Volume 16 Chapter 6 Tag
"――Parasite Palace, deploy."
The moment I muttered that――my wristband expanded like a blooming flower.
Miss Miimo and I were enveloped by the wristband.
The scenery around us was being reconstructed.
From the streets of the Holy City to a luxurious palace....
As the transformation settled, chandeliers lit up simultaneously, and elegant music began to flow.
"Where is..."
Miss Miimo stood guard, cautiously surveying our surroundings.
Now, we were standing in a grand hall that seemed fit for a ball.
In this space, I was facing Miss Miimo one-on-one.
"Is this...?"
"'Juju Castle'!"
"Parasite Palace, that is."
――Parasite Palace.
A dungeon where you can't escape once you enter, until you die.
However, now....
"This space is under my equipment's control."
Kuku, who appeared out of nowhere, floated behind me with a vague expression.
She was the soul residing within this equipment.
And Kuku possessed the power to control this space, a dungeon operation.
Here, everything would go according to Kuku's wishes.
"...So, what's going on?"
Miss Miimo floated a carefree, thin smile.
"Will our status rise even within this house? Or is it a pattern where only the owner can act freely, while others are restricted?"
"I see... just as I expected."
"What?"
I returned a thin smile to Miss Miimo.
"You, who used to enjoy swift attacks and ambushes...have suddenly become very cautious, haven't you?"
"..."
After all, Miss Miimo was the strongest Inquisitor of the Holy Kingdom.
And before fighting the "Cursed Users", the Inquisitor――.
――'must always investigate thoroughly.'
As an Investigator of cursed equipment, I knew that mechanism well.
"You're always one step ahead, anticipating your opponent's moves and making the best counterattacks... It sounds impressive when we put it that way, but it's really just a battle strategy that relies on information. You gather information, analyze it, and create a plan of action beforehand. That's why, when I made a slightly unexpected move, you immediately got flustered..."
I tried clashing swords with her, and I realized.
In the end, Inquisitor is an expert at fighting with information. In other words, she analyzes the information about cursed equipment and comes up with countermeasures.
That's why Miss Miimo was always trying to examine my equipment. She wanted to be prepared for when I'd turn against her.
It was the same when we fought Ravuri. She had used a magical wolf to gather information about Ravuri's cursed equipment beforehand.
As a result, I ended up revealing many of my secrets...
"This Parasite Palace's power... hasn't been shown yet, has it?"
So, Miss Miimo couldn't move.
If she made a wrong move, she'd die. That's what happens when you're dealing with unknown cursed equipment.
"Haha... it seems I wasted my time trying to figure out your strategy. With this many cursed equipment, it's impossible to counter them all."
Miss Miimo smiled, her face twisted in a mixture of frustration and amusement.
"But... at least, I'll make you pay for this."
And then, she charged at me with both her gun and sword at the ready.
It was a reckless, desperate attack.
...She was aiming for a mutual kill.
"...Kuku. Today's game is tag, you're it."
"Here I come!"
I raised my hand, and Kuku did the same.
Then, the room we were in suddenly rotated 180 degrees.
The ceiling became the floor, and the floor became the ceiling.
"...What the...?!"
We were falling upside down from the ceiling to the floor.
Miss Miimo lost her balance in mid-air and...
And I slowly raised my sword.
* * *
After the battle with Miss Miimo.
As I turned Parasite Palace back into a wristwatch, I reunited with Ravuri, who had a bewildered expression. She, who had been left outside, looked like she had no idea what was going on.
"...Ah, ah, what about...Mii?"
"You mean Miss Miimo?"
'That's right, Noroa took her down.'
I looked back and saw Miss Miimo lying on the ground. To be precise, she had just lost consciousness.
"Mii is...wasn't she the strongest in the Holy Kingdom?"
'Hmph, if we, the Golden Combo, worked together, it would've been an easy win!'
"No, Juju didn't do anything, and it wasn't easy at all..."
Miss Miimo was the strongest opponent we had fought so far. She was far stronger than S-Rank monsters and "Cursed Users"...
It's no wonder she's called the strongest in the Holy Kingdom.
"Anyway, let's hurry to Cirrul's place."
We don't know when Miss Miimo will wake up, and other Inquisitors might show up soon.
We took off running once again to regroup with Cirrul and the others.
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