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Chapter 77 - WRATH OF THE DEATH KING
Chapter 77 - WRATH OF THE DEATH KING
Chapter 77 - WRATH OF THE DEATH KING
A sword flash runs through the air and the giant deer-like monster crumbles down.
After putting her sword away, Lilia approaches the defeated monster and cuts off its antler with a knife to prove its subjugation.
Just at that moment, Lunamaria-san and Sieglinde, who happened to be hunting nearby, approached.
[My Lady, I think it’s about time for us to return…… What do you think?]
[I can’t say we did great. We’ve been able to hunt a few thanks to the Search Magic, but I’m troubled since “we can’t find most of the Black Bears”.]
[It seems that it’s also the same case for My Lady, I’ve only fought against one Black Bear…… Too few considering the time of the year.]
[………………..]
This hunting tournament also serves as a means to thin out the population of the vermins, the Black Bears, and for that reason, the Black Bears give out points higher than the others.
Naturally, the tournament is also held for the time of the year when the number of Black Bears increases in the forest, and although this is the first time Lilia and the others have participated, they also felt that something’s amiss.
[Well, anyway, if there are hardly any Black Bears here, they should be gathering somewhere else——!?]
[ [!? ] ]
Lilia was about to continue speaking, but her words stopped as if she sensed something while she’s speaking.
And that’s what Lunamaria and Sieglinde seem to be doing as well.
[……What is that? That strange feeling I had just now.]
[……Is Miyama-sama in danger?]
[You also felt it too, Luna?]
[Y- Yes, there’s a sudden feeling of unease……]
Kaito has received the blessing of Shallow Vernal, the God of the world, and he is loved by the world.
Therefore, aside from “the Underworld King who doesn’t need the power of Shallow Vernal”, would transmit Kaito’s crisis to his acquaintances as a foreboding.
[I felt an unpleasant premonition. It looks like we’d better go back to Rigforeshia at once.]
[Yes, I agree.]
[Are you also fine with that, Sieg…… she has already begun running before us!?]
Unable to ignore that uneasiness they’re feeling, Lilia and Lunamaria decided to return to Rigforeshia at once, and tried to call out to Sieg who should be nearby…… But Sieg was already far ahead of them, running towards Rigforeshia.
A huge paw swung down.
This blow, which can easily crush a human body if it hits, is deflected with a left hand and counter-struck with a clenched right fist.
The right fist strikes the face of the Black Bear as if it’s catching it, but unfortunately, the weight difference between them is too great for the punch to be an effective hit.
[Guuoooohhhhh!!!]
The Black Bear is enraged by my unexpected counterattack, from someone he thought as a weak prey, and it lets out a roar, and this time, it tried sweeping away the enemy in its path with its paw, but it’s still not fast enough.
Bending my body to avoid it, I swung my right leg as if I’m leaping up and kicked the Black Bear in its jaw.
[Guohh……]
I heard someone say that the feet are several times more powerful than the hands, and that doesn’t seem to be a false statement, as even the Black Bear is slightly thrown off its stance by the kick that slammed under its chin.
However, it’s only for a moment, and it immediately glared at me and recklessly swung around its paws.
I fight back while dodging its raging storm-like attacks.
Looking from the side, I was quite superior in offense and defense, but my thoughts weren’t calm at all.
It hurts…… It hurts…… My right is definitely broken! There’s a strange sound that popped out in the joints in my legs, and I was in so much pain that I felt like weird sweat would come out from some place.
Yes, my body is currently moving regardless of my intentions due to the effect of Auto-Counter.
In other words, it’s as if this magic is making my body move in auto-pilot, reading the enemy’s attack with my Sympathy Magic, my body would respond before the enemy could strike.
When you just read it like this, it may sound like incredibly useful magic…… but in fact, there are many abnormal weaknesses.
First of all, my body, which is enhanced by this magic, is in a state where its limiter is off. So to speak, because of that, even I, who’s not very good at using Strengthening Magic on my body, have been able to make a Black Bear stagger…… Naturally, the act of releasing the limiters of my body would obviously have its backlash.
The arm that punched the Black Bear is probably broken, and the pain that has been running through my whole body for a while now feels like they’re tearing my muscle fibers to shreds every time I move.
And as I’m feeling an absurd amount of pain in my body, the second drawback…… is that as soon as I activate Auto-Counter, everything but my thoughts are moving without my will, so no matter how much it hurts, my body won’t stop and I can’t even scream because I can’t move my mouth.
It would have been better if my thought stopped too, but then, I wouldn’t be able to cancel my magic…… and I ended up just having to keep enduring the pain running through my body.
And the third drawback…… is that this magic eats up a ridiculous amount of my magic power.
My body is currently emitting magic power like a broken faucet in order to increase the accuracy of my Sympathy Magic.
I don’t have a large amount of magic power, to begin with, so this spell will only last a few minutes…… And when my magic power runs out, it will be forcefully released.
It’s a high-risk spell because it was originally intended to be used in a really critical situation, but thanks to this magic, even someone like me who has almost no experience in combat can fight.
However, as I had originally expected……It’s still impossible to defeat it.
Although the Black Bear does stagger from time to time, it doesn’t do much damage at all, so even if I could maintain this magic for an hour, it would still be impossible to defeat it.
However, the chances of victory itself aren’t zero.
It’s impossible for me to defeat the Black Bear, but since there’s this much commotion, if I can buy enough time, the guards should arrive.
The only question is…… How long do I have to keep this up……
[Guuuooooohhhhh!!!]
Attacks horrifying enough that I would be dead if a single strike hits me, I incessantly dodged it and sent my counterattack.
Ouch, It hurts…… This magic still has a lot of room for improvement. Specifically, if I’m fighting against an opponent as hard as iron, counterattacking will also be damaging me, so I will have to adjust that part too……
A minute or so after I confronted the Black Bear, I saw armed people rushing towards us at the edge of my vision.
Are they the Guards? Or perhaps, participants of the hunting tournament…… Either way, it seems that they were going to make it……
[……Ah.]
Immediately after, my body loses its power and I collapse on my knees.
This is bad, the effect of my magic already ended……
[Guuoohhhh!!!]
[Ahh, gah!]
[Miyama-san!?]
[Nooooooooo!?]
The huge arm that was waving at me finally catches me, and I fly through the air as if I was just struck by a car.
With the sound of Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san’s voices, I collided with a nearby stall, destroying the simply made stall, before falling to the ground, face down.
……Wow. I’m still alive from that…… Could it be because of these clothes? If I remember correctly, Alice can guarantee the protection that this clothing provides…… so…… after we return…… I need to say my thanks……
Ahh, but I think I’m still in trouble…… I’m not sure if I can’t feel anymore or not, but my body that hurts so much before feels like it turned numb……
Slightly moving my head, I look at the Black Bear who sent my body flying.
It would have been great if it had let out a roar of triumph, but the Black Bear turned toward my fallen body and raised its huge arms again.
I thought the distance between us was a bit too far, but the Black Bear continues to raise its arms in the air. Then, its hands slightly glowed and blades of magic power were released following the trajectory of its claws.
This guy can attack from a distance huh…… That’s cheating…… Ah, this is no good. If that hits me…… I’m dead.
Just as the flying claw strike seemed to be approaching in slow motion, I was ready to die, filled with a sense of resignation. And then, red hair like flames blazing entered my vision, and the claw strikes that had been flying in the air were torn out.
Holding the twin swords wrapped in red flames, the figure interjected between me and the Black Bear looked like a crimson rose, blooming on the battlefield.
[……Sieg……-san.]
When I can finally clearly see Sieg-san standing as if she’s protecting me, a little later than that, behind the Black Bear…… Lilia-san’s figure appeared crashing down from the sky.
Holding her slender greatsword above her head, it’s as if Lilia-san had just “kicked the air” and swooped down, slicing the Black Bear in half with one slash.
Amazing…… Just one strike at that Black Bear that seems like a walking lump of steel…… Or rather, Lilia-san, I should have known…… you really are the power type…… However, that’s great. You made it in time……
Seeing the arrival of Sieg-san and Lili-san, as if all tension in my body disappeared, my consciousness also disappears.
[Luna! Go check Kaito-san!!!]
[I’m on it!]
As soon as she cuts through the Black Bear, Lilia loudly screams and Lunamaria immediately runs over to Kaito to check her condition.
After touching Kaito’s body a few times and checking her injuries, Lunamaria…… exhales in relief.
[……He’s fine. His injuries can’t be called minor at all, but it’s not life-threatening.]
[……Thank goodness.]
[However, if we don’t apply Recovery Magic soo……]
[Leave that to me.]
[Rei-san!]
[Sorry, I’m late. I’ll use Recovery Magic at once.]
Rejnhardt and Sylphia arrived a little later than Lilia and the others, and Rejnhardt, who is skilled in magic, holds out his hand to apply Recovery Magic to Kaito…… Thereupon, Kaito’s body slightly glowed…… but immediately afterwards, a sound like shattering glass is heard and the light disappears.
[What!? No way, o- once again……]
Rejnhardt’s eyes widened at the sight, and he held out his hand again but…… The sound of shattering glass resounded again.
[This is impossible…… The Recovery Magic is being “nullified”……]
[……!?]
[It can’t be!? In that case, what about Kaito-san……]
[I- In any case, we should apply first aid first——!?]
For some reason, the recovery magic that they were casting to Kaito was being nullified, and Lilia and the others hurriedly tried to treat him without using magic…… but immediately afterwards, Kaito’s let out a brilliant light, and a white sphere appeared a little above Kaito.
After the small sphere emitted a strong light, Kaito’s arm which was red and swollen returned to its original color, and not only that, but even his torn clothes and the dirt on his cheek, all of his body returned back to normal.
[……What…… is this magic…… this is already within the realm of God’s miracles……]
The magic crystal that Shallow Vernal gave to Kaito last night. It was filled with the Creator God, “Shallow Vernal’s Recovery Magic”.
It was a present from Shallow Vernal so that Kaito won’t die…… An absolute healing spell that automatically activates some time after Kaito becomes injured. It twists the law of cause and effect to regenerate him, even if his body is shattered.
In other words, as long as this exists, Kaito will not die from anything aside from “Kuromueina’s power that can nullify Shallow Vernal’s power”.
Lilia and the others didn’t know what had just happened, but they exhaled in relief after confirming that Kaito was safe for the time being.
And then, Lilia adjusts her sword with a serious expression on his face, and calls out to Rejnhardt.
[……Rei-san. The one that attacked him is just a scout, right?]
[Yeah…… Besides, you don’t even have to check them to know your answer.]
Almost at the same time as Lilia and Rejnhardt exchanged words, multiple Black Bears emerged from the crumbling wall.
The numbers they had are so bizarrely high…… while further in the back, the figure of a huge Black Bear conspicuously stands.
[……As I thought, a “Special Individual”. I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen something like this happened in the past…… but I’m sure it was 400 years ago when they last appeared. For all the times for them to appear……]
One of the reasons for the mass generation of monsters is the appearance of Special Individuals.
In rare cases, within the monsters and demons, such as orcs and ogres that have their own race names, a Special Individual would be born, having much more power than others, and their characteristics differ depending on their species.
For example, the Blue Ogre Acht, a Special Individual of the Ogre race, is a symbol of fear for the Ogres and is persecuted by his own kind before he became Kuromueina’s family, while High Orcs, which is a Special Individual of the Orc race, are revered as the head of their species, each Special Individual differs.
And the Special Individuals of Black Bears are similar to Orcs in nature. They can lead the Black Bears that don’t normally flock together, forming large groups.
The emergence of this Special Individual is a disaster for the elves.
[I was only a child when they appeared 400 years ago, but I heard that at that time, they affected nearly half of the city of Rigforeshia.]
[……They sure have extravagant numbers on their side.]
Receiving Rejnhardt’s words, Lunamaria-san also muttered, as anxiousness could be seen on her face.
The swarm of Black Bears emerged from the broken wall, their numbers were well over two hundred, and considering that each of them had a power comparable to a wyvern, it could rightly be said that their numbers make the onlookers despair.
[Luna, you stay here and protect Kaito-san, Aoi-san and Hina-san!]
[Yes!]
Tightly gripping her sword, Lilia told Lunamaria to protect Kaito and the others.
The elven guards and the participants of the hunting tournament also began to gather, facing the Black Bears.
[Ooooohhhh!!!]
As the Unique Black Bear let out a roar, the Black Bears began charging in, clashing with the vanguards, a sharp voice resound.
[I’ll also be going in and attack! Raz-san, please cover me!]
[Leave it to me!]
A person wearing jet-black within the group of humans…… Neun jumped out and headed towards the pack of Black Bears at a terrific speed.
[So fast!?]
In the midst of Lilia’s astonishment at Neun’s speed, Neun made a black spear appear in the air and threw it as a projectile while running. The spear stabbed deep into the black bear that was at the head of the pack.
Without slowing down, the neck of the black bear that was pierced by the spear is cut off with the sword that appeared in her hand, and afterwards, she grabs a one-handed axe that appeared in the air and throws it to the side while still swinging her swords, striking another Black Bear.
The Black Bears, who had the initiative taken from them, looked confused for a moment, but they quickly raised their arms to intercept Neun who was slashing past their group.
However, their raised arms are pierced by a series of flying arrows.
[Neun! You don’t have to care around you, just fight as hard as you can!]
[Yes!]
With her bow ready, Razelia punched out a hole at the arm of the Black Bear aiming at Neun, with an accurate and peerless shot.
With her support, Neun further increased her attacks and struck down one Black Bear after another.
[A- Amazing…… With her here……]
[No, the situation is still the worst! Neun and I can’t use wide-area Annihilation Magic either. No matter how strong Neun is, a lot of them would be able to pass through her.]
At the words muttered by one of the guards who had witnessed Neun-san’s strength, Razelia bit her lip as she said those words.
Just as Razelia said, Neun certainly is strong…… However, her strength was most adept at one-on-one or against a small number of opponents, and there was no way for her to defeat a swarm of over 200 Black Bears before they could cause damage to the city of Rigforeshia.
The proof of this was that Neun was always taking on three or more Black Bears, and she certainly was overwhelming them, but some of the Black Bears had already ignored Neun and started moving towards the city of Rigforeshia.
[!? This is bad, a couple of them passed through.]
[Everyone! They’re coming!]
The confusion of the Black Bears due to their surprise has subsided, and dozens of Black Bears began to march towards Rigforeshia.
Hearing Razelia’s voice, Lilia and the others, along with the guards and the participants of the hunting competition all prepared their weapons and prepared to intercept the oncoming Black Bears.
After just a few seconds, a large-scale battle that can be called a battle royal began. The moment everyone thought so—– the movements of the Black Bears that were coming towards them all stopped at once.
[……Eh?]
For some reason, looking at the Black Bears that suddenly stopped, a voice that sounds listless leaked out of Lilia’s mouth.
A little while later, the sword that was supposed to be in her hand fell…… then, Lilia realized that her hand was badly trembling.
An unbelievable silence dominates the surroundings, and then…… some of the assembled warriors fall to the ground unconscious, like puppets who had its strings broken.
As if it was a trigger, the Black Bears turned their backs all together and began to flee with even more vigor than they had before.
However, they weren’t able to escape, as a huge ice wall appeared in front of the fleeing Black Bears, piercing through the heavens.
And then, before they knew it, “she” appeared next to the fallen Kaito.
With a hand as white as snow wrapped in pale light, she gently caressed Kaito’s cheek as if she were being affectionate, before she slowly stood up.
[……give you…… won’t forgive you…… won’t forgive you…… won’t forgive you, won’t forgive you, won’t forgive you, I will never forgive you!]
Every time she uttered, magic power raging like a storm was released, making the air tremble and the earth shake.
That’s right, the Black Bears had attacked a being that they should never have touched.
[All of you!!! Not even a drop of your blood…… will be left in this world!!!]
Accompanied by the great sin they committed, is the executioner of death, sweeping away all these foolish beasts.
With an intensity never before…… clad with the most vicious and powerful magic power of death……
The angry Death King—— has descended.