<Infinite Dendrogram>

Episode XV: Fighting and Choosing You Can Lose

□ ■ [Play Lost Dream Dreamland] Inside

How long has it been since the battle between Ray and Cardinal A started?

I'm sure it's shorter than 30 minutes, which is the effect time of The Kingdom of Nightmares, but it will never be shorter.

That's all time, Ray endured well.

Much better in stats. Combat with one perk weapon and a lack of armor against a strong enemy that surpasses the [Geeganite] of the once relative legendary demon.

Additionally, the skills of [Saint Knight] are unusable, except for healing magic by job-changing to [Spellman].

In that state, Ray stood around.

His overlapping experience in action with Kamikami was making it happen.

But that was the limit, too.

"Ha... ha..."

Ray is exhaling roughly when he says he's in a dream.

So much drain, and even the Counter Absorption stock was already cut.

I was doing healing magic because I couldn't bring in healing items either, but I can't do that anymore either.

For [Purple Grievance A] to be unavailable, his MP, which is never much, is on the verge of depletion.

Now he switches to the most compact and easy to take around fourth form of double sword and concentrates on dodging.

However, the streak of evasive behavior is draining health severely and is shorting your breath.

Even so, my whole body was scratched... bloodstained.

"Gi......"

In contrast, Cardinal A, composed of mythical metals, is neither weary of shards.

Except for the fact that he was selected for part of his left arm in Shining Dispair, fine dust hasn't performed either.

The counterattack that Ray unleashed while dodging was sophisticated in creating some scratches on the metal surface.

In a situation where if that blow hits you directly, you will die, and you continue to face the fear of the blade, wounded to the point that it is not fatal... that's all the wounds you've inflicted.

The difference between him and me is obvious.

This is the limit to the battle that endures the opponent.

If it was the usual Ray and Nemesis, we could also have expected a reversal from being caught up.

But I can't do that.

Due to this Dreamland trait, Nemesis's counterattack skills, including Revenge is on Me, cannot be effective against Cardinal A.

The reversal bill itself that defeats Cardinal A is missing.

There is no victory vigeon, defeat comes with one failure.

Too, it was a heart-draining battle.

…………

In addition, there are concerns that Nemesis notices and doesn't have to put into his mouth.

That's Ray's move to hold her.

He endures his opponent well with a superior cardinal A.

He doesn't break his heart to the desperate difference in power, dives through so critical that his heart hurts, he resists.

I endure 100% of my own power right now.

But...... she is aware.

That's 100%, not more (...).

When Ray fought a number of formidable enemies so far, he was exerting his power beyond the 100% limit.

If that were the case this time around, the bullets would have been less devastating than they are now, and there could have been more wounds to give.

But not this time.

The reason it's happening is not in their Cardinal A.

One reason would be that the five senses are slightly different in my dreams, but it is not a decision making.

Nemesis realized why.

Because today we already had two fights...... similar fights.

Um, at the "tournament."

What is the reason for this......

(... This is not an irrevocable (...) fight (...))

Just like that “tournament” defeat was all about losing.

This fight is...... there is no problem losing (...).

Including Ray will only result in a death penalty.

The battle that Ray has fought so far...... like the many death fights that started with that [Demidragworm], it's not a 'tragedy' with Tian's life hanging on it.

That's why Ray can't exert his true power.

Ray himself intends to show 100% strength, and in fact that is done.

But now he's... not beyond his limits. I can't go beyond it.

(............... right)

Nemesis looks back.

Many of his overlapping defeats were not 'tragic' situations, as they are now.

The battle with Marie, the numerous simulations, the first encounter with the moon and night, and the… "tournament”.

"A Fight You Can Lose," and you've lost.

(... maybe I don't have a choice, huh?)

His essence is that he 'hurts himself to protect'.

I've hurt myself to protect someone, and I've exceeded my limits.

But it hurts his heart and hurts himself to do it.

From the nemesis I think of Ray, never...... not a good thing.

Still, that impossibility is Ray's will, and I know he'll be hurt more than that if an irrevocable 'tragedy' happens.

That's why if we put 'tragedy' in front of us, Nemesis also supports Ray, choosing only to fight together.

But so...... the nemesis now makes me think.

(Until in "A Fight You Can Lose"...... do I need to keep fighting)

In a situation where if you hit it directly, it's over, where you can barely inflict a scratch either, in a situation that might last forever, … does it make sense to keep fighting until you wear out your mind and mind?

Or maybe, 'Wouldn't it be better to lose' and... even such a 'impossible' hunch begins to hold Nemesis.

And......

"Hey......"

Never, I guess, did I perceive the voice of Nemesis's heart now.

"- Shouldn't you lose?

Such a voice was uttered on Ray's back.

◇ ◆

Time goes back only slightly.

Garbera watched the battle between Ray and Cardinal A.

Except for the first hand who chooses his left arm, too one-sided a battle.

There's no chance or nothing. It was also obvious to her eyes that it was just a battle to slip through until she lost.

(... what shall I do? If you lose, now it's me...)

Gabella has no more hitters than Ray. We don't have any weapons to use in this space, and we don't have any alhazards.

She also suspects that she will only be able to escape but will not be able to continue to escape.

(I came down from that top, maybe it's a mobility skill... If this space itself is an embryo, then it has the skills to move things around it. Isn't that what 'you can go anywhere' is in your dreams?

Garbera's concerns are right, and Dreamland also has the skills to manipulate placement in dreams.

That's why she doesn't get away with it at this point.

Because I was in danger of targeting Garbera as' easier to give prey 'and moving Cardinal A in front of me when I escaped and took a great distance from Ray.

(Uh, too... He's pretty sticky to me, but it's not weird when he loses anymore... He doesn't have a problem losing, but I'm “jail” back if I lose... What should I do now...)

With Gabella holding her head,

"Mr. Gabella."

"Ho!?

Unexpectedly he was called in his ear, and Garbera flew up with an odd voice.

Turn momentum in the direction of your voice...... the feathered slime was floating patterned.

"............... Owner?

With the voices he has spoken to and the fact that there is no other such strange slime, Gabella immediately guesses, whispering confirmation so that the Rays don't notice.

"Yes. I finally found it"

And then the confirmation was taken, and Gabella exhales as relieved by being able to rendezvous with Zex (the split of).

"Oh, thank God..."

"Sounds like you had a rough time."

"Let's really...... I'm not Alhazard, my chest will be touched, I'm not equipped, I don't know when I'll be Despena, my chest will be touched,... because it's been really hard."

Gabella curls and stands up after she comes into this dream.

It was almost stupid......

"No Alhazard? Oh, I'm sure that's... '

However, one of its stupidity is that Zex returns the answer.

Why is there no Alhazard in this Dreamland where anything willing, such as Embrio, is supposed to be taken in?

Zex immediately guessed why.

And Zex explained to me...... Garbera was convinced.

"I see, that's the thing... but there's nothing I can do about it now."

'Right. But there won't be a problem. I know where you are, so this body of mine is headed that way too. It won't take long to get there. "

To that word, Gabella will only be relieved this time.

If the whole body is a < Super Embrio > and the Xex can be transformed into various < Embrio >, there must be as many means to win even against mythical metal opponents.

So much so that I put Zex in this dream that it can be the cause of [Lazy Demon King] 's defeat.

"Come quickly... I don't know how long he'll last..."

Garbera said so, watching Ray fight Cardinal A.

'- No, I'd rather have it endured'

But Zex said so to deny it.

"... Huh?

"When the [slur] of mythical metal is the opponent, it is impossible to defeat him unnoticed. I don't know how far he's been listening to this information about me from Shu, but there's a danger I can see from the style of combat '

I have already used the sword of the Rambling Treewalk in external combat.

It cannot be used to win the battle against Cardinal A, and there is a risk that at the time of using the other Embrio, it will be noticed that it is Xex Wurfel, [King of Crimes], who can use more than one Embrio.

That's why you can't be seen before Ray despends.

"Well, that means we'll wait for him to lose and then we'll get closer"

'Waiting is also a problem. I don't know how long Aprile can protect the other flesh. If Mr. Gabella is killed, it's a huge loss, and if Mr. Candy is killed, depending on the verdict of [the contract], this I will die, too'.

Which means it's best to get Ray despenned before Zex rushes and destroy Cardinal A. as soon as he arrives.

"But he's pretty sticky..."

Even in an overwhelmingly unfavourable situation, Ray endures.

Alternatively, I might still endure a few minutes.

That's what Gabella thinks......

'So I'll have Mr. Gabella stab me in the back'

Zex said so without incident.

"... No, no, I can't, can I? I don't have a knife, not a bowgun."

"Stabbing is not a weapon, it's a word"

With that said, Zex overheard what was in Gabella.

When I heard that, I was convinced that Gabella was also 'and so was that'... and I called out to Ray.

"Hey...... Shouldn't you lose?,".

…………

Ray didn't turn to the words hung on Gabella.

I can't afford to turn around.

He was still devoting his entire body to dodging the Cardinal A's repeated lethal slaughter.

'Hey, what are you talking about...!

That's why Nemesis responds instead.

The upset mixed with the voice would be not only because of the content of Gabella's words, but also because it was consistent with what she had in mind.

"Because it's not a bad situation for you guys just to prolong. Look, there's your gear outside, and there's that horse...? If you do, you'll be more at risk of breaking your gear and horses."

"It's..."

It's a take-out from Zex, but Gabella also thinks she's right about this.

The situation outside, no one in the dream can tell.

Regardless of the apple whose stubbornness is more than mythological metal, I don't know what else is going on, etc.

It sticks as much as it can here and eventually loses, and because of the prolongation, gear and horse lovers are broken over there.

The consequences can be twelve, too.

Gabella tells me that the battle here is harmless and unprofitable for Ray.

Nemesis was also convinced of Gabella's words.

There's nothing to lose. Exquisite and about random drop. The risk of losing gear and horses is so low that it is less than continuing to fight.

However, if it sticks, it will only stick and increase the risk of irrevocable damage.

"So it should be less damaging to despena early..."

Garbera's words contained a little color of worry.

I'm the edge of hatred for her, and I'm the one who spiritually softened me because of the trouble here.

But she lived until she joined Zex because of Ray's struggle to polish it down.

That's why, apart from the desire to be a despena, I was also advising you with kindness.

"Ray......"

…………

Nemesis can't say what to say either, just call him by his name.

Because when I heard what Gabella said, she was convinced, too.

This is not a fight you absolutely have to win, a fight you can lose.

Longer, she could lose Silver, Ray's partner as well.

And the chances of victory are limitless, and Nemesis can no longer help Ray either.

That's why I thought 'give up' would be the right place... even Nemesis thought.

To their words, Ray...

"Nemesis"

Calling my partner's name quietly while avoiding slaughter......

- What are we here for?

I threw one question at her.

"It's..."

"I died before, when [the Beast King]. Joining forces with everyone didn't fill it up at the end. If it weren't for Senior Suzu, everything would have been over there."

Ray continues his words against a nemesis stuck in words.

"I've tried to be stronger since then, stronger... but today, I lost to Mr. Raleigh. So much so that nothing can be done. So... here I am. To be a little stronger."

'... you're right'

Here... I came to this map to be strong.

We came to the border because we felt a lack of our own strength due to defeat.

It was a coincidence that Zex and the others were caught up in the ZZZ commotion, but they had the motive to stay together and get caught up in it.

"The battle against [the Demon King] may be accidental. Maybe I just got caught up in something. If we lose here, we may not have anything to lose. Alternatively, fighting could hurt and lose silver"

Ray also affirms Gabella's words.

I knew all along.

I had already noticed before they told me.

I was well aware that it was better to lose this time.

"Still... I don't choose defeat"

Still... I kept fighting.

"Ray......"

"The winning eye is thin. I don't see a victory. It may not even be on the other side of the decimal. Still, fight."

Still, he keeps saying.

"Even if this battle is not one that you absolutely have to win... such a battle is bound to come. Coming not far. The battle that must be won... come."

War.

The last battle against the Empire, which he continued to get caught up in since the day he set foot in this < Infinite Dendrogram >.

He has also already realized that it is inevitable and never far away.

"So I don't choose defeat"

He continues his words with a strong will in both eyes of his bloody face.

"'Cause this is a fight you can lose,' and if you choose a smart defeat in profit or loss, even a fight that will come one day... I might look for a 'reason you can lose'"

I know that a heart is something that, once broken, breaks twice and three times along a broken eye.

That's why...... he doesn't just choose to 'break himself'.

He has lost many times before, in The Battle You Can Lose.

But not once - I've never chosen to lose (...).

I did everything I could, and there was just consequences of defeat.

"I will not give up until the moment of defeat... to seize the possibility of victory"

And even now, with his freedom... he had chosen to fight with all his might until the end.

"Ray......,......!

That's how Nemesis notices too.

Even during Ray's words, Cardinal A continues to unleash slaughter.

It seems to be inorganic and fiercely irrespective of Ray's words.

Still, Ray's words are uninterrupted.

But - I can't hit it.

As he dives the dead line, Ray's intuition is overpowering the slash with a piece of paper and a piece of skin.

(This is...)

Nemesis knows the state better than anyone else.

Same as the numerous death fights played by Ray.

Diving through deadly dead lines...... strength beyond limits.

That's what's happening in this battle right now - I'm about to be exposed in a battle where they told me I could lose.

"And we don't just fight... we win"

And in Ray's eyes, in his limbs, lies more power.

"Take me so far... Beyond us, win!

Avoid the right arm blade of Cardinal A and slash it with a double-sword blade.

That was only a few scratches, but Ray continues to act.

Avoid, slash, dodge, slash.

Even small wounds that seem futile do not despair of the consequences.

Repeat a step toward victory.

Whether that end point is on the other side of millions or tens of millions of steps, because he hasn't given up.

"It doesn't matter if the target is [Demon King] or even mythical metal......!

Ray can roar as he repeatedly slashes.

"We will be... stronger."

It was a roar from his heart...... the will itself.

◇ ◆

One person who heard his will, Gabella, held her own breasts.

Because there was somewhere in his words that I also thought Gabella, who once wanted to be the strongest.

Because she was the one who wanted to be the strongest but broke her heart knowing reality, compromised and depressed to be the weakest and not hurt any more.

I've been sinking my mood because it hurts more when I fall if I float like I once did.

But even with such a gabella... there was no way I didn't think anything of Ray's words.

One person who heard his will, Zex, was laughing.

To what I saw and heard through the split, the body of my neck alone had a different grin than a smile.

Because, like his best friend Shu, his brother Ray was also a person who pierced himself.

If I had broken into Zex's inward wisdom, I wouldn't have thought anything of it.

But it wasn't because it didn't break...... Zex was also interested in Ray.

One person who heard his will, Nemesis, was crying, laughing.

Oh, crying and laughing with an invisible heart in the form of a weapon when I made a terrible mistake.

Without needing to be told, I first reflect that I should have understood myself.

Reflect, regain your mind, and rise in your heart.

There is no longer any stray, there is no time to turn around.

Both Ray's wishes and intentions were reaffirmed.

If so, there is one thing to do.

- We'll be strong.

Oh, yeah. It's "us."

If Ray wants to win beyond the limits he wasn't aware of, Nemesis has to be strong again.

Therefore Nemesis seeks.

Power, further evolution, new self.

And when the experience and resources that had accumulated in her depths, < master > and her will, tried to activate the special evolutionary system left in Maiden and Apostle - ■ ■ L -.

◇ ◆

- Do you want strength?

- - One axe I heard his will (...) asked.

To be continued