Chapter 116 – The Beautiful People (1/2)

Faster than anyone could raise their voice, a first victim appeared.

It’s that demon, who mainly gave an opposing advice towards this hunt, shielding his lord willingly with his body against Hifumi’s thrust.

“Guha… p-please r-run a-aw-away!”

The man, who received a thrust into his chest with the power to make his body float for an instant, pleaded even in this situation desperately to his lord to escape.

But, his stupid lord was only bewildered.

“Ua…”

“Too slow.” (Hifumi)

While getting panicked due to his subordinate being stabbed in front of his eyes, he was easily beheaded by Hifumi who came in front of him.

“W-What have you…”

In the next instant the man, who witnessed his lord’s perishing with an anguished expression, has his face split in two from the temple by the katana and grey matter gushes out from within.

“Pheew~…” (Hifumi)

While sending the blood and brain fluid flying by swinging his katana, Hifumi deeply breathed out.

And then he inhales air through his nose.

“The air outside is pleasant. Previously I wasn’t able to breathe normally due to the dust.” (Hifumi)

The stench of fresh blood is drifting into the chilly air of dawn.

There were many people who ran away chaotically due to the sudden murder, but that will result in them having made the right judgement in the end. Although they will encounter later on bitter experiences due to being blamed by Vepar for having cowardly run away from a single opponent and will be sent to their sinecure, they will at least have long lives.

The unlucky ones were those who decided to stay in that place to fight.

“It’s only one opponent! Shoot him with magic to death from a distance!”

Someone, who was riding a horse, shouts while pointing at Hifumi.

In response to that, fireballs and lumps of earth were released from all four directions at Hifumi one after the other.

“Demons are better at magic than humans after all, huh? The speed is higher.” (Hifumi)

Even while admiring the spells, he avoids the magic attacks by smoothly swaying his body. Compared to the high-speed pellets fired by Agathion, these spells are quite slow.

Hifumi, who scattered an attack of a wind spell which came at him directly from the front with his katana, rotated the katana in his hand and sheathed it into its scabbard.

“Do you plan to surrender at this point in time?”

When he was mocked by some demon, Hifumi replied while looking bored,

“Are you an idiot? There’s no way for me to do something like surrendering to opponents I can defeat, is there?” (Hifumi)

While hitting the pommel with the palm of his left hand with a *pon pon*, Hifumi grabbed the dagger, which stuck out from the opened darkness storage, with his right hand.

“As it’s been a while since I yearned for some dagger practise, keep me some company.” (Hifumi)

The dagger, which was produced by the dwarf Pruflas, who’s currently in Fokalore, taking 3 days and 3 nights by using Hifumi’s katana as reference, is close to a wakizashi (T/N: in this case ko-wakizashi, see tool-tip) in its appearance, but its blade is thick and slightly curved giving it a boorish impression.

The wakizashi, Alyssa possesses, was forged by the excited Pruflas after he was harshly reprimanded and urged to improve it by Hifumi who saw this dagger.

Even while criticizing it severely, Hifumi carried it with him since he considered its sturdiness, although that adds to its weight, as its good point.

Holding it in a backhand grip so that the blade is facing outwards, he puts forth his right foot and sets up a L-shape stance with his legs while holding his left hand at his waist.

“That’s a bluff…”

“Don’t mind it! Keep on attacking!”

The magic attacks focus on Hifumi once again, but they don’t hit him all the same.

Someone, who got impatient due to Hifumi evading everything completely, ordered his subordinates to charge in.

“At least cut him, even if it’s only once! If we can create a situation where I can finish him off, I promise that you will be promoted as much as you like!”

Despite hesitating only for an instant because of the scene where numerous spells are flying about, all 5 subordinates raised their voices and rushed in due to those words.

They frantically dash onwards while holding spears and swords in their hands.

“Look properly at your opponent. Otherwise you won’t hit them.” (Hifumi)

Avoiding the sword of the man, who came running at the lead due to his fast feet, by stepping aside, he slides the dagger into the nape of the neck in a smooth, unhindered motion and kills that man.

Knocking down the approaching spearhead, he pins it down by stepping on it.

“Ah!?”

The soldiers, who ended up releasing his spear, fell forward with his current momentum and it turned into a situation of him himself having his throat stabbed by the dagger simply held out by Hifumi.

The remaining three stop their feet out of fear due to the first two spurting blood out.

Someone’s fireball crashed into the back of one of them with a roaring sound and he was blown towards the front as if flying.

His face, which is warped in surprise and pain, is caught by Hifumi’s left hand and slammed into the ground.

Hifumi steps forward without spending a glance at the soldier who died after convulsing once.

Nevertheless, the remaining two stood while grasping their weapons tightly.

Although it was an act changing it into a situation were they couldn’t back out of, it was also equivalent to not having an opportunity to raise to a higher position in the narrow, caged-in world of the demons. Without any war either, their social rank is decided for most of their lives at their birth.

What fell into our laps at that point is the great event of avenging the king. If we contributed to it, even without delivering the finishing blow… Betting on the gleam of hope, both soldiers prepared their respective sword and spear even though they were trembling.

Depending on one’s point of view this might be a moving tale. Their figures of entrusting the future of their families and themselves into a personal command might be seen as beautiful if watched by people in the same position.

However, Hifumi doesn’t respect such things.

“Die, you idiots.” (Hifumi)

Breaking the spear with an elbow strike, he stabs the dagger into the crown of the head. Then he kicks the wrist of the opponent, who held a sword, from below. Having released his sword, the soldier’s head is seized and Hifumi’s fist, which grasped the dagger as is, determinedly bashed into the soldier’s chin.

With the head making a full circle, the soul leaves the body in an instant due to the destroyed cervical vertebrae.

“Even if you acquire the strength to fight at the front, don’t stand on the battlefield with a scared mug after going with the flow without figuring out how to compensate for the lack in wrecking your brains. It’s irritating.” (Hifumi)