kscans

Chapter 197 - Byakuren Unrivaled

"No, that’s not what I meant. My question was born of intellectual curiosity, and you couldn’t say it wasn’t completely unrelated to any ulterior motives."

And so on. Ignoring the pathetic excuses dribbling from the mouth of Unfortunate University Student #2, we continued our exploration for about an hour.

Along the way, I finished marking the area near the exit and headed for the point the professor had told me about.

The Self-Defense Force outpost set up near this dungeon’s exit, however, had a slightly unusual shape.

Perhaps because the dungeon periodically flooded, the surrounding walls were high, and the building itself resembled a stilt-style warehouse.

A gate was supposed to exist in the space that would normally be the first floor, supported by reinforced concrete pillars, but according to the Dungeon Store’s information, it was located inside the building. Gates will teleport nearby if covered by a hard object. It seems they used that property to somehow move it further up.

But I digress. In any case, Byakuren’s test run was proceeding almost too smoothly.

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"Jyaaaah!"

Four Peludas unleashed a barrage of needles with low roars. Byakuren dodged the high-speed projectiles with left and right steps, only using its shield, held at an angle, to block attacks it judged impossible to evade.

As Byakuren closed the distance head-on, the two in the front row swelled their throats and spat breaths of fire.

In response, the white knight leaped forward and diagonally upward with unbroken momentum.

As red flames crept across the muddy ground, Byakuren looked down on the Peludas from above. Perhaps thinking it was impossible to dodge in mid-air, they fired a torrent of needles as if it were their last chance.

But wind erupted from various points on the armor, allowing the golem to evade with a barrel roll following a wall-jump-like trajectory. The instant it landed, it drove its foot down, piercing through the tail of the monster on the rear left.

It immediately slashed at the monster on the right, the longsword severing its tail. With two dispatched in quick succession, the front-row monsters tried to turn around.

But they were too slow. Their sluggish movements couldn’t keep up with Byakuren, and two flashes of silver light streaked past them.

By the time Byakuren, having dashed between the remaining Peludas, turned back in a state of lingering alertness, all of their massive bodies had collapsed onto the mud.

Four mounds of salt formed. After confirming Erina-san’s nod, I walked over to the knight.

"Combat concluded. Byakuren is unharmed again."

"Hmph... Such swift movements. I’d miss them completely if it were me...!"

"Is that so."

"Erina-kuuun! Kyouta-kun is being so dismissive!"

"There, there, Paisen! We’ll play together later!"

"Yay!"

Aren’t you coddling her like she’s a child?

I made the retort internally, but I had a feeling the unfortunate university student was on the other end of the earring in a ‘Hey, come on!’ ready stance, so I kept my mouth shut.

Deciding to completely ignore her, I touched Byakuren’s shoulder and supplied it with mana.

"I’ve told it to perform a variety of movements, but it’s starting to fall into a pattern against the same opponent. Is this really proving useful for Sana-san’s reference?"

"Kyouta-kun is being so cold... Ahem! Even if the combat scenes look similar, not every single action is identical. As a means of learning behavioral patterns, it’s proving useful... I think."

"You don’t sound very confident."

"Well, this isn’t my specialty! I specialize in archaeology. I dabble in history and anthropology, but still."

"That’s true."

She’s a person who can do just about anything besides exercise and communication, so I tend to forget what her actual specialty is.

When I thought about it, since she’s in Professor Arisugawa’s lab, it was only natural for that to be her field.

"But in that case, I’d like to see a more acrobatic battle next time! Byakuren-kun seems to have plenty of leeway!"

"You heard her. Can you do that, Byakuren?"

The white helmet gave a small nod to the rather vague order.

Well, if I judge there’s a risk of damage, I can just jump in myself. At this rank, Erina-san and the others can handle enemy attacks on their own, and Sana-san has Ukon and Sakon going all out for her.

It’s true that we have plenty of breathing room overall. This is a test run, so the spirit of ‘just give it a try’ is probably important.

...It won’t happen. Surely, it won’t happen again.

If we get caught in yet another stampede, we’ll be forced to do reckless things whether we like it or not. I can just think of this as practice for that.

No, really, I can’t imagine getting dragged into any more trouble, you know? But as the old saying goes, be prepared for anything...

As I was thinking that, we passed through the trees and arrived at an open area.

"This is..."

I let out a gasp of admiration at the ‘ship,’ which stood unobstructed, basking in the false sunlight.

It was enormous enough to have to look up at. I’d seen a destroyer or something at a Self-Defense Force festival before, but this was even bigger.

The ship was overturned, a quarter of its hull buried in the mud. Its wooden hull was mostly covered in moss, with large holes in various places, as if something had chewed through it.

All but one of its five masts had been snapped, and its sails had rotted away. There was no way of knowing what kind of flag it had once flown.

The dragon-shaped figurehead was also more than half-covered in moss and riddled with cracks.

It must have been a magnificent sailing ship in its time, but now it was nothing more than an object on display.

I felt a mix of awe and a slight melancholy at its majestic appearance, but such sentiments were blown away by the energetic voice coming through the earring.

"Yes!! I’d already seen the Self-Defense Force’s files via Granny, but there were a few spots I was curious about! I’ll be researching them in the lab, so go ahead and take a ton of pictures!"

"Roger that. Erina-san, I’m leaving Byakuren here, so please handle scouting."

"Sakon and Sana-san, please help out too."

"Hokie-dokie!"

I took the camera from Erina-san, pulled out the hand mirror, and attached it to my sword belt. Then, I floated up using the Flügel.

After taking a picture of the ship from above, I circled around it.

"But this... it’s not Noah’s Ark or something, is it?" I asked Aira-san, keeping the camera pointed at the hull.

"Probably not. Nine times out of ten, this is a warship. The cannons have been removed, but they were likely lined up along the sides. There’s a chance they were doing something with spatial magic, so I can’t completely rule out the possibility of it being a colonization ship, though."

"Huh. Still, it’s a sailing ship, despite them having this level of magical technology."

The technology left behind in the dungeons alone gives a glimpse into the advanced civilization of the Atlantis Empire.

They left behind numerous artifacts that even modern civilization can’t replicate, so why a sailing ship?

"You shouldn’t think with our common sense. This warship wasn’t necessarily on the front lines until the moment it was abandoned. It might have been on display somewhere."

"Ah."

"Besides, while their technological system has similarities to Earth’s, it’s fundamentally different. If they had a power source like magic, they might have been able to achieve speeds greater than an engine turning a screw propeller."

"Now that you mention it..."

Indeed, they weren’t an opponent I could measure with our own common sense. This was a civilization where alchemy could genuinely create gold and life.

Plus, there was the possibility that this ship had been in a museum and was deliberately moved here.

Just as she said, I couldn’t dismiss it as ‘just a sailing ship.’

"My apologies, that was shortsighted of me."

"Don’t worry about it. Your job is to be my hands and feet, and more importantly, it’s vital to put such questions into words. From now on, if you have any questions, please try to voice them."

"Thank you."

"Well then, I’ll have you start on the ship’s interior soon."

"Understood."

I entered through a large hole in the hull and began photographing the inside.

Normally, in a place this dilapidated, you’d expect it to be crawling with bugs and other creatures... But this is true of dungeons in general; you don’t see such things.

Is this also an effect of the gate, or is it the influence of a ward for the dungeon’s inhabitants?

As I floated so as not to step on the crumbling corridor, I was about to ask about what had just occurred to me when—

"Enemy contact. From the bow side, five Peludas are heading this way."

Erina-san’s sharp voice came through the earring, and I switched my train of thought.

"Tch, roger. I’m heading back. Aira-san, is that alright?"

"Yes, it can’t be helped."

I flew out of the hole in the hull and headed towards Erina-san’s position.

I couldn’t see them well from above because of the trees, but I pinpointed the enemy’s location by the flow of mana.

It seemed they had noticed me too, as dozens of needles came flying, piercing through the branches and leaves.

"Whoa."

"Ngh?!"

I leaned back to dodge the first one, then flipped my body upside down in a somersault and plummeted to evade their line of fire.

Since the mirror was still attached, Aira-san let out a groan. I hastily covered the hand mirror with my palm as I landed gently.

If I fly around too much with our vision linked, she gets motion sick.

I put away the hand mirror and took my position next to Erina-san, behind Byakuren.

"What’s the situation?"

"They’re almost in engagement range."

"Then... Byakuren."

I touched the knight’s back through its iron pack.

"Go."

———Vrrrrrrrooooooooommm...!

As I gave the order while pouring in mana, a low operating noise echoed from within Byakuren like a roar.

In that instant, its white iron boots kicked off the muddy ground with explosive force. I used wind to part the splattering mud, and the knight’s back was already dozens of meters away.

Byakuren charged with its shield raised. The giant needles launched by the Peludas closed in.

...? Why isn’t Byakuren angling its shield—

CLANG!!

The corner of the tower shield and a needle collided with a heavy, metallic clang. Even with Byakuren’s great strength, the impact caused its body to tilt.

Appearing to have lost its balance, the white knight spun its body horizontally.

And it threw the shield it was holding with all its might.

"Huh?"

A dumbfounded sound escaped me, but the situation progressed without any regard for my confusion.

Unable to intercept in time, the central Peluda was struck squarely by the shield. As Byakuren continued to run, the other monsters fired a multitude of needles at it.

But the knight advanced through the thinned-out barrage with skillful steps. Gripping its longsword with both hands, it charged in a posture as if carrying the blade on its shoulder.

As the silver golem broke through the wall of needles with footwork alone, the four Peludas simultaneously spat fire.

In a flash, all of them were engulfed in crimson, but it cleared just as quickly.

Using Concept Interference, Byakuren caught the blazing flames on its blade and, with a movement similar to a shot put, spun and slammed them into the Peluda on the far right.

The thick blade easily lopped off the serpent’s neck and, without stopping, severed its front left leg.

As the off-balance Peluda stumbled, Byakuren’s kick exploded against it. The tip of its foot slid into the collapsing torso, and it forced the creature over with sheer strength.

The monster whose head had been crushed by the shield recovered, and the four remaining Peludas fired a volley of needles, intending to take down their foe along with their ally.

Byakuren slammed its body into the belly of the thrashing, headless Peluda, and then released a blast of wind from its entire body.

Using pure power, it pushed the creature across the mud, closing in on the other Peludas. As soon as it was in range, it launched the massive body with a roundhouse kick.

The monster in front was crushed, unable to dodge, and in the moment it froze, Byakuren’s sword flashed.

It sliced off two tails in a single blow and, using the two overlapping bodies as a shield, circled around to approach the remaining ones.

They hastily tried to change direction, but the headless monster had its tail lopped off in an instant. Two left.

The Peludas that finished turning began firing needles as soon as they grew back. Against this desperate onslaught, Byakuren retreated in an ‘S’ pattern. Using a large tree as a shield, it leaped without turning back and planted its feet high on the trunk.

In that moment, it launched itself like a cannonball. It barrel-rolled to avoid the trunk it had just used as a shield, then lopped off a Peluda’s neck with a diagonal slash.

As it landed with a great splash of mud, it severed the tail of the previous monster with a return stroke.

But the last remaining one buried its tail in the mud, forcing a turn. It faced Byakuren head-on, about to spit a breath of poison and acid from its gaping maw.

Just before it could, the knight threw its sword into the creature’s mouth. Its upper jaw was shattered, and the breath only leaked out slightly upwards.

Ignoring the last one staggering from the impact, Byakuren grappled with the torso of the monster it had just dispatched.

Its body, which had just begun to turn to salt, was still sufficiently sturdy. Lifting the massive body, which must have weighed two tons, it slammed it into the remaining creature.

The Peluda overturned from the massive impact. The moment its tail, hidden in the mud, was exposed, white gauntlets seized it in a vicelike grip.

It dug its fingertips in firmly to secure its hold. Then, straightening its back, it drove its left heel into the base of the tail.

With a wet tear, the long tail was ripped off. The knight in white armor, spattered with mud and blood, casually tossed the tail aside.

Finally, it blew off the clinging filth with wind and shook its body like a wet dog.

As I stared dumbfounded at the scene, the golem turned its head toward me and shut down, having run out of energy.

"Uh... what...?"

"No enemies in the vicinity! Byak-chan is victorious!"

Beside my agape self, Erina-san cheerfully declared victory.

I mean, we won, but... what was that... what?

A barbarian?

"It was because of that... that ‘more acrobatic’ order."

"What is it? What happened? Ukon-kun just arrived, so I have no idea."

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Looks like the fight is already over, though."

Mia-san and Ukon emerged from the ship and joined us.

"F-For now, I’ll go collect the drop items and resupply Byakuren."

"Right. Ukon, if you would."

Wondering where it had learned such moves, I touched the silver shoulder and poured in my mana.

I returned to the others with the rebooted Byakuren and Ukon, who was carrying a large gold coin in its palm.

"What was that all about just now...?"

"Probably imitating you, Kyouta-chan!"

"What?"

The self-proclaimed ninja nodded with a knowing look, her arms crossed beneath her magnificent chest.

"No way! I don’t throw things around that much, and my footwork isn’t that sloppy, is it?!"

"It probably used the fighting styles of the ‘B-Rank Candidates’ we saw during the Tokyo Incident as a reference!"

"So, when it threw that monster at the end..."

"No, that was all you, Kyouta-chan."

"Did I really do that?!"

"You do it sometimes."

"You do sometimes."

"I think you did."

"Really?"

Did I do something so... primitive?

...Maybe, just occasionally?

"W-Well, anyway. From now on, fight more normally."

At my words, Byakuren nodded with a clatter of its armor.

Mia-san washed the recovered shield and sword with her water and ice magic, and I had Byakuren wield them again.

I wonder if that battle was a good reference for them to learn from...

Feeling a twinge of anxiety, I looked at Sana-san, only to be met by her usual expressionless face.

Somehow, the pressure from her gaze felt stronger, so I gathered mana at my fingertips and inserted them into a gap in her birdcage. She immediately began to suck the mana from them.

...Isn’t this girl getting greedier than before?

Perhaps from seeing me give Byakuren large amounts of mana repeatedly, Sana-san might have decided that it was okay to demand more.

"...Is this exploration proving to be a bad example for her in various ways?"

"I have no idea! Well, any data has its uses. There’s no such thing as a useless experiment!"

My cheeks twitched at Aira-san’s plausible-sounding words.

Seeing how eagerly Sana-san was feeding, I started to feel like I’d need to increase the frequency of my visits to the Arisugawa residence.

After another thirty minutes of photographing the ship inside and out, we returned via Erina-san’s teleportation.

It had been a satisfying exploration, both in terms of rewards and for Byakuren’s test run, but whether it had been good for Sana-san’s education remained unknown.

Also, when I suggested to the professor, ‘The frequency of my visits might increase, so should I perhaps take Sana-san home with me?’, she replied with a very nice smile, ‘Please don’t hesitate to come to the Arisugawa residence. In fact, you’re welcome to stay the night.’

...Am I trusted as a gentleman, or not trusted as a mage?

When I voiced that question, the unfortunate university student told me with a determined look, ‘I don’t know either.’