Chapter 363: Fight against Talwi

I was just fighting the Demonic King Dragon with Talwi just a few days ago so why was she here now?

And why did she attack me?

“Why am I here? Because there is a battle to be had here.”

Talwi released a thrust. The thrust was a lot sharper than when I fought Kyanshi in the past and I avoided it to the side but the trajectory of the sword suddenly changed and hit my flank.

“Guah …”

“ … It didn’t cut you. You seem to be wearing strange clothes.”

That was dangerous. If I wasn’t wearing the clothes Rarael made, I would have been cut.

What power.

Even if Talwi’s Beast Warrior level was high, that speed … don’t tell me.

“You’re using Beast Blood?”

Beast Blood – A Beast Warrior skill that would dramatically raise their power and speed for 10 minutes.

Skills that were released outward were probably dispersed by the light below my feet but I guess that did not apply to the blood that circulated in her body.

I would be at a disadvantage there. I had to leave as soon as possible.

“Home Return! … I knew it wouldn’t activate.”

I took out the Lucky Hammer from my item bag and swung it at the door.

It was a hammer that could add a 100 kg of weight to the hammer for an instant using MP.

There are no doors that can’t be destroyed with this –

Guwaaaan! The noise reverberated throughout the room but the door was unharmed.

“Such a sturdy door.”

I commented as I stored the hammer in my item bag.

I won’t be able to use the hammer against Talwi who had greater speed than me.

“You should be able to tell now. You will not be able to leave here.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like I can exit.”

I said as I wiped my sweat.

“Talwi-san. What about you? You are locked in here too. Won’t you starve to death after you defeat me?”

“There’s no need for your concern. I will be able to leave once everything is over.”

I see – As expected, Talwi had a way to leave.

I took out two talismans from my item bag.

I tore one of the talisman.

“(That is … a Silencing Talisman … what are you planning?)”

Even with a tenth of the original volume, the room was silent. Talwi’s voice could reach me.

A talisman is not a skill. It looked like I could use it without any issues.

“(Well, I was thinking of getting you to open the door for me.)”

I said as I took out a loudspeaker talisman.

Ten times the sound in a room with a tenth of the volume.

By using that, I could speak with normal volume.

“This is Talwi! I have defeated Ichinojo! Open the door now!”

I spoke with Talwi’s voice.

Using the Copy Cat skill, Voice Mimic.

I was able to change my voice. Since voice is emitted from the throat, it was a useable skill similar to Beast Blood.

… Eh?

My voice mimic should have been perfect but I didn’t sense the door opening.

“(Hahaha, that’s an interesting skill. So other people would hear you speak in my voice.)”

“Open the door now! Can you hear me!”

“(It’s useless, the guys outside had already left when we entered this place.)”

So my trump card didn’t work.

In that case –

“Would you tell me the way to exit if I defeat you?”

“(Ah, sure. I might even tell you why I’m doing all this.)”

“All right – then I’ll jump straight into my evil methods.”

I took out Miri’s favorite from my item bag, the Kusaya juice used to make Kusaya, and sprinkled it on the floor. (TLN: Kusaya = Japanese fermented fish known for its pungent smell)

A strong offensive odor filled the room.

“(What is that smell!)”

Talwi’s expression distorted in pain.

“How’s that. It should be painful given the White Wolf Race’s good sense of smell.”

To be honest, it was hard for me too.

“(That’s cowardly – but that makes it enjoyable.)”

Talwi took out another sword.

Dual-wielding?

“(A fight is a life or death situation. Cowardice and evil methods are the essences of battle.)”

Talwi’s two swords attacked me like two-headed snakes.

Talwi’s swords blurred. I protected my face so everything else was defenseless. I could feel the damage over my clothes.

What was that –

I took some distance.

She shouldn’t be able to use skills.

“Slash!”

I tried releasing a sword wave but … it didn’t activate as expected.

In that case – I sheathed my White Wolf Fang and attempted the sword draw skill.

I drew my White Wolf Fang but it was a regular draw and it did not activate the skill.

Talwi had closed the distanced and resumed her attacks while I was performing trial and error.

I didn’t mistake the blurring of her sword.

I was forced into a defensive situation.

Do I have a skill that can be used for offense?

“It looks like the Silencing Talisman effect has worn off. I will have to end this soon. The Beast Blood effect will only last a little longer.”

“That would be good. Let’s call it a draw and take –”

“I can’t agree with that.”

Talwi’s sword assailed me and the wounds on my body continued to increase.

That was bad, I would really lose if that continued any longer.

Not being able to use magic was a miscalculation. I would definitely not lose if I could use magic.

I have been relying too much on magic and skills until now.

I have to focus more on fighting without relying on magic and skills.

(Hn? Ah, so that’s it.)

I looked at Talwi’s sword movements closely.

The snake-like sword movements were confusing but they were all illusions.

“Just like how a shaken pencil will look bent.”

I was flustered because I thought she was using skills in a space that negated skills but I was mistaken.

“The reason was much simpler. Talwi, your attack doesn’t rely on offensive skills. So that is a sword technique achieve with only technique?”

Talwi didn’t answer even when I asked.

“I’ll take your silence as agreement.”

“I won’t lose to a magician like you just because you found the answer.”

“Then I’ll have to use my last resort too.”

I said and grinned.

“Nope, I guess it’s not a last resort. More like a front door?” (TLN: Last resort/trump card is ‘Back hand’ in Japanese and the ‘front door’ here is ‘Door in front of my hand’.)

I said and took out the Lucky Hammer from my item bag once again and slammed it against the door.

It made an immense sound but the door didn’t budge as expected.

Sheesh, what kind of material was it made of?

But –

“What!?”

Talwi looked at the door – or rather the presence on the other side of the door.

It looked like she noticed.

The door made a sound and slowly opened.

I didn’t have to look back.

Even if I didn’t look back, I know who came.

“Sorry for the wait, Master.”

“It’s okay, you are right on time, Haru.”

I knew from the start that there was a chance this would be a trap.

There was no way I would trust that inspector.

I sent a message and told Haru.

In case of something unexpected, I told her to tail me from a distance.

There were other beastmen so I asked her to keep quite a distance away.

And when in front of the shrine, I sent a message telling her to open the door from the outside if she hears the sound of a second hammer strike if I was locked up.

“I actually wanted to escape with my own ability though.”

When I said that, Talwi moved with even greater speed than she had before.

She either used a skill similar to Beast Blood or she had been going easy on me, or both. I didn’t know.

But –

“It’s too late.”

I stopped Talwi’s attack with my sword.

“Wha …”

“Sorry but I wasn’t serious either. I had to stall for time to prevent you from escaping until Haru arrived so I played it such that it was a close battle.”

I did make a big mistake by lowering my guard and taking that first strike but I knew that I would not take any significant damage if I protected my face.

“Even if you were acting, you can’t act a swing like that –”

As she was speaking, I moved with my actual speed and slashed at her stomach. With the back of the sword.

But the damage should still be quite significant.

“Kahaa”

Yeah, I didn’t have to act when swinging my sword.

I just had to not change my jobs from the magic-specialised jobs I had assigned.

“Your Beast Blood effect has probably ended. Resign yourself and be captured. You are a companion who we fought the Demonic King Dragon with. I’ll listen to your circumstances and might even help you if I can.”

“ … Fuh, so naïve. I hate that naivety but I like that strength. Sheesh, so terrifying. What rear guard.”

Talwi finally stood up with great effort but smiled as she wiped the corner of her mouth.

She had cut her lip so it drew a line of blood across her cheek.

“So that pungent liquid was so that I would not notice Haurvatat’s arrival outside huh? I couldn’t use my nose for a short time.”

“No, that Kusaya juice was just to harass you.”

In the first place, I didn’t even imagine that she would be able to sense Haru’s smell outside.

“Master, it’s really smelly.”

Gah.

Haru, don’t say it like that. It sounded as though you are saying I stink.

“Sorry, Haru. You can wait outside. I’ll use Clean when I exit and the smell will be gone.”

“Sigh, even if the battle is over, you don’t have a shred of tension.”

She said as she picked up the sword she dropped.

Haru and I were wary but she sheathed her sword.

“It’s a promise. I will tell you my reasons.”

That’s right.

I had to go through quite a detour for that.

“My goal is the destruction of the world and the salvation of the world.”

“The destruction and salvation of the world?”

Was it related to the End of the World?

Or was it completely unrelated?

There was not enough information.

“Mallegory will soon be led to its destruction.”

“I don’t understand. Explain it more in detail.”

She took out a piece of talisman after I said that.

After realizing the identity of that talisman, I drew my sword but in a location that sealed my skills, I could not make it in time.

“Wait!”

I shouted in vain as she tore the talisman.

She suddenly disappeared.

“Master, that was?”

“A Transfer Talisman … I think.”

But a Transfer Talisman can only be made in a dungeon and can only be used inside a dungeon.

“Is this part of a dungeon?”

There was no other location that seemed like an entrance but we didn’t see Talwi appear anywhere.

“Haru, lets quickly return to Mallegory. I have a bad premonition.

Just as I said that.

『Haru-san, Haru-san, can you hear me?』

I could hear Carol’s voice coming from Haru’s chest.

Haru took out the Communication Talisman sandwiched between her breasts.

Why did she put it there? Ah, yeah, that would be a place that would not get in the way but still be audible.

“What happened, Carol!”

『Ichino-sama, so you are all right. It’s terrible! I have received news that 12,000 soldiers from the Tsuaobal army have started invading Mallegory.』

What!?

Carol wouldn’t lie.

Was this the event that would lead to the destruction of Mallegory?

Just what is your goal, Talwi?