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[Don’t be an idiot!]
[…Eh?]
Gripping the reins with one hand, Yasu’s eyes opened wide as he enragedly spoke.
[What is wrong with you!? There’s no need for me to protect them in this situation! Rather, those weaklings should be working hard to make sure that I live!]
[Yasu, you? What… What are you saying…?]
Even now, Yasu is burning the monsters that came close to him with his
He’s still got enough strength to fight.
However…
[Just think about it! What if Kirihara and the Takao Sisters are defeated by that Great Demon Emperor in the East! Oyamada is going to die somewhere in this battlefield! And Ayaka… You’ve been demoted to B-Rank! In that case, there’s only one final hope, and it’s this A-Rank me! Considering my growth potential, it’s inevitable that the higher rank Heroes must survive, no matter what anyone thinks of it! Whose survival should be prioritized, it should have been as obvious as day! If I don’t make it out of this battlefield alive… It’s all going to be over!]
Yasu rapidly said that.
To be honest, his logic was too difficult for me to understand.
One of the boys in Yasu’s group looks pale as he shouted.
[What are you talking about, Yasu-san!? You said that if we were to show you respect with our attitudes, you would protect us…]
[Yeah! Why don’t you understand!? Even if all of you survive, it doesn’t mean anything! I need to focus on my survival in this place! Therefore, there’s now way I can afford to protect all of you! Even though I’ve been saying this, why can’t any of you understand!? Why is no one trying to understand!?]
[Yasu-kun! If we can work together here—–]
[Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You’re just a lowly B-Rank, don’t you dare command this A-Rank me! Yeah! I mustn’t associate myself with losers like you who can’t even be properly talked to! Retreat! Retreat!]
Kicking it on its flank, Yasu’s horse started running.
[However, mark my words! This isn’t a defeat for me…! This is all… just a strategic retreat! I must live… For the Goddess, for this world…! I have to live!]
Yasu’s group began to shed tears as they voiced out their resentments.
[Don’t mess around, Yasu! We need the power of an A-Rank to survive! We beg you! Save us… Save us! Please save us…]
[Wait, Yasu-kun! Please, lend me your strength!]
I also tried hard to stop him.
However, I can’t do anything but call out to him right now, because I’m too busy dealing with these surging monsters.
[Yasu-kun! Please!]
[We also have to live!]
As his flames burned through the monsters pursuing him, Yasu Tomohiro disappeared into the cloud of dust, along with his black flames.
Chapter 182
Hero
[It’s no good, we’re done for!]
A member of Yasu’s group, Nihei Yukitaka shouted.
The other Heroes in Yasu’s group were also plunged into depression one after another.
[I don’t want to die! If this is just a dream, wake me up… Please, wake me up!]
[I want to go home!]
Nihei became disheveled as he dropped his sword.
Tears were welling up from her eyes.
[Please save me… President… Please save me! I’ll do whatever you say… I never thought we’d face terrible enemies like these… We have a lot of strong people on our side… No matter how strong the enemy is, somewhere in my mind, someone else was going to take it down… That someone would save me… That’s what I thought…]
The other members of Yasu’s group also started begging for help.
[President, please save me! Please help us escape this place!]
[Please save us! Ayaka-sama!]
As I kept on slaughtering the nearby monsters, I called out to them almost like I’m reprimanding them.
[Nihei-kun! Everyone!]
Never had I called out to someone so strongly before, even back in my previous world.
[If you want to survive—- Keep the circle formation intact!]
[C- Circle formation…?]
[Bane-san taught us about this, right!?]
[Banewolf… san…]
[That man taught us how to fight according to the Heroes’ ranks! He taught us how to help each other and survive!]
That’s right, Yasu’s group also learned how to fight from Banewolf.
Then, they should have been able to move the same way as my group.
[For now, cooperate with Suou-san and the others and just focus on surviving! In the center of the circle, we’re going to place the students who were good at using Recovery Skills! Same goes for those students who are good at Support Skills! Those Attackers and Defenders, assist the others on the outer shell of the formation! Those who were wounded, get into the circle! Suou-san!]
[——Un.]
Kayako’s voice.
It doesn’t sound that intense, but I could feel strength from her reply.
I turned my sweaty face towards her.
I’m entrusting them to her—- I place those expectations to my words.
[When I can’t give the others instructions, I’ll leave instructing them to you.]
“Is it okay to leave them to you?”
—-Isn’t what I’m trying to tell her but…
“I’m counting on you.”
—is what I’m telling her.
[Sogou-san.]
I could feel determination in Kayako’s expression that usually doesn’t reveal much emotion.
[Leave them to me.]
Reassured, I nodded.
[If you find any monsters that you can’t handle, call me!]
[I understand.]
With my assistance, Yasu’s group joined my group.
[A- Ayaka-chan.]
Moe sounded worried as she called out to me.
Glancing at her—- I smiled.
[It will be alright… I’ll protect everyone. Without fail, I’ll protect everyone.]
Preparing his sword, Nihei called out with tears in his eyes.
[I- I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have cared even if the Goddess had her eyes on me and joined the President’s group from the start… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, President…]
[Nihei-kun, you have to fight for now! It’s all so that everyone survives!]
[…! Y- Yeah… Uooohhh… Uooooaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!]
Nihei slashed an approaching monster.
From behind the monster he slashed, yet another monster leaps out.
[Hiiiii—–]
[L- Leave it to me!]
Moe, a defender, jumps out and receives the monster’s attack with her shield.
[Ouch!]
Moe was blown away by the impact.
The boys in the back row stepped forward to catch her.
[Ni—— Nihei-kun, do it!]
Moe shouted with a lot of expressions.
Looking determined, Nihei swung his sword overhead.
[Uuu—- Uwwaaaaahhhh!]
Nihei swung down the sword he held in both of his hands.
With a strike that looked like a Kesagiri, he slashed through the monster’s flesh.
However, it still didn’t manage to kill it.
Enraged, the monsters released its blood-soaked rage.
He glared at Nihei with a horrifying killing intent.
[Guruuaaaaaaahhhhhh!]
[Ahh—– T- That attack just now was wrong… My hands slipped, so I made a mistake…]
Nihei falls on his behind in fear.
The three Heroes on his sides leapt out.
[L- Let’s go! We have to help out Nihei-kun!]
[K-… Kill it!]
[Uwwwaaaaaaahhh!]
Noticing his friends’ action
s, Nihei…
[! Uwaaaahhhhhhhh!]
While still sitting on the ground, he looked determined as he slashed the monster’s ankle.
The monster loses its balance and falls down.
[Gueehhh.]
The three students who leaped out to help him rushed towards the monster and surrounded it.
Then, they continued to stab the monster with their blades.
[D- Die! Die die die! Die already!]
[Drop dead!]
[Please die already! For goodness’ sake, just die! Die!]
It doesn’t exactly look like the sophisticated fighting style of the higher ranking Heroes.
It’s too uncouth, there’s also too many people killing one monster.
The monster’s arm, which tried to repel their attacks, got slashed many times.
However, it doesn’t have any way to repel them and the monster eventually died.
[Hahhhh… Hahhhh… Hahhhhh… W- We did it… We did it!]
Kayako calls out to them.
[Everyone, immediately get back into the circle formation after you killed it.]
[Y- Yeah!]
The Heroes sprung up and returned back to the circle formation again, panting.
Seeing their success, I let out a guts pose, though it was just on my mind.
Maybe because we learned how to fight from the same teacher, their connections are going smoothly.
That attack just now also had some Support Skills flying from the back row.
Everyone’s body is moving properly.
However, there’s a chance that they lose their mind for some reason.
What they need to see is—– hope.
“I think we might be able to survive.”
We have to keep showing them such hope.
Therefore—- we just have to create that hope ourselves.
The Heroes who stabbed a monster in the back, raised his voice as if he’s confirming it to himself.
[My level… My level rose!]
(Level… That’s it!)
While slashing the monster in front of me in half from the crown of its head, I called out to them.
[If you’ve moved up a level, please try to pass the kill to other people if possible! As you level up, you’ll be able to fill up your MP, so you’ll be able to use a lot of skills again! You need to occasionally open your status display and check your MP! Let those with insufficient MP have priority in the last hit!]
Even though they’re Heroes, they will eventually run out of MP. However, if they level up, they can continue to use their skills.
[As you level up, your other status corrections will also rise! Therefore, the fights will be more advantageous to us than before! Everyone has a chance to level up on this battlefield… Don’t miss it! We, the Heroes, can be stronger the more we fight in this battle!]
I shouted with all my strength.
[We’ll survive by fighting!]
Raising himself from the ground, Nihei rearmed his sword in both of his hands.
[L- Let’s do this… Let’s go do this! I’m going to do this!]
Now, it’s important to raise their morale.
Kayako calls out.
[Sogou-san!]
[——Leave it to me!]
Leaping towards it, I defeated the medium-sized monster with my special skill.
It’s probably too much for Kayako and the others to handle.
Kayako anticipated it accurately.
She had a good idea of which monsters they were unlikely to win on their own, and so they called out to me.
(However—-)
The monsters don’t seem to be decreasing at all.
Rather, I could only feel that the number of allies are dwindling.
The voices of humans, which have been flying around not long ago, are getting fewer and fewer.
In other words—– the monsters have the upper hand.
At this rate, the situation would gradually turn for the worst…
[Uoooohhhh… Ooooouooooohhh!]
The angry Human-Faced’s howl.
However, it’s far away.
Somewhere in the distance, someone must have been dealing with it.
(What should we do? Should we have joined up with the encampment outside the north gate once again…?)
With the Heroes current morale, I think we may be able to make it.
I decided.
I think I should suggest moving now.
[Everyone, I think we should move towards the north gate a little bit at a time! If we just keep fighting like this, we’ll be completely surrounded and wouldn’t be able to move even if we want to!]
[U- Understood! Everyone, let’s go!]
Nihei agreed but…
[——-Ugh.]
Some parts of the cloud of dust was scattered away and our visibility started to clear up.
[……!]
A wall of monsters stands in our path.
A group of horned monsters that look like onis.
Yes—- They exactly look like an oni.
A copper-red body.
A long, wavy, white beard growing wildly on their faces.
Their inhumane golden-eyes were looking at me and the others.
Lightly lifting its chin, it looks like it’s condescendingly smiling at us.
It’s strong.
I haven’t fought it yet, but I understood it based on my intuition.
These onis looked like they’re soldiers trained with discipline.
[U- uuuu…]
As the Heroes in the circle formation caught glances at those monsters while they’re fighting, they are frightened once again.
A person’s head was dangling from a monster’s hand.
The monster was held unto the person’s hair, dangling it on its hand like it’s a spoil of war.
Looking closely, I can see that their copper-red skin was also thoroughly coated with another “red” stuff.
The number of corpses, especially around the onis, are really high.
The only two-horned oni had its arms crossed at the front of the wall of monsters…
[Ubuuaaahhhh!]
—-let out a strange roar and pointed towards me and the others.
That looks like a signal—- of the commencement of their attacks.
Under its command, the onis let out roars as they started charging towards us.
[Aya… Ayaka-chan!]
[——! Leave it to me!]
I lunged towards the charging monsters, alone.
To the face of the oni leading the other monsters in front, I unleashed a powerful thrust that tears through the wind.
[Baaauuuu!?]
[!?]
(It evaded my attack!?)
It’s fast.
It has tremendous reflexes.
After failing to connect my attack, I was surrounded by the monsters.
I started brandishing my halberd-shaped magical blade.
However, they evaded all of my attacks.
Slash!
[Ugh!?]
I got attacked by the oni’s large claws.
I wasn’t able to dodge it.
Tearing through the clothing near my flank, I felt a sharp pain.
(! This is bad, this monster isn’t something that everyone could…!)
Raising his sword, Nihei called out.
[The President’s in danger! I’ll go assist her!]
[Don’t… Don’t come, everyone! This monsters aren’t something everyone can—–]
Grab
Kayako grabbed Nihei by his shoulder and pulled him back into the circle formation.
[Su- Suou?]
Kayako shook her head.
[No one can win against monsters like that but Sogou-san. We don’t have any choice but to remain here in defense.]
[Su… ou…?]
Nihei looks astonished.
Perhaps, it wa
s because Kayako’s face which was always expressionless was distorted right now.
Kayako herself was aware of it.
That even I might not be able to win against these monsters.
[Ru—–]
As I was about to tell them to run, I was unable to completely utter the word.
I mean, where would they run?
Am I supposed to tell them to go towards the north gate by themselves?
The onis that slipped past me—– they began surrounding the circle formation.
They began to intimidate the Heroes in the circle formation with a roar.
They could sense the fear from the Heroes.
The Heroes began drawing back into the circle formation and the movements of the Heroes came to a complete halt.
[Everyone!]
I desperately tried to kick the nearby monsters away, but my attacks didn’t hit them.
I’m not—- fast enough!
[A- Ahhhh…]
The curtain of despair began falling down on the Heroes’ faces.
“Even that Ayaka can’t hit them.”
Their “hope” is no match for the monsters.
The onis stepped in and swung their claws.
[Kyaaaahhhh!]
Attacks that don’t have any intention of hitting the enemies.
It’s like they’re playing with them.
They’re enjoying the reactions of the Heroes.
[U- Ughhh…]
The onis look like they’re peering towards me.
“How about that? Are you despairing now?”
Their faces seem to be asking so.
Feeling some impatience and despair, I desperately swung my spear.
However, my attacks—- don’t hit.
At that time…
[Ayaka-chan!]
Minamino Moe shouted.
[Don’t push yourself! F- For now… You need to focus on protecting yourself! Please!]
Even though Moe was that scared…
She won’t—- ask me for help.
Far from that, she’s even concerned for me.
[Prepare the defensive formation!]
His voice strained, Nihei said.
[Protect… Protect, protect, protect! Maybe the President is too concerned about us that she can’t fight properly! Therefore… We’ll have to protect ourselves!]
(That’s not it…)
It’s just that I don’t have the strength…
The strength to defeat these onis myself.
