Chapter 83

Summary of the previous chapter:

Takuya's innate ability activated as he was cornered.

29

Transformed into a grotesque beast, Takuya swung his left arm with a roar.

A heavy, sweeping blow.

The relaxation after the battle ended, combined with the shock of Takuya Jun's transformation, left me unprepared. By the time I braced myself, the rock-like fist was already close to my right face.

This is bad.

Just as I thought that, I was grabbed by the back of the neck.

"Shimizu!"

I was pulled down from behind.

With a tremendous sound, the large fist passed by at a distance so close I could feel the heat from the friction with the air.

I saw Iino on his knees as I fell on my back.

—But he was blown away by another downward strike.

A dull sound, reminiscent of a traffic accident, echoed.

This was followed by a deep, rough cry.

It wasn't Iino's.

The cry, resonating in my chest, was that of a beast.

Before I could grasp what was happening, I moved first.

Being here is not good.

I rolled backward and leaped away to put some distance between myself and Takuya.

Fortunately, there was no counterattack while I was regaining my stance.

When I stood up, I saw Takuya looking up to the sky, screaming.

Deeply embedded between his thick, hairy index and middle fingers, a blood-soaked thin sword was stuck in his left palm.

It was Iino's sword.

After a moment, I understood the situation.

Iino, after pulling me down, had taken a hit that he couldn't avoid in his current state, and in return, he struck back at Takuya.

When I turned around, I saw Iino lying face down a little distance away.

From the blood trail, it seemed he had been knocked to the ground and rolled to that spot.

His right arm was bent in the wrong direction, and blood was flowing from his head, which appeared to have hit the ground.

A faint moan indicated he was still alive, but his unfocused eyes suggested he was almost unconscious.

No one will die here, Iino had said.

He's an idiot, but he doesn't lie.

Those words were genuine.

But... at the same time, this means that 'Vajra' is out of the fight.

Understanding the situation, I drew the 'Pseudo Damascus Steel Sword' from my waist and faced Takuya.

Sweat trickled down my cheek.

The situation was very bad.

"Master, run...!"

Lily, who was lying on the ground behind the transformed Takuya, was still bound by the magic tool 'Sin's Shackles.'

There was no sign of Gerbera returning, and Bertha, who seemed to have fainted, was lying motionless.

Isolated and without support... no.

"Go, Zz! Sumat!"

"...Yeah, you've been a great help."

Encouragingly, Asarina, who had grown from the back of my left hand, chirped.

I smiled a little and glared at the transformed Takuya.

Takuya, biting the hilt of the thin sword in his left palm, pulled it out in one breath and threw it to the ground.

His murky yellow eyes reflected my figure.

The corners of his mouth, twisted by his messed-up teeth, awkwardly curled up.

A beast's roar was expelled from his large mouth.

Viscous saliva splattered on the ground.

"Takuya... you're no longer human."

I forced a smile and gripped the hilt of the sword in my right hand tightly.

...It's okay.

It's too early to despair.

Fortunately, thanks to Iino, I was able to get into a position where I could fight properly.

Stay calm.

Observe your enemy well.

What's important is not Takuya Jun's activated innate ability—

Not only what has changed, but also what has not changed.

The tattered uniform.

And the injuries on his body.

Takuya Jun's wounds have not healed.

A deep wound on his right chest, severe enough to impair his movement.

His dominant right arm, torn at the forearm.

To make matters worse, Iino had just rendered his left arm useless.

Takuya is now just forcing his broken body to move through 'Beastification.'

Even with enhanced physical abilities, with a body in tatters, he can't exert even half the power he should.

His combat ability is likely far below that of a regular warrior.

To put it bluntly, Takuya Jun is a walking dead man.

...The problem is, even if he is a walking dead man, he is still a superior opponent to me.

Still, now is the time to fight.

And... remember.

Thanks to the connection with Gerbera, I should be in better form than ever.

...It might be a matter of mindset, but even if it is, the mental advantage is on my side.

Asarina, being a part of my body, is naturally in top form.

There's no reason I can't do this.

I have to believe that.

Fortunately, I had also considered what to do if Iino's attack failed to bring down Takuya.

I hadn't anticipated Takuya Jun transforming into such a form, so some improvisation is necessary... but now, there's no other choice.

"Oooooo!"

Roaring, both Takuya and I moved forward at the same time.

His movement speed is sluggish due to his injuries.

His right arm, from the elbow down, is immobile, and he drags most of his right side.

The only thing to be cautious about is the blow from his left arm, which can't even form a fist.

...Of course, even with such handicaps, if I take a direct hit, I'll be out of the fight. I must avoid that at all costs.

Swallowing the nauseating tension, I threw myself into the fray.

"Gruuuuuu!"

Takuya raised his left arm.

The moment I saw the starting point of his downward strike, I threw myself to the side.

The blow was terrifyingly fast.

But at the same time, considering his original speed, it was impossibly slow.

The magic-enhanced evasion was successful at the last moment.

"Oooooo!"

I fled to Takuya's left side and, as we passed each other, I struck his abdomen with my sword.

Though I have received training from Shiran, my sword skills are still immature.

Still, rigorous training doesn't lie.

The sharp tip of the Rose-made 'Pseudo Damascus Steel Sword' shallowly cut through the beast's tough body.

Of course, such a shallow wound doesn't make Takuya flinch.

His left arm, raised for another strike, swept down in a backhand.

I bent down with all my might.

The sweeping arm, however, due to the increased size of his body, was too high off the ground.

I slipped through the gap and, as I stood up, raised my sword.

A new wound ran diagonally across Takuya's side, intersecting the previous one.

Blood seeped from the wound, and Takuya's eyes glinted with irritation.

Asarina, like a whip, struck his face forcefully.

"Go, Zz! Sumat!"

Asarina coiled around Takuya's face with her long body and, at the end, opened her mouth wide and bit his nose.

There was no visible damage, but it seemed to hurt, as Takuya reached for his face with a scream.

"Good job, Asarina!"

Taking advantage of the opening, I delivered another blow.

Takuya roared in anger.

Asarina was torn away.

It's time to regroup.

I faced the beast again.

"Oooooo!"

I focused on avoiding his attacks and inflicting as much damage as possible without overextending myself.

As the battle continued, the battlefield gradually shifted, and I could no longer see Lily and Iino lying on the ground.

This way, they won't be caught up in the fight.

I became even more immersed in the threat before me and the weapon in my hand.

The beast that Takuya has become has a tough fur and thick muscles.

The wounds I can inflict are inevitably shallow.

Still, if I keep at it, the damage will accumulate.

Moreover, Takuya is already injured.

Blood continues to flow from the wound on his chest, and the intense movement will cause significant exhaustion.

What I need to do is avoid the attacks that would render me combat-ineffective and deliver my own strikes.

It's undoubtedly difficult... but, conversely, it's not impossible.

I can say this not out of bravado, but from the real sense of fighting.

"Gaahaaa—!"

Takuya, now a berserker in a beast's skin, has lost his reason, and his attacks have become brutally monotonous.

He should still have the speed and strength to make it a problem, but with his severe injuries, that monotony becomes a weakness.

Through practical training with Gerbera, I have learned to dodge while almost vomiting, and from Shiran, I have learned the basics of footwork, striking, and weight shifting necessary for wielding a sword.

Continuously dodging Takuya's attacks is difficult, but not impossible.

"Uooooo!"

The battle of attrition continued.

Would I be able to survive this...?

"…!?"

Suddenly, a terribly cold sensation ran down my spine.

It was unmistakably the presence of death.

My heightened senses, sharpened by the battle, sounded the alarm—

"…!?"

—In the next moment, a tree-like arm unexpectedly cut into my field of vision.

"Uoo!?"

I interrupted my planned attack, disregarding my compromised stance, and leaped sideways.

Asarina, acting on her own judgment, struck the ground to correct my direction.

I barely managed to avoid the attack.

"What... was that just now...?"

I almost took a direct hit.

Was I careless? No, that's impossible.

Was I caught off guard... no. Did his speed increase?

Confused, I tried to grasp the situation by putting some distance between us.

"Gruuuuuu!"

The grotesque beast, baring his fangs, pursued me.

The difference in our speeds made his figure grow rapidly in my field of vision—no, that's not it.

"...You've got to be kidding me."

I was stunned.

It wasn't an optical illusion; 'Takuya's body had actually grown larger.'

What the hell.

Takuya's innate ability wasn't at its limit.

I had misjudged. 'Beastification' is not just the ability to become a beast without reason.

It is a power that intensifies violence as madness deepens.

The yellow eyes of the pursuing Takuya were wide open.

His body, swollen with muscles, had torn his uniform to shreds.

The tattered uniform, flapping in the rush of his run, finally peeled off his fur-covered beast body.

Originally, his uniform was already tattered from a previous 'Beastification' where his body had grown larger.

The fact that the uniform, which had barely maintained its shape until now, had torn suggests that this is the first time he has reached this state.

The benefits were immense.

His speed was clearly higher than before.

Not only were his physical abilities enhanced, but his insensitivity to pain also contributed to this.

"Gaahaaa!"

Takuya's left arm was raised high.

There was still some distance. But instinctively, I felt it was bad.

I leaped backward with both feet.

It was too late.

The hairy, thick arm stretched out.

The enlarged body and the corresponding arm length had widened the range of his attack.

I couldn't avoid it.

"Gu...!?"

Takuya's left hand, severely injured by Iino's thin sword, couldn't form a fist. The tips of his fingers hit the shield I had raised in front of me.

"Ugh"

Due to my backward leap, I couldn't brace myself and was thrown back a considerable distance.

The impact was significant.

But at this level, there was no damage.

With this, I could prepare for a counterattack as soon as I landed.

I immediately judged this and adjusted my stance in mid-air—there, my eyes met those of a girl with a ponytail looking up at me.

In an instant, I flew over her.

The ground rushed up to meet me.

"Ugh"

I narrowly avoided a crash, using my entire body as a spring to absorb the impact of the landing. I looked up.

"Se... Senpai...?"

There, I saw Kato, who was looking back at me in surprise, holding Rose in her arms.

Behind her, I saw Lily, who had been restrained but was sitting up, and a little further away, Iino, who had fainted, lying on the ground.

The blood drained from my face.

...Damn it.

I made a mistake.

The plan, in case Iino couldn't bring down Takuya, was for Kato, who had moved to a safe distance, to free Lily while someone else held down the weakened Takuya.

I had known through the pass that Kato, who had become easier to carry due to the loss of her lower body, had started moving after Iino was taken down.

So I had been trying to draw the irrational Takuya away from where Lily was.

But in the process of escaping from the further beastified Takuya, I had unknowingly returned to where I started.

Naturally, the beastified Takuya, chasing after me, appeared at the scene.

"Gaahaaaaa!"

With a roar, Takuya appeared right next to the seated Lily. From where I was, he was on the other side of Kato, who was rushing to Lily.

"Damn it."

I immediately started running.

...It's not over yet.

I can still recover from this mistake.

If Takuya targets Kato, who is an obstacle, considering the distance and our speed, I might just make it in time.

On the other hand, if Takuya tries to secure Lily, I won't be able to stop him in time.

But Takuya's right arm is damaged.

If he tries to secure Lily, his left arm will be in the way, which could actually work to my advantage.

No matter which way the situation turns, I need to be ready to respond, so I kept a close eye on Takuya's movements.

"..."

Sure enough.

Takuya's yellow eyes were fixed on the restrained Lily.

Yes, I clenched my fist in my heart.

I made a mistake, but Takuya made the wrong choice as well.

In this situation, it would have been fine to leave securing Lily for later.

But Takuya prioritized Lily.

In a way, it's natural. Takuya has lost his reason.

He can't make a proper judgment.

The rest is up to me.

What will Takuya do after securing Lily?

Will he run? Or will he confront me on the spot?

Either way, I'll stick to him.

With determination, I ran towards Takuya.

In front of me, Takuya, who