Sendai Yuusha wa Inkyou Shitai

Something like that didn’t exist. Having become small, Yuu became unable to exert all of his strength. What was particularly obvious was that his arms and legs had become shorter, which deteriorated his running speed and attack range.

What was thought up in order to compensate for that was 『By blowing away Yuu with Wind Magic, the blown away Yuu would kill the Leviathan』. Such a thing was a childish tactic that couldn’t be called a strategy.

First, Yuu and Kuon would take the lead and get near the enemy. Then, when they were right in front of the Leviathan, Kuon would activate a disposable Transfer Magic charm and transfer Fiona over. Finally, she would hit a shell of wind into Yuu.

The reason why Kuon took the lead together with Yuu was because Kuon was the only one that could keep up with Yuu who still surpassed the limits of an ordinary person despite having been weakened, and because the need to transport Fiona close to Yuu had appeared.

「Tsk!」

Yuu swung the Magic Sword. He had made a horizontal cut from the Magic Dragon’s mouth to its neck, but the wound was shallow. The Leviathan’s golden eye caught sight of Yuu……No, caught sight of the Magic Sword and would not separate its gaze from it.

「『So, again, you intend on placing a wound on me, Magic Sword!!』」

「Heh, tha’s because my duty is to cut things down.」

While fresh blood was coming out from the cut that went from the corner of its mouth to its neck, the Leviathan came attacking without even trying to hide its hatred towards the Magic Sword.

Although he had given a wound to it as if ignoring the dragon’s scales that were harder than steel through the use of 『Zantetsu』, it seems that it didn’t reach the level of being a fatal wound.

「You’re surprisingly hated, aren’t you!」

Having noticed that the aim of the Leviathan’s anger wasn’t towards the user of the sword which was Yuu, but towards the Magic Sword, Yuu said that as if spitting it out.

「’Course I am. To those guys, I’m an irreconcilable enemy after all.」

「Enemy? ……Nowah!?」

About to be struck by the Leviathan’s tail the moment he landed, Yuu defended with the belly of the sword.

The ground under his feet was broken from the impact, and he was buried into the ground up to around his knees.

「Guuh……Dammit, I can’t move around!!」

It was a mass and pressure that not even Yuu, who possessed physical abilities that were superior to ordinary people, could force back.

In the middle of such adversity, Yuu――

「But still……It’s not like I need to move.」

*Niyari* (Grin). He made a fearless smile.

「Secret Technique――」

Repositioning the short sword that was held with a reverse grip, the tip was pointed forward. Even while it was gushing blood right in front of its eyes, the Magic Dragon was bent on defeating Yuu.

With the dragon scales that were harder than steel cut off, all that remained was a wound that was just asking to be opened.

Right there, it would be pierced through.

「『Zettouga (Severing Sword Fang)』」

The high speed movement technique that packed Maryoku into one’s legs and made that explode the moment one stepped forward, 『Shukuchi』. And then, the magic that created a blade of Maryoku and increased the ability of the sword itself, 『Magic Clad Sword』.

Mixing together the two techniques she was taught from Yuu, although it was crude, Kuon created a single technique.

It was the ultimate 『simply a thrust』 that raised the power and speed to their utmost limits.

「『Wha……Gufuuh!?』」

The Leviathan that had its awareness turned only towards the Magic Sword moaned in pain, and subsequently, fresh blood flooded out from the wound.

No, that wasn’t all. The thrust that had been sublimated to its utmost limits had shown that it had gone through the dragon’s body, through its skin, and shot through its large frame.

「Heheh……I guess it turned out well for the first time.」

Kuon herself had gone through it, then, looking up at the Magic Dragon that she had gone through, she wryly smiled. Though, the price that she paid for that was that her whole body was covered in the dragon’s blood.

◇

「Uhiih, Kuon, you kind of smell, you know?」

「So mean! You were the one that made me do it, Aniki!!」

Having brought down the Leviathan, when I got close to Kuon who had become covered in blood, *mowah*, there was the stench of blood and I reflexively pinched my nose.

「Still, that was skillfully settled. A two-stage plan where Yashiro-san opens a breaching point and Kuon-san brings it down.」

Bernadette looked up at the defeated Leviathan, looking like she was in admiration.

「The cause of our victory was because the Leviathan had snapped at Yuu……No, at the Magic Sword more than we expected.」

Fiona glanced at the Magic Sword Ravenbrand, and then gazed at the Leviathan that had its body gone through and “looked” like it had died.

「Snapped at, huh. ……That’s a perfectly fitting phrase. So? You’re going to tell us what that was all about, right?」

「Well, it’s not like it’s somethin’ meant to be kept secret. ……Well, I guess it could be considered as a reward to the swordsman that was able ta handle me after such a long time.」

When I thrust the Magic Sword into the floor and asked that, the Magic Sword acknowledged the question with an attitude that said it was reluctant.

「Oi, kiddo. Do ya remember the words I said just a little while ago?」

A little while ago……then that means,

「To them, you’re an irreconcilable enemy……you mean that?」

「Ou, that’s the one. ……Ya see, thousands of years earlier, I was a Magic Sword forged fer the sake of killing Mazoku.」

We all reflexively took one step back from the words that the Magic Sword had said that as if it were reciting them.

「Kuhahahah, don’t worry, I won’t curse ya or anythin’.」

The reason why we stepped back was because we were trying to make some distance.

A sword that was forged in the midst of intense hatred, many of them would become a 『Maken』 in the bad meaning of the word.

Granting immense power to the use, but simultaneously calling disaster upon the user, it often became that kind of curse.

「Since it’s a considerably old story, so I can’t remember most of it but……The swordsman tha’ wielded me was small just like you, kiddo, but had strength like tha’ of a monster. Together with tha’ swordsman’s competency, I slaughtered all kinds of Mazoku. Huge breasted Onee-chan over there, do you know what the method of defeating, no, the “method of killing” is?」

Having been suddenly called out, Bernadette crossed her arms and started thinking while groaning with an *U—n*. ……That feeling that something similar to bloodlust was overflowing from Fiona the moment the words “huge breasted” came out was probably my imagination, it must have been.

「I basically specialize in humans after all……Ah, could it be something like their head is their weakness?」

Come to think of it, she was an Agent, wasn’t she. Since she hasn’t been calling herself that recently, I had completely forgotten.

「I’m sorry to say that’s not it. In tha’ case, the tiny breasted Onee-chan over there――」

「……I’ll answer but, if you call me that way again next time, I’ll break you.」

Ravenbrand didn’t show any signs of breaking even when I handled it roughly, but it was strange because when Fiona said that, it seemed like she really would break it. Scary.

「Good grief……Mazoku are essentially astral bodies, and when they appear in this world, they reincarnate into an object that draws Maryoku. No matter how many times their physical body is about to break, as long as the Mazoku’s real body, their astral body, isn’t destroyed, they will appear in this world any number of times. There are two means of defeating those Mazoku. To have it lose just like us and the spirits or maybe even more than that and kill it, or to directly attack their astral body――That’s right, you’re the latter, where in you are able to directly wound the Mazoku’s astral body, aren’t you?」

Fiona nodded, looking like she understood. I was also able to understand why the Leviathan had so obstinately aimed at this Magic Sword.

The astral body that Fiona mentioned was, although exactly different, an existence that was something like a variety of a soul. Then the Mazoku receive direct attack to there, the damage is transmitted to even their real form. In the worst case, if it’s a fatal wound, that Mazoku gets annihilated.

Not a paranormal existence like the Sacred Sword, an existence called a 『Magic Sword』 that was created by humans and was able to kill Mazoku. To them, that itself was something that couldn’t be allowed, and furthermore, the Leviathan had once fought with Ravenbrand.

That probably brought it nothing but humiliation. They really can be called irreconcilable enemies.

「Well, it’s because of that that I’m seen as something that killed their parents.」

「You are something like a natural enemy to them after all. ……Now then.」

Ending the conversation, when I looked over at the Leviathan, a figure slightly squatting on top of that defeated big frame entered my field of vision.

「Kiki, to think that you would really take down even Levie. ……Though you do not reach the level of those guys, it would seem that you possess something that comes close to it.」

*Ketaketa* Having laughter that was similar to that of a child, it was the Vampire Princess, Paimon.

「This is a reward for taking down Levie, the one that boasted of being the strongest amongst my retainers. Kiki, lineage of the miko, your appearance, I shall restore it to its original form.」

Saying that, Paimon pointed her fingertip towards me……And a transformation appeared in an instant.

「Guh, ……Ugh, uoooooh! I’m, I’m back to normallllll!!」

My whole body became flaccid, and next, there was the sensation of it enlarging. And then, my body became as it was before.

「Sorry to do this while you’re so delighted, but could you conceal that crude thing?」

「Nn? Oh, ooh!?」

When I followed Fiona’s gaze and looked down, as an adverse effect of my body becoming bigger, the size no longer matched and caused my trousers to tear, and, with nothing to hold it down, my son was casually swaying about.

「Ba, baka! This is a so-called standby state you see, and if it were to get serious then――Wapuh!?」

「I’m telling you to conceal it, baka Yuu!」

Fiona took out my clothes from the luggage that was placed on Silber and tossed them over.

Still, I can finally wear my former clothes. These clothes, I’ve continued to wear them since Luxeria and I’ve grown attached to them.

「Fuu……We’ve kept you waiting, Paimon. After the Leviathan, you’re next.」

Wearing my cloth clothes, I pointed the tip of the Magic Sword at Paimon who was smiling looking like she was in a good mood. But Paimon received my words and raised the corners of her mouth and looked even more delighted.

「Kikiki! Yeah, I have been waiting. One thousand and two hundred years……All for this moment.」

Unfolding bat wings, Paimon got down to the ground. When she did, suddenly, the Leviathan became a large amount of water and then, together with a roaring sound that was like that of a waterfall, it started streaming within the room.

「How dare you……How dare you, you lowly human……ッ!!」

In the place that the Leviathan had fallen just a little while ago, there was a single woman collapsed.

Not wearing anything that could be called cloth, it was a woman that exposed her naked body. That woman’s skin was blue, and things that looked like fins were growing from the spot that ears should be at.

Maybe because she couldn’t get any strength in even when she tried to get up, she raised her head and glared at us.

「Calm down, Levie.」

Paimon commanded that woman.

「B, but……」

「’Tis fine even if there is a human that can get the better of a Mazoku. I shall burn that person, you know? Kiki!」

When Paimon said that, she waved her dress, and started to walk towards the door headed to the next floor.

「O, oi!」

「Kiki, come follow along.」

Not taking no for an answer, Paimon stepped forward.

「Tsk……Looks like, we’ve got no choice.」

To me, the entrance that lead to the next floor looked like the mouth of a gigantic monster, and there was nothing I could do about it.