Book 3: Chapter 72: The assassin snipes

The chanting, which had begun when it was clear that Tarte’s lightning would strike, entered its final stage.

『Tarte, Dia, you both did great.』(Lugh)

That beetle demon was incredibly strong.

If the vice commander of the Chivalric Order I fought back in the academy had been his opponent, he would’ve been turned into mincemeat in less than a minute.

The girls stopped him from moving and hit him with【Demon Slayer】.

Only the two of them could’ve managed something like that.

Tarte and Dia had done their part perfectly.

So I was now going to do mine.

I poured mana into my Tuatha Dé eyes and got a visual on the beetle demon.

I could see the flow of his mana.

As well as a different kind of power.

That was the power that made demons immortal. It was gathered in the red jewel blended into his heart.

Originally, the heart with a red jewel in it was something conceptual, not visible, and couldn’t be interfered with. However, it was a different story once it was materialized by【Demon Slayer】.

I focused all my attention on sniping.

I had positioned myself two hundred meters away from the beetle demon.

The greater the distance, the less accurate the attack, the longer it would take to reach the target, and the less powerful it would be.

But that didn’t matter.

For my newly created magic, the distance didn’t matter at all. If anything, the most important was to fire a well-aimed shot from a position where I would never be noticed.

This new magic was a legitimate evolution of【Gun Strike】.

What I wanted was a combination of ultra-precision shooting and ultra-power.

The trump card I had been using until now,【Gungnir】, was powerful but too complicated to use.

The time until impact was too long, the area of effect was too wide, the situations where I could use it were limited, and it was difficult to aim.

Which was why, I came up with a new magic to overcome all those shortcomings.

Initially, I tried to do this by bringing【Cannon Strike】to a new level.

However, there was an upper limit to the explosive power the cannon could endure, even if the alloy, which had been hardened to the limit of what I could produce, was coated and strengthened with mana.

Because of that upper limit, it wasn’t powerful enough to serve as a trump card.

And the answer I arrived at was a magic spell that accelerated and ejected bullets using a method other than gunpowder.

I named it…

[【Railgun】] (Lugh)

A long gun around my height was pinned to the ground. I got down and put my hand over the long gun.

I loaded a bullet in it.

Its alloy possessed properties adapted to railguns. Although it was the size of a rifle bullet, it weighed nearly one kilogram.

The long gun was fixed with a gun stand.

This was the magic spell I called【Railgun】. It worked the same way as one.

I placed the bullet between the rails made of special material, and I applied a large electric current to it while it was in contact with them. As a result, an interaction between the bullet and a magnetic field was created at the point of contact, generating propulsion.

…The principle itself wasn’t very complicated, but its mechanism was fairly intricate.

I couldn’t create one every time I had to fire it, so I usually stored it inside my【Leather Crane Bag】.

In a sense, the gun was a wand for using【Railgun】magic.

I fitted a Fahr Stone into the long gun, and finally, I finished chanting the incantation.

【Railgun】was a composite magic consisting of three spells cast using【Multiple Chanting】.

The Fahr Stone was filled with colorless mana. It burst and overflowed with colorless mana, which was converted into electricity by the first spell.

The lightning magic that Tarte used earlier was a byproduct of the creation of this spell.

The first spell caused a super large electric current to flow through the long gun.

At that moment, the second spell was triggered.

It rapidly cooled the long gun down to nearly absolute zero.

It was a spell designed to reduce electrical resistance.

When an extremely large current was applied, heat was generated, and that heat could distort the mechanism, or damage it at worst.

However, when its temperature was close to absolute zero, it almost had zero resistance, and no heat was generated.

Cooling magic not only protected the long gun, but also increased its power and accuracy by eliminating the loss caused by resistance.

Then, the third spell was activated. Wind-blocking magic, since if it were fired normally, the bullet would burn up before it reached its target.

The ejection speed of【Railgun】was that great.

It was thanks to this magic that it could reach the target.

I fired the bullet.

…Even with my Tuatha Dé eyes, I couldn’t see it flying.

The moment right after it was released, a large hole was made in the chest of the beetle demon.

Then after a short pause, everything above his heels was torn to shreds.

And then, far behind him, the bullet landed on the ground and formed a crater.

[Ultra-precise shooting on target and flawless firepower. Now that’s an easy-to-use magic.] (Lugh)

I nodded with satisfaction.

There was probably no magic more suitable for sniping than this one.

When I tested it on an uninhabited island, the initial speed of【Railgun】fired at full power was 5.9 km/s, which was about seventeen times the speed of sound.

It had an energy of 17.4 MJ.

It was a super weapon that fired rifle bullets containing twice the amount of energy of a tank gun, and since that power was concentrated in a single point, the penetration power was several times higher.

With a bullet of this size and such a large amount of kinetic energy, you could get rid of every conceivable external element within its margin of error.

Furthermore, the time it took to land was overwhelmingly short.

The bullet traveled 200 m in 0.03 seconds. This was another major factor in increasing its shooting accuracy. The shorter the travel time, the less it was affected by gravity and such.

The greatest asset of this【Railgun】was its accuracy.

It was such a dream-like weapon that if you fired it straight at your target, it would hit exactly where it was supposed to.

There was probably no other magic that was specialized in assassination like this one.

Its power was inferior to【Gungnir】, but it had many uses.

If I had to point out one of its disadvantages, it’d be that the electrical conversion of the mana contained in the Fahr Stone and the two other magic spells required all the mana I could release, and since they were difficult to control, I had to focus all my attention on them, which made me completely defenseless.

The other drawback was that I had to cast the three spells at the same time, meaning that I couldn’t use that weapon without【Multiple Chanting】.

The fact that I couldn’t use it without a skill I borrowed through【My Loyal Knights】was a major downside.

…Even so, being able to snipe a few kilometers away with super firepower was appealing.

I loaded the next round.

I had positively hollowed out the heart embedded with a red jewel that served as the demon’s core.

However, if the【Demon Slayer】spell had actually been defective, or if my assumption that immobilizing and crushing his red-jeweled heart would kill him had been wrong all along, then he would come back to life.

If that happened, I would fire another round to give Tarte and Dia, who were on the frontlines, time to escape and retreat as fast as they could.

I continued to maintain the same level of concentration as for the first shot and kept my eyes on him.

Five minutes passed, and nothing happened.

[So he’s not coming back to life?] (Lugh)

Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief.

The【Demon Slayer】spell that Dia and I created was flawless, and my hypothesis was correct.

Even regular humans could kill demons.

This was hope for humanity, and at the same time, it would lighten the burden on Epona.

It was safe to assume that the probability of Epona going crazy in the future had decreased.

I stood up and started putting away my railgun-like long gun inside my【Leather Crane Bag】… But then I stopped midway, jumped back immediately and readied my knife.

[Oh my, so you spotted me.] (???)

A woman emerged from the forest behind me.

She had brown skin and black hair. Her voluptuous body was covered with revealing clothes.

And her purple eyes reminded me of a snake.

…She wasn’t human.

I was sure of it from the first moment.

No human in the world could have such power.

No doubt she was a demon.

Crap, I’m on my own now. I can’t both use【Demon Slayer】and fight her by myself.

I gave up on winning.

First, I would take away her mobility, then I would draw her away and meet up with Tarte and Dia.

I would kill her only after I joined up with them.

[There’s no need for you to be so vigilant. I have to intention of fighting you. In fact, I’m grateful to you. For killing Gurt, who was a nuisance.] (Female Demon) (TN : グルト/’guruto’ in japanese)

She talked to me with a gentle smile.

And yet, I couldn’t find any opening.

[“Gurt”? Is that the name of that beetle demon?] (Lugh)

In many situations, conversing with the enemy was a foolish idea, but if there was no opportunity to attack and the enemy was immortal, then buying time by talking was a valid tactic.

And this time, there was the merit of extracting some information from her.

She’d only spoken a few words, but it was enough for me to confirm that this demon knew things I didn’t.

[Correct. By the way, my name is… Nevermind, I will save it for when you and I are a little better acquainted. Until then, you may call me Snake. I came here today to observe the enemy’s movements, but I never would have expected Gurt to be killed. I’m glad that he died before his project came to fruition.] (Snake)

[So you spy on the enemy, and you demons kill each other as well?] (Lugh)

[Rather than “killing each other”, I would say we compete with each other.] (Snake)

All the more reason for me to kill her.

She said that demons competed with each other, which implied that demons communicated with each other and lived as a community.

…In other words, there was a danger that she would reveal my existence and that of my【Railgun】to other demons.

[For what?] (Lugh)

[That’s a secret. Oh dear, I thought you were a hero, but are you in fact an ordinary human? What a surprise, I didn’t know humans were now capable of killing us. I suppose the rule has changed. Or are you the one who is an irregularity?] (Snake)

[Who knows.] (Lugh)

Again, she said something that caught my attention.

“The rule has changed”.

And the fact that humans couldn’t kill demons was a rule. Then I should presume that there was something that decided so and granted the demons immortality.

[Well, no matter. …Say, how about we make a deal? I will keep everyone in the dark about how Gurt was killed. And of course, I will keep the fact that there is a human who can kill demons a secret. In exchange, will you please let me off the hook?] (Snake)

…It was getting harder and harder for me to let my guard down.

It was plain for her to see that I had no choice but to kill her and why.

Even if I fought Snake, my chances of winning were low. And the conditions she offered weren’t too bad.

But I had my doubts as to whether I could take her word for it or not. Better find out.

[Don’t you think that’s too convenient for you? You don’t want to kill me, but that’s because you want me to get rid of your rivals. As for me, apart from you not saying a word about me, I want compensation for that. What I want is information. About what other kinds of demons there are, their names, what they look like, their powers, their weaknesses, and where they are based.] (Lugh)

Half of it was to trick her into revealing something.

The other half was probing. If her motives were as I predicted, then I could believe her.

[Humans are very clever, aren’t they? All the heroes have been nothing but gorillas, so I thought humans were the same as well.] (Snake)

[You make it sound like the hero is not human.] (Lugh)

[That thing couldn’t possibly be human. What are you even saying?] (Snake)

She giggled mockingly.

“That thing couldn’t possibly be human”, huh. That was an interesting thing to say.

She didn’t seem to be referring to the hero’s overwhelming strength. There was something more.

[So, what’s your reply?] (Lugh)

[Please let me ask you a question myself. If you can answer it, I will sell them out to you. Ahem! …Was that the first demon you’ve ever killed? Have you not killed a pig before the beetle?] (Snake)

A pig, huh. Then I remembered the demon who attacked the academy.

[I tried to kill him, and I failed. But what I did contributed to his death.] (Lugh)

I gave her a little extra.

Because it was a necessary investment.

The corners of Snake’s mouth turned up in a wicked way.

[Is that so? I knew it. I suppose we can conclude our negotiations. I promise to give you the right information at the right time. …I will now turn my back on you, so if you wish to attack me, go ahead. But if you do, then please be prepared for the outcome. Not only you, but also those lovely girls who couldn’t help but worry about you for the past while, would have a delightful experience.] (Snake)

[Not that I planned to act in such a manner.] (Lugh)

I was concerned about Tarte and Dia.

But I was neither foolish nor immature enough to show my weaknesses.

[Even if you don’t show it through your gestures, women can understand that sort of thing. With their intuition. The way you all think of each other is adorable. So much so …it makes me want to eat you.] (Snake)

I saw Snake off as she turned her back on me.

At the moment, she and I were opponents who had struck a mutually beneficial deal with each other.

I wanted to get more information out of her, and not just about other demons. That creature knew a lot of things I didn’t.

When Snake was completely out of my sight, I used my probing magic to make sure there were no enemies around, then I took a stance.

[I don’t like being forced to participate in a game of which I don’t even know the rules.] (Lugh)

I’d been thinking about it for a long time, but there were so many things I didn’t know about this world.

I didn’t even know what demons were, nor what a hero was.

In order to win, I needed a strategy.

For that purpose, I needed to understand the current situation more than anything else.

I wanted to use that Snake to get the same perspective as those other player-minded people.

Anyway, I’d better go meet up with Tarte and Dia for now.

The two of them had done a great job.

I had to praise them for that.

And above all, I wanted to hug them. That was how I felt.