Chapter 172: Worthy Rival

Chapter 172: Worthy Rival

[Notify all units! The Strongest Sword Lior is in front of the main gate! I repeat. The Strongest Sword Lior has come to reinforcements!] (Sirius)

As my [Call] spread the information about Lior-Jiisan’s appearance, a big shock ran across the units. Some wondered if Jii-san really came, but they seemed to be convinced even though they didn’t like it by his shout and destruction sounds that reverberated more than monsters.

“Hahaha! Isn’t this all-you-can-slash party! Nurryaaa—!” (Lior)

And in the sky, the high rank dragons, Mejia and the three dragons, were knocking down monsters attacking from the sky one after another.

[Let’s go! Show our power to those who can only fly!] (Mejia)

[As you say!] (Eye)

[No matter how many of them.] (Kuva)

[Don’t be our enemy!] (Rai)

I didn’t expect Jii-san to be here, but the battle had changed dramatically due to their appearance. Thanks to the reduced number of monsters in the sky, our burden had been greatly reduced, and we had enough room to breathe slowly. In the meantime, while I was rehydrating and recovering mana, the only blue dragon among the high rank dragons who didn’t participate in the battle, Xenodora, slowly descended toward my direction.

“Is it coming here!? Everyone, be prepared!” (Beast King)

“Please wait! That blue dragon is a friend. Don’t attack him. He probably comes to talk.” (Sirius)

The Beast King instinctively issued a command, but I rushed in to stop him. So, I managed to prevent Xenodora from being attacked. No matter how people had heard that he was an ally beforehand, that reaction would be inevitable if a huge dragon approached in front of them. Xenodora gently landed in front of us after determining that there was no danger, but then, I noticed he had a young man on his back.

“Could it be Beawolf?” (Sirius)

“Yes, it’s me. It has been a while.” (Beowolf)

He was the son of a Sword Master, and he was the young man who wanted to be my disciple after fighting at the Fighting Festival. Surely, he said that he would join me after meeting with Lior-Jiisan in order to ask him to tell the end of his father, but he appeared safely with Jii-san meant that…

“No, I won’t say that… you’re fine.” (Sirius)

“Yes… Well, there are a lot of things going on.” (Beowulf)

Beowulf’s expression was somewhat rough when he jumped from the back of Xenodora, but the refreshing look that I saw a year ago was almost gone. It seemed the word ‘wild’ suited him, but was this because he had been together with Jii-san? Anyhow, I could understand that without taking too much guess. Nevertheless, I felt relieved that his personality didn’t change much from the way he smiled and talked to me.

“Although this is the situation, but I’m glad to see you again. Lior-san made so many detours to the point that he couldn’t keep up with everyone…” (Beowulf)

“I understand it’s hard, but why were you all riding on the dragon’s back?” (Sirius)

Did they follow us down to the village of Winged People? Even if it was a place where ordinary people avoid due to the danger, it was quite possible for a battle maniac like him. When I asked about the backstory, Hokuto came down from the back of the three dragons, and Zenodora, who had changed from dragon form to human form, briefly explained the situation.

“On the way here, Hokuto found them walking on the ground. He told me that they knew each other and we should bring them with us.” (Zenodora)

“I see. Did you see Beowulf? It was a good decision, Hokuto.” (Sirius)

“Woof!” (Hokuto)

As I stroked Hokuto’s head since he had been running for more than half a day, Zenodora slowly reached out while looking at my face, so I shook his hand.

“Once again… it has been a long time, Sirius.” (Zenodora)

“Thank you for coming, Zenodora-sama.” (Sirius)

“It’s a friend’s call. There’s more. I want to repay the favor for saving Karen and teaching us how to cook. You don’t have to hold back.” (Zenodora)

“Thank you very much. Even so, I didn’t expect five of you would come here.” (Sirius)

“The truth is Mejia wasn’t there, but… well, I’ll explain that later.” (Zenodora)

Anyhow, they were five strongest upper rank dragons among the dragons. Looking from the sidelines, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to think that they were coming to attack the country. Of course, I felt bad for involving the fight which had nothing to do with them, but it seemed that Zenodora didn’t care too much because of their race’s way of thinking was too difference, so I just accept the help obediently.

“So, should we reduce the number of monsters in the sky?” (Zenodora)

“Yes, please. I’m going around to support the ground units.” (Sirius)

“Hmm, you can leave the sky to us.” (Zenodora)

With a reassuring smile, Zenodora reappeared as a dragon, and he leaped into the battlefield of the sky where Mejia and the three dragons fought. Now the enemies from sky would be fine for a while, but how about the ground? I thought that Jii-san was rampaging so much that the burden on Reus and others would have been reduced.

“You’re too far ahead, Jii-chan! Clear the way a bit more before you go out!” (Reus)

“Nurryyaaaa!” (Lior)

“Strongest Sword-dono! Please do the technique earlier toward the east side! There are too many monsters stick on the wall.” (Albert)

“I need more! I want to stay here some more!” (Lior)

…Unfortunately, Jii-san was already out of control. He destroyed monsters one after another by simply charging in places where enemies were gathered. By the way, he didn’t use the technique he showed when he descended to the ground. Apparently, the mental burden of Reus had increased on the contrary because Jii-san was inefficient in group battles, and he moved around without considering the cooperation with allies. Anyhow, he wielded his sword with instinct and it was a rampage worthy of being called a berserker.

“Isn’t that Jii-san has no distinction when doing something like this before? I think he seems a bit calmer than before. Beowulf, do you know the reason since you were with him?” (Sirius)

“That’s probably because he met Hokuto and Zenodora.” (Beowulf)

When Hokuto discovered Beowulf and Jii-san, and made a contact with them, Jii-san apparently drew his sword immediately while laughing at the appearance of strong men. Then, Zenodora and others continued to appear and Jii-san’s excitement reached the climax. However, when they explained the circumstances, he was forced to give up his sword. So, to put it simply, was he venting the frustration since he couldn’t fight strong men?

“It was really difficult to stop Lior-san. When I told him that it would be troublesome for Sirius-san if Hokuto was late, he finally gave in.” (Beowulf)

Perhaps, it’s not because of me, but it’s because Emilia is here.” (Sirius)

“I won’t deny that. I will leave the detailed story later. I will fight now.” (Beowulf)

“Are you sure? There’s no need for you to fight, and the ground is pretty intense right now, you know?” (Sirius)

“Your disciple, Reus, is fighting. There’s no way I won’t fight. Plus… I’m used to it already.” (Beowulf)

Used to fight, was it? Without having a proper reason, his words made me convince. It might be better to invite him to drinking table later and listened to his complaints about Jii-san.

“Well then, I’m going!” (Beowulf)

“Oi!? That Nii-chan is…” (?)

After passing by the soldiers around him, Beowulf jumped off the wall without hesitation. He descended to the ground by using the monsters climbing the wall as a foothold. Beowulf, who safely landed on the ground, slashed down the incoming monsters with his two swords and headed toward Reus.

It’s not only his skills, his judgment on the situation has improved. He looks much stronger than before, isn’t it?” (Sirius)

He seemed to be losing something because he went through difficulties while associating with Jii-san, but he seemed to gain something else. Although I only looked at him in general, not only the strength that I felt was insufficient before, I could see that the speed and the swordsmanship were also refined. Reus also had improved his skills, but it would be difficult to beat Beowulf now. It was impossible now, so I looked forward to the mock battle between them.

[Do not relax! The battle isn’t over yet! While the reinforcements are struggling, each unit must reorganize and check your equipment!] (Cayenne)

“We will do that as well! Gathered the injured and take turns checking your equipment!” (Beast King)

When the commander, Cayenne, gave the order, the Beast King was also rushing to reorganize his entire unit and confirmed the damage. I was looking at the ground while checking my equipment. Then, the Beast King, who had finished giving order, approached me.

“I didn’t expect that the Strongest Sword and the dragons are the reinforcements. As always, you surprise me.” (Beast King)

“Actually, I also didn’t expect the Strongest Sword. However… this is going to change the tide of battle a lot.” (Sirius)

“Aah. I can see hope.” (Beast King)

Having recovered mana and stamina, I called the Beast King while looking at Emilia who was observing Jii-san on the ground.

“I’ll go to the ground once I’m ready. I’ll rest for a bit.” (Sirius)

“Hmm. It’s good to go all out.” (Beast King)

Since the Beast King understood my intention, he agreed. Then, I went to Emilia while observing Jii-san’s movement.

—

— Reus —

At the time when our stamina almost depleted and for the signal to withdraw to be issued, Zenodora and others, whom Aniki called, arrived as reinforcements. The role of Zenodora and others, who could fly freely in the sky, were tremendous. The monsters in the sky, which were difficult to beat, were being defeated one after another. Thanks to them, it seemed that things were easier for Aniki, Marina and Nee-chan. On the other hand, we didn’t anticipate that the Strongest Sword… Lior-Jiichan to come. Even though Jii-chan was already quite old, this cheerful old man would destroy monsters as fast as Zenodora-san’s group, but… to be honest, it wasn’t a very good situation.

“Nuhahaha! There are many monsters this time!” (Lior)

“Everyone, get back! Don’t get any closer to the Strongest Sword!” (Reus)

“Get away from that Jii-san! You’ll get caught if you don’t!” (Keith)

Since Jii-chan was on rampage, we were also almost get caught. I tried to get away quickly in order not to get caught, but I still couldn’t feel relieved. Since Jii-chan charged to places with many monsters and swung his sword, the shock waves from his swing flew from behind the monsters as some monsters avoided his attacks. Actually, Keith’s and my hair had been cut several times.

“Say, Reus. Is that person really an ally?” (Keith)

“…Maybe.” (Reus)

“What!? Answer me more clearly!” (Keith)

Even if he asked me, I was also doubtful. Rather than saying that he came to help, I was convinced that he just came because he wanted to rampage around.

“Aah… what a brilliant and beautiful swordsmanship. No doubt about those rumors… I have to learn more sword techniques by all means!” (Julia)

By the way, Julia seemed to be excited about Jii-chan’s sword techniques. Even so, I couldn’t complain since she was cutting monsters that were approaching, but it didn’t change even at times like this. Julia looked back while laughing shyly as if she noticed my gaze.

“Please be relieved. No matter how much I admire the swordsmanship of the Strongest Sword, as a woman, I only like Reus.” (Julia)

I didn’t understand, but I could tell that she misunderstood something. While thinking about such a thing, a shock wave from Jii-san’s sword flew again from the front. Keith, who was about get caught, leaped away.

“Uoooh!? That Jii-san is not looking here at all. Since the Strongest Sword is your teacher, stop him quickly!” (Keith)

“It’s not a problem to stop him. After all, I’m Aniki’s disciple!” (Reus)

I had called out to Jii-san many times before, but he never listened. In a sense, when we were in trouble with the situation where the number of enemies had decreased, we noticed that something was approaching here with tremendous momentum. Julia prepared herself similar as me. Then, the one who appeared before us while we slashed monsters one after another while running ahead was… a man who wielded two swords freely. It was a lot different than before, but the two swords that seemed to flutter were familiar.

“Long time no see, Reus. It seems the situation is a bit difficult, isn’t it?” (Beowulf)

“Uhm… Be… Be… what’s your name again?” (Reus)

“I know that you are that kind of person, but I want you to remember my name. It’s me, Beowulf.” (Beowulf)

“Ooh! Yes, it’s you, Beowulf. Long time no see!” (Reus)

He had a troubled expression, but when I called his name, he came to my side with a smile. Julia tilted her head as she realized that Beowulf wasn’t an enemy. So, I briefly introduced Beowulf to everyone.

“…In other words, Beowulf-dono is Reus’s close friend, is it?” (Julia)

“If anything, he is an opponent I should defeat. Excuse me, are you a friend of Reus-kun?” (Beowulf)

“I will be Reus’ wife in the future. Anyhow, I’m glad to meet a swordsman like Beowulf-dono.” (Julia)

“Nice to meet you… eh? W-wife!?” (Beowulf)

Julia was looking at Beowulf with a refreshing smile. Perhaps, she wasn’t only interested about him as reinforcement, but also his swordsmanship. That… yeah, those eyes said that she wanted to fight him later. Without knowing it, Beowulf began to get confused by her words, but Keith and Albert joined in.

“I’m surprised. You’re a companion of that Jii-san. Can you do something about him soon?” (Keith)

“The damage is starting to come out from our side as well. Is there any way to stop him?” (Albert)

“Stopping Lior-san… is it?” (Beowulf)

Although he was looking at Jii-chan while saying that, I felt that it was pointless from the reaction. Even though his eyes weren’t far away, he was looking somewhere far away.

“That’s impossible. I’ve been together with him for almost a year for a certain reason, but when he gets excited, like now, he never stops. I tried to stop him a few times, but I was almost killed each time.” (Beowulf)

“What the… sorry. It might have been unpleasant when I asked that.” (Albert)

“As I expected, do we have to withdraw again?” (Keith)

“But then, the Strongest Sword will be surrounded by monsters and eventually become exhausted. I would like him to move together with our units even if it just a little…” (Albert)

We were paying attention to the monsters and Jii-chan’s sword, but we were also worried about retreating from this place. At that moment, a voice from [Echo] rang out that created a sudden change to Jii-chan.

[Ojii-chan!] (Emilia)

“Wha!?” (Lior)

When I was judging Jii-chan’s movement since he had been rampaging, he stopped suddenly. He, then, looked at the wall with the momentum that completely ignored the surrounding monsters. It was far away and I couldn’t see well, but what was in front of Jii-chan’s gaze was Nee-chan who was standing on the fall. After confirming her appearance, Jii-chan began to shed tears after slicing the surrounding monsters in an instant.

“O-ooh… Emilia! What a… what a growth. Aren’t you shining!?” (Lior)

Aah, that Jii-chan. Instead of taking his eyes off the monsters, he was delighted while waving his hands like a child. How much did he want to see Nee-chan? While everyone was panicking about what was going on, Beowulf and I knew Jii-chan’s personality. So, we were looking at him.

“He has been shouting Emilia’s name over and over again, but I didn’t expect he would react like that…” (Beowulf)

“Talking about her growth… does he see Nee-chan properly? He probably can’t see her well from here.” (Reus)

“You fool! If you look at Emilia’s radiance, you’ll know!” (Lior)

From the perspective of Lior-Jiichan, Nee-chan seemed to be constantly giving lights. I asked Aniki about that, but… he said something that I didn’t understand. More importantly, Jii-chan finally listened to my words. Since seeing Nee-chan made him calmed down a bit, I asked him again.

“Jii-chan, please use [Break Thrust] that way! It’s pretty pack over there.” (Reus)

“Don’t behave like a spoiled child, youngster! Charging and slashing with my sword is ‘Single Strike Ultimate Destruction Sword Style’ isn’t it!?” (Lior)

That was certainly the truth, but that wasn’t the case now. Even if I could have a conversation with him, nothing would change after all. However… as Jii-chan said, it wasn’t like me to rely on him. Beowulf also came and the fighting potential had increased. When I tried to use a bit extra of mana to unleash [Break Thrust], I noticed that Aniki stood next to Nee-chan and whispered something.

[Ojii-chan. Please do the same technique in that direction. Of course, you can’t damage the wall, alright.] (Emilia)

“Oraaa–!” (Lior)

As soon as he heard Nee-chan’s voice, he immediately unleashed [Break Thrust]. It hit the monsters on the eastern side that Nee-chan pointed at, and it blew them away. The power was ridiculous, even when it was unleashed from the sky…

“Isn’t ‘Single Strike Ultimate Destruction Sword Style’ about charging and slashing?” (Reus)

“It can’t be helped if Emilia asks me. How about that, Emilia!? I’m amazing, right!?” (Lior)

As a matter of course, he disregarded my complaint and waved his hand just to be praised by Nee-chan. Then, he began to swing his sword to the monsters around him again. Goodness, he was an old man that I got tired just by talking, but he didn’t change in many ways. It was kind of nostalgic, or on the other hand, it was a relief. However… only his swordsmanship was different. Even if I didn’t like it, I understood that he was way stronger than me before this. I thought I was catching up the Strongest Sword a bit, but I felt like I was getting further away from him instead of getting closer.

“But… I will definitely surpass him. Just look forward to that.” (Reus)

In order to be standing next to Aniki, Lior-Jiichan was a wall I need to overcome. He would be my stepping stone. Nothing would change if I felt hesitant. While observing Jii-chan’s movement and fighting the surrounding monster, he suddenly stopped moving and looked up at the sky. I was wondering what was going on, and then, countless mana lumps fell from above. As soon as those fell, it released shock waves to blow away the monsters, almost cleared up the monsters that weren’t only around Jii-chan, but also us. The last thing that fell in the middle of what everyone was on the lookout was… Aniki. In other words, it was Aniki’s [Impact]. As Jii-chan was wiping away the blood of the monsters attached to his sword, he looked at Aniki with a really happy smile, rather than being angry at being deprived of his prey.

“Hahaha! That was splendid. I feel relieved that you are stronger than I expected.” (Lior)

“I’m fine if you analyze my strength without greeting me, but don’t ignore my disciples too much.” (Sirius)

“Humph! Why do I have to listen to what the youngsters say?” (Lior)

“Goodness, you haven’t changed at all. Well, the situation is the situation, I’ll leave the greeting later.” (Sirius)

It didn’t feel like meeting a best friend again. That might be because of the situation. If anything, it was an atmosphere that the battle between Aniki and Jii-chan was about to begin. The two of them ran at the same time toward each other, not the monsters…

“Hah!” (Sirius)

“Uooh!” (Lior)

After the magic and the sword blowing away the monsters that were closing in on each other’s back, Aniki and Jii-chan laughed as they were back-to-back.

“You haven’t rampage enough, right? I’ll bring you to a good place, so why don’t we go a bit further away?” (Sirius)

“Let’s do that! I just want to have someone who can respond immediately!” (Lior)

Aside from the special Nee-chan, Jii-chan, who usually didn’t listen to anyone, nodded. It might seem unreasonable, but it was natural. That was because Aniki fought Jii-chan many times, and they recognized each other. By the way, I didn’t forget that Aniki was winning. When they rushed to the hordes of monsters, we saw the true strong men.

“I’m going to break it off from the left wing! Follow me.” (Sirius)

“Huhahaha! If you plan to make a joke, I’m going to slice you!” (Lior)

We did try to break through the hordes of monsters from the front, but the momentum of Aniki and Jii-chan was clearly different. The first thing I noticed was that Jii-chan’s sword swing speed went up even further. Until now, it was just a violent sword that spit out what had been accumulated, but now, I felt like Jii-chan was showing his true technique. The sword that was shaken while chasing Aniki, who ran as he kicked monsters, was like a storm. It created a road while building mountains of dead bodies on the flat land filled with monsters.

“What… is that? It’s like Father and Mother… No, it’s more than that?” (Julia)

“Is the power of Shishou and the Strongest Sword so different from us?” (Beowulf)

No matter how much they were surrounded by monsters, Jii-chan was amazing as he swung his sword with a laugh, but the one who I was most surprised was probably Aniki. I knew that he was guiding Jii-chan, but obviously, but even if he paid attention to Aniki’s sword, it wasn’t unusual to keep their distance away while continuing to move forward.

“Oi oi, why is he fighting in that position? It’s too dangerous.” (Keith)

“Perhaps, it doesn’t bring any meaning if he doesn’t stay in front of Lior-san.” (Beowulf)

Compared to me were using the weaker version of ‘Single Strike Ultimate Destruction Sword Style’ yesterday, Jii-chan’s sword sliced the monster that couldn’t be reached by his blade. It was terrifying because he was using it like breathing. It felt like a secret technique or something. In other words, when Aniki moved to a position where Jii-chan’s sword couldn’t reach, the monsters came and were sliced immediately. That was why Aniki didn’t try to move further away and kept moving forward while avoiding Jii-chans sword. Morever, he did that without even looking back.

“Do-does Shishou has eyes on the back?” (Beowulf)

“No, even if you can see his sword, you can’t easily avoid it. It’s purely Sirius-san’s ability.” (Albert)

If I were to add one more thing, Jii-chan didn’t hold back even once. If there were allies in the attack range, it would be normal to adjust, but in the case of Jii-chan, he didn’t hesitate to swing the sword so much to the point it made people think that he was aiming at Aniki. It was like people could be killed while thinking that he was joking around. I wanted to say that, but it seemed Jii-chan was serious. I couldn’t tell lies even if it meant good or bad.

“So, we don’t need to charge further.” (Keith)

“If we get intervene unnecessarily, we will only get in their way. Julia-sama, please prepare to withdraw…” (Albert)

More… they made me wanted to see more. I wanted to see the strength from their back slowly. I realized that Aniki and Jii-chan were going to disappeared soon, so I looked back in a hurry and apologized to everyone.

“Sorry! I’m going to follow Aniki!” (Reus)

“Please wait. If you leave them alone, they will surely come back.” (Albert)

“I’m not worried about them. I just want to see them! I’ll regret if I’m not following those two!” (Reus)

“In that case, will you go with us?” (Julia)

In front of me, who might have started running if nobody was there, Julia, who had been away before I noticed, showed up on a horse. Albert and Keith rushed to stop her in a hurry because she had equipment that people could only think that she would charge ahead with her several escorts.

“Oi oi!? Is Princess talking something crazy?” (Keith)

“I’m just going to follow the Strongest Sword. What? The monster attack should be that severe if we follow those two.” (Julia)

“Surely, that is true, but it’s still dangerous. And we can’t neglect the defense here…” (Albert)

“I understand that it is unscrupulous. However, I can’t overlook how those two fight!” (Julia)

Somehow, Julia felt the same way as me. The problem was that when Julia and I left, I was worried about the defense in front of the main gate.

“I will fight together with Beowulf-dono. If he joins us, the defense here would be enough.” (Albert)

“Well, yeah. I can leave it to guys with peace of mind.” (Reus)

“I’ve come here with that intention, and I don’t feel bad about being relied on, but have I done something that would be trusted right away?” (Beowulf)

““I can tell by looking at your swordsmanship.”” (Reus/Julia)

“…You’re really suits each other.” (Albert)

It wasn’t only Beowulf, but everyone else was sighing. What was wrong with them? Well, I would think about it later. After deciding to follow Aniki and jii-chan, I noticed that Julia on the horse was reaching out to me.

“Well then, let’s hurry and chase them. Reus, you should ride behind me.” (Julia)

“Is there another horse? I’m pretty heavy.” (Reus)

“I want to spare horses as much as possible, and my horse isn’t weak. Plus, you’re the only one I can entrust my back.” (Julia)

What was that… I didn’t dislike it, but I feel like riding together with her. In such a strange mood, I chased Aniki and Jii-chan on the same horse as Julia.

—

The path that Aniki and Jii-chan made was buried by monsters. As Julia expected, the number was decreasing. So, we were able to catch up with them without much trouble. Both continued to defeat the monsters with tremendous momentum as usual. Aniki, who blew the approaching monsters away with [Shotgun], gave instructions to Jii-chan.

“Jii-san, I leave the big one over there to you.” (Sirius)

“Yeah, you too!? My preys will be reduced, you know!” (Lior)

“Then, shall we compare? I can use similar magic.” (Sirius)

“Hou… interesting! Let’s do it!” (Lior)

Aniki skillfully induced Jii-chan. Then, he unleashed [Break Thrust] in the direction where everyone wasn’t involved, and at the same time, Aniki shot [Anti Materiel] and defeated troublesome monsters. We were chasing them while they continued on the path that was made in such a way. Suddenly, Julia whispered as she maneuvering the horse.

“Where is Sirius-dono headed? There must have been troublesome monsters on the other side.” (Julia)

“Aniki is aiming for the ones that affecting the monsters. It’s hard to understand because there are too many monsters, but they seem to be in many places.” (Reus)

Aniki said that special monsters were placed everyone on the battlefield in order to give detailed instructions to the monsters that they were controlling these days. Julia tilted her head, wondering if there were such monsters. After a while chasing them, we noticed that some monsters have a distinctly different atmosphere. It was hard to understand because of the big size, but I felt that the monster had a similar atmosphere to the Chimera that we fought with Albert in the past.

“Proceed without stopping. Make sure you get that though!” (Sirius)

“I just need to cut it! Oraaa–!” (Lior)

Aniki jumped over the Chimera’s head to distract it, and the immediately approaching Jii-chan sliced into two. In addition to that, Aniki fired magic as he jumped and rotated in the air. At the same time, he shot not only at the nearby monsters, but also troublesome monsters that threw rocks from distant away. Really… there was no waste in Aniki’s movement. More than just assaulting and paving the way, he always read ahead and moved. For example, large-size monsters that were hard to kill by magic were pressed to Jii-chan, and he gave priority to small-size monsters that seemed troublesome to cut with sword. It might be because of that, I would say that Jii-chan was more excited than rampaging alone. I felt like he was swinging his sword with extreme happiness. Then, Julia, who had been fascinated by Jii-chan’s swordsmanship, asked me very seriously. She might notice the special movements of Aniki.

“Reus. Who is Sirius-dono?” (Julia)

“What? Aniki is just Aniki.” (Reus)

“I understand why the Strongest Sword is strong. That’s probably because he continues to polish his swordsmanship until that age. But why is Sirius-dono so strong even though he isn’t as old as me?” (Julia)

“The reason is simple. That’s because Aniki has been working hard enough to beat Jii-chan.” (Reus)

He said he had the knowledge… of the previous life, but I didn’t think it matters. No matter how much he remembered, it wasn’t easy to move the body that way. And even Aniki made various mistakes. I knew he was training hard enough to bleed blood. Even if he kept losing in the mock battle, he didn’t give up. That was because I knew Aniki’s effort. To put it simply, he never neglected his training no matter. He kept going forward without giving up. That’s why he was strong… no, he got stronger.

“There are no shortcuts or special powers to be really strong. If you look at them, you’ll understand, right?” (Reus)

“…Aah!” (Julia)

Julia nodded in satisfaction. She seemed to understand what I wanted to say even though it was vague. She, then, continued riding the horse.

After that, they continued to attack. Even at a distance where Jii-chan’s sword couldn’t reach, the monsters’ assault had become slow. We were able to watch battle carefully, but since two Gigatients noticed the threat here coming closer, it wasn’t longer the situation where we could observe them.

“It might have been the right answer after all. We will help as well.” (?)

“Julia-sama, the preparation is ready.” (?)

In anticipation of this situation, Julia’s escorts took out an iron stake to defeat the Gigatients, and they were waiting for the order. When I tried to tell them that Aniki and Jii-chan would take care of the Gigatients… I noticed three more came out from a far.

“Kuh… this is bad. We’re going to join them soon!” (Julia)

“No, you don’t need to go.” (Reus)

When Julia tried to put a whip on the horse, Aniki, who leaped away from Jii-chan’s sword, looked at us. Those eyes… I felt like he was saying that we didn’t need to do anything.

“I’ll get the ones that are a bit further away. I leave the big ones to you.” (Sirius)

“Hahaha! Isn’t that easy to be cut!?” (Lior)

Aniki continued to leap into the sky with [Air Step]. He jumped over the monsters and headed for the three additional Gigatients that appeared. And when Aniki approached the top of the three Gigatients, he shot [Magnum] straight down. Just like how Julia and her escort knocked them down with iron stake, the monsters stiffened and collapsed.

“Wha!? What in the world is this!? I don’t expect that it’s so powerful magic?” (?)

“Maybe, it’s the same as Julia did?” (Reus)

I thought that Aniki would be able to blow the head completely if he used [Anti Materiel], but that drained a huge amount of mana. However, in the case of [Magnum], it was blocked by the wall of flesh and wouldn’t reach the vital point. So, Aniki shot the same magic three times all on the same spot, created a hole and reached its vital point. Certainly, it was like one-whole shot… or something like that. I remembered Aniki was saying it. Then, Aniki defeated Gigatient one after another. In the meantime, Lior-Jiichan was…

“Oraaa–!” (Lior)

Even the Gigatient was like a moving mountain, he sliced it into two in a stroke. He didn’t go around to the side like me and cut its neck, he sliced it from the front. After slicing the monster that was several tens of times longer than his sword, he muttered while looking at a huge chunk of meat that broke apart.

“Hmm… I slashed a little to the right, but it’s fine. Next!” (Lior)

“““…””” (?)

As expected, not only Julia, the escorts behind her couldn’t say anything. While everyone who was riding the horse, was half-stunned, Jii-chan sliced the other Gigatient into two. At that time, Aniki returned after clearing all three Gigatients.

“Next is the right wing side. You’re not tired, right?” (Sirius)

“No way! It’s still not enough!” (Lior)

Somehow… I felt like I understood them. Those two couldn’t leave each other back just like how I was with Albert. They knew each other’s abilities and were convinced that they would be fine with their strength. Therefore, Jii-chan could swing his sword without hesitation whether Aniki was in front of him or not. That might be also one of my aims. To get a bit closer… and to move forward… I kept carving the fight between Aniki and Jii-chan into my mind.

—

Extra/Bonus 1 – Not having enough of OO (※Please consider that this is different from the main story because it’s a small joke material.)

The Strongest Sword Jii-san, who had descended from the sky, was rampaging with his instinct.

“Hahahaha! What’s wrong? Is it only this much!?” (Lior)

“Uoooh!? The enemies are over there… aah damn it, you’re not listening!” (Reus)

“If I give him twenty tips to become smart, will he listen to what we say?” (Sirius)

“Does that mean Ojii-chan’s wisdom is zero?” (Emilia)

“Why Emilia knows about that?” (Sirius)

—

Extra/Bonus 2 – Not having enough of OO (※Again, please consider that this is different from the main story.)

The Strongest Sword Jii-san, who had descended from the sky, was rampaging with his instinct.

“Uhahaha! Now, I’m going to slice these monsters!” (Lior)

“Damn! You’re just looking around and don’t listen to me at all!” (Reus)

“Is he not having enough badges? In the case of Jii-san, it seems impossible to collect eight of them.” (Sirius)

“That might be Ojii-chan’s characteristic. I don’t think he will listen if you collect everything.” (Emilia)

“Again, why do you know about it?” (Sirius)

—

Extra/Bonus 3 – Not having enough OO (※This seems tedious, but… it’s not the main story.)

The Strongest Sword Jii-san, who had descended from the sky, was…

“Hmm!? Where is the next one!? Anything is fine!” (Lior)

“What do you mean? If you move your head quickly, it’s easy to see hit monsters, you know.” (Sirius)

“Is it because the intelligence is low, there are many meaningless actions?” (Reus)

“Rather than teaching everyone, he is only supporting himself. Perhaps, he’s just out of the disk.” (Emilia)

“Emilia, do you actually have the memories of the previous life?” (Sirius)

“That’s because I’m Sirius-sama’s attendant.” (Emilia)

“…Woof.” (Hokuto) (Translation… I’m just speaking by using my voice.)

(※ Please guess the OO that suit the extra/bonus 1~3 from each character’s POV.)