Translator: Alpha0210
Residue sat back down on the edge of the bed. Then he regarded El with an unfriendly eye. Leave it to the Four Knights, the natural enemies of this body of his, he supposed. Of course, this one was a headache in an entirely different sense from the other Knights.
If the Blue Knight gave him a fundamental sense of discomfort, and Agolet left him with an uneasy feeling, then with this one, the longer they talked, the more his pace got thrown off.
...Then again, though he lumped them together as the Four Knights, it wasn't as if they were all troublesome in the same way.
In any case, Residue was the sort to lead others around by the nose, never one to be led himself, so his mood was sour.
Once he had settled on the edge of the bed again, he tilted his head up at a crooked angle and looked at El.
"I don't quite follow this concept of yours. Can a new life truly be born simply by merging flames that were once split apart?"
"It can. Because I intend to use it as a reference. The way the Giant Race comes into being."
That method, the one that took a planet's energy as nourishment?
Residue wondered exactly how she meant to apply it, but he asked about something else first.
"You weren't even aware that you were of the Giant Race yourself, were you?"
"...After I absorbed the Giant's Heart. A portion of the knowledge the Giant possessed was passed down to me as well."
El closed her eyes slightly and laid a hand on her own chest.
"This happened, Residue, after I met you. I felt a sensation, as if I were resonating with the Giant's power inside your body. What about you?"
"Regrettably, I've had no such symptoms."
"...I see."
El's face was expressionless, yet she also seemed a little disappointed.
Residue shrugged and said,
"In any case. If you want the birth of a lifeform that inherits the power of both the Four Knights and the Rulers, then there's no reason I shouldn't contribute. Though there is one problem."
"What problem."
"I don't know how to release Prominence."
"...Is that the truth?"
"The honest truth."
This was no lie.
The Giant's Remnant still lingered, and from time to time it handled troublesome matters in his stead or reinforced his Heart, offering help in various ways... but Residue still could not fully draw out Prominence and put it to use.
"When I use 'Thunder', the External Power that belonged to the Lightning God, I get the sense that it bleeds out mixed in with it, but that's all. I still don't know the feel of wielding Prominence by itself."
"...Mm. I see."
After a moment's thought, the Red Knight spoke again.
"Then shall we have a brief bout?"
"You want to fight?"
Residue said, looking somewhat dumbfounded.
"How did the conversation suddenly end up there?"
"What could be more effective for drawing out an unmastered power than real combat?"
"Hm."
It wasn't a statement he could flatly deny. And her oddly self-assured expression somehow lent it credibility.
El continued, her face impassive.
"Of course, by fight I don't mean a bloody duel to the death. There's no need to cause a pointless commotion. We confine the battlefield to this room, set weapons aside, and spar bare-handed. How does that sound?"
"Isn't that mere play? There would need to be some degree of tension for Prominence to be released."
"You wrap your entire body in External Power, up to its very limit. It's a training method I often adopt myself."
"Up to the limit, over the whole body?"
"Yes. On top of that, what if we avoid striking each other directly, and spar only by blocking or deflecting each other's attacks? If a blow looks like it will land, we stop just short."
Residue looked around.
It wasn't a very large room. There was no furniture aside from the worn-out bed, but it was still a cramped place for sparring. ...Or perhaps that made it all the better.
Sparring in a confined space like this, weapons excluded, using only External Power, without landing a single blow on each other.
The more restrictions piled on, the more his interest stirred.
With about ten hours still remaining, it would make for a decent way to kill time, too.
"Fine. Let's."
Residue nodded.
*
Since El shed her armor first and stripped down to relatively light clothing, Residue threw off his robe once more as well.
Then they faced each other at a distance of about two paces. Close enough that an outstretched hand would reach in an instant. Seen like this, El's build seemed similar to Pale's, or perhaps a touch smaller.
Fwoosh!
As if burning away his idle thoughts, El wreathed her entire body in flame.
At first he took it for the Giant's External Power, Prominence, but the longer he observed, the more his assessment changed.
Had she said she'd fused the Giant's External Power with the power of the Four Knights? That flame was certainly distinct from the Giant's own External Power. For one thing, unlike Prominence, its color was far darker. Not pitch black, but a dark crimson, perhaps. Much like the color of the armor El had been wearing until just moments ago.
She spreads that power slowly through her entire body. A power dense enough to overflow, spread perfectly evenly.
"......"
Residue silently took in that meticulous work. Out of nowhere, he suddenly felt a flash of understanding hovering just beyond his grasp.
How had El transformed Prominence?
It didn't seem likely that a Ruler's External Power, its intrinsic nature, could be changed so easily. Nor could it readily blend with anything else. The altered Thunder that Residue carried at least belonged to the same category, External Power, which made things easier... but the power El held as one of the Four Knights should be utterly incompatible with External Power.
Because she was the Giant's child? Was it permitted on the strength of blood alone?
"I'll strike first."
El's voice woke him from his musings.
Residue drew up his Thunder Current as well, but took no stance. His back was slightly hunched, both hands hanging slack and loose at his sides.
Despite that sloppy posture, El gave no further warning and threw her fist.
"......"
So this was what she'd meant by wrapping her whole body up to the limit?
El's External Power carried no particular weight, yet a tremendous pressure bore down from that fist. More than that, he could tell an immense strain was being placed on her body at this very moment.
Setting aside the durability of a Four Knight's body, El's frame was no slab of muscle. Yet now her brown skin had swelled taut, the veins standing out in stark relief.
Proof, in every respect, that she was moving beyond her limits.
The fist El swung crept toward Residue with agonizing slowness. For an instant he nearly mistook it for his consciousness slipping into the Minimal Time Zone, but of course, a mistake was only a mistake.
The flow of time between them was the same as ever; El was simply moving her fist slower than a slug.
Yet as if the lost speed had been traded for power, the force packed into that small fist was strong enough to smash half the King's Castle. The pressure it released as it extended was formidable too; even something on the level of the Twelve Void Lords couldn't be guaranteed to dodge that sluggish attack with certainty.
And in that moment, one of the differences between the Rulers and the Four Knights suddenly came to mind.
'Whether or not they have a body.'
Unlike the Rulers, who were unbound by flesh, the Four Knights all possessed bodies of flesh and blood. That was why they had poor compatibility with External Power, which transcended physical force... and naturally, why wielding it was beyond them.
Then Residue briefly turned his gaze on himself. He, too, had a body. Hardly an ordinary one, but he could neither shift into a Transcendent Form nor separate body from mind, so it was true that he was bound to flesh.
In that state, he had forced his body to evolve in order to wield Thunder. Something only possible because he had spare lives to burn.
Then what about El?
How did she handle both the power of the Four Knights and a Ruler's External Power with that body?
Thoom.
The moment he caught El's fist with his palm, a heavy sound rang out and a dull shock swept through his whole body. Residue felt himself being pushed slowly backward, but he braced his legs hard and held his ground.
And this time, the attack came from his side. He lifts a foot, driving his knee at El's stomach as if to run her through. Of course, despite how that sounds, Residue's attack was every bit as slow, but El couldn't dodge it easily; she faltered, and in the end blocked it with her left hand.
"......"
El's expression turned strange, as if she'd felt something similar to what Residue had when he defended.
For a while, the two of them kept up that activity that could hardly be called a fight. With no victor or loser, simply moving their bodies and working them to exhaustion, it might have been more accurate to call it exercise.
As the unidentifiable exercise continued, the fatigue and strain on his body grew steadily worse. He could feel the load beginning to tell, yet he felt no urge to stop.
A sense of something slowly kicking into gear.
What El had meant was becoming clear, and indeed, the Giant's External Power was flowing out naturally without any conscious effort.
'It's hot.'
Smoke curled up in wisps inside the room. Only a place as durable as the King's Castle could withstand this much; anywhere else, the walls would have melted no matter how much they restrained their power.
Indeed, both Residue and El carried on their exchange drenched in sweat.
How long did they spar like that?
The weighty back-and-forth came to a halt, and Residue stood gasping for breath, soaked through with sweat. The heat had filled the room with a hazy white steam, and through it, Residue looked at El.
Then, abruptly, El spoke.
"It worked."
"What did?"
"Just now, your Prominence passed over to me. Faint, but it's enough. The conditions are met now. I can prepare the rest on my own."
"...Is that so? I didn't notice a thing."
"I'd be more sensitive to the movements of Prominence than you. It's no surprise you couldn't feel it."
"Then we're finished here?"
"The objective is achieved, but... this is strangely fun."
El said with a faint smile.
"Spar with me a while longer, Residue. You still have some time to spare, don't you?"
"I don't appreciate the commanding tone. And get it straight. I'm not the one humoring you. You're the one humoring me."
"...Well. Let's say that's so."
Residue clenched his fists.
There was still time to spare.
*
In the end, it was only after several more hours of sparring that El left. While Residue was utterly spent, one step from collapsing, El walked out of the room as calmly as if she'd kept stamina in reserve.
"Well then, Residue. Until next time."
"......"
Residue didn't even have the energy to answer. The woman was far tougher than he'd expected. Come to think of it, she'd sweated about as much as he had, but she'd never once gasped for breath, not to the very end.
Drenched in sweat, he lay on the bed and spent a while recovering his strength. Part of him felt he'd wasted energy on something pointless, yet he also felt that what he'd just gained was nothing small.
Once his breathing settled, a touch of drowsiness crept over him. He would have liked to take a nap, but the timing was awkward for shutting his eyes. After all, only about three hours remained now.
Had Sedi and Kasajin's fight ended? He needed to see which of them won in the end. And even setting that aside, it was about time to start preparing to head for 'the Outside'.
His farewells were more or less wrapped up, so he needed to gather the members selected to go Outside in one place and settle at least a minimal course of action and a few precautions.
But where were Sedi and Kasajin fighting? The Outside, after all? Just as he was forcing himself up off the bed with that thought, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
"Who is it."
"...Anastasia. You in there?"
"Would I be answering if I weren't?"
"Fair enough."
With that inane reply, the door burst open.
Anastasia appeared and immediately scrunched up her face.
"Ugh. That sweat stench......"
Clutching her nose, she backed away and said,
"What were you doing in this room to end up like that? Calisthenics until you collapsed?"
"...Something resembling exercise, I suppose. But Asha. What brings you here?"
"Ah, I told you not to call me that."
Anastasia glared at him, visibly riled, then let out a sigh.
"I've been looking all over for you. This King's Castle is stupidly huge. It took forever just to find your room."
"Looking for me? Why?"
"There's not much time left, you know. Shouldn't we be gathering up soon to work out a plan or something?"
"True enough."
With that reply, Residue rose from the bed at last.
"And the others?"
"Lucid went ahead to the Summit Hall, and Iris will show herself when it's time. Kasajin's still mid-fight."
"They're certainly dragging it out."
"Didn't look like it'd be settled easily. The match might not even be decided within the time limit."
"Hm. Where are they fighting?"
"Outside the King's Castle. Quite a crowd's gathered to watch, too."
"Oho."
Residue stroked his chin once and left the room. Anastasia hurried after him with quick steps.
"Where are you going?"
"To watch the fight."
"I said they're fighting outside. This is the opposite direction from the exit."
"So you did. But don't you think it'd be a finer spectacle looking down from the roof?"
"Oh."
As he walked toward the roof, Residue thought back on his exercise with El.
Was there no way to move quickly while releasing External Power across his whole body to its limit? If he adapted One Step Through Time and Space... Mm. Nine times out of ten, his body would probably fall apart. Still, with spare lives remaining, wasn't it worth a few trials?
"By the way."
Anastasia said, lowering her voice.
"I think I saw the Red Knight come out of your room."
"You saw right."
"...Hm. So my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. What were you two doing in that room?"
"I told you, exercising."
Residue said, irritation creeping into his voice. He had a mountain of things to think about; why did she keep pestering him?
Yet upon hearing Residue's answer, Anastasia's expression grew far more serious.
"Exercise? Don't tell me. It's not the kind I'm thinking of, right?"
"The kind you're thinking of? Ah."
Only then did Residue understand why she was clinging to him with all these probing questions. So he swiftly wiped away the annoyed look he'd worn until a moment ago and filled its place with a smile.
"I did roll around with the Red Knight a bit. For a few hours."
"R-rolled around? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Rolling around is rolling around. What meaning could there be?"
"Uh... I mean, sure, but."
Anastasia wore a doubtful look, then asked again.
"No, I really think I need the details on this one. You're not going around using Lukas's body however you please, are you?"
"And what if I am? Ownership currently rests with me."
"Stop dodging with technicalities! What did you actually do?"
"I made a child with the Red Knight."
"......"
Anastasia stopped dead in her tracks, and Residue snickered as he savored her dumbstruck expression for a moment. He hadn't told a single lie, so in cases like this, the fool was the one who got fooled. Frozen in place, Anastasia stared at Residue, mumbling as if trying to say something.
But instead of finding her voice, her face suddenly jolted in alarm, and she slapped Residue's shoulder, pointing ahead.
Wondering what it was, he turned his head, and.
There, at the end of the corridor, stood Iris PeaceFinder.
*****
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