"Monsters. You're not even half as old as me. No, that's interesting. How could they do that?　How much have you fought and how much have you won?


　After a few moments of silence, Cigarone muttered a question to me, as if to himself.

　I thought it was out, everyone's favorite bakery treatment ......, but somehow his reaction seemed a little different from everyone else's so far.

　He's having fun (・・・・・・). Like a boss fight in a game where the tougher you are, the more fiery the game is.

　Maybe we're in the same boat as him, after all.


'A turnaround, huh?'

　Nearly three minutes had already passed since Cigarone used the Mask of Shiver. The state anomaly "Shiver" will be released in five minutes without doing anything.


''It really is time to settle this matter.

I'll tell you what. You look like you've got a lot more depth to offer.

"...... hmm.

　At my provocation, Cigarone laughed at the corners of his mouth, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his handkerchief and opened his mouth.


'I've had enough of this, let me thank you for the last time.

What are you talking about?


　I'm talking to you, Cigarone.

　Without a doubt, you're the best person I've ever met in this world, and you don't seem to break a sweat when you're shown the obvious difference in ability.

　And you don't seem to be faltering in the least bit, even when the gap between you and the rest of the world is obvious.

　I'm so grateful. I can't help but wonder how they're going to try to beat me.


I'm sure it will be a rage from here on out. Do you have anything to say to me?

　Cigarone says that while maintaining his pause and looking for an opening for me.

　There are less than two minutes left. Indeed, it looks like it's going to be fast from here. What will happen after five minutes have passed?　Probably a development that would be a pinch for me, and I'm sure that's what Cigarone was going for, but as a matter of fact, I'm interested in it too. Pinch or not, I want to see the rest of the story. What answers will they give? What will happen to this empire? I want to see the finale of the vacation with my own eyes.

　Now, the rest of the story. There's only one thing left to say.


Before the game, you said you were going to teach me a good lesson.

Yeah, it was. Let me hear it.


　It's just trivia.

"Whoever fights for me...


　After all.


It's me (...).

!


　As soon as I finished, I began preparing the Angular Swordsmanship.

　Cigarone immediately began to close the gap between the two, not wanting to stop it.

　The fact that he can close the gap here means that he considers the "throwing the sword in an angular row" attack method to be common sense. Excellent.

　Ah, that sprinting method. The way he flips his vizier's cloak, splatters the sweat on his forehead, and moves his stocky, plump figure quickly, with a strong, steady body language.

　He's so desperate to win me, and he's so desperate to win me.

　After all, a match with love is a good thing: .......


'You want me to be conflicted!

'Yes, there are times when you have to fight against what's inside!


　As soon as Cigarone entered the interval, he naturally prepared the Flying Wheel Shield Technique and began his rush. The buckler is equipped in her hand.

　As I replied, I cancelled the angular line, put the sword away in my inventory, waited for about 0.4 seconds, and prepared the 《Gold General Body Technique》.

　Although it's not as good as the flying car, it's a skill I can deal with adequately. Hence, this one, which has a shorter hardening time after using it, is more advantageous.

　Knowing this, Cigarone shifted the direction of the rush, canceled the flying car so as not to kill the momentum, and took out the bow from his inventory.

　The readout. He knew that he was going to come for a long-range attack without mercy.


''!

　While Cigarone shifted the direction of the rush and removed his gaze from me, he cancelled the 《King General Body Technique》 and started preparing the 《Long Horse Body Technique》, allowing him to start acting slightly earlier than the arrows flying in.

　While the acceleration of the Dash Punch was closing the gap between the two as he watched, Cigarone revealed an impatient expression.

　That was on purpose. There's something.

　At any rate, if it's [Archery], I can avoid it by hitting the ground with the dragon horse and jumping up, so the guy won't be able to trigger it. Hence, he should let go of the bow and show us some kind of skill to respond.


''Now!''

Oh!


　There you go.

　Cigarone threw down his bow and lit a smoke. It is an item originally used in team battles and the like to set up a smoke screen, but, well, well, don't be so hard on yourself.

　Moreover, the moks that Cigarrone burned, that's a "three-type". The moks come in types 1 to 3, and each has the characteristics of "slow smoke spread and wide range and very long duration", "excellent smoke spread and range and duration", and "instant smoke spread but narrow range and extremely short duration".

　The Type 3 Smoke spreads smoke instantly, but it disappears in about 6 seconds. It's really bad in team fights, but it's really good in PvP. However, most of the time it's not allowed to be used. That's how foul the item is.

　As a result, Cigarone swept away my dashing punches in a puff of smoke.


'Now what's coming?'

　He could have gone to aim at Moku's insides with the 《Rongma Body Technique》, but Cigarone has mastered the 【Aiki Technique】, even if he's not very good at it. No, the fact that he looked bad at it could be an act. Hence, it would be better not to aim at such an advanced technique as unnecessarily pulling out moks.

　I canceled the Dragon Horse Body Technique before Moku and began to prepare for the Flying Body Technique. It's a tame punch. Most of the attacks can be intercepted with this.


''


　...... but not so much a squid's balls of gold.

　The "Wind Attribute, Sanno Type" pops out from inside Moku. Even if it is a flying car, it can't deal with the 【Magic Arts】.

　I canceled the flying car that I had accumulated and largely avoided the wind-soup that flew towards my chest.



''!


　--at the same time.

　Cigarone emerged from the mockery with a leaping attack by the [Guillermo Jousting].



''No, no, no!''


　That's impossible. ......!

　It's still supposed to be time for rigidity after the use of wind-soup!

　How did he manage to work out the time to get ready for Guillermo!　You can't do this!



That was fun, Second Firth Test.


　Cigarone's look of deep emotion, like he's chewing on his enjoyment, is all over me.


　Yeah, I'm f*cked. The best. I don't know how in the world I shot at Wind-San while preparing for the Guillermo, but anyway, I was beaten.

　My posture is a bit broken by the fact that I largely avoided the wind/san.

　I'm empty-handed. However, I don't have time to take out a weapon from my inventory.

　Katsurima's spear was already closing in on us, and only the infantry could respond in time any longer.

　However, if you invoke the 《Infantry Body Technique》 here, then the 《Gui Ma Spear Technique》 will stab you and that will be the end of it.


　Ah...... ah, ah!

　Now, empty-handed, infantry skills to deal with laurels, etc--.......





'This is the only way to do it. ！！！！


Oh, my God!



　Open your body and put your hands along the spear, down, up, down. I move my body from the dantian and loosely return my wrist so that I never go against the flow.


　《Infantry Aiki Jutsu, Throwing》 -- The way to learn it is to be thrown by [Aiki Jutsu] at least once.


　While I was telling him to fight himself, I used my excess experience to raise him to 1st Dan. It's because the preparation time is greatly reduced from the first Dan.

　Because of this, [Aiki Jutsu] can't be tricky. It's like the [Shield Technique] parry. If you don't have any countermeasures, even an infantryman like this can easily receive and throw away a Gui Ma with ease.


　...... It was a blind spot, wasn't it?　You didn't think I'd remember that right here and now, did you?　Wasn't that great fun?　You don't regret losing, do you?

　That was so stupid, that was so much fun. You, you, you look like you're having a good time.

　It's perfectly natural. I'm number one in the world. I'm the best in the world, you, you, you, you, you, you - that is, me, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, the audience, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you. That's what's best in the world.

　This is what it means to fight for yourself, to fight against yourself, and to beat yourself. The "for me" has to be "for you" and "for you guys. To do that, you have to keep fighting yourself and winning over yourself.

　Cigarone, do you understand?

　Now, only forty-five seconds until everyone's shivers are broken. It's do or die now, but...






---- e



　At the moment, I was struck with a tremendous sense of discomfort (...).


　Cigarone's - gaze, which cannot even take a passive position, just thrown into the air and waiting to fall.


　Looking a little behind me (・・・・) ......!




"Whoa!


　As soon as I turned around, I discovered what that guy (...) was.

　It's a small girl wearing bird-like feathers, a young grass-colored robe of feathers. There is no doubt that it's the spirit of the wind "Jill"....... Well, that's right, Cigarone, you've been "summoning spirits" in the moks.......!


　Oh, right. ...... Oh, right. The wind from that mok, Cigarone, not Cigarone, this guy shot him.

　I'm not cutting the trump card now. I had already made my trump card at that moment.

　And right now, it's firing another wind at me with its wind-attributed Santino type.


　...... No, we can't duck. I was too late in discovering it.

　Response?　What can you do in time?　Even the infantry is on the edge.

　If that's the case, the next move--will you shield Angolmore with "Spirit Summoning", shield Anko with "Demon Summoning", or use the invincibility time of "Transformation"?



............ No.

　That's what it's all about, of course.

　I'm fascinated. It's just not very tactful.






　I hit the "wind-attribute, Sanno-type" that flew in with the "Infantry Body Technique" and couldn't catch it and went down ---- (...).


　An unreasonable response. But it's the best response I can give right now.

　...... You're lucky. It's a critical hit. If it hadn't been for this, my HP wouldn't have been shaved by more than 10% and I wouldn't have been able to meet the down condition with 【Magic】.


　I was numb. Oh no, it's been a long time.

　I wonder if I'm going to get a chestnut here. ...... Oh no, I'm going to get it, I had a feeling that I was going to get it.


　For the first time since I came to this world, I was taken down in PvP.

　It's frustrating, but I have no regrets.

　I just want to keep getting beaten up. It was an unqualified down as a start to that gate.




'--ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!


　Cigarone, who was thrown away by my 【Aiki Jutsu】 and remained on the ground, starts laughing as if she couldn't bear it.

　I was listening to that with a refreshing feeling as I looked at the blue sky.


'I've lost. I've lost. Second First Test, you're supposed to be using a spirit lord named Angolmore. If you ask Jill, she will tell you that her body will prostrate itself just by meeting your eyes. Now, don't tell me that you didn't summon the spirit in time. Normally, you wouldn't have lasted ten seconds from the opening, let alone down.


　...... You've been spotted.

　Cigarone Erebuni. He's a formidable man until the very end.


I didn't cut corners.

I know. It was a loving match. You fought against yourself and defeated yourself. You did not choose a trivial victory, but stepped forward with love and friendship in this hour of need. That's all there is to it, that's all. I wanted to see it with my own eyes.


　Hey, do you know what you're talking about?


We humans are only in our element when we are in trouble, and only in our extremes do we reveal our true nature. This last infantry martial arts exercise has convinced me that I understand and deserve the trust of the second first test of human nature. How about you?


　It goes without saying.


I'd like to see you again in six months or so.


　When I got up and laughed at that, Cigarone got up as well, and the corners of his mouth lifted in silence.

　I don't know what it is, but I feel like shaking his hand. Well, I won't, though.


　Because ...... there are less than fifteen seconds left.



''Well, His Majesty the Emperor, His Highness the Princess, His Royal Highness the Prince, and yours truly, the same thing. What will you do when you are backed into a corner and in a situation of extreme duress? I, as the Master of the Empire, must find out. Now!　Come on, come on, come on!　Let me see it--!


　Cigarone stood up and said so in a high voice.

　This must have been his aim for some time.


　The moment the shivering dissolved, all those present must decide who to side with. Yes, of their own volition.

　Everyone, all at once, would fight for and against themselves and really think about where the empire was going.

　If we were to decide on the next emperor, there would currently be two candidates. Either me, who stirred up the empire by disguising myself as Seven, or Cigarone, who is truly the rightful owner of the empire. If not, it could be the queen, or perhaps the princess, or the prince. In the first place, you can also abolish the system of the emperor itself: .......


!


　...... Wow, I just realized that.

　Brilliantly, everything in the empire is busted.


　Everyone had been brainwashed by a child-like woman to follow the emperor for two years.

　But the emperor, who has been freed from his brainwashing, cannot continue to be emperor and says he will step down from his position.

　In just four weeks, I, named Seven, who had contributed so much to the empire, was unofficially made the next emperor.

　However, that identity is the Empire's avenging enemy, the Second First Test.

　The meritocracy they are glorifying up until two years ago is exactly the way Cigarone did it.

　But that Cigarone has just now been defeated by me in strength.


　One by one, it's being carefully crushed.

　No matter who the emperor is, it's a big mess. This situation, I'm sure, is made to be made.


　The people of the Malvern Empire ...... are already on the verge of collapse, as it turns out.


"Dead end.

　The only two people reading about this situation, no matter how wide the world is ...... Winfiled and Cigarone Erebuni, are probably the only two people reading about this situation.


　Oh, shit. What's going to happen? What kind of finale is this?

　What are the hundreds of people in the heart of the empire here thinking and who will side with whom? I have no idea what to expect at all.

　The moment I let out a short sigh and stand up, scratching the back of my head, five minutes have passed since I used the "Mask of Fear".

　Immediately afterwards, the hundreds of people who had surrounded me and Cigarone started to move in unison.


　Now, what happens--?