Chapter 70

Previous Summary:

Vajra appears.

16

"Shimizu, did you really make your monster eat Mizushima?"

The words thrown at me felt like a direct blow to the heart.

I had thought that someday, somewhere, someone might ask me this.

I had at least considered the possibility.

I might be scolded, despised, or condemned.

I was aware that this was only natural.

So, I was prepared.

But the question was so sudden that I had no time to put up my guard.

There was no time to think about what to do. I couldn't even come up with a way to dodge it. As a result, my reaction itself became my answer.

"You hit the nail on the head."

Iaino's eyes, which caught my breathless face, took on a sharp, blade-like gleam.

"You scoundrel."

"..."

Cold sweat broke out all over me.

I was about to ask why she was here and what reason she had to chase after me, but my mouth froze.

A terror that made breathing impossible rose up, the blood drained from my face, and my cold limbs went numb. The hostility directed at me felt like a grip on my heart.

The girl in front of me was overwhelming.

Iaino had simply identified me as an enemy. She hadn't even drawn her sword. Yet, the most fundamental part of a living being was screaming out the impending danger.

If a mouse were stepped on by a lion's paw and barked at with bared fangs, it might feel the same way. The fact that I came up with this analogy meant that I instinctively understood I couldn't escape from the girl in front of me.

"Master!"

Of course, my servants wouldn't just stand by and watch such a dire situation.

They all moved with a killing intent to eliminate the threat.

It would be a bit harsh to call their reaction overly sensitive.

A human had appeared out of nowhere and was showing hostility towards me, their master.

Given the clear difference in strength, it was as if they had been shown their master with a machine gun pointed at him.

There was no time to think.

In the next moment, I might be riddled with bullets.

The opponent was so overwhelming that I couldn't even laugh it off as a joke.

Thus, the counterattack was almost reflexive.

I felt all my servants move simultaneously through the path.

"Shaaaaa!"

Due to the speed and roles of each, the first to attack Iaino was the strongest of my servants, the white spider.

Garbella, who had been pulling the cart, charged forward with explosive speed.

Her signature move, a thrust with her spider legs using the momentum of a jump, seemed to scratch Iaino's throat.

...or so it appeared.

I knew deep down that it wouldn't be that easy.

Garbella's attack had missed.

Iaino's speed was so overwhelming that it created the illusion of a hit.

Just before the attack landed, Iaino moved.

Her slender body, which had been still, suddenly burst into motion, reaching top speed in an instant.

"Haaa!"

She dodged the spider leg by shifting her body. She then cut off the leg that had been thrust at her from the side with a thin sword she had drawn at some point. Her left foot, which had stepped forward, became her pivot, and a roundhouse kick struck Garbella's back of the head.

"Guuh!?"

Garbella, who had been charging forward, couldn't stop when hit on the back of the head. She fell face-first to the ground. Iaino then turned to look at me.

"You're going to resist?"

"..."

"Well, I don't really mind. I'll just beat you down."

There were many things I wanted to say, but there was no time to interject.

Iaino charged at me.

I had seen Iaino fight before.

Her movements were so fast that they far exceeded my perception at the time.

Now, I am better at handling magic than I was then. My ability to enhance my physical capabilities with magic has improved, and my base stats have also improved through training with Shiran.

Thanks to this, I could see Vajra's speed.

...But seeing it was one thing.

The figure of the charging girl, the fist that was pulled back while still holding a sword, and even Lily, who was standing next to me, couldn't react in time to block her.

With a shock, I was blown backward.

For a moment, I lost consciousness.

"Master!"

"Senpai!"

I heard the voices of Rose and Kato-san right beside me.

A hard sensation. It seemed Rose had caught me from behind.

A thick liquid flowed from my nostrils.

Only then did I realize that Iaino had punched me in the center of my face.

"...Huh? That's strange. I thought that would knock out even an Imperial Knight. You're surprisingly tough."

Iaino, holding the sword in her right hand that she had used to punch me, tilted her head.

"Well, it's fine. If this doesn't work, I'll just hit you a bit harder. I can hit you as many times as I need to."

I couldn't continue.

My brain was shaking, and I couldn't gather my thoughts.

I managed to grit my teeth and lift my head. What I saw was Lily, who was groaning.

"...Ugh, gah."

"Ah, right. By the way, no matter how hard you try, it's useless."

Iaino's left hand was casually gripping the black spear Lily had thrust at her.

Lily's hand, which was gripping the spear with all her might, was trembling slightly. But the tip of the spear didn't budge.

"Among the exploration team members, I was just average in terms of strength. But I have a cheat, you know."

She looked at me and said in a lecturing tone.

Iaino's fighting style was clearly speed-focused.

But that didn't mean she was weak.

Well, she was weak, but only in comparison to her overwhelming leg strength. The baseline was just off.

"Kyaa!?"

Lily's stance was broken as her spear was pulled, and she was tripped.

Iaino casually brushed Lily aside and threw the spear she had taken away. She then turned to me.

If this continued, I would be overwhelmed without a chance to fight back.

I had to do something... I had to do something.

Staggering, I roughly wiped the blood from my nose and glared at Iaino.

"Hmm, you're not giving up?"

"...Of course not."

Narrowing her eyes, Iaino watched as I drew my sword with my right hand and extended my left.

My head was still shaking, and my thoughts weren't fully clear, but I had no choice.

Attack with a counterattack. I couldn't just be killed without a fight, especially when I was suddenly attacked without any explanation.

"Go, Suma!"

"Kyaa!"

Asarina shot out from the back of my hand, and Ayame, who had rushed to my feet, added her support by spitting out a fireball.

"Out of the way."

Ayame's fireball and Asarina's vine thrust were easily deflected by the thin sword.

No problem. The real attack was coming next.

"Go!"

Rose, who had rushed past me, attacked Iaino head-on.

She swung her bardiche with both arms, aiming to cut Iaino in half at the waist.

At the same time, Garbella, timing her attack, charged from behind Iaino.

Whether Rose's attack hit or missed, she aimed to exploit the opening that would be created.

For good measure.

Lily, who had fallen at Iaino's feet, thrust her hand into the ground and kicked up with her heels in a reverse somersault, not even taking the time to stand up.

A coordinated attack by my servants.

Any one of them alone would have been enough to deal a fatal blow to an ordinary opponent.

This should do it... I thought, but then I was stunned by what I saw next.

Positionally, Lily's attack reached Iaino first.

The heel that shot up was easily caught in Iaino's palm with a loud slap.

"Kyaa!?"

Her fully extended body was casually thrown.

Iaino, who had quickly taken Lily out of the fight, didn't wait for the approaching Rose and Garbella.

Incredibly, Iaino charged forward.

Iaino, who seemed to deliberately expose herself to Rose's blade, stepped deeply to the right to avoid the sweeping slash of the bardiche coming from the left, buying just a moment of time before being cut in half.

As her body, which had been twisted with the step, released its tension,

"Kiii!?"

A powerful body blow exploded into Rose's side.

The sound of hard objects cracking and breaking echoed, and Rose's body was slammed into the cliff face. The impact caused dirt and rocks to crumble and fall.

The bardiche, released from Rose's grip, stabbed into the ground.

Iaino, who had quickly taken down Rose, was then attacked from behind by the last one, Garbella.

This was the main attack. An attack that couldn't be avoided.

However, the tight coordination was thrown off by Iaino's step forward to take down Rose.

Just one step, but the distance that opened between Iaino and Garbella. In the time it took Garbella to close that gap, Vajra's god-like speed allowed her to turn and face Garbella.

"Shaaaaa!"

Most of the advantage was lost. But Garbella wasn't one to back down.

Iaino's stance, having just turned, wasn't perfect. There was no other choice but to press the attack.

Garbella aimed to tear Iaino apart with the hooks at the ends of her spider legs.

The girl facing her didn't back down, countering with her thin sword in one hand.

"Haaaaaa!"

A fierce cry burst forth. Iaino's eyes were full of strength, and her face was stern, reflecting the strong will she held in her heart.

The delicate hand holding the blade, the brave girl fighting... indeed, she had the shine of a hero.

To me, it was a nightmare.

Garbella was strong. She should have been.

Each of her eight spider legs was as powerful as a spear thrust, and as a monster, she could control spider silk at will, binding her enemies.

Her combat ability was such that she had once latched onto Tenji.

Yet, she couldn't keep up with Iaino at all.

"Yaaaaaa!"

This was the speed of 'Vajra'.

Among the many cheaters, she was given a special nickname. This scene was the answer to what that meant.

From Iaino's right hand, countless silver glints shot out.

Garbella's expression contorted.

I couldn't follow the exchange of attacks with my eyes, even though it was happening right in front of me.

All I could tell was that Garbella's thrusts were being deflected one after another.

The result was that the tip of the silver sword was quickly damaging the white, hairy exoskeleton.

"I won't lose to a monster controlled by a scoundrel!"

"This, little girl...!"

As she was repeatedly struck, Garbella's strong white legs quickly became tattered.

"Damn it."

The situation was clearly unfavorable.

I immediately sent Asarina to attack Iaino's side for support.

But this too was easily cut down, and it didn't even buy time.

One by one, Garbella's spider legs were cut off.

"...Ah, gah."

In less than five seconds, Garbella lost her balance.

She had lost one left leg earlier, and now two more left legs and one right leg were cut off, making it impossible for her to stand. Iaino turned to me.

"This is the end..."

"Not yet!"

Iaino, who had started to speak, widened her eyes slightly.

Garbella, who was expected to fall, showed a tenacious grip as she lunged at Iaino.

"I won't let you touch my master!"

Garbella had once faced Tenji head-on.

She couldn't match his speed, but her strength was likely enough to challenge 'Vajra'.

"Oooooo!"

In a last-ditch effort, Garbella clung on with all her might.

"Uwa!?"

...But even this couldn't catch Iaino's speed.

Iaino, letting out a small scream, slipped past Garbella as if by magic.

The powerful arms of the girl, who boasted incredible strength, only flailed in the air.

"Guuuh!?"

Iaino's uppercut, which she threw as Garbela turned to face her, struck her jaw.

A clean hit. Garbela's body drew a high arc in the air.

The white spider, who had lost many of her legs, fell behind Shiran and Kai, finally stopping when she hit a cart that had been left there.

Garbela, the strongest of my servants, was treated like a child.

Of course, I knew that Iaino and the other cheaters were such beings.

I thought I knew. But... this was too much. There was no way to counter this.

"Garbela-san!"

Kato-san screamed and rushed forward.

Iaino, who seemed to see that she was no threat, let her go with a glance and sighed, placing her hand on her chest.

"...That was a bit of a surprise."

Garbela's all-or-nothing attack ended just like that.

I was stunned by her monstrous ability.

Garbela, who was injured and groaning. Lily, who had attacked twice but couldn't land a single hit. Rose, whose body was creaking and swaying...

There was no way to even get a hit in. This would end in a total defeat.

Was there anything, anything at all, that could turn the tide?

I desperately tried to think.

But there was no such convenient solution...

"...?"

Perhaps the blow I had taken earlier had cleared my head a bit.

Something caught in my brain as I desperately searched for a way out.

There was something off about the current situation.

But I couldn't immediately figure out what it was.

There was no time to think it through.

"Actually, that was... almost serious..."

Iaino, who had muttered this, stopped and turned around.

"Yaaaaaa!"

There, Lily, unarmed, charged in.

◆I'll update again in an hour.