Volume 4 - CH 109.2

――Ram gave Otto roughly three conditions for her cooperation.

[Ram: Regardless of the divergence from Roswaal-sama’s plans…… and from the Gospel’s writ, you must preserve Roswaal-sama’s will to live in this world, whatever it takes]

This term was already fulfilled when Subaru challenged Roswaal to their bet.

Roswaal, who had been ready to abandon everything, again donned his war-paint and, with eyes brimming with life, resolved to take on the world once more.

[Ram: Secondly, Emilia-sama must not lose her determination to challenge the Trials. If this world is to continue despite diverging from Roswaal-sama’s plans, then she will inevitably have to stand for herself. ……She must be tested before the day of reckoning comes]

This one would have to left entirely to Subaru and Emilia, but, judging from the fact that Ram was willing to hear his proposal, she probably considered this condition as good as cleared.

When Otto heard that Emilia had gone missing, his first thought was “We’re completely doomed”, but Ram doesn’t seem to think so. However, since Otto was afraid that she might change her mind if he asked her why, he decided to leave well enough alone.

So then,

[Ram: If you can guarantee these two things, I will be willing to help you. ……But as for the part that we’ll be keeping secret from Barusu, I still have a few finer requirements]

[Otto: Let’s hear it, as long as it’s something I can do]

[Ram: If I am to join the fight against Garfiel, you’ll have to at least broaden the prospects of victory. First, you must disable Garf’s nose. Then, deal a certain amount of damage to make him lose his composure. I will not enter the fight until the decisive moment, so you’ll have to accomplish these things yourself. Surely, seeing you’ve gone out of your way to propose this plan, you must have at least one trump card hidden up your sleeve?]

[Otto: Well…… there is a little something, yeah]

[Ram: I see, just as I thought. In that case, here’s the last condition…]

[Otto: Right]

[Ram: Make Garf transform. ――This is the final requirement for attaining victory]

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

[Ram: His sense of smell, is it still disabled?]

[Otto …………]

[Ram: Pathetic]

[Otto: Gheuh!]

Seeing Otto so stricken that he couldn’t even answer her question, Ram mercilessly jabbed her elbow into the side of his waist. Wailing at the sharp, gouging pain, Otto gasped as he suddenly remembered to start breathing.

[Otto: A, aghh…… I-I thought I was gonna die…… just now, thought I was gonna die from that pressure!]

[Ram: Even a soft and flimsy meatshield is better than nothing, so snap out of it. His sense of smell, is it disabled?]

[Otto: I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that first part, but, yeah, it is. Makoil pollen is an extremely powerful animal repellent, even humans would pass out if they smell it from up close]

[Ram: And even more so for Garfiel, with his many times more sensitive nose. Then that’s one of the benefits of his beast-form nullified. The timing and the damage dealt to him before his transformation…… is all going according to plan]

Exhaling a light breath, Ram tipped her heels off the ground as she shifted onto her toes. From there, she dropped her heels, lifted them, and began repeating that motion in a simple leg exercise.

Otto furrowed his brows at Ram’s strange behaviour, and with [U-uhm?], he tiled his head.

[Otto: R-Ram-san? What’re you doing?]

[Ram: I’m warming up. Slightly loosening my body before I start. As much I loathe to admit it, Barusu is right about this being efficient]

[Otto: Uhm, no, that’s not…… I meant, what’re you doing these exercises for?]

[Ram: That’s simple]

Casting the stuttering Otto a glance from the corner of her vision, Ram finished her warm-up exercise and closed her eyes. Then, opening her eyes again, her feet carried her forward―― with a casual gait, as if she were taking a leisurely stroll, she began closing distance with the beast.

[Otto: W-wait!?]

[Ram: Be silent]

Otto’s eyes bulged as he watched her bold advance. But Ram rejected his call, not slowing her speed in the slightest as she headed towards the tiger.

The beast stooped low as it glowered at the prey before its eyes. Surprised by the little creature’s action, its body stiffened for a moment, but immediately, it judged the behavior to be an insult to itself.

Rage arose in its golden eyes as it raised its hefty fore paw, thicker than Ram’s torso, and swiped with vicious claws outstretched. A single strike from these claws, each as wide as the delicate girl’s arms, would carry enough force to instantly transfigure her limbs into shreds of gore with a graze.

The wind screamed as the Reaper’s Scythe in the shape of claws swung to claim Ram’s life from this world.

――But, just before that could happen,

[Ram: You’re too soft, Garf. ――Who do you think you’re facing?]

Crouching down and letting the mighty claws pass overhead, Ram said to the tiger with pity.

[Ram: When have you ever won in a fist-fight against me?]

[Garfiel: ――――RR!]

The fist lunging into its torso from below sent the several-hundred-kilogram beast into the air.

Its body arching from the force of the strike, a pained wail spilled from the beast’s gaping maw. Shock waves crashed against the forest as Otto heard the sound of the air bursting.

[Otto: No, way]

A girl a head shorter than he was had just punched a beast so tall that looking up wasn’t enough to see the whole thing. And just like that, with her fist still buried in the tiger’s torso, Ram used her offhand to slap animal around even further.

Blows alternated from one hand to the other as they beat the enormous beast shrieking in retreat. With fangs bared, it lunged its great jaw at Ram, but the girl leaped, setting her foot upon the tiger’s nose, and, with a forceful kick, she sent the beast’s face slamming down to the ground.

Scraping against the earth with its roar cut off, the colossal beast writhed, frantically attempting to tear apart the limbs of the girl toying with him. But Ram danced through the air like leaves in the wind, mockingly evading the tiger’s strikes, driving attack after piercing attack into the shallow points in its fur.

Her heel into its throat. Her hand into its flank. Her fist punching aside its paw, opening the way for a direct kick to the beast’s unguarded face.

Witnessing her dominate the vicious tiger in close-quarter combat, a surreal sensation as if he were reading a picture-book gripped at Otto’s heart.

What on earth was he watching?

Seeing Garfiel shed away his human form had stricken Otto with so much despair that his body gave up on living. And yet, what on earth was he watching here?

With every swing of the girl’s arm, the beast’s body bounced back from the force of the blow. This colossal monster, whose very roars could slaughter a living creature, was unable to land a single hit on her.

Its furious paws blindly mowed through the trees, gouged into the earth, transforming the forest with chaotic violence, and yet the constantly changing landscape caused Ram no issue at all.

They could win, like this.

He felt stupid now for having doubted Ram’s pre-battle remarks.

Her statements about purposely getting Garfiel to transform now held definite credibility.

As a beast, the power of the transformed Garfiel is overwhelming, but its advantage lay in situations where he’s fighting multiple opponents. His very mass is a weapon in itself, and even against single individuals, there was no reason he should lose.

But, when his opponent is someone with inhuman combat abilities, it’s a different story.

His cumbersome body becomes a target, his powerful, tree-felling claws are fraught with openings, and his devastating strength leaves him clumsy and unbalanced, unable to shift between attack and defence.

Calmly analyzing the situation would make all of this become clear.

However, this simple solution would only be valid if there was an “Overwhelming individual” to carry it out.

A friendly wildcard who could counter a transformed Garfiel―― securing this precious resource for their team was Otto’s greatest contribution to this fight.

[Otto: We can…… we can do it! At this rate, Garfiel can be……!]

Clenching his fists, Otto cheered as he saw the first hope of victory.

As if propping up that hope, Ram’s fist slammed into the side of the ferocious tiger’s face, sending the creature skidding magnificently across the ground, scraping up plumes of dust.

And――

[Ram: ――Bhg]

Leaking an unsuppressible groan, and with profuse blood streaming from her forehead, Ram’s body swayed as if about to fall.