The Worst Day
The Country of Demise’s population is 10 thousand.
In contrast, Lake Metropolis’ population is 1 thousand.
In this situation, they’ll be done in in the blink of an eye.
“I am sorry for the hecticness, Egil-han, Fiーchan. I did not think that they would come attacking all of a sudden either”
“No, don’t worry about it. More importantly, how’s the situation?”
I have Setsuna guide us, and Fiー and I follow her.
A location southwards of the Lake Metropolis is where we’re heading.
A plateau with nothing but vegetations even when we look left and right. And then Setsuna, who stopped walking, made a bitter face.
“This is the current state. It is a horrible spectacle”
That ‘current state’, even I could clearly tell that it’s horrible by looking.
A group with clothes that lack uniformity retreat towards this side, and a group, that wore armours that I suppose are matching, are attacking.
Looking at this, it’s apparent that the Lake Metropolis’ side is at a disadvantage.
“Surprise attack is the other party’s speciality, so we had been cautious the whole time, but being attacked until here is unexpected”
“At this rate, you’re going to lose huh……”
I mutter while looking at the retreating Lake Metropolis’ individuals.
“……Egil”
Fiー, who stands beside me, was making a worried expression.
“……against this many opponents, can you win?”
“Who knows. I’ve never taken on this many opponents before either. But”
I bring my right hand out front and use my ability as a Sword Lancer.
“Monsters are more formidable than humansーーEndless Blade Dance Endless Sword”
1 hundred, no, 1 thousand.
I scatter a massive amount of swords at the spacious plateau without being stingy.
“Wawa, what is this, is Egil-han doing it?
“Well, yeah. Fiー, I’ll bring it around from here. But I can’t see afar; can you tell me the places with a lot of casualties?”
I suppose the furthest location where the conflict is occurring is probably 5 kilometres away.
There’s no way my eyesight is that good, so I’m unable to grasp where’s at an advantage and where’s at a disadvantage. If that’s the case, I guess it’s better to have Fiー survey the distance with her ability.
“……I got it. Elizabeth, Fenrir, go”
In response to Fiー’s order, the White Rabbit, Elizabeth, and the Black Cat, Fenrir, run towards the battlefield.
“Fiーchan, is it alright, letting the two of them go?”
“……it’s fine. Both Elizabeth and Fenrir are excellent”
“I do not really understand, but it means you two are fighting here huh. In that case, I will also fight from here!”
Setsuna smirked.
And then she shuts her eyelids, places her hands on top of each other on her chest, and softly chants.
“Come to me come to me, the soul of the Devil, lend it to me lend it to me, the power of the Devil, the Crimson Shrine Maiden who protects this land respectfully wishes. It is the Shrine Maiden’s fresh blood that is offered, it is the Fox’s incarnation that eats, let the wish of that which is Setsuna be hereーーSeal ReleaseーーDevil God Nine-Tails!”
At the moment those words finished, a gigantic fox, that I suppose is three metres, revealed itself behind Setsuna.
Nine white-furred tails. Sharp fangs and claws. When those intimidating bloodshot eyes glance at the plateau, a howl similar to that of an earth tremor roared.
『Fuoooooo!』
A cry that reverberates in a high pitch.
From what I can see, it seems the morale of the Lake Metropolis’ bunch, who heard that voice, is increasing.
“This is……”
“This child is my adorable, adorable pet. Its nine tails1 are its characteristic, so its name is 《Kyuu-chan》”
“……that naming sense”
“What is it, what is it, is Fiーchan ridiculing Kyuu-chan again?”
“……what I ridiculed is Setsuna’s head”
Setsuna frowned and puffed up her cheeks, but Fiー shakes her head with a disappointed look.
There shouldn’t be any occupation that summons such a large fox…….
If I were to say something that’s close, I guess Summoner, the ancestry of Eleanor’s Saint Force, is a close to it huh.
However, I can’t say that it’s an ability that rivals that.
“Can I ask about that ability later?”
When I ask, Setsuna smiles sweetly.
“Sure, if we can return safely, that is. Besides……because of this outcome, I will end up parting with Egil-han after all”
Those words, they surely mean that I’m not suitable to be the person to govern the thousand people that live at Lake Metropolis and to stand beside Setsuna huh.
I sneer and put all my mind into the thousand swords.
“I’ll have you let me hear about it after we return, including that outcome”
Sword Lancer is less charming than the other S Rank Adventurer’s privilege, their occupations. It’s just being able to control swords freely, is what many think.
However, this ability is useful in group battles like these.
A single undying sword. That becomes a thousand, and I can bring out more if I wish to.
That’s why I think it’s an ability that’s suited to take on powerless human opponents.
“……Egil-han’s swords, they are somehow moving as they please. It is amazing, really. ……In that case, I guess I shall do it as well. Kyuu-chan, devour to thy heart’s content!”
Jumping over us, the Nine-Tails leapt.
It gallantly runs the plateau and holds down those of the Country of Demise one after another.
“How is it, Egil-han. My Kyuu-chan is capable as well, right?”
“Aah, yeah”
It’s strong indeedーーbut a strong ability has some kind of demerit.
And in the case of using the summoning ability, that practitioner’s exhaustion that shows up increases as times go.
ーーIt’ll be great if it doesn’t end up like that though.
While thinking that, I wipe out the Country of Demise’s fellows.
We’re at a disadvantage in terms of the number of people. But that’s all; in the face of absolute power, something like the number of people doesn’t matter.
Then why, has this Lake Metropolis ended up in an unfavourable situation, even though Setsuna possessed this powerful ability?
“……they came”
“……something came”
Like they read my thoughts, Setsuna and Fiー’s voices overlap.
And it was 2 young girls that appeared before our eyes.
I guess their ages are still about 1〇 years old. Both of them have pink hair; one has a short haircut that ran along the outline of her face; another has long hair that extended to her shoulder blades. Their outfits are the same as Setsuna; they’re wearing blue and red traditional clothes. Both their legs are clearly visible from their knees down; their arms are covered until their elbows. I can say that they’re outfits that are easier to move in than Setsuna’s.
And then their faces are hidden by eerie painted-white masks; the mark of a sun is engraved on the short haircut young girl’s, and the mark of a moon is engraved on the long hair young girl’s.
Such a pair saw usーーand ran over vigorously.
“What’s with these fellows”
“The Country of Demise hired these two; we call them Sun Girl and Moon Girlーーthey are likely, the same as Egil-han, Fezelis Continent’s individuals”
“The same as us?”
“Those in the wayーー”
“ーーWe will eliminate”
The two girls let out entirely monotonous voices and close in on us in an instant.
The short haircut Sun Girl swings a long thin blade upwards, and the long hair Moon Girl holds 2 daggers in reverse gripe and closes in on me.
I was about to generate a sword in my hand and respond to their attacksーーbut,
“Egil-han, dodge!”
“Wha”
I heard Setsuna’s voice and jumped behind.
And when the blade that’s swung downwards touches the ground, there’s the sound of an explosion and the ground exploded.
And on the blade of the daggers that the Moon Girl is holding, there are vertical dents, and I can see mysterious purple-colour fluid flowing.
“What’s that……”
“The blade that the Sun Girl is holding makes the things it touched explode, and a poison that causes instant death on skin contact is smeared on the daggers that the Moon Girl is holding……you must not, get close to that”
“What’s with, that……”
Something like that is not an occupation or anything. The occupations that I know of have no such abilities.
If I have to say, the 《Bomber》 that gives an impact that’s close to an explosion to the target, and 《Herbalist》 that gives all kinds of abnormal status and handles poison, are close, but they’re not this powerful.
Then are they S Rank like me?
No, it’s unlikely that both of them are S Rank at such a young age.
In that case, then what is it, this ability that I’ve never seen before……are they the abilities of the same occupation?
“Their movements are unexpectedly fast”
“Let’s first stop their movements”
Furthermore, I wonder what is it. It doesn’t feel like I’m fighting against humans. It’s as though they’re monstersーーno; it’s a sensation similar to soulless dolls.
“It’s because these fellows are around, that Setsuna and the others, the Lake Metropolis, had a difficult time”
“That is right. Nobody can get close to these two……even if we fire the cannons from afar, it gets dodged; when these fellows come, we have no choice but to escape”
The Nine-Tails is rampaging far away, but it means even the Nine-Tails is unable to get close to these two huh…….
I slowly take a deep breath and keep the thousand swords that I generated into a different dimension.
“I’ll take on these fellows, so please have Nine-Tails go and assist the other side”
“Egil-han will? It is impossible; you cannot get close to these fellows, now that it has come to this, there is no choice but to escaーー”
“I won’t get close to them. I’ll seal their movements from afar”
My occupation is capable of both close combat and long-range battle. This ability is free after all.
“Try getting close if you canーーInfinite Blade Dance (Endless Sword)”
“”ーーuu!””
I generate a massive amount of swords around the two girls, Sun and Moon, in one go.
The two of them, who are pointed by the tips of the swords in all directions, are rampaging, trying to swing and strike down the swords with the odd weapons that they’re holding, but there’s no way humans can see every direction.
An opening will come up somewhere; their exhaustion will reach the limit sometime.
Hence, I continue to wait for the two of them, who became unable to move from the same location, to tire out.
“It doesn’t end no matter how much we break them”
“He’s probably waiting for our movements to grow dull from exhaustion”
“Aah, yeah. It’s off-putting to kill young girls, but this is a battle. You came, knowing full well about that, right?”
Still the monotonous voices.
They don’t even waver even when the situation they’re being placed in changes huh. They’re becoming increasingly like dolls, these fellows.
“This person, he’s that”
“He, probably is”
“What?”
I could hear the pair’s conversation along with the explosion that takes place whenever the Sun Girl touches my sword.
And then,
“ーーHe’s the fellow Levia was saying”
I’d heard it before, the name the Sun Girl said.
“Are you guys, Levia’s comradesーーthe Dark Guild’s bunch?”
If that’s the case, I can understand that they know about me. Besides, the fact that they’re going out of the way to rampage at a different continent, it’s understandable if I consider it as the idea of that strange bunch.
“We’ve heard about you from Levia”
“An individual who opposes usーーan individual who tries to hinder our objective”
“You’re not going deny, huh……what do you mean objective? Are you saying that you’re trying to rule this continent or something?”
“We have no interest in something like that”
“Our objective is solely the Devil King Nine-Tails’ power that’s etched in that girl”
“Etched?”
“ーーuU!”
At that moment, I could hear Setsuna’s voice of agony.
Looking at the sight of her holding onto her entire body in agony, like she’s hugging something, I ended up slackening on my attacks.
“Let’s return for today”
“Let us do that”
“Oi, wait!”
Both girls turn around and run away. It’s too late even if I generate swords at such two of them.
But if they escaped, then I guess there’s no problem for the time being.
More importantly, caring for Setsuna comes first for now.
“Are you alright, Setsuna”
“……My, my apologies, Egil-han……if I wait for a bit, I should get better……so just for a bit, let me sleep just for a bit……really, pardon me”
“Oi Setsuna! Oi!”
“……Egil, she only lost her consciousness. But it’s better to quickly bring Setsuna to the Nine-Tails Shrine that’s in the inner part of the Palace”
“Nine-Tails Shrine?”
“……I’ll explain later. I’ll lead the way so hurry up”
Fiー said and started running.
I guess they belong to the Dark Guild, the Sun and Moon Girl.
The mysterious existence, known as the Devil King Nine-Tails’ power, that those two are targetting.
And thenーーSetsuna, who suddenly started being in agony and stopped moving on my back, like she’s sleeping.
“What’s going on, seriously”
All kinds of things happened in just a dayーーit’s the worst day.
