At the End of the Deadly Battle

At the End of the Deadly Battle

'Vooooo!'

The Ulvhedin leaped to evade the approaching Wind Hammer.

The monster, which had leaped more than ten meters in an instant, came falling toward me with a greatsword held in both hands.

Just before it reached me, I activated the scroll at my sword belt with my right hand.

'Scroll: Physical Enhancement.'

The last of the support spells I had brought with me.

Using acceleration beyond my limits, I dodged sideways at the last possible moment as the greatsword came down. The blade smashed into the asphalt with a thunderous roar, sending fragments flying.

From the stance I had taken after leaping back, I pointed my staff at the side of the Ulvhedin's head while spin-cocking it. But before I could pull the trigger, I saw the future.

"Tch!"

'Vaaaaaaah!'

The greatsword swung upward in a reverse diagonal slash, scattering rubble like buckshot.

The instant after I shielded my eyes, an impact struck my entire body. Sparks flew from my armor, and fragments pierced my thigh and flank.

As my vision warped with pain, I responded to the future I saw next.

'Viiiiii!'

"You son of a...!"

I met the overhead slash from the side with my sword. Along with a shrill clang that reverberated through my gut, unbelievable pain shot through my right arm.

Even so, I followed through. I forced the enemy's blade and my body apart in opposite directions to evade it, then immediately pointed my staff and fired.

The magic struck the Ulvhedin directly in the face, and the monster's massive body tilted slightly. But I could see no real injury.

'Vhah!'

"Tch!"

I crouched to evade the approaching horizontal slash, only for a diagonal blade to come at me. I rolled toward the front right to avoid it.

As I rose, I twisted my waist and thrust the sword in my right hand.

The thrust, with the blade held flat, was lightly evaded by the monster, which was far more nimble than its massive body suggested. Without hesitation, I swept the blade sideways immediately afterward.

But it was caught on the enemy's hilt. In that instant, the tip of my sword grew heavy.

The hilt pinned my blade down. I kicked the Ulvhedin's leg on instinct, then pulled my sword back and created some distance.

At the same time, I spin-cocked the staff and took aim at the monster.

'Vahaha...!'

Whatever it found so amusing, the Ulvhedin's mouth curved into a grin. I fired magic at that smirking face, but it evaded the shot with bestial agility.

The monster hunched over until its back was nearly parallel to the ground, then charged at high speed. My eyes couldn't follow it. I had to read the future...!

I blocked the blade that came to tear open my torso with my sword. Staggering from the impact, I watched as the monster kicked off a utility pole and leaped, spinning as it came for my skull.

Several strands of hair were cut as I turned halfway around to evade. The greatsword grazed my breastplate and sent sparks flying.

I stepped on the back of its sword with the iron-plated sole of my shoe and swung my sword at the Ulvhedin's throat. But an arm covered in fur stopped my guard.

'Hah hah!'

Its jaws opened with a clack and came toward my face, but I leaned my upper body back as far as I could to evade them. I fell backward and used the momentum to swing my legs up.

I drove my knee into its chin to raise its upper body, then spun sideways. Just before I fell, I swung my hand-and-a-half sword at the Ulvhedin's leg.

But the greatsword it had pulled back easily caught my blade. As I heard the clash of steel, I planted my feet on the ground while the monster nimbly brought its head back into position.

'Vvvvv...'

"Shiii...!"

My breath was hot. Our exhalations whitened the air as our gazes met.

I glared into the berserker's eyes, which gleamed with delight, and thrust the tip of my staff toward its nose. It deflected the thrust with its left palm, but I pulled back my sword and tried to circle around its side.

I slashed at its leg while running, but the Ulvhedin avoided it by raising its right foot. That foot folded back, and it launched a kick.

I couldn't evade in time. I somehow thrust my staff between us, but it was snapped in two, and the kick tore into my chest.

"Ggh...!"

My vision rushed past me. A moment later, I realized I was flying through the air.

But immediately afterward, I was slammed into the asphalt and bounced. At the future conveyed by my Magic Eye, I moved my sword on instinct.

With no leverage in midair, I blocked the greatsword of the Ulvhedin that had chased after me. As expected, my body was blown away in another direction.

After colliding with a utility pole, I crashed back-first into a parked car. The door caved in, and window glass struck my shoulder. A shrill alarm jolted my fading consciousness awake.

The Ulvhedin was already right before me. I rolled sideways to evade the overhead slash. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the sedan's driver's seat smashed apart, then stood up with the momentum of my roll and readied my sword.

"Hah... hah...!"

My entire body hurt. It felt as though sparks were crackling behind my eyes.

The monster walked toward me with the car, its alarm now silent, behind it. Though drenched by the rain, its fur still stood on end, making the Ulvhedin's body look even larger.

I tried to load the next shot with a spin-cock, only to realize that the lever would not move. Had the impact of the kick damaged it?

I let go of the staff and tried to reconstruct it in the holster at the back of my waist. But the monster had no intention of waiting for me.

The onslaught resumed.

'Uuuvahahahahaha!'

With a roar like raucous laughter, the beast charged. I gripped my sword's hilt with both hands and roared as well.

"Uooooooooo!"

If I didn't, I would be swallowed up.

Retreat was impossible. My instincts told me that I had no choice but to resist.

I met the diagonal slash with my blade and deflected it by pushing it aside. I stepped in while letting our blades scrape against each other.

The heel meant to crush the tips of the beast's toes was evaded, and it stamped down on the asphalt. But I didn't care; I knocked its sword aside.

Before it could regain its stance, I launched a spinning slash. The Ulvhedin blocked that with its blade, but I continued into another rotation.

'Vau!'

The monster caught the blade sent along the same trajectory with its left palm. The cut tore through its hard skin and struck bone, but stopped there.

Its five thick fingers seized the blade and pulled it toward itself. At the same time, the hilt in its right hand rose like a hammer.

I could see it.

I lifted both feet off the ground and kicked the Ulvhedin's left wrist as hard as I could with my right foot. Then I kicked its belly with my left while forcibly pulling my sword back.

Blood sprayed as the Ulvhedin's left little finger flew through the air. Even as it let out a short cry, the monster brought its right arm down, and the pommel struck my left shoulder.

"Ggh...!"

I was slammed into the ground, sending spray and fragments of asphalt flying before my eyes.

I immediately rolled sideways. The greatsword came down where I had been, and a thunderous roar like an explosion rang out. Fragments rained down around me.

As I raised my face from one knee, the Ulvhedin glanced at its own left palm, which had not regenerated.

'...Vhah.'

It laughed.

It was insane. Imposing human values on a monster was probably meaningless, but even so, something was fundamentally broken in it as a living creature.

I clenched my teeth beneath my face guard. The reconstruction of my staff had finished in the holster, but I had no time to draw it.

On the open road, the monster crouched down. It rested the greatsword it held in one hand on its back and placed its left hand on the ground.

It was a stance that could only be called its own crouching start. Immediately afterward, the wet steel blade was before my eyes.

"Tch!?"

The fact that I managed to block it with my sword was half luck. Right after the violent clang of steel, the ridge of the blade forced against me struck my forehead guard.

My brain shook from the impact as I was blown away again. Something struck my back. Shattered glass appeared at the edge of my vision, and clothes flew around me.

I was inside what appeared to be a secondhand clothing store. With the lights off, I somehow planted both feet firmly on the floor.

"Ugh...!"

My forehead was hot enough to burn. Had my forehead split along with my forehead guard? Blood entered my right eye, narrowing my vision. Almost simultaneously, the Ulvhedin charged again.

"Ooooooh!"

'Vahaha!'

I knocked aside the greatsword that came down, smashing through the ceiling light, but the impact still carried my body away.

On instinct, I grabbed a nearby coat and threw it at the Ulvhedin. The cloth spread with a flap, only to be sliced in two in an instant.

I slipped beneath the blade as it completed its swing and cut into the monster's flank. But I felt no contact with its organs. It was simply too hard.

I evaded the left arm descending from above by pivoting sideways around one foot. I swung my sword at its neck with the momentum, but its guard blocked me.

A kick followed, and I took the direct hit I should have been able to avoid.

The edge of my breastplate crumpled, and the impact raced through my body. I knocked over the racks of clothes lining the store, rolled across the floor, and ended up behind the counter.

'Vooooo!'

The pursuing monster planted one foot on the counter and reached out with its left arm. I evaded it and thrust at its eye as I sprang back to my feet.

But.

"Tch!"

'───Vvv.'

With a clack, its sharp fangs caught and stopped the blade between them.

Then, with a hard, brittle sound, my hand-and-a-half sword was crushed between its teeth. The blade, already covered in nicks, vanished halfway up like a piece of candy sculpture.

"What—"

Before I could voice my astonishment, a greatsword came at me from the side. I somehow brought my shortened sword against the reaper's scythe as it scraped along the wall toward me.

Unable even to brace myself, I rolled away and ended up in front of the automatic doors. The greatsword, swung like a golf club, came toward my neck.

I somehow blocked it with my guard, but my feet left the floor and my back slammed into the doors. I collided with the glass and stopped for an instant.

'Voooooooo!'

The Ulvhedin charged into me with its entire body. I blocked the thrust with the flat of my sword, which I held in both hands.

The automatic doors that had once caught me were smashed through, and I was pushed out onto the road.

I kicked through a puddle and supported myself on both feet as I emerged outside. I glared at the monster, which calmly walked toward me from the stance in which it had thrust.

───I can't win.

No matter how I attacked, I could see only futures in which my neck or torso was cut in two. The wounds on my body that should have healed still ached.

The only reason I could remain standing was probably the oni blood in my veins. But even the drugs flooding my brain had their limits. My unique ability prevented them from reaching the quantity needed to truly make me 'go mad.'

I forced my knees to work despite how close they were to buckling, panting as I desperately turned the problem over in my mind.

'Vuuuuu...'

The Ulvhedin inhaled in the rain as though it were smoking an exquisite cigar.

I turned half-sideways and pointed my broken sword at it, directing my thoughts, dulled by regret, toward the battle.

I don't want to die. I can't die. I want to live.

Win. If I don't win, I can't survive...!

The hand holding my sword trembled. I sharpened my nerves to their limit, determined not to miss the beginning of the monster's attack.

And then.

───Grind-grind!

In the street, where the sound of rain had eased slightly, I heard something scraping against the ground.

"......"

The trembling of my hand stopped.

At the same time, the Ulvhedin came slashing at me. And then—

"Raaah!"

'!?'

I threw my broken sword away.

The Ulvhedin knocked the blade away by striking it with its uninjured left arm, heedless of the damage it caused itself, then brought down the greatsword with one hand.

I leaped back to evade it, then ran with all my strength.

With my back to the monster, I ran on and on.

'...Voooooooo!'

The roar of rage struck my back. Even without looking back, I knew the beast was glaring at me with a furious expression.

Rubble flew toward me. I took the hit and kept moving my feet, even as I nearly staggered.

When I saw the future in which I was cut in two, I jumped sideways to evade it. I plunged into a puddle and rolled, then ran through the mud collected along the roadside.

A crossroads lay ahead. Beyond it, I could see the evacuation shelter.

As I ran at full speed, a convex mirror installed beside the road reflected the Ulvhedin raising its sword. Immediately afterward, my Magic Eye told me the future.

"Uoooh!"

I sent my body flying forward, my jinbaori flaring behind me.

A powerful impact struck my back. My jinbaori was torn to shreds as I was blown away and rolled across the road.

I wondered how many times I had gone flying through the air today. The stupid thought crossed the corner of my mind.

But I had no time for that. The Ulvhedin was charging toward me with its greatsword raised in its right hand.

'Voooooooooo!'

The beast that had laughed even after losing a finger charged at me in a frenzy of emotion.

The berserker, dyed in rage, had decided to kill me and me alone, no matter what. Every nerve in its body was surely focused on me.

With those sharp senses and incredible physical abilities directed at a single human, there was no way to escape.

That was why.

"Takanashi-san!"

The beast's ears failed to catch the sound of wheels scraping the ground.

A steel giant leaped over the block wall of a nearby house.

'Voh!?'

At the sudden appearance of Kenning, the Ulvhedin immediately tried to swing its sword toward it.

But a steel arm caught the monster's wrist a fraction of a second sooner. Then, the wooden-log-like right arm caught the claw swung at it like a hook.

The cleaver-like claw dug in, only strengthening the restraint.

'Vvoooooo!'

The roller noise emanating from Kenning's feet drowned out the monster's roar as it struggled to push back.

The steel giant stopped the Ulvhedin, scraping the ground beneath its feet and sending sparks flying.

That restraint surely wouldn't last more than a few seconds. Strange noises were coming from various parts of Kenning.

'Yahiro-san!'

But those few seconds were enough.

I leaped into the struggle between monster and giant while drawing my staff.

'Vaaaaaaah!'

The Ulvhedin bared its fangs at me as I appeared before it.

I thrust my staff into the mouth that looked large enough to swallow my entire head. The beak-like tip pierced its upper palate.

"Blow away...!"

I cocked the staff and fired.

The Wind Hammer pierced flesh. Fresh blood flew and splashed over me.

'...!'

The motor roared harshly, and more strange noises came from behind me. At the same time, the monster's fangs scraped away at my staff.

Even so, I moved the lever.

Fire. Cock. Fire.

I fired magic relentlessly. I was almost at the bottom of my mana. But before I reached it, either the staff would reach its limit or the magazine would run dry.

But this was my only chance to win. I slammed in the final shot.

And then.

A red flower bloomed from the monster's head.

The Wind Hammer tore through flesh, churned its brain, pierced its skull, and flew into the sky.

At that instant, Kenning lost its balance and fell onto its backside. Freed from the restraint, the Ulvhedin let both arms hang limply, then—

'...Hah!'

It turned its face toward me.

'Still...!?'

I heard Takanashi-san's panicked voice. But I did not move.

My Magic Eye had already told me the result.

I glared straight back into the beast's face and changed the magazine.

'............Vau.'

The Ulvhedin smiled through its blood-covered mouth, its fangs broken.

I pressed the tip of my staff against the monster's neck as it stared at us with bloodshot eyes.

"Down."

After cocking the staff, I slammed a magic round into it.

The monster fell onto its back. Watching its massive body turn into black mist, I sat down hard as well.

I sat between Kenning's feet and let out a tremendous sigh.

I was tired. And I had been terrified.

All kinds of emotions were tangled together, leaving me without the energy to stand. Should I rejoice at what I had accomplished, or feel relieved that the greatest threat was gone?

As I stared blankly at the ground, I sensed something moving to my left.

When I slowly turned to look, I saw Kenning's left fist.

The large fist moved slightly, as though urging me on. Understanding what it meant, I let go of my staff and raised my left arm as well.

Steel fingers met the fist enclosed in my gauntlet.

'Nice fight, Yahiro-san.'

"...Nice guts, Takanashi-san."

The sound of a helicopter came from far away. Then came the sound of sirens.

The rain had stopped before I knew it.