I was on the defensive against 『Lightning』. They had the upper hand in everything.

A knight moving at the speed of lightning, into the shadows around. All I could do was concentrate with all my might and barely manage to react. If I tried to attack, they would keep their distance. If I tried to hide, they would appear above my shadow and attack me.

A title that truly describes itself. It is a beam of light illuminating the darkness. However, in this case, illuminating my shadow means the same as killing me.

Kai: “…haa haa”

Many cuts that I couldn’t properly block were made on my body. The wounds aren’t deep, but the burning pain is eating away at me.

I can’t see any light, even though it’s Lightning. …No, this is not the time for jokes.

Kai: “Damn! I can’t catch him!”

I tried to catch him many times by getting close, but every time he moved with Lightning and I couldn’t catch him. But I realized two things during our fight. When 『Lightning』 moves to a shadow within my line of sight, the magic they wield moves slightly in the direction of the shadow they want to transfer to. However, I can only vaguely guess the direction, not the exact location of their movement.

The other is that when they move to my shadow, their magic extends upwards, trembling. I guess there’s no such thing as direction in this teleportation because they can go anywhere. It rises towards the sky and comes down like lightning.

It’s a tiny difference. Even with the Eye of God, I could only find this subtle difference.

How many times was I cut to find this?

This is the power of an awakened knight.

Kai: “Haa haa… I guess I’ll need a blood transfusion again.”

The ground is starting to turn a little red with my blood. I’m still conscious and I haven’t lost a lot of blood. The transfer of 『Lightning』 is a threat, but my own status is a little higher, so I only suffer minor injuries.

Kai: “No, before I think about needing a blood transfusion… kuh!”

『Lightning』 flies to my back again. I block the swinging blade with my Dragon King’s sword.

Kai: “Die!”

I keep my distance from 『Lightning』 once more. As I watch them with the Eye of God, their black magic moves upwards.

Kai: “He’s moving to my shadow!”

This is the sign of their teleportation to the shadow I create. I immediately turn to the shadow behind me and prepare my sword.

As expected, a white knight appears. But they don’t cross swords and immediately teleport to another shadow. They seemed to judge that I would be able to block it.

The white knight disappears from my sight, I turn around. I thought they were behind me because they were not in front of me.

Kai: “!?”

But they are not behind me either.

Kai: “He got me──!?”

The knight had teleported to another shadow behind me, and at the same time as I turned around, they moved to my shadow again. The swinging blade is swung down at the speed of lightning to take my life.

Before I could think, my body moved and I immediately fell backwards. It should have been the optimal move, but it was just a little too late.

Kai: “Guaaaa!!”

I didn’t manage to block it, I didn’t manage to escape, my chest is slashed vertically. Fortunately, it doesn’t reach my internal organs, only my skin and surface muscles are cut. But the pain of being burned like hot fire sears my chest.

A lot of blood spurted out, not a lethal amount, but enough to make my consciousness blurry.

Kai: (…I made a mistake)

My fading consciousness, if I get attacked again like this, I will surely die.

Kai: (…Don’t fall)

I’m about to fall backwards.

Kai: (Put strength in your legs, don’t lose consciousness)

My fading consciousness, but I don’t let go, I don’t want to let go. If I let go of my concentration for even a moment, if I accept death for even a moment.

I might die right here.

Kai: (…I can’t die)

Why?

Why can’t I die?

I’ve saved Nagi, so why am I still clinging to life?

Why don’t I want to die yet? I’ve done enough. I found a cure for AMS, and I saved a lot of people who were on the verge of death.

That should have been enough for the weakest me.

So why do I…

＊

Aya: “I’m waiting for your answer… Always, forever.”

*

…want to live.

Kai: “Aaaah!!!”

I let out a shout from the pit of my stomach. The reason I don’t want to die was simple.

The reason I don’t want to die is just because I don’t want to die. There are still things I want to do. There are still many things that I have to do. There are people waiting for even someone like me.

So, I put strength into my legs that are about to collapse. In those eyes, I light a golden flame. What I remember is a girl looking at me blushing with a red face.

Kai: “Haa haa… I can’t die a virgin. Even for someone like me─”

It was so simple it made me laugh.

Kai: “─There’s someone waiting for me to come back!!”

It was a feeling that sprung up from the depths of my heart.

The white knight is coming at me for a counterattack. I awaken my fading consciousness and grip my sword again.

I used all my strength to jump backwards.

The White Knight, invoking 『Lightning』 with magic ascending to the heavens, is ready to strike again. I turn my body towards the shadow behind me, trying to strike as soon as it appears.

However.

Whooosh…

Kai: “Eh?”

However, 『Lightning』 did not come flying. Rather, the shadow-like magic that had extended straight above flipped, quivering as if electrocuted.

I saw my own shadow. There are light sources all over this room, but just now, my shadow happened to overlap with a light source and momentarily shrank. The shrunk shadow isn’t large enough for teleportation, in other words, it can’t become a target for Lightning.

Kai: “So that’s what this ‘Failure: CD 1 Second’ means!”

This was written in the skill description. I didn’t know what ‘failure’ referred to, but now I understand.

Kai: “If the shadow shrinks just before you teleport, it fails, huh?”

My hypothesis is likely correct. I don’t know exactly how large the necessary shadow is, but do I think a certain size is necessary. If it disappears during skill activation, you can’t use the skill for an instant, one second. Compared to something moving at the speed of lightning, this can feel like an eternity. 『Lightning』 was stopped for the first time.

Correctly speaking, the furious attack due to that cheat skill was stopped.

It’s as if being bound, the skill is sealed.

But you can probably still move normally.

Kai: “Thank you, Aya. It’s thanks to you, Aya.”

I saw a ray of hope in that. The cheat skill 『Lightning』. Its only weakness is the cooldown during a failure.

I’ve finally figured out a way to capture this guy, who I didn’t think I could catch.

Kai: “I’ve found it… a possibility.”

I thank Aya in my heart. What came to mind on the brink of death was my beloved family, and Aya. I still don’t know what this feeling is, but if I were to give it a name…

I now feel a growing desire to see her.

With definite resolve and conviction, I grip my sword again. The world, which was gray, with the Eye of God is colored golden, and the golden flame in his eyes illuminates even the lightning with shining light.

I point the tip of my sword straight ahead, just like when the White Knight first appeared.

Kai: “This is the final gambit, Lightning. If either of us makes even a single mistake…”

The one other weapon I currently hold. I imagine the only item that can turn the tables in this situation.

Kai: “You’re gonna die!!”