sign that the ...... Nova guy seems to be on to something.

　I'm not sure if that means self-defense, deterrence, or provocation, but the other side is showing that they can start shooting at you at any time.


Stop. Don't move from this place no matter what happens.

Hey!　Did you hear that, you bastards!　Don't take one more step from this place!　Anybody moves, I'll cut you down to size!


　I instructed the captain to stop at a point more than three hundred meters away from the Orangi Kingdom Army, then dismounted and started walking alone.

''Oh, hey!　Seven, you can go to ......

　I can hear the captain's confused voice behind me.

　But they don't stop walking. The captain and the others will not move. If they're on the same page, I'm on the same page.


　I'm approaching thousands of soldiers alone. This is a provocation of the highest order.

　However, it is up to Nova to decide whether to take this as a provocation or a compromise.


"Alright.

　First gate is clear.

　There's a man approaching me from the other side.

　There's no doubt about it, it's Nova.

　That's just the way it is. She dared to choose a one-on-one meeting when she could have faced thousands of them one-on-one. None of the soldiers behind her moved, as did this one.

　Ah, this kind of spirited woman, I still like it.


''--Kuhahaha, I was surprised to see you approaching me alone. I didn't know there were still some bone-headed ones left in the Empire.

　In the heart of the desert, surrounded by each other's soldiers at a distance, we were reunited.

　Nova still doesn't recognize me as me.


'Well, it's not as bad as it sounds.

　I respond with a sincere reply.

　Nova muttered, "Ho," and then continued to speak.


'I don't know where you heard that, but it's no use trying to imitate Second. But I'll only praise you for those sensitive ears and your hairy heart.

　Oops, my name is coming up.

　I'm not sure about the me thing myself, but apparently that was my response.

　But they haven't figured it out yet. Nova seems to think that I am imitating the second.

　Indeed, since I was showing so many people how delirious I was, there is a possibility that Nova's weakness is the second. So it was expected that Nova would also be able to exploit that during the meeting.


'Well, you've made me feel a lot better. The meeting will be meaningful, right?

　...... No, I guess I wasn't expecting that. You are clearly angry. The provocation was unintentionally successful.


Wait. Wait, I didn't mean to upset you or anything.

'Then what do you say? Don't forget that you are speaking in front of Nova Barthélémon, General of the Army of the Orangi Kingdom.

　I'd like to say ......, but I can't because it's me.

　I thought about unraveling the change and revealing my identity, but it's still risky. There may be at least one soldier with good eyesight, no matter how far away they are.


............

　I was the first to shut up.

　The purpose of this was to match Nova's style of play and to get us into a tie-breaking match.

　There was no need for a skirmish.

　You'll know all this later on, no matter what you say.

　A fight is a conversation above all else.


Will you shut up? That's all right. Whatever the hell we're doing here, we're in the middle of a situation that says a lot about our respective positions.

　Each other's position, you know.

　While keeping the troops staring at each other, the top of each side walked up to each other and faced each other. That means that while there is considerable tension, they also have room to literally walk up to each other (・・・・).

　But that's only for the country. Hence the position and Nova expressed.

　That personal feelings and positional arguments are different.

　Nova's true intentions, I can kind of feel them.

　You're itching to try that thing, aren't you?


'The two demands of the Marvel Empire are that the Orangi Kingdom grant the Marvel Empire's garrison in the Small Kingdom of Sizun, and that the Orangi Kingdom's army withdraw from the Kamel God State.

"The two demands of the Orangi Kingdom are that the Marbel Army withdraw immediately from Sizun Minor, and that the Marbel Empire conclude a non-aggression pact with Sizun Minor.


　Their demands are spectacularly opposite.

　The Marvel Empire, which wants to stay in the Sizun Small Kingdom, and the Orangi Kingdom, which wants to get rid of the Sizun Small Kingdom.

　If they can stay, the Empire will have an easier time invading the Kamel Kingdom. If they get rid of them, the Empire will lose its foothold in the Camel God State by sitting in the Orangi Kingdom, on the contrary.

　I'm not sure about the Fucassin Treaty ....... The highest score for geography was 4 points.

　Anyway, it means that the empire can't give in to that demand.

　If that's the case, we have no choice but to find a compromise.


'How about a mutual retreat?'

　I suggested, and Nova snickered and replied.


'How could I trust you?'

　Right.


"So, we're going to retreat, and you're going to promise not to leave any troops in Sizun Small Country.

'No. We can meet that demand only after the imperial forces have immediately withdrawn and signed a non-aggression pact with the small Sizun states.

That's just unbelievable.

So when the non-aggression pact is signed, we'll make the pact.

"I have no intention of making a treaty in the first place.

What's the point?

This is not going to get us anywhere.

　There's a gut-wrenching overlap between the two sides and it's unlikely we'll be able to talk about it.


　It's about time. ......

　Okay, okay, here we go.


Well, let's see what's going on.

"Will the war be unavoidable?

No! No, just you and me.

............ method.


　After the silence, Nova laughed with a grin.

　As I thought, this woman has a tendency to be a battle fanatic.

　She's a really cool general.


I'm sure that means you'll have to go toe-to-toe with Nova Valthelemon the other day.

No doubt about it. We'll go with the winner's compromise (...) How's that?

Interesting. It's a compromise, especially.


　If we were to go through with our demands in their entirety, even the quintessential Nova wouldn't accept it. That's why I'm offering you these conditions. Apparently, he liked it.


"But more importantly, ......

　Nova uncrossed her arms and continued her words with a sharp-toothed laugh.


'Kuh-hah, kuh-hah!　It's just like that!　You're not the Second and his brother, are you?　If so, shall I greet you?


　That was hilarious.

　I think he realized that my attitude was not an imitation, but a true one.


'That confidence of yours, it's like watching a second. You give me hope.

You're the one who's not gonna lose.

'Of course. No one is stupid enough to think about losing before the game.


　Nova's eyes sharpened and she said something she had heard somewhere.

　He already seems to be ready to do it.


''Well, when do we start?''

Right now.

......


　I reply, and Nova chokes on her breath for a moment.


'...... Even the spirit, you've come to look just like that.


　It's the man himself.

　I am very motivated.

　Especially this time, because conditions are conditions.

　It's going to be tougher than ever before (・・・・・), and I know it myself.


'Keep your distance. When the coin drops, let's start.

Okay.


　The audience is a hundred and fifty meters away from the soldiers of the Empire and the Kingdom.

　The match is a hardcore killing contest without the use of a dueling crown.

　We have one condition: you must not take any damage.

　No, no, no. There's one more thing. The other one has an "ant/ant" rule, and this one has a "pear" rule.

　Ants means "transforming ants summoning ants". Pear Pears means "Transformation Pears Summon Pears".

　The reason why I can't transform and summon is because my soldiers know I'm the second. If I take out a rare spirit like Angolmore, it's a shot. I can't take out Anko because it's in the middle of the desert, and Miroku is too distinctive. If I transformed, the wraith would be blown up and self-changing would be cancelled with the 8-second invincibility effect.


　But Nova is different.

　Yes, the skill I taught her at the Eight Crown Anniversary Party, that is - Transformation.


　It's only been about ten days since the party ended, but it's her, I definitely already remember her.

　If she even used 《Summoning Spirit》 or 《Demon Summoning》 with this, it would be the end of the quicksand, but as long as I clearly stated that it was one-on-one, she wouldn't even be able to summon it.

　Therefore, I have to defeat her in her untransformed state, without taking a single blow.

　Moreover, the act of "catching the attack" can lead to damage. Specifically, you can use the Kakugyo Shield Technique to catch the opponent's flying body technique, or collide with the Silver General Body Technique. Dealing even a small amount of damage is not a good idea.

　In other words, the conditions were much more difficult than you might think.


　Well, I'll win, but hey.



!

　The coin dropped.

　Nova's first move was the Dragon Horse Body Technique. The idea was to approach with a dash punch.


''--Huh?

　I won't let that happen.

　I took the lead with 《Infantry Archery》 and continued to shoot fast from there.

　I'm using a short bow instead of my usual longbow. This is to make me specialize in rapid fire and make Nova chase after me to deal with it.

　If [Archery] continued to shoot rapid-fire ten times in a row, there would be a 5-second cool time before the eleventh attack. Therefore, it was necessary to leave 1.2 seconds for the ninth attack.

　Nova wouldn't miss that opening.

　Nova, who had been desperately avoiding it until then, rushed towards me in time for the ninth time.

　I see, it's easy to forget, but she's very smart. She also seems to have considerable knowledge. I thought it was all about [body arts], but it seems she also has knowledge of [archery].


''Ku, hahaha.''

　But I still won't let them get close.

　Nova looked at my skills and showed a drawn-out smile.

　Under the terms of this time, I would lose if I let Nova get too close. Hence, my battle techniques are also limited to long-range ones.

　《Long Horse Thread Manipulation》. This is a skill that restrains the target it touches by scattering a number of threads in a radial fashion.

　As expected of Nova, even though she triggered it at the very last minute, she successfully evaded my 16lb fluorocarbon.

　I immediately canceled the skill and held up my short bow again.


I knew it was going to be ......!

　Nova seems to have read my hand.

　Just as I took out my shortbow, I activated the 《Incense Body Technique》 at the right moment to take out the shortbow and swung the kick from bottom to top with terrifying speed.


''

　The blindness - a move that takes advantage of the field of the desert (...).

　And at the same time, this is also a smoke screen.

　Because it makes it difficult to aim, it's very effective against long-range attacks. It's a great way to kill two birds with one stone.


　...... It's the best, Nova. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

　But not as much as I am.


'What!'

　I instantly discarded my shortbow. I didn't have time to put it away in my inventory. Then, I took out the Mithril Spear and prepared the Golden General Spear Jutsu and activated it in time for the follow-up jumping kick by Nova, the Gui Ma Body Technique.

　The Golden General of the Spear fires back. It is a skill that doesn't catch the attack, but instead deflects it and returns it to the opponent. Thus, he can respond to attacks without taking any damage.

''Guh......!

　Nova ate the Golden General Spear Technique, which had the power of the Gui Ma Body Technique, and went down.

　It's not much damage, but the fact that he was able to get down here is significant.

　Now, let's go and decide--.


''!

　And dangerously dangerous. I forgot.

　Nova still had the 《Transformation》 left.

　The skill called 《Transformation》 has the potential to completely turn the previous advantages and disadvantages upside down. Of course, the status buffing is a major factor, but the 8 seconds of invincibility, especially the 2 seconds of free movement after the 6 seconds of hardening time has passed, is terribly troublesome.

'Here, use it,'

　Hence, I'll have you use it here.

　I take out my longbow and activate the 《Angular Rowing Archery》.

　Although the hardening time after activating it is relatively small, it has a penetrating effect and is a skill that can earn a good amount of damage. This cannot be ignored.


''--Weird, body!

　Nova paused in a down state and activated the 《Transformation》 skill.

　My 《Angular Row Archery》 is nullified by the invincibility time.


''.......''

　I quickly put the longbow away, while picking up the shortbow while I was at it, and turned and ran as fast as I could.

　Anyway, I have to get some distance now.

　If I can close the distance in two invincible seconds, I'm done.

　A little over three seconds passed. Twenty meters away, I turned around and put away my short bow.

　Nova's wind-attribute transformation, I see, looks good on you.

　Then, let's avoid the water attribute that is weak in the wind.


''!

　As I was preparing a [Magic Magic Magic] that synergized [Earth Attribute, Sangno Type] and [Fire Attribute, Sangno Type] into [Wind Attribute, Sangno Type], Nova's eyes widened while transforming.

　Wind-Quarterly is a skill that generates a number of small tornadoes. Add to that a fireball and a mass of rocks, and it's no longer a catastrophic attack.

　She was knowledgeable, and she must have known the characteristics of each skill. She instantly understood that the preposterous one was coming.


'Interesting!'

　Six seconds passed.

　With the completion of her transformation, Nova, whose rigidity has been released at the same time, can move invincibly for two seconds longer than this.

　And then, she started to prepare - 《Long Horse Body Technique》.

　Just like the opening, is she aiming to use a dash punch to close the distance?

　No, I read that the idea was to hit the ground after the dash and jump up, just like I showed against Davidoff and Cubero in the Summer Battle of the Divine Rankings, and use it to approach while ducking the magic magic magic.

　Then you can activate it a little early .......


''!

　With a grin, Nova's mouth peeked out of her mask and smiled.


　And then it started to move.

　...... fast!

　Twice as fast as expected!

　Nova's guy, if you've already raised the 《Transformation》 to a rank (...) in this short period of time: ......!


　My magic activation was a bit delayed due to Nova's unexpected speed.

　It was a mistake to get it closer than ten meters. If you hit the ground at that position and jumped up, my magic magic magic would not be able to hit you.

　Now, how did I deal with it after it jumped up?

　Will the parry of the 《Silver General Shield Art》 at the very last minute be able to make it--.



"-- What?

Are you kidding me?


　Immediately after, something completely unexpected happens.

　After gaining distance with a dash punch, Nova punched the ground in front of my magic magic magic and tried to jump up.


　What a surprise, the moment she punched the ground - the ground collapsed (・・・・・).


　Zugon!　With a roaring sound like the crumbling of a rock, the sand flew up and made a hole in the desert.

　My intuition tells me that this is the remnants of the ruins. I had a hunch that this was the remains of the ruins. There is a wide hollow right here underneath where we are standing.


''Guh!''

　Nova, who hadn't been able to jump up, was hit by a direct hit of magic magic magic.

　It seemed to be quite a bit of damage, and Nova was stunned (stunned).

　On the contrary, Nova was thrown into the air and fell as if sucked into a hole in the desert.


　...... Mazu. She has already taken heavy damage from her magic magic. On top of that, if she takes the fall damage, the worst case scenario - she will die.


''......!''

　My body was already moving.

　Oh, it's a miracle. I thought about my next move and equipped the plate, thank goodness I was equipped with a plate.

　I cancelled the [Silver General Shield Technique] and immediately activated the [Flying Wheel Shield Technique].

　I chased after Nova with a rush that was faster than an all-out sprint.

　Then, a little later than Nova disappeared into the hole, I jumped into the hole as well.

　Wow, it's so big. The sunlight streaming in from the hole eerily illuminates the dimly lit interior of the ruins, giving me a full view of it. This is a height that would take a lot of damage even if I wasn't dying.

"Ankoch!
Yes, come with me.
"Wolf.
"As you wish.
Transition.

　I summoned the anko with the 《Magic Summoning》 and immediately transformed it into a wolf-shaped form and sent it to the ground for a dark transition.

　This is the fifth technique to nullify falling damage, landing on a horse.

　Now, however, here's a problem.

　The Nova has fallen before me. I can't hold the Nova.


　What should I do?

"............

　What to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.

　Oh, I don't know what to do!　You idiot!　Shit!　I can't see how you can claim to be number one in the world if you can't spark it in here!　There's a way!　It's definitely there!　My gut tells me that!　Bet on Mevion's chances!


...... woo-hoo!

　I found it!

　But oh, man!　Maybe we don't have two seconds left!


　I frantically extended the 16lb of fluorocarbon I took out of my inventory to the Nova and activated the Gui Ma Yin Manipulation.


''Osi!''

　Success!　As it is, control Nova and activate the "Riding" skill within 2 meters of the anko just before it lands: ......!


Naisseh!

　Successful riding landing!


　Hah, I managed it: .......







　Immediately after, I was knocked headfirst into the ground and lost consciousness.