Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 14 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: United Front

I heard the crude panting of beasts. Heat coming from the sparks scattered by their stimulated fur touched my skin. They bared their fangs and growled. I was faced with a pack of spirit foxes. A while after I’d been teleported here with Katou, I found myself in a horrible situation.

“What a pain...!”

It would be ludicrous to even try and count all the beasts as they ran parallel to me. They had the relentless eyes of hunters spotting prey. Of all the countless gazes fixed on me, only the one from a certain girl was concerned for my safety.

“Senpai!”

“I got it!”

It was an unpleasant predicament, but so long as this presence cradled against my chest existed, I wasn’t going to falter. I pumped mana through my limbs. I kicked off the stone floor hard, leaping into the air as flames rushed in.

“Graoooh!”

Flames burst from the spirit foxes’ fur, turning the beasts into fireballs as they rushed at me. They weren’t all that powerful, but they were fast. Above all else, the foxes were cunning. They only ever launched attacks in groups from multiple angles, making them that much more difficult to deal with. Just as I dodged three ramming attacks, four others came at me a moment later.

“You little—!”

I kept Katou in my right arm and jumped to change course again. I dodged one, but two more were on a direct collision course.

“Ugh! Asarina, it’s up to you!”

“Sttter!”

Asarina’s viny body deployed around me and struck at the foxes. They were repelled, but immediately sprang back to their feet. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been dealt much damage. It seemed they were sturdier than blowfoxes, who specialized in long-range attacks. I started running again and gritted my teeth, the severity of the situation setting in.

Even if things kept going in such a way, I probably wasn’t going to go down that easily. Each individual fox wasn’t all that strong. However, I lacked the means of dealing them a decisive blow. Asarina’s attack earlier hadn’t defeated any. Given my comparatively limited arsenal, I had no other valid means of going on the offense. Things were balanced for now, but this couldn’t go on forever...

“Ah!”

Perhaps too preoccupied with trying to figure out a way of dealing with this, I ate a ramming attack to my waist. The clothes Gerbera had made for me didn’t burn upon contact with the spirit fox’s flames. Strengthened by mana, my body was sturdy, so even though I felt a little pain, I suffered very little damage. Still, their power was a threat. I staggered, creating an opening they weren’t going to miss, and two more foxes came flying at me.

“Dammit!”

I bashed the fox flying at me from the front with my shield, but I couldn’t dodge the other. It repulsively chose to aim for my right arm, where I was holding on to Katou. I shuddered. Unable to strengthen herself, her body was fragile. Even a single hit would burn her muscles and break her bones.

“Like hell I’ll let you!”

I twisted on the spot and covered her, then felt a sharp pain run through my shoulder.

“Ugh!”

It bit my right shoulder. I clenched my teeth at the pain of fangs piercing my flesh.

“Get off me!”

I immediately grabbed the fox biting me by the neck. This was a good opportunity. I strengthened my grip with everything I had for a single instant, crushing its sturdy spine. As its jaws went slack, I yanked it off me.

“Guh!”

Forcefully pulling it away gouged at my wound, sending blood flying out. Droplets splashed against Katou’s cheek.

“S-Senpai! You’re hurt?!” she yelled, her voice trembling upon realizing the situation.

“I’m fine!”

I tossed the limp fox at another charging monster. To finish things off, I fired a wind bullet from my Asarina Bracer at the fox aiming for my legs. That got me through this chain of attacks, and I started running once more.

“Finally got one...”

I was hoping they would fall back because of that, but that was wishful thinking. The pack of spirit foxes continued hounding us. They weren’t going to give up. The throbbing pain in my shoulder was yelling at me about how bad this was getting.

“Senpai, enough already, just—”

“Quit saying such useless things,” I said, cutting Katou off.

I obviously knew. I understood completely. The reason things were so dire was that I couldn’t use my sword. My right arm was preoccupied with holding Katou up. I also had to be careful to defend her as I had earlier. This was a huge handicap. I couldn’t deny it.

But what about it? I knew that already. I was determined to protect her to the end despite that. It was impossible for me to abandon her. No matter what happened, I was never going to do it. Renewing my resolve, I opened my mouth once more.

“Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to steel myself.”

“Senpai?”

Despite the situation, I wasn’t completely devoid of options.

“I’ve got to resort to that.”

I focused on my left arm. Asarina wriggled in response and covered my entire limb, creating giant monstrous claws.

“No way... Senpai...”

Katou gulped upon realizing what was going on. During the battle against the Maclaurin Provincial Army, I’d gained this power to save Rose from the middle of the enemy formation—an imitation of Lily’s Devil Claw combined with a reproduction of Gerbera’s Tyranny. If I used it, I would be able to get us through this. That was one thing I would be able to accomplish.

“B-But Senpai, if you do that...!”

“Yeah. I know.”

I nodded. There was of course a reason I hadn’t resorted to a method that was capable of breaking this deadlock.

“Using this is extremely exhausting.”

The Misty Lodge still wasn’t working properly, so I didn’t have a full grasp of their numbers, but judging by the ongoing chase, there were at least twenty enemies. I needed twenty shots. I didn’t know if I had the mana to repeat so many attacks, and even if I pulled it off, the recoil to my left arm was probably going to cripple it forever.

However, if that was my only choice, I was ready to do it. Honestly speaking, even if I could manage without resorting to this on my own, it was highly likely that I wouldn’t be able to continue protecting Katou to the end. I absolutely couldn’t allow that. I had to do this.

“There’s no need to tear the pack apart to the last. If I cull their numbers, it’ll be easier to deal with them, and they might get scared and run off.”

Regardless, it was going to exhaust me, so I had to rendezvous with Rose and Lobivia quickly. This was a tightrope act, but I didn’t have any other plans. I had to remain calm and decisive, and do whatever I was capable of. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to protect what was dear to me.

“Here I go!”

I was more than prepared for the pain and stopped running, when suddenly...

“Good grief. You’re the same as always.”

An amused boy’s voice echoed down the corridor. In the next instant, arrows of ice came rushing toward us.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Wha?!”

The arrows of ice were a magic attack, and a surprise attack at that. However, there was no need for me to deal with them. They weren’t aimed at me. The arrows only pierced the spirit foxes swooping down on me, their screams filling the corridor.

“When you act so gallantly, how could I possibly stay out of it?”

The source of the attack came around a corner down the corridor. His footsteps resounded as he approached, four shining inorganic wings of different colors spreading out behind him.

“You’re...”

It was a slender boy. His gentle smile was filled with goodwill, but it made anyone who saw it feel uneasy. It was hard to imagine many people like him.

“Kudou? What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I don’t mind answering your question,” the Lord of Darkness, Kudou Riku, said, his smile deepening, “but for now, shouldn’t we do something about this first?”

The magic he’d used was powerful, but that one volley had only defeated a few of them. Regardless, the situation had changed greatly.

“Now’s our chance. This way, Senpai,” Kudou said.

“Right! I owe you!”

I ran toward Kudou. The spirit foxes had faltered for a moment, but came back to their senses and gave chase.

“Friedrich, fire,” Kudou said, raising a hand toward them.

That was probably the name of the inorganic monster spreading its wings on Kudou’s back. Magic once more flew out of the wings, and the spirit foxes screamed again.

“Still not enough to stop them all, huh?” Kudou muttered.

Just as he said, a portion of the spirit foxes waited for a pause in the rain of magic and started their charge. Regardless, Kudou didn’t panic.

“Do it, Dora.”

“As you will.”

Obeying his command, a monochrome girl appeared out of Kudou’s shadow. This was the nightmare stalker Dora. Her arms turned into blades, and she cut down one of the charging spirit foxes.

“Trash. How absurd of you to defy our king.”

As expected of one of the Demon King’s particularly powerful subordinates, the spirit foxes sensed a clear threat in her. They came to a stop and began growling. Seeing this, Kudou cocked his head.

“It’s a little troublesome handling this many,” he said. “Defeating them all with magic is too exhausting, but if I throw Dora at them, I’m neglecting my own defenses. I hate the idea of falling into a stalemate against enemies of this level too. Now then, what to do?”

After ruminating aloud, he threw a glance my way. His lips curved into what could be called an innocent smile.

“How about it, Majima-senpai? Shall we fight as a united front?”

“A united front?”

“Yes. Just as I mentioned, I’m lacking a little power right now,” he said, looking endlessly cheerful. It was a little suspect if he was telling the truth. “With Dora to the front and me to the rear, I’m lacking a bit of defense. As such, you can leave Katou by my side, then protect both of us behind you. You’ll be free to fight that way, right?”

I had several doubts, but the plan itself wasn’t bad.

“Fine, you’re on,” I said.

Getting through our current problem was the number one priority here. I didn’t think I’d end up fighting with Kudou by my side. With neither of us possessing a winning hand, however, this was unavoidable. Above all else, there was Katou. Considering her safety, refusing wasn’t even a choice.

“But you better tell me what’s going on after this, got it?”

“Of course,” Kudou said.

“Okay then. Let’s fight together, Kudou. Katou, stay here,” I said, placing her on the ground.

“Senpai...” She looked up at me anxiously, yet made no move to stop me. She gripped my hand, and for just an instant, she brushed it against her cheek. “Please be careful.”

Leaving behind that soft and smooth sensation, she let go. I used my now-free hand to draw my sword and turned around.

“Let’s do it.”

“Hmph. So my king commands.”

I stood by Dora’s side. This was my first time talking to her as something like an ally, but unlike Berta, she faced me with marked wariness. She would fight alongside me here only at Kudou’s command.

“I’ll charge in and defeat them. Trash like these are nothing to me. However, I doubt all of them will come my way. My king will intercept any who get this far with Friedrich’s magic. You—”

“Take care of all those who get past that. I’ll guard the rear,” I finished for her.

“Exactly,” Dora admitted indifferently.

“Very well, let’s exterminate them,” Kudou added, a manic glee animating his voice.

“As you will, my king.”

Just as she said she would, Dora charged the spirit foxes. The foxes were shaken by the powerful monster’s attack. Some of them leaped past her and headed our way. Kudou fired magic from his wings and struck them down. Facing those who got through, I brandished my sword.