The duel concludes.

To begin with, this duel was slightly in Narikin's favor.

The Saintess could not kill Narikin while Narikin could kill the Saintess as he knew she would revive.

If the rule were "until one is utterly slain," Narikin would have had no chance. But he only needed to kill her once.

Conversely, the Saintess did not want to kill Narikin. Thus, it was hard for her to go all out. She might lop off an arm or two, but she would hold herself to what she could heal with recovery magic.

"Well then. It is my turn."

This time Narikin chose to make the first move. He drew a breath and cut out midway through it.

Using one's breathing to throw off timing. A small Demon King–style trick that can trip up even masters who read breath.

But Saintess Alka was beyond such things. If anything, she was used to opponents who ignored breathing. Matching his attack, she produced a greatsword and received it.

"Mgh! No good!?"

"Demon King style. You didn't use that in your recent stream, were you hiding it?"

It was a small, surprise strike and it was heavy. The soil scraped and pressed beneath his feet left gouged prints. Inwardly, Saintess Alka was a touch flustered at the force that far exceeded her expectations.

Stronger than imagined, a monstrous strength. His defense as well.

Against a full-plate opponent, a long fight is supposed to be favorable. The weight alone drains their stamina as they move. Yet the Narikin before her moved lightly, as if the armor were his true body.

The textbook would not apply. A long fight would be disadvantageous, Alka judged.

"■■■, ■■■■—"

"I won't allow it!! Nngh!?"

He lashed out with another kick to interrupt her chant, but this time Alka anticipated it. In dungeons, she often cast while fighting at close quarters. Compared to being surrounded by many monsters, only having to deal with Narikin was simple. She opened distance and completed the chant.

"— Judgment Sword!!!"

Judgment Sword. Alongside Judgment Ray, it was a Ruler-tier light-attribute spell and one of the Saintess's trump cards. Light dwelled in the blade she held.

In this state, the sword had power worthy of a Ruler-tier light spell; it could slice even an adamantite shield with ease. To endure it required commensurate defensive magic — or orichalcum itself.

Needless to say, taking it on a sword would be difficult.

"Haaaaa!!"

Saintess Alka brought the light blade down toward Narikin. But Narikin saw it and curled his lips in a fearless grin. A bad feeling seized her and her stroke slowed — no, that was correct. That was the right choice.

"Hn!"

"What!?"

Narikin's backfist knocked the light blade aside. Had she put her full weight behind it, she surely would have lost her grip then and there. Because she hesitated, she avoided that.

And you would think the hand that had struck the light blade would be — yet his hand, his gauntlet, was completely unscathed.

"Battle aura, is it!?"

"? … I owe you no answer!"

No doubt, the Saintess was convinced. She was even glad that Narikin had a countermeasure. The light blade would last for a few minutes yet. She sprang in anew and hewed down with the sword.

Narikin took it on his arm. Gagyariiii — a grating scream of metal. He was cloaking himself in ki to raise his defense, no question.

"Gh—nnnnnn!!"

"Haaaaa!!!"

Which would prevail — aura or light blade? The heat peculiar to "ki" felt thin. He could likely endure with burst output, but sustained output looked to be his weakness. The Saintess poured in strength to overrun him as-is.

In the next instant, the blade suddenly slipped, and with it Narikin's arm thumped to the ground. A joint, weak in its base defense. His arm rolled away, armor and all. The Saintess had overextended into the downward cut and lost her posture, but in a duel, losing a hand is enough to say the match is decided.

The expected follow-up would be a kick. If she endured that one blow, she would win. She braced to defend.

And just as she was certain of victory — something pierced her chest.

Water. Water, at ultra-high pressure.

"… hah!?"

She looked, and from the flank of Narikin's armor, there sprouted a "hand" she recognized.

Not a human hand.

Once, in a certain dungeon—

"Th-that arm—"

"—Ah. Something I picked up in a dungeon. Tore it off the boss."

The arm of the boss who had once done in the Saintess.

Golem "Uuma's" final-form trump card. An arm for magic attacks.

"A hidden weapon of a magic tool — you won't call it cowardly, will you?"

"Ngh, of course not… gfh."

Coughing blood, Alka smiled with a hint of nostalgia. To be felled by the same technique twice.

… Her heart had been hit. She would not be moving anytime soon.

He let the arm be severed to pierce her heart.

Splendid. The Saintess gave up on healing. Dying once more would be faster.

"Now, I shall see you off — Tri Judgment!!"

"Ahh…"

In the next moment, Narikin loosed three pillars of light and burned the Saintess away.