The Invaders of the Great Tomb

by Kugane Maruyama

  From the beast’s appearance, it was possible that it was the master of the tomb. If that was the case, slaying it would be meritorious service of the first rank. It would make his team the most outstanding one on the job. Tenbu was Elya’s team and his alone. That would mean he was the best of all the workers there. Luck was an important part of being a worker.

  “I was told to act as your opponent, that I was. We were supposed to test several things, that we were, but…you’re no match for me, no, you’re not.”

  Disappointment and irritation assailed him at once. The former was due to the fact that this monster was only a watchman. The latter was due to being taken lightly.

  “You’re gonna say that without even fighting me? Hey!”

  “S-sir!”

  The elf he’d called for in a low voice jumped. The sight of it was immensely satisfying. That was the proper attitude for addressing him. His mind was soothed after the irritation of spending so much time cohabitating with Momon, whom everyone looked up to.

  “What kind of magical beast is that?”

  “I-I-I’m sorry. I-I’m not familiar with it.”

  “Tch! Useless.”

  He struck the useless elf with the hilt of his sword.

  She fell to the floor and, covering her face, issued a stream of apologies, but he ignored her and examined the magical beast’s build.

  It was so big that attacking it head-on didn’t seem like it would be advantageous, but that’s how most magical beasts were, and he’d killed plenty of them. It was ridiculous to be scared of it just because it was a type he didn’t know.

  Caution was necessary, but going past cautious to scared was the height of incompetence.

  “Let me ask you something. Do you have any reason for believing you can win against me?”

  “You look so weak, that you do…”

  Elya scowled and he gripped his sword harder. “Well, it seems like you’ve got knotholes for eyes. Shall I gouge them out for you?”

  “Please do not, that I ask. Now then, my orders say it’s all right for me to kill you, that they do, so…let’s start this fight, shall we?”

  Its tone was carefree. That further irritated Elya.

  He wanted to just attack without saying anything more, but swinging his sword at the magical beast while it was so composed would make him feel inferior. So he held himself back and scoffed. “Yes, let’s—beast.”

  “By the way, I wonder what you’re doing, that I do. Those elves need to prepare, do they not?”

  “I don’t need them. More importantly, those lizards behind you…”

  “Yes, no need to worry about them, no, there isn’t. They are only here to watch us, that they are. Pay no attention to them, that I say.”

  “Giving up your sole chance at victory? You’re a brave one.”

  “I’m glad for your praise, that I am.”

  So it doesn’t understand sarcasm. It understands words, but I guess it’s not that smart? Elya was thinking, when the beast spoke again, wiggling its whiskers.

  “Even so, I’ll mercilessly kill you, that I will, so come at me with your full strength, that I wish. As I said earlier, this is a test for me, that it is…”

  “A test? As a gatekeeper?”

  “Not quite, no. A test of whether I’ve progressed as a warrior or not, that it is. Now then, it’s about time for me to attack, that it is. For the moment I will not fight the elves behind you, no, I won’t, only you.”

  “As you wish. Have at me.”

  “I am Hamusuke! Remember the name of the one who killed you and go to the next world, that I say. Give me your name as well, that you should!”

  “…I have no name a beast needs to know.”

  “Then I will strike you from my memory as a fool with no name, that I will!”

  The huge monster charged all at once.

  It was incredibly nimble for its size. A lesser warrior would have been overwhelmed by the pressure bearing down on him and been unable to avoid serious injury from the beast’s body check.

  But I’m not like those twerps.

  Elya drew Hamusuke’s charge to the last moment and then slid to the side without moving his feet.

  This was the effect of an improved version of the martial art Contracting Earth, Contracting Earth Revised.

  Contracting Earth was usually only used to close a gap between oneself and one’s opponent, but it could shift the user in any direction. It looked rather strange to change position without moving one’s feet, but it was very practical.

  Evading with a large movement always resulted in instability. Without that loss of balance, however, it was possible to flow directly into an attack and put one’s weight into it.

  “Yaargh!”

  He brought his sword down and—

  “Guhblergh!”

  Hamusuke bounced into him and he went flying.

  Its body felt unbelievably hard.

  The soft-looking silver pelt was actually as solid as metal. From Elya’s point of view, he’d been hit with a wrecking ball. His consciousness even whited out for a split second.

  The moment he hit the floor, he confirmed, practically by instinct, that he could still move all his parts.

  He had bruises, but nothing was broken. He was still plenty able to fight.

  His mind was nearly overrun by rage that he was lying on the ground and had shamefully taken his opponent’s hit, but the warrior in him scolded himself; now wasn’t the time to think those things.

  As he stood up, he simultaneously took note of Hamusuke’s position and pointed his sword to meet the beast’s charge.

  Something slimy ran from his nose. He wiped it away with a hand, and as expected, it was blood.

  “You vile bitch…”

  Hamusuke watched, unmoving, in silence as Elya got to his feet. Perhaps observed is the best word.

  They were not the eyes of a beast wondering, Can I eat this? Can I defeat it? but the eyes of a warrior trying to judge how best to fight based on their brief exchange of blows.

  I’m the test to see if this beast can develop into a warrior? Me?!

  It wasn’t pleasant, but he had to acknowledge that her movements were not those of a mere animal. The previous attack had been a leaping body check upon seeing that he had gotten around her flank. She wasn’t terribly powerful, but the fact that she had been able to respond to the situation had to be due to training.

  “I see, that I do… If I keep chipping away at you, I can win with ease, that I can. Oh, but don’t feel bad, no, you should not. I have never met a human who could defeat me, no, I haven’t.”

  “Try saying that after you get a load of this! Unlike beasts, warriors have martial arts!”

  He had thought he could win with energy to spare, so he hadn’t used them, but he no longer had that leeway.

  “Martial arts: Ability Boost! Greater Ability Boost!”

  He was proud of these arts, especially Greater Ability Boost; it usually couldn’t be acquired by someone of Elya’s level.

  The fact that I could get it proves I’m a prodigy! I really am strong!

  He swung his sword. His body felt light; his movements were smooth. His sword moved as if tracing a perfect image.

  He smirked. Now it’s my turn.

  “Hmm. You’re supposed to take some distance when unsure of your opponent’s strength, that you are…but…as a warrior I must fight, that I must! It can’t be helped, no, it cannot!” Hamusuke closed in walking on two feet. “A close-quarters fight, that it is! Can you handle it? That I ask!”

  “Don’t underestimate me, beast.”

  As soon as she was in range, he slashed.

  At the last moment, Hamusuke used her claws to parry the attack Elya unleashed with his boosted body. Or more accurately, she tried to—because the sword slipped into her foreleg. But it had lost a lot of momentum, so it couldn’t rip into her tough pelt or cut the meat beneath.

  Without bringing his katana back, he lunged at Ha
musuke’s eyes. Some monsters could repel shabby swords with the protective film over their eyes, and some warriors could repel an amateur’s sword with chi or an aura. But Hamusuke didn’t seem to have any defensive powers like that.

  For precisely that reason, Hamusuke couldn’t allow him that attack.

  At the same time she spun out of the thrusting blade’s way, her tail went flying at Elya.

  He blocked it with his sword. The surprisingly intense impact turned to numbness that spread up his arm. “Kgh!” He could see Hamusuke spinning around once more. In other words, that impact was on its way again.

  Elya jumped out of the way. He already had a pretty good idea of how long her tail was. Once it passed him, he could use Contracting Earth Revised to charge.

  Just as he thought the tail was about to pass, it abruptly stopped.

  “Urk!”

  It had been a feint. In the interlude, Hamusuke had taken a different stance and withdrawn her tail at the same time. Having lost the chance to leap at her, Elya grimaced.

  Her tail moved in a completely different way from her body. It was less like a mouse’s tail and more like the snake tail of a khimaira; it moved independently.

  “So your tail can move on its own?” Overwriting the data in his mind about this magical beast, Hamusuke, Elya leaped at her.

  Hamusuke, who had been waiting, intercepted.

  Katana crossed claw. The one whose blood sprayed was Elya.

  Hamusuke could attack with both paws, while Elya had only one sword, so she had the greater number of strikes.

  He was at a disadvantage at close quarters.

  He had boosted his physical abilities, but Hamusuke still outclassed him. In that case—

  He used Contracting Earth Revised to retreat in one motion.

  “Hmm. Hmm, I say.”

  Elya took the time before she came after him to raise his sword overhead and bring it down again. “Air Slash!” His slash ripped through the air and raced toward Hamusuke.

  She’d hidden her face, and the attack hit her pelt.

  The farther it had to fly, the less damage it dealt. It would be difficult to land a fatal blow with it, but—

  “Seems like you can’t block that, can you? So there’s the gap between humans and beasts.”

  “Hmm, this is trouble…that it is.”

  He used Air Slash a few times in succession. Her pelt was tough. It would be hard to break through it. That’s why he aimed at the part of her that seemed least defended—her face.

  Hamusuke, pinned, didn’t budge from where she stood. She just covered her face and talked through a small gap. “Wait, that I ask—”

  “Are you begging for your life? You really are just a beast after all.”

  “No, it—! Don’t bother me, that I say! It’s this thing in my mouth—ah, never mind, no, do not!”

  He had no idea what she was talking about.

  Well, humans can’t expect to understand a beast’s ramblings… Still, seems like she’s about to charge!

  “Ahhh, you’re so annoying, that you really are! Here I come, that I do!”

  “C’mon!”

  Since Hamusuke didn’t have a method of attacking from a distance, her options were limited. She would probably try to force her way near him. That’s exactly what Elya was hoping for.

  It would be hard to finish her with Air Slash, so he didn’t have any way to defeat her except with something more direct. When she ran at him, she would run with her beastly face thrust toward him. He would stop her in her tracks by using a martial art stronger than Air Slash. Then, if he kept pummeling her face at close range, he was sure to win.

  Confident in his victory, Elya’s face twisted into a brutal smile, but just then Hamusuke’s tail made a slithering motion.

  And then—

  “Ugyaaaa!”

  The tail, flexible like a whip, struck his shoulder with impossible speed.

  The armor over his shoulder shrieked as it dented and crushed his flesh. At the same time, the snapping of his bones reverberated inside his body, and a lightning bolt of pain shot toward his brain.

  It was so intense viscous drool dribbled from his mouth as he beat a staggering retreat.

  Behind Hamusuke, her tail was weaving around like a snake. It was bizarrely long.

  “As I thought, my tail is too strong, that it is. I wanted to finish this at close quarters for that reason, that I did.”

  This is bad.

  Elya bit back a scream.

  If she charged at him while he was in this state, he would lose.

  “Y-you guys! What’re you doing standing around like that?! Cast something! Healing! Heal me! Hurry up and cast healing on me, slaves!”

  At their master’s order, one of the elves rushed to begin casting a spell.

  The pain in his shoulder drained away until it was gone.

  “You’re not done yet! Support magic!”

  Not only did they boost his physical abilities, his sword was temporarily enchanted, his skin was hardened, his senses were sharpened… Hamusuke looked on as innumerable support spells were cast.

  As the many spells took effect on Elya, a sneer appeared on his face once more.

  A vast amount of energy coursed through his body.

  He’d never lost with this many magic boosts, no matter how immensely powerful his opponent had been.

  His sword whooshed as he swung it, moving much faster than usual. Like this, he was confident he could fight with Hamusuke on equal or better footing.

  “There’s a basic difference in physical ability between humans and magical beasts, you know! Now I’ve filled the gap!”

  “I intended to take all of you at once in the first place, so I don’t mind at all, no, I don’t. Or rather, I too hope this fight will finally get good, that I do.”

  “Keep talking!”

  Elya rushed forward. I’m going to crush her all at once with this energy filling me up! He wasn’t going to let her give him lip any longer. As he used Contracting Earth Revised, he unleashed Air Slash as a diversion.

  “Take this!”

  At the same time as his shout, he brought his sword down with all his might. If her pelt was tough, he would just have to hit her harder than it could handle.

  The blade he’d swung with his full power…

  “Slash, that I use!”

  A sharpness from above struck down on his arms.

  Something went spinning through the air and crashed to the floor. A metallic clank and a sound like a wet sack dropping echoed out.

  Elya couldn’t understand why the two arms that had been holding his sword up until a moment ago had vanished—even though the sprays of blood from their stumps pulsed in time with his heartbeat.

  The excruciating pain… His arms, still gripping his sword, on the floor at some distance from him…

  Seeing these truths, Elya finally began to grasp reality.

  As he staggered away from Hamusuke, he screamed in a shaking voice, “My arrrrrrms! H-h-heal me! Hurry up!”

  The elves didn’t move.

  In their dull eyes was the dark happiness of those who had been treated cruelly.

  “Okay! Success, that it is! I used a martial art, that I did! Now my master will praise me, that he will!”

  “Eegh!” Elya emitted a hoarse shriek.

  In this world dominated by creatures stronger than humans, adventuring meant living next door to pain.

  He had experienced all sorts in his life. He had broken bones, been struck by lightning, burned with fire, frozen with chill, bitten, cut, smashed. Still, he’d never dropped his weapon. Perhaps that was only natural in a world where losing one’s grip on one’s weapon led to death. He had been confident that as long as he had his katana, he could make it out of any situation.

  But now that confidence was shattered.

  This shock he was experiencing for the first time.

  “My arms! Now!”

  His blood sprayed and a cold heavines
s began to spread from the cut edges.

  In response to Elya’s thunderous shouts, the elves just grinned.

  Elya had no idea what to call the emotions flooding his heart.

  Hamusuke addressed him in a way that could be termed gentle. “I thank you, that I do! I’m not fond of causing suffering, so I’ll end this now, that I will.”

  Something whooshed through the air.

  A moment later something hit his face. A pain great enough to make him forget about his severed arms coursed through him, and he sensed everything coming apart.

  That was the last pain Elya felt.

  The corpse with its face half-crushed in fell heavily to the floor.

  Hamusuke nodded and withdrew. If she was nearby, the elves probably couldn’t approach the man. They seemed like casters, but maybe one of them would pick up his sword and challenge her. She didn’t want to get in the way of that.

  “Now then, would you all also like to—?”

  Having taken some distance, Hamusuke looked up and faltered. The elves were laughing and kicking the corpse of the warrior who should have been their friend.

  “What’s this? That I ask! An elven burial rite, is it?” she asked but felt it had to be something else. A tinge of joy had appeared in their leaden eyes. They had to be venting their hatred.

  “…Well, I don’t know what to do now, no, I don’t.”

  Use all the skills you’ve learned so far on the raiders. Show me the fruits of your training. That’s what she’d been told, and that’s how she’d been fighting. But would attacking elves who weren’t even hostile still count as putting her training on display? She at least wanted them to oppose her.

  “I’ve heard provocation is effective, that I have…but what to say? That I wonder. I don’t know, no, I don’t. That’s no helping it, no, there is not. I’ll wait for word from my master, that I will. Oh, but—” She turned to the one who was grading her fight. “Master Zaryusu, how did I do? That I ask! A passing grade, is it?”

  “Yes. Magnificent. You definitely used a martial art.”

  The lizardman teaching her the ways of the warrior nodded, and Hamusuke broke into a smile.

  “I’m so happy, that I am. Next I will learn how to wear armor, will I?”

  “Yeah, that’ll be next. We’ll start with lighter gear and gradually increase the weight.”