On one side of the vast crystal chamber, its floor veiled with impenetrable fog up to the level of one's knees, a blonde man in white armour wielding a blue spear was combatting the Area Boss, an Infected Yeti with a full four arms.
On the other side, silently observing the duel, two people stood calmly.
"...Your interference was unnecessary."
From behind that crudely simple, yet all-too-intimidating black mask, a deep, distorted voice emanated.
From beside him, a much more natural voice retorted.
"It's fine, isn't it? There is no detriment to yourself, but if you were concerned about the possibility of that monster killing him, don't worry. He wouldn't fall to something of that calibre."
"Incidentally, never once have I revealed such a capability of my fog to them. There is no concern about them suspecting me, so please don't be suspicious. This doesn't put me in a bad position either."
"I wanted to confirm something with you. That is, to be frank, why you wish to kill him."
"...Is that any business of yours?"
"I would certainly think so. Wouldn't you? He is my party leader, after all. You have put me in the unfortunate position of making a difficult choice, so I simply wish to ascertain which of the two will be most beneficial."
For a short while after Anders said that, silence flowed.
Or rather, because John Pierce was not subduing his own grunts and utterances whilst fighting the Area Boss, who was likewise growling and howling without restraint, there was such a backdrop of the melody only obtainable through shedding blood.
And after enough time passed for the former to inflict a quite substantial wound on the latter, even if it was immediately crystallised over and repaired, the masked figure finally gave a response― This text is hosted at novel•fire.net
―In the form of holding the edge of the black blade to Anders' neck.
"Is life beneficial enough?"
The implication needn't be stated.
"...Uh. Haha. Now, how wouldn't it be? Of course, life is... the most beneficial thing, in fact."
Whether thanks to those exceedingly selfish words, the sheer mercy of the person wearing the mask, or something else entirely, the blade parted just an inch from the adjacent neck, eliciting a clearly subdued sigh.
'...This individual is rather volatile... Perhaps I was being too hasty.'
Things might be different in fiction, but in reality, an ordinary person could only lose their life once.
As for John Pierce, the only exception Anders knew of, could he even be considered one step above ordinary? The answer, regardless of who was asked the question, had much room for debate.
Compared to such a person, he himself was far too ordinary. Thus, life was not something he could simply discard at the drop of a hat.
'It's certainly earlier than I would have preferred, however...'
At this rate, he wasn't so sure there was much of a choice but to go through with it.
With that understanding finally settling in, Anders warily opened his mouth.
"...I wish to propose a--"
At least, he tried to, but was interrupted by that distorted voice.
On the other side of the chamber, John Pierce was still engaged with that Infected Yeti. The monster appeared to have been perforated all over by his azure spear which flowed like water itself, yet each and every time, its wounded flesh would simply be reconnected and filled by that hard crystal.
Of course, his skill was such that, assuming the power level of each party remained the same, he would eventually figure out a way to win, but at least his stamina would take a hit. Would he rather the satisfaction of killing him at full power―was that what this is about?
Just what was this person thinking?
'...Oh well. I did this for you in the first place... This is beneficial for me either way.'
Casting a brief sideways glance at the masked man adjacent, then turning it back to the two duellists in front, Anders gave another quiet sigh, motioning his hands low as if conducting a musical play.
At the same time, a wave of fog rose up to wash over him, and his eyes caught a glint.
Something reflected, like a spot of sun mirrored off of the water's surface.
Right then, he vanished into the fog, and just beside him―
―A loud reverberation sung, bouncing near-endlessly off the crystalised walls and ceiling of the cavern.
"You blocked it. Impressive."
Erupting with a small explosion of sparks between the colliding forces, John Pierce pushed his spear further―blocked by the other's black blade, however, the defendant had the advantage, and using that leverage over the opponent's weapon, the masked figure knocked it to the side and almost out of its owner's grasp completely, displaying outstanding force.
Immediately following up the displacement, the black blade came down on John Pierce, excluding all mercy.
With no time to reestablish the grip on his weapon and bring it to the front in time, and the opponent's blade mere instants away from cleaving him top-down in twain, there would ordinarily be no way for a person to escape such a conclusive scenario.
And yet, with a single word being uttered from his mouth.
A bright light illuminated the cavern, and with it, the enemy's black blade impacted something that wasn't what the target was supposed to be.
Something surprisingly large, heavy, and most likely quite dense judging by the feel of the sword's impact.
Like what, a shield...?
As the light quickly died down, its true identity was revealed.
Letting out a deep and resounding bellow, what stood between John Pierce and the masked figure was but a white stag, its bulky stature incomparable to any man.
Another familiar, was it? Hadn't he too called upon one when he summoned that spear?
Judging by the masked figure's sudden inaction, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume they were taken aback by the summoning. After all, just how many magical familiars did this man possess?
However, that news wasn't all there was.
In return for summoning that beast to his side, it appeared as though John Pierce had traded in the stability of his white armour, as what he now wore was nothing more than a simple military combat uniform.
Incidentally, it was the same outfit he wore when he first started out as a Challenger.
Perhaps, then, his ability could be worked out simply.
He could summon magical familiars as beasts to support him, but those familiars each had a form of equipment they could transform into for him to utilise?
The White Stag, Cervus, served as his armour and his shield.
The Flaming Bird, Phoenix, then, must also have another form as equipment, though perhaps it was too damaged to come out just yet.
Further, Pisces, the azure spear, would also possess a beastial form.
And that wasn't accounting for any he had yet to reveal.
For the first time, at least to John Pierce's ears, the masked figure's distorted voice was muttered.
Perhaps John Pierce had picked up on it, as a cheeky grin subsequently illuminated his face.
Not giving the satisfaction of a response, the masked figure surprisingly jumped a short distance back. Just as John Pierce watched those movements sceptically, he felt the ground tremble.
Swinging the azure spear with his own movements, he abruptly turned around and thrust the sharp head directly through the bottom of the Yeti's chin, shutting it with the flow of blood.
"Ha, I forgot about you! Oop--!"
Just then, the flesh of the monster crystallised around the penetrating spear head, trapping it inside the Infected Yeti's own body as it continued unrelenting in its attack, bringing two of four arms down on him with tightly clenched fists.
This time, he didn't block or evade the attack.
Instead, digging his feet into the ground, he established a posture of maximised stability and filled his arms with strength, lifting the spear up high and dragging the connected body of the Yeti with it.
Meanwhile, the masked figure had already dashed back into the fray, wielding that sinister blade with the clear intent to reap John Pierce's life.
His back vulnerable, and his arms bearing the full weight of the opposing Area Boss, he still wore no expression of distress or worry―before the enemy's blade could come close, the white stag stepped in, blocking the path with its own body and lowering its head to intercept the blade further with its set of massive antlers, bringing the masked figure to a halt.
As if having deliberately set up the sort of combo move, John Pierce brought his arms down upon the enemy with the same motion as if swinging a giant hammer.
Naturally, the substantial mass of the Infected Yeti followed.
The summoning of the white stag was dismissed at the last moment.
And thus, the masked figure was utterly crushed.