Following the upward staircase, Subaru continued toward the next floor—the second floor, Electra.
This staircase was strangely long.
It was much longer than the previous ones, to the point that Subaru even started wondering, Could this actually be some kind of illusion?
If that was really the case, then he would definitely curse the builder of this tower all over again.
Fortunately, it was not.
By the time his legs were starting to feel a little weak, he finally arrived in an enormous white room.
The scene here was exactly the same as when he had taken the third floor trial.
Endless white stretched in every direction, and then—
“A sword?”
Subaru noticed the most eye catching object in the room: a sword stuck into the ground.
“This time it’s not a slab, but a sword.
Does that mean the condition to start the trial is the same as on the third floor?”
Step by step, Subaru approached the strange sword.
It had been drawn from its sheath, with its blade stabbed into the white floor and its hilt pointing upward.
The sword stood perfectly straight.
In Subaru’s eyes, it was an incredibly beautiful weapon.
However, there were no extravagant decorations on it, and Subaru did not understand enough about materials to judge whether it was high-quality or not.
Even so, the sword had no unnecessary ornamentation.
Its steel form was kept to the bare minimum, and that simplicity made it beautiful.
Could this sword be extremely powerful?
“Looking at this atmosphere, no matter how I see it, it feels like the Sword in the Stone, Caliburn.
Don’t tell me this is the super cheat ability that was late to arrive?
As long as I pull this sword out, I’ll inherit some kingdom or something?” (TL:HOLY SHIT IS THAT AN FGO REF~ kewk)
Subaru said a string of nonsense that even he himself did not believe.
However, if this really was like the Sword in the Stone, then could it be that he would be unable to pull it out because he lacked the qualifications?
The moment that possibility came to mind, Subaru grew a little worried.
If only a true king could draw the sword, then would that not mean the trial was impossible to clear?
“Come on, Master.
Is that sword really that pretty?
You’ve been staring at it for ages!”
Shaula spoke from the side.
“Ah, sorry.
Then I’ll give it a try.”
Subaru grabbed the hilt.
With only a slight pull, the blade that had been stuck in the floor was easily drawn out.
It was as smooth as pulling a sword from its sheath, the motion so natural that it almost felt fated to happen.
The moment the sword was drawn, the pure white room around them immediately changed.
A blue sky.
Green grass.
The entire world seemed to become clear and open, and the second floor transformed into a vast grassland.
“Fool who has reached the Heavenly Sword, in order to touch it, you must be granted approval.”
A voice pierced through his eardrums and echoed directly inside his mind, telling him the key point of the trial.
It was just like the hint he had heard on the third floor.
This was probably the hint for this trial as well.
Before Subaru could fully digest the meaning of those words, a figure slowly appeared in front of him.
“Fool who has reached the Heavenly Sword, in order to touch it, you must be granted approval.”
It was exactly the same phrase he had heard when he drew the sword.
But this time, it was not born directly inside his mind.
It was a clear voice that came from the man in front of him.
For some reason, Subaru felt an instinctive fear from both his body and soul.
The pressure and aura radiating from this man were far beyond those mabeasts.
His height was impressive, a full head taller than Subaru, and his body was covered in strong muscles that matched that height.
What he wore was not armor, but a casual red kimono that offered practically no protection.
His long hair, the color of burning flames, flowed down the center of his back.
His left eye was covered by a black eyepatch with an ugly pattern drawn on it, while his uncovered right eye was as blue as the sky.
His face was extremely well shaped.
Handsome, even.
However, his savage, cruel smile ruined all of that.
It was as if he were a beautiful wild beast.
“Eh?
Eh?!”
The moment Shaula saw the man, she seemed to recognize him.
She froze on the spot, trembling all over.
“What’s wrong, Shaula?
You know this guy?
Well, I guess that makes sense.
He should be something like the examiner for this floor… Hm?
Shaula?”
The beautiful girl’s already large eyes opened even wider, showing an expression she should never have been making.
Her face revealed shock and hysteria from the very bottom of her heart.
If she could, she probably would have obeyed her instincts and rushed straight out of the room.
But at least for now, she could not.
“Heavenly Sword… fool… approval… Cough, cough.”
The red haired man stopped repeating the same words and cleared his throat.
It seemed like he had woken up from some kind of mechanical program.
“Uwaaaaaah!!!!”
Shaula could no longer endure it.
Her eyes spun in circles, and finally, unable to bear it anymore, she threw herself at Subaru.
Of course, Subaru had no way of stopping Shaula’s charge.
He was knocked flat onto the ground in one go.
“What’s wrong?
Seriously, what’s going on?”
“Nooooo!
Master, Master, Master, save me!
No!
Save me!”
“What have you been doing since earlier?!”
Before the two of them could continue talking, the red haired man seemed annoyed and shouted loudly.
“Shut up!
You’re making my hangover hurt even worse!
Stop screeching like a ghost!”
Subaru had not even had time to calm the collapsed Shaula before the man’s furious roar completely shattered her.
Shaula’s eyes easily rolled back, and she fainted on top of Subaru, still clutching his waist without moving.
“You’ve got to be kidding me… Are you okay, Shaula?”
“Glubglubglubglubglubglub—” (TL: bocchi gif.exe)
Foaming at the mouth, Shaula thoughtfully used an extremely easy to understand method to tell him that she had fainted and was completely out of the fight.
Although Subaru had not really expected Shaula, as the trial’s examiner, to help him clear it…
Still, she was not weak.
And yet she had been scared this badly.
Just who exactly was this guy?
“What the hell are you doing, bastard?
Where is this place?
Who are you people?
And what, you lying on the ground because you want a nice nap?
Are you some noble or something?
You bastard, using a sexy woman as a cushion?
Swap places with me!”
“That last sentence was your real point, wasn’t it…”
How strange.
As the examiner, this man actually did not understand the current situation either?
“Haaah?
What’s it to you, bastard?
You look like some small fry with zero fighting strength, so don’t talk so big.”
“Who exactly is talking big here… You start cursing the moment you see someone, you bastard.”
Subaru was starting to feel annoyed too.
This man’s way of speaking was far too rude.
“Haaah?!”
The red-haired man seemed like he was about to explode in anger, but then he looked around the area.
After that, he went, “Aaah—fine, fine”, and nodded as if he understood something.
“In that case, let’s begin.”
“Begin?
Hold on!
You’ve been talking to yourself since the start!”
“You’re noisy.
I already understand what’s going on, but you still don’t get anything?
Small fry really are small fry.”
The red haired man showed a disgusted expression.
“What is even going on…?
Are you the examiner here?”
“I don’t care what title other people give me.
If you want to talk to me properly and earn my respect… Hmph.
Try making me move even one step.
Hurry up and get off the ground.”
“The test begins, bastard.”
Subaru swallowed.
He could not laugh off those words because the condition the man had given was difficult enough to be called a real test.
“What should I call you?”
“You still care about that at a time like this?
I don’t have a name.
I’m just a Stick Swinger.
And don’t you tell me your name either.
I don’t want to hear the name of some small fry.”
“You really are unbelievably arrogant—”
Subaru carefully placed the unconscious Shaula on the ground.
Then he picked up the sword and took a stance that could barely even be called a fighting posture.
“Good thing I learned a little kendo from Dad before… But with just that level of skill, can I really beat the man in front of me?”
Subaru could not help thinking that.
“You’re scared, aren’t you?
What are you scared of?
If you don’t come at me soon, I’m going to fall asleep!”
And so—
The trial began.