Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 1 (Premium)

by Ryo Shirakome

  “Now now, don’t say that. We’re just that much stronger, that’s all.” The three others accepted Hiyama’s explanation without question.

  Believing themselves special just because they won a few fights was the trademark trait of all small-time bullies. And like the bullies they were, they had actually been throwing their weight around among the students who had chosen to remain. Their arrogance had started bothering the others. However, they were still strong enough to make it as far as the sixtieth floor, so no one was brave enough to complain to their face.

  Besides, even they couldn’t match up to Kouki’s party, so they at least remained docile in his presence. Just like the small-time thugs they were.

  The party managed to advance without any real difficulty, and before long they stepped foot on the historic sixty-fifth floor.

  “Stay sharp, everyone! This floor still hasn’t been fully mapped. There’s no telling what might happen!” Captain Meld’s loud voice echoed throughout the room. Kouki and the others had grim expressions on their faces as they stepped into the unknown.

  After a few minutes of walking they found themselves in a massive chamber. Everyone present suddenly felt a chill run down their spine.

  An ominous premonition settled over them, a premonition that proved all too soon to be accurate. A magic circle suddenly began glowing in the center of the room. A very familiar, pulsing, dark red magic circle.

  “Y-You’ve gotta be kidding me... It’s that thing again!?” Cold sweat poured down Kouki’s forehead. Everyone else was clearly nervous as well.

  “Seriously!? I thought that bastard died when he fell!” Ryutarou screamed, the shock evident in his voice. Captain Meld replied to the group in a stern but calm voice.

  “We’re still not sure what causes monsters to spawn in the labyrinths, but it’s possible to have to fight a monster you defeated once before. Everyone, stay sharp! Make sure there’s always at least one open path of retreat!” His foremost priority was securing an escape route. The knights under his command all hurried to obey. However, Kouki seemed unhappy with his orders.

  “Meld, we’re not the same weak kids from before. We’ve gotten way stronger! I promise we won’t lose this fight, so let us take him!”

  “Heh, you said it. I can’t stand being beaten and having to run away all the time anyway. It’s time for our revenge match!” Ryutarou said, a feral grin adorning his face all the while. Captain Meld shrugged with exasperation at their eagerness, but he had to admit that they might have a chance with their current strength. He too, smiled grimly.

  The magic circle exploded in a burst of red light and summoned forth the nightmare that haunted all of their dreams.

  “Graaaaaaaaaah!!!” The Behemoth roared angrily as it stamped the ground. Those familiar red eyes, dripping with murderous intent, glared squarely at Kouki.

  Among the cowering students, one girl glared right back at it with unwavering determination.

  Kaori. In a voice so quiet that no one else heard it, Kaori said the following to the Behemoth:

  “I won’t let you take anyone else from me. I’ll trample over you and make my way back to his side.” With her determination thus expressed, the battle to overcome their past began.

  Kouki made the first move.

  “Soar unto heaven, O divine wings— Celestial Flash!” With a thunderous roar, a shockwave of light slammed into the Behemoth.

  In their previous fight, even his strongest skill, Divine Wrath, had been unable to scratch the Behemoth. But as Kouki had said, they were no longer the weak kids they had been.

  “Graaaaaaah!?” The Behemoth backed away shakily, screaming in pain. There was a long red gash running down its chest, spilling blood.

  “We can do this! We’ve gotten way stronger! Nagayama, you circle around to its left. Hiyama, take it from behind. Meld, encircle it from the right! Rearguard, give us some spells! The strongest you’ve got!” Kouki swiftly began barking out orders. His quick assessment and judgment were a result of Captain Meld’s personal training.

  “Heh, you’ve gotten pretty good at giving orders, kid. You heard the man! Everyone, follow his lead!” Captain Meld confirmed Kouki’s orders, then led his troupe of knights around to the Behemoth’s right side. Everyone sprang into action at once, surrounding the Behemoth.

  The vanguard set up a defensive perimeter, preventing the Behemoth from wreaking havoc on the back lines.

  “Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” It decimated the ground as it charged forward, trying to break through.

  “Like hell you will!”

  “You’re not going anywhere!” The class’s two burliest guys, Ryutarou Sakagami and Jugo Nagayama, grappled the Behemoth from each side, holding it in place.

  “Grant unto your servant the strength to shake the earth! Herculean Might!” Clad in their body strengthening magic, the two boys halted the Behemoth’s charge.

  “Graaaaaah!”

  “Raaaaaaah!”

  “Uoooooooooooh!” The three of them each let out a different roar as they squeezed out every ounce of their strength. The Behemoth, enraged that a pair of mere humans had stopped its assault, stamped impatiently on the ground. Seeing this, the other students took advantage of its momentary distraction.

  “Peerless swordsmanship that rends even the heavens— Eternal Severance!” Shizuku drew her sword, slicing through one of the Behemoth’s horns. Her lapis lazuli-colored mana wrapped around her sword, an artifact with a magically sharpened cutting edge, and increased the speed of her draw. However, her sword failed to cut all the way through the horn, instead getting lodged halfway into it.

  “Guh, why’s it gotta be so hard!”

  “Leave it to me! Pulverize, shatter, decimate— Bonecrusher!” Captain Meld leaped forward, slamming his sword into Shizuku’s own. The speed of Shizuku’s slash was enhanced by the sheer strength the captain had put behind his own blow, forcing the sword deeper into the Behemoth’s horn. Finally, her sword cut all the way through, and sliced the horn straight off its head.

  “Graaaaaaah!?” Infuriated beyond reason, the Behemoth flailed wildly, flinging Shizuku, Meld, Ryutarou, and Nagayama to the corners of the room.

  “Enfold the weak with your gentle light— Hallowed Nimbus!” Before they hit the walls, countless rings of light intersected to form a net behind them, cushioning their fall. Kaori had used a rather peculiar defensive spell to soften the impact of their landing.

  Her artifact, a white staff, glowed light purple as she fed it her mana. Without pause, she began chanting another spell.

  “Heaven’s blessing, shine thy grace on all thine children— Succor!” In an instant, all four fighters that had been flung away were healed. Long distance, wide-area healing was on the upper end of the intermediate level of light spells. This particular one was an advanced version of the Heaven’s Blessing spell she had used once before.

  Kouki shifted stances in preparation to thrust, then charged the beast. He chanted a spell as he ran forward, aiming for the wound he had created earlier.

  “Dazzling Eruption!” Vast quantities of mana gathered at the tip of his sacred sword as he thrust deep into the Behemoth, which then exploded from within.

  “Graaaaaaaah!” The Behemoth howled in pain as spurts of blood poured out of the new wound gouged into it, but it still managed to land a counterattack while Kouki was recovering from the effects of using a skill.

  “Guuuuuh!” Kouki screamed in pain as the Behemoth’s clawed paw flung him into the wall. The claws themselves failed to pierce his sacred armor artifact, but the force of the impact still left him gasping for breath. Still, at least the pain vanished almost instantly. Kaori had started chanting another healing spell before Kouki had even hit the ground.

  “Heaven’s blessing, grant thy progeny the strength to fight once more— Divine Ray!” Unlike the mass heal from earlier, the new spell was only capable of healing one target at a time, but in return it was far more potent. Kouki was momentarily wrapped in go
lden light as he was fully healed.

  Meanwhile, the Behemoth roared mightily and leaped into the air, tired of the other flies buzzing around it. The shockwave sent everyone tumbling back while its broken horn began glowing red.

  “...So it can do that even with a broken horn. Brace yourselves, everyone!” Shizuku yelled out a warning as the Behemoth began hurtling down.

  Everyone present was familiar with its special magic, and they had already prepared for impact. However, the trajectory of its leap surprised everyone. Rather than aiming for Kouki and the others, it was headed straight for the back line. During the fight on the bridge it had always leaped only toward what was directly in front of it, and the members of the vanguard all panicked when they saw it pass over them.

  One of the members of the back line, Suzu Taniguchi, stepped forward and switched over to chanting a new spell.

  “Let this be a holy ground that denies thine enemies passage— Hallowed Ground!” A glowing dome of light surrounded them not a moment too soon, and the Behemoth crashed into it. The shockwaves from the impact was so powerful that the rocks on the floor nearby were swept away like cobwebs.

  Suzu’s barrier successfully ground those shockwaves to a halt as well. But because she forcibly shortened the four verse spell into only two verses, the shield was imperfect. Cracks had already begun appearing within it. Had her job not been Barrier Master, her improvised barrier wouldn’t have done much of anything.

  She grit her teeth, and held both hands out before her. Frantically, she supplemented the verses with a mental image of an impenetrable barrier. A good shield never cracks. My protection is absolute!

  “Uooooooh! Like hell I’ll lose to this stupid thing!” The Behemoth’s murderous gaze fell directly on Suzu, making her arms tremble in fear. The artifact that she used, a pair of bracelets, went dark for a second before glowing bright orange with her mana once more. She banished the fear from her mind and shouted again.

  But unfortunately, her willpower wasn’t enough to keep the barrier alive. The Behemoth was attacking relentlessly, and in a few more seconds it would crumble.

  No, it’s going to break! Suzu lamented.

  “Heaven’s blessings, grant me thy wonder— Transference!” Suddenly, her body was wrapped in light, and she felt her mana increase exponentially. Kaori must have healed her.

  Normally, the spell would only restore a little of the recipient’s mana, but by adjusting how much of their own mana the caster used, it was possible to restore all of it. Transference was a very practical spell. And only someone like Kaori, who possessed the priest job, could use it.

  “I can make it now! I love you, Kaorin!” Suzu poured her newly replenished mana into the barrier, cementing its strength. With a sharp snapping noise the cracks in the barriers began melding. Angry at being cut off from its prey, the Behemoth glared at Suzu. She glared right back.

  Finally, the red glow started dissipating from its horn. It slumped to the ground now that the force of its charge was completely spent. Suzu’s barrier vanished at the same time.

  The Behemoth decided to kill that heavily panting girl next, but before he could do anything the vanguard arrived and began surrounding it again.

  “Back line members, retreat!” At Kouki’s signal the rearguard all took a few steps back and the vanguard filled in the space between them. They continued their hit-and-run tactics until finally the back line had finished chanting their strongest spells.

  “Everyone, fall back!” Eri, the leader of the rearguard, gave the signal. The vanguard all simultaneously unleashed their strongest attacks and leaped away.

  Momentarily winded, the Behemoth was unable to avoid the barrage of fire spells that came flying at it right after.

  “Royal Flare!” Five people chanted in unison. A miniature blazing sun bore down on the Behemoth, scorching everything in its path. It grew to eight meters in diameter before colliding with its target.

  Blistering heat scorched every inch of the Behemoth. The spell was so powerful that it threatened to engulf even the students, and Suzu hurriedly erected a barrier. Unable to escape, the Behemoth’s helmet melted from the heat of the blast.

  “Graaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Its dying screams echoed throughout the chamber. They were the same screams the students had heard when the last one fell off the bridge. The ear-piercing cries slowly faded to a pained gurgle, until finally the Behemoth was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash. Only the blackened walls and charred ashes served to show there had even been a monster there before.

  “D-Did we get it?”

  “We won...”

  “We really won...”

  “Seriously?”

  “Is this real?” Everyone stared dumbfounded at the remains of the Behemoth, tentatively muttering words of disbelief. Kouki was the first to regain his senses. He held his sword aloft, and proclaimed,

  “That’s right! We won!” His holy sword glittered in the dim dungeon light, declaiming their victory for all to see. The reality of what they’d just achieved finally hit them, and the students all broke out into cheers simultaneously. The guys all slapped each other on the back, while the girls hugged each other with joy. Even Captain Meld was moved by the victory.

  Kaori, however, was simply staring blankly at the pile of ash that had once been a monster. Shizuku noticed she wasn’t joining in on the celebration, so she walked up to her.

  “Kaori, is something wrong?”

  “Huh? Oh, it’s just you, Shizuku-chan. No, nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking... we’ve made it so far.” Kaori smiled wryly as she answered Shizuku. She was even more moved than most that she’d gotten strong enough to defeat the monster that had once haunted her nightmares.

  “Yeah. We’ve gotten a lot stronger since then.”

  “Mhmm... Shizuku-chan, do you think we’ll find Nagumo-kun if we keep going?”

  “That’s what we’re here to find out, isn’t it? That’s what all of this was for.”

  “Ehehe, yeah.” They could finally move forward. There was finally a very real chance Kaori could find out exactly what happened to Hajime. She suddenly stiffened up in fear, scared the answer might not be the one she wanted. Shizuku noticed the change, and chose to tightly squeeze Kaori’s hand in response. Reassured that Shizuku was with her, Kaori banished the fear from her heart.

  They stood there silently for a few minutes until Kouki walked up to them.

  “Are you two alright? Kaori, that was some amazing healing. As long as you’re here, I’m not scared of anything.” He flashed the two girls a dazzling smile as he praised Kaori and Shizuku.

  “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. And you... Well, you’re obviously alright,” Shizuku muttered in a tone full of mirth.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, Kouki-kun. I’m glad I was helpful.”

  They returned his smile. But their smiles slipped slightly at Kouki’s next words.

  “With this, I’m sure Nagumo can rest easy too. The classmates he protected were able to take down the monster that killed him.”

  “......” He was already lost in thought, and didn’t notice the two girls’ expressions darken. Apparently Kouki really thought it was the Behemoth that had sent Hajime to the depths of hell. In a sense, that was true. After all, it was the Behemoth’s magic that destroyed the bridge. But more precisely, it was the person who had thrown that errant fireball that had killed Hajime.

  Even if everyone agreed not to talk about it, it didn’t change the fact that it was true. But it seemed Kouki had forgotten that fact, or perhaps simply never been aware of it in the first place, since he seemingly thought killing the Behemoth would be all it took to let Hajime rest in peace.

  Kouki, who believed everyone was a fundamentally good person, probably didn’t want to keep blaming someone for a mistake. And of course, he couldn’t even imagine the possibility that someone might have done it on purpose.

  But Kaori couldn’t put that thought out of her mind even if she wanted to. She could on
ly hold it in because she didn’t know who it was, but she knew for sure if she found out she’d chase that person to the ends of the earth. Which was why it amazed her that Kouki could just forget about it so easily.

  Shizuku let out a long sigh. She really wanted to reprimand Kouki, but she knew he didn’t mean anything ill by what he said. In fact, he had been thinking only of Kaori and Hajime when he had said that. Sadly, it was his good intentions that made the barb sting even more.

  Besides, the other students were still basking in the glow of victory. Shizuku wasn’t so tactless that she’d try and start a scene.

  After that, the class’s most energetic girl jumped into the conversation, dispelling the strained atmosphere.

  “Kaorin!” Suzu jumped into Kaori’s arm, calling her by her strange nickname.

  “Fwah!?”

  “Ehehe, I love you sooo much, Kaorin! If you hadn’t saved me back there, I would be flat as a pancake right now!”

  “Y-You’re exaggerating, Suzu-chan... Wait, stop touching me there!”

  “Gehehe, do you like it? How about this, you like this?” Kaori blushed as Suzu started feeling her up like some old pervert. Shizuku stopped her rampage with a quick chop to the head, though her blow had a little more force behind it than what was strictly necessary.

  “Cut it out. Kaori doesn’t belong to you... She belongs to me.”

  “Shizuku-chan!?”

  “Hmph, I won’t let you get in my way. The only one who gets to xxx Kaori’s xxx is me, Suzu!”

  “Suzu-chan!? What are you trying to do to me!?”

  Trapped between Suzu and Shizuku, Kaori could only wail helplessly. The strained atmosphere from earlier was nowhere to be found.

  From there on out, they would be heading into uncharted territory. After defeating the specter of their past, Kouki and the others advanced deeper into the labyrinth. Meanwhile...

  “Daaaaah! Dammit!”

  “You can do it, Hajime...”

  “Aren’t you a bit too relaxed!?” Hajime was running through a clump of grass, with Yue on his back. Thick, tall grass, coming all the way up to Hajime’s shoulders, stretched out in every direction as far as the eye could see. Yue would be completely buried within the 160 centimeter tall grass.