Chapter 46
“Kagami-chan!”
“Yeah, I hear you! It’s way too soon to give up!”
After knocking a monster flying with a straight punch, Takako turned and called Kagami’s name. Kagami shouted back with a smile and gave Alice a thumbs-up. “Good job!”
“We have you and the others to thank for this, Kagami-san.”
Alice murmured, her face overcome with emotion.
“It was easy to bring back the adventurers who’d run away, you know? I just said, ‘There are people fighting... Please help them!’ But when they saw that horde of monsters, they lost the will to fight... They couldn’t move.”
Hearing Alice’s words, Rex, Tina, Kururu, and Parna could all understand the other adventurers’ feelings all too well. They themselves had felt much the same way, at least to some extent.
“But when everyone saw you and Kururu-san and the others fighting without giving up, they realized they couldn’t just stand there in fear. They thought there must be something they could do, too. You gave them courage.”
Kururu was deeply moved by Alice’s words. The adventurers who’d arrived later had certainly decided to join the fight after seeing them. But at the root of it all was Kagami alone. They had acted because they couldn’t leave Kagami to fight by himself, and seeing them fight had brought Salmaria’s adventurers together to stand against the monsters.
One person. A lone Villager had broken through a hopeless situation by sheer force of will. Kururu couldn’t contain her exhilaration at the thought, and a smile naturally spread across her face.
The situation was still dangerous. Even so, she couldn’t help thinking it was incredible. None of the heroic tales she’d read in the library inside Alcasia Kingdom’s castle had described anything like this. A single person had faced ten thousand monsters alone and moved the hearts of thousands of adventurers... Not a Hero, but a mere Villager. No one like that had ever done anything so unbelievable.
And without a doubt, this event would be passed down as a legend. Standing before a legend in the making, she couldn’t help feeling excited.
Rex felt the same way, and that made him jealous. The jealousy left him frustrated. But deep down, he respected Kagami. If someone had asked whether he could have done something like this, the only answer he could have given was no.
“Fuh... Hahahaha! Fascinating... This is fascinating, Villager! Then show me! Show me the unimaginable ending this battle will reach!”
Like the others, Rex had been completely exhausted, but strength had returned to his body. He’d thought all was lost, but now they’d made a miraculous comeback. And the fact that he was taking part in a battle destined to be remembered in legend set his heart pounding.
“All right... Let’s give it one more push. But first... Alice! It’s dangerous here, so get back!”
“Okay, I understand, Kagami-san. I’m sorry. I was so happy, I just had to tell you.”
At Alice’s words, Kagami gave her a quick pat on the head and murmured, “Don’t worry about it.” Then he guided her toward the hole in the rock wall, urging her to go through it again. Just before she left,
“I wasn’t the one who first inspired the other adventurers to fight. That was Alice. The most incredible person here is... you, Alice! You’re a demon, but you put your desire to do something about this ahead of everything else and brought the adventurers here!”
Kagami smiled at Alice as he said this. Her eyes glistening with joy, Alice shouted back, “Yes!” and ran through the hole in the rock wall. After confirming that she’d made it back inside, Kagami’s expression hardened as he turned to face the monsters still spread out before him.
“Change of plans... We’re going to win this! Let’s go all out!”
“You don’t have to tell me!”
Before Kagami had even finished shouting, Rex charged forward and slashed upward at the enemy before him. Kururu and Parna followed, repeatedly unleashing wide-area attack spells toward the front.
“Good grief... It’s depressing to think that so many tough customers like you might become my enemies someday... Still, I’ll follow only the Demon King-sama and Alice-sama!”
“Menou-chan! Work with the other adventurers to protect Rex-chan and the others, so Kagami-chan can give it everything he’s got! Kagami-chan! We’re fine here, so go wild!”
Menou gave Kagami a thumbs-up, while Takako blew him a kiss. After weathering that attack—more powerful than any other—Kagami steeled himself and shouted, “All right!” Then he unleashed the strength he’d been holding back and closed in on a Cyclops standing some distance ahead in an instant.
Kagami grabbed the Cyclops’s log-like leg and swung it around like a great tree, sweeping away the monsters around him with the Cyclops as his weapon. After advancing a little, he hurled it with a flourish, wiping out more than a dozen monsters ahead of him all at once.
“Wooooooooooooo!”
Many of the adventurers who’d watched in stunned silence saw Kagami hurl the Cyclops and scatter the monsters, then raised a tremendous battle cry, their morale soaring.
“We can do this! We can win! What the hell is that guy...? He’s incredible! I can’t tell which one of them is the monster!”
“Who cares which one! He’s been fighting for us this whole time! If we don’t repay that debt, we’ll have no honor as warriors! Don’t fall behind!”
Some gripped greatswords in both hands, some began chanting spells, and others drew their bows taut. Following Kagami’s lead, they challenged monsters higher-level than themselves. Most didn’t even stop to think about whether they were weaker than their opponents. Driven by the desire to protect their city, and by the presence of a man who might make that possible, they charged in with nothing but their fighting spirit.
This was a new feeling even for Kagami. He’d never seen people unite and stand together for a single purpose like this. Bound by the concept of levels, they should have been too afraid to make such a desperate stand—a reckless challenge. Yet so many people were defying the very idea that it was impossible and struggling on together. Seeing them change like this, Kagami couldn’t help sensing a new possibility.
“Follow meeeee!”
Kagami had no hesitation. Even against high-level monsters, these people would surely find a way. Just as Kagami had once managed alone, the people who’d come here could surely stand and fight. Believing that, Kagami abandoned defense and charged alone into the horde of monsters.
As if a giant cannonball had blasted through, the wasteland’s dry earth was laid bare, leaving a path through the surrounding monsters.
The other monsters quickly crowded together and sealed off the path, and the adventurers could no longer see Kagami. Even so, it was clear he was fighting furiously inside: one monster after another was sent soaring into the air farther ahead.
And everyone thought, ‘There’s no way we can follow that,’ and resolved to do what they could.