Episode 26 — Despair and Hope
～ Part 1 ～
Read at translatedino.blogspot.com
Himemizu Rin and Hakuba Kazusumi, while they were escaping, the wall in front of them were abruptly destroyed, and unavoidably they were thrown onto the battlefield. Human knights and magicians were forced into a difficult fight on the battlefield riddled with numerous imps and ghouls. Even more surprising, several monsters that were similar to the Wight King were confirmed.
“For now, let’s search for Utsurogi-kun and everyone!”
“Ahh, I want to group up for now.”
To Rin’s words, Hakuba nodded.
“Himemizu, get on my back for now. Our movement speed is too different.”
“Eh, are you sure? Ever since the water bottle was thrust in my body, I have been sucking up water and store it inside my body?”
“No, yeah. I’m fine … maybe…”
Hakuba while trembling slightly murmured so, Rin tried to poke his hind-legs ∗chon chon∗ for the time being. Since there didn’t seem to be any rejection reaction in particular, she worked hard to climb up and tried to put her body on the saddle.
“GU, GUAAAAA!!”
“Hi~yaa.”
Hakuba lost his balance and fell just like that. Rin’s body also was thrown into the air.
“Ahh~, after all my body is no longer pure!?”
“Wrong, it was simply because you’re heavy!”
“That’s terribly shocking!”
Around the slime and unicorn that were performing monster comedy routine, the ghouls were slowly gathering. Hakuba managed to get up and retreated as he was slightly afraid. There was certainly legends stating that 『the unicorns are ferocious and skewer even elephants』, but the battle prowess of Hakuba himself wasn’t so high.
Here, as the chubby and slimy Himemizu Rin had increased her density and mass, there was only the choice to carve a way out.
“Oryaa~a! Princess juice busha~aa!”
“Himemizu, your words! Mind your words!”
When the high-density compressed water was fired, it skewed the extremely crowding ghouls and then further cut them. This was the power of water cutter which was used for processing diamonds. The days she was looked down upon as a member of Team · Useless seemed like a lie.
Furthermore, in order to deal with the imps who were rushing in, Rin unravel the compression of her body. The body that was as large as a lake suddenly spread, enclosing the gathered imps. Against the helpless monsters that were summarily gathered in one place, she shot a large water cannon just like that. As expected, Rin right now didn’t have enough courage to crush the monster by compressing her body alone.
“Yosh, the way is clear! Start moving!”
“O–ou!”
Bringing Hakuba, Rin started moving diligently. As she had to crawl on the ground after all, her movement speed was slow. Hakuba patiently accompanied her.
“However, you became stronger…”
“Nn, yeah…. Well, ne~e.”
Receiving the words of Hakuba, Rin talked hesitantly.
Rin certainly became stronger. Because she was thinking that she wanted to be strong, that in itself was a good thing.
“A bit now, I’m worried about Utsurogi-kun.”
“Utsurogi?”
“Yeah, Utsurogi-kun also. That is, he was also thinking that he had to become strong.”
“Don’t you think so? We were defeated. I want to be strong as well.”
“Yea~h. Well, that’s right…”
To be honest, she couldn’t understand Utsurogi Kyousuke’s thoughts. Surely, he seemed to be a good person, she thought, but other than that she didn’t know anything else. Because Rin hadn’t been together with him for as long as Akira, she couldn’t clearly trace Kyousuke’s line of thought, it was a bit frustrating.
However, only one day since Rin came to this fortress line. She was able to sense the subtle changes in Kyousuke.
When thinking that he could not borrow the fighting power of the knights here, Kyousuke first and foremost seemed to have thought 『I must strengthen myself』. Possibly, as Hakuba had said, similar feelings to that could have been felt since the time they lost to the red winged devil and had Kogane taken away, but still it had only been gradually coming out to the surface.
She felt it was not a good sign.
Rin wanted to become Kyousuke’s power, so she thought that she wanted to be strong, but in the case of Kyousuke, he wanted to become strong to manage things by himself. That wasn’t very good.
The exchange of the day Kyousuke lent her his power for the first time, she still remembered it.
———I understand, Himemizu. It is painful to be called a good-for-nothing…
Probably Kyousuke is such a guy. I can understand why Akira is irritated.
For someone else, I must do it with my own power, a part of him must be thinking so.
“Himemizu, look at that! That!”
Rin also turned her eyes to the direction where Hakuba indicated with his horn.
In the sky over there, opposing the red winged devil, there was a figure of a skeleton clad in flame. It was Kyousuke. He was glaring at Red Wing.
“It’s bad, he couldn’t win even with Full Cross…”
“Let’s hurry, Hakuba-kun!”
Let’s hurry, while saying so, she herself could only sluggishly crawl on the ground.
It would have been an easy victory with the healthy legs when I was still a human. Rin was strangely frustrated.
He could not understand the words of the red winged devil in front of him. It was something that should have been expected to some extent in the first place. As there was always that possibility, he should have been prepared for it. However, once it had truly been told, the words didn’t come with a sense of reality, the dangling fear gradually came out.
The base was raided by Red Wings. That meant that they truly didn’t make it in time. Kyousuke clenched his fists. Although it wasn’t the man in front of his eyes that made the second attack to the base, from his words, there was no doubt that their combat ability was roughly the same.
A feeling of helplessness and a strange uneasiness attacked him at the same time. After all it was hearsay, there was no confirmation.
However, if he considered that it could be the truth, Kyousuke’s body would stiffen.
“Pull yourself together, Kyousuke.”
Akira said in a clear voice.
“Even if what he said is true, we only know that the base «received an attack last night». It’s still unclear whether our classmates are safe or not.”
“Even if you say so…”
Looking at Red Wing smiling grinningly and floating in front of them, Kyousuke thought.
Would everyone in the base really be safe if they were to be attacked by devils whose strength was the same as this one? He boasted of a power that could kick down Full Cross, not allowing anyone to even come close at all. Even now, Kyousuke and Akira didn’t feel like winning at all.
“It’s fine, Kyousuke. Accept this shock, it’s no use to despair now. Everyone might be okay, it’s important to have hopes. It would be so.”
“Then, how about…”
In a calm tone, the words of Red Wing seemed like playing, in contrast with Akira whose impatience was spreading.
“I have received a report. Those who had been in the «Promised Cemetery», about half of them are useless and were disposed of, and the guys that may have some uses were taken.”
“You must be lying.”
In order to cover his words, Akira declared.
“You guys should not have the means to communicate over long distance in detail. The second raid on the base would have been done at an earlier stage if it was available. In addition, it took all your effort just to bring Kogane back with you last time, I cannot imagine a situation develop to where you could take several people.”
“There was collaborator(s). They were uncooperative last time, but well, they finally obediently nodded their head this time. Because it would be scary to defy our King, it is natural, but…”
“……”
Akira fell silent to the words of Red Wing. He didn’t believe it. He still had doubts.
However, Kyousuke knew that the words of Akira had more meaning than simply asking the truth. They had a long relationship. If the base was attacked and things had developed according to Red Wing, he knew that Kyousuke’s will to fight would drop on a grand scale.
In order to raise Kyousuke’s willpower, Akira was trying to find holes in the story of Red Wing.
Kyousuke tightly clenched his fists and looked at Red Wing.
For the time being as a friend, he had to answer to Akira’s spirit.
“Hou, you still plan to go against us?”
“There are Himemizu and Selena-san as well as Hakuba in this fortress. I will not let go of anyone else.”
Kyousuke firmly pushed his clenched fist toward Red Wing. The flames were burning vigorously, and Akira launched fire bullets from the extended fist. The red winged devil repelled it with his gauntlet. That armor was still troublesome. In the previous battle, Kogane’s fireball burned the man’s exposed face and had a certain effect. However, playing with that armor and no damage could pass through at all.
“Akira, Prominence Ball at maximum firepower!”
“All right.”
While emitting the fire boosters, Kyousuke faced both of his palms together. Red Wing floated a fearless smile and started firing black energy bullets. While avoiding with three-dimensional movement, he would grow the fireball between his palms. When Kyousuke tried to take distance, Red Wing also spread his red wings and pursued him.
The movement over there was obviously playing around. Kyousuke was convinced. That guy had to be thinking that there was already no way for them to resist. Certainly, Kyousuke who couldn’t become Full Cross, didn’t believe that he could stand against that red winged devil in the present situation. It was more clever to run away.
However, if he escaped from the red winged devil here, he wouldn’t know where that guy would go next.
It might be the place where Rin, Hakuba, and Selena escaped to.
“Prominence!!”
Kyousuke turned around and brandishing a fireball that had grown to about one meter in diameter.
“”BAAAAA—————LL!!””
The launched fireball impacted in front of Red Wing that was pursuing. Just before that, he seemed to have protected his face with the back armor, still, a continuous explosion covered his entire body in flames. While waiting for the fire and smoke to clear up, Kyousuke and Akira vigilantly stared at the shadow of Red Wing.
“Ahhh … damn, well done…!”
The explosion by Prominence Ball certainly seemed to have succeeded in damaging the red winged devil to some extent. However, it was by no means a fatal injury. When he undid the arms crossed in front of his face, dark skin, as lively as every, showed up.
It was ineffective.
Even the Wight King had faltered, but against him, the blow did not work at all.
Kyousuke again put his palms in front of his chest.
“Akira, let’s go again!”
“There won’t be a second time!”
However, Red Wing’s movement which shorten the distance in a stretch was much faster.
“Drop!”
As it was, he raised his black metal boots high, and struck the heel to Kyousuke’s body.
Kyousuke and Akira couldn’t keep their balance in the air due to the impact. They were knocked down at once to the battlefield crowding with imps and ghouls. ∗Do~on∗, there was a dull shock and a big crater was formed in the wasteland. While a cloud of dust was rising, Kyousuke raised his upper body and confirm his body.
Bones are not broken. I have not fallen apart. My whole body is still connected tightly.
“Are you all right? Kyousuke!”
“Ah, right…”
Kyousuke responded to Akira’s screams while being half stunned in amazement.
This, is this my current body that was strengthen by Akai’s blood?
“To become this strong…. I’m surprised.”
Unusually, Akira also showed admiration in his voice.
There were several knights engaged in a battle with the ghouls in the surroundings. Although they were surprised for a moment that a skeleton fell from the sky, as soon as they confirmed that it was Kyousuke group, they took a formation to protect this place.
“Have you come to help us?”
“That was my intention…”
Kyousuke looked up at the sky while feeling bitter. The red winged devil was about to descend slowly toward this place. That was not all. The wight kings who were in the surroundings also gathered together as if following the instructions of the devil.
The man who appeared to be the leader of the knights had cold sweat sticking to his face.
It was unknown how much combat abilities these knights had, but as they banded together to fight against the imps and ghouls, they were unlikely to be on par with Full Cross. Even against a single wight king, quite a hard struggle would still be expected. Much less against a few of them.
“A~an? Did you not fall apart…”
With a voice somewhat out of tune, the red winged devil landed.
“I can’t imagine what kind of trick this is. It seems that your body that should have been crushed to pieces are back to normal, I don’t understand anything.”
“Because it’s not the power of one person…”
Kyousuke kept up his bravado and took the stance of . Akira murmured and grumbled 『Again with the excessive things…』.
The red winged devil suddenly stopped his feet approaching and made a slightly grim expression.
“…No, there’s no way.”
What kind of meanings those words held, Kyousuke didn’t understand.
“Anyway, in addition to the valuable Phase 2, I do not understand well but it is an individual who has activated ruggedness. The skeleton race itself is a miss, but it seems worthwhile to take back.”
“What…!”
Immediately afterwards, the red winged devil had black lightning-like effects on him. While he was thinking that it was the attack that made Rin fainted, Akira raised a warning voice.
“Kyousuke! Run!”
However, the red winged devil’s movement was still faster. At a speed which Kyousuke and the knights couldn’t respond to, Red Wing released black lightning from both arms.
“Aahh, guu…!?”
Screams leaked out of Kyousuke’s mouth. Severe pain ran through his body, Kyousuke’s body together with Akira was restrained by the red winged devil.
It was slightly different from that blow that fainted Rin. It was a technique to deprive the opponent of the freedom of their body, by the time they noticed, already they couldn’t even twitch. Some of the knights who was battling with the ghouls strike their sword at Red Wing.
“As expected, there is no use for humans! Kill them!”
Restraining Kyousuke and the others with lightning released from his right arm, Red Wing gave out instructions with his left arm.
The ghouls who were moving disorderly until then were commanded, and further more, a number of wight kings in the surroundings simultaneously raised their barbaric scimitar overhead. The knights’ faces turned blue at once. Kyousuke shouted.
“S–stop…!”
“Despair at your own helplessness. Then it will better to be a little obedient.”
I thought that I have to become strong, and yet. I thought that I want to be strong, and yet.
Why does my body not so much as move?
He remembered the conversation with Carol last night. Kyousuke had asked her how to become stronger, but she told him not to push himself, and also if he was to someday return back the former world, strength would be unnecessary then. But in the end, the result of not having power is this now. He was restrained by the enemy that should be defeated and couldn’t move even one finger, waiting for someone to die right in front of his eyes.
Even his classmates at the base, he couldn’t protect. If he himself had more power.
“Kyousuke!”
Akira shouted.
“You do not despair! You…, now, again…!”
“If you want power, we will give it! You will also be able to see your friends! Well now, kill!”
As Red Wing instructed, the wight king brought down its barbaric scimitars.
Immediately after that, roaring sound and impact shook the air, an explosion went up at the body of the wight king.
“What!? What happened…!?”
There was no one to answer the panicked voice of the red winged devil.
However, as a result, the barbaric scimitar was not swung down. Roaring sound and tremors intermittently echoed. The wight kings crowding in the surroundings broke their postures due to the rising flames from its whole body and collapsed in the wasteland. The ghouls who were supposed to moved under command had also completely stopped their movements due to the dismay of Red Wing, their commander. Taking advantage of that gap, the knights promptly cut them down.
“What is that…!?”
The leader of the knights pointed to the back of Kyousuke and Red Wing. In a slightly loosened restraint, Kyousuke barely managed to turn his line of sight. That which was pointed to was something that should never have existed there in Kyousuke’s mind.
With newly attached wheels rotating in unison, it broke through the reddish-brown wasteland. 20 meters in width and 200 meters in total length, it boasted a clear majestic appearance in this place.
Its existence was confirmed a few days after Kyousuke and the others came to this world, it was the appearance of the heavy cruiser.
To be continued…
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