Man is infinite, and his ambition is to slay the dragon

"What's going on? My painting... why did it suddenly..."

This is something that has never happened so far.

"Hmm... [Fantasy Caricature]! [Flame Beast]!"

The paint splashed again, and the same [Siegfried] appeared on the stage again! The light of the Dragon Flash shone again!

However, this time he was unable to release it, as Siegfried Phil directly stabbed his own heart with the sword, turning himself into a pile of shattered light and disappearing.

"How is this——"

Incomprehensible.

It's simply incomprehensible.

Everyone watching this scene couldn't understand why this was happening.

——Except one person.

"Is... that so... Sieg-san..."

Supporting his body weakly, Kurogane Ikki's face showed a bitter smile and unconcealable regret, and above all... ecstasy.

"Yeah... If it were you... you would definitely do that... You are that kind of man."

After using all his strength to recover a little, he used the Yin Tie as a crutch to support his body, and stood up again with a shaky face: "Sarah-san... the Sieg-san you portrayed is probably the Sieg-san you think he is."

"And when you were drawing, you said this - [If you want to fulfill your promise, then let me fulfill it to the fullest]. Perhaps you did it unintentionally, and you also infused this idea into Sieg-san's painting."

"Therefore, it is easy to understand what Sieg-san did just now."

Looking up at the VIP seats not far away, Kurogane Ikki panted slightly: "Even the Sieg-san you described...he doesn't think this is the place where we can [fulfill our promise]."

"And... more importantly..."

"——A person like Sieg-san would never allow himself to become a puppet of others!"

That's right.

Anyone who knows Sieg a little bit can understand this from his style of doing things.

If he were asked to be someone else's puppet, he would just use his Dragon Flash to chop the person who wanted to control him into ashes!

but--

"No, that's impossible!"

Sarah yelled out in a rare moment of loss of composure.

"I only drew the shape! He has no personality at all. He is just a puppet here. It is impossible for him to have his own thoughts!"

Just as Sarah said, the Sieg she drew was really just a moving painting. Apart from his appearance and abilities, there was no similarity between him and Sieg.

There was no way he would take the same action as Sieg.

"It was you who gave him his personality, wasn't it you?" Kurogane Ikki said. "Perhaps in your opinion, you just drew a picture as usual, but as I said just now, in order to let Sieg defeat me, you unconsciously added your own ideas to him, and unconsciously added your will to him."

"This is what it is now - your painting skills are so great, Sarah, that you can't even control your own creations."

The weak but unusually powerful voice reached everyone's ears.

110. Sword King Defeats

Kurogane Ikki has been a invisible person in his family since he was a child, and everyone treats him as if he doesn't exist.

The reason why he was able to fight all the way to the Seven Star Sword Festival as an F-class knight was because of his swordsmanship and his only unique skill of cutting swords.

However, where did his swordsmanship come from when no one was willing to teach him?

The answer is [learn by stealing].

When he was a child in the Kurogane family, every time the children in the family started martial arts lessons, Kurogane Ikki would peek through the small window in the attic. Over time, his ability to learn by stealing became stronger and stronger. After running away from home, Kurogane Ikki, who was promoted to middle school, also often went to various dojos to challenge.

Although it doesn't sound like a good thing, this is the only way Ikki Kurogane can think of to make himself stronger.

He kept challenging various swordsmen, fighting with various schools... In the end, Ikki Kurogane unknowingly mastered a sword technique called [Imitation Sword Technique].

In just one minute, he could see through most swordsmanship and then master the entire set of swordsmanship - including techniques and routines, and then correct all the shortcomings in the enemy's swordsmanship and reweave a set of swordsmanship that is compatible with the enemy.

This is a unique sword technique that no one else can learn and only Kurogane Ikki can use.

If this kind of swordsmanship is performed in a different way, it can achieve the same thing as Toudou Touka's [Sensorigan].

In the end, whether it is swordsmanship or people, the structure is the same. All actions are related to the root [concept], which can also be interpreted as values. As long as you can infer the actions, interests, words, etc. of that person from there and understand them, you can know the logic of that person's thinking.

Ikki Kurogane and Sieg have known each other for a year and a half. Although there was a period of about a year during which they had almost no communication, even so, as his goal for the past year, Ikki Kurogane has already mastered Sieg's thinking logic in those few short months.

Therefore, he could understand what Siegfried Fehr did.

Therefore, he could understand the deeper meaning behind Siegfried Fehr's actions.

——【Even if we want to fulfill the promise, it shouldn’t be now】

——【The stage for fulfilling the promise is not here】

——【I can’t fight with you here】

Even if it was a fake created by someone, even if it was a puppet without personality, even if it was just an empty shell, as long as it was still [Siegfried Fehr], he would definitely do this.

And the one who caused him to behave like this was none other than Sarah herself.

Although they have only had serious contact for a period of time since the start of the game, Ikki Kurogane has also grasped Sarah's thinking logic.

Should it be considered a bad habit of painters? When Sarah was painting, she would add her own temporary ideas or inspirations into the painting. When she painted Sieg, she thought: "Since you want to fulfill your promise with him, then you can have a good fight with him, and then don't bother me."

It was this seemingly insignificant thought that gave Siegfried Fehr the conditions to behave in that way.

(Thank you, Mr. Zig.)

Holding the Yin Tie with trembling hands, Kurogane Ikki carefully adjusted his breathing.

Although he managed to escape death, he was still not in a state where he could fight. He had just managed to adjust himself to the point where he could move, and his most fatal physical strength had only been restored to a drop in the bucket.

(But even so, I will continue to fight... for that promise!)

(So, even if I can't move a finger, I must stand up and fight!)

Not far in front of Kurogane Ikki, Sarah, who had just recovered from Siegfried's two suicide attempts, looked at him raising his sword again and raised her lips in an abnormal way: "What... so... If that's the case, then I just need to draw him without any distractions, just a pure empty shell!"

"——【Fantasy Satire】!"

The paintbrush was raised high in the air and began to splash the paint.

Indeed, as long as [Siegfried] is drawn without any distractions, he will become a ruthless killing machine and defeat Kurogane Ikki just as Sarah imagined.

but--

"......"

The paintbrush held high in the air did not fall down for a long time. Not to mention painting "Siegfried Fehr", Sarah could not even put down a single stroke.

"You can't draw it." Kurogane Ikki said in a deep voice, "The things that a painter can draw are limited to what he can understand. In your cognition, [Siegfried Fehr as an empty shell] is simply impossible. So no matter how superb your painting skills are, you can't draw him like that."

The attitude of Siegfried losing his self-will and becoming a pure empty shell?

Even if that kind of thing could happen, few people present would believe it, right? On the one hand, that person was really beyond the norm, and people could not imagine him becoming a killing machine. On the other hand, he had already demonstrated his strong self-will several times. Could he really become an empty shell?

"You are a painter, so you will definitely understand this better than I do, Sarah."

"You can't draw a picture that can defeat me, Sieg-san."

Kurogane Ikki said frankly: "Even if you managed to draw it, do you really admit that it is the Sieg-san you have always wanted?"

“So annoying…”

Sarah's voice took on an edge of anger.

“I’m so annoyed… I ...”

"I know what he should be like in my writing much better than you do!"

A hoarse voice came out from her cracked lips, but contrary to the anger in her tone, Sarah's expression did not show any rebuttal to Ikki Kurogane's remarks.

She admitted that Kurogane Ikki was right.

however--

"It doesn't matter if you don't draw him."

A large amount of paint dripped from Sarah's paintbrush. As she waved her brush, the paint fell on the broken stage in large pieces, just like countless paint buckets that were overturned.

"【Fantasy Caricature】——"

Finally, under Sarah's brush, the paint turned into a figure that made many people exclaim in surprise!

"——【Fierce Wind Sword Emperor】."

Holding a large sword and surrounded by a raging gale, the [Black Iron King Horse] appeared on the battlefield, and on the hypocritical [Dragon Claw], the [Broken Moon Sky Dragon Claw] was ready.

The Storm Sword roared wildly on the dilapidated stage.

Everyone's expressions were stunned at this moment.

Although she had already lost what could be considered her strongest trump card, Sarah was still able to pull out another such powerful trump card!

"Is it...Big Brother this time?"

Ikki Kurogane looked at the resolute figure in front of him with some bitterness.

Ikki Kurogane also knew his elder brother very well, and he was sure that his elder brother would not be like Sieg, who would just kill him mercilessly.

(My physical strength has not recovered yet, and my magic power is still exhausted... The only thing I can do now is -)

"It's over, Uncrowned Sword King - get rid of him!"

"【Broken Moon Sky Dragon Claw】"

The cold and heartless voice was exactly the same as Kurogane Ouma himself.

The roaring Storm Sword slashed down with a bang!

(What I can do is no different from what I have done so far... With nothing, all I can do is give it my all.)

Without moving a single step - in fact, Ikki Kurogane didn't even have the strength to move - he held the sword and faced the Storm Sword that was slashing towards him, and as usual, he used his unique sword-cutting skills.

(It doesn’t matter even if I have already dug out all the magic power. I don’t need a lot. I just need enough magic power to break through this desperate situation!)

“Boom——————!”

The violent storm crushed the air, crushed the space, and was rapidly approaching with the power to crush Kurogane Ikki and the earth together!

(If today's magic power has been used up, if the magic power deep in your soul has been used up, then dig further!)

(I will borrow the magic power that belongs to tomorrow's self, which I cannot use today!)

"One knife... Shura!"

Kurogane Ikki's final cry rang out from his hoarse throat.

The blue flame that had once been extinguished once again ignited a few sparks on his body!

(I will keep our promise.)

(so--)

Facing the Storm Sword that fell from the sky, Kurogane Ikki once again swung out his fastest [Lightning]!

The next moment——

“Boom————————!”

The [Lightning] that was able to catch up with the lightning dissipated in front of the [Dragon Claw] that attempted to tear the moon apart.

Also dissipated was the sword of the promise that Kurogane Ikki had failed to fulfill.