3과 9/9권

제9회 분노와 읽기

「나이이이인！！！！」

비통하게 소리지르며, 스리는 나인에게로 달려갔다.

이마, 입, 손, 다리…… 온몸에 핏자국이 흩어진 어린 소녀의 모습은 너무나도 무참했다. 아무리 스리가 불러도 대답이 돌아오지 않았다.

지키겠다고 약속했다. 무슨 일이 있어도 지키겠다고 자신에게 맹세했다. 그런데 그녀는 지금 이런 모습이……

자신이 너무나도 한심스러워서, 스리는 온몸이 불타고 있는 듯한 느낌에 사로잡혔다.

거기서 엠퍼러가 입을 열었다.

「아직 숨은 붙어 있나？ 그렇다면 네가 끊어라. 그러면 목숨을 살려주마. 그때처럼 말이다」

무언가가 자신 안에서 터지는 소리를, 스리는 들었다.

「남매가 사이좋게 같은 상대, 같은 파트너에게 죽는다면 그것도 나름 만족스럽겠지」

가면을 쓰고 있음에도 불구하고, 그 추악한 얼굴이 마치 눈앞에 떠 있는 것 같았다.

「이놈… 엠퍼러어어어어어어어어어어어！！！！！！」

몸속에서 방황하는 자신에 대한 갈 곳 없는 분노가 마치 출구를 찾아낸 것처럼 단숨에 폭발했다. 다리가, 팔이 움직인다. 목이 떨리고 팔이 삐걱거리고 피가 솟구친다.

분노가 스리의 몸을 움직여 엠퍼러에게로 덤벼든다. 그의 참격이 더욱 빠르고, 더욱 힘차고, 사납게 휘몰아치는 폭풍처럼 눈앞의 적을 삼키려 했다.

엠퍼러가 응전했다. 다시금 중력을 휙휙 바꾸어댔지만 그 「변화하는」 것 자체에 스리는 점점 익숙해져 갔다. 반쯤 본능에 몸을 맡기고 있는 스리. 그로 인해 감각이 예민하게 작용하여 어마어마한 속도로 순응해 갔다.

점점 스리의 공격을 받아내지 못하는 엠퍼러는 몇 번이나 참격을 맞지만 그럼에도 여유로운 기색이 사라지지 않았다.

「야수가 된 건가. 물론 도구에 의사는 필요지만 이렇게나 이성이 느껴지지 않게 되다니, 이쯤 되니 우습군！」

사실 엠퍼러는 거의 타격을 입지 않았다. 화려하게 움직이는 스리는 일견 우세해 보이긴 했지만 실제로는 아직 엠퍼러의 손바닥 위를 벗어나지 못했다.

문득, 스리는 나인의 말을 떠올렸다. 떠올릴 수 있었던 건 그가 아직 “냉정”했기 때문이다. 3년 전과는 달리 지금의 그는 분노에 몸을 맡기고 있긴 하지만 동시에 그것을 냉정하게, 냉철하게 바라보고 있는 또 하나의 자신이 있었다. 언제라도 멈출 수 있지만 하지 않는 편이 사태를 좋은 방향으로 이끌 수 있을지도 모른다는 생각에 일부러 멈추지 않았다. 자신은 깨닫지 못하고 있었지만 지금 그가 하고 있는 「감정을 컨트롤하고 그에 더해 그것을 힘으로 변환하는」 것은 무술의 달인이라도 그리 쉽게는 할 수 없는 일이었다.

『공격을 받은 순간 그 대상의 중력을 흡수하는 갑옷』

나인은 그렇게 말했다. 확실히 아무리 베어도 반응이 없다.

베어도 쳐도 소용이 없다면 안쪽에서 폭발시킬 수밖에！！

다른 사람이라면 이 상황에서 포기했을지도 모르지만 스리에게는 오히려 적합했다 할 수 있을 것이다.

스리는 양손에 든 각각의 칼을 합체시켜 한 자루의 대검으로 만든 뒤 다시 쥐었다. 그리고―― 베었다！

그의 검은 두 자루의 검이 각각 같은 곳을 베고, 그리고 합체시킨 세 자루째의 검으로 다시 한번 베면 그 장소가 안에서 폭발하는 특성이 있다. 엠퍼러에게는 이미 상당한 참격을 가해 몇 군데나 쌍검을 교차시켰다. 남은 공정은 하나뿐. 이 대검으로 같은 곳을 베면 된다.

아까까지의 기세를 유지한 채 스리가 엠퍼러를 후려 베었다. 하지만 어째서인지 맞질 않았다. 노린 위치가 꼭 1, 2리쥬씩 어긋났다.

스리의 이 폭발 공격을 발동시키는 단계로, 첫 번째 공격과 두 번째 공격은 선과 선을 교차시키면 된다. 하지만 세 번째 공격은 그 선과 선이 교차한 “점”을 포착해 그 위를 참격으로 통과해야만 한다. 당연히 세 번째 공격의 난이도가 월등히 높아진다. 하지만 스리는 그것을 명중시킬 자신이 있었다. 그럴 기량도 있다. 그런데도 맞지 않았다.

엠퍼러는 마치 희극을 감상하고 있는 것처럼 스리를 바라보며 웃고 있었다.

「도구의 성능도 모르는 명수가 어디 있나？ 네 공격 방법도, 그 무기의 특성도 속속들이 꿰고 있다」

그 말을 실천하듯 스리의 참격이 다시 빗나갔다. 그리고 즉각 날아오는 엠퍼러의 반격. 지팡이가 적절한 각도로 스리에게 쏘아졌다.

이유는 안다. 공격이 닿기 직전 중력이 바뀐다. 실로 절묘한 타이밍이라 그 순간에 궤도를 수정하거나 할 수가 없다.

지팡이의 중력파 공격은 접촉하지 않으면 기능을 발휘할 수 없겠지만 닿아만 있으면 그 충격은 크다. 스리는 그 공격을 전부 검으로 막거나 비껴내고 있었지만 그것마저도 엠퍼러의 계획대로였다. 접촉만 하고 있으면 결정적인 일격을 가하지 않아도 충격에 의한 타격은 확실하게 축적된다.

언제까지고 유효한 타격을 가하지 못하고 있는 스리. 반면 확실하게 타격을 축적시키는 엠퍼러. 승부의 행방은 명백했고 상황을 뒤집을 방법도 보이지 않았다. 거듭된 공방으로 인해 스리는 이미 너덜너덜해져서 당장이라도 쓰러질 것 같았다.

그때, 언제나 졸린 듯한 그 목소리가 울려 퍼졌다.

「해석… 완료」

비틀거리며, 쓰러져 있던 나인이 일어났다.

「무…슨」

엠퍼러에게서 경악의 목소리가 새어 나왔다.

「나인！ 괜찮아？！」

혹시 기절한 게 아니라 기절한 척하며 적을 해석하고 있는 것은 아닐까라고 스리도 생각하고 있었다. 하지만 확신은 없었다. 나인은 일부러 스리에게 아무것도 알리지 않았다. 그렇지 않으면 엠퍼러에게 간파당할지도 몰랐기 때문이었다.

「괜찮아, 그냥 찰과상. 몸 앞에 실을 쳐서 커다란 녀석의 기세가 많이 꺾였어」

도저히 찰과상만 입은 상태로는 보이지 않았지만, 일단 치명상은 피할 수 있었던 모양이었다.

스리는 우선 엠퍼러와 거리를 두었다. 이번에는 신중하게 세 사람의 위치 관계를 의식하며 나인에게 다가갔다.

「저 녀석의 중력을 조작하는 능력, 그 약점은 순간적으로는 발동시킬 수 없다는 것」

「무슨 소리야？」

「아츠 같은 구동은 필요없지만 저 녀석이 중력을 조작한 뒤 그 효과가 발동하기까지는 몇 초의 타임 래그가 있어. 낙석 때 바로는 막을 수 없었던 이유가 그거야」

「하지만 아까 공격할 때는 전부 절묘한 타이밍에 중력이 변했어. 순간이 아니라면 어떻게 가능했다는 거야？」

「전부, 읽었어. 그 녀석이, 스-의 움직임을, 전부」

「뭐！？」

「전부 읽고, 전부 예측해서, 전부 조작한 거야」

「그런 게 가능해！？」

「고대유물(아티팩트)을 가지고 있어서가 아니야, 그런 전투 센스를 지니고 있어서지. 저 녀석은 괴물이야」

거기서 엠퍼러가 낮은 웃음소리를 냈다.

「알았다 해도 결과는 변하지 않는다. 네 전투 방식은 이미 훤히 안다. 스피드, 파워, 검의 궤도, 버릇…… 오랜 세월 몸에 익은 전투 방식을 갑자기 바꿀 수는 없지」

「스-」

「그래, 알아. 끝을 내자」

시선을 교환하고 서로에게 고개를 끄덕였다. 그리고 두 사람은 다시 엠퍼러와 대치했다.

스리는 최고 속도로 발을 내디뎠다. 검을 쥐고 대각선으로 상단 대시 베기. 당연하다는 듯 엠퍼러는 그것을 피하고 계속해서 반격했다. 처음 몇 번은 페인트를 섞은 사전 준비, 서로가 그것을 알고 진정한 일격에 대비한다……

여기다！ 엠퍼러는 그렇게 판단하고 중력을 조작했다. 예상대로 스리는 반 발짝 빠르게 검을 내밀어 두 번이나 “마킹”한 곳을 노렸다. 중력이 바뀌고 검의 궤도가 어긋났…

…으나, 마치 그것을 예측했다는 듯, 어긋난 궤도가 정확한 위치로 향했다. 엠퍼러는 강제로 물러나면서 아슬아슬하게 그것을 회피했다.

스리의 동작은 이전과는 어딘가 달랐다. 그렇게 생각하는 것도 잠시. 엠퍼러에게 다음 참격이 덮쳐들었다. 이번에도 타이밍과 궤도를 예측해서 중력을 조작한다. 그러나――

펑！！――――

둔한 폭발음이 울려 퍼지며 엠퍼러의 갑옷 일부와 왼팔이 타격을 입었다.

「이럴 수가！！？！」

즉시 또 한 번의 섬광.

펑！！――――

이번에는 오른쪽 다리가 손상되었다.

대체 왜냐！？ 움직임을 예측하고 중력을 조작했거늘, 그것을 한층 더 예측해서 사전에 궤도를 수정했다고！？ 나의 읽기 능력을 완전히 뛰어넘어！？ 그런 것을 스리가 할 수 있을 리가 없다――

거기서 엠퍼러는 겨우 알아차렸다. 스리의 몸에 몇 개나 되는 투명한 실이 감겨 있다는 것을. 연결된 실 끝에는 말할 것도 없이―― 나인.

나인이 딱히 꼭두각시처럼 스리를 조작하고 있는 것은 아니다. 적절한 타이밍에 적절한 각도와 적절한 방향으로 스리를 유도한다. 엠퍼러가 읽은 것을 또다시 읽어 공격의 궤도를 수정해 명중시킨다. 그것이 가능했던 것은 나인의 우수한 두뇌는 물론, 무엇보다도 파트너인 스리를 이해하고 있었던 덕택이었다. 스리가 어떤 장면에서 어떤 식으로 움직이고 어떻게 싸우는지 나인은 가장 잘 이해하고 있었다. 자연히 스리의 전투 방식에 어떻게 대처해야 할지도 안다.

그렇다면, 그 의표를 찌르면 될 뿐.

「이 계집애가――！！」

엠퍼러가 처음으로 분노를 드러내었다. 그는 이전과 마찬가지로 바위를 날려 나인을 공격하려 했으나, 지금 자신이 서있는 곳에 날릴 수 있는 것이 없다는 것을 깨달았다. 스리와 나인, 어느 쪽이 의도한 것인지는 모르겠지만, 아무것도 없는 이곳으로 유도당했다는 것은 틀림없을 것이다.

한층 더 분노가 치민다. 그렇다면 차라리 이 손으로 직접 가지고 놀다 죽여줄까…… 그렇게 생각한 엠퍼러가 중력을 줄이고 빠른 속도로 나인에게 달려갔다.

「오길 기다리고 있었어」

엠퍼러의 진행 방향에, 갑자기 공중에서 거대한 바위――아마도 아츠를 이용해서――가 나타났다.

「시시하군」

같은 수법이 두 번이나 통할 것이라고 생각했나, 심지어 이번에는 기습조차 아니었다. 중력 경감의 영역에 들어온 바위를 엠퍼러는 지팡이로 손쉽게 파괴했다.

――거기서 그의 운명이 결정되었다.

바위에 숨겨져 있던 토끼 봉제인형이 엠퍼러의 앞쪽에 나타났다.

「뭐야！？」

그것이 평범한 봉제인형이 아니라는 것을 엠퍼러는 알고 있었다. 하지만 이미 늦었다.

퍼엉――

눈앞에서 봉제인형이 폭발했다. 덮쳐드는 열파와 빛에 떠밀려 다리가 멎었다. 그리고 다음 순간――

펑！！――――

등의 갑옷이 스리의 참격을 맞고 폭발했다.

「끝이다――」

갑옷이 부서져 흩어지고, 뻗어나간 스리의 검이 엠퍼러의 가슴을 관통했다.

TO BE CONTINUED

Chapter 9 - Anger & Analysis

'Nine!'

Three ran over to her, his voice hoarse with agony and grief. Her forehead, hands, legs...her entire body was stained with blood, dripping from a thousand scratches and cuts. It was a fate far too cruel for such a young girl. No matter how many times Three called out to her, she didn't respond. He had sworn to protect her. He had promised himself...promised her. But now...

Three felt himself overcome by shame and regret.

I'm too weak, he thought to himself. Too weak to help anyone. Too weak to save anyone.

As if to seize upon his distress, the Emperor spoke once more.

'So one of you ended up making it. If you're smart, you'll stop here. Deliver the final blow, and your life will be spared, just as before.'

At those words, Three felt a creaking in his mind. It was harsh, like the sound of metal scraping against metal.

'I imagine she'd take some sick satisfaction in being killed by the same person who killed her brother, anyway.'

The Emperor's mouth twisted into a perverse smile, the depravity in his eyes clear even through the shadow cast by his helmet.

It was then that something snapped inside of Three.

'RRAAAGH!!! DIE!!!'

He exploded, as if the boundless rage coursing through his veins had at last found an outlet. His legs and arms snapped into operation. A primal rumble burst from his throat. His bones creaked, and his blood boiled. Pure fury ignited his entire body, inciting it to action, and before he knew it, he had launched himself at the Emperor. He unleashed a whirlwind of attacks, his strikes faster and more powerful than ever before.

The Emperor met the charge head-on, altering gravity as he went, but Three adapted to each shift almost as fast as they came. His body was running on pure instinct, sharpening his senses to a razor-sharp edge and giving him almost preternatural adaptability. The Emperor, on the other hand, found himself working harder and harder to handle Three's hail of blows. He managed to block the oncoming strikes, but his attacker showed no sign of slowing down.

'Like a wild dog,' the Emperor sneered. 'A tool with a will of its own is a useless thing, to be sure, but seeing you foaming at the mouth like this is pathetic beyond measure! You truly are fated to die as you lived--a mere THING!'

Even in the face of Three's enraged onslaught, the Emperor had hardly taken any damage at all. He still held all the cards. Three was little more than an annoyance, like a flea biting a wolf.

Three's thoughts bubbled back up to the surface. He found himself remembering something Nine had said.

It was his natural sense of composure that allowed him to recall such a timely memory--composure he did not possess three years ago. He continued to let his anger drive his body, but maintained a calm mind, not allowing his thoughts to slip away in his rage. He could have stopped himself at any time, but found his current rage beneficial, and wielded it ably, as though it was simply another weapon available to him. Three himself was unaware of this, but such an ability to not only control one's emotions, but turn them into power, was rare, indeed. It was a skill that did not come easily to even the greatest warriors. Yet, Three had managed to master such a complicated concept at his young age.

'...armor that absorbs the force imparted by attacks the moment they're received...'

That was how Nine had described the Emperor's armor. Sure enough, just as she described, no matter how many strikes Three launched, nothing seemed to get through. It was then that realization dawned on him.

If the armor was immune to external force, then what he needed to do was induce internal force.

Anyone else may have given up at this point, but Three could scarcely imagine a more suitable target for his unique skills.

He combined his blades into one, squaring off against the Emperor yet again. The defining characteristic of Three's weapons was their ability to internally induce an arts-based explosion in their target. To do so, he needed to strike the same point with each blade separately, and then a third time in their fused form. By this point, he had already landed a number of hits on the Emperor's armor and, luckily for Three, a decent amount of those hits overlapped. All that remained was the final step in the process--making contact with those intersecting points using his fused sword.

Three attacked the Emperor with the same rage and power as before. This time, though, he failed to land a single hit. He was just a hair's breadth off, every single time.

The first steps in his weapon's process were relatively simple. He simply needed to land a strike with each weapon, creating two perpendicular lines that would paint a target for the orbment. The next part, however, was far more difficult. He needed to use the fused blade to hit the precise point where the two lines intersected. This was a much smaller target area, making the task that much more demanding. Still, Three was confident in his aim, and knew he had the dexterity to pull it off. In spite of his skill and confidence, however, he continually found himself failing to land the decisive hit.

The Emperor cackled in delight as he watched Three struggle. To him, Three's plight was nothing short of pure comedy.

'I know my tools inside and out,' he said, a dark grin spreading across his face, 'Your methods of attack, how your weapons work--I understand these things even better than you.'

As if proving the Emperor's point, Three's next attack fell short as well. The Emperor launched a counterattack with his staff, swung at the perfect angle.

Three had figured out his foe's tricks. Right before each of his attacks would land, the Emperor would make a subtle change to gravity. His timing was exquisite, and the trick was executed in such a way that Three had no time to correct the angle of his sword. Further, the gravity wave emitted by the Emperor's scepter did nothing at all when it failed to connect, but if it did, the resulting damage would be enormous. Thus far, Three had been able to evade or turn away each incoming swing, but he knew it was only because the Emperor was allowing it.

He had yet to land a single effective attack, and the wear on both his weapon and his own body was steadily mounting. The outcome of the battle seemed clear, and by all appearances, there was nothing that could change its course. Thanks to his impeccable defense, the Emperor was nearly unscathed, whereas Three was barely holding on, looking more and more like he could collapse at any moment.

In between clashes, a momentary calm settled over the battlefield. As Three was weighing his options, a voice broke the silence. It was a lazy drawl--one that Three had heard many times over the past year.

'Analysis complete.'

Nine struggled to her feet, looking as though she could fall back down at any moment.

'How...?' The Emperor's genuine shock escaped his mouth in a low hiss.

'Nine! You're okay!' Three exclaimed.

At once, he understood what had happened. Nine hadn't fallen unconscious, she had simply feigned doing so in order to analyze the Emperor in secret. She had given Three no indication of her plan whatsoever. After all, had she done so, the Emperor may very well have caught on to her plan.

'Just fine,' she responded. 'I used my wires to cushion the blow of the boulders by shredding them into smaller pieces. In the end, the rocks barely scratched me.'

Judging by the amount of blood that covered her, it would have been clear to anyone this was far from the truth, but the fact remained that she was both alive and conscious.

Three disengaged from the Emperor and moved closer to Nine, making sure to keep his eyes trained on his foe as he did so.

'There's a moment where he's unable to respond to anything,' she explained, 'That's his power's fatal weakness.'

'What do you mean?'

'His gravitational manipulation doesn't require casting like an art would, but after he uses it, there's a period of time of about a second before he's able to use it again. That's why he wasn't able to immediately prevent the falling rocks from burying him earlier.'

'But the way he's changing gravity is so precise,' Three said, thinking back on their battle. 'How could he have managed that?'

'He was just reading your movement, S. He knows how you fight like the back of his hand.'

'Wait, what?!' Three exclaimed, the surprise in his voice clear.

'It's true,' Nine responded. 'The way he manipulates gravity is determined before you even start your swings. He knows your tendencies well, and uses that knowledge to predict your actions.'

'Is that... Is that even possible?' asked Three, his mind racing.

'It is, unfortunately,' Nine responded. 'And he's not using an artifact for it, either. His mind just works that quickly. He's a monster through and through.'

The Emperor let out a low chuckle.

'A sound analysis, but it will avail you nothing. I know your techniques inside and out. The same speed, the same power, the same angles. Each and every time. There's no way you can possibly undo years of the habits we so painstakingly drilled into you.'

'S,' Nine looked up at him, knowingly.

'Right,' he responded. 'Let's end this.'

The duo nodded in agreement and turned to face the Emperor once more. Three charged at him again, renewing his previous assault. He raised his sword overhead, attacking at a high angle. The Emperor dodged it effortlessly and sent forth a counterattack.

Their deadly dance continued as before, but as things were, both sides knew where it would ultimately lead.

The Emperor sensed an incoming attack and prepared to manipulate gravity. Just as he predicted, Three attacked a half-step faster, aiming for one of the spots in his armor that had been previously marked. As the sword raced toward its target, gravity shifted and the sword's trajectory was altered. Despite this, it somehow continued on its original path regardless, as if the altered gravity had been predicted and compensated for.

'Impossible,' the Emperor muttered under his breath. He hastily jerked his body out of the blade's trajectory, with hardly a second to spare.

Three's movements had changed, somehow. As the Emperor mulled the changing situation over, Three's next attack came speeding in. The Emperor again predicted the speed and trajectory, and manipulated gravity accordingly. However...

BOOM.

A muffled explosion rang out, and the Emperor felt his armor crack and pain course through his left arm.

BOOM.

'Wh-What?!'

Another flash.

BOOM.

His right leg was now damaged as well.

The Emperor was at an utter loss. Had Three managed to correctly predict his spatial manipulation? How was he suddenly able to alter his strikes to compensate for the gravity?

Had the analyzer been analyzed, himself?

Cursing Three's name, the Emperor's thoughts grew frantic.

As he desperately looked around for a clue, he realized what was actually happening. He glimpsed a number of barely-visible cords extending from Three's body. Naturally, Nine stood at the other end, controlling them. She wasn't pulling him to and fro like a marionette, but was instead nudging his attacks slightly, guiding his direction, timing, and angle to create the perfect strike. The Emperor may have been predicting Three's attacks and making adjustments, but Nine was doing the same to him in turn. It was her guidance that allowed Three to score direct hit after direct hit.

Her superior intellect was, of course, a major reason this was possible, but her relationship with Three was their true secret weapon. The two knew each other better than anyone in the world, which allowed her to predict his reactions and movements with incredible accuracy. She used her natural understanding of her partner to help him adapt his combat style to fit the situation at hand. In that sense, the secret behind the upper hand they had suddenly gained was as simple as could be.

'You little bitch!' the Emperor let out an enraged growl, laced with bitter hatred. Neither Three nor Nine had ever seen him like this before. He tried to launch the same rocky onslaught at Nine that he had before, but found himself bereft of munitions.

He could not be sure when it happened, but at some point, the duo had led him to a different part of the area--one where he could no longer weaponize the terrain. With furious bloodlust, he lowered the gravity near him and rushed at Nine.

'Finally,' she smirked, 'I've been waiting.'

A giant boulder appeared in the air above the Emperor, likely due to an art Nine had cast. The Emperor was unimpressed, however, at being subjected to the same attack twice. This time around, it even lacked the element of surprise. He easily shattered the incoming boulder with his staff once it entered his area of reduced gravity.

But it was this flippant display of arrogance that sealed his fate. As the pieces of the boulder rained down around him, he found himself face to face with a plush toy rabbit--one that had been hidden within the boulder.

'No!' he exclaimed, knowing full well it was no mere toy. His realization came too late, however. With a massive bang, the rabbit detonated. Light and heat washed over the Emperor, and his legs buckled under the force.

Just then, another explosion went off at his back. Three had landed a solid hit on his chest armor, and the resulting blast had blown it clear off his body.

'This is the end,' Three said, quietly.

The black-hearted Emperor's armor had been destroyed, and Three's blade had found its bloody mark.

To be continued