kscans

Chapter 74 - A Festival in the Rain

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!?"

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Amidst the echoing screams and laughter, the demons began their descent. Their destination was the center of the field, where students who still hadn’t grasped the situation were standing.

At this rate, they would die. Without a doubt, if ‘someone’ didn’t save them, those greatscythes would reap their lives.

Ito-kun was among them. Our eyes met.

I hesitated for just a fraction of a second. In that brief moment, a Lesser Demon raised its scythe high.

Less than two seconds until it swung down—a fatal range.

—Then I’ll close the distance in one.

My hesitation cost me the time to deploy my full [Arcane Gear], but a partial deployment would have to do!

"GYA—"

I slammed my right fist into the side of the demon, which had a vile grin on its goat face as it raised its scythe. At the moment of impact, I manifested only the gauntlet.

The iron fist pierced its skin and gouged out its flesh. I followed up with a left uppercut to its face, manifesting the other gauntlet as it connected.

"GYHAAAAA!!"

Next, my [Spirit Eye] foresaw an attack from a blind spot. Another Lesser Demon, gliding just above the ground, swinging its scythe in a low sweep.

I shattered the blade by stomping on it with a boot I manifested on my right foot, then grabbed the demon by its horns.

"Ooooh!!"

With a roar, I fully deployed my [Arcane Gear]. A knee strike shattered its goat face, killing it instantly.

Two down for now, but that was a drop in the bucket. Monsters were landing all over the school grounds, claiming lives with their brute strength and scythes.

They stood around two meters tall, medium-sized for a monster, but their physical strength could easily tear a human apart.

"Get up! Run!"

"Y-Yes…"

I clicked my tongue and scooped up Ito-kun, who was sitting on the ground in a daze.

I may not like the guy, but I don’t want him to die in front of me! At least die somewhere out of my sight!

Drawing the sword at my waist with my right hand, I scanned my surroundings.

A demon grabbed a fleeing male student and carried him off into the sky. A female student screamed as her arm was severed by a greatscythe. A chaotic mix of those trying to escape and those trying to help students escape created a bottleneck, and a group of teachers was crushed, tent and all.

And then, several Lesser Demons descended upon the parents’ tent.

—In that tent, I spotted my parents, unable to move due to the surrounding chaos.

"Hold on! Grit your teeth!"

"H-Huh?"

I didn’t wait for a reply before breaking into a full sprint. I accelerated, releasing a maximum-output blast of wind behind me. The scenery blurred past at a tremendous speed, but my eyes captured everything.

Over 130 kilometers per hour. I closed the distance in an instant, reaching the Lesser Demon that had torn through the tent roof and was raising its scythe at the cowering parents. For a split second, my gaze met its goat-like eyes.

The greatscythe immediately changed its trajectory towards me. Before it could complete its swing, I lopped off its arm and, with a returning stroke, sliced its neck.

I dodged another demon’s attack from almost directly above by taking a half-step aside, then countered by smashing the pommel of my sword into its face. The force of its own momentum added to the impact, and I felt its skull shatter.

Immediately after, my [Spirit Eye] predicted another one approaching from behind. I spun around and slashed its torso open horizontally.

"GY…!?"

"Hmph!"

As the creature knelt, spilling its entrails, I brought the pommel down on its head.

Next…!

Reading the flow of mana, I looked up to see two Lesser Demons above me, pointing their arms in my direction.

Their mouths moved silently. The next moment, fireballs the size of human heads were unleashed. I could feel an amount of mana that dwarfed what I’d seen from the Orcs.

But if it’s magic…!

[Concept Interference]

I caught the flames with my sword, spun my body once, and sent them flying back.

As the fireball struck and immolated the Lesser Demon on the left, the other one created a large amount of distance.

I decided against pursuit and turned my attention to Ito-kun, who I was still carrying. He was getting in the way, and I wanted to put him down soon….

"Ugh, ah…!"

"Ah."

I’d been wondering why he’d gone quiet, so that’s what it was….

His face was pale, and he was covering his mouth. I gently set him down on the ground. The next moment.

"Ogeeehhhhhh…!"

I took a few steps back as Ito-kun violently emptied the contents of his stomach.

I know I was in a hurry, but maybe I pushed him too hard. Well, he should be glad he’s not dead.

More importantly, are my parents safe?

I scanned the area and spotted my mom and dad, holding each other and looking this way.

Relieved that they were unharmed though dazed, I entrusted Ito-kun to someone nearby.

"Please take care of him. All of you, get inside the school building immediately."

"Ah, ahh…"

"I’ll cover your retreat."

Honestly, I wanted to grab my parents and get out of here, but Ooyama-san’s parents might be here too. And for that matter, are Erina-san and the others okay?

Too much to think about. I can’t be using my head for this and that during a fight. For now, I’ll cut down every enemy I see. I’ll protect humans if I can. A simpler approach is better right now.

I tightened my grip on my sword and headed for Erina-san’s tent via the shortest route.

The Lesser Demons were rampaging everywhere, and both students and teachers were in a state of panic. The wide field felt cramped, overflowing with people.

I used my [Spirit Eye] to track the movements of the fleeing crowd and dodged on pure instinct. I twisted, jumped, and sprinted through the slightest of gaps.

Along the way, I swung my sword at any Lesser Demon that entered my range, whether it was facing me or not.

I cut one down with a diagonal slash, bisected another horizontally, and pierced a third through the chest before flinging it upwards.

"Get out of my wayyy!"

I cleaved a Lesser Demon that was aiming its scythe at Erina-san’s tent in two vertically, then cut its torso again and ran through the gap I’d created.

Blowing away the splattered blood with wind, I slid to a stop, positioning myself back-to-back with my partner, who was holding her ninja sword.

She had apparently been cutting down enemies while invisible, as the density of demons in the area was slightly lower, likely because they were wary of unseen attacks. Still, several were heading our way.

"Erina-san!"

"Nice timing, Kyo-chan! Let’s help everyone escape!"

"Roger!"

I temporarily stopped thinking and nodded immediately. There was no time to debate opinions in this situation.

"For now, take this!"

With that, Erina-san took something out of her Item Box.

It was a full suit of armor with a somewhat mechanical impression, its metallic silver plating adorned with white patterns. The ancient Greek-style helmet had been modified to cover the mouth, and a pure white crest made of steel was attached to it.

It was a Golem that would make an armor enthusiast go crazy, exuding a reliable presence just by standing there.

And what’s more, that mana….

"That’s Byakuren."

Ooyama-san, clad in her [Arcane Gear] and with a warhammer resting on her shoulder, called out to me.

I quickly cut down an approaching Lesser Demon and shattered the face of another with my left fist before asking my question.

"You can get it to move!?"

"It should. But I only tested it briefly; it hasn’t had a full-scale test run yet. And its only weapon is the one I attached as a ‘bonus.’"

"If it can serve as a decoy, that’s enough for now! Activating!"

I blew away a few demons that had charged in with a hammer of wind and backstepped towards Byakuren.

I placed my hand on its shoulder and poured my mana into it in a single breath.

The glass eyes beneath the helmet began to glow, and the Golem started to move.

Then, with a jangle, a chain fell to the ground.

"…A chain?"

A question mark popped into my head, and I looked at Byakuren’s hands. I vaguely remembered Ooyama-san saying something about a ‘bonus.’

Its metallic silver right arm held a rugged black grip and a chain about seven meters long. And on its left palm rested a spiked iron ball attached to the end of that chain.

"What is this weird weapon!?"

"It’s my hobby."

This is not the knight I imagined! This is a complete misinterpretation!??

"Gah, fine for now! Byakuren! Protect Ooyama-san and the others, and attack the monsters! Anything with wings and horns is an enemy!"

—VWOOSH!—

Byakuren began to advance, spinning the chain. That iron ball was apparently made from my materials. It released wind, and in no time, it was accelerating to a speed that the naked eye couldn’t follow.

Then, it was thrown. It scored a direct hit on the abdomen of a Lesser Demon that was descending from above, scythe at the ready.

"GYA—!?"

The spikes dug in, refusing to let go of the body that bent into a ‘C’ shape. In that state, Byakuren mercilessly swung the chain around.

It smashed the impaled demon into another one flying nearby, crushing it, and the iron ball continued on towards yet another demon.

Byakuren twisted its body, swinging the iron ball. It seemed to be controlling its posture by releasing small bursts of wind from its armor, and despite its dynamic movements, its core was stable.

…There were a lot of surprises, including the armor’s design, but as a fighting force, it was more than adequate.

"I’m just going to run around and cut everything down. I’m leaving this to you."

"Okay! Oh, Kyo-chan, this."

Erina-san handed me an earring and a ring. I quickly put them on and gripped my sword again.

I glanced for a moment at Ooyama-san in her [Arcane Gear] and Busujima-san in her jersey.

Behind them were Erina-san’s classmates and, likely having decided it was safer over here, some of my own classmates.

They all wore expressions of fear and confusion as they looked at me.

…It’s not that I don’t have thoughts about it, but for now, I’ll ignore them.

I poured additional mana into the shoulder of the now-stationary Byakuren and started running in the direction my parents had been.

There were still many demons, and because of them, the evacuation was barely progressing. A small mercy was that they weren’t killing multiple people with a single attack; they killed one person with each swing of their scythes. With their strength, they could have probably cut down two or three people at once.

I’d read on the Dungeon Agency’s website that Lesser Demons are particularly cruel monsters. They were deliberately toying with their prey, tormenting them for sport. Or perhaps it was to spread fear.

In any case—I’ll exploit that opening.

I focused the wind at my feet. I bent my knees for a moment, then leaped.

The enemies are many. The helpless humans are many. Our allies are few. On top of that, they can fly and even use magic. If that’s the case, then I have no choice but to use ‘that.’

I’ve practiced. I have the basics down. But I still haven’t reached the level I was hoping for. I’m still at an immature stage, by my own admission.

Using it for the first time in a real battle in a situation like this was completely unexpected, but I don’t have time to complain.

—My ‘wind’ has enough output to lift a person.

When I realized that, the first thing I thought of was whether I could use it to fly. But it was difficult to balance, and more importantly, I lacked speed. I was mostly just floating.

If that’s the case,

[Concept Interference]

I just have to make them into footholds and run.

I stomped on the wind enveloping the soles of my boots.

Acceleration. Since I was using the wind as footholds, I couldn’t reach the same speed as when running on the ground, but I was still faster than the demons.

I closed the distance in an instant and bisected the torso of a creature that was leisurely sizing up its prey. I then slashed the neck of a nearby demon and grabbed the wing of another that had turned to face me.

"GY…!?"

Within a range where its long-handled weapon was useless, I cut it down with a diagonal slash. The demon’s blood, crimson despite its nature, danced through the air before falling to the ground.

It was only then that the Lesser Demons recognized the presence that had invaded their domain.

The monsters slowly flapped their bat-like wings and turned to face me in unison.

"GY… GYYY…!!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAH—!!"

The Lesser Demons’ goat faces twisted with what was clearly rage as they charged at me, greatscythes in hand.

In response, I released the wind footholds for a moment. As I began to freefall, I raised my sword at the swarming monsters.

"All of you,"

[Mana Conversion: Wind]

[Bracelet of the Flame Horse]

[Concept Interference]

"Burn to ashes!"

I swung the hammer of wind and fire with abandon. Wherever it passed, the lesser demons turned to ash and salt.

After a few seconds of this barrage, I created another wind foothold just before hitting the ground and leaped back into the sky.

I decapitated a demon that had avoided the storm of flames as I passed, approached the next one, shattered its head with a powerful blow, then kicked off its torso to change direction and charge at another.

"GYYYEEEEE!!"

A greatscythe was swung with a roar. Its curved blade, extending upwards from the handle, clashed with my sword, creating a shockwave.

But even without the aid of wind, my physical strength was superior. I forcefully knocked the scythe aside and cut the demon down with a diagonal slash. I then grabbed its neck, twisted my body, and used it as a shield against a fireball launched from behind.

"GY…!?"

I threw the burning demon aside and charged the one who had killed its own ally. I gave it no time to ready its weapon, piercing its chest and then kicking its stomach as I drew my blade upwards.

From the sky, I looked down at my parents.

They seemed to be safe, just about to flee into the school building.

I breathed a sigh of relief at that, but it was short-lived as I predicted a blade approaching from the side. I jumped back to evade it and threw a knife at the attacker.

It struck the demon in the torso, and as it flinched, I closed the distance and cut it down.

I’ve lost count of how many I’ve defeated. But what I do know is,

"GYGYGYGY…!!"

"BOU! BOOOOU!"

that the rainy sky is disgustingly full of demons.

I readied my sword again. The Lesser Demons surrounded me from all 360 degrees. It seemed they had recognized me as the ‘target to be killed at all costs.’

Convenient, but also life-threatening.

Every last one of them was a grunt that couldn’t even touch a ‘Champion,’ let alone a ‘Refcourse,’ but their numbers were daunting. I suppressed the urge to back down with sheer reason. At this point, showing my back would be more dangerous.

And above all else….

I forced a smile onto my exposed lips, trying not to be outdone in spirit. But it was probably a little strained. Because deep down, I was terrified.

Still, to prevent even one more enemy from reaching my parents and friends.

"Come on."

"GAAAAAAAAAA!!"

I will laugh in the midst of these demons.

The rain began to fall with increasing intensity.