Ch.442The Targeted NPC. (6)

“Spirit Illusion Blade! Iron Wall!!”

Amidst the deafening explosions that seemed to shake the entire dungeon and the thunderous clash of iron and lead that drowned out even Chikuyo’s urgent voice to her companions right beside her, she was breaking out in a cold sweat.

‘How many, how many are there?! Can I block them all?!!’

Self-recrimination about how she failed to smell the approaching enemies would have to wait for later. For now, she needed to somehow endure the situation and turn it around by getting closer to the enemy. Of course, they had three people capable of ranged attacks, but…

“Ugh. Those golems!! They all have magic resistance!!! Windria’s spirit magic and my spells aren’t working!!”

“Piyak!! They won’t burn?! Then blow them up!!!”

“PEEEE—!! PEEEEE—?!!”

I, who should be attacking from range, was completely on the defensive. Moreover, the spirit magic and spells from the two magical girls—our party’s main firepower—couldn’t damage the enemy’s mythril golems. Piyak was managing to knock down golems with explosions, but that was just a drop in the bucket. I had thought their usual firepower would be enough to destroy them, but the location was terrible.

Behind us was a hole that looked like it would collapse with any more impact, and in front was a narrow corridor inside the dungeon. If Ira or Piyak used their full power here, we might all get caught in it, making the situation even worse.

-TANG!!!

“Kuk!! Spirit Illusion Blade!!”

The blade made from my tail fur couldn’t withstand the endless barrage and was destroyed. Through the gap, something—either enemy attacks or fragments of my broken blade—flowed in, and I immediately created another blade. But no matter how long I waited, the enemy’s attacks showed no signs of stopping. At this rate, I’ll run out of tail fur before I can block everything!!

“Something… there must be some way!!!”

“…Chikuyo. Even with all the noise, can you hear me?”

“Huh?! Yes!!”

I can hear. As a beastkin with good hearing, I can hear the voices of my companions right next to me no matter how noisy it is. Of course, my response wasn’t audible to Ray who had spoken to me, so I had to nod my head as well, but seeing my reaction, Ray continued with a warm smile like a mother looking at her daughter who had just completed an errand well.

“I’m going out there. I can’t see all the bullets either, but if magic and spirit arts aren’t working against the enemy, I need to cut them down myself.”

“Don’t say such nonsense!! How are you going to break through this iron downpour alone?!!”

Suicide. Even if she could turn the situation around, I could easily imagine Ray suffering at least severe injuries. Salt Non, who had shielded Ira with his body, was still bleeding from his shoulder despite drinking a potion. What if such attacks hit a body with internal organs? I’m sorry, but I want to compete for who gets to be the first female to bear Jack’s child, not erase his woman!

After expressing my absolute refusal by shaking my head, I created another blade to thicken the barrier. I’ll wait until the offensive slows down, then drop the illusion blades on the golems’ heads. Then, when there’s an opening to swing my sword, I’ll use the sword given by the Spirit King to create a wave…!!

“Sis!! Chikuyo sis!!!”

“Huh?!!”

“I’ll! I’ll defend everyone!! Attack together with Ray sis!!!”

“Me too!! I’ll defend too!!!”

Perhaps judging that they couldn’t bear to watch my blades being chipped away by the endless barrage, the girls who had been communicating with each other by writing with magic realized their attacks weren’t working and decided to switch to defense, showing their magic letters to Ray as well.

Ah, I see? If the two of them defend, Ray and I can both go on the offensive! Then we can approach without getting hit!!

I moved my tail to write letters on the floor. I asked them to signal when their defensive preparations were complete, and then Ray and I would leap into the enemy’s embrace. When Salt Non tried to grab my broken blade, indicating he wanted to join us, I twisted the blade away with my tail fur. He looked at me in disbelief, but I shook my head.

No, you stay behind the kids. You’re our last line of defense. If we fail, take them and escape through the hole.

After confirming that Salt Non had swallowed dryly while looking back and forth between the hole and me, I tapped Ira to tell her to signal when ready, and she immediately released her magical power, creating a wall with earth-attribute magic.

“Now!!!”

As soon as Ira’s magic letters and voice reached my sight and hearing simultaneously, I fired all my illusion blades forward without hesitation and ran alongside Ray. No one was surprised to see us drop our defense and leap into the iron downpour. The enemy, golems with guns, simply continued their attack upon seeing us. But.

“Swift Blade!! Messenger Release!!!”

“Spirit Illusion Blade!! Twin Blade Dance!!!”

“””KUOOO—!!!”””

As if they had been waiting for us, monsters rushed into the downpour. As I thought, the earlier blocking of my illusion blades wasn’t a coincidence. The enemy was controlling even the dungeon’s monsters. How? To solve this mystery, we needed to capture the old man called Councilor Beretta who had ambushed us. Moreover.

“How dare you target our sister-in-law…!!!”

“The price for targeting Ira will never be cheap!!!”

Both Ray and I had been thinking the same thing. We had been completely unable to react while dealing with the monsters, and the old man hadn’t been detected by the girls’ senses. If Salt Non hadn’t been there, Ira would now be lying in a pool of blood, growing cold. If that had happened, how could I—how could we—have faced Jack? Would we even have been able to think about facing him? When we imagined the “what if” of having to watch the man we love fall into despair, the hell we felt was truly indescribable.

“HAAAA!!”

-KWAAANG!!

A violent storm extended from Ray’s sword, blowing away both monsters and golems simultaneously, and I ran with my back to that storm, scattering spirit blades within it. Jack had told us that in the game he knew, I was the strongest dealer, the attacker. And Ray was right behind me. So, what about our combined attack?

-THUDUDUDUDUDUK!!

“…Heh, it was already absurd that you could dodge bullets and strike with swords, but to turn mythril golems into cube fragments? This is preposterous.”

This was the first time I had coordinated with her, but honestly, it didn’t feel like a first time. It was like hunting with Miho, whom I’d hunted with since childhood. Of course, I had no intention of telling Miho this, but it really felt like a perfect match.

“You’re awfully relaxed, old man?”

After visually confirming that there were no more golems to attack us, I approached the old man, who was smiling sinisterly. Ugh, disgusting.

“Perhaps you think I won’t kill you because you’re a councilor of Aiti?”

-Swish!

“KUUUGH?!!”

And Ray seemed to feel the same way. With a light swing of her sword, the right arm of the man holding the gun fell to the ground. Hmm, I want to cut him too, but if I cut any more, he might die.

“…Kh, khu. Khukhuk…!!”

“You’re laughing?”

“Huh, why is this bastard laughing? Has he gone mad from the pain?”

His sinister laughter was so disgusting that I had cut off his arm, but had he really lost his mind? As that revolting metallic laughter began to echo through the dungeon, I instinctively kicked him in the stomach, knocking him down and turning his laughter into coughing. Even while coughing, he turned his eyes—which looked like they might rot at any moment—toward us and opened his mouth.

“The task entrusted to me by that person is now complete. Kahak! Ha, hahahahaha!! With this, Aiti will return to its golden age. Back to the era when we led—?!!”

-THWACK!

“…Sorry. I just couldn’t listen anymore.”

“It’s okay. I was thinking of splitting his head open until just now. But since we can’t let him die, let’s just sprinkle a minor potion on his arm and take him with us.”

“Yeah, but what about Jack…”

“Brother will be fine! Let’s go up first. Non is injured, and I’m worried about Miho and Latina!”

“Ah! That’s right, if those two were attacked like this, it would be terrible. Let’s go up first.”

“Sigh… I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Thanks to you, Ira is safe. Thank you so much.”

“That’s right. Even though you’re an elf, I can see why Jack acknowledges you as a friend. You’re a splendid male. I’m truly grateful.”

When Ray and I sincerely smiled and even bowed our heads to him as he still clutched his shoulder, he waved his hands in bewilderment, but we were truly grateful. And.

‘Just because Gorg isn’t here, Ira was put in such danger. I still have a long way to go.’

‘This is truly pathetic. I thought someone in our party was always protecting Ira, but I was too complacent.’

We seemed to be blaming ourselves for putting Ira in such danger just because ‘she’ who had lost her physical form and was now destroyed was no longer with us.

*

-Thud.

“Hey, lizard with a shot head. Are you coming to your senses?”

“…This is absurd, for a single human to become this strong. Is such a thing possible?”

-BANG!!!

“Khuak…!!”

“Not beaten enough yet? Fine, let’s see who wins, you or me.”

While Ira and the others were leaving the dungeon, Jack was still massaging the dragon with his fists as it kept its eyes closed and gave irrelevant answers.