I Became the Academy’s Defensive Swordsman

Chapter 186

Chapter 186

— Hmm, wait a second. It doesn’t seem like a good time to talk right now, so… alright, this should do.

The moment those words ended, time around me suddenly stopped.

It wasn’t an exaggeration — the world had literally frozen still.

Yet, in the midst of that, my mind kept on thinking clearly.

‘What did you just do?’

I couldn’t move my lips, so I asked inwardly.

Then, that voice immediately replied.

— I just made it so we can have a quick chat. It’s hard to talk during battle, right? So, I created a little private time for just the two of us.

‘Private time, huh. Fine. Then, there’s something I want to ask… I asked this before, but I’ll ask again. You’re not really a god, are you?’

— I told you already, I’m not. I’m definitely not a god. But the reason I can talk to you like this right now is because a god showed mercy upon me.

There were so many things I wanted to ask this being that had pulled me into this world.

So many that I couldn’t even decide where to start.

But before I could even speak first, that voice continued.

— I know you’ve got a lot of questions. But let’s save those for later—after all this is over. Right now, we’re not exactly in a situation where we can chat leisurely, are we?

‘…Alright, fine. You’re right, it’s not the best time for a long talk. Anyway, you said you could help me once, right? And that you’d give me that help now?’

— Yeah, so listen carefully. I’ll only be able to explain this once. Freezing time like this doesn’t last long.

The voice paused briefly before explaining the kind of help it would offer.

— You remember that game you played, right? What was it called again? That… uh…

‘Valiant’s Legacy?’

— Ah, that’s what it was. Right. Anyway, it’s a world I made based on this one… but that’s not what’s important right now. You played that game like your life depended on it, didn’t you?

‘…Yeah. I played it obsessively. Maybe even too much.’

Honestly, it’d be hard to find someone who played that game harder than I did.

That’s how passionate I’d been about it.

— The last character you used in that game… you gave that one a ton of items, right?

‘I did funnel a lot into it, yeah. But why?’

— Those items all exist in this world. If you can find them, you can use every single one.

‘Well, that makes sense. There’s even the Mistcatcher and the Water Rune. So what exactly are you trying to say?’

Just as the voice said, my Defensive Swordsman character had quite a few items.

Mostly rare ones that I’d collected to overcome certain tough parts during progression.

But for the voice to bring that up now…

— The last character you raised—the one with the Defensive Swordsman build. I’ll let you use up to three of the items that character had.

‘…What?’

It took a moment for me to process that.

But when I did…

‘…Any three items from that character?’

— Yep. Any three you want. Check your right arm.

I rolled my eyes downward and glanced at my right arm.

At some point, three blue lines had appeared across it.

— Each time you use one item, one blue line will disappear. Once you use an item, it’s gone for good—completely one-time use. Got it?

‘So, I can summon up to three items, and each can be used only once. Okay, understood. But how do I summon them?’

The voice hesitated for a moment, then replied uncertainly.

— Back when you played the game, how did you bring out items?

‘Uh… I opened the inventory and took them out?’

— Then, try summoning them with that same feeling.

‘…Alright.’

What?

Am I supposed to drag it out with a mouse or something?

Honestly, I had no clue what kind of “feeling” that meant, but I decided to just roll with it.

— Good. Anyway, make the best use of those items and get through this situation safely. I’m sure you know better than me which items to use right now.

‘I know what I need for this moment. And if I consider what’s coming next… well, I’ll decide then.’

— Exactly. Because that evil dragon isn’t your only enemy. You’ve still got others to face. So I’ll be counting on you.

The voice in my head seemed to be fading, growing fainter and fainter.

I immediately realized what that meant.

‘Looks like there’s a time limit to how long we can talk.’

— Talking alone would be fine, but that’s not all I’m doing right now, is it? Freezing time like this takes a lot out of me.

‘Then, before you go, I’ll ask one last thing. Who… are you, really?’

The voice went silent for a while.

Then, softly, it chuckled.

— You’ve probably got a pretty good idea of who I am, don’t you?

‘Yeah… I think I’ve got a rough idea.’

— Heh. Good. I’ll tell you the full story later, when there’s time. And… after all this, I can’t not accept you as one of us. So, Gideon Kyrgram. The true and only successor of the Pure-White Mainac.

The voice paused, and I listened quietly.

— As the sword that protects the Empire, I… no, we hope that you’ll fulfill the task we could not.

With those words, the voice in my head vanished completely.

And at the same time—

“…Huh?”

The time that had stopped began to flow once more.

I quickly looked around.

Still within the pure-white subspace.

And right before my eyes, Suiroti had activated several magic circles, ready to attack me.

After confirming all of that in an instant, I glanced down at my right arm.

There were still three blue lines drawn across it.

“What’s with that stupid look on your face? Have you finally lost your mind?”

“…Maybe just for a moment.”

I smiled faintly as I looked at the blue lines.

If what that voice said was true—

and I really could use any three items that my Defensive Swordsman character once had…

‘I can escape this subspace.’

A way had appeared.

So all I had to do now was move.

First, I sheathed Mistcatcher back into its scabbard.

“Hah, finally giving up, are you? It’s obvious you don’t stand a chance. You should’ve surrendered sooner. It’s far too late now. Even if you beg for mercy, my resolve to make you die in agony—”

“I’m not surrendering. Even if I die, I’ll die fighting. Do you really think I came all this way just to give up?”

“…Hah, stubborn to the end. Haven’t you realized by now? You have no means left. As long as you’re trapped in this subspace, victory belongs to me.”

“You’re right. As long as I remain in here, I have no chance of winning.”

But then, I raised my right arm.

“If I destroy this subspace, though, my chances might change.”

“What do you mean? There’s no way you can destroy this subspace—”

“This isn’t the first time someone’s tried trapping me inside a confined space. I’ve faced enemies like that before.”

Of course, that was in the game.

In the early stages, whenever my character got trapped in these kinds of subspaces, I had to struggle through all sorts of trouble.

Most of the time, those subspaces worked completely against me.

That’s why I’d prepared an item specifically for situations like this.

And right now, I was going to summon it.

‘The feeling of taking an item out from the inventory… right?’

I pictured it in my head an inventory, a kind of personal subspace where items were stored.

And then I imagined pulling an item out of it…

“…Got it.”

A smile spread across my face.

I felt it.

And as if to confirm my intuition, one of the blue lines on my right arm briefly glowed—then vanished.

At the same time, a black staff appeared in my right hand.

“Suiroti, do you know what this staff is…?”

“T-That…?! That’s Moganite’s! H-How do you have that?!”

“Oh, that… Moganite was a person’s name?”

“One of the ancient gods! Though he left for another dimension long ago… why would his relic be in your possession…?”

“Well, let’s just say I happened to come across it.”

I looked down at the staff in my hand.

Moganite, the Divider of Space.

That was the name of this staff.

In the game, it was an item obtainable only after collecting seven separate fragments.

I’d just now learned that Moganite was the name of an ancient god.

“Well, since you know what it is…”

Now that I thought about it, it made perfect sense that this staff’s original owner was a god because in certain situations, it had absolutely broken performance.

“No need to explain further, then.”

“N-No!”

I raised the staff high and slammed it down onto the ground.

Immediately, above me, a black sphere—no, a massive black hole—formed.

The black hole expanded rapidly, swallowing the white subspace around us.

Before Suiroti could even react, the subspace itself was absorbed completely—

“…Its performance really is insane.”

The scene of Benetic Stadium reappeared.

Moganite, the Divider of Space.

This item could absorb and erase any space created through special power, regardless of its nature.

Against enemies like Suiroti, who trapped their opponents in alternate spaces, there was no better item.

“…You never fail to surprise me, Kyrgram—no, descendant of Mainac.”

Suiroti’s expression had gone beyond anger, now filled with disbelief.

“My subspace took centuries to perfect. And you destroyed it in an instant… Moganite, that bastard did the same thing centuries ago… and now, I suffer the same at the hands of a mere human.”

“Sorry for destroying your life’s work, but you understand, don’t you? I don’t want to die either. And hey, look at the bright side—now there’s no subspace or anything in the way. We can have a fair fight, right?”

“…Are you mocking me?”

“Yes.”

“…I’ll kill you.”

Countless magic circles reappeared around Suiroti.

“Fine. As you said, we’ll end this in a fair fight. But don’t expect to die easily. I’ll torture you until the brink of death, heal you, and repeat it again and again. You’ll spend years as my plaything before you finally die.”

“That sounds terrifying.”

I drew Mistcatcher again and took my stance.

My stamina was nearly spent.

It was finally time to settle things with Suiroti once and for all.

Just as we were about to clash again—

“…Hm?”

“W-What is this?”

From somewhere, a gust of wind carrying a bright light blew in.

As it brushed past Suiroti, all the magic circles he had summoned disappeared.

“Sorry, Gideon. But there’s no such thing as a fair fight.”

“…Veron?”

“I’ve got quite a bit of pent-up grudge against that oversized lizard, you see.”

I had no idea when he’d arrived.

But before I knew it, the King of Fairies was sitting on my shoulder, smiling.