Ultimate Antihero

Volume 1, Chapter 4

Part 1

The prefectural border between Saitama and Tokyo life sphere.

Because the place had been turned into a city of abandoned rubbles, the trainee soldiers of the trainee platoon that were patrolling with the national defense army spread out their defensive line here.

From the gaps of the rubbles, from the cloudy sky, ―they intercepted the approaching atypical swarm.

The appearance of the 27th platoon that accompanied the duty of patrolling Japan could also be found in that foremost line.

Anna who was taking a position atop the steel tower that had rusted, rotted, crept up by ivy from being abandoned for five years, with her for use that was her style, a white bolt action-type rifle in her hand, she sniped the demons that flew in the sky of far beyond.

Her skill was exactly of one-shot, one-kill.

In addition her contracted heroic spirit was the Simo Hayha.

He was the hero of Finland with the highest recorded war results in history.

Against the harpies and gargoyles, Anna’s bullets accurately pierced the enemies’ vital spot and shot them down.

“Yosh, with this it’s the seventeenth one! Oh man, aren’t I in perfect form, this me!”

The finger that pressed the trigger was light.

Anna took a little guts pose for her own great condition.

“The number of the enemy also cannot be counted here, like this maybe I can reach the high score~?”

Thereupon―a display frame made from magic power element appeared in the end of the girl’s field of vision suddenly.

It was a mind communication. Inside the display frame was the face of Rozalind.

“Oy, what’s the matter Roze?”

“Anna. Sorry to disturb you when you are on fire, but I request your assist. The carapace of the earth spider is hard, the blade isn’t effective.”

“Okay okay~. Just leave it to big sister.”

Answering so, Anna called out the map for the whole battlefield in her field of vision.

And then at the marker that was indicated on the map, she confirmed the position of her teammate.

Moving her eyes to that direction, using her contracted heroic spirit’s Heroic Skill , she confirmed by sight the situation two kilometers ahead.’s>

At the end of her sight was Rozalind and Koga Ayumi battling an armored spider with length around five meters.

That was the target she was asked to assist with, an earth spider.

Anna didn’t even use the scope, she accurately determined the aim in an instant, ―and fired a bullet that was filled with a certain sorcery.

The fired bullet rushed ahead tearing through the air.

It impacted the flank of the earth spider that currently was going to swing down its sharp blade attached front leg to Rozalind.

However, the carapace of the earth spider that was even harder than titanium alloy lightly bounced the bullet.

The armor of earth spider that boasted outstanding defensive power even among the demons would repel even a direct hit of a tank cannon.

Something like a rifle wouldn’t even scratch it.

But, that was already calculated.

The objective of this shot was not at the bullet, but to hit the sorcery that was attached onto the bullet into the earth spider.

The sorcery that Anna entered into the bullet was―earth element second grade sorcery?Oxidation CharmAcid Seal.

Its effect could immediately be seen by the eyes.

The earth spider’s solid carapace was beginning to smolderingly dissolve accompanied with a smell that made the nose wrinkle.

If it became like this then even its prided armor would become meaningless.

“Clad in the wind, my sword―”

Without wasting time Rozalind increased the sharpness of her -style that was a katana with sorcery enchantment, she also breathed magic power into the four fairy wings equipped on her back, the and accelerated―

“Fujin Reppa―!” [1]

Borrowing the power of wind, she slashed and bisected the earth spider into two.

Originally was an opponent that even adult national defense magicians would have a hard fight against, but the level of this 27th trainee platoon was high to easily defeat it.

However―as expected they also had childishness because of their age.

“―Yosh.”

Rozalind that finished the earth spider relaxed her attention completely for an instant.

In that instant, a small strange shape leaped at the girl out from the gaps of the rubble.

“Rozalind-chan! Behind you-!”

“What-!?”

The small strange shape that leaped at her was― goblin.

The number was four goblin.

The goblins first had one of them struck at Rozalind’s with a club and destroyed it.

When she became unable to escape to the sky, one goblin clung at her right leg, and the remaining two at her dominant hand that was holding the katana, restraining Rosalind in place.

“Damn!”

It was already too late when she said that.

Even among the demons, goblins were especially powerless small fry that couldn’t even use sorcery, but it had shrewdness like performing this kind of team play.

And then, if this was a team play―naturally there existed the finishing player.

The next instant, as if waiting for that restraint, a gargoyle flying at low altitude, slipping through the eyes of the was approaching near, flying out from the shadow of a building.

And then, it stabbed a trident spear at Rozalind.

The aim was Rozalind’s heart. ―But, that spear tip was repelled away as if hitting an unseen wall in the air.

“Ayumi!”

“Le, leave it to me!”

Ayumi, who cut in between Rozalind and the gargoyle, with the -style , that was a staff, in hand laid out a sorcery barrier.

{Gya gya!}

The mechanical staff that was a weapon of the didn’t have the function of a weapon like the weapons of the or the .

But in place of that, elaborate magic mechanisms were built-in in the internal of the staff, heightening sorcery chanting speed and the power of the spell rapidly.

With only the power of a , it was impossible to pierce through this solid protection.

Therefore the gargoyle’s attack was repelled and its posture was broken in the air.

Ayumi didn’t miss that opening.

She immediately formed a chantless Photon Bullet and created three shots―

“GOOO!”

She shot toward the gargoyle that was hovering in the air.

But, a gargoyle was a demon whose selling point was its mobility in the air.

{GIGIGI―!}

‘Just try it if you think you can chase me.’

As if saying that, the gargoyle fiercely moved in the air in order to shake off the approaching Photon Bullets.

That movement was irregular yet quick, it was extremely difficult to follow with the eyes.

However―Ayumi had already learned how to deal with that kind of problem.

(Homura, san……!)

She recalled. His words, his teaching.

There was no need to be led around by the enemy’s movements.

Her field of vision should not chase, but fix the enemy in it.

She should not match the movement of the enemy, it is her side that should control the enemy’s movement―!

“YAAAA!”

Yelling with a voice filled with spirit, Ayumi let flew three shots of Photon Bullet with her trajectory instruction.

First was one shot, she raised its speed and directed it straightforwardly to the gargoyle.

Of course the gargoyle evaded that, but that was―a movement that Ayumi made it do with the first shot.

Ayumi had already directed the other two shots at the trajectory where the gargoyle was evading.

The gargoyle moved by itself into that firing line―

{GI―――IIII!}

Its body burst and scattered apart from the direct hit of the Photon Bullet.

(I, I did it!)

At the same time, behind her―

“Hands off me immediately-!”

{Gya gyaa―――!}

Rozalind shook off the goblins that clung at her with all her might and cut them down, setting herself free from the restraints.

Rozalind immediately said her thanks towards Ayumi who had protected her.

“You saved me. I’ll return the favor for sure, Ayumi.”

{Koga-chi, nice assist-!}

Anna who was witnessing the sequence of Ayumi’s actions also sent her praise towards the girl using mind communication.

“E, ehehe…”

Hearing those words, Ayumi’s expression burst open in a smile.

Until now the 27th trainee platoon was Anna and Rozalind’s two-top.

These two possessed motivation and ability that surpassed the student standard by far, honestly there were a lot of times where Ayumi was just a burden to them.

They were together only because they were friends.

Ayumi was always feeling guilty for such situation.

For that reason, this battle result and her friends’ words made her unbearably happy.

(Thanks to, Homura-san…)

When she went back, she was going to talk about this to him.

And then she was going to thank him.

Ayumi decided that in her heart.

She decided… and she noticed how her heart leaped that she could converse with Homura.

{27th trainee platoon! You guys really did it huh! It’s rare for a trainee platoon to show this much result you know!}

Suddenly, a new communication came to Ayumi and co. who just repulsed a group of demons.

The face that was displayed in the display frame was a middle-aged Arabian that grew his beard.

He was the division commander of the Japan National Defense Army’s seventh division that was currently performing the battle, Hassad.

{Hehehee―! Aren’t we aren’t we? It’s fine for you to rely more on us you know?}

{Haha-! Then after this help out at the defense here! They are being pushed back a little.}

The commander talked with fluent Japanese while making a part of the mission map display in Ayumi and co.’s view, shining red.

That place was the area that needed reinforcements.

Anna who was the captain of the 27th trainee platoon confirmed it and,

{Okey-dokey~, then we will quickly―}

When she was going to return an acceptance reply, it was at that time.

Suddenly, an emergency transmission with a sound that was like a scream cut in.

{Mission map point C-4, a huge magic power reaction right in front of the defense line-! Something is coming-!}

Part 2

Hearing that interrupting emergency transmission, both Ayumi and Rozaling, then everyone who heard that transmission directed their eyes at the designated direction.

Mission map point C-4.

Above the sky of that point―there was a distortion.

The space was twisted in clockwise rotation.

That twisting rapidly swallowed the surrounding space in its distortion without stopping.

Before long, the space broke accompanied by a sound like breaking glass.

And then, from the broken space―a strange shape with body size around 3 meters appeared.

“…Tha, that’s……!”

That strange shaped figure made Ayumi felt fear and a chill as if her spine was frozen and being licked by a tongue.

In one glance, the figure had an appearance that was near human.

However its lower body had fur and hooves like a water buffalo, and on its back the wings of a bat.

And then its head part was―a goat head possessing twisted horns was placed there.

That look―no magician existed that did not know of that terrifying appearance.

“Ba, Baphomet……-!”

Someone on the battlefield whispered that name. That was the name of this demon―

One hundred years ago, it appeared before the human race that still didn’t possess sorcery, its overwhelming power endlessly massacred everything, a superior demon of that possessed preeminent magic ability in the demon world.

{That’s, the demon of beginning…-}

{What a phenomenal magic power……!}

Suddenly looking at that appearance, the one who was trembling was not only Ayumi.

Not to mention the other students of the trainee platoons that accompanied the patrol together here, even the magicians of the seventh division’s country defense were trembling all over their body towards this new threat that appeared.

As if… the terror of massacre that humanity received one hundred years ago was already imprinted in their genetics.

However, such a thing was nothing more than a deceptive terror.

{Don’t falter-! The human race having a bitter fight against Baphomet is a story of one hundred years ago already! The sorcery of the human race has evolved to a farther stage compared to that time! Fight without hesitation-!}

Hassad who immediately recovered faster than anyone issued his rally through the communication.

That’s right. They had a bitter fight against Baphomet merely because at that time the humans didn’t know sorcery at all.

But with that the left behind as the beginning, with all the grimoires that the human race had deciphered, the human race had obtained sorcery.

And then, humanity repelled Baphomet.

It was an opponent they had won against once.

They who had obtained even more power than the time of that victory, just what was it that they needed to fear after all this time.

{All members that have long range cannons are to attack at Baphomet altogether! Here we gooo–!!!!}

{ { {YEAH-!!!!} } }

The magicians that had recovered their confidence from Division Commander Hassad’s rally flew to the sky using all at once.

“Ayumi! Leave the lookout of the surroundings to us. Ayumi, too, join them!”

“Ri, right-!”

Being told that by Rozaling, Ayumi too also filled the with magic power and raised to the sky.

And then she chanted the sorcery among her repertoire that possessed the greatest range and firepower.

A huge magic circle was formed in front of her with size even bigger than her own body, there she gathered the magic power in the surroundings.

Before long the gathered magic power emitted pink light and formed into a giant light bullet―

{Now! Fireeeeee――!!!!}

“Magic Light Cannon FirePhoton Buster ――――!!!!”

Together with Hassad’s signal, she fired the sorcery into Baphomet as a large beam of light.

Various colors of magic power, flashes, a great number of everything―

Beams of light that easily surpassed a hundred were fired at a single demon that was hovering in the air from all directions.

It hit at the same time.

Explosion sound that burst the ear and flash that pierced the eye exploded.

Most likely it was an attack with the greatest firepower possessed by the whole battle strength here.

{We did it!?}

Even while believing in their victory, Hassad focused his eye at the dense smoke that appeared.

―There, he suddenly saw the figure of the hovering Baphomet.

The smoke cleared, before long that figure became obvious in everyone’s eyes.

The most ineffective result from the most firepower they had.

Regardless―

(Lies……! Even a single wound……!?)

The body of the demon was completely spotless.

Correct. They were making a big misunderstanding.

―Hundred years.

The ones who passed those years and months, was not only the human race.

The demons too, if they also passed the same time, piling up diligent study same like the humans, then there was no reason for that difference to be closed.

{█ █ █ █ █ █―}

The baphomet who uninjuredly endured all the firing of the human race showed an active movement for the first time.

It pronounced something with a sound scale that humans couldn’t understand even when they tried to catch the word.

And then the baphomet slowly thrust its right hand to the front―

{█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █}

It reversed its wrist in a circle, with just that action, all the magicians that flew in the sky were struck down to the ground.

It was as if they were struck by an unseen hammer from the sky.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

Ayumi was also the same.

She screamed from the intense pain of hitting the ocher colored ground.

But, even so she couldn’t roll over her body.

She thought that she had to immediately stand up, but―her body couldn’t move.

She was being pushed by something from above? No―

If it had to be said which one it was, it was the sensation of her gravity being magnified several hundred times heavier. This was―

(Gra, gravity magic……!)

It was similar with no element fourth grade sorcery?Gravity BarrierGravity Bind, a sorcery that restraint the opponent by laying out a barrier of super gravity.

But, whether its scale or power, it was phenomenal.

However, that was only natural.

Humanity had only obtained the sorcery for around one hundred years.

On the other hand, the demons, they had lived from the far long time ago together with sorcery.

Of course there was a difference in the level of the sorcery between the two sides.

It was like a primitive man equipped with a stone spear was challenging an army that built a fortress, lined up with machine guns.

From the start it wasn’t even a battle. It was undisputedly a massacre.

(No, way……-)

With a creaking sound, the bone raised a scream.

The pressure gradually became stronger, before long it would surpass the limit of human’s strength.

(No! I don’t want to die yet!)

Ayumi’s whole face paled from the approaching gruesome death, she wanted to scream.

But, the super gravity pressured her lungs. Not even a scream was permitted.

She also couldn’t ask for help.

The baphomet was only pointing its thumb below, that was it.

How could something this unreasonable be allowed.

Tears came out.

Even so, inside her heart, Ayumi desperately,

(Help me, ―Homura-san-!)

Suddenly, she yelled the name that appeared in her mind.

That moment―

- bariin!* With a sound as if a glass was broken, suddenly the punishing pressure on the body was released.

What was broken was baphomet’s Gravity Bind.

The one who broke it was―

{Ooo―ii, you guys. Is everyone still alive?}

The black magician flying from the other side of the sky leading the reinforcement.

Kamishiro Homura.

Part 3

He detected the allies’ danger from afar and went ahead solo.

Homura let flew a magic power slash and broke baphomet’s Gravity Bind.

From behind him, the panicked Sumika let out the maximum output of in pursuit.

“Ho, Homura-san―! Please don’t fly ahead by yourself so suddenly!”

“My bad my bad. It looked like it would be bad if I don’t interfere a little faster there.”

“If that’s so please say a word first. Certainly Homura-san is strong, but while is working you cannot use your full power right!? What are you going to do if something happens while you rush ahead by yourself! The right to command for this reinforcement is entrusted to me, so I won’t tolerate anymore rash actions!”

“Got it got it. So don’t yell at me with your face that close. I’ll kiss you y’know.”

“Hahii-!? Wh, whwhwhwh what are you saying in this time of crisis!”

Sumika’s face blushed bright red and she *pyun!* cut through the air and took a distance from Homura.

In the view of that Sumika and Homura, Hassad’s face was displayed.

It was general communication in an open channel.

{Oo, you are if I remember right! Seems like the rumor of your return here is true! Sheesh, you really saved us there! Like this it’s the second time I got my life saved by you.}

“Old man Hassad huh. It’s been five years since I saw you. How much damage at your side?”

{Thanks to you there is no one dead, but there are a lot heavily injured. I want to pull back the defensive line temporarily and rally back our formation. Lend us your hand!}

“That’s how it is leader.”

“Do, don’t call me leader just when it’s convenient for you.”

Suddenly having the attention directed at her, Sumika cut in between Homura and Hassad a little sullenly.

“You are lieutenant general Hassad of the seventh division isn’t it? This is the 101st trainee platoon leader?Hoshikawa Sumika that is entrusted with the right of command of the reinforcement troops.”

{Hoh, then you are the rumored S-rank magician. It’s my honor to meet you.}

“Thank you very much. ―I have understood the situation of your side. From here on we are going to move to reinforce so please prepare to retreat.”

{Got it. I’ll leave it to you!}

Having said that, Hassad cut the communication.

Surely he was preparing the retreat operation.

Sumika who confirmed that the transmission with Hassad had been cut then sent a transmission towards all platoons that were flying behind her.

“It’s exactly as we heard. From here on we will reinforce the preceding troops. All the trainee platoons, don’t face the independently by all means. Please fight them with units of platoon!”

{ { {Roger—} } }

High-spirited reply came back from the transmission.

In this aspect, it was just as expected from platoons with evaluation points more than 70. The height of their morale was different.

“Oi. Are we gonna move in platoons too?”

Suddenly Homura asked Sumika directly from the side.

The ability of the 101st’s member was fairly high.

Rather than gathering together, the members should be used by scattering them for search-and-kill missions, that was his opinion.

Of course Sumika was also of the same opinion as that.

“Indeed. The 101st will spread out with their own individual duty. Shiori-san, I’ll leave you to control the situation of the battle from a separate location. Please perfectly fulfill your role that is demanded of you from all the units just as usual.”

Sumika first gave instructions to Shiori.

Shiori smiled wryly a little inside her heart from the content of that instruction.

(My my. You unexpectedly said that cleverly, leader.)

Shiori usually did only the minimum work as an in her duty at the 101st platoon.

In other words she cut corners.

But, she fulfilled the minimum required work perfectly.

Using that habit back against Shiori herself, Sumika reminded Shiori that [I’m thinking that you are someone that perfectly fulfilled your duty as in proportion with the situation you know].

“In other words you are telling me to not cut any corners right? I understand already.”

Sumika nodded in satisfaction from Shiori’s reply.

“I’m counting on you. Chikori-san please move independently following Shiori-san’s instruction and rescue the allied platoon. Can you do that?”

“Absolutely noo― problemm―”

Chikori hit the front of her breast *gatsun!* that was too big for her small stature with her gauntlet.

Magic power that couldn’t be suppressed anymore surged out from her whole body, she was completely prepared for battle.

If it was the current her, she surely wouldn’t fall behind even against .

Then the thing that could become a problem was only the baphomet floating in the air, but―

“As for me naturally that goat face is my opponent then.”

At their side there was Homura, so this was also not a problem.

Although was applied on him, Homura’s power was above S-rank.

It was a power that was more than enough to contest baphomet.

For that reason Homura thought it was only natural for himself to face baphomet.

However, Sumika who was the commander in this place shook her head side to side against this proposal.

“No. Homura-san will rescue the allied platoons like Chikori-san. I will be the baphomet’s opponent.”

“―Hoshikawa, you?”

Hearing that Homura was going to warn off Sumika with a grim expression, but

“Please don’t look down on me too much. Even like this, I am a S-rank magician. I will make it somehow against just a single baphomet. Besides, there are heavily injured people in the preceding troop. Then Homura-san that can skillfully use healing sorcery is more suitable for rescuing duty. I’m not too skilled at healing sorcery. Dead humans cannot go home. [To live] [to keep alive] ―those are the policy of how I operate my unit. You are going to obey aren’t you? After all Homura-san is my subordinate.”

Homura was countered back in return.

Sumika wasn’t trying to take up the baphomet as her opponent because of her vanity as a S-rank.

[To live] [to keep alive]

She didn’t change from when she was little. It was the right person in the right place under the girl’s policy.

Against that, Homura couldn’t talk back at all.

[To live] [to keep alive]. After all Homura also had the same ideal.

“…Okay. But I’m gonna cut in if the situation goes bad.”

Sumika nodded back towards Homura’s reminder―

“Then―, all members, mission start–!!!!”

She gave the signal for the operation’s commencement.

Part 4

Right after the operation’s commencement, it was Shiori who first showed the earliest movement.

While everyone else was heading to the area where battle was in progress, she remained alone in that place.

“―Connection startAccess.”

She activated her worn that was a mechanized staff.

The sorcery core that was attached at the tip of the staff shined in bluish white, then the mechanized part at the tips of the staff opened like an umbrella.

When Shiori separated her hand from the staff, the staff raised until above Shiori’s head by itself, it began to rotate in circles, at the same time it began to display a great number of display frames around Shiori.

Shiori operated those displays with her fingers, as if she was a pianist that was playing the keyboard―

“Begin analysis of enemy force.

Simultaneously draw up the numbering and marker. Synchronization with the mission map.

Begin transfer of control of mission log. Damage confirmation. Damage data reconstruction―complete.

Enemy force’s trend analysis from the reconstructed mission log.

Adding the analysis content and reinforcement unit’s battle power, resetting the tactics table. ―Complete.

Courses all clear. System online. ― the battlefield from now on.”

Saying that, Shiori hit the enter key of the display frame that was displayed using magic power particles.

―Instantly, a change occurred at the brain of all the people that were on that battlefield.

“Wha, thi, this is, what is this!?”

The one who raised that voice was a member of the seventh division that was isolated on the battlefield.

Because of the gravity attack just now, his was broken and he opened the mission map in order to retreat.

Therefore he directly witnessed that change happening.

The mission map had the appearance as squares that was like a chess board projected inside his brain until now. Until now it only displayed the data of the rough position of him and his allies with points of lightmarkers on top of it.

That mission map was now entirely rewritten, not to mention terrain data and the detailed distance between him and his allies, there was also the data about the current condition of his allies, on top of that even detailed information of enemy position and what kind of demon it was, complete with its detailed battle power, it was no exaggeration to say that everything of the battlefield was displayed there, the mission map had been transformed into a super high precision mission map that he had never seen before.

At the same time, Shiori’s voice reverberated inside the brain of everyone on that battlefield.

{My apologize for the sudden intrusion. This is the of the 101st trainee platoon, Onjouji Shiori.

While impolite I have hacked everyone’s brain and reestablished the communication system.

It is now unified with a system of my own creation, .

From now on I will take on the responsibility of being the Operator of all the platoons on this battlefield.

Follow my instruction, and don’t do anything arbitrarily.

If everyone does that then I’ll promise that everyone will return back safely.”

He was dumbfounded from those words.

“I, impossible…! Even though there is not even a minute since the reinforcement came, she already hacked the brain of all the people in this place and seized control of the mind communication system…! Moreover to make this kind of system that displayed accurately every single one of the enemy force while doing all that…!”

Searching enemy, analysis, hacking, system resetting―

Just how many processes was she doing in this one moment.

That thought speed and calculation ability far transcended the performance of a human brain.

{Well then, I’ll send my ghost to everyone’s view, so the isolated platoons please follow her instructions.}

Together with those words of Shiori, an SD character that looked really similar with Shiori was displayed while raising *pon-* an oddly cute sound.

The girl appeared and flew in the air flappingly,

{This way this way―. It’s really safe.}

As if to guide the isolated platoon members, she gave instructions of direction by pointing repeatedly with her finger.

It was a route where he absolutely wouldn’t encounter the enemy and reached the ally’s location, derived from enemy’s position in real time and enemy’s movement pattern that was derived from the mission log and demon data from the past.

By using this, the retreat succeeded without anyone, even the isolated platoon members, being left behind.

It was only natural. Where was the enemy located, where were they going.

Because they knew everything there wasn’t any way they would encounter any demons.

And then, to know that kind of information, it was largely effective not only for escaping, but even for attacking.

{Ten seconds until the encou-nter, the enemy is still not noticing!}

“Yossha―!”

At a different location on the battlefield, a seventh division’s platoon that was not heavily injured yet came out to the front line in order to cover for the retreating platoon.

Following the ghost’s instruction, they jumped out from the building’s cover and concentrated fire at the enemy’s flank.

The demons died without even noticing that they had received an ambush.

That extremely one-sided encounter made one of the platoon members laugh loudly.

“Hahaha-! This mission map is just too awesome!”

After all the enemy’s position was totally exposed from this side.

On top of the nonexistent possibility of receiving surprise attacks, even in the worst case, their side could launch an ambush as they pleased.

They could always take the preemptive attack no matter what.

For the people who were fighting on the actual scene, there was nothing more they could be thankful of than this.

“Yeah, really! With this I don’t get any feeling we can lose!”

“ that can process the enemy’s movement in real time, I thought only the S-rank in Shanghai life sphere can do this.”

“Wonder is she can quickly graduate and come to our place!”

The enemy searching’s effectiveness had ascended drastically due to Shiori’s , the defensive line was recovered in the blink of an eye.

The national defense magicians followed the ghost’s instructions and decreased the enemy marker from the mission map rapidly.

Among them there was one person that vanished three until five enemy marker from the map just in an instant.

It was Ichinotani Chikori.

“Here I go―! Sure-kill magic that I just thought yesterday―”

While the girl trampled down the rubble, she faced five two-horned bicorns that were charging at her, Chikori herself was also not hesitating and ran at them from the front.

And then midway, she grasped an electric pole that was entangled in ivy, then she pulled it out from the asphalt using the superhuman strength of her Hero Skill ―

“THUNDER BLADE!!!!”

She swung it at the five bicorns that were charging at her in a parallel line.

{ { {HII―NN!!!!} } }

The crowd of bicorn that was struck from the side by the huge lethal weapon that was swung by an ogre’s physical strength, was blown away until the far away sky while scattering blood spurt. Five markers were extinguished from the mission map altogether.

However Chikori’s expression turned into dissatisfaction from the feedback of her attack.

“Ah, so that’s how it is. There was no more electricity flowing through this place. Mumumu. This is a technique where I need to choose the place to use it.”

In Chikori’s mind, she expected that the instant the attack struck the enemy, electricity would run through the enemy with [biri biri] sound while they got shocked by electricity.

Chikori’s face was a little dejected that she couldn’t do that.

The isolated platoon that was saved by such a girl could only stare while gulping their saliva.

“A, amazing.”

“Five bicorns got turned into stars with one swing just now…”

“That’s something stupid but still awesome-“

“The Thunder Blade, well, let’s leave that aside. Is everyone there okay? No one injured?”

Perhaps she had given up, Chikori lightly threw away the electric pole and moved towards the platoon that she had reinforced.

But, at that time, the ghost that was projected in Chikori’s view tensed its expression ‘kii-!’,

{Kyupii―n. Chikori-chan. Three wyverns are rushing here from the sky at five o’clock!}

The winged dragon wyverns that were in the distance sky were heading to Chikori with their jaws opened rushing at her direction, the ghost informed Chikori of that.

If it was usually, a surprise attack of wyvern from the sky was guaranteed to succeed.

After all, humans were extremely weak towards attack from the sky.

However the system that Shiori constructed had detected that surprise attack right from its earliest stage.

“Leave it to me!”

Therefore Chikori could easily deal with that.

She gathered her magic power in front of her chest, forming a large bullet of light the size of a basketball.

And then―

“GOOOOOOOOO!”

Kicking that ball, it was shot towards the three wyverns that were rushing here from the far away sky.

While breaking through the wall of the speed of sound, the bullet rushed through the sky with absurd speed approaching the wyvern in the middle of the three.

That speed was even faster than when Chikori shot down the target this afternoon.

However, here the targets were also demons.

{GYAN GYAN GYAAA!!!!}

They largely opened their mouth that was lined with disordered teeth and howled something, suddenly their movements became quick.

It was likely that they were using a type of sorcery that increased their own quickness.

The wyverns possessing in estimate three times the sped-up mobility evaded the light bullet that was approaching at supersonic speed, then keeping that speed they charged at Chikori. The current Chikori had just finished her attack so she was defenseless. If she was attacked then she couldn’t dodge.

―Yet,

“Secret Technique?Multiplying Miracle Ball!”

The instant Chikori smiled daringly, the fired light bullet swelled up in the sky, and burst out.

The basketball-sized light bullet exploded, scattering in every direction ping-pong-sized light bullets.

It was completely like a firework.

Correct. This attack was a [buckshot] that had the assumption that it would be dodged from the beginning.

And then the scattered light bullet made the wyverns into bee hives from the back.

The wyverns whose bodies were now full of holes fell powerlessly to the ground, turning into dust.

“Strike! Yep. This one feels really useful!”

{Pachi-pachi-pachi~} [2]

“Ehehe, thank you thank you.”

Chikori smiled bashfully from the ghost’s applause.

It was the talent of Chikori that bloomed from Homura’s interference.

It was not only a pure magic power.

How to use that excess magic power. And what kind of way that could apply that magic power to be even more effective.

There was no doubt that Chikori’s battle sense that worked out one technique after another which didn’t exist in any manual that suited herself was something natural.

And then, if one were to speak of the person himself who made that talent bloom―

“Mini-Shiori. Where to next?”

Homura didn’t go to the battle proactively, instead he followed the ghost’s instruction and went to reinforce the platoon that were isolated and had heavily injured persons as his priority.

{This way this way. It’s straa―ight ahead from here.}

In the mission map at his view, there was three ally marker that was isolated from failing to retreat.

When he read the detail of the marker, it displayed the 27th trainee platoon.

“The 27th trainee platoon, so it’s the platoon of Koga and her group.”

{…Master’s acquaintance?}

“They are classmates.”

While answering the question of Vel who was in the shape of a sword, Homura recalled how Anna was saying in the afternoon that they had patrol duty today.

Marker of demons were gathering one after another around the marker of Koga and her group.

If it kept like that then they would be surrounded and annihilated.

“We are speeding up. Follow me.”

{I’m just a vision inside your brain so I’m not actually doing anything even though I’m following you around like this you know―}

“Now that you say that, that’s right huh. Then here we go.”

Saying that, Homura drove his own body into even more speed and flew through the sky.

On the other side, at the direction where he went―

“Isn’t this reaa―lly bad! ‘Cause our ally is backing down they all are gathering here ain’t it!”

The 27th trainee platoon was unable to retreat and continued to fight on the spot.

Linking up with Anna that was on top of the steel tower, they were intercepting the demons that climbed past the mountain of rubble that was functioning as a blockade.

Why were these girls not running away?

The reason was―

“Roze! You still cannot cut it!?”

“It’s no good. I can’t make even a single cut!”

Behind Anna.

There was Ayumi there whose lower body was sewed to the ground by a large amount of white strings.

It was an earth spider’s mucus string.

That string that was both far harder than steel and elastic like rubber captured Ayumi and wouldn’t let go.

Even with Rozalind trying her best to sever the string using her blade, the hardness and elasticity easily repelled the blade and not even a single cut could be produced.

While they were doing this, they were left behind.

Looking at the mission map, they could see that more than thirty enemy marker were continuously gathering aiming for their group that had been left behind at the front line.

Ayumi yelled in such a despairing situation.

“I, it’s fine already, Rozalind-chan! Anna-chan! Just leave me behind!”

“Rejected.”

“There is no way we can just abandon Koga-chi. It’s just out of the question-!”

“But if it keep like this then everyone―”

They would be dragged down with her because of her fault.

Those words that were colored by self-condemnation were interrupted by Anna’s smile.

“It’s okay. Besides, if we wait just a little more―see there, he came!”

Along with those words, Anna looked up to the sky.

Over there, Homura that was wrapped in wind literally came flying.

“Homura-san…-“

“Yo. Looks like I can’t say that you are safe huh. Looks like the earth spider got you.”

“It’s frustrating but my sword skill cannot cut this. Sorry but lend me your help.”

“I came for that even without you telling me y’know. First I’ll clean up the small fry around. Just wait a sec’.”

While saying that, Homura raised his left hand that was not holding the sword above his head―

“A Hundredth of All Kinds of Spirits and GoblinsPandora Box.”

He invoked a dimension element fifth grade sorcery.

What appeared on top of his raised left hand was a small shining cube the size of a rubik’s cube.

That cube was suctioning the surrounding air altogether with the demons.

Whether it was the goblins moving while hiding between the building cover,

Or the gargoyles in the sky holding a lance that it was going to be thrown,

Or the earth spider pushing its way through the rubble,

Everything was indiscriminately and randomly swallowed continuously.

Finally the more than thirty demons in their surroundings were all settled inside the cube.

It was a harvest that remarkably deviated from the volume of something in the size of a rubik’s cube.

However that was a mystery of sorcery.

It could locally transform the space’s scale factor to gather a large amount of enemy into a space the size of a human palm.

And then―

“―Whoops.”

Homura used the black sword he held in his right hand to vertically cut apart that cube where the demons were stored.

Naturally, what was cut included the demons inside.

Instantly, the cube was destroyed, and then along with a flood of fresh blood from inside, the corpses of the bisected demons flew out.

The demons that numbered more than thirty were all gone in a single stroke.

With that skill and relaxed attitude, rather than calling the act a massacre it should be called as a clean up.

{In the surrounding 100 meters, noo― shadow of enemy.}

After the ghost’s voice confirmed the enemy’s annihilation, Homura slowly descended down in front of Ayumi. And then,

“You guys done well to hold out until now. I’ll help you now.”

Homura cut up the earth spider’s string that was restraining Ayumi easily like cutting butter.

“It, it’s really got cut so easily. It feels like I’m losing my confidence when I see this.”

“No need to depreciate yourself like that. If you ask which one it is, then it’s not a difference between skill, but just a difference between weapons. After all my partner is not an , but the pinnacle of . Using this thing, even Rozalind can cut something like this easily.”

At any rate the true identity of this Artifact was a part of an evil god. This was the personification of that.

Its spiritual rank couldn’t be compared to something like your everyday holy sword.

Therefore just by touching its blade a little to the target, most [divine protection] and [sorcery] would be cut.

Most of all―

“But I’ll be driven mad anyway the moment I hold that right?”

“You really get it huh.”

Homura’s shoulder shook while he was chuckling.

Just as Anna said, was a man-eating evil book that had destroyed the minds of tens of thousands of people until now. If an average human was touched even only by a fragment of that blasphemous knowledge, that human would surely live his whole life in la-la land.

It was a demon sword that could be handled by Homura exactly because he had completely deciphered the grimoire.

“C’mon, if you can move now then quickly regroup with the main force.”

“Th, thank you very much-. Homura-san has helped me so many times…-“

“It’s only obvious to save an ally. You ain’t need to say thanks or anything.”

Homura sent back Ayumi’s gratitude curtly.

―’But’, after saying that, he looked up to the sky.

“If you want to say thanks no matter what, say it to the one that right now is properly holdin’ back the most troublesome guy.”

At the end of that gaze, was the cloudy sky―there were falling stars there.

Golden and red light.

The two falling stars trailed lines of light behind them with terrific speed while crossing the sky, sometimes they collided, blinking while scattering sparks.

Correct. Homura could run around like this reinforcing other squad was because the monster that cornered the preceding squads almost into annihilation just by one attack, the demon, baphomet was being continuously held back by only a single magician.

(‘Don’t look down on me’, huh. Just sayin’ that, is something great already.)

Part 5

Far above.

At the height where it almost even reached the clouds, collisions of stars were repeated.

Star with golden brightness and star that shined with ominous blood red entangled with each other in a dogfight.

Sumika and Baphomet’s aerial fight at subsonic speed didn’t yield even a single step at each other and it became a fierce struggle.

That reality exasperated the demon baphomet into irritation.

The race called baphomet was a prominent magician even in the demon world.

It was shameful to be unable to overcome a human at a sorcery battle.

{█ █ █ █!!}

Howling something with pronounciation that a human couldn’t comprehend, the demon thrust out its right palm at Sumika who was in pursuit.

Instantly. A bluish white giant magic circle was deployed with the palm as the center, from there several dozen spears of ice were fired.

This was also the technique of the demon world that was far more advance than the human’s sorcery culture.

A single shot of that ice spear couldn’t be defended just by a single sorcery barrier of a human.

There were dozens of such spears. ―In addition the baphomet shot those out in rapid-fire like a machine gun.

But Sumika didn’t falter against that.

Without even decreasing the magic power she burned as fuel for , Sumika maintained her speed and flew at the barrage of ice spears.

And then―

“―Bend.”

With compressed chanting that was shortened until the very limit, Sumika invoked a dimension element third grade sorcery?Space Curve.

It twisted the space itself in front of her.

The ice spear too couldn’t move straight with the space itself twisted.

Smoothly, the spears’ trajectory changed as if the spears were avoiding Sumika, flying at the wrong direction.

Correct, just receiving everything with a sorcery barrier was not the defense method of a magician.

Certainly the baphomet had the advantage in firepower.

But Sumika was the one who was extraordinarily skilled in taking instant decisions.

That quick-wit didn’t allow baphomet to land a decisive blow.

And then even in the offense aspect―Sumika was gradually pressuring baphomet.

“――-“

After dodging baphomet’s sorcery, this time it was Sumika who commenced the attack.

Preparing her two revolvers, Sumika shot all the total of twelve bullet loaded into the magazine in an instant.

Naturally, baphomet didn’t just let itself get hit by those easily.

The speed of the bullets was roughly in the speed of sound.

Then if it just moved faster than that it would be easy to evade.

Baphomet used acceleration sorcery on itself and broke the sound barrier instantly to soar in the sky.

Shooting at it was meaningless with this much speed―that was how it should be, yet

{█, █――!!!!}

Suddenly baphomet leaked out cries of pain and its movement was dulled.

The reddish black liquid scattered at the surrounding air, was baphomet’s blood.

If one was looking there was twelve holes opened on its body.

The bullet that should have been evaded, that it should be able to evade, had all hit it.

Baphomet was confused by that mystery.

But, it was only something natural from Sumika’s point of view.

Her contracted heroic spirit Billy the Kid’s wouldn’t miss.

The shooting of that hero who carved his name as legend, was a devilish technique of absolute accuracy that bound the cause and effect of [impact] at the same time of [shooting].

That devilish technique already didn’t need the process of shooting the bullet before the bullet hit the opponent. It was a curse that created wounds due to the effect of absolutely hitting the aimed opponent the moment the firing hammer of the gun hit the detonator of the bullet.

“――-“

Sumika wasted no time to unleash chantless Photon Bullet in pursuit of baphomet whose movement was dulled.

Even with baphomet immediately deploying a barrier to defend against that―

The instant the Photon Bullet impacted the shield, Sumika reloaded her revolvers once more and unleashed , gouging new holes at baphomet’s large body,

{█ █ █ █ █ █ ――!!!!}

Anguish reverberated in the sky.

The shooting that passed through even the barrier steadily weakened baphomet.

The struggle of aerial fight was already in the process of breaking down.

Sumika had already grasped the premonition of victory, while baphomet was certainly hearing the footsteps of defeat behind it.

During such happening,

―A certain strategy flashed in the mind of the demon who had a premonition of its own defeat.

{█ █ █ █, █ █!}

Baphomet ascended further above while scattering blood from its wounds.

It climbed until the height where the back could even touch the clouds.

And then it raised both its hands above its head and chanted a spell with the language of the demon world―

Above its hands, it created a light bullet with diameter around five meters that emitted aurora just like the sun.

Was that an energy bullet created from magic power?

No.

Sumika realized its true nature in a glance.

A fake sun―it was not. That was truly, something the same like a sun.

It was a super high density plasma body, made by extremely condensing space and atmosphere.

Nuclear fusion was repeated at its center, it was a tiny pseudo sun.

There was no way she could get hit by that.

If she was hit then not even ash would remain.

After all it was an energy body that could possibly even evaporate a country.

She had to absolutely avoid that, that was what she thought.

“――ah!”

However―right there Sumika noticed.

The position of herself and the enemy, the meaning of the enemy moving until far above the sky.

Correct, baphomet was, overlapping the firing line.

If Sumika evaded, the allies below her would be annihilated.

{█ █――!!!!}

Howling with a voice that one could feel joy from it, baphomet threw the pseudo sun it created.

The target was naturally Sumika.

The speed of that pseudo sun could by no means be called fast.

It was far slower than the ice spears from before.

It was a speed that one could easily deal with if they wanted to dodge.

But―even so, Sumika couldn’t dodge.

Right below here was her comrades. If she dodged here, the damage below would be enormous.

Therefore she couldn’t dodge. Unable to evade Sumika stood still in the air. She couldn’t help but do that.

It was just as baphomet planned. Baphomet’s mouth warped from being sure of its victory,

“I have waited for you to let your guard down like that.”

Because it was confident, its reaction to everything was slow.

Sumika summoned a crimson file during a moment that didn’t even reach an instant.

It was a file of manuscript, the knowledge of a great number of grimoires that she herself had copied.

Opening that file, Sumika unhesitatingly chose several sheets of loose-leaf and tore them.

It was the pieces of paper that Sumika chose. It was the grimoire written in the sixth century Persia by Nestar Mobedan Mobed.

[Letters of Nestar], it was the duplicate of that.

And then with that duplicate in hand, Sumika closed here eyes, ―and said the words that connected herself with the abyss of space.

Listen from beyond o the most shining person at the abyss of heaven and earth

The seething stars shine radiantly in blasphemy I inform thy the engraving of fate

Living flame o the king of red Formalhaut

Arrival reign trample

In this occasion right now in order to exhibit thy supremacy on this star

During an instant of the blink of an eye, yet in calmness, the words were clearly spinning like a song.

Along with the words, the piece of paper was wrapped in flames and its shape was transforming into a golden bullet.

And then Sumika quickly loaded the bullet into her revolver―

“Burn to nothing. ― Cthugha!!!!”

The constellations of the Southern Fish α. The evil god imprisoned inside the star that burned the brightest in this space.

Along with the true name of that person that was hidden in the abyss, Sumika pulled the trigger of the .

Instantly, what burst out from the gun muzzle was―flame that burned bright red.

That flame distorted the surrounding space and air with abnormal heat while growing huge.

Before long―it became a giant lion, running in the sky with claws that resembled crystals.

It aimed at the baphomet in a straight line.

Baphomet couldn’t react.

Its carelessness due to its confidence in its victory made its judgment late for an instant.

And then that moment that was even less than a hundredth of a second decided the battle.

Even faster than an instant, the flaming lion reached very near the baphomet.

Opening its jaws that was lined up with fangs made of flame, it swallowed the baphomet together with the pseudo sun.

The living flame, the personification of god who had the shape of flame, erased that demon without leaving behind even a single dust literally.

Translator's Notes and References

1. ↑ Dust Destruction

2. ↑ Clapping sound effect, though this one is said literally from the mouth

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