CH 50

—The courtyard is filled with the sounds of fighting between the guards and the monsters. In the midst of this, a loud spark is heard. Twice, thrice. The small girl – Nina – was just barely able to parry the sharp and powerful claw attacks from the huge body of the Gadumagan with the kunai in her left hand.

“You’re persistent little girl!”

“You’re the one who should give up on Gustav, for goodness sake!”

Nina put her hand on the ground and a skill was activated. ‘Numb Trap+’, it appeared at Gadumagan’s feet and discharged its powerful electric shock into the giant’s body.

“Gu, gah?”

“I got you!”

Nina further boosted her status by layering the skills 『Critical Buffer』 and 『Improved Physical Ability+』 on herself, and then

“Eat this!”

She unleashed her maximum attack skill, 『Eight Shadow Bullets』. Eight consecutive attacks by the incredibly fast Nina blow Gadumagan backwards again. However.

─ ─ Gadumagan set its sharp claws on the courtyard to kill the momentum and immediately regained its position.

“With an attack of this level! Don’t think you can break through this strongest of the Three Heavenly Demons!”

With a strong flap of his dragon wings, Gadumagan closed in on Nina at full speed.

“Kuh..!”

On the spur of the moment, the skill 『Body Alter』. Nina uses a combination of projecting her own image onto the nearby rubble and then hiding her own image with 『Attention Blocking+』.

“Again this petty skill! I can smell it..! Don’t think that a move you showed me once will work twice, little girl!”

However, Gadumagan continues to move at speed and breaks off at the right angle, and instead of taking his place, he lunges without hesitation towards Nina’s main body.

“???”

“‘『Dragon Claw』 『Dragon Fist』『Explosion Wave』!”

“Guhh..?”

She flies to the side and just barely avoids a direct hit, but a shockwave that cuts through the iron strikes Nina. Fresh blood flew and her body rolled heavily on the ground.

“Ughh..Shit”

Nina tries to stand up with all her strength in her arms, but her body won’t obey her. Either she had lost too much blood, or taken a too much damage.. probably both.

“Hah, hah.. You’ve done well. But you’re one step short of me..”

“Uhhh.. I haven’t lost yet..”

“Stop bluffing. You can’t even move anymore.”

“Hmph, but I’m sure it’s the same for you.. You seem to be a bit stubborn..”

“..what are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, How can you not be damaged after being attacked so much by Gustav and that attack of mine.. aren’t you getting close to your limit..right?”

“..But I can move better than you, little girl.”

Gadumagan walked slowly up to just beside Nina and raised her large hand.

“I’m going to make this easy for you. You can wait for them in the afterlife ahead of others. Sooner or later, a lot of humans will go there.”

“Oh, That’s impossible.”

Nina stuck her tongue out.

“You’ll be the first to depart.”

Then she grins, and the corners of her mouth lift up.

“‘『Mega Heel』!”

An abruptly audible incantation. And immediately afterwards, Nina’s body was enveloped in a green light.

“─ ─ What? No way, you’re-!”

Gadumagan swung his claws down immediately towards Nina with great force, but Gakin! The attack was caught by the kunai in both of Nina’s hands.

“Phew, I’m back to full strength!”

A backward kick by Nina immediately after, who stands up lightly, strikes Gadumagan in the face.

“Che- Not enough! 『Critical Buffer』, 『Improved Physical Ability+』, 『Muscle Strength+』! There you go, fly away!”

“Guhhh?”

With the ground as a support, a straddle thrust with all his weight on it caught Gadumagan in the center and blew his body several meters off the ground.

“Now! Spera!”

“─ ─ Yes, you’ve done well, Nina.”

Spela, who had gotten up before he knew it, was aiming at Gadumagan from the center of the large, glowing magic circle, which he had also prepared before he knew it. After confirming that Nina had moved away, Spera took a deep breath and chanted.

“‘『Giga Fertis Flare』!”

“Gah, damn it!”

Joooo! A huge blue flame enveloped Gadumagan with a sound. It was the most powerful magic of the flame attribute, which required to be accumulated. Even Spera and Nina, who were at a distance, involuntarily covered their faces as the heat spread throughout the area, and the smell of burning flesh filled the area.. but..

“Not yet! I haven’t lost yet!”

Flapping his battered and burnt dragon wings, Gadumagan escaped the fire attack as he came crashing down to the ground.

“Kuh, fuck..! Sorcerer, you were supposed to be knocked out, weren’t you?”

“Well, I was unconscious for a little while.”

“Waking up at the wrong moment..!”

“No? I was already awake when Nina sent Gustav ahead?”

“What?”

“-It was worth all the physical effort to make sure you didn’t notice that, wasn’t it?”

“‘What?”

“- That’s right! I put my all in to make sure you didn’t notice it.”

Whoosh!. Nina takes Gadumagan’s back, which is wracked with wounds, and says.

“It’s frustrating, but like you said, we knew we couldn’t beat you.”

“But if that’s the case, all we have to do is catch you by surprise. Nina risks her life to inflict damage on you, while she buys you some time. In the meantime, I prepare a powerful attack spell that needs to be accumulated, while at the same time, I heal Nina at the right moment.”

“And finally, if me and Spera together attack in one fell swoop.. that way, we’ll definitely win the fight.”

“Kuh, shit..”

Gadumagan’s expression twisted in frustration.

“When.. when did you devise such a plan..?”

“A plan?”

Nina and Spera looked at each other.. and smiled wryly.

“We didn’t prepare such a thing in the first place, did we?”

“Yes, that’s right. There is only one thing: ‘Get Gustav-san back to Her Highness the Princess as soon as possible, even if it’s just for a second’. We knew that was our only goal.”

“Then you know what you have to do, don’t you?”

“Kakakaka.. yeah..! Teamwork.. that’s how humans have always lived..!”

Gadumagan staggered to his feet.

“But! I can’t just admit defeat there just because I’ve had my fill, SInce It come to this you’ll come with me too!”

With his last ounce of strength, he leapt at Spera.

“‘『Saint Shield』!”

Clank! The attack doesn’t go through.

“‘『Giga Flare』”

Gadumagan’s body was thrown back by Spera’s magic in rapid succession.

“It’s over.. 『Eight Shadow Bullets』!”

Seizing the opportunity, Nina once again launches her attack, eight shadows striking eight attacks into a single point on Gadumagan in an instant.. and the giant body finally falls on its back.

─ ─ ‘Level up. Nina Lv 41 to Lv 43’.

─ ─ ‘Level up. Spera Lv43 to Lv44’

“We somehow managed to beat it..!”

“Yes, we did it, Nina.”

Nina and Spela both fist bumped.

“Well, shall we go after Gustav too then?”

“Yes.. but first we have to protect that damned hero. I heard that without him, we can’t finish off the Demon King, dammit.”

The two then looked around the courtyard, but could not find the figure of the hero.

“Maybe he’s already taken refuge inside the castle..?”

“Damn it! You’re really making me go through all this unnecessary trouble, that useless hero!”

The two ran out of the fierce courtyard and into the castle.