Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

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Chapter 218 – I fought in my chuunibyou mode

“Nggh- damn it…” [Youki]

I had crossed my arms to block the attack while reinforcing my body, so the damage wasn’t too serious. Even so, it still hurt. Seriously… what the hell was that? Firing something like that inside a wedding hall was completely absurd. Was he out of his mind?

Still, thanks to being blasted out of the hall, I’d been given the perfect opportunity to switch back into my costume. After crawling out of the rubble, I quickly changed forms. The entire process took about five minutes. Raven was probably holding him off while I was gone.

Good. Now I could make a grand entrance and remove that uninvited pest from the wedding.

With my resolve set, I charged back into the venue.

“My name is the Magic Knight of Black Lightning! I am the one who brings divine punishment upon those who would defile a hero’s wedding! Come! Face me!”  [Youki]

I made my dramatic entrance, fully intending to take on Mirror. That was supposed to be the plan. But somehow… someone had beaten me to it.

And it wasn’t Raven.

Nor Duke.

Nor even Yuuga.

“Fighting while cloaked in blue flames… isn’t that the Steel Arms of Azure Flame who once caused quite a stir in Minerva?”

“He vanished for so long. Why would he appear now, of all times…?”

“So the rumours were true. I heard he’s been working with the knight order behind the scenes as a way to atone for his past crimes.”

Why are you fighting Mirror? You even changed faster than I did… He must have assessed the situation instantly and changed into a different outfit. To think I’d lose to him in speed. Damn it. I never thought I’d see the day.

“Come on, come on… Those little blue flames won’t beat me. If you want to satisfy me, you’ll have to give me more!” [Mirror]

“Tch… my azure flames are being absorbed? What a troublesome item you’re carrying, Hero of the Empire.” [Soleil]

“Hahahaha! Last time I lost because I absorbed too much magic and couldn’t handle it. That damned demon! But this time? I’ve been upgraded to release the magic immediately after absorbing it. I won’t lose again—ever!” [Mirror]

He was getting carried away. If he’d already figured out his own strength, shouldn’t he just leave? There was no reason for him to remain here.

“Damn it… how did it end up like this…”

“Come on, hurry up and fight me, Heroooo! If I beat you—the one who defeated the Demon Lord—I’ll know for sure. If I can beat you, that means I’ll be able to defeat that demon too!” [Mirror]

So that’s why he was obsessed with Yuuga. Not that it mattered much to me. After all, I was stronger than the Demon Lord anyway. I just happened to refuse to leave my room.

Yuuga was probably furious that such a selfish, misguided reason was ruining his wedding. But as the groom, he had to stay composed. It wouldn’t do for him to draw his sword on his big day.

More importantly…

It was depressing that no one had noticed the grand entrance of the Magic Knight of Black Lightning! Everyone was so absorbed in the fight between Mirror and the Steel Arms of Azure Flame that no one noticed me. As for Cecilia, given where she was, she was probably hidden in the crowd and couldn’t see what was happening.

Well then. If that’s the case… Let’s make this flashy.

Once I made that decision, I moved immediately. Leaping forward, I used Yuuga as bait and launched a dropkick at Mirror from his blind spot while he was focused on the Steel Arms of Azure Flame.

“Too slow!” [Mirror]

It had been a perfectly timed surprise attack. Yet he turned at the last second and blocked it with his arm.

“I don’t know who you are, but why don’t you just get lost!” [Mirror]

I had no intention of eating another knockoff beam, so I used the recoil from the impact to flip backwards and land a good distance away.

“Who am I, you ask? Remember my name. I am the Magic Knight of Black Lightning, the one who executes requests swiftly and flawlessly. This time, the request is to see the hero’s wedding through without incident. And for that purpose, you are an obstruction. Challenging the groom to a duel is out of the question. Go learn some proper manners before attending a wedding—manners!” [Youki]

With that declaration, I rushed in again, slashing at him. But every strike was blocked.

Figures. Someone holding the title of ‘Hero’ wouldn’t go down so easily.

If I fought seriously, I could probably win, but there were simply too many witnesses. Revealing power that clearly exceeded human limits would be unwise. Sure, it would resolve the situation quickly, but I could already imagine the disapproving look Cecilia would give me afterwards.

“You’re all talk! Your sword attacks are all flimsy!” [Mirror]

I hadn’t actually mastered swordsmanship, so it wasn’t surprising that my improvised swordplay couldn’t break through Mirror’s defences.

I retreated briefly to reassess. It seemed that using a weapon I wasn’t familiar with was clearly putting me at a disadvantage.

Alright. Time to give the Steel Arms of Azure Flame his moment to shine.

“Hmph. It seems the title of ‘Hero’ isn’t just for show. In such a short time, you’ve already read our combat patterns. You there! How about we fight together, Steel Arms of Azure Flame?” [Youki]

“Very well. But what’s the plan? I’ll explain the situation briefly. Magic doesn’t work on him. He’s modified his body to an absurd degree… honestly, I can’t believe someone would go that far.” [Soleil]

Were such things even possible in this world? …Well, that question was meaningless now. All I needed to know was that he was a troublesome opponent.

“Hmph. So what? No matter how much he modifies his body, the Magic Knight of Black Lightning always completes his requests swiftly and perfectly. The request this time is to see the hero’s wedding through without disruption. Whether the obstacle is a hero or anything else is irrelevant.” [Youki]

“I see… You truly are someone worthy of admiration. And if such a man invites me to fight alongside him, there’s no way I could refuse.” [Soleil]

It seemed the Steel Arms of Azure Flame understood the importance of playing along.

I glanced towards Cecilia within the crowd. She gave me a look that said, “Do whatever you want.”

Good. Permission granted. Let’s end this quickly.

“Done with your little strategy meeting? I’m getting bored. I really want to fight Yuuga-kun already.” [Mirror]

“Bored, huh…? Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. It’s about time we brought this uninvited spectacle to a close. One does not disrupt a wedding.” [Youki]

As I spoke, I removed the gauntlet from the Steel Arms of Azure Flame and equipped it myself.

This… This is it. It fits perfectly.

Since he didn’t object, I handed him my sword in exchange.

“Do you understand? This grand ceremony is the culmination of everything the Hero Yuuga and the Mage Mikana have built together. The path they walked was never easy. There must have been times when they misunderstood each other… and times when they shed tears.” [Youki]

I knew that firsthand. After all, I had been present when many of those problems were resolved.

“They overcame countless hardships to stand here today. Normally, I, the Magic Knight of Black Lightning, would never allow personal feelings to interfere with a request. But this time… I wish to offer them my blessings as well. So let me teach you something. What it means to fight not only for yourself… but for someone else!” [Youki]

Activating Lightning Flash, I surged forward. Since Mirror could absorb magic attacks, I focused on physical combat enhanced with reinforcement magic. All that remained was to beat him unconscious.

Mirror attempted to defend against my barrage of blows—

But he was far too slow.

“Fuhahaha! What’s with that snail-like movement!? You look like you’re standing still, Hero of the Empire—Mirror!” [Youki]

At this rate, the fight would end the moment I knocked him out.

“Tch—what the hell are you? Your movements are completely different from before!” [Mirror]

“Hmph. Of course they are! I am not fighting alone. This fist carries the will of the Steel Arms of Azure Flame. Don’t think you can block it so easily!” [Youki]

…That explanation made it sound like his final will or something. But I decided not to worry about that. If I didn’t phrase it that way, people might realize I was better at close combat. Framing it this way made it seem like the power came from the gauntlets instead. A strategy for narrative consistency. I’d have Raven or Duke teach me proper swordsmanship later.

Since this was my usual fighting style, I could fight without hesitation. This was the true power of the Magic Knight of Black Lightning.

“Then get blown away by this!” [Mirror]

Something began charging within his chest.

Wait. Hold on. You’re not just firing knockoff beams from your hands, but also shooting them from your chest? That’s ridiculous.

But if he thought the Magic Knight of Black Lightning would fall for such an obvious attack…

“…Tch.” [Youki]

“Take this!” [Mirror]

I could easily dodge that attack, but doing so would place the guests behind me in danger. Not to mention, Cecilia was also directly within the beam’s path, which left only one option: A head-on clash.

“Very well. Thunder – dwell within me. My fist… now is the time to unleash the power that will pulverize the enemy before me!” [Youki]

I activated the mid-tier lightning spell ‘Lightning Arm’ on my right arm. Since that alone wouldn’t look flashy enough, I also released wind and lightning around my body.

The message was clear to everyone watching. This was the Magic Knight of Black Lightning going all out.

As the beam approached, I discreetly reinforced my body. Then, with a full-powered straight punch—

—I shattered the incoming beam.

“Just disappearrr!”

Just as I thought, my punch was far stronger than that pathetic beam.

I heard guests screaming in terror behind me.

Don’t worry. Those screams will soon turn into cheers.

I pushed forward, pretending to struggle slightly so it wouldn’t look too easy. Then I completely extinguished the beam.

“…Hmph. Not even enough to break my fist. Come back when you’ve trained more.” [Youki]

“Damn it! Who are you!? I’ve never heard of someone like you in the Kingdom of Clariness!” [Mirror]

“My name is the Magic Knight of Black Lightning. I belong to the Adventurer’s Guild… That is more than enough. I show no mercy to those who become obstacles. Who someone is doesn’t matter. It’s simpler that way. Less thinking required.” [Youki]

“Huh… I like that way of thinking. Yeah. I like it a lot. I fight because I want to fight too! That’s my philosophy. Simple, right?” [Mirror]

Mirror grinned.

Talking things out clearly wouldn’t work with someone like him. Despite being a hero, he was nothing more than a battle maniac. Honestly, I wish someone would just send this lunatic back to his country.

Still… Ending this quickly while holding back would be difficult.

Hmm.

Maybe not alone. But with two people?

It was time to have the Steel Arms of Azure Flame lend a hand.

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