Chapter 42 Battle End and Rewards
Chapter 42 Battle End and Rewards
"Open, [Shadow of Death]… Praise the god! [Death Scythe]! [Reaper's Job!]"
A colossal trump card, consuming all life stock, was imbued into the scythe.
Liora, small but exuding a massive black and white aura, faced the prince, who was clad in divine silver armor. Both stepped forward simultaneously and vanished, accelerating at incredible speed. Their gazes crossed intensely as the distance between them closed in an instant. In a fraction of a second, the prince's fist and Liora's scythe swung simultaneously.
With [Death Avoidance] and [Dark Illusion] exhausted, Liora had no choice but to either block or evade the enemy's attack—yet she chose to attack head-on.
Her target: decapitation, nothing more.
Liora clenched her teeth as the prince's fist struck her abdomen, depleting all her HP. Yet, in her dying moment, her scythe slashed through the prince.
The combination of skills—[Head Hunt], [Weak Point Attack], [Killing Blade], [Life-Absorbing Blade], [Soul Eater], [Moonlight Scythe Technique], and [Scythe Technique]—dealt massive damage, draining the prince's HP completely.
It was truly the scythe of death.
But the cost was great.
Liora lost her life without uttering a word.
[Zephyr has leveled up.]
[Zephyr's Dark Magic has leveled up.]
[Zephyr's Create Dark has leveled up.]
[Zephyr's Dark Aura has leveled up.]
[Zephyr's Regeneration has leveled up.]
[Zephyr's Appraisal has leveled up.]
[Samurai has leveled up.]
[Samurai's Mimicry has leveled up.]
[Samurai's Surprise Attack has leveled up.]
[Samurai's Restraint has leveled up.]
[Samurai's Sonic Wave has leveled up.]
[Samurai's Iron Wall has leveled up.]
[Samurai's Tentacle Enhancement has leveled up.]
?
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The battlefield fell silent.
As everyone held their breath, I used a revival potion from my [Item Box], obtained during an event.
Liora's HP restored to just 1, and she came back to life.
With a rustle, Liora sat up, blinking her eyes. "Revived."
"Let's be more considerate next time, Liora."
"I won… God."
[Liora has leveled up.]
[Liora's Scythe Technique has leveled up.]
[Liora's Moonlight Scythe Technique has leveled up.]
[Liora's Landscaping Skill has leveled up.]
[Liora's Light Magic has leveled up.]
[Liora's Flash Magic has leveled up.]
[Liora's Solitude Resistance has leveled up.]
[Liora's Kagura has leveled up.]
[Liora's Summoning has leveled up.]
[Liora's Chant Extension has leveled up.]
And so, we recovered the divine artifact.
?
The prince's body left no remains.
As the victory announcement echoed, his corpse turned to ash, which the wind scattered, disappearing entirely.
The princess knelt, shedding a single tear. But in the next moment, her expression became resolute as she picked up the divine artifact.
The armor had reverted to the form of a sword.
"This is the divine artifact—[World Goddess' Mercy]. A piece of armor that grants its user immense physical abilities."
"Weaker than me."
"That's true, Lady Liora."
The princess seemed slightly intimidated.
Liora's attack was not just about risking her life—it was about discarding it. She didn't hesitate for a moment, and even as she was killed, she calmly went in for the kill.
Seriously, Liora is like the Grim Reaper. To her, it's better to die than to leave an enemy alive.
This completes the quest.
But, where's the reward? Could it be that the NPC elves obtained a secret weapon?
I kept glancing repeatedly at the elves.
But they seemed too filled with grief over the prince's death, excitement over acquiring the divine artifact, and relief at surviving the fierce battle to notice.
This game's excessive realism has its downsides.
Liora stood still as the princess hesitantly made a proposal.
"Lady Liora, you are the hero of this event. The elves are grateful for your work, for which you didn't even spare your life. Thus, you may take one item from this treasure vault."
"One."
"… Two."
"Okay, two."
"Okay."
Liora, surprisingly proving to be a skilled negotiator, secured two treasures passed down among the elf royalty.
This is amazing.
There's a growing concern that this game has a heavy emphasis on hack-and-slash mechanics. Character leveling is unexpectedly quick, and some contracted NPCs start maxed out.
The pursuit of strength becomes a matter of collecting gear.
Which means that all the items held by the elf royalty should be exceptional.
It's hard to decide.
We quickly began exploring the treasure vault, with Liora, Samurai, and I on the search. However, due to the aftermath of the battle, some items were badly damaged, and some were absorbed into the [Black Ball] and vanished.
In hindsight, I should have stored everything in the [Item Box] as soon as the battle started.
?
We explored for about three hours.
The elves waited quietly, likely needing Liora to accompany them for safety.
It seems the divine artifact also has disadvantages when used, so it can't be used regularly.
We eventually selected the elf clan's secret treasures.
Magic Ring [Tete's Sacrifice Ring] Rarity [Epic]
Level [20]
Luck [50] Durability [1000]
Skills [Restoration], [Sacrifice Finger], [Critical Enhancement 3%]
This [Tete's Sacrifice Ring] is a wooden ring. Its effect is the ability to ignore one negative skill, art, or other debuff once per day.
Testing is still needed, but it seems to be very useful.
At worst, applying it to [Killing Blade] alone is strong. Even if 99% is sacrificed, having the HP consumption reduced to zero once can significantly enhance stability. It opens up new strategies.
The next item we chose was a pair of shoes.
Boots [Aike's Winged Boots] Rarity [Epic]
Level [58]
Agility [70] Durability [1000]
Skills [Safety Boots], [Air Jump], [HP Enhancement 2%]
The effect of these boots is simple: they allow double jumps by consuming MP. They also provide better grip on difficult terrain.
Double jump is a vital skill.
Though I can somewhat simulate it with my [Create Dark] mode step, being able to easily jump by herself is definitely convenient.
The rewards were incredible.
Liora, now wearing the new boots and ring, seemed quite satisfied. Along with the cape acquired earlier, she is gradually shedding her beginner's gear.
In high spirits, Liora joined up with the elves.
The princess, still with red eyes and a slightly nasal voice, called out to us.
"Lady Liora, have you finished?"
"Your voice is strange. You, sick?"
"No, that's not it. I just need a moment to sort out my feelings."
"?"
For Liora, the feeling of sorrow over the death of a loved one is likely an emotion far from her understanding.
She tilted her head in confusion.
The princess, not noticing, pointed to a pot placed behind her.
"Shall we have a meal? We've used skills and arts with long cooldowns. Considering Lady Liora's condition too, it would be best to rest until tomorrow."
"Yes. Food, eat."
Liora joyfully dashed forward.
"W-wait a moment! Liora!"
The spirit girl—Rere—stood in her way.