Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 12

I’m not going to get a chance to speak with him if it’s like this…

Ludmila frowned over the railing at the massive queue that had formed for Shihotsu Tokitsu’s hot dog stand. She had meant to speak with him between the night’s matches, but an army of His Majesty’s Maids suddenly swarmed the Boarc. Each of them had ordered four of the sumptuous hot dogs she had sampled before the fight between Lord Mare and Lord Tian, plus a tall cup filled with various drinks.

How can they eat so much?

“Are they that good?” Lady Shalltear asked.

“I thought I would have the chance to speak with Master Tokitsu, my lady,” Ludmila replied. “But I should have expected his stand to be this popular.”

“As always, you’re so excited when it comes to developing your demesne. Not that I disapprove, but would it kill you to discuss the matter in a more…quiet setting? Any discussion with him here will become a shouting match.”

“You’re right, my lady. Still, I don’t have any other way to contact Master Tokitsu and he won’t know who I am if I manage to.”

“You worry too much,” Lady Shalltear told her. “If you were one of your friends, you would already be calmly carrying out some sort of strategy.”

“They’re Merchants; I’m not. This type of thing has never been my strong suit.”

Never mind not being her strong suit, she couldn’t quite trust herself to handle it. A part of her told her that she should send a proposal to Master Tokitsu in writing after getting Clara to help her put it together, but she wanted to at least introduce herself first.

“I’m not sure what you’re expecting,” Lady Shalltear said. “It isn’t as if he’s going to be out to cheat you.”

“It’s not only that, my lady,” Ludmila replied. “I have to make sure that what we agree on is fair for everyone involved. Then we must establish a vision, set present and future expectations, any licensing agreements if they apply…”

Lady Shalltear’s crimson gaze glazed over as she listed off a mental checklist of everything that she had to consider. One of her Vampire Brides pulled out a notepad and started jotting things down for her mistress.

“I-I’m back…”

Ludmila looked over her shoulder to find Lord Mare standing just outside the booth. He had healed his injuries, but his hair was a mess and his usually pristine white coat was still spattered with blood. When no one else moved, Ludmila went to a knee in front of him.

“Lord Mare,” she said as she tried to unmuss his hair, “didn’t you get a Trooper’s Towel from me last winter?”

“Um…”

She pulled one of her own from her Infinite Haversack, using it to remove the blood and dirt from Lord Mare’s person. The Dark Elf squeezed his eyes shut and shivered as the magic washed over him, then he ran past her to sit beside the Sorcerer King.

“H-How did I do, Ainz-sama?” Lord Mare looked up at their sovereign apprehensively.

“Hmm, well, the opening was solid. After that, Sebas acted as expected…that tactic you resorted to…”

“Un!” Lord Mare smiled, “Mister Demiurge said that I’d win for sure if I did that.”

The Sorcerer King remained silent in the wake of Lord Mare’s response. Ludmila couldn’t help but frown at the Dark Elf’s pleased tone.

“Do you mean to say that you feigned your distress, Lord Mare?”

“I-It really did hurt!” Lord Mare replied, then looked at the floor, “I could have fought through it, but I’m not sure I would have been able to win…”

She glanced at the Sorcerer King, who remained perfectly still, then fixed Lord Mare with a serious look.

“Using that sort of deception in a real conflict probably wouldn’t garner any mercy from your enemies,” Ludmila said. “As for resorting to those types of tactics in friendlier settings…I believe you are doing yourself and everyone around you a disservice by acting in that manner, my lord.”

“A d-disservice?” The Dark Elf asked, “Why?”

“Let me first say that it’s alright to feel hurt and afraid,” Ludmila answered. “But is not the purpose of a tournament to determine one’s prowess? Furthermore, you are a leader whom many people look to for guidance and inspiration. People may excuse you for your behaviour since you’re still a child, but how would you like to be seen as a man? Dependable? Cowardly? Weak?”

“I-I want to be cool like Lord Ainz! Lord Ainz is never afraid and can do anything!”

Ludmila smiled at the Dark Elf’s sudden burst of enthusiasm.

“That’s a lofty goal,” she said. “It will take many steps to get there, but I think that many would like to see the Lord Mare who strives to be as brave and competent as His Majesty.”

“Well, I can’t be as cool as Lord Ainz,” Lord Mare fidgeted slightly. “M-Maybe a little bit less…”

The Sorcerer King shifted slightly on his throne. Ludmila’s smile faded and she looked away. Her words could have very well been taken as those of a sycophant.

“Mah, leaving matters of the far future aside,” the Sorcerer King finally spoke. “Lady Zahradnik is right in the idea that this tournament was meant to showcase the results of everyone’s growth. The match just now provided little opportunity for neither you nor Sebas to do so.”

“Th-Then, should we fight again?”

“Perhaps sometime later,” the Sorcerer King said. “The next match will be starting soon.”

“I should apologise to Sebas…”

“No apologies are necessary, Mare-sama,” Lord Tian said as he appeared at His Majesty’s shoulder. “Lord Ainz understands the complexities of the matter, which is all that matters.”

Ludmila’s eyes went between Lord Tian and Lord Mare. The Dark Elf didn’t react in the slightest at Lord Tian’s sudden appearance, so it seemed that Lord Mare had indeed exaggerated his distress during their match.

The last of Master Tokitsu’s customers made off with her spoils just in time for Lady Aura to appear once again to announce the next match. It didn’t look like she had been harmed by whatever it was that Lord Mare sent her way.

“Ah…our last match was a bit short, but now we have something really meaty for everyone! A match between warriors of the highest calibre! In the black corner, we have the Guardian Overseer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Albedo!”

“Do your best, Albedo-chan!”

Amidst the welcome of the crowd, the most prominent voice was that of Lady Nigredo, who waved a black handkerchief in the air. A figure in pitch-black armour walked onto the field, wielding an oversized bardiche.

“I didn’t know that Lady Albedo was a polearm user,” Ludmila said.

“Didn’t Liane and Florine tell you about that day?” Lady Shalltear asked.

“They did,” Ludmila answered, “but they said that she used a ‘big axe’. Also, she’s fully covered in plate armour – why do I have to wear such a short skirt? I’d be far more intimidating in something like that.”

“You have other impressions to make,” Lady Shalltear told her. “Albedo isn’t the charismatic sort. Encasing her in metal and sending her out to smash things is good enough for the gorilla that she is.”

Despite her liege’s words, Ludmila remained envious of the Prime Minister’s equipment. A powerful and imposing appearance could inspire just as much confidence in one’s allies and it was nowhere near as embarrassing.

“In the blue corner, standing at two-and-a-half metres and weighing in at one tonne, we have the Guardian of the Fifth Floor; the Ruler of Frozen Rivers, Cocytus!”

The loudest cheers rose from a particularly chilly-looking section of the arena seating where a variety of Heteromorphs waved frost-coloured flags. Lord Cocytus took to the field, an icy mist swirling in the wake of his steps.

“Aura should have announced Albedo’s weight, as well,” Lady Shalltear smiled slightly behind her fan.

“Would there be any point in that, my lady?” Ludmila asked, “There’s obviously a vast difference between them.”

Lady Albedo looked to be close to Ludmila’s height and, as a warrior, her weight was probably close to hers. Since this was the case and she also used a polearm, Ludmila was keenly interested in how she would fight.

“More than you know,” Lady Shalltear said lightly, “Albedo is about five times more massive than Cocytus.”

Ludmila gave her liege an incredulous look, then peered at the figure in black armour again. Since the Prime Minister was armoured from head to toe, she couldn’t discern her true form.

“Does that apply to her current appearance, my lady?”

“It would be funny if it did. Her shoes would leave holes all over E-Rantel. Unfortunately – or fortunately – she would probably rather lose than transform in front of Lord Ainz. For all of her Demonic nature, she still has a woman’s worries.”

In that case, her observations of Lady Albedo’s side of the match could still be approximated with her own form. Hopefully, she would be able to learn something useful.

The two duelists turned to offer the Sorcerer King a deep bow before turning back to face one another. Lady Aura looked at each before raising her hand.

“Begin!”

Lord Cocytus’ jewellery glittered in the lighting as he drew a curved, two-handed blade of unknown origin. He took it in his upper claws and raised the weapon in a classic high guard.

Looks like he’s leaving his other arms free…

It was a problematic scenario for any combatant with only two arms. Even if Lady Albedo had a Freedom effect, Lord Cocytus could grapple her bardiche with his second set of claws, leaving her wide open to strikes from his sword.

Opposite Lord Cocytus, Lady Albedo took up a one-handed long-tail stance. Considering the nature of her weapon, it felt like a highly awkward starting position. It was clearly defensive, however, suggesting that Lady Albedo was waiting for her opponent to commit to an attack before making her own.

That’s probably one of the only good answers, I suppose…

The crowd hushed as the tension in the air rose. Neither combatant seemed willing to give up their advantage by making the first move. Then, a sheet of ice swept out from Lord Cocytus’ feet to cover the field.

Black wings sprouted from Lady Albedo’s waist as she launched herself into the air. Lord Cocytus moved at the same time, dashing forward while tracking the black-armoured warrior with a free hand.

“「Piercing Icicle」!”

A shard of crystal ice over a metre long shot out to head off Lady Albedo’s trajectory. The Prime Minister slowed to allow the projectile to pass.

“「Cutting Wind」!”

Lord Cocytus slashed his sword upwards at an oblique angle. Lady Albedo twisted in place as if to avoid something.

“What happened there?” Ludmila said.

“Cocytus used a ranged attack,” the Sorcerer King told her. “A blade of wind, to be precise. I recall seeing similar Martial Arts being used by Human warriors…”

“I’ve heard of such Martial Arts, Your Majesty,” Ludmila said, “but I’m not very familiar with them.”

Out on the field, Lord Cocytus and Lady Albedo seemed to be sizing one another up in their new positions. Ludmila used some Martial Arts to boost her perception, praying that it would be enough to keep track of the fight.

“We’re going to be here until next month at this rate,” Lady Shalltear yawned.

“Duels between skilled warriors do feel that way,” the Sorcerer King said. “More often than not, it seems like a single decisive blow wins the match.”

“In my experience, Your Majesty,” Ludmila said, “that’s simply an…illusion, for lack of a better word.”

“An illusion?”

“Thanks to the ear clip that I was granted, I can monitor the damage sustained by combatants over the course of a bout. The ‘decisive blow’ only ever happens when enough damage has been received for it to happen.”

“You mean to say that it will only happen if an attack does enough damage to finish off or incapacitate the target?”

Ludmila nodded.

“Yes, Your Majesty. We tested it thoroughly some time ago. I had the Elder Liches summon assorted animals as experimental targets. Fatal strikes – such as piercing the heart or decapitation – could only happen if the target’s ‘health’ got low enough for the damage from those types of attacks to finish them off.”

“That would probably seem silly to most,” the Sorcerer King said.

Why am I so stupid?

Too late, she realised that the Sorcerer King would obviously know about it and that it wouldn’t change anything about his or Lady Shalltear’s comment. Lord Cocytus and Lady Albedo could very well be powerful enough to fight non-stop for the rest of the month. She had measured out her own rope already, so to speak, so she had little choice but to proceed and hang herself.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” she said as they continued to watch the standoff. “Even a Silver-rank Adventurer may be instantly felled by an unlucky blow to the head, so the vast majority don’t realise that this threshold exists. Our findings have been invaluable for deciphering House Zahradnik’s combat school and developing Martial Arts.”

It was almost as if her ancestors already knew about the phenomena, but it was more likely that generations of development had led them to tackle it unknowingly. One did not have to know the elemental workings of fire to learn how to cook, after all.

A pillar of ice exploded from the sand as Lord Cocytus tried to knock Last Albedo out of the sky. As with his other attacks, however, it was easily avoided. Lord Cocytus seemed unperturbed by his failures, however, so they may have been the equivalent of probing attacks that cost little or nothing.

“Does Lady Albedo have no way to strike from range?” Ludmila asked.

“She’s built as a tank,” the Sorcerer King said, “so her ranged offence is highly limited.”

“In that case, is she trying to exhaust Lord Cocytus?”

“That’s unlikely. At the same time, she knows that Cocytus is unlikely to harm her at that range.”

“M-Maybe she’s trying to see if Mister Cocytus has something new,” Lord Mare said. “I don’t see how that’s possible, though…”

Not possible? Maybe they had reached a level of mastery that improvement was something that took generations or centuries to achieve. Given the nature of Martial Arts, however, she couldn’t see how that could be the case unless they had conceptually cornered themselves somehow.

Another icicle flew out at Lady Albedo, followed by the invisible blade of wind. This time, however, the pillar of ice came up under Lady Albedo as she twisted to avoid the second attack. Her heels struck the ice and she launched herself higher into the air.

“Grr, they’re too far for Life Essence,” Lady Shalltear said. “Did she take any damage from that?”

“She should have,” Lord Mare said. “The bludgeoning damage wouldn’t have done anything, but the ice damage should have gotten through.”

Ludmila’s eyes followed Lady Albedo as she circled over Lord Cocytus like a bird of prey. The enchantment on her ear clip had the same limitations and the Prime Minister showed no outward signs of injury.

“She’s probably mad at getting outplayed,” Lady Shalltear said. “I bet she’ll go on the offensive now.”

Can a warrior of her calibre be goaded like that?

As if in answer to her unspoken question, Lady Albedo folded her wings and dove straight at Lord Cocytus. The Grand Marshal went into a hanging guard, preparing to skewer the plummeting Prime Minister. Lady Albedo paid the clear threat no mind, raising her bardiche in both hands for a powerful overhead attack.

“「Unholy Strike」!”

The black blade of Lady Albedo’s weapon took on a profane hue as it smashed into Lord Cocytus’ shoulder. At the same time, the Grand Marshal’s sword pierced the Prime Minister’s plackart.

An explosion rocked the arena, sending jagged bits of frozen debris high into the air. Lord Cocytus issued a loud grunt, flinging his skewered opponent halfway across the field. Lady Albedo skidded across the ice for a split second before she switched to using her wings to slow down. She couldn’t stop completely, and her boots slammed into the arena wall. She launched herself away before an icicle shattered against the stone.

Back on the other side of the arena, Lord Cocytus stepped out of the shallow crater left behind by Lady Albedo’s impact. The huge crystal on his right shoulder was broken and the surrounding carapace was cracked, but his movements remained steady.

“How bad is that injury?” Ludmila asked, “I’m not at all familiar with insectoid physiology.”

“Who knows?” Lady Shalltear shrugged.

Ludmila frowned slightly, then looked over at Lord Mare. The Dark Elf shook his head. Perhaps gauging the condition of other races was much more difficult than it seemed.

Lord Cocytus flicked the blood off of his blade. A blast of frigid breath flash-froze the crimson stain.

“Is…that it?”

The dark figure hovering across from him issued no response. Lady Albedo’s armour had completely repaired itself and she similarly showed no sign of faltering. Ludmila glanced to either side of her, wondering if the air of malevolent disdain she felt emanating from the Prime Minister was merely her imagination.

“Do Unholy Skills even work on Mister Cocytus?” Lord Mare asked.

“Only a bit,” the Sorcerer King answered. “His Karma score isn’t very high, after all. Still, it doesn’t hurt to use them.”

“What is a Karma score, Your Majesty?” Ludmila asked.

“It’s…practically speaking, it’s how certain Abilities, Skills, and spells determine their effectiveness on a target. Albedo has Dark Knight classes, which are the counterpart of Paladin classes. The Unholy Strike she used just now is more effective the more positive the Karma score of its target is. In other words, it is an anti-good Skill. She just activated her Unholy Aura, which bolsters a target against good and weakens any good targets that strike those bolstered by it. Again, it’s not very effective against Cocytus, but every bit counts in a fight like this.”

Ludmila was familiar with Dark Knights, as the Frost Giants had plenty of them, but it was the first she had heard of Unholy Aura. Quite frankly, who got what still confused her. She was Undead, so she had an affinity for negative energy-related Skills, Abilities, and Martial Arts, but at what point did they become ‘unholy’? It wasn’t as if she felt especially evil for using negative energy. In places like Re-Estize and the Empire, terms like ‘unholy’, ‘evil’, ‘divine’, and so on were tossed around so liberally that she felt that they had lost their precise meaning.

Lady Albedo went on the offensive again, this time skimming low over the ground at a speed Ludmila found difficult to follow even with her Martial Art-enhanced senses. She flashed into existence again as her weapon batted the tip of Lord Cocytus’ blade aside.

“「Defiling Edge」!”

“「Kurkikara Blade」!”

Undaunted by Lady Albedo’s lightning offensive, Lord Cocytus brought his sword back in a counterattack that blasted his opponent away. Her breastplate shattered into countless pieces that spun over the ice. Any regular person who was subjected to such catastrophic force would have had their torso pulverised, but it looked like Lady Albedo had survived the blow unscathed.

“Hmm…” The Sorcerer King stroked his chin.

“When it comes to Karma-dependent attacks,” Lord Mare said, “Mister Cocytus has the advantage, doesn’t he?”

“That may be so,” the Sorcerer King replied, “but he won’t be able to use that one again. I’m pretty sure Albedo baited out that attack.”

“She did?”

“Umu. She had to take a critical hit for it, but now Cocytus’ most powerful combo has been taken out of the fight. That armour of hers sure allows her to do some reckless things.”

Ludmila examined Lady Albedo again. Very little about that exchange made sense to her. The Prime Minister’s charge felt like it had been perfectly executed, and then Lord Cocytus answered with an insane counter. Normally, swords couldn’t even scratch a sturdy breastplate, never mind shatter them.

Actually, it looks like every part of her plate body armour broke apart. How does that even happen?

Beneath the Prime Minister’s plate armour was a full suit of chain. Ludmila didn’t want to believe it, but it was as if her equipment was designed to break. Lady Albedo didn’t seem at all distraught about shedding a ‘layer’ of her defences, lending to that impression.

Lord Cocytus launched another ranged combo at Lady Albedo, who had once again taken wing. The loss of Lady Albedo’s armour seemingly didn’t increase her caution, as she started another diving attack. She swerved around a pillar of ice that appeared in front of her, using her momentum to bring her polearm to bear in a wide arc against Lord Cocytus. To Ludmila’s surprise, the Grand Marshal didn’t have his weapon at the ready. Instead, the sword was sheathed in the scabbard gripped in his left claw.

Just as Lady Albedo came around the pillar, Lord Cocytus exploded forward, drawing his blade in a flash.

“「Vidyārāja Strike」!”

The attack caught Lady Albedo on the left side of her waist and crossed to her opposite shoulder. Once again, rather than sliding over the chain mail armour as a regular blade would, Lord Cocytus’ sword tore through the links. Inexplicably, once again, Lady Albedo’s armour exploded, sending countless chain links into the air.

“And that’s two,” the Sorcerer King nodded.

“I don’t understand,” Ludmila said. “What in the world is going on? Does combat at their level simply cause armour to fly apart?”

“Ah, no. Not so easily, anyway. What you’re seeing is a combination of two things. The two attacks that Cocytus used are extraordinarily effective against someone with an extremely low Karma score. Kurkikara Blade would be lethal for anyone like Albedo without the appropriate countermeasures and Vidyārāja Strike is also quite potent. Albedo’s armour is designed to break at a certain threshold, absorbing damage meant for its wearer.”

His Majesty had explained things as if what was going on was normal and expected, but it still confused her. Exploding armour didn’t make any sense no matter which way she looked at it. Now that Lady Albedo’s chainmail was gone, she was left in a black arming doublet that hugged her figure.

“It hadn’t crossed my mind until now,” Lady Shalltear said, “but the way you get to strip her is pretty erotic, isn’t it? The fact that her helmet, boots, and gauntlets stay on the entire time is pretty high-level.”

Ludmila shook her head. Her liege’s mind just worked differently from everyone else’s.

“「Hoarfrost」.”

A thick frost grew over the frozen arena. Lady Albedo, who had flown to relative safety again, lost altitude as her black feathers became caked with ice.

“Looks like Cocytus is trying to finish things up,” the Sorcerer King said.

“He used his two anti-low karma attacks,” Lord Mare said, “so now he’s switching to cold damage to bypass her physical defences?”

“It seems that way,” Lady Shalltear said. “This looks like a win for Cocytus…not that anyone expected Albedo to win.”

Lord Cocytus charged just before Lady Albedo alighted on the ice.

“「Blade of Rime」.”

Frost formed along the length of the Grand Marshal’s weapon. The sword carved a shining arc through the air, but Lady Albedo blocked the strike with the haft of her weapon. She took a step forward, working her bardiche around the blade to score a clean hit across her opponent’s head. Lord Cocytus disengaged and rebalanced his stance before going on the offensive again. This time, he reached out with his second pair of claws to grapple with Lady Albedo for her weapon.

“「Frostburn Smite」!”

Lord Cocytus’ uncontested blow landed solidly on Lady Albedo’s shoulder. A black gauntlet came up to grip the blade and a flanged mace smashed into Lord Cocytus’ face. As the weapon came in to bludgeon Lord Cocytus again, his second set of arms brought Lady Albedo’s bardiche up to defend against the attack, only to have it blocked by the blade held fast in Lady Albedo’s hand. A third strike from the mace landed before Lord Cocytus kicked his opponent away.

“Did Albedo always have a sidearm?” Lady Shalltear asked.

“It doesn’t look like she’s taking much damage from Cocytus’ attacks, either,” Lord Mare added.

Down on the field, it looked like Lord Cocytus also realised that something was wrong. He eyed Lady Albedo warily, his blade at the ready.

“You…what is this?”

“I wonder,” a woman’s smug voice issued from the black helmet.

Lady Albedo advanced again, accepting another hit from Lord Cocytus’ sword in exchange for a crushing blow with her mace. This time, the attack broke one of the arms stubbornly trying to pull the sword free from Lady Albedo’s grip.

“Th-this is weird,” Lord Mare said. “She should be taking a lot of damage from Mister Cocytus’ sword and being in his Frost Aura.”

“The duelists have had plenty of time to prepare for their matches,” Ludmila said, “so it stands to reason that Lady Albedo prepared countermeasures for her duel with Lord Cocytus.”

Lord Mare and Lady Shalltear exchanged a look.

“Th-That’s impossible,” Lady Shalltear laughed lightly, “who would do that?”

“That’s the match!” Lady Aura’s voice rang out over the arena, “Winner: Albedo!”

A great clamour rose in the wake of the announcement. Everywhere, Ludmila could see that it was as much due to the spectators’ confusion as it was their recognition of the victor. The Sorcerer King rose from his throne, stepping up to the edge of the booth.

“Albedo. Cocytus.”

The two duelists approached the base of the booth and genuflected before the Sorcerer King.

“You have both fought well. Many of our spectators are confused…as are you, Cocytus.”

“Hah,” Lord Cocytus replied. “I do not understand why my attacks were ineffective at the end of the match.”

“Albedo,” the Sorcerer King said, “would you care to explain?”

“If it pleases you, Lord Ainz,” Lady Albedo replied. “The answer is simple: I merely equipped some items to make myself immune to cold damage. I also improved my resistance against slashing and piercing damage.”

“Cheater!” Lady Shalltear shouted down at the Prime Minister, “Are you so desperate to win that you’re willing to stoop to such measures?”

“Cheater?” Lady Albedo’s reply dripped with disdain, “How, pray tell, did I cheat? I received permission to use these items from Lord Ainz himself.”

All eyes went to the Sorcerer King, who nodded regally in response.

“Indeed,” he said, “I approved of their use. This tournament is being held to show how everyone has improved, and preparing one’s equipment is fundamental to improvement. Cocytus, you, especially, should be aware of this. I was willing to extend my generosity to the Lizardmen – do you not think I would do the same for you? For any of Nazarick’s denizens? The world constantly changes and we never know when powerful threats may appear. Those threats will not know about the limitations that you’ve placed on yourselves…nor will they care.”

The Sorcerer King’s gaze swept across the arena.

“As everyone has witnessed, even the simplest adaptations may overturn all expectations. I hope this will serve as a potent lesson to everyone.”