CH 453

“Guh …… T-That hurts …….”

“Don’t be afraid! We have the advantage in numbers, but he’s exhausted, so we must attack him without rest.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Naru, get a grip ……!”

“I-I’m sorry …… Don’t worry about me, just take care of him ……”

There was a fierce battle going on at point A, where Ryuuze was waiting.

It was good until Ryuuze saw the Transferred Akzeryus and made the first move, but he was easily counter-attacked and he cut down the surrounding knights one after another. 

Naru’s left shoulder was injured, and if not for Sarge’s armor, she might have lost her left arm. 

“Hyahahahaha! What’s the matter, you seem to have made an ambitious plan, but with your level of ability, you’ll never be able to defeat me–“

“Shut up, I’ll beat you!”

“Haha, what nice swordsmanship! You’re one of the top Knights of the Reflexion, aren’t you?”

“It’s Hawk. You don’t have to remember that! Ryuuze, regain your bearings while you still can.”

“Captain, us too……!”

The knights who can still move follow Hawk as he confronts the provocative Axelrus.

In the meantime, Ryuuze approached Naru and Kudelica, breaking out in a cold sweat, and called out to them. 

“Naru, are you okay? What about you, Kudelica?”

“I’m fine! But Naru-chan’s hurt badly ……”

“Ryuuze, Kudelica, It’s regretful but I can’t go on anymore. I’m okay since I have medicine for my wounds. I’ll go to the knights’ aid.”

Naru lifts the wound that had been frozen with her skill, applies the medicine, and says so, and looks at Ryuuze’s eyes.

“Yeah, you do that. Help those who you still can. Kudelica too.”

“No, I’m going to fight him! Lars-kun is doing his best too!”

“Don’t be silly, look at the situation! How many people do you think died in just that one battle! I can’t just let my former classmate go to her death.”

Of the twenty knights, seven were sacrificed. Some knights have received wounds from the shoulder to the heart, while others have had their heads blown off.

The reason why Ryuuze and the others were not at their full potential was because it was the first time they had seen someone die in front of their eyes, and they cowered in fear at the enormity of it.

The only former A-Class members who had seen death before their eyes were Lars, Makina, and Jack during the recent battle.

“If you say that, then Ryuuze-kun too! Don’t worry, I have [Superhuman Strength], so I can block the greatsword.”

But Kudelica, with a pale face, clenched her fist and said to Ryuuze, who clucked his tongue and carried the greatsword. 

“Damn it, I don’t care what happens! I’m counting on you to do the rest, Naru.”

“Okay …… Don’t you die, you two.”

“…… Yeah! Oraaaaah!”

“Wha, that looks like it hurts ……”

Kudelica frowns at Ryuuze, who receives Naru’s worried gaze and hits his cheek with his fist to inspire himself.

“Let’s go!”

“Yeah! [Superhuman Strength]!”

“Hyahaha! Well, well! …… Ahn?”

Kudelica jumps at once with [Superhuman Strength] on her legs to Akzeryus, who gives a joyful voice to the knights and Hawk.

“You can’t fight if you don’t have that sword, can’t you!”

She also uses her skill on her arm to swing down a huge axe.

“Uguoh!? I-It’s heavy! So you’re a girl with ridiculous strength, huh!”

“It won’t …… break ……!? Daaaahhhhhhh! Ryuuze-kun!”

“Uoraaahhhhhhhh!”

“Oh!? You’re good! I thought you were scared of me!”

“Damn, can you block this from that position!”

Kudelica left and was replaced by Ryuuze, who turned to the left and slashed at him from behind. But Akzeryus changed his grip on the greatsword and turned it to his back to stop Ryuuze’s sword.

“Then, next is my …… What!?”

“Blast away! [Lightning Sword]”

“Agah!?”

If it is stopped, it should be pulled once, and Akzeryus, who was thinking of intercepting it, takes a magic sword attack and screams.

“This is a magic sword I learned from Fath-san. It’s amazing, isn’t it ……! Hawk-san!”

“Thank you! “Hardcross”!”

“Bastard ……! “Life is a Disaster”!”

While Ryuuze was holding him back, Hawk unleashed a cross-trajectory special move, the first blow hitting the torso and cracking the armor. While the second strike is swung down at high speed, a sharp series of thrusts from Akzeryus blasts Hawk away.

“Kuh!? He aimed for that split second!”

“He can a greatsword with such precision!? This is bad, [Flame Sword]!”

As Hawk loses his balance, he slashes at Akzeryus with his magic sword, laughing as he sticks out his tongue in an attempt to behead him. But he guards it without looking at Ryuuze, and Ryuuze is shocked. 

“What!?”

“Hyahahahahahaha! You’re great! You were scared at first, but you’re moving differently than before. So you’ve been training to defeat me?”

“I’m here too!”

“It’s nice to meet you, little girl! But you’re too good to kill too! But I’m gonna kill you, and I’m gonna hurt you as much as I can, hyahaha!”

“You lowlife ……!”

In the midst of a flurry of attacks from Kudelica’s axe, Ryuuze’s sword, and the returning Hawk, Akzeryus handled it with a cool face. He also wounded Ryuuze and the others in small increments.

“This guy is defending against attacks from his blind spots!?”

“But he’s fighting back!”

“Hyahaha, It’s too early to be surprised! “Bunch Shaving”.”

The moment Akzeryus lowered his posture, he moved slipperily and attacked the three of them with a series of hilt, side sword and thrust attacks.

“Guah!?”

“Kuh!?”

“Kyaah ……!? What the heck!!”

“…… You’re good, hyahaha. I thought I’d killed one of you now, but you’re all well equipped.”

“Sarge’s armor and sword are chipped again ……!? It’s not a coincidence, after all ……”

When Ryuuze glared at him, Akzeryus opened his mouth with a chuckle.

“Yeah. The more I hurt someone, the more my [Cruel] attack power increases. Although it wears off after a day.”

(T/N: I changed [Cruelty] to [Cruel])

“That’s why you chopped off his head, huh ……”

“No. That was just overkill! …… It’s more powerful if I hurt them in small pieces, like you are now, you know? Every time you suffer a little more, I get stronger and stronger!”

“What a skill. ……!?”

“He’s the worst ……”

When Kudelica shows discomfort, Akzeryus squints and laughs.

“That’s a compliment to me, little girl! Well, it looks like the other guy who was here before is here too, so I’ll have to get a little stronger. I’m gonna have to ask you to stay a little longer …… Now, if we talk like this, they won’t be able to bypass us, right?”

“…… Of course. Then it’s just a matter of avoiding unnecessary injuries until Tigre-sensei arrives …… I wonder what happens when we recover?”

When Ryuuze closed the wound with medicine, Akzeryus said to Ryuuze with a big smile.

“Ohhh, you’re clever! Yes, the more you heal, the weaker my power will be. So, if you use natural healing or medicine, my power won’t increase very much. But for a guy like you, if I do this, you’ll come at me ……”

“……!? No, Naru!”

When Ryuuze realizes his intentions, he runs quickly, but Akzeryus moves forward without hesitation. The moment Naru, who was treating the knight, noticed Ryuuze’s voice and turned around, Akzeryus was wielding the greatsword in front of her.

“Kyaaaaaahhhhh!?”

“From the looks of it, you’re that kid’s girlfriend, aren’t you? If I kill someone like you, he’s going to be so angry he’s going to come at me!”

“Stop it! If anything happens to Naru, I’ll kill you!”

“Hyahahahaha, I’m hoping that happens!”

“Naru-chan!”

Naru was in a situation where she could not turn to a counterattack or avoid it because she was attacked suddenly. She’s going to be killed, the moment Kudelica covered her eyes–

“At last we meet, I’ve wanted to meet you, Akzeryus ……”

“What the hell ……! You know my name? Who the hell are you ……?”

“It’s presumptuous of you to make me introduce myself. I’m going to avenge my parents and Verde, okay?”

— There’s someone who came in between Naru and Akzeryus. The figure who stopped the greatsword with a golden hammer was ……

“B-Basleigh-sensei ……?”

“Ah, why did you go Naru-chan!? Well, whatever. I’m Basleigh, Akzeryus, I’m the one who’s going to bury you.”

“Interesting …… that weapon …… You’re no ordinary person, are you?”

“Ha!”

Instead of answering Akzeryus’ words, Basleigh attacked.