kscans

Chapter 257 - Invisible Ninjas

Chapter 183: Invisible Ninjas

"Whoops. Kyou-chan, you forgot something!"

"Huh?"

Just as I was readying my sword, Erina-san suddenly threw something at me.

I caught it reflexively. It was a ring, its surface slightly scorched. This mana... right. It's Shizuku-san's...

I immediately leaped back a few steps, held the blade in my mouth, and dispelled my right gauntlet. As I slipped the ring on, the Dragonewt, of course, closed the gap.

A high-speed thrust. But because it was expected, I was ready for it.

—CLAAAAANG...!

A hard, reverberating sound. The thrusting spearhead was met head-on by a crossed battle axe and longsword.

I immediately gripped my sword with my ring-adorned right hand and charged forward. I leaped with a boost of wind, slashing down from above, but the Dragonewt slammed its tail on the ground and leaped far back to evade.

My blade cut through the air and shattered the stone pavement. From the cloud of dust that rose, the two silver golems burst out to the left and right.

Following an arc-like trajectory, Blanc attacked first. The Dragonewt blocked the axe's slash with its spear shaft, and before it could counterattack, Byakuren's longsword swung in from the opposite side.

The Dragonewt dodged that too by twisting its neck. The golems ran past it without stopping for a moment, and I charged in from the front.

"Haaaaah!"

GRRRRAH!

My diagonal slash was parried by the spearhead, and in a counter, the platinum blade came for my chin in a reverse diagonal arc.

I swayed back to dodge, then narrowly avoided a leg sweep from the butt end of the spear with a minimal jump. In mid-air, I used wind to accelerate into a horizontal spin and swung my sword in a wide arc at its neck.

But its tail shot out and blocked me. The scales cracked, but I hadn't reached the flesh.

My sword was deflected, and while I was still in the air, the spearhead thrust upward toward me. I blocked it with my crossguard and retreated, not resisting the impact.

In my place, Blanc and Byakuren attacked from the left and right. The battle axe was parried by the spear, and the longsword was blocked by the scales on its left arm.

That thing... it already figured out the difference in their performance...!

It unleashed a breath attack at Byakuren from point-blank range, but I forced it to dodge by planting a flying kick on its battered armor. The white flames passed right by me.

Feeling my skin sear from the extraordinary heat, I ignored it and swung my sword at the Dragonewt's nose.

The monster jerked its long neck back, and I reversed my blade and slashed again.

It quickly blocked my blade with its spear and pinned it down. Immediately, a knee kick slammed into my side.

"Guuh...!"

My breastplate hadn't regenerated yet. Through the thick cloth, a heavy impact slammed into my organs.

I was sent flying, bouncing several times as the Dragonewt moved to finish me off. But the golems blocked its path.

It swung its spear in a wide arc as if to swat them away. The attack came from Blanc's blind side, since it had lost its left arm, but Byakuren deflected it upward with its longsword.

The monster twisted its body to dodge the downward swing of the battle axe, then returned with a swing of its own spear. The longsword parried that as well.

Watching the golems fight with a coordination that seemed impossible for a makeshift team, I ran up the side of an apartment building and leaped at the Dragonewt from its flank.

Having lost its left eye, the monster's reaction to the attack from its blind spot was a few tenths of a second too late.

I spun horizontally in mid-air, parallel to the ground. Adding the acceleration of fire and wind to the centrifugal force and gravity, I unleashed a slash that the Dragonewt blocked with its two-handed spear grip.

The ground at its feet exploded as if hit by a bomb, sending up a cloud of dust and stone fragments.

The battle axe and longsword closed in on the Dragonewt, which was now driven into the ground, but a single sweep of its tail sent them both flying.

Byakuren and the others crashed into the apartment building on the side of the road. With a roar, the Dragonewt swung its spear, this time trying to slam me into the ground.

I quickly batted my sword away to dodge the downward swing. As I landed, a spearhead shot out at my face, and I tilted my neck to avoid it.

The second and third strikes came with that same terrifying retraction speed. But by now, my eyes had grown used to it.

I deflected the second strike sideways with my blade and knocked the third one diagonally downward with my pommel. From there, I took a step forward, slipping inside the long shaft's reach, and delivered a horizontal slash to its abdomen as we passed each other.

The sound of something hard shattering, and the sensation of tearing flesh. A moment later, a red line appeared on the monster's belly.

GRRRRAH!

But it didn't stop. I dodged the spear it slammed down as it turned, then blocked the spinning kick of its tail with my blade.

I couldn't hold, and was sent flying. After several meters, I touched my left hand to the ground and landed on my feet as if doing a cartwheel.

I immediately turned my gaze back to the Dragonewt and saw it under fierce attack from the golems.

Byakuren, having determined its own output wasn't enough to break through those scales, had stuck close to Blanc's left side, focusing on defense. The longsword would parry, and the battle axe would strike.

They fought with a coordination that made them seem like a single living being, but the Dragonewt surpassed even that.

It stomped down with such force that it broke its footing, then sent Blanc flying with a body check that took the downward-swinging axe with it. Immediately after, it deflected the sword Byakuren swung at its right eye with a horn on its head.

A left spear-hand thrust gouged into the cracked torso armor and pierced the frame beneath. As Byakuren was sent flying through the air like it had been hit by a large truck, I moved in to take its place and slashed at the Dragonewt.

The platinum spearhead met my almost ambush-like slash. With a hard clang, my blade was deflected, and the butt end of the spear came for the side of my head.

Still so strong...!

I ducked to evade it, only to find a knee kick coming at my face. I retreated to avoid that, but a tail sweep was already on its way.

I blocked it with my half-destroyed left gauntlet, but the damage spread from the missing pieces of armor, crushing flesh and creaking bone.

I jumped to dissipate the impact, but as if anticipating it, its long tail began to wrap around my left arm—which I foresaw.

I immediately flicked the tail up with my sword and somehow managed to escape.

I retreated while readying my sword with my right hand, intending to wait for my left arm to regenerate. But the Dragonewt pressed its attack.

Byakuren and the others couldn't recover in time. I couldn't see Mia-san or Erina-san, which meant they were preparing something.

—This is rough!

"Ooooooh!"

I let out a roar to psyche myself up and fought defensively with one hand for the few seconds it would take for my left arm to heal.

I slammed my sword into the side of the thrusting spearhead and used the recoil to dodge to the right. I ducked under the following horizontal sweep and jumped back to avoid the scooping tail attack.

I blocked the spear-hand that followed with my crossguard, retreating further from the impact, and then dodged upward by releasing wind from my feet to avoid the one-handed horizontal spear swing.

I was now above it, my regenerated left arm gripping the hilt.

"Raaaaaaaah!"

My full-power overhead slash was, as expected, blocked by the spear's shaft. Whether it was steel or some other material, the mysterious metal spear didn't have a single crack.

But the impact still got through. The blow, wreathed in wind and fire, sent the Dragonewt's massive body flying.

The stone pavement buckled from the impact, carving a trail where it passed. The monster dispelled the rising dust with a single sweep of its spear and revealed itself.

It was still standing, but not unscathed.

Fine cracks ran across the scales all over its body, and blood trickled from the gash in its abdomen.

More importantly, the mana being supplied by the labyrinth couldn't keep up with its consumption. It was gradually weakening.

But I was in an even tighter spot.

I glanced down at my blade for a split second and saw that it was noticeably chipped. Fortunately, it wasn't warped, but there must have been parts where the edge was completely ruined.

Luckily, the tip was still sharp. I pointed it at the enemy and charged again.

I couldn't let up on my attack. If I gave that monster an opening to recover, I would lose.

"Gah, aaaaaaaaah!"

Letting out a roar that was now little more than bestial, I closed in, my sword resting on my shoulder. I shattered the pavement and, under the false night sky, swung my sword down.

The spearhead and the sword's tip collided. Violent sparks flew, and a shockwave spread destruction all around.

As my arms screamed in protest, we both focused our consciousness, trying to ensnare the other's blade.

And then, a presence I had forgotten, even for that brief moment, arrived.

'DAAAAAAAH!!'

The voice I usually heard through my earring boomed through a speaker.

It was the steel giant, Ariadne, smashing through the alabaster building, using the wind from its back as a thruster.

"Aira-san!?"

'MOOOOVE!'

I instinctively pulled my sword back and retreated with all my might. The Dragonewt also began to take evasive action, but the spirit's 'eye' piloting that thing could read the future.

A kick, its trajectory predicted, slammed directly into the Dragonewt. The frame of its left foreleg bent and shattered, but it definitely slammed the monster into the apartment across the street.

Ariadne lost its balance, its cockpit block scraping against the stone pavement and sending sparks flying as it skidded. Its left arm came to a stop, aimed precisely at the building where the Dragonewt had disappeared.

The Black Hell Cannon, secured by a sub-arm. Without a moment's hesitation, the trigger was pulled. What must have been its last shot scattered blue smoke as it slammed an iron chunk infused with mana into the cloud of dust.

Another explosion and shockwave. As I shielded my eyes from the flying debris, a white shadow burst through the rising smoke.

GRRRRAAAR—!

Its anger laid bare, the Dragonewt, though its left shoulder and arm were gone, swung its spear in a wide arc.

In a single blow, Ariadne's upper body was sent flying.

"What—"

'Ngh!'

The cockpit was safe, but the machine no longer had any combat capability.

The Dragonewt moved behind Ariadne and raised its spear for a finishing blow, but I forced my way between them and blocked it.

"Guuh...!"

A nasty sound came from my blade. As cracks spread across the steel, the Dragonewt pushed its spear even harder.

The monster planted its feet, undeterred by the swirling wind and fire. As we glared at each other, its tail slowly rose behind it.

This is bad...!

'Now, Mia!'

Suddenly, something fell from the top of the half-destroyed apartment from our earlier fight.

Two sasumatas, carried by the momentum of their fall, swung down toward the tail. Gripping the weapons made of stone and ice were the rock golems, Ukon and Sakon.

With their damaged parts hastily patched together with alabaster stone and ice, their output wasn't enough to restrain it.

But the drum cans strapped to their backs burst open from the inside.

Inside was a large amount of water. In an instant, threads of mana crawled across the ground and connected to the golems.

A pale blue light exploded.

"Heeeeeeere weeeee gooooooo!"

With a voice that was a mix of a scream and a war cry, a massive block of ice enveloped the two golems and the Dragonewt's tail.

The tail was pinned, along with Ukon and the others. Still, it wouldn't hold for more than two seconds.

But that was more than enough.

The battered knights burst out from the buildings on either side. A battle axe swung from a one-armed golem slammed into the white tail, and a longsword struck down on top of it.

As both weapons shattered, the Dragonewt's frozen tail also—became a shower of white and red fragments.

GRRRRAAAAAR—!!

With a scream, it swung its spear with brute force. The impact forced me backward, and I was slammed into Ariadne's cockpit.

The momentum of the horizontal swing didn't stop, and it struck the knights. Byakuren's right arm was severed, and its torso was deeply gouged as it was sent flying. The spearhead continued on, striking Blanc and slicing off its left arm.

The two combat-incapable units were blown away like leaves. The Dragonewt, bleeding profusely, immediately turned back to me.

Its left eye, wing, left arm, and even its tail were gone, but its fighting spirit hadn't waned. The monster fixed its gaze solely on me and readied its spear.

It had mistakenly assumed that I was the only enemy left.

Without a sound, even suppressing its mana.

It had completely forgotten about the girl who approached, invisible, with her black cape fluttering.

In that moment, a dagger, undulating like a snake, grazed its left shoulder. The shallow cut tore through the exposed flesh, where there were no scales.

The Vile Blade of Basmu.

It must have noticed something was wrong. The Dragonewt immediately leaped back, its white body instantly consumed by a blackish-purple mana.

Every poison and curse in the world seeped into its body, dissolving the monster from the inside out.

It couldn't even withstand the impact of landing; its white knees buckled. Dark, black blood trickled from between its rows of fangs.

Grrr, grrrr...H!

"Kyou-chan!"

"Yeah!"

I readied my sword at my hip and charged. I won't let it call me a coward.

I'll finish it, here and now!

But as I closed in, the Dragonewt let out a roar. It caught my downward-swinging blade with the spear held in one hand and deflected it.

One clash, two, three, and still I couldn't break through.

With each blow, my blade screamed, its limit approaching. There was no time to reconstruct the sword. The moment I let go of the hilt, it would tear out my throat.

Round and round, the spear swung in a circular motion. The Dragonewt's fluid spear work, using even centrifugal force, parried my attacks. And for an instant, an opening appeared.

Its left knee bent, and its balance faltered for a moment. A path to the solar plexus, covered in scales, had opened up.

A clear opportunity. The moment I stepped in, a grin, tight and cruel, formed on the Dragonewt's lips.

—Oh, I know.

The monster hooked the spear's shaft around its neck and, using that as a pivot, spun the spear around. The platinum spearhead swung toward me, intent on smashing the skull of the prey that had carelessly jumped in.

—But I've seen that before.

That one blow from the 'Champion' in the rain, when I was enraged that my parents and she had been killed. I haven't forgotten it for a single day.

Faced with the blade of death, I took one more step forward.

I dashed to its left side and, in a flash, swung my sword in a diagonal slash, cutting through the white scales. A red line ran across the monster's thick chest, and fresh blood sprayed into the air.

GRRRRAAAAAR—!?

Is there some connection between the one who made this monster and the one who made the Orc Champion? No, that doesn't matter right now.

Leaving thought behind, I reversed my blade and cut across the Dragonewt's back. The monster traced an arc with another spray of blood, then shattered the earth and leaped away to create distance.

I chased after it. I pushed the Flügel to its maximum and released wind from my entire body, closing the distance at top speed.

As I aimed to strike the moment it landed, the Dragonewt's chest swelled up in mid-air.

Ignoring its widening wounds, it squeezed out a vast amount of mana. That mana was forced up into its mouth.

GRRRRAAAAAR—!!

A torrent of white fire was unleashed. Faced with a tsunami of flame that threatened to engulf the passageway, I did not flinch.

I slammed my raised sword into the wall of fire. To forcefully seize what a blade should normally never be able to handle.

Concept Interference.

"Ooooooh!"

With a roar, I tore the white flame away from the monster. It coiled around my blade, glowing intensely and pressing down with an impossible weight.

Just one moment. All I need is to unleash this one swing.

The crimson flames extending from the bracelet overwrote the white fire. The final glow from the bracelet on my left hand. I swung the red-dyed blade down at the Dragonewt.

GRRRRAAAAAAR—!?

A scream echoed through the alabaster city. The fire, enhanced by the Bracelet of the Flame Horse, consumed the Dragonewt's body and set it ablaze.

I drew back my sword, now blackened and cracked. If I was going to decide this, it had to be now.

'Kyou-chan. A thrust, you know,'

Her words from that day flashed through my mind.

'Is a special move!'

"Haaaaaaaaah!!"

I lunged forward with enough force to shatter my own legs and unleashed the tip of my sword.

My target was the Dragonewt's neck. The blade, without hesitation, pierced the scales, and then...

GRRRRAAAAAR—!

...was caught by the monster's right hand, which had let go of the spear.

The sword was stopped. The blade creaked and groaned, its momentum halted.

It wouldn't go any further. Not even if I released wind and put all my strength into it.

—Not with my strength, alone.

Claws dug into the stone pavement. A wire extending from them rapidly retracted, pulling a girl with flowing golden hair toward us.

At the same time, I poured mana into the ring on my right hand.

"With this!"

"It's over!"

The momentarily enhanced strength, and her flying knee kick to the pommel.

The blackened, scorched blade was driven through the white neck.

—

As blood and fire erupted, I forcefully twisted the hilt. Wind tore through the flesh, and I swung the blade with all my might diagonally upward.

Crack. The sword, emerging from inside the Dragonewt's neck, broke. With the now much shorter hand-and-a-half sword in hand, I stood in front of Erina-san, who had collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from her knee.

I glared warily ahead. The Dragonewt, its flames extinguished and its body stained with dried blood and scorched scales, was still standing.

Its single blue eye was no longer looking at me. Its hand, bones exposed, was reaching for the false moon.

—, —...

It tried to say something, but only air escaped from the hole in its throat. Not that I could understand its words anyway.

And yet... it looked like a child wishing for something.

From its toes to its outstretched fingertips, its body turned white. It turned to salt, and the mighty Dragonewt became mere powder, scattered on the ground.

Watching the scene, I let out a breath.

"Erina-san!"

"Yaaay! We did it, Kyou-chan!"

I dropped my sword and rushed over to the self-proclaimed ninja, who was nonchalantly raising one hand.

Her left knee was clearly about to tear off. What kind of force did she use to kick the pommel?

As my face paled at the sight of her leg, which looked like it could separate at any moment, I healed it with the power of the 'Nucleus.'

After the red glow faded, Erina-san stood up briskly, her leg without a single scratch.

"Ooh! As expected. Perfect!"

"You're really too reckless, you know..."

I sighed as Erina-san even started doing backflips on the spot.

"...It's over, right?"

"Yep! Well, I can still hear fighting here and there. But still... I think this is the end."

I breathed a sigh of relief at her words and forced myself to stand, fighting the urge to collapse.

Then I touched my earring and tried to send a telepathic message to Aira-san.

"Aira-san. We finally defeated the Dragonewt—"

"Ah, wait a second."

"Yes?"

Suddenly, Erina-san took my hand and pulled it away from the earring.

What was going on? In this situation, there couldn't be anything more important than a combat report.

I wondered, but... I couldn't say it out loud.

Because she was so quiet, and her smile was so beautiful.

"Yagawa Kyouta-san."

"Y-Yes..."

My name, spoken gently, as if she were savoring the sound on her tongue.

Erina-san, still holding my hand with both of hers, looked up at me and said,

"I fell in love with your eyes. Won't you let me have your life?"

"—"

It was a line similar to the 'joke' I had heard before.

But this was clearly a 'confession of love.'

My mind couldn't keep up. Erina-san, to me? Why?

As I stood there, stunned, she just waited. I frantically tried to figure out what to say.

Eventually, I just put my thoughts into words.

"Yes. I love you, too."

The words came out smoothly. Erina-san's face broke into a huge smile.

"Yaaay! Confession success-fuuul!!"

"Whoa!"

She threw her arms around me in a tight hug.

W-Wait, my chest! I'm not wearing armor right now, so your chest is, uh, pressed against me!?

'Ahem, Kyou-chan-kun.'

Just then, a somewhat awkward voice came through.

"A-Aira-san!? Um, well! About the Dragonewt!"

'Yeah, we observed that from here. No problem. More importantly, there are three things I need to tell you.'

"Yes!?"

'First. We've confirmed that all the A-Rank Candidates who were blown away are safe.'

"Th-That's good to hear."

'And also. —You're connected to everyone's channel.'

"...Huh?"

As I stood there, speechless, a variety of voices came through the earring.

'Hoo-ah! Congratulations! Now it's not just the U.S.-Japan alliance, it's the U.S.-Japan-U.K. alliance, baby!'

'Congratulations. Rather, were you two not dating already?'

'Congratulations!'

'Congratulations. As a gift, I will send you a straw rope and a special candle at a later date.'

'Congrats!'

'Congratulations!'

'Congrats!'

'Ugh...! hic...! Finally, finally the time has come...!'

"..."

I was at a loss for words. No, wait, what?

"You... you hopeless college studeeeeent!!?"

'Sorry. It wasn't on purpose. More importantly, there's one more thing I have to tell you.'

"What is it! What more could there be!"

'This dungeon is about to collapse.'

"...Excuse me?"

Just after I asked, a strong earthquake hit.

The shaking made it hard to even stand. The ceiling and the dungeon walls cracked with an ominous sound.

"You should have said that first!!?"

'My bad!'

Mia-san and the golems—Blanc, Byakuren, and the hastily repaired Ukon and others—came running to me.

Byakuren seemed to be just a torso, with its arms wrapped around Blanc's neck to be carried along.

"Sis! Secured the Dragonewt's drop item!"

'Well done!'

The now three-legged Ariadne arrived late. Its cockpit opened, and Aira-san and Sana-san popped their heads out.

"Grandma will escape on her own! Sana-kun, back in your birdcage. We're getting out of here, now!"

"Yes! Kyou-chan! The handcart!"

Thump. A handcart was pulled out from her Item Box. It had some sort of 'pointless decorations' on it.

"Ah, yes. And I'm supposed to pull this. But wait. I'm pretty tired, too—"

"Go, Kyou-chan-kun! Like a beast of burden!!"

"Kyouta-kun as a horse... How shameless!!"

"Shut up, you hopeless sisters!?"

"Alright, Invisible Ninjas, let's moooove out!"

"Wait. At least, at least let me take off this flag on the back. What's this, 'Triumphant Return of the Invisible Ninjas' and 'Lord and Lady Kyouta & Erina'? When did you even prepare this?"

"Come now, Kyou-chan-kun. We don't have time."

"That's right, Kyou-chan!"

"Ah... You'll pay for this lateeeeeer!!"

I loaded everyone onto the ridiculously decorated handcart and started running toward the exit. The other adventurers, though battered and bruised, were also running toward the gate with a strange, high-energy mood. Some of those idiots were even whistling at me.

It was an incredibly anticlimactic end to a battle that had apparently saved Japan.

What greeted us upon our escape was not the tearful sky we'd seen before entering the gate, nor the fabricated starry sky, but...

a sky so beautifully clear it was almost absurd, reminiscent of her smile.