Chapter 59

With the explanations becoming lengthy, it took a bit longer than usual...

"Whoa!?"

Koushin was blown back and rolled on the ground. Eventually, he stopped and, finding the raincoat bothersome, boldly took it off and stood up, planting his holy sword in the ground.

"Ugh... Why such power..."

"How does it feel to be defeated by someone you mocked as incompetent and a shut-in?"

I closed the distance in an instant and swung Kuromaru down with a forceful strike. Koushin managed to block it with his sword, but the weight was too much and he fell to his knees.

"Ugh..."

"Must be frustrating, huh... Come on, say it! Say you're frustrated!"

"Don't... underestimate me!"

"Whoa"

Koushin deflected Kuromaru by tilting his holy sword and, still on his knees, thrust it at me. It was a good strike, but I caught it with my palm. The holy sword couldn't pierce my palm, and Koushin's face showed shock.

"That's... impossible..."

"Too bad for you."

"Guu―――――"

I struck Koushin's shoulder with the hilt of Kuromaru. I held back, but I felt the clavicle break.

(As expected, he's still inexperienced...)

I thought, looking at Koushin who had collapsed.

If it were me or Fumimasa, a hit like this wouldn't even cause damage. This is because of one of the abilities of a Holy Sword wielder, the Holy Sword's Armor. This ability, which strengthens the body by flowing magic power throughout it, far surpasses the performance of the Reinforcement Magic that strengthens the body. It doesn't require a weapon to activate. It can stop killing weapons like swords and bows with the skin. I don't fully understand the principle, but just think of our skin becoming hard when magic power flows through it. While it can't completely defend against strikes, magic, or internal damage, it provides a nearly invincible level of defense. However, using it constantly would consume a tremendous amount of magic power, so I usually don't use it and activate it only when necessary. For example, I activated the Holy Sword's Armor in my palm to block Koushin's thrust just now. Conversely, Koushin suffered damage because his ability is incomplete. If he's weak against strikes, it's no good if his bones are shattered by a hit like that.

"Ugh... haa... haa..."

"Heals slowly, too."

Another ability of a Holy Sword wielder is the Holy Sword's Blessing. This ability is the simplest: super regeneration of wounds. It instantly recovers from any external injuries, physical damage, magical bindings, or negative effects, restoring the body to perfect condition. Unlike healing magic, it can even bring someone back to life instantly, even if they are dead. However, it consumes a significant amount of magic power. I don't know much, but if a Holy Sword wielder is severely injured while out of magic power, they can die. It's said that a Holy Sword wielder in the past died this way, but it's a story I heard from others, so I'm not sure. Anyway, in this world, it's like the system in a certain famous RPG where the hero can be revived. There are other abilities as well, but they don't seem necessary against this guy, and he doesn't seem to be able to use them yet.

"What's wrong? Shouldn't you be healed by now? Get up!"

"..."

Koushin stood up, holding his shoulder. He readied his holy sword, but the light was smaller than before, and he seemed hesitant. He was clearly afraid. There was no fighting spirit in his eyes, and he took a step back for every step I took forward. He probably didn't know what to do. His sword had never failed to pierce an enemy, and his body had never been injured. The intense pain was overwhelming his body with fear. He was done for.

"Boring."

I swung Kuromaru at Koushin's head to knock him out, but this time, I hit him weaker than before. Koushin couldn't move...

But,

"Whoa!"

"Koushin, we won't let you!"

Jiro and Mutsuki blocked it. In the meantime, Endo, who had been on his knees, moved and carried Koushin away.

"Move..."

"No way! We can't let Koushin fight here!"

"Right! He's an important friend!"

"..."

Their eyes were serious... Man, these guys are a pain.

"Both of you..."

"I know it's frustrating, but you're the strongest here. There's a lot to come, and we can't afford to lose you."

"Endo..."

What can I say to this? I'm often the villain, but it's uncomfortable to see such a display of friendship right in front of me.

"Hurry up and get up! I'm going to knock that guy out!"

"―――――Yeah!"

Koushin's sword emitted a strong light. It was brighter than before and gradually absorbed the light into the sword. Then, the holy sword, the Sword of Opening, was completed, containing all its power.

"Excalibur... So, you weren't complete until now... But now!"

"Let's go!"

This is really getting complicated... Surrounded by his friends, Koushin awakened as the real deal. His power was far beyond what it was before, and his magic power was on a different level. ...I'm a bit envious of his pure white blade, which is different from mine.

"I have to get serious or it might get dangerous..."

"Ugh!"

I knocked away the two who were holding back my sword and lunged at Koushin...

"Too slow!"

"Whoa!"

I instinctively bent my body. The tip of the sword grazed in front of me. Koushin, who appeared in front of me in an instant, swung his sword at a speed incomparable to before.

"You've gotten much faster!"

"Thanks to you, my body feels light!"

I also got a bit serious and focused on dodging. There were plenty of opportunities to counterattack, but Kuromaru probably wouldn't cause damage to the current Koushin... His Holy Sword's Armor is quite complete. The sharpness of the sword is several times greater...

Should I draw my holy sword too?

No... I might end up killing him, and I don't know how many others will get caught in the crossfire.

"Damn!"

"!"

I dodged his sword and punched Koushin's torso. Despite my magic-powered fist, I felt a dull sensation. Koushin, surprised by the counterattack and the slight damage, opened his eyes wide and flew back. The other three rushed to his aid.

"Are you okay, Koushin!"

"Yeah... Still, to not land a single hit after all those attacks..."

"Who is this guy..."

There was a slight sense of relief on their faces. They probably think Koushin is giving me a good fight. They think...

I can be beaten.

"Got a plan... Listen up, all three of you."

They huddled and started discussing. Normally, I'd attack them by surprise, but I'll wait this time, like a typical villain.

"―――――Got it! Let's go!"

Koushin, Mutsuki, and Jiro rushed out. Naturally, Koushin was the fastest, followed by Mutsuki. Jiro was behind them, and Endo was even further back. In this situation... I'll take out Koushin first.

"Lava Spear!"

"Wha...!"

As I was about to swing Kuromaru, a large, dark red spear flew at me. It was fast, but not a big deal. I deflected it with one hand, and the large fragments fell into a puddle, creating white steam.

(Damn... That was the plan.)

From the steam, I heard Endo's voice.

"I hate you! Necro Yuki! I really hate you!"

The steam was gradually narrowing my field of vision. I know, I don't like you either.

"You always have that cool look! You never go against what we say!"

"..."

What, you wanted me to go against you?

"That's the attitude you showed as soon as you came to this world! It's annoying!"

I deflected the lava spears like a madman. Each time, steam rose, and my field of vision turned completely white.

"Ha... ha... You're nothing!"

What an idiot... He's getting out of breath from the continuous attacks.

"Will you hand over Yūhi!"

"...Sure!"

A spear of an incredible size broke through the steam. It must have been his last effort; I couldn't hear his annoying voice anymore. I grabbed the spear with one hand and shattered its tip. My right hand felt a bit hot... It must have pierced my Holy Sword's Armor at the last moment. Well... He was a formidable opponent.

"Alright..."

The last spear fell to the ground, and steam rose with the sound of evaporating water. At that moment, I heard a whistling sound from the right. I placed Kuromaru in that direction, and there were two metallic sounds. Judging by the lightness of the sound, it was probably a knife, likely Mutsuki's attack. I heard footsteps from the direction the knife came from. At the same time, something glinted in the steam on the opposite side. Based on the position, it was probably Koushin and Mutsuki... So, Jiro was the finisher, right? He probably thought his attack wouldn't work, but...

"Take this!"

I realized as I blocked the knife and punch. The one holding the knife was Mutsuki, as expected. However, the light was not from Koushin's holy sword but from Jiro's simple light magic. So, the one coming from the front was...

"This is... the end!"

The man who could hurt me... Koushin. The tip of his holy sword, which emerged from the front, was about to pierce my unguarded torso...

...For no reason.

"..."

I stopped Excalibur's blade with my hand. His sword tip didn't even reach me. Furthermore, Jiro and Mutsuki were lying on the ground on either side of me.

"Did you really think you could beat me with such a cheap plan...? It's obvious, you idiots."

I knew they would try to finish it with Koushin. After all, Jiro's attack didn't work. Also, Jiro's use of light magic was too obvious. As long as magic power is used, even my mediocre magic detection would pick it up. So, I had no worries about dodging it. I punched Mutsuki and Jiro in the stomach, knocking them out, and then grabbed Koushin's blade to show the difference in strength.

"Awakening in the middle of a fight and trying to win with that power is naive. This world isn't that convenient."

The difference in strength is just that. No matter how quickly one becomes strong, there are gaps that can't be bridged. There is a significant gap between me and Koushin in terms of strength, technique, and experience. Even if his holy sword awakens at the last moment, that gap can't be closed.

"..."

"What's wrong? Can't say anything?"

I asked the silent Koushin. I thought he was surprised, but it seemed different. Koushin, looking at me... or rather, behind me, smiled faintly.

"Please... Endo!"

"Got it!"

"What!?"

Behind me... Breaking through the steam, it was Endo, who was thought to have stopped moving. He probably pretended to be unconscious and circled around to the back. Still, why didn't I sense his magic power?

"Die! Lava Hammer!"

"Damn!"

With a sound of something breaking, a huge, boiling magma hammer was slammed into me at point-blank range. Koushin had already stored his holy sword in another dimension and carried Mutsuki and Jiro away. I caught the magma block with both hands. It was an incredible amount of magic power. The Holy Sword's Armor isn't completely resistant to magic, and my hands started to feel hot.

"All of our magic power is in that hammer! Don't think you can withstand it!"

I see, I didn't notice Endo's approach because his magic power was depleted. The sound of something breaking before the hammer was probably the sound of a magic stone breaking. I've heard of magic stones that record magic. If that's the case, they could hold everyone's magic power, and Endo could cast magic even with zero magic power. It's a good plan... but maybe I shouldn't be saying that!

"Go!"

"Ugh..."

This is bad... I'm being crushed...

"Ha... ha... Serves you right."

"Are you okay, Endo..."

"Yeah, just out of magic power. I can stand up soon."

Koushin supported the collapsed Endo and escaped from the steam. They retreated to where Jiro and Mutsuki were resting and confirmed Endo's position from outside. The steam made it hard to see, but he was definitely there. Endo felt a solid impact, and Koushin confirmed that he was crushed by the lava block.

"He's... dead?"

"Heh... Serves him right."

Koushin thought it was inappropriate to say that about a classmate, but he realized he couldn't judge others since he had fought with the intent to kill