CH 225

“Take this!”



The intelligent zombie swung his sword wildly.



Distance didn’t matter.



His magic sword was able to extend the range of his slashes.



In that case, I just have to pay attention to the trajectory of the sword.



“!”



I anticipated the trajectory of the slashes, then ducked and dodged them.



At the same time, the buildings behind and around us were torn apart and collapsed.



(The previous slash was close to 50 meters …. Now it’s about 10 meters at best)



So, the distance can be changed at will.



Is it possible to adjust the power with MP consumption like my ninjutsu?



The problem is the maximum distance. I don’t want to think that he can cover the whole area of ​​this “Safe Zone”, but … should I consider the possibility?



“I’m not done yet!”



“Chi!”



He wielded his magic sword again.



Moreover, this time it was a continuous attack.



Hey, it is even more troublesome if you attack repeatedly.



I quickly jumped back and weaved through the gaps between the slashes.



(――Should I close the distance …)



Certainly, if I step into close quarters, the advantages of that magic sword will be drastically reduced.



There is no doubt that his attacks can be best utilized at medium to long distances.



(But it’s the same for me ah!)



I took a deep breath and activated my ninjutsu.



“Fire Element Ninjutsu!”



A huge fireball was formed at those words and thrown at the intelligent zombie.



“Hah, that’s good!”



Then he held his hands out in front of him.



At the same time, darkness overflowed from his feet and “offset” my fire.



(… Is it Schwartz’s darkness…? Can it be used to some extent even if it is separated from the main body?)



However, there is no doubt that the effect of the skill will drop because he is not the original holder of the skill.



If it was the original power, it would have swallowed my fire easily and swept straight at me. 



“… Are you surprised? Even if I am separated from the Wolf King, this is about–Oops.”



I threw a kunai at the intelligent zombie’s talkative mouth but he managed to duck.



But that’s not a problem.



“Fire Element Ninjutsu!”



Again I used the fire attack.



“Same attack–“



Naturally, the intelligent zombie defended against it with the darkness.



It was the same pattern as before.



But now it’s my turn to attack.



“With this level of attack–!”



“Chi”



Was this also dodged?



But the distance has shortened.



The intelligent zombies must have been taken aback by me who appeared behind him in an instant.



In actuality, the kunai that I had thrown earlier was actually Aka in disguise.



I simply blocked his view with a fire escape, and then used Momo’s ‘shadow crossing’ to move to the kunai’s position.



“At this distance!”



“Shi–!”



Now it is time for close-combat.



At this distance, my kunai has a better chance against his magic sword.



(–From the moment you tried to keep a distance, it is the same as telling them that you were bad at close combat.)



I was thrown to the ground every day when I fought in close quarters against Rebel.



I don’t think you can handle my attack with that kind of swordsmanship!



“…!”



The kunai grazed his cheeks and nape.



I’m going to kill him with a single blow.



First, break the enemy’s balance and rhythm.



Create a situation in which they will surely be killed.



“Chi!”



“Guh …!”



The intelligent zombies managed to dodge and protect his vital points. He then fought back with his sword, but the rhythm of his attack was gradually collapsing.



Barrage them with attacks, focus, rush in.



Corner them!



Don’t allow them to attack.



Don’t give them a chance to use their skills!



“This! Stop–”



“Too late!”



He raised his sword up to use his magic sword skills.



There!



In his impatience and frustration, he did the worst thing he could do.



That moment, ‘Enemy Detection’ reacted.



“Huh!? Wh–!?”



Immediately after that, something pierced his leg.



“Ahhh!”



The intelligent zombie was surprised, but I understood immediately.



It was Ichinose’s sniping.



Perhaps she had been watching the timing of the sniper all the time after he went out.



She has the best timing like always. 



When he was shot through his leg and lost his balance, I used my kunai to cut off his right hand holding the magic sword.



“Guh–“



“There’s still more!”



Next, I aimed for his neck.



However, he managed to dodge it by a hair’s breadth.



He tried to step back and create some distance between us, but I will not allow that!



“Fire–“



“‘Dark Stroke’!”



But his darkness was slightly faster.



The darkness that overflowed in large quantities hindered my pursuit.



I couldn’t finish it …



But I managed to crush one of his hands and he left the magic sword behind.



It can’t be stored in the item box, but at least now I can take away that annoying ability of his to extend slashes.



Nonetheless, I don’t plan to let my guard down.



I will settle this today.



“Waun”



“Kyuu”



Then, the shadow under my feet expanded, and Momo and Kiki appeared.



“Momo, Kiki!”



Good timing.



In response to my voice, the two of them immediately sprang into action.



Momo started running, and Kiki cast a support magic on me and Momo.



(Momo, Ichinose and I will hold him down. We have to make use of this opportunity and hit him with Sora’s breath.)



No matter how strong the intelligent zombie was, if he is hit by Sora’s breath, there is no way he will be able to survive it.



If I want to make sure that I hit him for sure, I will need to use that.



(-Activate “Realm of the Setting Sun” and “Heroic Hymn”)



The MP consumption was staggeringly fast, but now is the moment of truth.



I tried to activate two skills.



At that moment–,



“… Kuhi”



I locked eyes with him — the intelligent zombie.



He was laughing.



It was as if he was waiting for this situation.



“Your status has dropped… and you are outnumbered.”



Rebel had told me.



“Arrogance” has the effect of increasing the stats the more advantageous the situation the user is in.



However, there were many things in this situation that could not be explained by that alone.



I felt a chill on the back of my neck.



What is it?



What is he planning to do in this situation?



“–Sayaka, do it”



At that moment, countless terrifying chains overflowed from his feet.



(It’s not a darkness skill …? What is this?)



Countless chains attacked us.



It’s fast, but it was not something Momo and I could not avoid.



“Momo!”



“Waun”



Momo enveloped both of us into the “shadow” to avoid the chains.



…… But I had a bad feeling.



“Momo! Back up!”



“Waun!”



Momo probably felt that way too.



We quickly sunk into the shadows to avoid the chains.



But at that moment, something unexpected happened.



“Wha-!?”



“Waun!?”



Those chains invaded the ‘shadow’!



Momo was restrained by a myriad of chains and was dragged out of the shadow.



“Momo!”



“Waun, waun–“



Momo tried to use her “Roar” skill, but the chains entangled her to the point where she couldn’t even speak anymore.



I rushed out instantly and tried to rescue Momo.



“I’ve always wondered…”



I heard the intelligent zombie’s voice.



Damn it! What’s with this chain, it won’t break or loosen!



“What will make you despair the most? And in that moment, I have always wondered, what kind of face would you have?”



“You … no way …”



Hey, stop, what are you thinking of doing…?



The intelligent zombie raised his hand.



In response, the chains trapping Momo throbbed as if they were blood vessels of a heart.



“This is… the answer.”



“Stop ittttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!”



The chains glowed black and completely enveloped Momo.



“Momo!”



When the light subsided, the chains disappeared and Momo fell to the ground.



I tried to run up to her, but at that moment, Momo jumped away from me.



“Momo … you …”



“Uuuu… Grrrrrrrrrrr…”



Momo’s face had turned black.



Her face was stained with despair and she looked at me as if she was about to cry.



“… My status has risen. The situation seems to have reversed.”



At his comment, an announcement rang in my brain.



≪――The application has been accepted≫



≪Party member “Momo” has left the party≫



I couldn’t understand what the announcement meant.



My brain refused to understand.



The intelligent zombie laughed.



He stared at me with a gaze filled with extreme malice.



“–Let your most trusted companion kill you. Come on, Momo. Show your power.”



“Waun… Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”



In response to the intelligent zombie’s command, Momo attacked me.