by Ao Jyumonji
Moguzo must have sensed the trust his comrades had for him, and now he was fully aware of it. He was building confidence, and was finally able to show off his abilities.
This must be Moguzo’s natural level of ability. Renji had misjudged him. Moguzo should have been brought onto Team Renji.
However, Renji’s loss was their gain, as that meant Haruhiro and the others were able to have him in their party. In fact, perhaps Haruhiro ought to be grateful for the good fortune that had brought Moguzo and the rest of them together.
“I don’t like fighting alongside men, but...!” Kajiko butted in, attacking Zoran from behind.
Zoran leapt to the side and ran.
That Zoran was running away.
“The bounty’s an even split!” she called.
“Get lost!” Renji shouted.
“Rarrrrrgh...!” Moguzo added.
Kajiko, Renji, and Moguzo all chased after Zoran.
They could do this. This might work out.
The moment Haruhiro thought that, Ranta caught on fire, tumbled to the ground, and flipped over. “Whoa! Gwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!”
It was the sorcerer. Sorcerer Abael.
Abael had caught Ranta with his flamethrower, then immediately turned and run off.
That guy’s fast, Haruhiro thought. What’s more, he faithfully follows a hit-and-run strategy. Thanks to that, he’s hard to catch.
“Merry, go to Ranta!” he shouted.
“I know!” she called.
“Yume, defend Shihoru!” he added.
“Meow!”
“What’s ‘meow’ supposed to mean?!” He didn’t really get it, but she was staying next to Shihoru, so it must have meant “yes.”
“Ohm, rel, ect, palam, darsh!” Shihoru used Shadow Complex to confuse one of the orc attendants, but it wasn’t enough to make a difference. The orcs still had more than ten of the attendants, plus Zoran and Abael, while they had the five members of Team Renji, the six members of Haruhiro’s party, the four members from Kajiko’s Wild Angels, and three other volunteer soldiers—
Huh? We’re winning? If you only look at the numbers, we’re winning, aren’t we? Haruhiro thought.
But then Abael caught another volunteer soldier with his flamethrower.
“Arrrrgh...!” The volunteer soldier screamed, bursting into flames and then falling to the ground.
Someone’d better heal him, or he’s in danger, Haruhiro thought. Wait, that volunteer soldier is wearing the priest uniform. It’s burning, though. If he’s a priest, can he heal himself? Probably not when he’s like that. But neither Chibi-chan or Merry can afford to go heal him.
“It’s Abael!” Haruhiro called. “We’ve gotta finish that guy!”
Moguzo, Renji and Kajiko were preoccupied with Zoran. Ron couldn’t leave Sassa, Chibi-chan and Adachi.
“Mako-san, Kikuno-san, Azusa-san!” Haruhiro shouted. “Go after the sorcerer first!”
He happened to remember their names, so Haruhiro tried calling out to the women from the Wild Angels. They were each facing an orc attendant on their own. One of them, a woman as big as Kajiko who looked like a warrior, was heartily beating down an orc attendant.
Perhaps that was the moment Abael had been waiting for. He swiftly moved up closer to her, opening the lid on the pot he carried.
Bugs, Haruhiro remembered. But before Haruhiro could warn her, the bugs ambushed the large woman.
“Eeeeek!” the woman screamed, trying to brush the bugs off of herself.
It was reflexive, no doubt, so it was hard to blame her, but this was bad. She needed to run or something and fast. This time, Abael didn’t withdraw immediately. He was closing in on her, trying to do something.
Hey, wait, couldn’t this be an opportunity...? The moment that thought occurred to him, Haruhiro was running.
Abael was carrying a short, metal mace. He used it to strike the woman in the knees, then followed it up with a hard blow to the head. The woman was wearing a helmet, so it wasn’t clear if it was a fatal blow or not, but she slumped to the ground.
Abael turned around, looking in Haruhiro’s direction.
—Damn, Haruhiro thought. He noticed me.
“Gashgrasha!” Abael shouted and swung his mace.
It’s short, I can dodge it, Haruhiro thought, but his body reacted in an exaggerated manner. He threw himself to the floor, rolling over and then getting up, but by that time Abael was already fleeing.
“He’s fast!” Haruhiro cried.
After he started to give chase—
Is this really all right? Haruhiro wondered. I don’t know whether it’s good or bad. But if I let him act freely, he’ll only do more damage. We’ll be taken down one by one, and our numerical advantage will eventually vanish.
It’s scary, though.
Could someone like Haruhiro stop an enemy like that?
I certainly don’t think I can handle him on my own. I mean, look at that.
Abael turned towards him, and Haruhiro dove to the floor once again.
It’s coming, he thought, and he was right. It was flames. A flamethrower. Had he reacted even a moment slower, Haruhiro would have been burned to a crisp.
Abael ran away again. Haruhiro quickly resumed his pursuit, but the gap had widened between them.
Y’know... this may be hopeless, he thought. It’s not looking like I can do it.
I can’t catch him, and even if I did, what am I even going to do? I’m worried about my comrades, too, but if I take my eyes off Abael for a second, I feel like I’ll lose sight of him.
As Abael ran, he seemed to be peeking back occasionally to check on Haruhiro.
—I’ll lose sight of him. Haruhiro stopped.
“Osh!” An orc attendant took a swing at him.
Haruhiro dodged the orc attendant’s blade, turning around and taking the calculated risk of running straight towards another of the orc attendants. He made a sudden turn just before he entered his new opponent’s reach, and the two orc attendants almost ran into one another.
While that was happening, Haruhiro got away from them. He looked around, making sure not to stop moving as he did.
—Lose sight of him? he thought. Not a chance. The first floor’s big, but it’s only so big. If I look for him, I can find him in no time.
Despite that, Abael would vanish. He would disappear, then suddenly reappear. Of course, he couldn’t actually vanish. He left their field of view, then mixed in with the other orcs, making it look like he had vanished. Then, once they forgot about him, he would launch a surprise attack.
Haruhiro had given up on Abael. That was what he needed Abael to think. For Abael, Haruhiro would disappear. If he did that, Abael would go on the attack again.
Haruhiro wasn’t looking at Abael anymore—or so he pretended.
Looks like Abael plans to go towards Ron and his group, he thought. Either that, or the two Wild Angels who were now alone together. Or possibly Moguzo, or Renji, or Kajiko. It’s difficult to tell from the way he moves.
Is that how he gets up close to his targets? I’ll imitate him. No—I’m a thief. I’ll steal that from him.
A moment later, he had figured it out. That’s who Abael’s next target is— the one who’s being protected by Ron and Chibi-chan while he uses Kanon magic to disrupt the orc attendants and give them frostbite. It’s Adachi.
Abael locked his sites on Adachi, preparing to catch him with a blast of flame, but Haruhiro went for a Backstab right before he could.
Abael gasped and twisted out of the way at the last moment. Haruhiro’s dagger only managed to gouge Abael’s left arm.
Haruhiro had screwed it up, but Abael didn’t fight back, he ran away immediately.
Does he only fight when he’s at an absolute advantage? Haruhiro thought. He’s committed to that. I don’t know whether to call that cowardly or clever. He’s cunning.
Abael had probably seen through Haruhiro’s plan. Haruhiro had stolen Abael’s methods and copied th
em, but the cat had to be out of the bag now. The same trick wouldn’t work again. If he let him get away now, Abael would grow more cautious and there might not be another opening to take him out.
“Exhaust Plus!” Ranta screamed.
“Ubogeh?!” Abael exclaimed.
For a moment, Abael must not have known what hit him. Most people wouldn’t expect a human buttocks flying at the side of their head at extreme speeds.
The solid hit from Ranta’s hip attack sent Abael pitching forward.
Still, how does Ranta have such ridiculously good timing sometimes? Haruhiro wondered. It’s too good. You’re creeping me out, man. Anyway, I don’t need to be able to see that line to be able to kill Abael now.
Haruhiro took every possible caution, choosing to use Spider instead of Backstab. He grappled Abael from behind, putting him in a pinion. He then shoved his dagger under the orc’s chin, violently slitting the orc’s throat open before immediately leaping away.
“Smirk!” Ranta said aloud.
Is he an idiot? Haruhiro thought. Well, yes, I know he is, but still.
Ranta swung his longsword down diagonally, slamming it into the back of Abael’s neck. It may not have decapitated the orc, but it went about halfway through.
He kicked the orc to the ground, then followed up with another strike. Not satisfied with one, he went for a second, then a third. Abael stopped moving.
“Yes! 50 gold!” Ranta screamed. “Oh, also, a vice, too!”
That’s Ranta for you, Haruhiro thought. He never breaks character. You almost have to admire the guy. Well, I won’t. There’s no way I would.
“Now it’s just Zoran!” Haruhiro called.
There are still orc attendants left, but Zoran Zesh comes first. With the danger Abael posed gone now, and them fighting Zoran three on one, we can do this.
“Moguz—Whoa...?!” Haruhiro exclaimed.
Just as he’d been starting to cheer, Zoran leapt. It was a forward somersault.
Kajiko tried to take a swing at his back but missed, while Renji and Moguzo who were in front of him leapt backwards.
“Wha—?!” Kajiko yelled.
“Urkh!” Renji yelped.
“Oh...?!” Moguzo gasped.
“Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!” Zoran roared.
Then the orc spun. His forward somersault had used a vertical spin, but now he was moving forward while whirling around like a top. His spin was horizontal this time.
It was fast. With incredible momentum. It wasn’t that Renji and Moguzo didn’t do anything. They backed away. But they couldn’t get back far enough. They both tried to block Zoran’s twin blades with their swords and were sent flying.
Zoran wasted no time in attacking Moguzo. It was a relentless onslaught. When Renji tried to step in and help, Zoran immediately turned towards him and attacked. After forcing him to back off with a powerful slash, he wailed on Moguzo with his twin blades.
“Eryeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Kajiko attacked Zoran from behind. But Zoran took a swing or two at her as he turned around, bouncing her back, then attacked Moguzo again.
Moguzo. Moguzo. Zoran persistently focused his attack entirely on Moguzo. When Renji tried to get between them, he used his forward somersault and spinning slash combo to make him back off, then returned to Moguzo.
Why? Haruhiro wondered numbly. Why is he so focused on him? Moguzo can barely block anymore. His armor is all dented. His helmet is crushed. He’s being ground down. Moguzo is. Second by second. Of course I want to do something. But what can I do?
Perhaps emboldened by Zoran’s attack, his attendants pushed in closer, chanting, “Osh, osh!” One of the attendants attacked Haruhiro. He was defending himself with Swat, but this guy was strong. Haruhiro felt like his dagger was going to be sent flying.
“Parupiro!” Ranta shouted.
Ranta came to his aid right in the nick of time, which got Haruhiro out of a jam, but Ranta’s calling him “Parupiro” was not okay. Ranta had saved him, though.
“Gah!” Kajiko screamed. Zoran got in a hit with his sword, and Kajiko’s helmet came off. Her face was covered in fresh blood.
“Get back!” Renji yelled at her.
I dunno if that’s Mako, or Kikuno, or Azusa, but she’s dragging Kajiko away, Haruhiro thought. This is no good. It’s no good at all. I was sure we had it this time.
He’s too damn strong. Zoran Zesh. Ish Dogran was like nothing next to him. He’s a monster.
But somehow—I dunno. There’s something strange, you could say, or something that bothers me. His balance.
Yeah. It’s his balance. The balance of what? His body. Left and right. The balance between his left and right. Left—he spins left. When he turns around, Zoran always turns to the left. And yet, when he does his spinning slash, it’s the opposite. He spins right. Why? It’s weird. Something about it bugs me.
“Paroporo!” Ranta screamed. “Quit standing there like an idiot!”
This is no time to stand around like an idiot, Haruhiro thought. Well, yeah, he’s right. I’m not Paroporo, though.
Ranta was right in what he was saying, but Haruhiro kept thinking.
This is important. I get that feeling.
Those twin blades. Is Zoran left-handed? Left-handed? Why did I think that?
It’s because they’re stiff. His movements. When he moves his left arm, it seems more fluid than his right. His right arm moves up and down less, like it’s stiff. Either that, or like it’s under some weird stress.
Like he’s trying to cover something.
If, for example, he has an old wound on his right shoulder or right side, could that be what’s causing it? Even if it was unconsciously, he’d naturally try to cover it.
Well, so what?
Renji and Moguzo, who were desperately confronting him from up close, probably wouldn’t notice it. Haruhiro had only noticed it by chance because he was watching from a distance.
Again, so what? he thought.
“Ranta!” Haruhiro called.
“Huh?!” Ranta asked.
“Do you want 100 gold?!”
“Damn straight I do!” Ranta yelled.
“Then be a decoy!” Haruhiro told him. “You’re the only one who can do it!”
“Ha! Looks like you’ve finally figured out how to use me properly!” Ranta hollered. “What do you need done?!”
Haruhiro gave him a brief explanation. Ranta’s role was dangerous, but simple. With a dread knight doing it, even if it didn’t work, just attempting it wouldn’t be that difficult. The problem was Moguzo and Renji.
“Moguzo! Renji!” Haruhiro shouted. “He has a habit of turning to the left when he turns around, and his right side is weak! He’s got an old wound there or something! Let Ranta take the front! You two get behind him!”
Would they get it? Even if they understood, could they do it? There was no guarantee.
Haruhiro looked over towards Merry and the others. Merry and Yume were working together to stop an orc attendant and protect Shihoru. Shihoru used Shadow Bond to stop another orc attendant in his tracks. It was good just knowing they were alive.
—Choco, Haruhiro thought. Choco’s fallen. She’s dead.
Once you die, that’s the end.
Let’s end this.
I’m going to settle things.
“We’re doing this, Ranta!” he shouted. “Are you ready?!”
“Hell yeah!” Ranta hollered. “It’s 150 gold!”
“That’s your response?!”
Haruhiro ran. Zoran followed Haruhiro with his eyes while continuing to rain harsh blows on Moguzo and Renji. He was perceptive. Haruhiro was trying to circle around behind Zoran.
He’s seen through me, Haruhiro thought. But how about this?
“Hey, loser!” Ranta came out in front of Zoran. “I can handle you all by myself, you damn loser! Did you hear me, loser? Loooo-ser, loooo-ser, loooo-seeeer!”
He stood in front of Zoran, pointing his sword at
him and striking a grand pose. It was all according to their script, but still, how crass.
Still, with Ranta taking it that far, Zoran had to know he was being insulted, even if he couldn’t understand the words. Maybe that was what made him snap. Zoran used a forward somersault, followed by a spinning slash.
“Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!” Zoran roared.
“Exhaust!” Ranta wasn’t blown away. He blasted himself backwards, evading Zoran’s spinning slash, or flying out of range of it. “Ha! Moron, you’re so obvious, you loooo—whoa, Exhaust...!”
Ranta had gotten carried away and Zoran had chased after him in a rage. It would only take Zoran an instant to cover the distance that Ranta could fall back using Exhaust.
Still, Haruhiro had been right. Moguzo and Renji were both more powerful in combat than Ranta, of course. In a one-on-one fight, Ranta would absolutely lose. Even so, those two weren’t superior to Ranta at everything. Ranta had things he was better at than they were.
When Zoran launched his forward-somersault-and-spinning-slash combo, Moguzo and Renji couldn’t avoid it. They were forced to block with their swords. It hadn’t just happened the first time. It had happened repeatedly.
Moguzo and Renji were by no means slow. Even if they knew it was coming, they couldn’t get out of the way. Zoran’s combo was just that fast, and its reach was long, which made it dangerous. Despite that, Ranta had shown he could dodge it.
The way his Exhaust skill worked played into that, but, at the very least, when it came to dodging that combo, Ranta the dread knight was superior to Renji and Moguzo the warriors.
“Gahhhhhhhhhhhh! Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!” the orc roared.
“Exhaust! Exhaust!” Ranta bellowed.
Zoran was getting mad. He couldn’t even hit someone like Ranta, so it was easy to see why that would make him angry.
Thanks to that, Haruhiro was able to get behind Zoran. Moguzo and Renji were both chasing Zoran along with Haruhiro.
“He spins to the left, remember!” Haruhiro called.
If they were going to attack, it should be from the right. Compared to attacking from the left or from right behind him, Zoran’s sword would take just slightly longer to reach them.
“Wah ha ha!” Ranta hollered. “You’re not good enough to beat me!”
