Chapter 84 - Misuse
I place my hand on Rio's shoulder and speak to her.
"Sorry. Just a few millimeters will do, but would you let me cut your skin?"
"...?"
Rio tilted her head with a look that said she didn't understand the meaning.
Her moist eyes stared intently at me.
"It's necessary to defeat that guy."
My Fatherhood skill is an induction-type skill that activates when a minor within the party is injured before my eyes.
However, the important thing is strictly that a child has sustained an injury; it does not matter "who" inflicted the harm.
Most likely, even if I myself were to inflict external wounds upon a child, it should activate without issue.
It is so inhumane that I haven't tried it yet, though.
"If you do that, can we win?"
"Yeah."
"For sure?"
"I promise."
"Then fine," Rio said, rolling up her sleeve.
"But make sure you don't leave a scar."
"Leave it to me. I'm not particularly dexterous, but I have confidence in my handling of blades."
After all, whether in this other world or this one, I've done nothing but cut flesh.
I activate the Divine Sword skill, generating a blade of light in my right hand.
"—Hah!"
With a single flash as I exhaled.
I ran the tip of the sword along her thin arm, as if tracing it.
At the same moment the blade grazed her skin, Rio let out a short, "Ugh."
A red line slowly surfaced upon her white skin.
[Hero Keisuke has visually confirmed the injury of a minor within the party]
[Unique Skill "Fatherhood" has activated]
[For 180 seconds, status and skill multipliers will be upwardly revised, and status ailments will be nullified]
[HP +2000%]
[MP +2000%]
[Attack +2000%]
[Defense +2000%]
[Agility +2000%]
[Magic Attack +2000%]
[Magic Defense +2000%]
[Skill Multiplier x20]
I read aloud the system messages that were displayed dispassionately.
It seems the skill's performance has improved compared to before.
Come to think of it, I remember receiving a massive amount of skill points when I disposed of my proliferated self.
I cast Recovery Magic on Rio and tell her to step back.
While aiming at the High Priest in the air, I bend my knees.
It is the preparatory stance before a leap.
The quadriceps muscles are being squeezed tight. The heart is pumping blood out like a pump.
Even in my base state, I can jump vertically up to dozens of meters.
That leg strength is now receiving an upward revision of twenty times.
I will layer a physical enhancement buff on top of this to increase my flight distance to the limit.
What I am imagining is a rocket before launch. Or perhaps a sniper rifle loaded with a bullet.
I count in my head, timing the jump.
One. Two. Three.
The High Priest is circling to the right.
The reins have slipped from their hands, and they are about to be thrown from the Pegasus.
Four. Five. Six.
A large number of teleportation gates appear behind the High Priest.
Long-range fire magic and backup via summoning technique.
It is a tactic that could be called the ideal form for a rear-guard class.
Seven. Eight. Nine.
Three griffons emerging from the gates surround the High Priest as if to protect them.
What a pathetic, futile struggle.
Have they even realized that it is counterproductive—
—Ten.
Thump! With a roar, I kick off the ground.
There was a dull sensation as the concrete beneath my feet shattered.
"Philia!"
Originally, I do not have the ability to fly.
I am a being that possesses neither wings nor membranes, clinging to the ground with two legs.
Even if I could jump higher than others, that is merely a jump after all.
There is a world of difference between me and the High Priest, who rides a Pegasus and moves freely through the sky.
However, the skill overcomes that difference.
[Hero Keisuke consumes 2000 MP. Double Action Skill activated]
[Due to the effect of the Unique Skill "Fatherhood," a 20x correction is applied to the skill multiplier]
[For 3600 seconds, it has become possible to perform twenty-one actions per turn]
I fly toward a single target.
The roar of cutting through the wind. The ground receding.
I approach the High Priest with ferocious momentum.
If following normal laws of physics, it would be a reckless suicide charge, staking everything on a single leap.
But if the number of attempts increases to twenty, it is a different story.
The invisible, transparent versions of us that shouldn't exist in this world.
Every single one of them carries out a charge toward the High Priest.
"Philiaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
While screaming, I reach out my arms.
But unfortunately, it seems I missed the mark by a margin of a few centimeters.
Having grabbed the empty space beside the High Priest, I fall helplessly toward the sea surface.
However, through the skill, I am permitted up to twenty-one simultaneous actions.
A me that is not me.
I witness the me that jumped from a different route, a different choice, successfully succeeding.
The me that is thinking this way is falling alone.
Yet, another me is clinging to the Pegasus ridden by the High Priest.
The world cannot understand that contradiction.
It merely processes the impossible phenomenon dispassionately, following the skill.
Falling and not falling.
Two opposing results are brought about simultaneously.
What resulted from that was the conclusion: "Suddenly, I move from the sea to atop the Pegasus."
No one knows how it turned out like this.
If I were to venture a guess, it is probably because this is the most plausible explanation.
The me that is thinking this way failed to catch the High Priest, but the remaining more than ten versions of me succeeded.
To put it roughly, perhaps the result brought about by the greater number of "mes" was prioritized.
"...Hero-dono...!?"
The High Priest is staring at me in a state of semi-panic.
They seem incredibly surprised, as the hands holding the reins are trembling.
"Yo. I wonder how many years it's been since we've had a two-seater ride."
I was riding the Pegasus in a manner that straddled behind the High Priest.
Since it would be troublesome if they went wild, I wrap my left arm around their neck to choke them. I grab the reins with my right hand, seizing control of the Pegasus.
"The moment a priest allows you to get this close, it's checkmate. Give up."
"...But I still have Time Reversal remaining."
"Such a thing will soon become meaningless."
The High Priest's voice was trembling.
It was clear they were being overwhelmed by my unexpected movement.