Arifureta Vol 8 Chapter 6 (2/2)

“Uwah!?”

“Kyaaaa!!”

The wall’s fragments were blown like bullets due to the impact into the hidden room, and hit Kondou and Yos.h.i.+no who were in its trajectory. The two spontaneously fell flat on their b.u.t.ts as they raised screams.

In the next moment, before the dumbfounded Kouki’s party were the incoming blurred s.p.a.ces whom they still didn’t want to meet.

“Prepare to fight!”

“d.a.m.n it! How did they find us!”

While ordering so, Kouki immediately drew and slashed the Chimeras with the Holy Sword. They didn’t move because they would lose sight of the enemies if they distanced themselves from them. As he cursed, Ryuutarou positioned himself before the pa.s.sage connected to the outside, and tried to prevent the demonic beasts from invading any more than this.

However,

“RooOOoAR!!”

“GROoowwwWL!!”

A Brutal-look-alike immediately hurled its steel-like body like a cannonball into the room. Thus, it grappled into Ryuutarou with tremendous momentum and pushed him down.

Using that chance, tens of black cats dashed into the room and immediately fired tens of tentacles. Fired like a barrage, they mercilessly attacked Kondou and the others who remained on their spots. And though Kondou and the others immediately readied their weapons, the tentacles were too much in number and would skewer them as-is.

?????????? ??

“——”Heaven Interruption”!”

“——”Heaven Interruption”!”

15 s.h.i.+elds of light slantly appeared in the s.p.a.ce before Kondou and the others and managed to deviate the trajectories of the attacks. To be capable of activating the s.h.i.+elds even with such short chants would make anyone marveled. Ten of the s.h.i.+elds were Suzu’s, while the other five were Kaori’s.

However, even though they immediately cast them, Suzu’s physical condition was still in a bad shape while Kaori’s magic power was still exhausted. Those facts affected the strenght of the s.h.i.+elds.

Whiiiis.h.!.+ Fwooos.h.!.+ Whiiiis.h.!.+ Fwooos.h.!.+ Whiiiis.h.!.+ Fwooos.h.!.+

They should’ve been able to change the trajectories and endure the impact, but vigorous attacks from the tentacles broke the s.h.i.+elds one after another. Thus, several of the tentacles’ trajectories could not be changed by the crushed s.h.i.+elds and attacked Nakano and Saitou. The two immediately bend their bodies. Since both were in the rear group, their physical strength weren’t that high. Because of that, even though they avoided mortal wound, Nakano shoulder and Saitou’s thigh were gouged, and they raised screams as they were thrown to the ground.

“s.h.i.+nji! Yos.h.i.+ki! s.h.i.+t! Daisuke, help them!”

“… Ah, of course.”

Always brooding over something since they escaped into the hidden room, Hiyama did not pay much attention to what Kondou said. However, the situation didn’t let him say anything otherwise, so he dragged the wounded Nakano and Saitou towards Suzu’s side. Even though her physical condition was not good, the area around Suzu, whose magic power still had a lot remaining, was the safest. Besides, they would be easily healed by Kaori at Suzu’s side.

“Kuh, Kouki! Use “Limit Break” and get outside! We will do something about these guys inside this room!”

“But, Suzu and the others cannot move…”

“We will face them as-is! Please! Break through them and kill the Demon Race woman!”

“Kouki! Leave this place to us! I absolutely won’t let them die!”

“…Okay! I will leave this place to you! “Limit Break”!”

After thinking about s.h.i.+zuku and Ryuutarou’s words for a moment, he thought it was certainly the only way to break through this situation. With a resolute expression, Kouki activated “Limit Break” for the second time today. The reason “Limit Break” must not be used for more than once a day was because it put considerable burden into the body. That’s why, “Limit Break” which usually had an eight minute limit, but it might be shorter now. Expecting that, Kouki would ignore the others and only concentrate on defeating the Demon Race woman, he went out of the hidden room.

Going out of the room into the huge octagonal room, before Kouki’s eyes were a large amount of demonic beasts. And within the stationary demonic beasts stood the Demon Race woman looking at him with cold eyes, and a white crow on her shoulder. The inside of Kouki’s mind was boiling with a sense of mission to save his comrades and anger that they were put into such a predicament. Thus, he glared straight at the Demon Race woman.

“Hmph, you made me waste too much time. I also have other missions too…”

“Shut up! I will surely defeat you! Prepare yourself!”

Declaring so, Kouki used short chant, and magic power was immediately sent into the Holy Sword. “Divine Might” would normally reach the Demon Race woman, but even so, he used the chant omission version of “Divine Might” since he believed it would be able to open a path for him.

However, the Demon Race woman showed a smile before the Holy Sword, whose radiance increased, and she ordered the Brutal-look-alike standing by near her to drag something from the back.

Kouki put a dubious expression at first which then turned into an aghast expression when he saw that “something.” He instinctively lowered the Holy Sword with eyes wide opened and called his name with a trembling voice.

“… M-Meld-san?”

That’s right, there was the dying Meld whose limbs were crushed and whole body drenched in blood being dragged by the Brutal-look-alike by the scruff of his neck. With a glance, his whole body was limp and seemed to have died, but sometimes small groans arose and demonstrated that he was alive.

“Y-You! Let go of Meld-san—!?”

Kouki was enraged because of Meld’s state, and in a split moment, he tried to rush towards the Demon Race woman, losing himself. Suddenly, a huge shadow shrouded over Kouki as though it had been waiting for such exquisite timing. Hah, before Kouki noticed it and turned his gaze, there was the spectacle’s wall-like fist approaching him with tremendous momentum that made even the air exploded.

BaAAaaM!!!

Although Kouki spontaneously used his left arm to guard, the fist swung with tremendous force easily crushed his guard, and Kouki’s left arm and body received a powerful impact. Kouki flew towards a wall and crashed into it with tremendous speed incomparable to being run over by a dump truck. The wall behind him was crushed radically by the impact.

“GaaAH!”

Because of the impact he had taken, Kouki air was released from his lungs, and he slipped down from the wall, in all fours. Kouki desperately tried to support his body using his healthy right arm, but a lot of blood flowed from his mouth. The earlier attack had most likely damaged his organs. He might have died instantly if it wasn’t for the skill derived from “Physical Resistance,” “Mitigation of Impact.”

In addition, because of a concussion to his head, he desperately tried to understand the situation even with an unfocused gaze. Then, he saw it. A three meter, huge demonic beast was in the location where Kouki was before, with its fist thrusted.

It had a horse-like head where fangs grew, four thick heavy arms growing from its muscular body, and its lower half was that of a monstrous gorilla. Glaring at Kouki with bloodshot eyes, steam gushed out from the long horse-like mouth every time it breathed. Its atmosphere was obviously different from the demonic beasts he had faced until now.

The horsehead withdrew its fist and immediately rushed out while firing a dense bloodl.u.s.t to the still unable-to-stand Kouki mercilessly. Jumping only a little away from the place where Kouki was crouching, it swung its fist down with tremendous momentum towards Kouki. Because of the warning from his instincts, Kouki laid on the ground and rolled over, desperately getting out of his location.

KABOOOM!!!

Immediately, the horsehead’s fist pierced the ground and at the same time, a reddish black ripple extended on the ground along with a roar. The destruction was just like an explosion. This was the horsehead’s peculiar magic, “Magic Shock Wave.” It was an ability to convert magic power into a shockwave. However, as simple as it might be, it was an immensely powerful peculiar magic.

Due to the skill derived from “Physical Resistance,” “Recovery Rate Increased,” Kouki somehow recovered from his head concussion. He desperately stood up and readied the Holy Sword. At that time, the horsehead had already approached before him and swung its fist once again.

With a crushed left arm, Kouki used Holy Sword as a s.h.i.+eld and the impact received by his right arm blew him away again. Afterwards, even though Kouki managed to avoid a mortal wound, the four arms sent out “Magic Shock Wave” with all of their might, and he, whose movement had slowed down due to the damage from the first impact, couldn’t counter attack at all.

“Kuuu! What’s with this thing’s strength! Even though I should be strengthened by “Limit Break”!”

“RUUUUAAAA!!”

With pained expression, Kouki was frustrated because the horsehead demonic beast could overpower him who was under “Limit Break,” and he went for a counterattack, prepared for damages while thinking he couldn’t let it continue.

However…

THUD!

“Kh!?”

Right before he began, the limit of Kouki’s “Limit Break” had arrived, and power suddenly left him. Because he used it twice in such a short time, he was attacked by powerlessness incomparable to what he felt earlier, and he fell on his knee with no power entering his legs.

The horsehead didn’t miss that chance. With him suddenly losing his power and balance, Kouki was in a hopeless situation as the horsehead’s fist, bam!, hit his abdomen with a sound of impact.

“GAaAH!”

Splurting blood, Kouki’s body was made into ‹ shape, blown away, and crashed into the wall once again. Being weakened thanks to the side effect of “Limit Break,” Kouki’s consciousness was drifting away. Being mortally injured, he fell down without even twitching. Rather, it was strange for him not to die instantly in his current state. Perhaps the horsehead was taking it easy so he wouldn’t.

The horsehead approached Kouki and lifted him by grabbing the back of his neck. The unconscious and completely powerless Kouki was hung by the horsehead to show his state to the Demon Race woman. The Demon Race woman nodded in satisfaction and ordered the demonic beasts that rushed into the hidden room to withdraw.

After a while, s.h.i.+zuku and the others went out with full caution.Their expressions were dyed in despair when they saw the powerless Kouki being lifted by the huge horse-headed demonic beast they had never seen before.

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