CH 58

“Guwa!?”

Kouma was blown away and rolled over on the ground.

Eventually he stopped and daringly threw away the raincoat he wore that probably became troublesome and stood up with his sacred sword thrust on the ground.

“Kuh……Why is there such strength……”

“How does it feel? Being defeated by the guy you’ve been ridiculing with incompetent and gloomy and all that.”

I close the distance in one go and swung down Kuromaru with the feeling of giving an additional attack to a weakened enemy.

Kouma somehow defended it with his sword, but he couldn’t bear the weight and went on his knees.

“Guh……!”

“Must feel frustrating don’t you……Hey, try say it! That it’s frustrating!”

“Don’t you under……estimate me!”

“Woah there”

Kouma parried Kuromaru by tilting his sacred sword and thrusted the sword towards me while still on his knees.

It’s a good attack, but I catch that with my palm.

With the sacred sword unable to go through even my palm, Kouma looked shocked.

“How can that……”

“Too bad eh.”

“Gah――――――”

I strike the shoulder of Kouma who stopped his movement with the back of Kuromaru’s blade.

I’ve adjusted myself, but it felt like his collarbone broke.

(This guy really is inexperienced……)

I thought, watching Kouma who crumbled down.

Neither I nor Touma would even take damage from this level of attack.

Because there’s one of the abilities of a <Sacred sword> wielder, the <Sword Defensor>. (聖剣の鎧; lit. armor of the sacred sword)

This is an ability that by far exceeds <Reinforcement Magic> which reinforces the body by flowing magic power throughout our whole body.

First, weapons won’t penetrate.

One is able to stop killing weapons like swords and bows and the like with their skin.

I don’t quite understand the principles of it myself, but well, please think of it as our skin becoming hard when magic power flows through.

Although it doesn’t perfectly protect you from blows, magic or attacks that can inflict damage to the inside, one can obtain a defence where one won’t object even if you call it invincible.

In proportion to that, the magic power consumption becomes nasty if you invoke it continuously, so I normally don’t use it and invoke it depending on the necessary timing.

For example, Kouma’s thrust just now.

That was me invoking <Sword Defensor> on my palms and receiving the blow.

And on the other hand, Kouma receiving damage could say it’s because his isn’t complete.

Even if I say my blow was weak, it doesn’t serve its purpose if his bones break at that level.

“Guh……haah……haah”

“You’re also too slow to heal.”

Another ability of a wielder of the <Sacred sword>, that is <Sword Thrill>. (聖剣の加護ソードスリール: lit. divine protection of the sacred sword; soodo suriiru) (TN. can’t find the proper western word for this, anybody got a clue?)

This ability is most straightforwardly, an ultra-regeneration of injuries.

The ability lets you instantly recover from all external wounds, damage to your body, restrictions due to magic, or things that bring about bad effects.

What’s different from recovery magic is the point where even if, for example, you die, then you can revive instantly.

It’s just that it consumes magic power.

I’m not sure about it, but apparently you can die if you drive out an illness without magic power, <Sacred Sword> wielder or not.

A former <Sacred Sword> wielder seems to have died that way, but that’s a story I heard through hearsay so I don’t know it well.

Well……In the famous RPG that starts with Dragon, the Hero can revive right? I’m saying such system is also in this world.

There are abilities besides those but……well, I don’t think it’s necessary with this guy as my opponent and he doesn’t look like he can use it yet.

“What’s wrong? You’re already healed right? Get up.”

“……gh!”

Holding his shoulder, Kouma stood up.

He readied his sacred sword, but its light is dimmer than before and he’s backing away.

He’s frightened, clearly.

There’s no fighting spirit in his eyes and when I take a step forward he takes a step back.

I guess he doesn’t know what he can do.

He never expected his sword not to pierce his opponent.

He never expected his body to get injured.

His body is being controlled by his fears from his first intense pain.

This guy has already become useless.

“Boring”

I swing Kuromaru, aiming for Kouma’s head.

In order to rob him of his consciousness, this time it’s even weaker than the last one.

Kouma didn’t move――――――but,

“Uooooh!”

“I won’t let you do that to Kouma!”

Jirou and Mitsuki stopped that blow.

In that opening, Endou who was supposed to be on his knees until now moved and carried Kouma back under his arms.

“……Get out of the way.”

“I won’t! I can’t let you beat Kouma here!”

“That’s right! He’s an important friend of ours!”

“……”

Their eyes are serious……Wow, these guys are annoying.

“Both of you……”

“It’s frustrating, but you’re the strongest among us. There’s also the matter in the future and we can’t just lose you alright?”

“Endou……”

What are they saying, these people.

The villainish part is how I usually act, but being shown such friendship drama in front of my eyes gives me the creeps.

“Get up quickly! We’re gonna knock down that creepy guy!”

“――――――Yeah!”

Kouma’s sword released a strong light.

That which was more dazzling and brighter than before gradually breathed light in that sword.

And then――――――the sacred sword <Excalibur>, that had locked up all its power inside its edge, was complete.

“Excalibur……I see, you weren’t in your complete form until now……but if it’s now then!”

“Here we go!”

It really turned into something troublesome……

Being surrounded by friends like a protagonist in a story, Kouma awakened into the real deal.

There’s a great difference between that and his incomplete power until just a while ago and his magic power is incomparable too.

……It’s a pure white blade unlike mine, but I’m a little jealous of it.

“I guess it’ll be bad if I don’t go a little more seriously”

“Kuh!”

“Uwa!?”

Sweeping away the two holding back my sword in front of me, I tried to leap at Kouma and――――――

“Too slow!”

“Uoh!?”

I reflexively curve my body.

The sword tip grazed before my eyes.

Appearing in front of me in an instant, Kouma swung his sword at a speed that can’t be compared with that from a while ago.

“You’ve gotten pretty fast haven’t ya!”

“Thanks to you, my body is light!”

I also go just a little more seriously and devote myself in evasion.

There are as many chances for counter attacks as I like, but with Kuromaru I doubt I’ll be able to cause any damage to the current Kouma……

I know that his <Sword Defensor> is fairly complete.

The sharpness of his sword is also several times――――――

Shall I also draw out my sacred sword?

No……I would end up killing him if I do it untactfully and I also don’t know how many would get mixed up and eaten.

“Tch!”

“gh!”

I parry the sword and thrust my fist into Kouma’s abdomen.

A dull sensation transmitted into my hand in spite of having my fist reinforced with magic power.

Kouma opened his eyes wide from being counterattacked and bearing damage albeit extremely small, and flew back in surprise.

The other three rushed towards him.

“Are you alright Kouma!?”

“Yeah……but still, even though I’ve attacked this much, to think not even one attack connected is……”

“What could he be……”

Some composure could be seen in the faces of the four.

Kouma is an equal match to me……is what he must be thinking.

He has the nerve to think,

that he can win,

against me.

“I have some plan……the three of you, please lend me your ears”

They gathered together and began their discussion.

Well, usually I would do a surprise attack, but let’s wait this time, like a common villain.

“――――――Got it right!? Good, let’s go!”

Kouma, Mitsuki and Jirou rushed out.

Kouma is naturally the fastest, but Mitsuki was also fast.

Behind them is Jirou and behind him is Endou.

And among them……I’ll shut down Kouma first I guess.

“<Magma Lance>!”

“Wha-……tch!”

The instant I try to swing Kuromaru, a large dark red lance came flying towards me.

It’s on the fast side, but not much of a big deal.

When I brush it away with one hand, a large part of it fell on a pool of water and steam rose from it.

(Oh crap……so this was their aim)

“I, you know! I detest you! You gloomy Yuki!”

From the other side of the steam that’s rapidly reducing my sight, Endou called out.

Yeah, I know even if you don’t tell me, I don’t like you either.

“Always making a blank face! And you ain’t never going against whatever we tell you to do”

“……”

What, you wanted me to go against you?

“And that attitude as soon as you’ve come to this world! It’s sickening you know!”

I sweep away the magma lances like crazy.

Steam rises each time I do so, my vision is already pure white.

“Huff……huff……The likes of you!”

It’s a stupid bastard……firing continuously and causing himself to have short of breath.

“You think I’ll let the likes of you have Yuuhi-san!?”

“……Is that so!?”

A lance of unthinkable size appeared as it pierced through the steam.

Did he muster the last of his power? I can’t hear that annoying voice of his anymore.

I grab that lance with one hand and crush its tip.

My right hand is a little hot……it pierced my <Sword Defensor> in the end huh.

Well……it was a great shot.

“Now where was I……”

The last lance fell on the ground and steam rose together with the sound of evaporating water.

That time, I hear a swoosh-like cut sound on my right. When I put Kuromaru in that direction, clang! I hear the metallic sound twice.

It must be a knife, guessing from the lightness of the sound, it’s probably Mitsuki’s attack.

I hear sounds of footsteps from the direction the knife flew out.

At the same time, something is shining at the inside the opposite side of the water vapour.

Considering the location, it’s Kouma and Mitsuki……If it’s like that then Jirou is the finisher just like last time then.

So Kouma pretended to be the one who decides the outcome, but it’s surprisingly Jirou……I’d think they would know his attacks won’t reach me, but……

When the light and footsteps approached until they’re nearby, a knife and fist comes from left and right and――――――fist?

“Take this!”

I noticed after stopping the knife and fist.

The owner of the knife was, not surprisingly, Mitsuki.

However, what was releasing light wasn’t Kouma’s sacred sword, but Jirou’s only light magic.

Which means the one coming from the front is――――――

“With this――――――it’s settled then!”

The man who is capable of injuring me……Kouma.

The tip of the sacred sword that protruded, was sucked into my defenceless body ――――――――――――is what didn’t happen.

“……Eh?”

I have grabbed and stopped the edge of Excalibur.

The point of his sword won’t even reach me.

Furthermore, Jirou and Mitsuki have collapsed left and right of me.

“You guys really thought you could defeat me with such cheap tactics……? It was obvious, you idiots.”

It means that it’s obvious they would decide the fight with Kouma.

In the end, Jirou’s attack can’t get through me after all.

Next, Jirou using light magic was too foolish.

As long as magic power is used, it will get caught by my magic detection no matter how inferior it is.

That’s why I didn’t worry about being dodged and thrusted my fist into Mitsuki and Jirou’s abdomen and made them faint.

And then caught Kouma’s blade――――――In order to show off the difference in strength.

“It’s kind of over-optimistic trying to win with a power that you awakened in this place, you know that? This place isn’t that convenient you know.”

Difference in power is difference in power, how much you suddenly become stronger, it’s not something that just covers it.

A great difference is created between me and Kouma, in strength, skill and also experience.

He may have awakened his sacred sword in the eleventh hour, but it didn’t cover that difference.

“……”

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”

I ask a question towards Kouma who sunk into silence.

I thought he’s surprised, but it seems different somehow.

Kouma looks at me――――――or more accurately behind me and thinly smiled.

“We’re counting on you――――――Endou!”

“Got it!”

“What!?”

What came out behind me――――――from the steam was Endou who I thought couldn’t move anymore back then.

Perhaps he must’ve pretended to have fainted and went around behind me.

Even so……why hadn’t I felt his magic power?

“Go to hell! <Magma Hammer>!”

“Tch!”

Together with the sound of something breaking, a gigantic boiling magma hammer hits me at super point blank range.

Kouma already stored away his sacred sword in another dimension and carried away Mitsuki and Jirou.

I stop the lump of magma with both hands.

It’s a lump of outrageous magic power and to makes matters worse, <Sword defensor>’s magic resistance isn’t perfect.

My hands is getting a little hot.

“All of our magic powers are put in Endou’s magic! Don’t think you can stop it!”

So that’s how it is. The reason I didn’t notice Endou getting closer is because his magic power ran dry.

The sound I heard of something breaking before this lump was released back then……Should probably be the sound of a magic stone being crushed.

I’ve heard there were magic stones that stores magic.

If that’s the case then it could contain everyone’s magic power and Endou can fire magic even in a zero magic power state.

It’s a good strategy……is probably not the time to say……!

“Gooooooo!”

“Kuh……”

This isn’t good……I’m being crush――――――

“Huff……huff……serves you right.”

“Are you okay, Endou……”

“Yeah, my magic power’s only spent after all……I can get up right away.”

Kouma lent his shoulder to Endou who collapsed and escaped from inside the steam.

He left him at the place Jirou and Mitsuki was resting and once again confirmed the location hewas in from the outside.

He couldn’t see well from the steam, but he was certain he was inside.

Endou felt a definitive response and Kouma too had confirmed where he was about to be crushed by the lump of lava.

“Did he……really die?”

“Heh……he got what he’s coming for.”

Kouma thought he shouldn’t talk like that to a man who was their classmate, even as a joke, but he himself fought with the intent to kill and noticed it was like a pot calling the kettle black.

It was the man who brainwashed Yuuhi, dying is natural――――――having such conclusion, Kouma justified his own deeds and was made to agree.

“More importantly you, is it fine not to go to Yuuhi-san? She probably became sane again.”

“……What are you going to do. Endou, even you like――――――”

“It’s fine, okay! ……I’m fine with it. You’re suitable for Yuuhi-san……That’s why I’m fine with it already. Go already, once I can move again I’ll also go.”

“……Got it.”

Kouma who could still move cleared away the aftertaste of victory and began walking towards the direction Yuuhi had gone.

It was――――――that moment.

““gh!?””

The two instantly turned pale.

Shoulders were heavy.

By the terrible pressure, Kouma went on his knees and Endou twitched and became unable to move.

“Aah……my bad. I’ve been underestimating you a little, you guys.”

Perhaps to them, it was the voice they least wanted to hear in the world right now.

From inside the steam that was still enveloping, he appeared――――――