The Inquisitor bowed her head in guilt as she watched a certain someone leave without any hesitation. It was guilt for sending him off alone to where it was most dangerous without being able to offer him any kind of help.
Perhaps it was because she felt like she’d sent him to his death, knowing full well how little he cared about his own body. Or maybe it was because of that extremely high anxiety she inexplicably felt.
“Focus.”
Swish!
Just then, that troublemaker, who was alternating between stabbing with his spear and shooting arrows, said something to her. It seemed he’d noticed how unfocused she was on this fight.
“…Got it.”
“And there’s nothing we could’ve done this time, so don’t dwell on it too much.”
“…!”
Was that guy some sort of mind reader? Or was she just that easy to read?
Feeling uncertain, the Inquisitor released her Divine Power. The enemies still clinging to the wall were instantly pushed away.She shouldn’t overexert herself since the foe approaching them from afar seemed formidable beyond compare… but she couldn’t just sit idly by.
“Do you really think so?”
Still quite doubtful, she asked, seeking reassurance.
Deathbringer responded, his expression dry.
“Isn’t that just reality? The enemies aren’t just popping up in one place, and it’s not like you’re particularly fast either.”
“Even the Demon Knight decided to ride his horse to get there this time…”
“More importantly, the Demon Knight isn’t suited for battles like this one here.”
Right. The reason the Demon Knight had gone wasn’t because he had to, but because it was essential that the Inquisitor stayed here.
As they continued talking, the Inquisitor couldn’t do anything but swallow nervously, while Deathbringer simply concluded his explanation indifferently.
“Why…?”
“If I had to pick someone better suited to cover wide areas, it would be you. You’re also someone whose combat strength doesn’t diminish when fighting alongside many others on the battlefield.”
Someone with superior endurance in battle, someone less restricted by the battlefield’s environment, and someone who could significantly reduce casualties on their side by strengthening and healing others during the battle: that was who the Inquisitor was.
“We don’t know what kind of Demon appeared behind us, but you can prevent far more damage by staying here than by going there. Well, if it comes down to killing that giant thing, that’s another story… But who knows? Maybe we don’t even need to kill it. Though, the odds of that are extremely low.”
The Inquisitor’s face was filled with emotion. Of course, despite their unavoidable circumstances, the guilt weighing down her heart still lingered.
“I see…”
“And even if you hadn’t suggested it, that guy would have gone anyway. Just let it go.”
“But I… It still pains me that the only thing I could do for him was send him off to yet another battlefield.”
She formed a huge golden barrier and swept it across the sea before the fortress walls. The Demons leaping up were forcibly sunk to the bottom of the sea, many perishing in the process. They were either impaled on the spikes or scorched by Arcane attacks, unable to defend against them. Ɍ₳ꞐỐΒËS
“I feel the same way.”
The waves continued to grow even fiercer, as if they would soon surge over the fortress walls.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“…!”
“If your heads weren’t attached to your shoulders, would you guys be walking around without one? Why are you leaving the weapon I gave you completely unmaintained?”
A sound louder than any magic item used so far rang out—Claaaank—followed by the strange and eerie sound of something metallic turning. It seemed to be coming from a long cylindrical lump of metal.
“What are you staring at? Never seen physical magic before?”
And the person standing atop it, casually provoking others as naturally as pouring water into a glass, was even more surprising.
Snap. Removing something from a round object with their teeth, they threw said object into the air while smoothly running a hand through their hair. The next thing they did was raise their middle finger.
Hisssss!
“Rot in hell, you damn fish.”
The Merfolk hit by that round object instantly dissolved.
“…”
“…”
…Wait, weren’t things like that rarely used, even by officers, and very carefully at that? They had been told that if the contents ever came into contact with their bodies, their skin would melt, so they were always extremely cautious when throwing it. That was why no one ever dared to use it so recklessly before.
The Inquisitor and Deathbringer exchanged an awkward silence, utterly shocked by this unimaginable sight before them.
* * *
Boom!
The escort of Surging Azure Lake widened his eyes at the sudden appearance of a stranger.
“You’re…!”
Though his mouth reflexively asked for the stranger’s identity, his hands moved quickly to pick up the fallen Surging Azure Lake. Though tall, the great sage was as skinny as a stick, so the escort could easily lift Surging Azure Lake in his arms.
“Go.”
Meanwhile, the newcomer, who had a single jingling earring, spoke up. Her disheveled hair was a dull gold.
“I have no intention of protecting anyone while fighting.”
“…I don’t know who you are, but there’s a Demon conducting a ritual inside. You must stop it. Please.”
“Got it.”
She took a deep breath before exhaling again, tightening the bandages wrapped around her hands and arms again to prevent any unnecessary injuries or slipping.
“The clothes that person is wearing won’t tear or burn! Keep that in mind…!”
That added information would certainly help her determine how she should proceed with the upcoming battle.
Raising an eyebrow at the odd properties of those clothes, she guessed they were probably something similar to the strange armor the Demon Knight wore.
Boom!
“And what’s this now?”
Amidst the chaos, the secretary returned to her position, pushing aside the debris of the collapsed building.
Judging by how far back she’d been thrown, several new holes were now visible behind the secretary. Stone fragments tumbled down in the direction they’d been pushed.
“A Northern barbarian?”
Hmm. She had avoided wearing these clothes until now because she didn’t want to hear those remarks… She rolled her neck a little, wondering how she’d been called that immediately after putting them on.
Well, it wasn’t really an issue or anything.
“I think I’m good enough as a hunter to kill you, though.”
“Do you really think so? You can’t achieve anything in these lands if you’re nothing but talk, you know.”
Her feet scraped the ground as she settled into position. The thick cloth she wore fluttered briefly before she disappeared with a loud bang!
Boooom.
Then, a few more signal flares lit up the sky before vanishing again with yet another thunderous sound.
Whoosh! Suddenly, she reappeared at the center of the path leading to the secretary. As she did, the hem of her thick garment fluttered again.
Unable to react in time, the secretary swung her hand half a beat too late. The sight of her massive hand slicing through the air was truly awe-inspiring.
Smack.
But an attack that didn’t hit was utterly meaningless.
Timing it perfectly, she kicked off the ground and leaped over the hand, planting her foot firmly on the secretary’s shoulder. She then struck the back of the secretary’s neck with her heel.
Although she had been told the secretary’s clothes wouldn’t tear or burn, she still needed to confirm whether they could fully absorb physical impacts.
“Urgh!”
The secretary hastily reached back with her other hand to defend herself.
However, while the clothes showed no real sign of damage, she noticed that her opponent staggered forward slightly from the force of her kick.
It seemed that physical force, like pushing or pulling, still worked.
She quickly organized her next moves. Since she was barehanded, it would be better to focus entirely on strikes and joint locks rather than slashing or tearing attacks.
Without missing a beat, she leaped to the other side, spun around, and immediately closed in on the secretary.
Her aim was to try taking advantage of the fact that those enormous hands would have difficulty reacting properly to attacks made at extremely close range.
The secretary’s sharp, hawk-like eyes contorted as she swung her arm in an attempt to shake her off. She flattened herself to the ground with nimble movements unbefitting her size, dodging the swing by a hair’s breadth and springing up immediately after the arm passed her.
Bam!
Her knee drove directly into her opponent’s solar plexus.
As she had expected, it worked. Although her foe’s reaction was more muted than an average person’s, she could clearly see the secretary grimacing in pain.
Having gained confidence, she followed up with a punch. She extended her index finger slightly to concentrate the impact into a sharp point.
However, instead of the heavy impact of her fist colliding with the area between the collarbone, throat, and nose, she hit something entirely different.
A protective barrier had formed around the woman’s face at the last moment.
Of course, it had come with a condition: one of the gems embedded in the secretary’s cuff-type earring shattered instantly.
Boom!
Staggering from the earlier strike, she reduced the swelling of her arms and enlarged her legs, stomping down on the ground. The impact collapsed the edge of the water channel as a dense wave of Demonic Energy surged out from her.
This was a technique the Demon Knight often used. She backed away, looking at the fine cuts carved into her skin.
Separately, she wondered, what were the activation conditions for that protective shield? How long did it last? How much could it block? And was the destruction of that gem somehow related to it?
Swiiish.
The secretary regained her footing. She touched the cuff earring hanging from her ear with her fingers, only then realizing the gem had been destroyed. Her face distorted in anger.
“A brute who knows nothing but fighting…!”
Even if it was meant as an insult, it sounded to her like nothing more or less than praise.
She flexibly moved her body, evading the secretary’s remaining massive hand, and kicked a small stone lying on the ground with her toes.
It flew straight at her opponent’s face. The secretary slid back and swatted it away with her hand.
“This…!”
But she wouldn’t be satisfied with just doing it once.
After launching another five to six stones, one after the other, she placed her hand on a building right behind her. Conveniently, the structure that collapsed in the earlier battle had something useful for her inside.
“…!”
Bam!
She swung the wooden central support pillar, now standing tall among the piles of stones, like a weapon.
As if not expecting that, the secretary frowned as she blocked the blow. Crunch! The pillar immediately shattered, but what remained was flying straight toward her head.
“This!”
She managed to block it again. Despite wearing all that protective gear, she, like any ordinary person, instinctively guarded herself against anything that came flying toward her head.
That made it easier. She immediately seized the opportunity to close the distance and kick at the secretary while her own hand was still blocking her vision. Her heel hit the secretary square in the temple.
Clang.
Then another gem on the cuff earring shattered.
It seemed the gems absorbed the impact of hits she would have taken to the head, breaking if the damage exceeded a limit… Anyway, four still remained between the left and right earrings.
“…!”
The impact being completely nullified, rather than merely dispersed, significantly changed this battle.
Knowing this, she withdrew without hesitation.
When her opponent realized another gem had been broken, her face distorted again. She didn’t really care.
Like a hunter who had just found their prey’s weakness, she relentlessly aimed for her foe’s head. It didn’t matter if her opponent figured out what she was doing.
“Aaaaargh!”
She kept aiming only for the head because it was the easiest way to kill her, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other ways to incapacitate someone without killing them.
“Did you really think protecting your weak spot is all it takes?”
For example, she could break her opponent’s fingers, break her arm by using the joints, or smash her ankles with rocks until the bone was exposed.
Since her foe was so focused on only guarding her head, she took the chance to instantly disable every other part of her body. Even when her opponent tried to swell her body using Demonic Energy, it didn’t matter.
From what she’d observed, her opponent could only enhance a single body part at a time. With that, she could easily break the unprotected limbs.
Clang!
The last gem broke.
“I-I…”
Bam!
Her patience broke as well. She instantly raised her foot to knock down her opponent and crush her head.
Boom!
She would have finished it like that if not for a crimson liquid, known in her hometown as “Flowing Fire,” suddenly erupting toward her and trying to engulf her.
Instead of delivering the final blow, she chose to retreat in preparation for the next battle.
> [No, no, that won’t do.]
Meanwhile, the crimson liquid coiled around the secretary’s body. “No…!” A short scream escaped her, followed by the sound of burning flesh. The woman’s high-pitched scream was deafening.
> [You can’t even do your job as a gatekeeper properly. You just keep disappointing me. Well, not that it matters.]
“I-I’m sorry…”
> [Rather than that, can I kill you? I can, right?]
“N-no…!”
> [It doesn’t really matter if you don’t agree. Since I’ve been granted permission to use my original power, penalties from contracts are wholly irrelevant to me.]
The red liquid completely engulfed the secretary’s body, melting it away.
> [Besides, did you think I would just overlook you stealing Moby Dick’s pearl? You should only covet the things you deserve.]
In the meantime, flames began rising from a building littered with several corpses. The fire was consuming the entire structure.
A dense, dark red mass leaked out from the entrance, looking as if it might harden at any moment. She wondered if the crimson liquid would become like that as well.
> [We meet again.]
Splash.
A figure walked across the liquid as if it wasn’t hot at all. It was a type of Shaggi she had never seen before. No. Was that really a Shaggi? With ears and a tail formed from glowing yellow molten metal, it hardly seemed like a Shaggi.
It looked more like a Demon.
> [Are you here for a revenge match?]
She twitched her lips. Of course, even if its appearance had changed, she instantly recognized that thing with a single thought.
It was the Demon from that time. The one she had failed to stop back then.
“No.”
In truth, she really wanted to agree to that revenge match.
But right now, she was still standing on the borderline, trapped between Berserk and Weapon Master.
Still.
“But I will fight.”
So she couldn’t call this a revenge match. That would only be possible when she’d cast off those two burdens and could stand before her opponent with a single, true name.
“Even if this isn’t a revenge match, it’s still a fight that will have a clear outcome.”
However, she had no intention of backing down from this battle without fighting.
> [You’ve changed since last time… but it’s still not enough. You’ll die, you know?]
“Don’t worry. I won’t.”
Even if she couldn’t call this a revenge match, there was still a way for her to win.
“My job is just to buy time.”
Yes. If those guys, who had certainly noticed the Demon’s presence, arrived, victory would undoubtedly be hers.
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