<Infinite Dendrogram>

Episode IV: Fallen Angel

□ [Saint Knight] Ray Sterling

Mr. Laylay... Laylay of "Sakaike Meatland”.

Someone I'd already met the day I started Dendro, but too unknown at the same time.

Only footage from sweeping Goblin Street that Marie showed me was seen fighting.

But I didn't know what that one was doing either.

I just touched it and the < Master > on < Goblin Street > was melting down and bouncing and flying.

It is utterly unclear on what principle Mr. Laylay is doing it, and neither his brother nor Mr. Figaro has taught him.

"What we know is that it's not good to be approached."

"Oh......"

I could be killed just by touching the bare hands Mr. Ray is exposed to.

Even if you look at the status in Nursing, it's covered up as well as in World War I.

I don't even know how many AGIs they have or what kind of jobs they are.

"………………"

My throat, nervous, was spitting naturally.

"Ray, this is my first time fighting you. Yo. Fun -"

Mr. Raleigh, on the other hand, does not fit in nervously, but smiles nicely.

"Ten seconds till the duel begins"

In contrast to us, time is equal.

It will be the time to start the match.

"Five, four, three, two, one, zero."

And then the game started, and I flew over in silver.

I don't know if Mr. Raleigh has air combat capability.

But while you're still on the ground, they're definitely packing the distance, and that immediate-death contact is coming!

"Mr. Raleigh...!

Whether you're going to set up a pursuit in this situation, that's the first watershed.

The result is…….

"Ooh. The horses are flying. He's been fashionable lately. ♪

Mr. Ray didn't come after me.

On the contrary, it's not even moving.

I looked up at us flying and somehow started singing fun.

A very pleasant singing voice creeps within the boundaries.

"... what?

Can Mr. Raleigh afford to act or is it natural?

Or I wonder if that song is a skill that causes some state anomaly, check the simple status... but there is no indication of a state anomaly.

…………

Either way, there's only one thing to do.

We must create a favourable environment by filling this juncture with indifference, filling at least the difference in power that lies between me and Mr. Raleigh.

"Hell of a Qi"!

With that in mind, I turn my right hand toward Mr. Rayleigh under my eyes and activate his skills.

"Spray!"

- - The right hand disappeared at that moment (...).

"................................. Huh?

My right arm tried to unleash Hell's Chi.

That was in the drool for every [armor] on the right... dissolved (...).

――――

At that moment, one sight flashes back.

That's fighting that [demon general].

Gardranda, who summoned him, used "Zero/Hell of a Chi" for the second [Geeganite] all the time with Todome.

The demon of the armor that received it had melted and collapsed, both flesh and bone.

The sight now, nevertheless, is similar.

... even though I'm the one who used Hell's Chi?

Moreover, there is an abnormality in the fact that it has been destroyed up to the [armor].

"No way... the ability to amplify and return an opponent's attack before an attack?

Our ability to develop damage counters may also make it possible... uncomfortable.

Because Mr. Raleigh hasn't done anything (...).

I'm just singing and looking up at this one.

Or even say it's the ability to establish a preemptive counter just by singing?

But it's too, it's just irrational.

"What the hell did they do... gohoo"

"Ray... ⁉"

In the middle of words, I coughed up abruptly.

If you do your left hand on your mouth...... your hand stains red with a lot of blood.

That's not all.

All the time... maybe while I was distracted by the melting of my right arm, there was a lot of blood on the silver saddle.

Where did you come from... my belly.

I couldn't sense the pain off...... my stomach melted (...) and the hole was empty (...).

"... what... this?

I'm not getting close.

Nothing has been done.

I don't even know what they're doing.

But for sure... I am fatally wounded.

Mr. Ray was just singing.

But I understand it late.

Even if there is no indication of a state anomaly or if the principle is not known, there is no longer any mistake.

- This song is Mr. Raleigh's attack.

I don't know the principle, but the attack is flying through the sound.

If you don't stop singing, I'm gonna die like this.

"- [Monochrome]"

The [black entanglement] that was wrapped around me in response to my cry moves, forming a pitch-black shell instead of the lost right hand.

It may be avoided, but this is the only hitter I have more than having to decide on an immediate battle in a situation I can't get close to.

The maximum firepower I can have - Shining Dispair - that is capable of beating superheat at the speed of light.

Whether it's in the arena, if you shoot downwards, you don't have to worry about pushing through the junction and hitting the city. Same as Mr. Figaro once did when he fought his feminized senior.

"Shining -"

And with my declaration of skill, light with heat begins to fill the interior of the pitch-black shell,

- - [Black entanglement (...)] evaporated (...) without withstanding that heat.

――――

No more words.

It is the side that emits the attack, and the great anomaly is that [black entanglement] evaporates, which should not be harmed in the laser category by "light absorption" in the first place.

But I understand.

I finally understood the principle of what was being done.

The attack is not being amplified and bounced back before the attack.

If that's the case, if that's all, then [Black Wrap] can stand it.

This is..., this phenomenon...

"of resistance (...), erase (...)...!"

It is not a state anomaly displayed in the status.

its previous stage (...).

Resistance to state anomalies. Supposedly fluctuates depending on END etc… a kind of mask (hidden) status.

Mr. Laylay's is interfering with it.

Biologically and biologically, such resistance is eliminated… not only state anomaly resistance, but also attribute resistance.

"No, this is nowhere near zero......! - Negative resistance (...)!

The resistance itself has been debuffed, making it much more susceptible to state anomalies and heat changes than normal.

That is why the exasperating [armor] melted with its own exasperation.

That is why the [black entanglement sleeve], which is supposed to absorb and release light heat, evaporated with its own generated light heat.

Maybe, like an organism dying of its own poison.

"What an ability......!

It is the kind of ability that puts Kaguya, a senior feminized student, into a single point of resistance debuff.

What that means is that almost all abnormal state attacks, energy-release attacks, can lead to self-destruction and cannot be used in front of Mr. Laylay.

The left-handed [armor] will also [carbide] every left hand in an instant using Purgatory Fire.

…………

When I did my hand to the belly hole, I felt the hole spread a little.

Not only that, but the [armor] touched is starting to dissolve with white smoke.

"You know what..."

Now I know why my stomach's torn.

I guess this is a kind of... stomach ulcer (...).

Instead of the stomach wall, everything in my body is so unbearable to stomach acid, it's dropping my resistance to acid.

"In short, if you're an organism, you don't have to do anything to die..."

Every organism destroys itself just by being around it - the user of the song of doom.

That's the “Sake Pond Flesh Forest" ray.

I mean, take it to her. It's just a grove of meat, something that melts and just becomes a pond of liquor, like other organisms.

I don't know who put it on, but if I could tell, I'd only get cold.

"Ray...... How do you... hit your hand?

Nemesis also seemed to be in confusion in the tragedy that arose to keep him standing.

But I saw what I needed to do.

"... nemesis, it's a black flag axe spear"

…… Uhm! '

When the left-hand nemesis turns into an axe spear that flickers the flag and activates Reversal is like a Flying Flag, it feels as though the belly hole spread has subsided somewhat.

"Not completely deactivated... but did it still work enough to make it a little lighter"

"Reversal" is also a skill of resistance, if a big deal.

Even if not even the inversion of the debuff, it seems to have been able to slightly lighten the negativity of the resistance by using it.

... Even when I fought the feminized seniors before, the load became lighter.

"Nemesis...... We'll start a melee from here"

'... that's all I have to do'

Ranged attack means almost crushed.

In melee, I just have to put Keri on.

"What blocks the sound with the power of silver?

A thick lamination of the compressed air wall may prevent the sound from passing through.

But......

"I thought about that, too. But I don't know if I can erase the debuffs I already have... and I don't have time to make them"

My stomach has been torn and continued damage has occurred.

After time, our loss will be confirmed, so I can't even look at it anymore.

For the same reason, we don't even have time to build wind and hoof bombs.

"Besides, I was wary of contact at first, but that shouldn't mean as much to me as it does to me."

Perhaps Mr. Raleigh's hand is wrapped up in some state anomaly.

It's a guy called the Poison Hand that some fishermen have.

That in itself is just a state anomaly attack, but if you take it with your resistance negative body, it changes quickly to an instant death state anomaly.

Horrible Special Attack, also with Synergy.

But if you can't touch it, there's no problem.

"Jump into the nostalgia, put on a battle"

Assuming the motion in the footage I've seen before is Mr. Laylay's full strength, I can deal with it to some extent now. Even Counter Absorption is not missing stock.

I regret not seeing the status in The Nursing, but I still have to do it.

But......

"Attack... not enough, though."

'... oh. The counters aren't built up, either.'

The biggest problem is that we don't have the means to defeat Mr. Laylay.

Negative resistance prevents the use of [armor] and [black wrap].

And so far the damage has been self-destructive (...).

Mr. Raleigh has only negated his resistance and has done no damage.

So none of Revenge, Retribution, or Pursuit are usable.

In addition, it is suspicious that Mr. Raleigh can be defeated by the attack power of the Black Flag Axe Spear's vegetables.

I thought I could use a Grand Cross, but I need to pause myself on the ground to activate it. I fear I will be poked through that gap, and most importantly, I have a strong formula that depends on Mr. Laylay's level but cannot be defeated by a single blow.

…………

There are few hand tags and only a few chances to win.

If that makes him as aggressive as he can defeat Mr. Raleigh... that's him.

"You want to bet?

"Oh."

Already an overwhelming disadvantage, if you're going to reverse it from here...... you just have to bet.

"... Let's go!

"Answer!"

And we ran all the way down to Mr. Rayleigh under his eyes.

As silver accelerates by gravity and simultaneously makes a lateral change, it storms into Mr. Laylay.

Mr. Ray was singing, but he was clearly following our movements with his eyes.

"Ohhhh."

At the time I caught Mr. Ray in time, I shook my black flag axe spear wide.

♪♪

However, Mr. Raleigh will try to avoid the attack with a sweep back that deflects his torso.

And right after the blade passes Mr. Raleigh, he returns his torso and packs his distance from me.

An instant step in, even catching up with the silver trying to run away.

I don't know if that's due to skill or self-reliance.

Either way, I was caught in the midst of Mr. Raleigh's lethal poisoner.

And Mr. Raleigh poked his poisoner at me as he sang out loud,

"-" Counter Absorption "!

- Nemesis returning from black flag axe spear to mannequin unfolds the wall of light.

The wall of light receives the poison hand, for a moment, but Mr. Laylay's movement stops.

"Now......!

In that gap, I put my left arm over my head and activate Instant Gear.

That's how they grabbed me in my left hand - an unnamed axe wrapped around a cloth with a blade.

I had a feeling that this axe blow would defeat Mr. Raleigh.

That even if your arm blows up once you shake it, it's possible once you just shake it down.

Mr. Raleigh did not stop singing, but his eyes are slightly opened.

"Ha......!

And I, Mr. Raleigh, waved my axe down,

- At the time I waved the axe a few centimeters, I remembered the anomaly.

- It feels like something's coming through my whole body from my left hand.

――――

Shortly after that feeling - my body disappeared (...).

It looks like the right arm in sparring, much bigger than that (...).

My whole body was (...) shattered (...) bouncing and flying (...).

With the feeling that I was shattered...... my consciousness dimmed.

The next time I noticed, the stage was unraveled.

Before the second hand of the clock outside the junction was half way around, it was all over.

My first day in the tournament.

The result was a... World War II defeat.

To be continued