The Valkyrie’s spear flashed, and a golem’s head was severed from its shoulders.
With each strike, a flicker of light—like tiny sparks—erupted from the point of impact. Magic power surged from the spear into the golem, disrupting the underlying magic formula. It was only a momentary interference, but it was more than enough time for the golem to lose its cohesion and crumble. The golem struck by the spear dissolved back into ordinary earth, starting from its very fingertips.
"Yah!"
The Valkyrie’s spear whipped around, piercing the chest of a golem positioned in her blind spot. Once again, sparks flew, and the construct collapsed into a pile of dirt. I attempted to reconstruct the magic formula, but her magic power blocked me at every turn.
(A strange reaction. Is this also a trait of her hero status?)
The magic power dwelling within the Valkyrie was slightly different from that of an ordinary person. In terms of pure quality and quantity, it wasn't particularly remarkable. However, its nature was unique, granting it an immense resistance to magic interference. This was likely the reason her Requiem Power was able to affect me.
It wasn't specialized enough to be considered a unique ability, but for a practitioner like myself who relied heavily on complex magic, it was a nuisance. I needed to rethink my approach. If I tried to be too clever with my tactics, I risked being cornered. I had to force the flow of battle into a state where she couldn't leverage her strengths.
Looking at the few remaining golems, I channeled my magic. The ground across the entire area began to writhe, transforming into new earth golems. Once I had generated about thirty of them, I commanded them to fall upon the Valkyrie.
It had been a repetitive cycle for some time now. The Valkyrie fought on with indomitable spirit against the relentless waves of attackers. She was truly a master of spearmanship, and her technique for channeling magic power into the golems was world-class. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a form of magic, yet her formula obstruction was more effective than any crude counter-spell. Even if one set aside the threat of her Requiem Power, the Valkyrie possessed the raw strength and skill befitting a hero.
Meanwhile, the subordinates she led had been wiped out. They had fallen under the fierce assault of my constructs. Faced with an almost infinite supply of golems, they were beaten to death one by one. It was an insidious method, perhaps, but a certain one.
I only needed to maintain a safe distance and continue producing golems. Her men had been so preoccupied with the constructs that they never had the opportunity to launch a counterattack against me. Now, only the Valkyrie remained.
As expected, however, she was not easily toppled. Even with golems closing in from all directions, she continued to hold her own, fighting them to a standstill. I had been aiming for a war of attrition to drain her stamina, but the Valkyrie’s attacks only seemed to grow more intense. Her spear flashed at a speed the eye could barely follow, systematically dismantling the golems with surgical precision. Her breathtaking spearplay was undoubtedly the work of a first-rate master. It was comparable to that of Diera, a fellow spear user—which was to say, it was the pinnacle of martial skill in this world.
(I had heard she was a master of spearmanship, but to think she was this capable...)
Reports were one thing, but witnessing it in person was another; her martial aura was on a different level. Furthermore, she was blind. She fought by honing her other senses to a razor's edge. Just how much training had she endured to reach such a height?
Ritual magic had certainly elevated her into a hero, but without a powerful foundation of her own, she never would have achieved such strength. The majority of my own current abilities were borrowed. The portion I had obtained through my own personal effort was nothing more than a small fraction. Perhaps that was why I found her strength so dazzling. It left me with a bitter sense of guilt.
Of course, I didn't let such emotions interfere with my magic manipulation. Most of my focus was dedicated to observing the Valkyrie. By sacrificing a multitude of golems, I was learning her fighting style and identifying her habits. I wanted to lay all her cards bare. The scenario I feared most was sustaining a fatal wound from some unknown ability.
The Valkyrie was an awakened hero. Besides Requiem, she might have another trump card hidden away. By cornering her with golems, my priority was to force her to reveal her full potential without putting myself at risk.
(...It's time.)
Sensing an opening, I slowly raised my arm and fired a single beam from the machine. I deliberately timed it for the exact moment the Valkyrie was impaling a golem.
"Ugh...!?"
Her evasive maneuver was a fraction of a second too slow. The beam grazed her shoulder, scorching the flesh. Blood sprayed into the air. The Valkyrie nearly dropped her spear, but she managed to endure the pain and retreat, kicking golems aside to put distance between us.
I followed up by firing a rapid succession of beams. The Valkyrie parried them, catching the rays on the head of her spear and redirecting them. It was a transcendent display of technique. Normally, a single hit would have been the end of the fight, yet she responded without using any magical assistance. The Valkyrie was unmistakably a person of exceptional talent. It was almost a waste to kill her.
Naturally, I couldn't afford to hold back. That kind of arrogance was exactly what invited one's own death. I would continue to use the most certain methods until the very end.
While keeping up the beam fire with one hand, I generated a massive wave of golems—fifty of them all at once. I sent the entire horde rushing toward her.
"---Hoh."
The movement of her spear accelerated visibly. With a flurry of consecutive strikes that pushed past her limits, she began to smash through the overwhelming wall of golems. I fired my beams into the fray, uncaring if they struck my own constructs, aiming solely for the Valkyrie’s life. Even as she tore through the golems, she continued to parry my beams as part of her fluid movements.
Suddenly, the response of my dedicated machine grew sluggish. It seemed her Requiem Power had intensified. Even at death's door, the Valkyrie was tapping into some hidden reserve of strength.
(Such futile struggling...)
I responded by pushing the output of my machine to its limit. It placed a massive strain on the unit, but I didn't care. The battle had reached its climax, and I had no intention of holding anything back.
Despite the damage from the overload, the dedicated machine continued its relentless bombardment. The Valkyrie clung to life, weathering the storm with nothing but her single spear. After a grueling exchange of offense and defense, I finally caught her leg with a beam. Then, another shot punched a clean hole through her abdomen.
"...!"
As she recoiled, a follow-up beam pierced her throat. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly as she staggered. She tried to use her spear as a crutch, but she wasn't fast enough; her body began to pitch forward toward the ground.
(Is this finally the end...?)
I prepared to witness her final moments, only to be struck by shock. Just before hitting the ground, she suddenly thrust out a leg—the very leg I had just pierced. She kicked off the earth and sprinted forward in a low, lunging stance.
It was an explosive burst of speed that caught me completely off guard. I immediately fired another beam, but my aim was off, and it hissed past her side.
"De...mon... King...!"
A raspy, choked voice escaped her alongside a spray of blood. Having closed the distance in a heartbeat, the Valkyrie thrust her spear toward me with everything she had left.