Chapter 66 – Who Are You? (1/2)

The king as well as Yugu couldn’t do anything else but being dumbfounded at Hifumi’s sudden intrusion.

Veldore, who should be ruling the place if everything went as planned originally, had fainted and didn’t even twitch. The enhanced soldier, who had eradicated the designated enemy targets, was waiting for a new order and didn’t even quiver.

“You already started, huh?” (Hifumi)

While being troubled with a “I’m late, eh?”, Hifumi calmly surveys the hall’s interior.

As he takes an unimpressed look at the spectacle of corpses littering the whole area, he only confirms that there are still people alive.

“You are… it can’t be…” (Yugu)

Yugu, knowing of Hifumi’s features, shook his head in disbelief.

“Okay, from the fact that you know about me, it means that you are the mastermind of the plan to lure me in, doesn’t it?” (Hifumi)

With a “So, you are this country’s king?” Hifumi looks at Horant’s king, Suprangel.

It was a simple surveying look without him bearing any malice.

“You are, Orsongrande’s hero… ?” (Suprangel)

As Hifumi drew closer from the entrance without addressing the king’s words, Yugu yelled at the enhanced soldier,

“Just how did you get here while making enemies of all soldiers within the castle… ? Anyway, enhanced soldier! Kill him!” (Yugu)

“At last it starts, eh?” (Hifumi)

The enhanced soldier, charging in from the onset, runs up to him while brandishing the large sword above its head.

“Uuh-ohh?” (Hifumi)

While raising such voice due to the unexpected long reach of the large sword and the movement, that became quicker in comparison to before, Hifumi makes a half step and wedges himself into its bosom.

As soon as there was a sound of crushing, the pommel of Hifumi’s katana smashed the armour, including the magic tool at the chest, and the enhanced soldier crumbled down.

“I guess that will happen if you know about its weak point. On top of that, it won’t change the point that it doesn’t have the ability to thrust.” (Hifumi)

Hifumi, who shook his head with a sigh mixed in-between, slipped between the arms of another enemy soldier, who came slashing at him with the sword he held, without even avoiding.

In contrast to Hifumi, who doesn’t even move an inch as he firmly set up his stance, the enemy enforced soldier, who bumped into him vigorously, has its chest hit by Hifumi’s shoulder, is sent flying and tumbling and stops when hitting the wall at last.

Hifumi, who cuts down another two enhanced soldiers, is watched by Yugu with his face coloured in dread. Horant’s king, who stood next to him, watched the way of slaughtering with great interest.

And, another survivor has come to his senses.

“Gu…” (Veldore)

Veldore, unable to move at once thanks to the headache, groaned for a while staying on the ground, but he was able to comprehend what was happening in his vicinity during that time.

(That man is that aforementioned…) (Veldore)

Even now the enhanced soldiers are getting killed easily within his visual field dyed red with blood.

While I, the royal grandson, am grovelling on the bloodstained floor, that man is gleefully achieving an extremely easy victory.

There was still one enforced soldier, however having its chest severed sideways in a straight line, its entrails were scattered and it fell over.

Using those experimental bodies, I should be getting crowned magnificently in front of the citizens by now, thinking this far, he looked at the throne rebuking his unmoving body and saw the figure of Yugu, who was lying down unable to stand up out of fear, and the king, who showed a calm facial expression for some reason and was still in good health.

“It can’t be…” (Veldore)

Veldore, already dominated by a hatred to destroy all of it, grabbed his sword with his still numb right hand and the magic tool affixed to his waist.

“I will… break everything…” (Veldore)

At the time he turns his body over, Yugu who discovered the thing Veldore held in his hands, shouts,

“Veldore-sama! If you use that… !” (Yugu)

Before he finished speaking the magic tool was forced into Veldore’s chest making Yugu’s restraining words vain.

While seeing this with a sidelong glance as he was in the midst of battle, Hifumi let his feeling show with a quiet smile.

☺☻☺

Hifumi, who quickly broke into the audience hall, of course stormed into the castle without asking any pointless questions, but the soldiers outside the castle couldn’t avoid dealing with another problem before calling for reinforcements from within the castle.

“They went that way!” (Soldier)

“Don’t let them escape into the city! Get rid of them here!” (Soldier)

The soldiers, moving about in confusion following the orders of the magicians, are chasing the experimental bodies who escaped.

Of course they didn’t really escape by themselves but Origa set 4 of them free close to the castle for the sake of causing a disturbance.

The experimental bodies, which were discovered close to the castle, had already slaughtered several residents, who happened to pass by, as they were possessing weapons for some reason.

The soldier, who discovered this first, immediately called for reinforcements, but even though their numbers increased they haven’t been able to capture or kill them until now. Gradually victims among the people and the soldiers are appearing.

Although they have been requesting support while also knowing about the abnormality of the castle, they have no news about the situation either.

“Tsk! How the hell did they get out of their restraints!?” (Magician)

While cursing in irritation, a single magician arrived at the research institute.

“If I don’t check upon the remaining group…” (Magician)

“There’s no need for that.” (Origa)

The magician, who entered through the open door, was stopped by Origa quickly thrusting her dagger at him.

“Wh…” (Magician)

“You finally came, huh? I got tired of waiting.” (Origa)

During that time, the soldiers of Fokalore have promptly closed the door and entered an approach of wait-and-see by looking outside through a small opened gap.

“I believe it to be faster to ask directly rather than searching the entire institute.” (Origa)

While showing a lovely smile with a broad grin, she presses the dagger lightly against the magician’s throat.

“As we can’t find the stock of magic tools used on them, I’d like you to help us out by telling the location.” (Origa)

While saying this, Origa points at an experimental body limply hanging in the chains restraining it.

“Th-That is…” (Magician)

Suddenly the magician felt his left ear getting hot.

Once he hears a slurping sound, his ear has fallen to the ground.

“U-Ugyaaaa!” (Magician)

“Silence!” (Origa)

Swinging the dagger even more condemning, she chips off the tip of the nose.

“Bueeeee…” (Magician)

“It’s fine for you only tell me the necessary things.” (Origa)

As his mind was already solely focussed on getting away as fast as possible, the magician spilled the vault’s location being in a separate building talking rapidly. He ended up crouching while suppressing the blood, which flowed with a dripping sound, with both hands.

“I see. Thank you very much for informing me in detail.” (Origa)

Swinging down the dagger straight down the nape of the neck, she wipes the blood with a paper, she took out from her pocket, as if it’s a trivial matter.

“Well then, you heard the story just now, right?” (Origa)

The Fokalore soldiers, who saw her look, nodded while being scared.

“Because it looks like it won’t do to be at this institute for much longer, let’s finish releasing the remaining experimental bodies towards the castle and city.” (Origa)

And thus all the staff members being at the research institute were killed by Origa’s group and the insane, enhanced soldiers were released towards the castle.

“Well then, let’s move as planned.” (Origa)

Within less than 30 minutes Origa’s group escaped from the capital city, Adolamelk.

☺☻☺

“Guuoooooooo!” (Veldore)

As Hifumi sees Veldore fainting in agony with a sidelong glance, he wards off the downward-swung sword of the last enhanced soldier and kills it by slicing the carotid artery with the raised katana.

During that time Veldore, whose appearance with a large head and his muscles having swelled several times across his entire body became strange , stood up slowly.

There’s no sanity left in his eyes anymore. With the blood vessels standing out on the surface of his face, it has even reached the point of fangs having grown on top of his baring teeth.

“The heck is that… ?” (Suprangel)

“It’s the newest magic still under development. Raising the transformation to a level above enhancing the body, the target loses its mind in exchange for explosive power and abnormal physical strength…” (Yugu)

Yugu, in the same condition of having dropped his waist as before, answered the king’s question. Originally he brought it along with the intention use it on someone, if the situation required it, and escape during the resulting chaos.

“Did he fall into despair when the enhanced soldiers were done in? I didn’t expect him to use it on himself.” (Yugu)

“He already even stopped being a human, huh… ? Veldore…” (Suprangel)

In front of the lamenting king Veldore turned into a giant with a height of 4 m while making groaning sounds. He brought down his fist that had grown to the size of an arm.

Of course his aim was Hifumi.