Episode 36 — Her Confession, His Return
～ Part 2 ～
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“Wawaa, wha–what!?”
After a strong shock attacked the hull, the heavy cruiser branch school stopped moving. That was Rin shouting on the deck. In front of Rin’s eyes, Hanazono’s head plunged deeply into the field and she was kicking and struggling with all her might. The goblins running around the deck was rushing around restlessly. While Gofunkawahara was giving out instructions, Okumura and Zeku also rushed out from the cabin.
“Go–Gofunkawahara-kun, what happened!?”
“I don’t know!”
To Rin’s shout while pulling Hanazono up, Gofunkawahara shouted back.
“Something seem to have collided with the ship, but the fog is dense so I cannot see it well!”
As Gofunkawahara had said, the effective field of vision was only enough to just barely confirm the terrain of their surroundings. For this reason, the heavy cruiser branch school had also been moving forward with a greatly reduced speed. The slope with the conifer forest densely grown had also disappeared from view, and sandwiching both side of the ship were just dull bare rocks now.
However, there was a strange feeling that this fog was no good. Right beside her, while tending to the carrots at her own pace, Hanazono muttered.
“Speaking of which, I have read a novel about a monster coming out of the fog before—.”
“. What sort of novel is that?”
“It maybe better not to ask.”
Then why did you mention it? Faster than she could tsukkomi, a goblin’s scream came from behind.
Turning around, at the area around the bow of the warship, «something» that seemed long, thick and slimy was about to drag a goblin to the other side of the fog.
“As if I would allow that!!”
Gofunkawahara jumped at the gun turret and fired the machine gun at that «something». Lead bullets intermittently flew out and there was sound like flesh tearing. Blood splattered on the deck, the goblin’s body was thrown away.
“Giii…!”
The goblin had severe cuts on its body but it was still breathing. Gofunkawahara gave instruction to the other goblins to carry the wounded goblin inside the ship.
“Himemizu, Okumura, did you see it just now?”
“Y–yeah…!”
“It was something like a snake debu.”
While all people present nodded to each other, the ogre Zeku also clenched his fists and kept a close watch to his surroundings.
Snake. It was unmistakably a snake. However, its length was at least 10 meters, and even its thickness was about 2 meters. It was just a big snake, but the situation is that the snake was lurking on the other side of this fog. No, assuming it was coiling around the hull, it had to be much longer than what could be seen.
“Hana-chan, get in the cabin for now!”
“Y–yeah…!”
Rin took Hanazono, a non-combatant, to a safe place. Meanwhile, Gofunkawahara and Okumura, Zeku and the Goblins were glaring at the surroundings.
A snake head again extended as if breaking through the fog. Okumura and Zeku who noticed it first, cooperated together and caught it. Being held down by the two boasting of their super human strength, the snake struggled in irritation. From what Rin could see, this «snake» was more than she thought. Its tongue was slithering in and out from its mouth, and its pinned down jaws were trying to open somehow.
When Gofunkawahara gave a signal, the goblins at every turrets pointed the tips of the machine guns toward the snake. Just as Rin came back to the deck after escorting Hanazono to the cabin, she found several swaying shadows emerging from inside the fog.
“Gofunkawahara-kun, behind!”
“Huh, uoo–?”
Receiving Rin’s warning, Gofunkawahara just barely managed to dodge a different snake head jumping at his place.
However, the snake head jumped in as if to strike the deck, the hull (of the ship) shook greatly causing Okumura and Zeku to let go of the snake head they were grabbing.
“What, it’s not just one!?”
Gofunkawahara shouted while keeping his eyes on the surroundings. The shadows that had appeared inside the fog all seemed to be snake heads.
“I’m just guessing, but maybe all the heads belong to one body debu.”
“Is that something like ?”
Okumura nodded to Rin’s question. Yamata no Orochi, or possibly Hydra. A kind of multi-headed dragon often told in folklore. What Rin and the others knew was obviously knowledge from the former world, but it wouldn’t be strange even if a similar monster also existed in this world.
But this was the worst timing for it to come out. Even at the best of time, this situation with poor visibility was bad enough. And then, the classmates’ spirit was practically at the lowest possible value.
“Wha–what’s happening!”
“Enemy attack. It’s quite enormous.”
Some of their classmates including Kensaki came out from the cabin. Gofunkawahara answered.
All students who came out to the deck were members of combat groups. They probably sensed the abnormality and rushed out, but it seemed that there were also students whose legs were trembling slightly. The shock from Washio’s death had yet to leave them.
“Wa, waaaaa!!”
From a blind spot of all people present, a snake head extended out and caught one student in its mouth.
“Kinogasa!!”
In that state, the snake, aka the hydra, tried to drag Kinogasa into the fog, but Kensaki slashed at it. Toward that Kensaki, two more hydra heads extended. As for this, Zeku and Okumura, as well as Kagoi and the others prevented it. This hydra was a formidable enemy. With the current situation where their footings was unstable, they couldn’t fight back. Just as Rin was feeling impatient, there was a voice came from behind.
“Hi–Himemizu…”
“Utsurogi-kun!?”
Turning around, the usual skeleton was standing there. He should have been shutting himself in his room until just now.
“Wha–what’s wrong…!?”
“The ship was shaking…. So I thought something may have happened…”
“But, but … is Utsurogi-kun okay…!?”
Rin asked while hiding in the shadow of the cabin which seemed to be a blind spot from the hydra. Rin also understood well the mental shock that Kyousuke had received. First was a shock from having to look straight at the problem holding within himself that he had never looked at up until now. And immediately after that, there was a shock from the scene where his classmate was killed right in front of his eyes.
“I don’t know but … there’s no choice other than fighting now…”
Saying so, Kyousuke turned his line of sight toward the battle on the deck. If you include the goblins, this side would win in terms of number, but that hydra was a strong enemy. Inside the class, the number of combat personnel with Phase 2 was few in number, so if the two of them were to help out in the state of Stream Cross, the battle situation would changed to some extent.
But then, is it okay for Kyousuke to fight in that state? Rin was lost. It was because she couldn’t understand what kind of emotion was moving Kyousuke now. Was it impulse, a sense of duty or something else entirely different?
“Himemizu, quick…!”
“Y–yeah…”
Looking at Kyousuke who shouted like he had lost his patience somewhat, Rin finally consented to his words.
“Let’s go, Utsurogi-kun.”
“Ahh.”
As Kyousuke nodded, Rin attached to him, winding, wrapping up his whole body. When Rin tried to make a human shape over his whole body, she noticed a sense of discomfort. Compared to usual, her body was awfully heavy and painful. This sensation, as if,
“Kyaa!”
Rin screamed and immediately fell onto the floor ∗becha∗.
“Himemizu…?”
“I–I’m sorry I’m sorry. My body doesn’t get on well for some reasons…”
Rin put her hands on Kyousuke’s body and tried challenging combination for the second time, but she slipped off in the same way as before.
In any case, it was strange. Even if she climbed onto Kyousuke’s body, she didn’t get a sense of being supported as usual. Her whole body felt out of place, as if sitting on thin air. No matter how many times she tried challenging it, the same thing happened. Rin’s body couldn’t overlap with Kyousuke’s body.
Combine, is impossible.
“…My, my fault…?”
Kyousuke took 2, 3 steps back and fell down while barely muttering.
“Utsurogi-kun…”
“I, I have realized the truth of my own heart … because of that …”
Rin knew the process of how Kyousuke’s heart was shaken. She had been in a combine state with him at that time and Kyousuke’s heart was directly transmitted to her.
Kyousuke had this emotion inside himself. It was the result of focusing his eyes on that emotion, I just want to help someone, I just want to support someone, and then, I just want to receive gratitude. Moreover, he ended up being «convinced» that I guess it doesn’t matter who the other party is, I just don’t care at all about the humans around me.
Rin didn’t want to think that Kyousuke was a coldhearted person like that.
However, Kyousuke himself was doubting his humanity.
“Himemizu, sorry … I …”
“Both of you, if you cannot fight, stand down!!”
When Kyousuke just barely squeezed out his words, they heard Gofunkawahara’s shouting voice.
“Not just Utsurogi group! Those who think even a little bit that they cannot fight, step back!”
Following Gofunkawahara’s shout, several students beginning with Kinogasa escaped from the deck to the cabin.
Utsurogi Kyousuke dumbfoundedly stood stock still. Rin tried to push that body into the cabin somehow. Kyousuke’s delirious mutterings of apologies was painful to look at. No matter how much she touched Kyousuke’s body, Rin couldn’t read his heart as she used to.
I cannot combine with Kyousuke now.
That fact feels like it symbolizes the distance between our hearts are helplessly growing further apart, Rin couldn’t help thinking so.
“UOOOOOO!!”
At that moment, a little late to the party, Ryuzaki came flying at the Hydra.
As for Rin, she had no choice but to watch her classmates battling the hydra with impatient feelings.
Running through the deck in his complete dragon form, with overall body length reaching about 10 meters, Ryuzaki crushed one of the snake head.
“DO NOT PUT YOUR HANDS ON MY CLASSMAATTEESSS!!”
A breath flashed together with a roar. The class representative Ryuzaki Kunihiro looked around the deck in a circle.
Gofunkawahara, Okumura, Kensaki, Kagoi, Uozumi, Zeku as well as the goblins. They were all safe. But he couldn’t afford to just sigh in relief. Ryuzaki used both of his hands to threaten the many shadows surround the heavy cruiser branch school.
“Gofunkawahara, what’s the situation?”
“The damage is zero for now. But it’s quite strong. This thing.”
The monster in front of them was probably a hydra. There was a description about similar monsters in the memo Selena left behind. The most famous one was the Marsh Hydra appeared in the wetland region to the South of the Empire, but aside from that they also inhabited various other locations. Their population wasn’t that many but they’re monsters with a high degree of danger.
Hydras were said to be biological weapons left behind by a wicked magician who tried to take over this world several hundreds years ago. Some of the individuals who lived through that age were still alive even now, and in such cases, their combat strength was much higher than the ones that were born in present time and increased their number.
Even considering the fact that this place was a former site of the fallen kingdom, this hydra had to be one of individual living since that time.
“Oi Ryuzaki, you’re good to go already?”
Gofunkawahara asked while looking anxious. Ryuzaki nodded.
“How much longer can I keep crying. I cannot let victims come out from my class anymore.”
“Ah—, so you were crying after all…”
When saying so, it was noticed. No matter how hard he tried, as expected, it seemed to be exposed when the onlookers saw this.
“But then Ryuzaki, wait a bit you…”
“UOOOOO!!”
“O–oi…!!”
Without listening to Gofunkawahara trying to stop him, Ryuzaki roared and charged at the hydra. The maximum priority is to protect my classmates now. It was my careless decisions that lead the class into danger, and now the things that I can do is nothing other than fighting.
That line of thought was merely to escape from the guilty conscience tormenting his heart, but Ryuzaki didn’t realize it.
Ryuzaki charged at one of the hydra heads and bit its neck. The nails of his forefeet bit in deeply and he was putting in more power into his jaws. But the hydra didn’t have just only one head. The heads of the hydra, which were crowding in the surroundings, simultaneously aimed at Ryuzaki and bit his arms, neck, wings and tail as if to return the favor.
“Ryuzaakiii! You idioott!!?”
Hearing Kensaki’s shouting voice, Gofunkawahara gave instructions to the goblins.
“Gun turrets, aim at the snake heads!”
“Giiii!”
“Gigiiii!”
The goblins fired the machine guns, some of the shots scattered blood from the heads of the hydra. Ryuzaki also took some of the stray bullets, but thanks to the sturdy dragon scales, it didn’t result in big damage. The hydra shrieked and flung Ryuzaki’s body into the air. As it was, he was thrown down to the deck.
“Class rep, pull yourself together.”
While Kagoi the Gargoyle rushed up to Ryuzaki, he spread his wings and floated up to the air. He attracted the several heads of the hydra that were trying to pursue Ryuzaki.
“Didn’t you said it yourself that you cannot afford to step down from the leader’s seat?!”
“If you understand your own value to that extent, don’t fight in a way that treat yourself so lightly!”
While launching scales like bullets, Uozumi threw out abusive language. Kensaki also nodded while floating in the air by treating Kagoi as a stepping stone and slashed (at the hydra).
Ryuzaki, while standing up on the deck, clenched his fists. It felt like his heart was completely stripped bare. After all, it appears that I have once again shown a such a disgraceful behavior. There is a slight self-deprecation, change that self-deprecation to prudence.
“Even if you go wild, even if you regret, the dead won’t ever come back debu.”
Okumura stood next to Ryuzaki and said.
“If you say you don’t want to increase the death count, then first of all make sure that you yourself aren’t the number two victim.”
Gofunkawahara also said. The words of those two were especially heavy. Ryuzaki nodded again.
The hydra had 9 heads, among them, 3 heads had been crushed, 6 remained. Hydra is a monster with very high vitality, it will regenerate in a few hours even if some heads are crushed. So they had to either crush all of its heads or aim at its heart, but in this case, it was enough if they could drive it into retreating.
Gofunkawahara decided to aim at the wounded head and gave out instructions to bring it down. Kagoi stopped the attack of that snake head, and Okumura pinned it down from the side. Kensaki took a stance with her sword and leaped at it. They also had to prevent the attacks by the 5 remaining heads one way or another.
According to Gofunkawahara’s instructions, the goblins at the gun turrets restrained one of the heads, and Uozumi’s scale bullets intercepted another. Ryuzaki pinned down one of the heads with his arms and held one more different head with his jaws.
One remained. Ryuzaki moved his tail but the hydra head slipped through it and swooped down on Kensaki.
“……!!”
Zeku, who was still free, cut in between and tried to pin down the snake head. However, the hydra’s jaws opened widely and immediately bit down on Zeku’s body.
“Zeku!”
Okumura raised a scream. The fangs of the hydra all came out and pierced deeply into Zeku’s steel-like muscle, blood scattered on the deck.
That guy is also my classmate. There is no good reason to abandon him. Ryuzaki tried to help him, but his body was conversely entwined by the hydra neck and had its freedom snatched away.
The snake head held Zeku strongly in its jaws and tried to disappear into the fog, but at that moment, ∗dopan∗, there was that sound and its neck burst open and flew away.
It was completely torn to pieces as if it took a shot from the heavy cruiser branch school main battery, the 20 cm cannon. However, there was no traces that the main battery mounted on the deck was fired when they look at it. In the first place, Kyousuke had previously cautioned that firing it in a melee is a taboo, so it was expected that no one would shoot it in such a circumstance.
Then what was it?
Ryuzaki witnessed as a shadow that wasn’t there up until now got down from on top of the hydra head, which had fallen on the deck.
“Ah…”
Everyone who was present on the deck simultaneously opened their eyes wide. A giant of about 3 meters in height, dragged out his brethren with the same appearance from the hydra’s jaws and laid that guy who was faintly breathing down on the deck and said.
“Zeku, you have done well! Be proud as someone from the same ogre race.”
The giant was wearing shoulder pads and a mantle that he shouldn’t have been wearing when he left the base. He had two horns grew on his head and a muscular body. And then, there was a glint in his sanpaku eyes. was rising from his body as he glared at the hydra. And this time, the man who came back said this to everyone who was present ——— especially toward Ryuzaki.
“Sorry. I’m late.”
Next Episode: For the Sake of Looking Forward
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