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Me? Gongaga.
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[Time Stop]
As time stopped, a wave of gray crashed over the world.
[5]
"..."
I stared at the two men standing before me.
One was a high-ranking Church official, and the other was a descendant of a legendary dragon-slaying hero.
How nice, how wonderful, and how utterly fucking irritating.
I my enhanced eyes, I glanced toward the orphanage before shoving my hands in my pockets and walking forward.
[You appear rather displeased, Host.]
Asterion's voice echoed through my mind.
'You think?'
[Usually, you would have spent several minutes insulting their intelligence.]
'Not worth the effort.'
[4]
I stopped in front of Ewald as I studied his face.
"I used something similar to this on Raynare once."
[Light Magic: Impact Grenade Model].
[3]
A compact miniature sphere of golden-white energy appeared above my palm, as unlike an ordinary light projectile, this little thing wasn't designed to pierce.
Instead, it rotated so fast it looked slow as it stored tremendous amounts of magical force inside a tightly compressed structure.
A miniature magical demolition charge that perfectly embodied the phrase 'little surprise package' to it's fullest.
[2]
'Hmm.'
I could've used [Hypnosis], and made him explode his own balls.
Instead, I opened his mouth and shoved the light charge down his throat.
"Congratulations, Oji-san."
My expression remained flat.
"You've won the Michinaga Express Delivery Service's grand prize."
[1]
"And this is what happens when you run your mouth without making sure you can back it up." I said. "Enjoy."
[0]
Color returned to the world as time resumed.
"What the---!?"
Ewald abruptly stopped talking as his eyes widened, his throat bulged, and his hands flew toward his face.
"What--- Uoohgrrrgghh?!"
A golden glow flashed as the impact charge detonated.
-boom!-
And with a burst of light that engulfed Ewald, the shockwave rendered flesh and tore his mouth apart as it sent him crashing across the courtyard.
-crash!-
Ewald struck the ground and cratered it, and between you and me, he's not going to be getting up anytime soon.
Especially without divine intervention and a really good healer from the church.
"..."
Well, that was one problem handled.
[An efficient conclusion.]
'Yep.' I thought as I turned to Siegfried.
-clap, clap, clap-
I watched as Siegfried gave a slow applause, his red eyes examining the aftermath with obvious interest.
"Impressive." Siegfried smiled.
"Thanks."
"I didn't even see you move." Siegfried said. "Some sort of movement technique?"
"That was the point." I replied. "And you can say it's something like that."
"So you can eliminate an opponent before they even react." Siegfried looked me in the eye.
"Sometimes." I stared right back.
"And yet..." His smile widened. "...you haven't used it on me."
I continued to stare at him silently.
Ewald might've been a master swordsman and expert exorcist who trained Irina, Dulio, and Xenovia alongside Griselda, but that was against High Class Devils.
"He made me angry, so I didn't want to play with him."
Going all out, shouldn't be too much of a hassle against him.
"You, on the other hand." I pointed at Siegfried. "You're being a real naughty boy while using that name of yours."
"So, I figured I'd save you for last."
"How flattering." Siegfried's expression brightened.
"Don't mention it. Now pull out that sword of yours lemme see it."
Siegfried's fingers then moved toward his waist.
-shwing!-
A sword of light appeared in his hand.
"Ah, I have one of those too." I said as I pulled out mine as well.
-shwing!-
"A Light Sword?" Siegfried asked.
"Yep." I said, lowering my stance, as Siegfried did the same. "After you."
-clang!-
Our swords collided as golden sparks scattered through the air.
"Hyuup!" Siegfried pushed forward.
-clash!-
Siegfried's eyes narrowed slightly as I redirected his blade with a flick of my wrist.
-swish!-
"..."
In the brief moment we stared at each other, our game plans were already formed.
-dash!-
We both sprinted to each other as our blades crossed dozens of times.
-clang! clang! clang!-
Honestly, as much of a bastard he is, his swordsmanship was far more dignified and structured than that of Freed's
A steadfast posture, controlled breathing methods, excellent footwork...
He had it all.
I'd learn a lot of swordsmanship by fighting Touji Shidou, then watching videos and reading books about swordsmanship, to practicing with Kiba, but I was really absorbing all of this data greedily now.
[His swordsmanship surpasses the mad exorcist's by a considerable margin,]
Asterion observed.
[He possesses discipline. His movements are deliberate.]
'And he's holding back.'
[As are you.]
'Obviously.' I thought as I redirected another strike and bashed Siegfried with the 'pommel' of my Light Sword.
"Ugh!" Siegfried stepped back a little as a nasty bruise formed on his forehead.
And then without warning, Siegfried lunged, only for me to meet him halfway, entering a stance where our blades were locked together.
-shine!-
Sparks flew as our blades crossed.
"Tell me something." Siegfried grunted.
"Hm?" I grunted back.
"Your name is Michinaga. Are you the descendant of Fujiwara no Michinaga by chance?"
"..."
"The statesman who was regent in all but name? You're asking me if I'm descendent of him?" I asked. "I'm an orphan, you know?"
"With that kinda reach, why don't you forget about fighting and become an astronaut, huh?"
"Then, are you from the Michinaga Clan?"
'There's a Michinaga Clan?' I wondered.
Okay, this is starting to sound less like a coincidence, and more of a possibility...
"You might not know this, being an Artificial Human made to be Siegfried's descendant, but people are allowed to have names, even the famous ones." I snorted.
"I have another question, then." Siegfried said.
"Look, I get that talking is a free action during sword clashes, but it doesn't say anything about yapping!" I pushed Siegfried with my blade, sending him crashing through several trees.
-crash!-
"Kuogh!" Siegfried spat out a lot of blood, but still got back up, using his sword as a crutch to force himself upright.
"Why place so much importance on that orphanage?" He asked. "They aren't Devils of noble blood. They aren't even powerful Sacred Gear users."
"Most aren't even capable of defending themselves. They're just Humans."
"...And?" I stared at him.
He tilted his head.
"Why bother?"
"'Cuz I like this place." I replied.
That, right there. Was the undisputed truth.
Did I have to go through the 12 Labors of Heracles in character development to 'not' want an orphanage to be massacred?
If I was a saint, I would've done more to help the world, like end world hunger, or cure Down Syndrome, or brainwash the world to erase Shrinkflation regarding junk food.
But instead, I like to protect those close to me.
"Because you like it?" Siegfried whispered.
"And because others do too."
"How sentimental." Siegfried chuckled.
"Something wrong with that?" I asked.
"Not necessarily." Siegfried said, adjusting his grip on his Light Sword. "You're strong enough to deserve to believe that."
"But what about those children? If those children lack the strength to survive in this world, then perhaps their deaths would simply be inevitable."
"The weak perish and the strong survive. That is the way of conflict."
And if he didn't think that I heard him the first or second time, he continued again.
"If the inhabitants of that orphanage cannot defend themselves, perhaps they deserve to die. After all, dying now would be preferable to going out into the world and suffering before dying there."
"Wow." I said as I took a real good look at him. "Siegfried. The legendary dragon-slaying hero. The man whose name you apparently inherited."
"Hahaha...." I shook my head and let out a wry chuckle.
"You got a real bleak way of life, man..." I said.
This guy was certainly something else.
I've seen many adaptations of Siegfried's character across fiction, the Hero, the Tormented, sometimes even the Tormentor.
"Doing all you can to tarnish that name of yours, huh?"
"I possess the strength to bear that name." Siegfried's red eyes narrowed. "That is all that matters."
"Haah..." I sighed.
"What a disappointment."
"Excuse me?" Siegfried's expression hardened.
"If that's all you've got..." My eyes sharpened as I raised my sword.. "...then you've already lost."
-vanish!-
"?!"
Siegfried's eyes widened as I appeared beside him.
-slash!-
With one slash, his Light Sword shattered as I left a deep gash on his chest, sending him crashing through the forest.
-crash!-
"Don't die yet, Siggy." I said. "...I haven't seen you use your Demon Swords yet."
"..."
"So." With my free hand, I took out Excalibur Rapidly, which I stole from Freed.
"Stop playing around and get up."
"Heh."
I suddenly heard a chuckle.
"Hehehe..."
Siegfried slowly rose.
-vooom!-
A peculiar supernatural energy surged from his back.
It was this kind of... Dragon-type energy, which was very familiar to me.
My Spirit Organ even recognized its magic signature immediately.
'Oh, hello there.' I smiled.
[It feels similar.]
Asterion sounded amused.
'Asty.' I smiled. 'That thing's practically family.'
After all, I had used the same thing to construct and contract [Chaos Labyrinth Crown]
It was Siegfried's Sacred Gear, [Twice Critical].
Not just that, but a particularly unusual subspecies of that very same Sacred Gear.
Siegfried spread his arms.
---[Balance Breaker: Chaos Edge Asura Ravage]
-vooom!!-
I could feel Siegfried's power multiply as four silver dragon arms emerged from his back.
"Now..." Siegfried reached toward his waist as his expression changed into excitement. "...You will regret not defeating me when you had the chance."
"Nonsense. This is actually what I was waiting for!"
-shwing!-
The first sword that emerged from Siegfried's coat was a magnificent blade carrying a tremendous demonic presence.
---Gram. The Demonic Emperor Sword. And the strongest Demon Sword.
A legendary weapon associated with Sigurd and the slaying of the Dragon King Fafnir.
It possessed immense destructive power and terrifying sharpness, alongside an inherent Dragon-Slaying attribute.
A weapon capable of threatening even powerful dragons.
And one that could release its destructive aura without needing to spend time gathering energy.
Siegfried's second dragon arm moved.
-shwing!-
Another blade appeared.
---Balmung.
A Demon Sword capable of generating tremendous whirlwinds.
-shwing!-
A third arm reached for another weapon.
---Nothung.
The sword specialized in sharpness.
Rather than relying primarily on overwhelming destructive output, its defining feature was its exceptional cutting ability.
An especially useful weapon for bypassing defenses.
And then, the fourth.
-shwing!-
A black sword with green diamond-shaped decorations and a bat-wing-like crossguard.
---Tyrfing.
A weapon specializing in destruction.
Its demonic aura could release tremendous destructive force, shattering whatever it struck.
Finally,
-booom!-
Siegfried reached for his fifth Demon Sword.
A sinister-looking saber emerged.
Dark purple.
Jagged.
Decorated with reddish jewels.
A demonic design that practically screamed I was forged by somebody who really liked heavy metal album covers.
---Dáinsleif.
The Demon Sword of ice.
A weapon capable of producing enormous pillars of ice, both offensively and defensively.
"..."
"Well?" Siegfried stood before me, red eyes wide, and his silver-white hair flowing as his stretched across his face. "This is my six-sword style."
"Can you handle it? Michinaga Daichi."
"..."
"Are you frightened?"
'Frightened? All I see in front of me is a delectable spread of the finest of meals!' I had to stop myself from drooling from excitement before I confiscated his swords, genderbend him, and had my way witih him.
'Asterion.'
[Yes, Host?]
'You seeing this shit?'
[I possess eyes.]
'Five of them.'
[Indeed.]
'Do you know what this means?' I began smiling even wider.
[I see.]
He understood. Of course he understood.
After all, my Sacred Gear wasn't simply a tool for combat.
It was a labyrinth, a supernatural space, a personal domain, and a place where I could store, modify, study, and manipulate all sorts of interesting things.
Including weapons, and especially weapons.
And I had a rather simple philosophy when it came to obtaining valuable equipment; one I'd learned from a particularly amusing military acronym.
---S.T.E.A.L.
Strategic Transfer of Equipment to Alternative Locations.
'Heh. What a wonderful concept.' I thought.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Siegfried narrowed his eyes.
"Because, you're going to regret showing off all that booty in front of me. Now, I'm gonna take it all." I grinned madly.
"After all, showing up like that? You were practically asking for it."
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Next Chapter: 058: Ecchi Delinquent VS Siegfried Finale! The Booty Is Mine!
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Trivia Time! (Againx!!)
Did you know(ofc)
Siegfried is named after the German version of the original Sigurd's[1] name.
Since this is a two parter, lets do Sieg's ENG VA first, then his JP Seiyuu next.
For Siegfried's ENG VA, we have Justin Briner, who also voices:
Yoo Jinho (Solo Leveling) Glazing Jinwoo is the reason his heart beats!
Luck Voltia (Black Clover) I love electric characters.
Also, people say that Black Clover is underrated, but if you have a mix-media franchise of anime, games, movies, and merchandise, you are not underrated imo.
Shou Kusakabe (Fire Force) A very angry, FTL-otouto
Justice Akatsuka (Taboo Tattoo) Good OP, Meh Anime. This show didn't know what it wanted to be. JOJO for the stands? Baki for martial arts? Fate series for historical servants? What was JC Staff cooking by animating this back then? The waifus were qt tho.
Ernesti Echevalier (Knights & Magic)That prince anime[2] with that curvy shota stole your whole flow, word for word, bar for bar, femboy for femboy.
Nico (Nanbaka) If I have the aux you will listen to the OP. No questions asked.
Kojuurou Shuri (Masamune-kun's Revenge) A hole is a goal.
Mikaela Hyakuya (Seraph of the End) Vampy-chan
Alfonso San Valiante (Garo) What y'all know 'bout Garo. Keita Amemiya is the GOAT
In one of my first drafts for this fanfic, the MC would have the Golden Garo armor.
And last but not least...
Izuku Midoriya (MHA) I actually like this guy with his flaws despite how much people hate him. Also, I've never seen a crazier slander campaign against a character than what he got when MHA ended.
They called him a cuck, a 9-to-5 bum, minimum wage teacher, they said the Class A groupchat would go silent when he messaged, they said Ochako was getting railed by all the guys in Class A, and also by Chad and Tyrone when she went to USA...
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram... everywhere was roasting him because they thought the ending wasn't good enough.
Good God.
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[1] ya-don't-fakkin-say!?
[2] I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince. You know. The one with the shota prince with the childbearing hips.