kscans

Chapter 173 - Interlude: The Backs of Heroes

Interlude: The Backs of Heroes

No POV

"Monsters are swarming the Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Center! They're requesting aid!"

"We have no forces we can deploy at will! Our only option is to ask the B-Rank Candidates…!"

"A long-term siege isn't realistic! Just get as many civilians inside as you can!"

"Sir! Another department is saying they have documents that can't be seen by the public, so they can't accept…"

"Tell them if they don't want to be physically set on fire, they'd better hide those damn documents and start letting people in!"

The Kasumigaseki Joint Government Building, Tokyo.

With the monster outbreak, the Dungeon Agency had been granted partial command authority over evacuation procedures.

The agency was busy on a normal day, but now its employees were running on triple speed, their minds and feet racing. Amidst the chaos, Director Akasaka, who had been running around just as much as everyone else, finally made it back to his desk.

While giving instructions to his subordinates via written notes, he shared information with General Marui Tadatsugu at the Prime Minister's crisis management center through a dedicated PC channel.

"So, the Dragon Killer Squad still can't make it."

"That's right. All four of them are currently in dungeons, culling monsters. We've contacted them with magic tools and ordered a temporary return, but it's going to take time. From there, they'll have to take a helicopter to Tokyo, so it'll be at least thirty minutes. Worst case, over an hour."

"I see. What about relief from other Self-Defense Force units?"

They spoke quickly, each aware that time was a luxury neither of them had.

"All SDF bases in the city are on high alert. We've received reports that they're completely tied up rescuing local residents. We've already lost contact with some bases. Reinforcements are coming from other prefectures, but the roads are crawling with monsters. Forcing their way through will be difficult."

"...And the Imperial Palace?"

"It's being protected by volunteer adventurers and a barrier device we had prepared for emergencies. It should hold for a while longer."

"Understood. How are things on your end, General Marui?"

"The Prime Minister's residence is also protected by an expensive barrier. It should hold. ...However, we have no forces to spare for your location. Can you make it over here? We should be able to accept some civilians."

"Impossible. We have no idea how many citizens would be sacrificed just trying to move a hundred meters. We'll wait for help here. Fortunately, the B-Rank Candidates and the Walkers are voluntarily assisting with defense and rescue efforts."

As he scribbled a note to his subordinate, emphatically warning them not to let this conversation be overheard by civilians, Director Akasaka continued.

"The nation's reputation is going to take a definite hit from this."

"It has been, ever since the Day of Awakening. We have no reputation left to worry about," Akasaka replied bluntly to the General's wry chuckle.

Just then, a powerful tremor shook the government building. As he clung to his desk to ride it out, a subordinate stumbled over to report.

"We have an approaching presence believed to be boss monsters! Approximately ten of them!"

"What?! All at once?!"

While there had been cases of multiple boss monsters being sighted in a single dungeon, a double-digit number was unprecedented.

As Director Akasaka's eyes widened in shock, his subordinate continued, breathless.

"We are currently under attack from the south! The B-Rank Candidates are engaging them!"

"...Unfortunately, we've spotted boss monsters here as well. Seven of them… tentatively named Fafnirs. They're latched onto the barrier and are trying to break it. It seems we won't be able to provide or accept any aid."

"It can't be helped. We'll evacuate civilians from the north side! The roads are likely unusable. Proceed with Plan B-4."

"This is terrible!"

Since the normal lines were down, the employee must have used the elevator running on the backup generator.

Even so, the sweat-soaked staffer leaned against a wall and shouted as if screaming.

"Another group of monsters spotted from the north! An adventurer reports fourteen of them, all potentially boss monsters!"

"What did you say…?!"

They did not know yet. They could not have known. It had only been two years and four months since the Day of Awakening. Research was still in its infancy.

They were unaware that when certain conditions were met, powerful individuals known as boss monsters were more likely to appear. Unaware that they would all converge on the same destination.

They had no way of knowing, for instance, what would happen when a large-scale vortex of mana formed at the confluence of leylines.

The more they fought, the more they protected, the more hardship and suffering washed over them.

The Awakened Persons fought out of goodwill, a desire to protect. They were not to blame. They were simply unlucky.

Even non-Awakened people can sometimes unconsciously sense the flow of leylines. It is in such power spots that humanity flourishes.

It was only natural that the country's most important facilities were clustered together in one such place.

*

"Aaaahhhhhh!"

"Hey, let me in! Inside!"

"We have to get out of here! Where's the car?!"

"Isn't the Self-Defense Force here yet?!"

Complete panic had erupted in the plaza in front of the joint government building.

Some scrambled to be the first inside the building. Others tried to find a car to escape. Still others, unsure of what to do, simply mimicked the actions of those around them. And some, having lost all hope of helping themselves, simply looked to the heavens and begged for salvation.

It was chaos. The crowds moved in every direction, and neither the police nor the fire department could manage them. In fact, some officers had been swallowed by the panicked mob and were now just as lost and terrified as everyone else.

"Calm down! Please, everyone, calm down!"

"Slowly, into the building! Don't get separated!"

"Form a line! We're making a line! Please follow it!"

"It's no use, we're all going to die…!"

"Hey, don't say things like that! If we give up…!"

"She's right, we are going to die! We're all going to die!"

"I have to get out of here! Hey, move it!"

"Stop! I have a child! Don't push!"

"Moooommyyy! Wheeere are yooouuu?!"

The mob had lost all sense of order. Their rationality and ethics were fraying at the seams.

"Damn it! If we have to, use force to restrain anyone who looks like they're about to lose it! And protect the children and the elderly! Form a human wall if you have to, but don't let them get crushed! We have to prevent a crowd crush at all costs!"

"Guild Master, that's reckless!"

"If we don't, people will die! Move!"

"R-Roger!"

The Walkers charged into the side of the collapsing crowd.

Some members embraced those who were thrashing about in desperation, holding them tight.

One hoisted a crying child, who seemed to have been separated from their parents, onto his shoulders, lifting them above the sea of people.

Another picked up an elderly man who had collapsed in despair, carrying him to prevent him from being trampled.

Led by their cat-eared leader who had been the first to charge in, the guild members physically stemmed the tide of people that was on the verge of collapse.

"Officer! Where should we go?!"

"Uh, well, that is…"

"To the upper floors of the joint government building! Just get as high as you can!" a Dungeon Agency employee shouted to Yamashita, holding a tablet high.

"Facilities like ours are reinforced with anti-magic materials as a countermeasure against scrying and curses! You should be safer from things like poison and curses inside than you are out here!"

"Got it! Walkers, listen up! Get the citizens into the building! First ones in head to the upper floors! Help the injured, children, and elderly! The agency staff will help us! Let's create a flow!"

Yamashita's voice, usually withered from daily stress, now boomed with a commanding presence that reached every person in the crowd.

"It's okay! Help is definitely coming! Not just the Self-Defense Force! A 'secret society' has already arrived!"

"...A secret society?"

A police officer, his eyes regaining a spark of light from Yamashita's words, blinked in confusion.

In response, Yamashita simply looked off into the distance and muttered.

"I'm counting on you, Invisible Ninjas…!"

*

South of the Central Joint Government Building.

Lined up there were Japan's most elite Awakened Persons. Adventurers who had reached a rank even higher than those that officially existed.

Before them stood a horde of monsters, kicking aside abandoned cars and crushing guardrails and traffic lights underfoot.

The creatures were dragons, clad in golden helms and wielding sinister, glowing magic swords. Despite the cold sweat running down their backs, the adventurers raised their weapons.

"We'll launch the first strike!"

"Right!"

"Leave it to me!"

A man with a mohawk, wearing a monocle and a robe like a Western mage.

A man with an afro, dressed in golden robes and a crimson sash in an Indian style.

A man with a pompadour, whose hair stuck out from the white cloth wrapped around his head, resembling a warrior monk.

Each of the three raised their weapon—a staff, a vajra, a khakkhara. Immense mana erupted from their bodies, taking shape.

"Blow them away, [Thunder Storm]!"

"The power that incinerates evil, [Agni]!"

"A steel hammer for our foes! [Vajra Rakshasa Fist]!"

A storm of lightning swirled horizontally across the ground. Through its center flew a beam of superheated energy and a fist of golden mana.

It was a barrage of grand magic, powerful enough to reduce several tanks to scrap with energy to spare. An aurora of light and a fiery explosion concealed the Fafnirs, and the resulting shockwave violently shook the surrounding buildings.

Glass rained down from shattered windows at the epicenter of the blast. Amidst the earth-shaking tremor, which felt as if a missile had struck, not a single one of the assembled champions believed for a moment that it was over.

"Here they come."

The mohawked man's voice, as he adjusted his monocle, was drowned out by a roar that shook heaven and earth.

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛───ッ!!"

A steel giant burst through the dust cloud. While the four in the lead showed scorch marks and signs of bleeding, not a single one had fallen.

As the monsters let out a bloodcurdling roar, various data points appeared on the mohawked man's monocle.

"Detecting a high-density barrier on the enemy's surface! Aim for the abdomen, its defenses are weaker there! Abilities include a poison breath and a cursed blade! They even have self-regeneration, so avoid a prolonged battle!"

"Ooh!"

"Understood!"

"Kill them!"

With their replies—or by ignoring the call completely—the B-Rank Candidates began their advance.

In terms of numbers, it was a small clash, not even fifty combatants in total. In an age where battles involving tens of thousands were not uncommon, it was a tiny war.

But both sides were heroes and monsters from the Age of Gods.

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛───ッ!!"

The blade swung down by a Fafnir pulverized the asphalt. A single slash sent cracks running for more than ten meters, reshaping the terrain.

Undaunted, a girl in a butler's uniform with cat ears closed the distance. With a rapier in each hand, she fearlessly dashed through the cloud of dust.

"Hah!"

With blinding speed, she ran up the steel-colored arm, and her blades flashed, striking the Fafnir's face in a rapid succession of cuts.

She plunged her blades into its eyes, nose, and mouth. But each strike only produced red sparks; no blood was drawn.

As if swatting a fly, the Fafnir swung its left arm. The girl kicked off its nose, leaping away to dodge, but the magic sword pursued her without a moment's delay.

However, the girl in the butler uniform twisted deftly in mid-air, using her twin swords to parry the massive approaching blade.

The magic sword was deflected, slamming into the ground at an odd angle. As it shattered the earth, sending up a massive cloud of dust and asphalt fragments, a golden light flashed.

"Seeeiii!!"

A noble lady in armor, her blonde hair styled into drills, unleashed a lance charge on foot.

The spiraling tip of her lance collided with the steel-colored scales, sending sparks flying as it spun. The thumb of the evil dragon's sword-wielding hand was gouged out in a spray of blackish-red blood.

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛───ッ!!??"

The Fafnir shrieked in pain, but it immediately unleashed a blast of poison breath on the culprit who had taken its finger.

It was a surprise attack, a breath weapon from directly above with no wind-up. The noble lady couldn't react in time.

No, she felt no need to react.

"O, wind!"

"O, light!"

Two androgynous boys with faces as similar as twins sprouted fairy-like wings from their backs. Through their combined efforts, the evil breath was neutralized, dissipating before it could reach the lady.

Seizing the opportunity, the cat-eared butler dashed beneath the Fafnir.

"Yaahh!"

Sliding into the gap between its abdomen and the ground, she used her twin rapiers to shred the dragon's soft underbelly to pieces.

The evil dragon screamed and lost its balance. The lance-wielding lady charged its face as it stumbled.

"Waaar cryyyy!!"

Her pupils dilated, a ferocious smile on her face that was anything but ladylike, she delivered another lance charge. The unhelmeted armored lady literally tore half of the Fafnir's face off.

Another Fafnir was locked in a fierce exchange with a man dressed like a Spartan soldier from an opera.

"Nngh!"

"■゛■゛■゛■゛!!"

An oval shield deflected a downward swing of the magic sword, and on the return, the shaft of a spear parried a blade coming from the side.

The man was dressed only in a helmet, a cape, and briefs. As if declaring that his own forged muscles were the ultimate armor, he fearlessly pressed forward.

Sparks flew as they clashed three, four times, the distance between them slowly closing.

With an impatient roar, the Fafnir gripped its magic sword with both hands and swung. The man caught the blow by crossing his shield and spear, and the ground beneath his feet buckled with a deafening crack.

As every muscle in his body screamed in protest, he let out a triumphant roar from beneath his helmet.

"Now!!"

"Gaaaaaaaaah!!"

With a beastly war cry, a woman with only cloth wrapped around her chest and waist charged in, swinging an axe.

Her tanned skin was wrapped around a physique of rippling muscles that rivaled even the Spartan-like man's. A woman who could be called a true warrior, she swung her axe with all her might, slashing upwards into the Fafnir's abdomen.

With a sickening squelch, the blade bit deep, lifting the evil dragon's ten-meter-long body into the air.

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛───ッ!?"

A body that must have weighed dozens of tons was flipped over by a single blow. The giant crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar, leaving a trail of red as it rolled across the road, destroying everything in its path.

The man and woman clashed their axe and spear together, then reset their stances. The other group, the twin-like boys, also maintained their battle readiness, never letting their guard down.

There was no time to relax. Because.

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛───ッ!!"

An evil dragon does not die from something like this.

Even with wounds that would have killed any normal creature three times over, they were all monsters from the Age of Gods.

Modern common sense did not apply; the gaping wounds were already writhing unnervously as the bleeding began to stop.

More importantly, the adventurers were severely outnumbered.

One Fafnir had already reached the position of the Hair Alliance, who were providing covering fire.

"Tch! It's close combat! I'm leaving the front line to you!"

"We'll cover you!"

"The rear guard is my stage, baby!"

"───We can't all fight up close!!"

As the three screamed and retreated, two men rushed past them.

"Ooooooooh! [Sword Break]!"

A large man clad in black iron plate armor blocked the descending magic sword with his tower shield.

The moment they connected, mana swirled, and cracks ran through the green blade from the point of impact.

But it wasn't enough to completely destroy it. A Yotun and a Fafnir possessed different levels of mana.

The evil dragon pulled its sword back and swung again. In response, an old man kicked off the armored man's back and leaped into the air.

"Secret Technique───[Great Horned Beetle]!"

It was an upward slash, unleashed while twisting his entire body in mid-air. A red line appeared vertically on the Fafnir's face, and with a spectacular spray of blood, it collapsed backward.

As the corpse transformed into a pillar of salt, the old samurai flicked the blood from his blade.

"Hmph. Those with Concept Interference, just cut them down! It's the easiest way to finish them off!"

"Are you three alright? Looked like you were in need of a front-liner," the armored man said, addressing the Hair Alliance as he stood beside the shouting old man.

"Y-Yeah. But are you sure? We saw you carrying an old man…"

"We left him and his friends with the Dungeon Agency. We really should have handed them over to the police, but they were being rather uncooperative."

"Honestly. The police officer was so paralyzed with fear from encountering the monster. To think that seemingly frail young man had more guts…"

The old swordsman recalled the pale-faced Dungeon Agency employee who had dealt with them, holding a tablet. He chose to ignore the fact that the poor man had looked ready to vomit after being saddled with a crazed old man, his secretary, and a bodyguard in a black suit.

"However… this is not good."

The old swordsman narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the battlefield before him.

The battle between the heroes and the evil dragons was a back-and-forth struggle. To him, the apparent stalemate looked grim.

"...At this rate, we'll be overwhelmed. Everyone, focus on supporting any allies who appear to be at a disadvantage. If only we had two more skilled fighters."

"Did someone call for two more skilled fighters?!"

A loud voice echoed across the battlefield.

However, its owner remained unseen by most. They could only sense the presence of the invisible speaker as they pounced on one of the Fafnirs.

"Toryaa!"

Claws imbued with [Concept Interference] tore away the steel-colored face. As the evil dragon retreated, gushing blood, its legs were suddenly encased in ice, halting its movement.

A moment later, a chained iron ball smashed into the side of its head. This, too, activated [Concept Interference], blowing its head clean off.

As two new presences and one golem appeared, the old man grinned fiercely.

"Hoh. So the other two from that time have arrived as well, Invisible Ninjas."

"YES! The Invisible Ninjas have arrived!"

Rinzaki Erina struck a triumphant pose while still invisible. Beside her, Miyoshi Mia, moving on a floating platform of hardened earth, joined them.

"The other two… Did you meet Kyouta-kun and the other one?!"

"Indeed. We heard they were looking for their parents, but we do not know their current location."

"Aira! Where is Kyouta-kun?! Is he okay?!"
Mia asked, her fatigue evident, speaking into the earring on her elven ear.

The reply from her sister was anything but clear.

"Uh, well, yeah. It's kinda…"

"Please be clear! Is he safe?! Does he need help?!"

"He's safe! No problems! He's fine!"

"If you say so…"

As Mia's brow furrowed with worry, Erina's claw-covered arm gently tapped her shoulder with a backhand, careful not to hurt her.

"No worries, senpai. More importantly, could you fill us in on the situation?"

"Of course. We are under attack from the south and north by monsters believed to be Fafnirs. We have split into 'three and the rest' to defend."

"Three people…"

"No need for concern. I judge that in a group battle, we would not be able to defeat those girls even if we all fought together."

The old man answered Mia's twitching cheek with a ferocious grin.

"I would like to request a match with them someday… but for now, let us focus on the enemy before us."

"Sounds good."

As they turned their gazes forward, the fierce battle against the evil dragons raged on.

Furthermore, those with sharp eyes could sense a large group of Yotuns approaching from beyond them.

But one among them, a girl whose senses were particularly sharp and whose scouting abilities were second to none, noticed another group approaching from a different direction.

"Ah."

"Erina-san? What's wrong?"

"This might be bad."

A rare bead of sweat trickled down the invisible, self-proclaimed ninja's cheek.

"They're coming… from the west side, too."

*

West of the Central Joint Government Building.

At the sight before them, the people who had evacuated into the building, and those who were helping them, all stood utterly stunned.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Who was it that muttered those words? A police officer, a firefighter, a guild member, an evacuee?

Whoever it was, their words spoke for everyone present.

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛───ッ!!"

It was a despair that seemed not of this world.

Steel-colored evil dragons with human faces. Bathed in their sinister mana, one person after another froze in place.

The undirected, naturally leaking malevolence was enough to do it. As their eyes, a solid steel color with no whites or pupils, fixed upon the crowd, looks of resignation spread across their faces.

It made no difference whether one was an Awakened Person or not. With the exception of a few, even the members of the Walkers, who had been shouting instructions for the evacuation, fell silent.

"Don't stop! Run! You have to run!"

Yamashita yelled desperately, pushing the backs of those who had frozen.

But he and the few others who hadn't given up couldn't possibly move them all. They couldn't reform the flow of people; it was as if their feet had taken root in the ground, refusing to move.

Amidst the stillness, a few figures darted out from the crowd.

"Look! It's monsters! A horde of monsters, terrifying creatures, are heading for the shelter!"

It was a news crew, camera at the ready. They had been planning to film the Walkers gathering at the government building and had been caught up in the stampede.

An announcer clutched a microphone in front of the camera. A sound engineer held up a boom mic. A female Dark Elf announcer chased after them, emerging from the crowd.

"W-Wait, you guys! This is bad! We have to run!"

"Hey, you lot! Run! Can't you hear me?!"

Yamashita rushed over next, but the male announcer, tears in his eyes, yelled back at him.

"Shut up! We're all going to die anyway! So I'm gonna get the best damn shot for our final broadcast! Keep the camera rolling! Don't stop filming!"

"You got it!"

"You idiot! Don't give up!"

"You guys on the crew, stop it!"

Yamashita forcibly grabbed the sound engineer and cameraman, tucking them under his arms, while the female Dark Elf tried to pull her senior announcer back.

But the announcer shook off his junior colleague, picked up the camera that had fallen to the ground, and continued to film the approaching horde of Fafnirs.

"Look at this! This is our final report! Goodbye, everyone! Goodbye! Ah, I wonder if this is connecting! I wonder if it's getting through! We're gonna die! We got some amazing footage for our last moments, didn't we?!"

The male announcer laughed hysterically. Yamashita moved to help him too, but it was already too late for everything.

The evil dragons were closing in with a speed that belied their massive size, trampling the asphalt road and kicking aside any vehicles in their way.

The one in the lead was already within range of the giant swords they wielded.

"───!"

"…! …!!"

Yamashita tried to raise his shield, but he had neither the strength nor the skill to block that blade.

The announcer was shouting something, but his voice was drowned out by the evil dragons' roars.

The people watching them, finally spurred by their survival instincts, began to flee again, but they were well within the range of the monsters' breath attacks.

They were doomed. They had no way to resist, only to be trampled underfoot.

As everything seemed to slow to a crawl, a sinisterly glowing magic sword descended upon their heads.

───In that instant.

A crimson flash streaked across the scene.

A brilliant, blinding red light, and a heat that lightly scorched the skin, brought screams to their lips. But even those cries were drowned out by a deafening roar that seemed to incinerate the very air.

The male announcer had fallen onto his backside. Before he could even question why he was still alive, his gaze was drawn to the back of the figure he saw through his camera's lens.

A white cloak with a strange luster. Its hem was tattered and stained with dirt and ash, covering the back of a young man.

To his left and right, the giant head and body of an evil dragon collapsed. As they tumbled to the ground with an earth-shattering thud, they transformed into salt of an equal mass.

The flames that lingered in the air vividly illuminated the scene.

"It's alright now."

His voice was calm, almost out of place on a battlefield.

To the evil dragons, it should have been nothing more than the arrival of another puny human. And yet, as if intimidated, the monsters had stopped in their tracks.

Confronted by over ten magic swords, the young man held only a single, soot-stained, one-and-a-half-handed sword, its blade covered in nicks.

With a sharp crack, the helmet he wore shattered. The cloth beneath it tore, revealing his black hair.

Paying it no mind, the young man pictured the faces of his parents, whom he had just 'leapt over', and thought of the whereabouts of his trusted allies.

The self-proclaimed ninja who could teleport was engaged in battle elsewhere. And unless he dealt with the enemy before him, it would be impossible to push through the evacuees and reunite with his two friends.

And so, taking a single deep breath.

"You will not pass."

Yagawa Kyouta stood firm, barring the path of the Fafnir horde.