Sendai Yuusha wa Inkyou Shitai

Moonlit Night, Parade of Corpses【９】

「Alicia-san!?」

A young lady whose hairdo had a characteristic of being blonde came rushing over in a flustered state.

「You are?」

「I am Henrietta de Crestolia. A classmate of Alicia-san!」

The young lady with tears amassed in her eyes introduced herself as such and peered at the princess I held in my arms.

「……I’m alright. Maybe because various things had happened in succession, I’m only a bit tired.」

「*Gusu* (Sniffle)……Thank goodness, that you’re is safe…」

When I got down on my knee and gently put the princess down on the ground, the princess answered like that with a slightly bitter smile and the curly haired young lady that named herself Henrietta embraced the princess and started crying.

Seeing that spectacle, I felt the rage that flared up at the bottom of my heart.

「Henrietta. Can I ask you to take care of the princess?」

「Eh? ……Yes!」

「I’m counting on you, okay?」

I stood up and grasped the handle of the Magic Sword I carried on my back. Having received it from Princess Lilith, that Magic Sword that surpassed my height was the Dragon Slaying Greatsword, 『Heaven Dragon Sword Fafnir』.

Drawing the Dragon Slaying Magic Sword that had a fierce dragon’s power locked up inside it, I was about to attack Umbra but, involuntarily, my feet had stopped.

As for why,

「……You’ve considerably been doing as you please, haven’t you, Umbra.」

It was because the man that wore black clothes that looked like they took the night along with it, had leapt up in front of Umbra, the Seventh Duke Class, who was watchfully waiting in midair, and, just then, it was the instant that he had swung down twin swords.

「Fufufu……A soul burning in hatred shines red, it’s very beautiful. ……I have only touched your imperial wrath.」

However, the blue and green colored twin swords, had not seized Umbra, but had their blades stop right before his eyes.

「That’s……a magic barrier……っ!」

What looked like an un-seeable wall that obstructed him, was, in fact, a wall that existed there.

That wall that was arranged with Maryoku couldn’t be penetrated unless one could either use “magic” that could tear up that barrier, dispel that barrier, or used weapons that could perform a barrier piercing ability.

Therefore, physical attacks from the twin swords would, no matter how much they were swung, be defended against.

Just as one would think, the black clothed man’s swords were also defended against,

「You’ve touched my imperial wrath, ……you won’t be going back free of charge, you know?」

that’s how it should have been.

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「Good, ness!」

I knew that he, Umbra, was surprised. It’s because his composed atmosphere had crumbled.

Twisting the right leg that “busted through” the barrier, using that recoil, I fired off a Soccer Ball Kick with my left leg that was raised overhead.

*Vun!*

「Tsk……!」

The fired off kick that immediately followed the certain kill Yakuza Kick that had overtaken the barrier didn’t hit Umbra and kicked the air.

Since I didn’t possess the ability to fly in the air, I was caught by gravity there and fell.

I had estimated that I would bring him down with a second kick but, it would seem that expectation was off the mark.

Umbra muttered a single word and took some distance but, ……As if I’d let you get away. You touched the things that were precious to me, you know? I won’t calm down until I’ve beaten you down at least once!!

Thinking that, once I was about to take a step, he was slapped into the ground.

「!!」

「Taking the good part……is probably you’re going to say but, since was such good timing, I went and took it, okay?」

And then, *Zudon!!*, together with that thunderous roar, a deep crimson greatsword that boasted a size that was about my height had pierced into Umbra, and had sewn him into the ground. And then, the one that came down without a sound next to the greatsword that stood pierced into the ground was Pretty Boy-kun, aka Amagi Kaito.

「……No, it’s fine. I have to thank you for saving Alicia. Let’s call it even with this.」

「With this, all favors are returned to zero, is that what you mean?」

「That’s right.」

When I responded like that, Pretty Boy-kun made a small chuckle and nodded with an 「I understand」.

「……Now then Umbra. There are a couple of things that I want you to spit out but……What should I have you spit out first? I’ll let you decide what to begin with.」

I asked that while approaching Umbra who was sewn down by the greatsword. It made his voice lower but that can’t be helped. I’m gradually beginning to seriously snap.

「………………」

「Oi oi, so you’re staying quiet, Ghost User.」

Maybe because Pretty Boy-kun had gotten irritated by the silent Umbra, he said that in a provoking way with a completely cold voice.

Me and Pretty Boy-kun, the two of us drew closer to Umbra without even trying to hide our irritation.

「…………KIHI」

And then we, we who had snapped, caught a glimpse of a madness that was enough to make us take a step back.

「KIHI, KIHIHIHIHIHI!! TrULY, absOLUTEly magNIFICENT! If I wERe to SAy as expecTED, tHAt woULD be The eNd. HoWEver, I shALL daRe to SaY it! As ExPecteD!! UnPreCEDEnceD hEro, IMMorTal heRO! ThE PerSONIficaTion oF tHe mysTERies Of lIFe!! KIHIHIHI, I’M jeaLOUs, sO JeaLous! I hAVe WAitED! ThESE fiVE hundRED YEarS WereN’T fOR NauGHt!! PLeaSe leT mE DIsasSemBle You! LEt Me dissECt YOu! ShoW Me tHe SOLutiON tO My tHESis oN ImMoRTAlitY!! KIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI!! MELtinG ThE brAIn, gouGING OUt ThE eyES, TEariNg oUt THe NERveS, spOuTing BLOOd Flow iNTo thE AiR!! WhaT Is LIfE! WHAt Is tHe ESSenCe oF The sOUl!! ……WHat iS a HUMan beING!!! THe anSWEr, thE TRUth! PLeasE, sHOw iT To ME!!!!」

And then, a power of seething negativity came from him. That power, which was enough that it could be confirmed by sight, ascended towards the sky like it were a signal flare.

「！」

My body acted on its own, and I cut off that guy’s head. Umbra’s body turned to particles like ash and disappeared, and then my thought processes caught up with my body that finished the action, then I turned my gaze to the Ancient Dragon.

「………Not good, this is not good.」

Having died once, an Ancient Dragon that revived as a Dragon Zombie. Though I say revived, in the end, it’s a Dragon Zombie. It’s just a monster with no intelligence that only makes an insult to living things. ……It was.

「That damned Umbra……He went and made something troublesome into a parting gift.」

It was a dragon that had once lived as the summit of all things in nature as the Dragon King since antiquity. That golden pair of eyes, had perceived me.

『He, ro……Hero……Hero!!』

And then, after a roar that literally shook the world,

『―――――――――――――』

Unable to understand their meaning, the dragon’s mantra resounded in my ears.

Damn it, so it’s as I expected. I don’t know the reason for how it happened but, intelligence was restored in the Ancient Dragon!

「Hero? ……Is he aiming for us?」

Pretty Boy-kun, who carried the greatsword onto his back, had put that question into words but……yup. It’s probably about me. Or rather, I think the only one that could have bought that guy’s resentment is me.

「M, more importantly, Hero. Can you understand the Drago Roar aria that was done just now?」

In order to lightly change the subject, I provided another topic. Let’s try asking the specialist.

「That’s Dragonic Wrath……. It’s Dragonic Rage’s superior magic.」

Dragonic Rage is a kind of Dragonic Aura that has a place in the Strengthening system among the Drago Roars.

I don’t know much about it but Baba-chan had said that it gives enough of a power up that 「if used, the world would look different」 or so it seems (She also said that the Sacred Sword possessed enough power to change the world or so it seems. ……Come to think of it, can Baa-chan use both of them?）

If it were to be superior magic to that, it would probably become something dreadful. ……As expected, I can’t go about not using the Sacred Sword, can I.

「I think that the only one that can stop that guy right now is me. ……You are, Darkness Executioner, am I correct?」

Just when I was about to prepare myself for the worst, Pretty Boy-kun suddenly called me with the taboo name.

Don’t call me by that name!!!

「……Yeah」

Well, I guess it’s better than being called Storm Bringer.

While I was compromising in my mind, when I nodded, Pretty Boy-kun started walking towards the Ancient Dragon.

「I leave Leezelion’s princess to you. ……I have a debt to her Onee-san, Sylvia-san. I can’t have her injured from the after-effects of the battle.」

A debt to Sylvia? Wait, that reminds me, I had heard in Luxeria’s gossip that Pretty Boy-kun had repelled Wintos together with Leonhart who should have been one of the Imperial Guards. ……Did Sylvia have Leo cover Pretty Boy-kun and the others?

「I heard from the 『Witch of Time』 that you were also an acquaintance of Sylvia-san’s group. That’s why, I’ll leave her to you.」

Saying that, Pretty Boy-kun, aka Amagi Kaito, started running towards the Ancient Dragon.