Chapter 15
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The wasteland stretches on endlessly.
Strangely, despite only the moonlight and starry sky, my visibility is good.
From ahead of us, a sound shaking the atmosphere reverberates – bwohn, bwohn, bwohn. I feel the overwhelming presence that only the strong possess on my skin.
I’m astonished. This is going to be quite a───
「This might prove quite troublesome.」
The monster that appears is a monster of blades.
And not just any blades, but Holy Swords and Magic Sword.
Shining Sacred Swords─── those are the fitting words to describe its blades.
I glance at my hands. It’s the finest weapon among those that 《Six-Handed Ogre》 had.
Can we fight against those sacred swords with this…?
A tinge of unease assails me.
Maintaining our battle stances for now, dedicated to observing, the floating sacred swords ignore us as if laughing, vibrating bwohn, bwohn, bwohn, resounding, echoing, their light growing stronger and stronger and stronger──── the luminescence won’t stop─────!?
「Eris!! Get behind me!」
Will we make it in time!? I’ll make sure we do!!
「Angie!! Mika!! Get behind me──move so I’m between you and the enemy!! Hurry!! Then set up barriers to your limit!!」
Please, listen to what I’m saying!
Damn it! Not enough! Not enough! Not enough!
Make it in time! Please make it!
Shorten the chant! Activate at full speed!
Just as I desperately suppress my impatience and fear, about to activate my magic─it’s fired.
An extremely thick laser shoots out from the floating sacred swords, as if to say 「take this」.
───《Oblivion》
A massive stream of energy engulfs us.
○○○
It’s the biggest crisis since the first 《Mirror Dungeon》we dove into.
I managed to activate 《Oblivion》in the nick of time.
My ultimate move 《Oblivion》that blows the target object into another dimension─── if its activation had been even a moment later, it would’ve been a total party kill.
I sense Eris’ breathing behind me. Keeping my consciousness focused forward, I search for Mika’s presence further behind Eris.
I succeeded in covering Mika and the others with the effective range of 《Oblivion. They’re safe too.
「Yaaaamadaaaa! Hurry up and beat that piece of junk!!」
I ignore his nonsense and continue thinking while keeping an eye on the enemy.
Without a moment’s respite, a scream-like voice rises from Eris behind me.
「Master! Aren’t dungeon bosses usually───just one…!?」
○○○
What appears from behind the floating sacred swords is a swordsman composed of dragon bones.
However, despite being made of dragon bones, the swordsman’s physique is about the same as mine, or perhaps a little larger. Not that immense. But the overwhelming presence only the strongest possess─the sword energy emanating from him─makes me inhale sharply.
I’m made to understand even if I don’t want to.
The countless swords piercing this wasteland as far as the eye can see are the mementos─the grave markers─of the swordsmen who fell on this land.
The 《Dragon Bone Swordsman》turns the back of his hand toward us and crooks his finger twice as if provoking us.
I feel like the expressionless figure is smiling at us.
As I leap out with a shout of 「Bastard!」, Eris tries to jump out to follow me, but───
「Master!! Please wait! The sword boss is…!!」
The moment the two of us try to swing our swords at the 《Dragon Bone Swordsman》, the sacred swords start transforming.
The sacred swords instantly disassemble into six blades, and as if possessing a will of their own, point their tips at me and shoot toward me like missiles at a terrifying speed, trying to pierce me.
At the sudden occurrence, an 「Ouch!」 escapes me.
Unable to fully dodge, I suffer a wound on my cheek.
The six blades move independently, even coordinating with each other, continuing to inflict not-so-small wounds on me.
「Masteeer! Leave the Dragon Bone Swordsman to meee!」
That’s right, we’re not alone.
If it’s the two of us───
Confirming Eris leaping forward to confront the 《Dragon Bone Swordsman》, the instant I kick off the ground toward the six-bladed sacred swords, a large mass of magical power is emitted from behind.
Countless sparks and extremely compressed 《Beginner Magic Flame》 connect─explode─connect while making a explosive sound of babababa──── like a snake, trying to burn the sacred swords to nothing as it assails them.
It’s one of Angie’s unique magic sets 《The One》, 《Chain Flare》.
「Did we get it!?」
「We did it! O Hero!」
「I can’t lose either! I’ll serve you, O Hero! Looks like your shoulders are stiff! Heal!」
「Ooh, my stiff shoulders!」
This ain’t good! It’s a total flag!
And it’s the type that gets stronger after this too!!
After the explosive flames clear, the sacred swords show themselves.
The blades gleam sharply. Unbelievably, they’re completely unscathed.
Angie’s blast magic is powerful enough to annihilate any ordinary boss monster in a single hit. Then was it just a bad matchup against the six-bladed sacred swords?
Or perhaps───
The six-bladed sacred swords flash for a moment.
In that instant, my abdomen is pierced.
「Guh!」
The sacred swords flash again for a moment.
With a feeling of my flesh being sliced,
「Gaaaaaah!」
My left arm goes flying through the air.
○○○
It’s damage I haven’t taken in a long time.
Recently I’ve only been getting wounds that could be managed with potions.
Receiving the promised first healing magic from Mika, I charge onto the battlefield again.
In the past, it didn’t matter even if I was grievously wounded.
Because Mika would save me.
While fending off the six-bladed sacred swords’ attacks, getting wounded but avoiding a fatal blow, I recall Mika’s indifferent eyes turned toward me earlier.
At that moment, Angie unleashes another magic with a shout of 「Out of my way! Get away from there!」
「《Thunder Claw》!!」
Light races across the starry wasteland, an ear-piercing sound of baribaribari resounding.
It was Angie’s trump card that had driven the boss monster 《Angel》 to annihilation with just a single strike when we had entrusted our backs to each other and dove into a dungeon before.
However, the Thunder Claw that should have continuously assailed the enemy until they perished or her mana ran out instead loses control of its spell formula while the strong presence of the sacred swords still lingers, and vanishes into the void along with the storm clouds.
A lament of 「Ah」 unconsciously spills from my mouth.
Meanwhile, they raise cries of joy.
「See, I told you from the start to shoot magic like I said, Angie!! We defeated it!! I defeated the strongest, worst boss!! Did you see that, Yamada!? This is my─ the Hero’s power!」
「You did it, O Hero! It’s all thanks to you, O Hero!!」
This time’s 《Thunder Claw》 was insufficient.
Why was the control of the spell formula so lax?
Why can’t the current Angie even understand something like that?
The Angie of the past would have──.
I feel like everything she had attained through painstaking effort has been lost, and tears flow down my cheeks.
Damn it…! Why…!
And finally, what I feared happens.
The floating six-bladed sacred swords leisurely turn their blades toward the Hero’s party.
I had desperately managed the hate to prevent the six-bladed attack from targeting them, but thanks to Ryūgūin’s crude command, it all turns to nothing.
One blade of the sacred swords flashes.
In that instant, a crack runs through Mika’s barrier protecting the three.
Two blades of the sacred swords flash.
One layer of Mika’s multilayered barrier shatters.
This time, all six blades of the sacred swords flash simultaneously.
Every single one of Mika’s barriers vanishes.
The sacred swords continue their flashing.
Bwohn, bwohn, bwohn────
A fissure runs through Angie’s 《Mille-feuille》.
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