kscans

Chapter 243 - The Date of the Decisive Battle

The day after Professor Arisugawa's seppuku commotion.

After school.

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛—!"

"Deaaaaah!"

Deep underground, in a space illuminated by blue flames, I charged at Cerberus.

The watchdog, already having lost its left and right heads, was covered in wounds. Yet its eyes gleamed coldly, and its body, wreathed in flame, continued to accelerate.

It had been running in an arc, but the moment I tried to strike its flank, it reversed direction, swinging its serpent tail in a wide sweep.

I shot upward to evade it, then flipped upside down in mid-air, kicked off the wind to accelerate, and charged again.

It must have predicted my move, as its maw was already turned toward me. Behind the rows of sword-sharp fangs, mana gathered in the watchdog's open mouth and was unleashed before I had time to dodge.

As the blue aurora filled my vision, I pressed forward regardless, slamming my sword into the pillar of fire.

[Concept Interference].

"Oooooooooooh!"

A head-on collision. A pure contest of strength. I unleashed the maximum output of wind from my Flügel and my feet.

There's no need to absorb and return it. Just cut it open.

The blades of fire and steel clashed for about ten seconds. My sword groaned, but I forcibly tore through. The blue flames scattered to the left and right, and a path opened before me. But immediately after, the watchdog, now in plain sight, swung its front paw at me without a moment's hesitation.

Its ultimate move used as a mere decoy for its true attack. From my position, it was an invisible strike. But still. The claws, accelerated by fire, were already 'visible' to me.

I dodged with a minimal, gentle ascent. The scythe of death passed just a few centimeters below me. I switched my grip on the sword to a reverse grip—and with all my strength, plunged it into Cerberus's head.

"■゛■゛■゛■゛—!"

Letting out a death cry—no, a roar—the guardian of the underworld sought to take me with it by expanding the blue flames that enveloped it.

Self-destruction. The moment I realized, I changed my body's orientation while drawing the swelling flames toward my blade.

"Shii…!"

Pushing the blade deeper, I drove the one-and-a-half-handed sword that was stuck in its brow down toward the tip of its nose, accelerating with the wind.

I tore through tough hide and bone, pulling my sword free with brute force.

With my blade, now warped by the impact and heat, at the ready, I turned back to Cerberus. There, the watchdog stood, flames spilling from its wounds.

The blue flames it had gathered for self-destruction erupted upward with directionality. The mana dissolved near the ceiling, raining down like water.

After a few seconds, Cerberus lost the mana it contained and collapsed. The flames that had cloaked its body vanished, and it lay limp.

After a brief staring contest with its eyes, the jet-black watchdog turned into white salt.

"Fuuu…"

I partially dispelled my heavily damaged sword and began reconstructing it in its sheath, exhaling. The space itself was as hot as an oven, probably because of the scattered flames from our battle.

"Good work, Kyo-chan!"

"Are you alright, Kyouta-kun!"

"Yes. No problem. Good work to you two, as well."

As Erina-san and the others ran toward me with smiles, I finished my zanshin and relaxed my shoulders. Behind them, Blanc and the others followed, almost unscathed except for minor scratches, and I let out a breath of relief.

'Congratulations. What was a desperate battle until just recently, you can now defeat with stability.'

"Yeah. This being my second time helps, but more than that, I can really feel the benefit of my level."

I answered Aira-san while looking at my left palm.

To my own eyes, I could only tell that the quantity and quality of mana circulating in my body had increased; I couldn't tell just how much stronger I'd become.

But she would know, as a number.

'That's right. After all, you just hit the milestone of LV: 80 in that fight. Your stats are growing well, too.'

"Eh, that much?"

'Indeed.'

It seemed Aira-san had used her [Appraisal] skill, and she confirmed it via Telepathy.

'Erina-kun has also reached 75. Your levels have risen considerably compared to when you encountered the Guivre. You've gotten strong, truly.'

"I… see."

"That's the benefit of being promoted to A-Rank!"

I nodded at Erina-san's words.

Awakened Persons are like game characters who get stronger the more enemies they defeat. On top of that, fighting stronger opponents makes them level up faster.

This dungeon, the highest rank according to SDF regulations, was the perfect place to strengthen an Awakened Person.

"But, it's a little unsettling."

Mia-san tightened her grip on her staff, her brows furrowed.

"It might just be my own conceit… but I feel like we could be called human weapons without exaggeration. On a scale comparable to a fleet of battleships or bombers."

'Probably. In fact, I think you reached that level a while ago.'

"And other Awakened Persons will become like this, too. …What will happen to the world's military balance?"

'Well, it's like a kaiju with a human form and human intelligence. So they're seen as extremely dangerous! But there are probably just as many people trying to use them!'

"…You're right."

Mia-san's words made me stop and think.

It was always said that Awakened Persons were perfect for terrorism and assassination, but a high-ranking one could be of immense strategic value on their own.

In a localized conflict, the presence or absence of an Awakened Person could decide the outcome. The 'mercenary group with Awakened Persons' that was on TV a while ago had apparently overwhelmed other combat units.

To be blunt… if I were to suddenly attack the National Diet Building right now, like in a movie, would there be anyone who could stop me?

Miyamoto-san, whom I met in Tokyo before, and the group of three girls came to mind. But the former seemed to not usually be in Tokyo, given that he had jumped out of a helicopter. And those three probably weren't stationed in Tokyo either.

…This line of thinking is getting a bit too wild.

I shook my head, chasing away the images that had surfaced.

"Mmm, I don't think that's something for us to worry about."

'Indeed. Let the politicians and bureaucrats worry about that. Once you get the right to vote, you'll have to think about it, though.'

"Nee-san and I can already vote."

'HAHAHA! When I vote, I just go with the safest party! I have no intention of thinking too deeply about it!'

"Honestly…"

I smiled wryly at Mia-san, who puffed out her cheeks in exasperation.

As Aira-san and the others said, it wasn't something for us to worry about right now. For now, we should focus only on the threat looming just ahead.

This wasn't an opponent we could beat while looking away.

'Now then… I have two pieces of major news for you.'

"Can't that wait until we get back?"

'Don't worry. This will be quick. You might as well hear it.'

As I watched Ukon hand the drop items to Erina-san, I turned my body toward the exit and listened to Aira-san's voice.

She sounded, unusually, just a little tense.

'First, Erina-kun and Mia have reached their level caps. Any further strengthening will have to come from their own skill, their equipment, or by some means of breaking through that limit.'

"Alright! Yes! One step closer to being the village chief!"

"Finally… is it? It feels quite profound. But at the same time, I feel like, 'already?'..."

"Congratulations… I guess that's the right thing to say."

I gave a small round of applause to Erina-san, who was throwing her hands up in a victory pose, and Mia-san, who was looking at her own hands with a complex expression.

In the adventurer world, reaching the cap was quite a status symbol. Not in terms of strength, but as an item for evaluation.

It was proof of having fought that much in dungeons, of being an experienced combatant dedicated to fighting monsters.

They were the kind of talent that various companies and countries would covet. Well, it didn't really matter much to us, who were practically exclusive to the Professor. If anything, Mia-san's complex expression was understandable, since getting any stronger would now be a challenge.

But, breaking through the cap… It's been two and a half years since the Day of Awakening. Few people have reached the cap, but they have existed. However, I haven't heard much about anyone going beyond it.

Is there no way to break the cap, or are there some extremely special conditions? Since Awakened Persons are living beings, the former seems more likely.

'And second. In a way, this is the main event.'

Aira-san took a small breath, then said.

'The date for the 'Guivre Subjugation Operation' has been set.'

That's what she told me.

*

October 31st.

That was the day of the decisive battle with the Guivre… the white dragon.

Dragon slaying on Halloween, of all days. What a Western-style Obon festival. Director Akasaka couldn't have planned it that way, surely. To see fate in this coincidence would be stretching it a bit too far.

It was currently the beginning of late October. In a little over a week, we would be diving into the dragon's nest.

Well, how should I put it…

"It doesn't feel real…"

I sat on my bed and immediately fell backward. The springs creaked slightly from the momentum, and my vision swam.

I stared blankly at the slightly stained ceiling and let out a small sigh.

I had resolved to crack that thing's skull open, and to prepare for it, I had fought numerous powerful enemies.

Cerberus. Basmu. Shuten Douji. All of them were monsters whose names resounded in myths. It was enough to make me feel like I had become a hero from a fairy tale.

But I was just a human. Even with the power to fight a battleship, if my heart was gouged out, I would die, and if my skull was crushed, I would die.

—Can I win? Against that dragon.

I remembered that white aurora. The sight of the silver knight, our shield, disappearing in that light.

I found myself clenching my right fist tightly. It was only when it started to creak that I noticed.

I consciously uncurled my fingers… but somehow, I didn't feel like getting up.

I spent who knows how long just passing the time aimlessly, ten minutes, twenty minutes. The ringing of my smartphone finally brought my consciousness back to reality.

I picked it up from beside my pillow and saw Aira-san's name on the screen.

Wondering what she wanted, I slowly sat up and answered the phone.

'Well hello there, Kyo-chan-kun! Are you doing well?!'

"So loud…"

I couldn't help but purse my lips at the even more high-spirited than usual disappointing college student.

"I'm fine, probably. So, what's with the sudden call? A game?"

'Hmph. This is a call from a beautiful older sister, and that's the bored voice you give me? You should be more grateful for the chance to talk to the intelligent and cool me.'

"You mean disappointing and idiotic."

'Kyo-chan-kun, who frequently glances at my chest and thighs when we meet in person. Do you really think you can say such things?'

"Aira-san is a cool beauty with arms and legs, Your Majesty!"

'Very good!'

Damn it, with her kinetic vision, I thought she wouldn't notice me sneaking a peek with my Spirit Eye…! No, she's seen through me since we first met. Because of the mirror's position.

That's the extent of the Spirit Eye. Maybe Awakened Persons aren't such a big deal after all?

'You're happy to be talking to me, aren't you, Kyo-chan-kun?!'

"Yes!"

'You're glad you met me, aren't you, Kyo-chan-kun?!'

"Of course!"

'If I invited you, you'd come anywhere, wouldn't you, Kyo-chan-kun?!'

"Through fire and water!"

'Then—'

There, Aira-san took a breath, and then.

'Let's… talk for a bit. Just the two of us.'

She said it in the gentlest of voices.