episode_0022

I swung Mookya a couple of times and realized something.

It was naive of me to think that this numskull would only get stronger by devouring other creatures.

But I guess it’s understandable, considering how he’s literally rampaging like a mad chicken right now.

A mad chicken, have you ever seen such a thing?

And not just any mad chicken, but a freaking huge one. The image of a chicken might seem a bit weak, but in reality, they’re pretty fierce.

Its pecking speed is incredibly fast, and its sturdy beak easily pierces through tough skin.

And what about those claws? If it scratches you, it hurts like hell. I know from my days at the orphanage.

Moreover, big chickens are surprisingly much larger than what people commonly think. When they stretch their necks, they reach up to the thighs, and when they spread their wings and take off, they can easily jump up to head height.

Now imagine getting pecked or scratched in that state… It’s too horrifying! I don’t even want to imagine it!

Of course, one could argue that I’m a cat. And cats tear apart chickens.

But… but here’s the thing.

What if that numskull is about three times bigger than me?

Cra-cra-cra-cra-cra-cra!

“Gasp….”

Anyway, what I want to talk about right now is this.

The chicken that swallowed three other creatures turned out to be much more formidable than I anticipated. In a prolonged fight, it’s definitely not an opponent I can beat… The problem is, right now, it’s a situation where a prolonged fight is not an option.

“No, no….”

The magic circle formed from blood begins to glow brighter. It’s a clear sign of the precursor to summoning magic.

Even though I want to tell the people inside to run, they all have their wrists and ankles bound, so they can’t even run properly.

If I push myself further, I could tear the numskull to shreds and get out of here immediately… but the side effects of 7th stage magic are beyond imagination, and it takes a long time for the body to recover, so I’d rather avoid it if possible.

And on top of that, the 7th stage isn’t just about the side effects.

“It’s better than people dying, but…”

Since there’s no proper solution, I have no choice but to push myself further.

“If only there was just one more person.”

If there was just one more person with skills similar to mine, someone who could help me.

People could have been rescued confidently and stably.

That was what I was thinking.

Suddenly, a familiar voice began to echo from the passage I had just passed through. A voice that shouldn’t be here.

“Kiiiiiiiiii—!”

“…….”

“Kkiyahhoooooo—!”

An absurd battle cry, followed by a powerful burst of flames.

The flames that shot out from the passage swallowed up the charging rooster-headed creature and then soared off into the distance.

Stunned, I watched as the familiar figure, as expected, walked over and stood to my left, nonchalantly twirling a magic wand in her mouth.

“Missed me?”

“…Elena.”

“Why are you making that face without answering? Just relax and chew on this.”

Saying so, she forcefully placed the magic wand she had been chewing into my mouth. It didn’t feel great, almost like feeding a cat, but meeting Elena after so long and having the magic wand in my mouth did, admittedly, calm the passionate emotions I didn’t want to acknowledge.

“Why are you here?”

Elena pouted deliberately.

“Geez! Is that all you have to say after not seeing me for so long?”

“…Sorry. I was just surprised.”

“Huh? What’s wrong with you? You used to scold me right away in the past, remember?”

“….”

“Just kidding. Do you know that if you raise your alert level to 2 or higher, it gets immediately reported to headquarters? I came flying in a helicopter after coincidentally seeing you while visiting the military base.”

…She visited a military base? Something’s off about her.

Elena chuckled softly, placing her hand on her hip and looking around with a sly posture.

“But it seems like I arrived just in time for a precarious situation… Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“…Thank you.”

Elena looked surprised.

But it wasn’t a look directed at me; it was a look directed at her right wrist…

Wait, why is my, my, my tail over there?

The tail, unrelated to my will, was wrapped around Elena’s wrist, swaying gently as if in a good mood.

“…I-I didn’t do it!”

I hastily released the tail and firmly grasped it with my hand. Stay still!

Elena, who had been looking down at my wrist as if disappointed, quickly adopted a playful expression.

“Is that so? If it wasn’t you, then who did it?”

“…Anyway, it wasn’t me.”

“Hmm~? I can barely hear you.”

“It was the tail!”

“But it’s your tail.”

“…Quiet.”

“Hehe~. If you were happy to see me after so long, you should have said so, sis.”

I didn’t bother responding. The more I respond, the more Elena will tease me. It’s already a familiar pattern.

Intentionally ignoring me, Elleta stared at me, then smiled.

“Well then, can I take care of that?”

“Yes. You handle the rooster, Elena.”

“…Rooster? Where is it? What are you looking at?”

Looking into the distance at the rooster head that was standing up… it seemed drastically different from before.

A samurai’s sword-like tail, solid arms growing from the humanoid body, and even large claws on its feet.

Now, the only remnants of the rooster head era were the wings made of muscles and tendons…

“…It used to be a rooster.”

“…Well, if you say it’s a rooster, then it’s a rooster. Wait, I’ll turn it into a whole roasted chicken for you.”

“Yes.”

Confidently stepping forward, Elena swiftly rotated the prosthetic arm on her left hand.

Making a whirring sound as it spun around, the arm suddenly stopped mechanically with a clang! Flames spewed from the open burners as it switched to combat mode.

Elena… she’ll manage fine on her own. Although the rooster head is quite strong, it’s only slightly stronger than a disaster-level creature.

Disaster-level creatures are classified from A-rank top tier to S-rank lower tier in terms of superhumans, but…

Elena, like me, is from the Twilight Division. It’s absurd for her to be bothered by just one disaster-level monster.

So, I just need to do what I have to do diligently.

“…Actually, I’ve been casting spells continuously since the moment Elena blew away the cockatrice.”

From [Anti-Magic Field], a deceptive magic that suppresses magic within a designated area. It may seem so, but in reality, it’s a spell with quite a few flaws.

Firstly, its range of limiting magic isn’t extensive, and as it interferes with the ‘preparation’ for casting magic, it can’t stop spells that are already partially completed.

So, the summoning spell has reached a point where it can’t be stopped.

Therefore, all I can do now is help release people from confinement and guide them to safety. And prepare to fight whatever comes out and confronts us.

Judging by the flow of magical power, there’s roughly about 3 minutes left until the summoning. It’s more than enough time to move around 100 or so survivors.

“Meow.”

At maximum speed achievable with Gear 6, I swiftly transport groups of three or four at a time.

Since it was a bit much to guide everyone to the gate exit, I just released their restraints near the passage leading to the exit. They should be able to escape on their own.

“Hurry up!”

Kwakwakwakwaahh!

Hmm. Looks like they’re fighting well over there. As expected, Elena is overwhelming the cockatrice.

Given the toughness of the cockatrice, it might take a little time.

Elena infuses her sword with magic, ignites it, and rushes forward to strike, rendering the cockatrice helpless. Elena is truly formidable!

Unless the cockatrice awakens into a mythical-class monster, it seems unlikely that Elena will lose.

“Hmph….”

Seeing Elena unharmed is reassuring. Now, I need to get ready too.

I concentrate magical power at my fingertips and inscribe characters into the air. A kind of runic script.

While learning runes is difficult, once mastered, they allow for significantly faster spellcasting compared to regular magic. In military magic, runes play a substantial role.

Well, I may not be a wizard, but as a knight… after rolling around the battlefield for about 9 years, I ended up picking up and mastering all sorts of things.

“I had to do that to survive.”

There’s a saying that it’s better to deeply master one skill than to lightly master a hundred. But the battlefield wasn’t a place where you could survive just by mastering one skill well.

Even those who were called masters in more than one field closed their eyes and when they opened them again, they had turned into corpses. You had to master whatever you could and make it entirely your own.

Those who couldn’t do that all died, and most of those who could also died, with only a few surviving.

Runes carved in the air etched onto my body in an instant with magic.

In my hand, my cherished sword Mukya is gripped, and my armor is unfastened to the sixth level.

Most importantly, Elena is right behind me.

Just that alone made my once empty heart feel full.

“Hehe.”

Somehow, a laugh escaped me.

No matter what comes out from there, I was confident it wouldn’t defeat me.