Ch.65Celestine Incident – Ship No. 1 (2)

Eidel, who was falling toward the mother planet, spotted a ship.

Another Celestine warship.

Judging by its appearance, it’s Ship No. 1.

[─ The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ is concerned about you getting hurt.]

[─ The foreign god forcibly took 500 pron.]

[─ In return, you received <Shock Resistance (Large)>.]

I’m not sure if the suit will hold, but it’s a better option than burning up in the planet’s atmosphere.

I took out Callipers and swung it.

Crash! The window shattered and air rushed in.

Falling in zero gravity and suddenly encountering resistance, I couldn’t control my body. Flailing in the turbulence, I instinctively looked for something to grab onto.

Just then, I spotted a spider monster.

No, is it an avatar?

I noticed a perfect target hanging in mid-air, ideal for stabbing and grabbing.

[“Kyaaaaaaaaah─!”]

Right after putting my thought into action, a terrible scream erupted from the avatar’s mouth.

[─ You’ve landed an effective hit on the avatar ‘Lüzlaktia’.]

I see. So this is the avatar that appeared on Ship No. 1. It seems to have manifested earlier than expected.

Anyway, I need to wrap this up quickly.

I looked down to assess the situation. Skilled swordsmen were preparing to attack.

“Now!”

[─ The ‘God of Talent and Preservation’ grants EX-grade conversion <Strong Sword>.]

The first strike begins.

Snap! The thread Lüzlaktia was manipulating broke.

[─ The ‘God of Surface and Embrace’ uses EX-grade conversion <Meteor>.]

Boom! A sword energy like a falling star flies toward her.

It was a feint targeting the thread she was hanging from, not the avatar’s main body.

There was no time to adjust her stance. Lüzlaktia and I fell helplessly downward.

“Keep pushing!”

The attack was just beginning.

[─ The ‘God of Suppression and Control’ infuses EX-grade conversion <Polyphonic Sword Energy> into the blade!]

[─ The ‘God of Disruption and Tolerance’ infuses EX-grade conversion <Polyphonic Sword Energy> into the blade!]

[─ The ‘God of Aspiration and Advancement’ infuses EX-grade conversion <Polyphonic Sword Energy> into the blade!]

Polyphonic Sword Energy. A technique that directly imbues the blade with constellation energy based on the body star.

Turning one’s sword into a sacred relic is the ultimate level that distinguishes between EX-grade and S-grade.

Sacred relics are effective against avatars. The energy of active stars greatly disrupts the anti-Aether energy created by pron.

Now, this spider monster was in danger of being eliminated before it could properly move.

[“Do, do you think I’ll just let this happen…?”]

Lüzlaktia spun new threads.

She created a sparse but strong spider web.

A vast network covered the spaceship. And starlight shot upward from below to counter it.

Whoosh!

The boundary between ceiling and floor. Starlight and madness collided, tearing at each other.

This was my only chance.

[“Th-that level of attack won’t work…! My threads are extremely dur— Kyaak!”]

With quick judgment, I plunged Callipers into Lüzlaktia’s chest.

[─ You’ve landed an effective hit on the avatar ‘Lüzlaktia’.]

[“W-who are you…?!”]

Lüzlaktia reached out to remove me. I should stab once more and then flee.

[─ You’ve landed an effective hit on the avatar ‘Lüzlaktia’.]

[“Th-this is…!”]

[─ Avatar ‘Lüzlaktia’ uses <Paralyzing Thread>.]

That should be enough. Any more and I might die, so I was satisfied and surrendered myself to the void.

“Student!”

[─ The ‘God of Embrace and Stability’ uses A-grade conversion <Target Deceleration>.]

A leap of faith. Two swordsmen gently caught me as I fell. Lüzlaktia’s thread grazed just above my helmet. My heart sank.

“That was fucking close.”

If I had been 0.1 seconds late, my head would have been gone. I keep feeling this, but my skills are woefully inadequate for facing avatars.

“Student, are you alright?”

“Thanks to you, I survived.”

I removed my helmet and shook my head.

[According to the automatic management system, bulkheads are being activated to normalize hull pressure.]

Just then, thick steel walls rose behind the glass window I had broken through. The pressure normalized. Gravity was clearly felt. Yes, people should really stand on solid ground.

“Where did you come from?”

“Ship No. 4.”

I quickly explained to the swordsmen what had happened on Ship No. 4. They seemed surprised but adapted quickly. Indeed, those who’ve been on the front lines are different.

“Understood. Please go over there for now.”

Following their guidance, I temporarily retreated to where students were gathered.

“Eidel?”

There I met Welton Yusoford.

“You, you really have a unique way of making an entrance now.”

“I suppose so.”

“So, what exactly happened?”

I told him a similar story to what I had told the swordsmen.

He clearly didn’t believe me.

The swordsmen were gaining the upper hand against Lüzlaktia. Seeing the increasingly favorable situation, the students looked relieved.

So I had time to reunite with Welton and everyone else. Mathers Byteling was frowning deeply, while James Hedelton remained characteristically calm.

The problem was Mezulen Hueritia.

“W-what do we do? Kris will live, right? Right?”

Welton gritted his teeth as he examined Kristin Heresset. She had apparently been attacked by that avatar before I arrived. Blood was slowly flowing from her back.

“All we can do is first aid.”

“Please, the bleeding needs to stop…”

“Damn it, she’ll be fine. She will.”

Mezulen was sobbing. And Mathers was comforting her.

Classmates who had been on equal footing were now supporting each other through this ordeal.

I looked at the Callipers in my hand.

This was a moment when my role became important.

[“Yes, you…! It was you…! The one the Master told me to eliminate…!”]

Hearing a growling sound, I looked up. An enraged Lüzlaktia glared at me with eight eyes.

I’ve been marked after all.

The game ends here.

[─ Using <Thought Acceleration>.]

I braced for impact.

[“I-if I just defeat you…! The mission will be complete…!”]

The spider monster, battered and tattered by the EX-grade swordsmen, climbed back to the ceiling. Then, using her web as a hook, she began flying toward me.

Damn, she’s incredibly fast.

I screamed and ran away.

[“D-don’t run away…!”]

[─ Avatar ‘Lüzlaktia’ draws out <Adamantine Thread>.]

A silver thread flying toward me. Judging by its trajectory, it was aiming for the back of my head.

Its path was easily blocked. An EX-grade swordsman appeared in front of me and twisted his sword to block the adamantine thread.

But.

The thread didn’t break.

“No…?”

[“I-it’s useless…! That thread uses my core as a medium…! It’s connected to my mind, so of course it’s strong! You can’t cut it with such clumsy attacks…!”]

Wait. Uses her core as a medium? Connected to her mind?

I figured out the solution.

[“D-die quickly…!”]

Whoosh!

Another thread bypassed the swordsman and targeted me.

No one was in a position to help me.

Well, while I was chatting with my friends, that avatar had spawned a bunch of monsters.

Everyone was fighting one of them.

“Student! Dodge!”

I needed to hold out for at least a few seconds until they finished.

I rolled with all my might.

[─ Avatar ‘Lüzlaktia’ uses <Moving Thread>.]

Threads, threads, threads everywhere I tried to escape. If even one touches my body, it’s game over. If not for the ‘Thought Acceleration’ skill making the world appear 10 times slower, I would have been dead long ago.

[“W-where are you running to…! Give up and d-die quietly…!”]

[─ Avatar ‘Lüzlaktia’ uses <Adamantine Thread>.]

Damn, I was wrong. This one is much denser than what I’ve been avoiding.

She’s clearly determined to kill me now.

I have no choice.

I have to gamble.

I swung Callipers toward the adamantine thread.

[“…Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”]

Pop!

Two of Lüzlaktia’s eight eyes burst.

[─ You’ve dealt a critical hit to the avatar ‘Lüzlaktia’!]

[“How, how is this…!”]

Oily tears dripped down.

So I was right.

The core is the source of an avatar’s power and mind.

And this “Callipers of Wisdom” I received from Cartesia is a cheat item that attacks consciousness, regardless of what kind of being the target is.

Lüzlaktia vomited black liquid and collapsed.

“First minute team, deploy!”

The EX-grade swordsmen seized the opportunity, pulling out available forces to beat Lüzlaktia.

But she was no ordinary opponent.

Even with severe injuries, she wove adamantine threads to defend herself.

While she was struggling against four swordsmen, a student cautiously approached from behind.

A petite girl with short green hair.

Mezulen Hueritia was also a girl who had contracted with a constellation, though not impressively. She was approaching Lüzlaktia’s blind spot, tightly gripping her sword.

[─ The ‘God of Courage and Dismantling’ instills strong courage in Mezulen Hueritia.]

In that moment, her eyes flashed.

“Y-you hurt Kris…!”

Mezulen thrust her sword into Lüzlaktia’s spinnerets.

Squelch!

Lüzlaktia’s waist arched like a bow.