Chapter 113

Chapter 113

113: Black Street Judging from the exchanges so far, the battle situation was quite unfavorable for Kaldin. While the Mazoku possessed superior physical abilities, regeneration far exceeding humans, and special abilities, those alone weren’t enough to overwhelm an opponent in a fight. If Kaldin had an advantage as a Mazoku, the young man facing him held a magic sword. Sparks erupted from the magic sword, flying around and damaging the opponent without even needing to touch the blade. Considering the difficulties of being electrocuted, even a Mazoku couldn’t completely ignore such damage. Furthermore, Kaldin was in a position where he needed to escape the stage with me as quickly as possible. Compared to the young man, who only needed to stall for time, it was obvious that he was in a much more disadvantageous position. Therefore, the current standoff was extremely unfavorable for Kaldin. Things wouldn’t have become so complicated under normal circumstances, but the timing of that unidentified young man’s appearance was too coincidental. “…Hmm.” If it were me, I would have assessed the opponent after one exchange, then feigned an attack to induce tension, and then simply unleashed my internal energy to finish it. This world has almost no concept of mid-range attacks using ki. Even if the Ironclad Suit was weak against fire energy, it was relatively strong against electricity, which was also an advantage for me. But now, my ankle is messed up, and there’s no reason for me to step in and help Kaldin. As far as I’m concerned, it’s troublesome no matter who wins. In the end, I had no choice but to sit back and watch the fight. “What?” “What’s going on?” And I wasn’t the only one watching this fight. The Sartun members around me were also watching Kaldin and the young man with bewildered eyes, seemingly unable to understand the situation. They probably couldn’t understand why Kaldin, who was on their side, was fighting a bodyguard brought by a club member. Of course, someone with a bit of intelligence would understand, but they wouldn’t dare to interfere in this situation. At best, they might call for reinforcements. “…Damn it.” Still, the fact that he was being watched seemed to be a burden for Kaldin. He muttered a short curse and glared at the young man. “It can’t be helped. It’s your fault for getting in the way, so don’t blame me even if you die.” Kaldin said that and lowered his arms. It seemed like he was giving up the fight at first glance, but that couldn’t be the case.

-Swish.

As expected. Kaldin’s body turned black, and animal fur grew in place of human skin. His body grew larger, and his body, not covered by clothing, was covered in black fur, eventually taking the form of a bipedal werewolf. It was a change that happened in an instant. It was a form similar to a beastman, but even larger than a normal beastman. Moreover, having seen that he was a Mazoku, I couldn’t regard him as a normal beastman. The young man seemed to know that as well, as he straightened his posture with a tense expression. “Ah, damn it. I hate Mazoku…”

-Crackle!

He grumbled, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of moving away from the door, as he drew lightning from his sword again. Seeing that he didn’t utter any incantations in that action, that magic sword must also be the type that controls magic with mental power, contracted with taming magic like the one I stole before. Magic swords and magic tomes are essentially magical tools. The only difference between the two is that one can contain one spell and the other can contain multiple types of spells, and the fact that they are objects that handle magic power using the core of a magical beast remains the same. It is said that magic swords are inherently difficult to handle and are skilled at harming their users, but electrical energy itself is especially difficult to handle. Considering that, the man facing Kaldin could be said to have considerable skill. // It was instantaneous for the fully transformed Kaldin to rush towards the young man.

-Thud.

His claws tore through his leather boots, and his feet, with claws protruding, shook the ground once, and the werewolf’s body rushed towards the young man at a terrifying speed. The young man met him with a cautious expression, strongly generating lightning from his sword.

-Crackle!!

The blue sparks flashed brighter than ever, and the young man’s posture changed loosely so that he could receive an attack at any time. Not a strong stance, but a flowing stance. His stance, which focused more on evasion and counterattack than preemptive strikes, was certainly optimized for dealing with someone as durable as Kaldin. Of course, if he had the skills to do so.

– Whoosh!!

– Crackle!

Sharp claws tore through the air and struck towards the young man. At the same time, sparks flew from the blue-tinged blade, searing Kaldin’s arm.

-Twitch.

Kaldin’s body twitched when he was directly hit by the lightning. But the time he was stiffened was extremely short. Unlike before, Kaldin did not back down and vigorously swung his arm, clawing at the young man. “Ku!?” The young man stretched his foot out to the side, twisting his body, and avoided the werewolf’s arm that was striking with the momentum to split his body. Then, with a natural, flowing motion, he swung his sword towards Kaldin’s waist. Was it an evasive maneuver that had a counterattack in mind from the beginning?

-Whoosh.

Fast and fluid, but the sword strike did not carry weight. It was a light sword strike that wouldn’t even be able to cut through the werewolf’s hide, but it could be seen as the best move in the current situation. The magic sword could make up for the lack of power.

-Crackle!!

As the sharp blade swept across Kaldin’s waist, the sparks emanating from the blade seared Kaldin’s body. “Krrrk!!!” A sound close to an animal’s roar echoed from Kaldin’s mouth. He swung his claws once again with the momentum to tear the young man apart, but the young man lightly evaded Kaldin’s attack once again and swung his sword once again.

-Crackle!

As the sparks extending from the magic sword stuck to Kaldin’s body again, Kaldin’s body twitched once.

-Whoosh!!

Without even having time to scream, Kaldin swung his claws once again. The third consecutive attack. But the young man stepped back greatly at the same time, swinging his sword to inflict a counterattack on Kaldin.

-Sizzle!

As the magic sword that was creating sparks thinly cut Kaldin’s shoulder blade, a faint sound of tearing flesh rang in my ears. I watched the scene and inwardly let out a slight exclamation. …Hmm, he fights better than I thought. Due to its characteristics, electrical energy is more effective the closer it is to the opponent, and the young man was using a tactic that perfectly suited the nature of such a magic sword. It was as if he knew how to fight against a stronger opponent than himself. It could be seen as he chose to drag out the time and wear him down rather than finishing him off in one go. No matter how much of a Mazoku Kaldin was, it would be difficult for him to move if he continued to receive such shocks, so it was certain that the young man with the magic sword had a higher chance of winning this fight.

-Thud.

As expected, Kaldin, who had been hit by three consecutive electric shocks, could no longer rush towards the young man and staggered backwards. “…Damn it.” His body, which had received consecutive shocks, was twitching slightly. He had been seared so much, so there was no way he would be fine even if he was a Mazoku. If he were human, he would have already been electrocuted and collapsed in the first clash. I don’t know if he would have been fine if he had mastered the Ironclad Suit like me, but there are hardly any people in this world who have mastered such a skill. If he had at least cast an insulation spell, Kaldin would have won overwhelmingly, but unfortunately, I haven’t mastered magic to that extent, and I don’t have a magic tome either. “Leave the woman and quietly pass by. Then I’ll let you off.” The young man seemed to have foreseen his victory, as he muttered while looking at Kaldin. But, I don’t think there’s any possibility that Kaldin would do that. Rather than me being that important, it was as good as him having already declared war on Sartun. He must be thinking that it wouldn’t be worth it if he didn’t take me with him here. Or, he wouldn’t be able to save face. As expected, Kaldin opened his mouth, growling at the young man. “You’re the one who should move out of the way right now if you don’t want to die.” “Isn’t that originally my line? Are you always so unaware of your place?” I sat on the small stairs in the hall and blankly watched the scene of the two men fighting. A situation where two men are fighting over a woman… I don’t know if that’s right, but anyway, I never thought this day would come for me too. I feel a little emotional…? But, as a result, I could no longer watch the two men fight. “Seriously, you guys can’t even handle one job properly.” At the sudden, sharp voice, Kaldin, me, and the Sartun members who were watching the situation turned their gazes towards the hallway. There stood an old man. Unlike an old man, he had a tall height and a sturdy physique, and he frowned as if he was tired, looking back and forth between me, Kaldin, and the young man. “….Ah.” I recognized him at once. Although he wasn’t wearing a mask, I remembered his physique and voice. It was the old man who was called Lord Seymar at the banquet hall, and the owner who bought me. // Due to the sudden appearance of a guest, the entrance hall of the stage fell into an even more chaotic situation. “Who is he?” Kaldin looked at the old man with a dumbfounded expression and asked me. But it wasn’t me who answered that question. “I am that child’s owner.” Before I could open my mouth, the old man made the first move. He said that and looked at Kaldin. It was a gaze full of displeasure, but there was no hostility towards Kaldin in it. Was it annoyance that he was showing such an attitude even though his things had been stolen, or was it the experience to hide his emotions? “Hah, owner, my ass.” Kaldin sneered in a growling voice, but unlike his words, he turned his head and looked at me. Understanding the meaning, I nodded slightly to let him know that the old man’s words were correct. Perhaps understanding my gesture, Kaldin glared at the old man with an even more desolate gaze and threatened him. “This woman is mine. Keep that in mind and get lost.” As he said that, the young man who was guarding the entrance looked at him with a dumbfounded expression and said. “….I’m asking you seriously, do you like little kids like that? By any chance, are you, that?” Hey, what’s wrong with me. ….Okay, honestly, I’m still in my growth spurt, so I’m small. Both my chest and my height. Even my aging has slowed down because I’m learning the Yin Demon Art, so my growth has slowed down even more. But I’ll get bigger someday. Someday. It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who was angry at the young man’s words, as Kaldin turned his gaze back to him and glared. “You shut up-” But, his words were not continued until the end.

-Thwack!!

Because something flew in at a fast speed and struck his body while Kaldin was opening his mouth. In an instant, Kaldin’s body flew away and tumbled across the floor. But unlike what it looked like, he didn’t receive a big shock, as Kaldin quickly got up and shouted at the old man. “What…?” However, the moment he saw the old man’s appearance, he immediately stopped talking. I can understand that feeling. I couldn’t help but be shocked as I looked at the old man as well. The old man, who was called Lord Seymar, looked at Kaldin with a relaxed posture and his arms hanging down, and opened his mouth. “These days, kids are so polite. They even chatter in front of their enemies. Back when I was young, the rule was to beat them up first and check later.” The clothes the old man was wearing had wide sleeves and were similar in shape to a coat. There was nothing particularly unusual about the outfit, but the story changes if you see the object that came out from between those wide sleeves together.

-Gurgle.

It had a shape similar to an earthworm, and its surface looked smooth like a snake’s skin. If I were to express that wriggling thing in one word, it would be a tentacle.

…No, it wasn’t something you could call a tentacle, it was a real tentacle. And not just one, but seven strands were sticking out of one sleeve. “….” Due to the sudden appearance of another competitor, the atmosphere inside the hall quickly turned cold.