Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 8

Hero Summoning 

No matter how dark the hour, we will never give in to despair. For Hayato the Hero will always be the last beacon of hope. As long as we have him, we can overcome anything. (Ringrande, follower of the hero) 

All of us “followers of the hero” carry a protective talisman granted by the goddess Parion. 

This sacred treasure draws power from the prayers of the people and the lives of the followers to perform miracles. 

I had never encountered a situation so bleak that I had to use the talisman. 

And I never imagined that morning that I would have to do so in my own hometown… 

That day, I woke up in a melancholy mood. 

It was the day I was scheduled to have a fake battle with Prince Sharorik to entertain His Majesty the king and the rest of the audience at the tournament finals. 

I should have waited and come with Hayato and the others instead of going on ahead. Have they left the Gray Ratfolk Emirate on the Jules Verne yet? I wondered. 

“Lady Ringrande, it is time. Please proceed into the arena.” 

I returned to reality, thanked the young official who’d summoned me, and rose to my feet. 

Waving at the audience as they cheered my name, I strode toward the battlefield. 

“Truly, what a farce this is…” 

I never knew how heavy my heart would feel over a battle I was forbidden from winning. 

The weight of the magic armor—called Chaftal, which I’d received when I joined the hero’s party—felt especially great, and my footsteps dragged. 

I wished I could be doing something else, like sword training with Satou. The boy was young, but he absorbed techniques with astonishing speed. His skills had vastly improved in the short time from our first meeting on the ship to our encounter just yesterday. Perhaps he would even join Hayato’s party someday and accompany me at the hero’s side. 

As I daydreamed about such a pleasant future, I entered the circle that designated my starting position. 

Seeing my arrival, a valet called for His Highness, who appeared from a waiting room. 

The shrieking young girls filling the stadium had no idea of his true nature. 

With a smooth metallic shing, the prince drew the Holy Sword Claidheamh Soluis from its blue sheath. 

…It was beautiful. 

I had never seen such a fine sword. 

The otherworldly blue light radiating from the blade made it all the more mesmerizing. 

Bewitched by the magnificence of Claidheamh Soluis, I thought back to my beloved hero Hayato and his Holy Sword Arondight. 

In my memory, it glowed a vivid blue that called to mind dependability rather than beauty. 

“The exhibition match between the Witch of Heavenly Destruction Lady Ringrande and the Bearer of the Holy Sword Prince Sharorik shall now commence.” 

The referee was dressed like a jester as he announced our names. 

The prince scowled, likely displeased with the order in which our names had been read. Ill-tempered as always. 

On the starting signal, I supplied my armor Chaftal with magic power. 

Its enchanted circuits granted me Body Strengthening and created several layers of physical defense magic over the armor. 

It wasn’t terribly efficient with MP, but I could face grave injuries if I didn’t use it against a Holy Sword. 

Next, I infused my lightning broadsword with power to invoke “Lightningblade.” 

I’d obtained this powerful weapon by defeating a floormaster in a labyrinth. It wasn’t quite as strong as a Holy Sword, but it still boasted higher performance than any ordinary Magic Sword. 

“?— Ah!” 

Sensing danger, I cut my strengthening magic chant short and leaped aside. 

Fireballs blazed through the spot where I’d been standing, flames exploding over my back. 

…A Fire Rod? No, at that speed, it must be a Blaze Rod. 

Wasn’t that a military weapon? What was that stupid prince thinking? 

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it? You made it yourself at the academy.” 

The prince’s Holy Sword left blue traces in the air as it sliced toward me. 

So fast! Maybe the legend that Claidheamh Soluis could fly really was true. 

I blocked the Holy Sword with my broadsword. 

What a heavy blow! I was going to injure my wrists at this rate. 

Instead of transferring onto the Holy Sword, the lightning on my blade scattered into the air. 

If it were an ordinary sword, it would’ve easily paralyzed or even knocked my opponent unconscious. 

As payback, I swung my blade toward the prince’s legs, but the barrier generated by the prince’s white armor stopped it. 

Of course. His armor was a legendary item made in the era of the ancestral king Yamato, after all. It was no surprise that it would have similar defenses to Hayato’s Holy Armor. 

I added more magic power to Chaftal to enhance its defense. 

For the moment, I let my armor protect me from the prince’s sword and focused on attacking. 

Use skill: “Strike.” 

My accuracy would be lower, but my attacks would be more powerful. 

Use skill: “Spellblade.” 

My sword glowed with red light. 

I didn’t generally like to waste magic like that, but this was no time to be conservative. 

Use skill: “Sharpblade.” 

I didn’t intend to kill him, of course, but I had to come at him with all my strength if I wanted to break through his defenses. 

“Whirling Thunder Blade!” 

I wasn’t sure why, but I shouted the attack name without thinking. Hayato’s foolish habits must be rubbing off on me. 

I’d assumed the prince would block the attack, but instead I landed a direct hit, piercing through his armor’s barrier. 

Damn. If I didn’t stop now, I would win the match. 

I managed to kill my blade’s momentum and stopped just before dealing the prince a deadly blow. 

But of course, he couldn’t miss an opening like that. 

Claidheamh Soluis hit me square in the side, and I went flying across the arena like a ball. 

Cheers, screams, and boos jolted me awake. I must have passed out for just a second. 

Through my hazy vision, I saw fireballs flying at me in rapid succession. 

Stopping my attack must have hurt the prince’s bloated pride. The rage in his eyes was alarming. 

I used the short Explosion Magic spell Quick Burst to blow up the fireballs. 

But our battle ended there. 

It was interrupted by the howls of strange figures that burst out of the floor beneath the audience seats…and the summoning circle they created in the sky. 

WE’RE ALL IN DANGER. 

My instincts set off a warning so strong it felt like my skull would crack. 

I quickly started a Magic Blast chant. 

“ ? —” 

“Giving up on the sword and resorting to magic, are we, Ringraaaande?!” 

The prince came charging at me with his Holy Sword. 

This wasn’t good. He hadn’t noticed the summoning circle above us; I was the only one who saw it. 

I had to stop my chant to dodge his attack. 

I should have finished him off with my sword before. Now he had prevented me from stopping the summoning. 

Clawed yellow feet descended from the summoning circle, followed by the rest of the enormous body. 

It was a demon—a greater hell demon. 

Suddenly, I remembered something Hayato told me before. 

He had once been forced to flee from an opponent: a yellow greater hell demon. 

Bitterly, he’d said that half his party had sacrificed themselves for his escape. Back then, I couldn’t believe anything could defeat Hayato’s unbelievable power, but now I understood. 

This creature was on an entirely different level. 

Were demon lords truly stronger than this? 

Once he’d completely emerged, the demon dropped to the ground. He was more than three times larger than any human, and the tremors when he landed were almost enough to knock me off my feet. 

The sheer physical difference made my heart quaver. 

Impossible. 

I could never defeat him. I couldn’t even wrap my head around his existence. 

My soul screamed at me to run away. 

But just as my heart was threatening to break, an unexpected voice stopped me in my tracks. 

“Demon! No—demon lord! Prepare to meet your doom!!” 

The prince shouted at the yellow demon without a single ounce of fear. 

He wasn’t bluffing, either. If he was brave enough to bluff in a situation like this, I might not have ended our engagement. 

…He doesn’t realize how strong our opponent is. 

The yellow demon tilted his two heads, then looked down at the prince’s sword. 

“THAT SWORD IS CLAIDHEAMH SOLUIS, IS IT NOT? THEN YOU MUST BE A DESCENDANT OF YAMATO.” 

Underneath his harsh voice, I could hear something like a howl. 

Ah! His other head was chanting while he spoke. 

In an effort to interrupt his casting, I rapid-fired Quick Burst shots at the heads. 

But he was able to fend off the weak lesser magic with his hand. Speed alone wouldn’t be enough. 

I activated “Chant Reduction,” then started invoking Explosion. 

I probably wouldn’t make it in time. But I wasn’t about to let him cast a spell so easily. I could at least rob him of his chanting head in exchange. 

The yellow demon’s chant finished, and a summoning circle appeared on the ground to produce large monsters. There were scorpions, mantises, and two-horned beetles, all of them powerful enemies. 

Shortly after the monsters emerged, my Explosion spell struck the demon square in the head. 

Unfortunately, when the loud boom faded and the dust settled, the demon was by all appearances unscathed. 

Clearly, I hadn’t done much damage. The demon must have high magic resistance. 

“HMPH, THAT STUNG A LITTLE.” 

Ignoring the yellow creature’s mockery, I glanced around at the stands. 

Monsters were still overflowing from the summoning circle and surging toward the spectators, as well as the prince and myself. I wanted to rescue them, but the yellow demon would never let me take my eyes off him. 

Just then, inspiration struck. 

There were warriors from the tournament among the crowd; they could handle the monsters. 

I used the “Amplification” skill to address the fighters. 

“Brave warriors! You must protect your neighbors! Now is the time to prove your worth in battle!” 

Hearing me, most of the warriors started to fight to protect the other citizens. However, some of them were too overwhelmed by the chaos to think straight and started releasing attack spells despite all the people nearby. 

“Magic users, focus on strengthening the warriors, not on attack magic. Work together to defeat the monsters!” 

My words seemed to reach them, and they began cooperating to turn the tide of the battle. 

These men and women were strong. As long as they kept their wits about them, they should have no problem with monsters like these. 

I swung my lightning sword to dispatch a charging tentacled centipede monster. 

A lance beetle tried to attack while I was distracted, but it flew right through the illusion created by my magic armor Chaftal. 

Seeing the number of monsters I was fending off, some of the warriors climbed over the audience barrier to aid me. 

They could handle the rabble. I had to do something about the summoning circle! 

With the precious seconds they bought me, I chanted Break Magic to destroy the summoning circle. 

“HMPH, NOT A HERO IN SIGHT, IS THERE? WHAT AM I TO DO WITH THE GIFT I BROUGHT?” 

The yellow demon cast buff spells on the summoned monsters as he muttered to himself. He didn’t seem concerned in the least that I’d broken his circle. 

“HOW STRANGE IT IS. I THOUGHT THE BLUE ONE OR THE RED ONE WOULD SHOW UP RIGHT AWAY IF I MADE A FUSS.” 

A centipede devoured one of the warriors holding off the monsters for me. I hurried over to help, but we couldn’t seem to recover the front lines. As I pushed forward, the severely injured warriors retreated. 

If only Hayato and our friends were here to help… 

“Ah-ha-ha! Having trouble there, little lady?” 

“Don’t get distracted, boy. We must go help His Highness.” 

The young boy knight and Sir Reilus of the Eight Swordsmen passed by on their way to assist the prince. Without slowing down, the boy knight sliced off a few of the centipede’s legs. 

While the monster was distracted, I stole a couple of seconds for a chant and used three Explosion spells to defeat it. 

Each one took a long time to invoke, but thanks to the spell’s stun and knock-back effects, I managed to find success. 

“The legendary demon general… Truly a worthy opponent!” 

Sir Reilus’s shout drew the demon’s attention to him and his Holy Shield. He’d probably used the “Taunt” skill on his voice. 

The demon fired a red torrent at the older knight. 

Incredible. 

Reilus didn’t falter for a moment, protecting the prince and the other knight from the Inferno spell. 

He must have been aided by magic, but I still hadn’t imagined that anyone but Hayato could block such an attack. 

“OH? THAT SHIELD BRINGS BACK MEMORIES. HOW ABOUT THIS, THEN?” 

A ball of white flames flew toward Sir Reilus. 

The surface of the Holy Shield warded off most of the flames, but a few angled streaks licked around the shield and the knight behind it. 

I couldn’t let him be killed. Without Reilus, there would be no one left to hold the front lines. 

If Hayato were with me, I… 

As if inspired by my thoughts, blue light welled up from my chest through the gaps in my armor. 

…Maybe now was the time. 

I undid the clasps of my breastplate and pulled out the glowing blue talisman. 

When wishes for a hero join prayers to the goddess Parion, the talisman can create a miracle. 

And that miracle is called “Hero Summoning.” 

If the wishes and prayers are not enough, the miracle will consume the life of the user in exchange. 

I didn’t want to die, of course. 

But if I wanted to protect my hometown, I could only pray for a miracle. 

“O, Great Parion! Please, use my wishes and my life to enact a Hero Summoning!” 

This was no magic chant… 

“I am a follower! I am Ringrande, follower of Hayato the Hero!” 

…It was a prayer to the young goddess Parion. 

In response to my wish, the talisman on my chest blazed bright. 

Now, Jules Verne, come quickly. 

Bring the hero to the battlefield!