CH 101

I get over the rooftop fence and jump down to the ground. Without needing to use the shadow to cushion my fall, I land normally. It doesn’t hurt at all.



“It feels like I’m casually leaving behind my humanity…”



This is a five-story building you know…? After exceeding 100 in power and endurance, my body is visibly changing. When I was fighting the dark wolf, I was also moving about in the air.



Although I created stepping grounds using the Item Box, that wasn’t what humans could accomplish.



“Well, but it was thanks to that that I survived…”



“Wan!”



“Momo.”



Momo’s bark interrupts my thoughts. Behind me, Ichinose-san and Momo come out from the window, followed closely by Rikka-chan.



“Hmm?”



Rikka-chan’s expression somehow looks dark. What were they talking about?



“Is it a monster?”



Ichinose-san asks. She… seems fine. So only Rikka-chan is depressed.



“Yes, there is only one enemy. It is a monster I’ve seen for the first time. It’s an undead with sword and shield. It’s probably a superior species of zombies. It’s around eighty meters ahead on the straight street.” I provide the information about our enemy, and Ichinose-san’s expression changes. It’s Ichinose-san in combat mode.



“Okay, I’ll provide cover.”



“Yes please. Momo and I will try to close our distance and launch a surprise attack from its blind spot.” “Um… what about me?”



“Aisaka-san will be a guerrilla. Please stay beside Ichinose-san. If anything happens, you can move.” “Okay. Understood.”



Well, the fight might end before anything happens, but I don’t mention that.



“Now. Begin the operation.”



I leave Ichinose-san and start running. Moving along the walls, I approach in a fashion that the opponent cannot see.



(Okay, around here would do…)



I secure a good position. From between the walls, I take a look. The opponent is clearly visible.



“Aaaaaaaaaaa…”



The death knight lets out a creepy voice while looking around.



Its size isn’t so different from ordinary zombies. It’s around the height of humans. Nevertheless, the big sword in its hand is filled with thick blood. The air of intimidation surrounding it is also incomparable with ordinary zombies.



(It doesn’t seem to have noticed us… )



Recently, I’ve only been confronting enemies that can see through stealth, so it’s relieving to know that my skills are functioning.



When I turn my eyes towards another place, I witness Momo on the other side of the dark knight. I’m currently not with Momo. We have positioned ourselves so that we can launch a pincer attack from both sides.



In other words, the dark knight is at the center while Momo and I are hiding at its left and right where it cannot see. Also, Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan are facing the dark knight head on from a distance away.



“…Momo”



“Wan.”



I raise my right hand and signal Momo. We shoot out shadows from both sides at the same time. They’re aimed towards the death knight.



“Aaaaaaaaa…?”



The moment the shadows touch the death knight, it shouts and cleaves the ground with its large sword. Along with the sound of the ground being cut, the shadows disperse.



Chi, so it noticed. Its reaction speed is quite formidable for it to react to the shadows from this distance.



(It’s didn’t foresee it in advance…)



If it was a skill, then it would have responded much faster. What this means is that the death knight reacted to the shadows purely with its superior reaction speed.



In that case… I aim at the death knight’s head and release heavy equipments. However…



“!? You’ve got to be kidding…?”



This time, I raise my voice in astonishment. Against all odds, the death knight also responds to this. It raises its shield, blocking the heavy machinery that appears overhead.



“Aaaaaaaaaaaa!”



Then, shifts the shield diagonally and throws the equipments away.



Zuzun!



The heavy equipments sink to the ground. Seriously… did it just block my attack at first glance? Its movements feel more polished and refined compared to conventional monsters. Its appearance reminds me of an experienced fighter.



“Aaaaa”



“Tsu~!”



Suddenly, the red and cloudy eyes hidden beneath its helmet turn towards me. So, it managed to grasp my position from the direction of the shadow earlier. Then….



“ ‘The Art of Cloning’. ”



I instantly summon two clones of myself. I make them hold weapons and charge at the death knight. Simultaneously, Momo, who has been hiding until now, comes out.



“Momo! Now!”



“Wan!”



“Wa ~o~o ~o~o ō Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo oooooooooooooooooooooon!!”



The “Roar” that Momo releases assaults the death knight. The ground cracks, the windows shatter, and the air quivers.



“…!”



Because the clones are hindering them, the death knight fails to move from its spot and falters from its position. I release heavy machinery on top of him again.



“Gah..aaaaAAAA!!”



Despite so, the dead knight pours his strength into raising his shield. But it’s too slow. With a short gunshot, its elbow caves in.



It’s from Ichinose-san, the sniper. In addition, the second and third shots land cleanly on the knight’s knee and elbow.



“Ah… gaaa….”



She must have observed our exchange from before. With its head and heart being protected by armor, hitting other places would not be lethal to a zombie. As such, she shot at those locations with impeccable timing. As one would expect of Ichinose-san.



The effects of her bullets greatly restrict the dark knight’s movements. With its elbows mostly destroyed, it cannot raise its shield. With its knees greatly injured, it cannot even stand properly. The death knight eventually gets crushed to death by the machineries.



“You have gained experience.”



“Experience has reached a certain threshold.”



“Kudou Kazuto’s level has increased from 18 to 19.”



Good, my level rose. While internally making a guts pose, I retrieve the machineries. After picking up its magic stone, I proceed to put it in the Item Box. It is labeled “Zombie’s magic stone (small)”.



Does (small) indicate that it was around the level of shadow wolves and hobgoblins? As predicted, their strength really varies depending on their race. From my view, its death knight > shadow wolf > hobgoblin.



There was the matter of compatibility, but death knight was definitely the toughest opponent. Of course, the high orc and the dark wolf are separate matters. They cannot be used as a comparison.



“As I thought, when it comes to superior species, I need to have something else in my arsenal… ” Instantly killing with “Shadow Manipulation” or “Item Box”. As the ranks of monsters rise, the success rate drops tremendously.



The high orc with its brute strength.



The dark wolf with its special power over the shadows.



The death knight with its skill and experience.



They respectively had methods to deal with my surprise attacks.



“I should consider some follow-up moves in case my attacks are blocked…”



This is something I should consult with Ichinose-san.



“First of all, I should head back to the building and distribute my status points… Nn?” Thinking so, I move towards Momo’s direction. In that instant.



“… What?”



For a moment, I felt a shiver. My feet stop moving. When I take a look, Momo isn’t moving either. Suddenly, I’m starting to have a “bad feeling”.



What is this? Is something here? But… where?



I inspect everywhere around me, but I don’t see anything. Was I mistaken?



No, that’s impossible. The “bad feeling” is getting more intense. Cold sweat runs down my body. My breathing becomes rough due to the unknown pressure. Where? From where…?



“Tsu…”



Looking below at my feet, the ground is shaking and making a rattling sound.



“Momo! Fall back!”



I instinctively shout out. Momo retreats almost at the same time.



The next moment, a huge stone pillar pierces the ground where we were standing.



“This…!”



It isn’t just one. The second and the third pillars appear one after another, until all five makes its appearance.



“What… is this?”



I fall into confusion. But the incident isn’t over yet. More stone pillars appear from a distance. This time, there are also five of them.



The shaking intensifies. The ground rises along with the appearance of the pillars. Adjacent buildings collapse continuously.



I finally understand. What I initially thought were pillars aren’t pillars at all. They’re just a part of something much bigger in magnitude. If one was to look down from high up, he or she would understand what is going on. To put it into words, it’s like seeing someone crawl up from below the ground. However, the scale is completely different.



The ground splits, buildings crash, and the terrain deforms. Staring, neither Momo nor I say anything.



The shaking stops. The whole picture is revealed. Its huge body has an egg-shaped torso, with short legs and long arms attached to it. It’s a huge golem which could be mistaken for a building.



“What… the heck….?”



Unfortunately, the incident is not over. A crack runs through its head. A huge hole manifests itself. Is that… its mouth?



That very moment, I am overwhelmed by a uneasy feeling.



“This is bad! Aka! Momo!”



Aka inflates its body at my signal, and Momo jumps into the shadows. Right afterwards…



“――― Ru~o…… rururu Ruru ~u~u ~u~u ūu Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo Ōo ooooooooooooooooooooo!!!” A devastating roar reminiscent of a certain high orc. No, maybe this is even worse. The surrounding buildings that had cracks are shattered by the cry and fall down. As if a major earthquake had occurred, everything within tens of meters of radius has been reduced to rubbles.



“What… is this….?”



Standing up, I witness the disaster that has occurred. The destructive power far surpasses anything I’ve seen up until now. I hold my breath upon seeing the sight.



“Ru~u~u.”



As if satisfied by the destruction, the giant golem stops roaring.



“This…”



This… is impossible. I have to escape. Both my instinct and my skills are telling me that I can’t win. Using “Enemy Detection”, I locate the positions of Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan. Seems like they’re still alive. Although it’s small, they’re also carrying around a part of Aka. Navigating through the shadows, Momo appears near my feet.



(Pick up Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan. And then, and then…)



I immediately start acting. An escape at the level of the high orc… no, an escape far more dangerous than that has begun.



“Huh? Two of them were defeated?”



“Aaaaaaa…?”



“Oh, I’m talking about the ones we sent as scouts. Two among the four were killed. One was by a team of humans. A human who can manipulate shadows, a dog which can roar, and a sniper, is it? It’s a balanced team. The other was by… a black wolf, it seems.” “Aaaaaah?”



“Whether or not they’re strong? I watched them through the ‘Eyes’, and they’re quite powerful. Probably can’t beat either side in our current state. Especially the black wolf. That one is at a different dimension. No matter what we do, we can’t beat it.” “Aaaaaaaaa.”



“Don’t be so pessimistic. It’s also important to know that there are opponents that we cannot beat. That is also a form of knowledge. Ah, excellent. Let’s experience things one by one. Through the accumulation of verification, education, failure, frustration, and success, we become stronger.” “Aaaaaaa…?”



“Yes, we will move. We’re going on an assault. The place is … the City Hall. There are enemies to watch out for, such as the ants and the golem, but we can earn a ton of experience at once here.”