The Doll Knight/Chapter 18


 * -|English= Chapter 18 - The Duel Between Red and Blue

White blade met deadly claw. Blue and red twisted about in blinding fashion. The cover to the fight had been cleaved off.

'Ohhhh, you're moving better,' Harlequin exclaimed.

Surprisingly, the Blue Knight's movements were just a little bit faster than that of the crimson devil puppet, Calamity.

'I broke it aaall to pieces, too, but to fix it back up in just one day... Looks like the old man found himself a good apprentice.'

'You know my master?'

Harlequin twirled his fingers and Calamity fluttered its wings and slowly lifted into the sky.

'We have a bit of a history, yes.' He giggled. 'But forget about that. What'll you do about THIS?!'

As he howled these words, the red puppet swooped down. Pedro pulled his strings back and the Blue Knight narrowly avoided the grasping claws.

'Or this?'

Smooth as flowing water, Calamity sent out its log-like tail to swipe at the knight.

Pedro's threads flowed down and to the right. Dropping its center of gravity, the Blue Knight shifted its sword to a slant and redirected the force of the tail upwards.

'OR THIS?!'

Calamity swung its horned head around and charged straight for the Blue Knight's torso.

Pedro snapped his threads upwards and to his left this time. The Blue Knight, who had let itself fall slightly back, now slashed its sword down in a blur of light.

With a small, pleasant cracking sound, the crimson wing on the right side of the puppet was hewn straight off.
 * -|Japanese= 第１８話　赤と青の決戦

交わりあう白刃と凶爪. めまぐるしく入れ替わる赤と青. 闘いの火蓋が切って落とされました.

『へえ、動きが良くなったね？』 驚いたことに、蒼騎士の動きは 紅い悪魔人形《カラミティ》を ほんの少し上回っているようでした.

『バラバラに壊してやったのに１日で元どおりにするなんてね. 爺さんも、いい弟子をとったじゃない』

『あんた、師匠の知り合いなのか？』 『昔、ちょっとした因縁があってね』 カラミティは、翼をはためかせて ゆっくりと上空に浮かび上がりました.

『さーて、こいつはどうかな？』 一声吠えて、急降下しました. ペドロは糸を後ろに引きました. 頭上から迫った、鋭く大きな爪を 蒼騎士はバックステップで躱しました.

『じゃあ、これはどう？』 カラミティは、流れるような動きで 丸太のような尻尾を横殴りに放ちます. ペドロは糸を右下に流しました. 腰を落とした蒼騎士は、剣を斜めに構えて 尻尾の勢いを、上方へ削ぎ落としました.

『なら、これはどうだいっ！？』 カラミティは、角の生えた頭を振りかぶり 蒼騎士の胴体めがけて突き上げました. ペドロは糸を左上に弾きました. ななめ後ろに身体をさばいた蒼騎士は 紫電の迅さで、剣を振り下ろしました.

ざくりと小気味よい響きとともに 真紅の翼の右側が、斬り落されました.