kscans

Chapter 97 - Their Respective Battlefields

The situation was as bad as it could get.

A Minotaur and a Centaur. A battle against two high-level monsters—and exceptionally tough ones at that.

Was it time to accept my fate?

Just as I thought so, Danmes the Minotaur spoke.

"...Hold. A two-on-one is dishonorable. I was the one who made the first move. You will stand down."

In response to this command, Rodel the Centaur shot back.

"...What was that? I became this thing just to kill him! You're the one who should back off!"

To this declaration, filled with a deep-seated grudge, Danmes replied.

"...I am well aware. However, I too have something I cannot yield. If you refuse to withdraw..."

As he spoke, Danmes unleashed a wave of killing intent.

Rodel, though slightly intimidated, prepared to stand his ground.

A tense silence enveloped the clearing.

It was then that a voice called out from in front of me.

"...Shinsuke! Are you alright?!"

It was Tina.

It seemed she had chased after me when I was sent flying.

Both monsters reacted to her voice and turned to look.

Seeing his chance, Rodel scoffed.

"...Tch. Fine. You can have him. In exchange, I'll take that woman."

To this proposal, Danmes replied without hesitation.

"...I have no objection."

It was an instant agreement.

Rodel turned back to me, laughing.

"...Heh heh heh heh. I'm going to hurt that woman, humiliate her, and drag her before you like a worn-out rag. Go on, regret it all you want—regret ever making me angry."

With that, Rodel charged toward Tina.

I wanted to go after him, but with Danmes standing before me, I couldn't move.

Danmes spoke, his words seeming to see right through me.

"...Are you worried?"

Worried... Yes, that was true.

But I declared,

"...I believe in Tina. She won't lose to the likes of him."

I was worried, yes. But danger is a constant companion for an adventurer; we are always prepared to lose our lives. For me to interfere would be the same as insulting her.

Hearing the conviction in my voice, Danmes nodded.

"...Is that so. Then let us begin as well. Allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Danmes of the Minotaur. I request a duel to the death!"

He readied his iron club.

"...I, Shinsuke the hunter, accept your challenge. Let the battle begin!"

As I raised my sword, I activated my lightning magic.

I unleashed `Thunderclap Incarnation`, which enhanced my entire body, without an incantation.

The training I had been practicing had finally borne fruit.

In the silence that followed, we clashed.

*

Tina's Perspective

I chased after Shinsuke the moment he was sent flying by the Minotaur.

He was some distance away, but not so far that I couldn't reach him. I have to get there quickly to provide rescue and support, I thought as I ran, but then something approached from ahead.

A monster? As the thought crossed my mind, it came to a sudden halt before me.

It was a Centaur.

This was the first time I had ever seen one. Rumor had it they were already extinct. I was surprised a survivor existed.

But... I recognized its face.

As I stared, the Centaur spoke.

"...It's been a while, Tinaaa. You remember me, don't you?"

He spoke with a lecherous grin.

Seeing it, I pieced it together.

"...Don't tell me you're Rodel?"

At my words, Rodel's grin widened.

"...That's right. So you do remember me. Did you have a thing for me or something?"

He asked with a vulgar laugh.

I had no idea how he could have possibly arrived at that conclusion, but it was clear Rodel's mind was completely warped.

With a look of utter disgust, I replied.

"...Someone as unpleasant as you is impossible to forget, no matter how much I might want to. Filth, after all, tends to stick around."

My words were dripping with sarcasm.

Humans often have fear and unpleasant memories seared into their minds.

Forgetting is difficult.

My jab must have hit its mark, because Rodel's face twisted.

"...What did you say? Filth? You're calling me filth?!"

I met his enraged glare with one of my own.

"...That's right. What else would you be? And to think you were still alive... and as a monster, no less. So this is what it means to sink as low as one can go. I don't even have the energy to say anything more. Let's just get this over with."

I drew my sword and took my stance.

My equipment consisted of silver armor and a longsword. It looked the same as my initial gear, but the materials were different now.

The armor was now made of Mithril mixed with Orichalcum and Weightless Stone. My sword had been enhanced with Orichalcum and a small amount of Adamantite. All of it had been processed using Shinsuke's skills.

My original gear wouldn't have been reliable against the powerful enemies that had begun to appear. We had been adjusting it little by little.

At first, it was just the sword, but now my armor's properties had been altered as well, increasing my defense. Furthermore, I had mastered water and wind magic, expanding my tactical options.

I had obtained a strength that was completely different from my old self.

But I would not let my guard down. No matter how incredible my equipment was, if I died, it was all over.

Rodel, unaware of any of this, sneered.

"...You bitch. Fine. After I'm done immobilizing you, I'll inflict every humiliation imaginable. I'll drag your tattered body before that man and defile you even more. It's going to feel so damn good!"

It was a bit nonsensical.

But it's only natural for someone whose rage has surpassed its limits to start spouting gibberish.

I looked at Rodel and sighed.

"...Don't make me repeat myself. Just come at me already, you idiot."

That single word was the gong that started the fight.

Swords clashed, and sparks flew.

*

Meanwhile, on the Main Battlefield

The high-level Minotaur had sent an adventurer flying and then chased after him.

No one understood what was happening. But they quickly snapped back to reality and glared at the horde of elite monsters before them.

Dozens of them. Under normal circumstances, it wasn't an impossible number, but the problem was their composition.

Every single one was a high-level monster. None could be defeated single-handedly. But we had our new weapon, the Edgeson units. We wouldn't be defeated so easily.

The monsters, for their part, weren't thinking much. Even as high-level creatures, their intelligence wasn't particularly advanced—at the level of a middle schooler, at best. And more often than not, they acted on instinct.

And that instinct was telling them:

Only we can destroy these iron behemoths.

The monsters readied their respective weapons, roared in unison, and charged.

The moment they heard the cry, the human forces prepared to intercept. The Edgeson units had finished loading. As the monsters closed in, they unleashed a simultaneous barrage.

The adventurers and soldiers charged the faltering monsters. Even if they couldn't defeat them, they fought in a way that kept the creatures from getting too close to the Edgeson units.

Since the new weapons were our only real chance of victory, it was a natural strategy to fight a defensive battle.

A fierce conflict, incomparable to any battle of the past, had begun.

And so, the battlefield was split into three.

Everyone who witnessed this thought the same thing.

If even one of these fronts fell, humanity would be defeated.

Watching this ferocious battle were seven shadows.

The Seven Demon Lords were all present.

Daios the Sea General spoke.

"...To take a blow like that and still be standing. Does that mean he's stronger than he was back in the Republic? What do you think, Sidoor-dono?"

To this question, Sidoor the Sword Demon replied.

"...I have nothing to say. All will be revealed when the battle is over."

Daios simply nodded as if to say, "I see."

Amidst their exchange, Lates the Thousand Poisons commented.

"...Changing the subject, but the technological prowess of the Dwarves is quite something, isn't it? To think they could improve upon that so-called matchlock gun I brought from Owari Village to such an extent."

To this candid observation, Harynair the Corruptor added.

"...Well, it just goes to show how much effort Grine put into it. Creating something like that in such a short time would be impossible with her previous budget. She was boasting about how much money she poured into it."

Rumby the Fateweaver chimed in, agreeing.

"...Oh, totally. That princess seemed like she'd do anything for her own sake. She didn't feel any guilt about tormenting her own sister, either."

She giggled as she spoke.

The conversation seemed to jog Harynair's memory.

"...Speaking of which, I heard the monsters here were modified as experimental subjects. Do you know anything about that, Redorza?"

To this question, Redorza the Sage mused.

"...Hmm. I feel like I might have been involved. The Orc King I was researching a while back... I was confident its durability would make any experiment a success, but it failed. I do recall administering a drug during that process to control it. Now that I think about it, I always wondered where that drug came from... So it was from that time."

She smiled faintly as she spoke.

She seemed to have remembered something, but she said no more.

Watching this exchange, Bamhal the Dragon King spoke.

"...Everyone, it seems the main event is about to begin. Let us watch quietly, shall we?"

With that, he turned his gaze to the battlefield.

At his words, the other six fell silent.