Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 4

by Ryo Shirakome

  Overload’s time limit was up. Taxed far beyond its limits, Kouki’s body froze up. After using Limit Break twice in one day and then Overload right after, he didn’t even have the strength to move.

  “D-Dammit, why now of all times!?”

  “Kouki!” Shizuku rushed forward, covering for Kouki. She aimed her slash at the wound Kouki had just created. Even a powerful monster like Ahatod couldn’t endure having its wounds gouged out, so it backed away screaming. Shizuku took that opportunity to grab Kouki and retreat to the safety of their comrades.

  Kouki was out of commission, and everyone had their hands full keeping the other monsters at bay. I’m the only one who can do it! Shizuku thought to herself. She glared coldly at the demon. Unlike Kouki, she was prepared to kill.

  “Oh my, I see you’re prepared to kill. You’re more fit to be the hero than that spoiled brat over there.” The white raven had finished healing the demon, and she slowly got to her feet.

  “It doesn’t matter who the hero is. It’s our fault that we didn’t realize he wasn’t prepared to kill, but I’ll rectify that mistake here and now!” Shizuku had known just how straightforward and naive Kouki was, and she’d known he’d never fought another person before. She blamed herself for leaving that problem alone until it was too late.

  It wasn’t as if Shizuku had any experience killing others either. Honestly, she didn’t particularly want to experience it, either. However, she’d known that if they were fighting in a war, the day where she had to would come eventually. Ever since she’d first picked up a sword, she’d been taught about the weight of a life, and what it meant to hurt another person.

  It finally seemed like the moment had come, but she could feel her resolve wavering. The reality of what she was about to do weighed heavily on her, and she felt like just curling up into a ball and crying. Still, she stamped down her feelings and resolutely stared down the demon.

  She settled into her stance, then prepared to launch her fastest attack.

  However, a second before she could, she felt shivers run down her spine. Trusting her instincts, she leaped to the side. Not even a second later, one of the cats’ tentacles shot through the spot she’d been standing.

  “I never said Ahatod was the only monster after you. Your resolve is admirable, but do you really believe you can kill me while evading your other foes?”

  “Ngh!”

  “And it’s not like I’m going to just stand here doing nothing, either.” As she said that, the demon began chanting a spell.

  Thanks to her No Tempo, Shizuku’s attacks couldn’t be predicted. She continued fending off the waves of monsters that came after her, but she was unable to find an opening to close in on the demon.

  The worst part was that Ahatod could match Shizuku’s inhuman speed. Despite its massive frame, it was able to keep up with her. Every time Shizuku thought she was getting close, Ahatod would show up and blow her away with its fists.

  Shizuku mainly relied on her agility in a fight, so her defense was paper-thin. Instead, she used only her speed to dodge and parry blows, but because Ahatod’s Magical Shockwaves still hit her even if she dodged its fists, she kept on taking more damage. At this rate, it was a matter of time before she was beaten down.

  Worse, every bit of damage she took dulled her movements ever so slightly. And in a battle as close as this one, that would be fatal.

  “Gaaah!”

  Finally, one of Ahatod’s blows connected. Shizuku tried to parry with her sword and sheath, but its powerful fist smashed right through her weapons and into her shoulder.

  She skid across the ground, coming to a stop a few meters away. Drained of all her strength, she lay there, unmoving. Her right arm was bent at an unnatural angle. It was clearly broken. The blow had done a number on her internal organs as well, and she was coughing up blood.

  “Shizuku-chan!” Kaori cried out, but her friend simply lay there, her hands still tightly gripping her broken blade and sheath.

  At that moment, thoughts about their current plight and the fact that she was completely out of mana vanished from her mind. Kaori knew she couldn’t do anything even if she went to Shizuku’s side, but all she could think about was how her best friend was in danger.

  She ran toward Shizuku. Because she was completely drained of mana, her footsteps were unsteady, and she nearly tripped. Her comrades tried to stop her, but she didn’t listen. Nothing was more important than Shizuku right now. Naturally, monsters swarmed toward the now defenseless Kaori.

  However, walls of shining light rose up to block their path. The glowing barriers created an unbroken road toward Shizuku.

  “Ehehe. No one wants to be alone at the end.” Suzu had done the impossible. Though she was on the verge of fainting, she’d managed to create a wall of barriers stretching from her to Shizuku. There was a faint smile on her lips.

  Suzu knew they were all going to die here.

  And so, the least she could do was use the last of her magic to make sure her best friends didn’t die alone. This, of course, meant her barriers protecting the rest of the party weakened. Suzu mentally apologized to the rest of her friends, but even if she’d done her best to fight, they were doomed.

  A few attacks managed to get through and graze Kaori, but she was able to reach Shizuku more or less intact. She lifted Shizuku’s limp body and held her close.

  “K-Kaori... what are you doing... Hurry up and go back to the others. It’s too dangerous for you to be out here.”

  “No. It’s dangerous no matter where I go. If this is where it ends, I at least want to be by your side, Shizuku-chan.”

  “Sorry. I couldn’t beat her.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t do more either. I don’t have any mana left.”

  Kaori smiled at Shizuku and cast a small spell to dull Shizuku’s pain. It was such a basic spell that it cost practically no mana. Shizuku gripped Kaori’s hand with her remaining good hand and smiled back.

  A huge shadow covered the two of them. Ahatod had arrived. It stared down at the two girls with bloodshot eyes. With a ferocious roar, it raised all four of its fists.

  Suzu’s barrier was still protecting the two of them, but it may as well have been tissue paper in the face of Ahatod’s immense strength. One blow would have been all that it would take to smash Suzu’s walls to pieces, and the shockwaves would be enough to kill Kaori and Shizuku.

  As she stared death in the face, memories of her life flashed through Kaori’s mind.

  So this is what they mean when they said your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die. For some reason, Kaori felt extremely calm. The last thing to pass through her mind was that moonlit night she’d vowed to protect Hajime. She remembered every word they’d exchanged. The terrible taste of the tea he’d made. The way he’d smiled awkwardly when he’d suggested she protect him. It was only after he’d fell that she realized she loved him. She’d come this far because she’d believed he was still alive, but all of that was coming to an end.

  “In the end, I couldn’t keep this promise either.” Tears spilled from Kaori’s eyes. She’d hoped if they ever met again that they could start calling each other by their first names.

  If this was going to be the end, she at least wanted the memory of having said his name at least once.

  “Hajime-kun...”

  And so, she resigned herself to her fate, but...

  There was a thunderous crash, and the ceiling above Ahatod’s head crumbled. A giant jet-black spike punched through the hole, red sparks running down its length. The spike smashed into Ahatod’s head with considerable force. Ahatod never stood a chance. The spike tore through Ahatod like he was butter, destroying the monster that had caused Kouki and the others so much trouble with ease.

  The spike drilled into the floor, Ahatod’s ravaged body pinned to the ground by its 120 centimeter long length. The fearsome monster was barely recognizable.

  Everyone present was stunned into silence. Kaori, Shizu
ku, Kouki, and even the demon stared blankly at the spike.

  A silence unbefitting of a battlefield fell across the room. A single figure dropped from the hole in the ceiling, breaking the fragile silence.

  He landed softly, his back facing Kaori and Shizuku. Carefully, he examined his surroundings as he kicked away bits of Ahatod’s flesh. Then, he turned to face the two girls huddling behind him.

  The moment Kaori locked eyes with him, she felt a shiver of electricity run down her spine. Ever since that fateful day, it had felt like her heart had been encased in a block of ice, but in an instant it had thawed, and now she could hear it pounding loudly in her ears.

  “I see you two are as inseparable as always.” Kaori could feel her heart bursting with joy.

  His hair color was different. He looked like a different person. The way he talked was different. Even the look in his eyes was different.

  But Kaori knew. She could tell instantly.

  It was him. The person she’d been searching all this time for.

  It was Hajime.

  “Hajime-kun!”

  Chapter V: The Best at being the Worst

  “Huh? Hajime-kun? Wait, you mean that’s Nagumo-kun? What!? No way!? How!?” Confused, Shizuku glanced back and forth between Hajime and Kaori. Kaori may have been able to instantly tell the white-haired boy with the eyepatch was Hajime, but Shizuku had no such supernatural powers of recognition.

  However, his wry smile was certainly the same one she’d remembered seeing many times before. Moreover, his facial features still resembled the Hajime from Shizuku’s memories.

  “Wait? Seriously!? Is it really you? Is it really you, Nagumo-kun? How? How on earth are you here!?”

  “Slow down, Yaegashi. You’re supposed to be the calm and composed one, aren’t you?”

  Even Shizuku couldn’t remain calm after such an unbelievable chain of events. Seconds ago she’d been prepared for death, and now she was faced with a classmate who was supposed to be dead.

  While Shizuku was still stammering incoherently, Hajime looked up at the hole he’d come through. He caught Yue as she fell and gently lowered her to the ground. Then, he caught Shea right after, putting her down as well. Last came Endou.

  “N-Nagumooo! You bastard, that nearly gave me a heart attack! What the hell was that!? You just plowed right through the ground with it! What the hell were you thinking!?” He looked around as he complained, spotting his best friends, along with the rest of his comrades, surrounded by a horde of monsters. His friends were both overjoyed at seeing him again, and angry that he’d returned.

  “Kousuke!”

  “Jugo! Kentarou! I’ve brought reinforcements!”

  At the word “reinforcements,” both Kouki and the demon turned to look at Hajime and the girls he’d brought with him. However, Hajime ignored the stares and started barking orders to Yue and Shea.

  “Yue, sorry, but can you guard those idiots over there for me? Shea, look after that collapsed knight over there. The one wearing all that armor.”

  “Okay... leave it to me.”

  “Aye aye, sir!”

  Yue casually walked over to the other students, completely ignoring the monsters surrounding them. Meanwhile, Shea leaped over to Meld with surprising agility.

  “H-Hajime-kun...” Kaori once again called out to Hajime, her voice trembling. She was feeling so many different emotions that she couldn’t process them all. Naturally, there was the joy of knowing he was still alive, and the happiness she felt at seeing him again. However, there was also a mounting feeling of dread along with a sudden fear creeping its way into her mind. After all, Hajime was here in this dangerous place. She had no idea how he’d found his way down here, but all she wanted was for him to flee to safety.

  Hajime noticed her unease and tried to reassure her.

  “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Just sit back and watch.”

  He activated Riftwalk, honing his senses to the limit. Then, pulled three Cross Bits out of his Treasure Trove and set them to guard Kaori and Shizuku. The two girls’ eyes darted about as they watched these floating crosses that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Hajime then turned to the demon and arrogantly stared her down. He offered her a single chance at mercy. As of yet, she wasn’t his enemy.

  “You, the red-haired girl over there. If you flee now, I won’t chase you. I recommend you run, if you want to live.”

  “What was that?” It was ludicrous to think that this puny human could harm her, especially with so many monsters surrounding him. She was so surprised by his words that she didn’t comprehend them at first. Hajime sighed and repeated himself.

  “You’re not very quick on the uptake, are you? I said if you run now, I’ll let you live. Is that so hard to understand?”

  So I didn’t mishear him. Her expression turned cold. All she said in response was a simple, short statement.

  “Kill him.” She pointed at Hajime, ordering her monsters to attack.

  And so, the demon made a most fatal mistake. She should have paid more attention to the fact that Ahatod, her strongest monster, had been obliterated by a single attack.

  Hajime’s arrogant attitude, and the fact that Ahatod was a precious monster that had been gifted to her by her boss, must have caused her to lose her cool. She failed to accurately assess the situation, and let her anger get the better of her. She hadn’t even realized what Hajime drilling through the labyrinth floor meant. Everyone, including the demons, had thought the floor made of material that was literally unbreakable.

  Had she not been so quick to anger, she might have made a wiser decision. Still, it was too late. The die had been cast.

  “I see. I guess that means you’re my enemy.” Hajime muttered softly under his breath. At the same time, one of the invisible Chimeras attacked.

  “Hajime-kun!” “Nagumo-kun!” Kaori and Shizuku both cried out a warning. Hajime nonchalantly grabbed the Chimera with his artificial arm and lifted it into the air as if it were no heavier than a kitten.

  The Chimera started thrashing wildly, trying to break free from his grip. Hajime watched the air warp and bend as it struggled, sighing in disbelief.

  “Oh come on, are you serious? This half-assed magic is the best you’ve got? Are you even trying?”

  What’s the point of having invisibility magic if the air shimmers every time you move?

  He’d fought monsters in the abyss that had been able to conceal themselves. Each and every one of them had proven a troublesome foe. Compared to them, the Chimera he was facing was nothing. A concealment skill that still left traces was no concealment skill at all.

  Everyone watched in dumbfounded amazement as Hajime fought. He’d just lifted up a monster weighing a couple hundred kilograms with a single hand as if it was no sweat.

  As always, he ignored the stares and put more strength into his grip. There was a loud crunching noise, and eventually the air stopped shimmering. The Chimera fizzled into view, its head mercilessly crushed. The intimidating creature that had given Kouki and the others so much trouble now hung limply from Hajime’s hand.

  “No way...” Someone muttered in the ensuing silence.

  Hajime tossed the dead Chimera to the side, then casually pulled Donner out of its holster. His movements were so smooth that they felt almost unnatural. He took aim at what seemed like nothing, and fired. Bang! Bang!

  As always, Hajime didn’t miss. Two crimson streaks cut through the air, piercing through their intended targets. The air shimmered again, and another Chimera fizzled into view, its head blown apart, along with a Super Bulltaur, its heart shot clean through. Both monsters slumped to the ground, dead.

  “H-How did he know...” The demon could no longer hide her surprise.

  Hajime just scoffed. Even if they were completely invisible, they shifted the air around them, which caused slight vibrations along the ground. On top of that, Hajime could easily pick up on their gazes, and their auras, along with the flow of their mana an
d even their body temperature. To him, the monsters were no more than sitting ducks.

  Hajime didn’t even spare the dead monsters a glance, and began the battle... no, the slaughter, in earnest.

  The fight was too one-sided to be called a battle. The monster of the abyss had descended, and he wasn’t leaving until his enemies were annihilated.

  The demon couldn’t believe how easily her monsters were being killed, while Nagayama and the others couldn’t understand how Hajime possessed weapons that clearly didn’t belong in this world.

  Heedless of anything but their orders, the monsters continued attacking in waves. Had they not been mind-controlled, they likely would have fled.

  A few black cats got behind Hajime, and tried to launch their tentacles from his blind spot. However, with a single flick of his wrist, Hajime spun Donner around and fired at the enemies behind him. Bullets traveling faster than the speed of sound tore through the cats’ skulls.

  Next, a pack of four-eyed wolves surrounded Hajime from two sides. And yet, Hajime simply pulled Schlag out as well and mowed down the wolves leaping at him. The bullets fired from practically point-blank range destroyed not only the wolves’ skulls, but their bodies as well.

  Another black cat leaped on top of a Chimera, and used the Chimera’s camouflage to launch a barrage of invisible tentacles. Still, none of them reached their mark. Hajime fired off a non-Lightning Field enhanced bullet and ricocheted it off the wall to hit the cat. The force of the bullet flung it into the air. Then, he enhanced his legs with Steel Legs, and dropped the chimera with an axe kick.

  He finished both the cat and the Chimera off with shots from Donner.

  “Graaaaaaaaah!”

  “Uwooooooooo!”

  Two Super Bulltaurs moved to flank him. Their maces tore through the air with unbelievable force. Hajime simply ducked out of the way, and tripped the Super Bulltaur to the right while he was at it. Arms pinwheeling, the Super Bulltaur crashed into its comrade.

  “Grah!?” Both of them let out a surprised shout. While the two of them were hugging each other, Hajime had fired off another volley of bullets. The Super Bulltaurs died in each other’s arms.