Chapter 159 – Timebomb (1/2)

Having his own subordinate soldiers, who came running towards him, being bisected in a single stroke made Bashim flustered.

“What the hell is this? Someone tell me what’s this about!” (Bashim)

“It’s an enemy attack, Don’t be so frightened if you are the supreme commander here.” (Hifumi)

“A blue horse is unusual”, carrying the katana in his hand, Hifumi approaches with a slow swaying.

The demon soldiers, who desperately ran away, had been altogether split into upper and lower body halves and died while stretching their hands towards Bashim as if asking for help.

“A human… it is?” (Bashim)

“Let me tell you something nice. Some of your subordinates died.” (Hifumi)

Bashim, who looks down at Hifumi from atop his mount, bit his back teeth while sweating.

“Human, did you bastard kill them?” (Hifumi)

“The ones I finished off were at a level that I could deal with them with one hand. The others were killed by Vichy… this country. If you are going to attack a place, you should at least know its name, don’t you think so? Within Vichy there’s a civil war… or rather it’s a partial rampage. It looks like your soldiers died after getting dragged into that.” (Hifumi)

“Are you telling me to believe that?” (Bashim)

“Not really. Do as you like.” (Hifumi)

While talking, Hifumi’s vicinity gets surrounded by demon soldiers.

Seeing Hifumi calmly continuing to talk even while being encircled from all sides, Bashim wondered whether Hifumi is some kind of lunatic.

“But you know, to properly gather information is Vepar’s order, isn’t it?” (Hifumi)

With the name of the sovereign mentioned, Bashim temporarily refrained from giving the order to wrap things once and for all up by killing Hifumi.

“Your numbers are too lacking. If one really considered taking down a country, there would be personnel in order to reign it and not just soldiers to attack it. Though it’s different if it’s plain annihilation, I guess. Vepar should know at least this much.” (Hifumi)

“… We are strong. If we observe one or two cities, that will be plenty.” (Bashim)

“One or two? Ufu, ahahahaha!” (Hifumi)

Hifumi, who had his fill of a bellyful loud laughter, muttered “What an utter let down” towards Bashim.

“You have to do much better if you are going to deceive someone. If you tell a lie and it’s immediately exposed, one will be able to see your true nature.” (Hifumi)

“You!! Though you are an inferior life-form!” (Bashim)

Once he roared, the blade of a longsword was created by Bashim from thin air in front of his eyes and at the same time it was shot like a bullet.

There isn’t even 10 meters distance between the two.

Bashim imagined the sight of the blade piercing the enemy’s belly, and thinking how that would be reproduced in reality right away, his expression warped, but it never came to pass.

“There’s no way for the blade to reach from this far away, is there?” (Hifumi)

The sword, which Bashim released, is piercing the ground diagonally behind Hifumi who was grasping the scabbard he is wearing at his waist.

“W-Wh-What happened…?” (Bashim)

“You aimed at my belly, right? That’s why I repelled it like this.” (Hifumi)

He swings the mouth of the scabbard left and right.

“As if such foolishness is possible!?” (Bashim)

“Told you.” (Hifumi)

The second sword was knocked down with the pommel.

“Something like firing it directly at me from ahead in front of my eyes is like telling me “Please defend against it”, right…? Good grief, Bennia and Phelgor were capable of doing a lot more different things.” (Hifumi)

Being compared to names he knows, Bashim tightly bites his back teeth once again.

“Putting aside Phegol who was the king’s aide, you are telling me that I’m worse than Bennia who didn’t command anything above a platoon?” (Bashim)

Hifumi replied to the enraged Bashim by laughing frivolously.

“It’s slightly different. If you can’t do anything but sending swords flying, it should be corrected to a lot worse.” (Hifumi)

Did he reach the peak of his rage? Raising a roar with unknown meaning, Bashim held up his right hand immediately and ordered the soldiers with a very loud voice,

“Everyone, attack him with magic all at once! The attribute doesn’t matter! Erase the insolent human so that not even a speck of dust remains of him!” (Bashim)

At the same time as the order reaches them, a variety of magic attacks, such as ice, flames, rocks and water, comes flying from the soldiers who were surrounding Hifumi.

Steam and sand swirls about, and a smoke, mixed with the colours of white and light brown, rises up at the place where Hifumi stood.

Once someone extinguished it with a water spell, only the hollowed-out ground was left there.

“… Humph. He was a human after all, huh? A fragile being.” (Bashim)

“If they hit, that is.” (Hifumi)

A sole answer was audible from behind the muttering Bashim.

“You bastard…” (Bashim)

Knowing the cold sensation at the nape of his neck, Bashim only turned his eyes, but his field of vision didn’t reach Hifumi’s face. Only the cold blade, which reflected his face wet with cold sweat, entered his sight.

“Cut it out with the attacks where you lose sight of your enemy. Not knowing what you opponent did is disadvantageous, right?” (Hifumi)

“Even if you kill me, there are still 20 soldiers here. Don’t believe that you will be able to get away…” (Bashim)

“You are furious, aren’t you? That’s good.” (Hifumi)

While keeping the katana closely at his neck, Hifumi grabbed the left arm of Bashim and twisted it.

Despite being on top of a horse, Hifumi doesn’t lose his balance at all. On the other hand, Bashim’s balance crumbles and he is a situation where he supports his stance somehow with the stirrup.

Even the surrounding demon soldiers have no other choice but to watch from a distance out of fear that they would accidentally shoot Bashim if they attacked.

Hifumi spoke up towards them.

“Currently you are attacking Vichy. Next to it, there’s a country called Orsongrande. I’m staying there. Come after gathering bigger numbers. If you do that, I will face you directly.” (Hifumi)

He removed the katana from Bashim’s neck, but Bashim can’t move due to his wrist being immobilized.

“The thinking that you are strong and the humans are weak resulted in this. You feel offended, don’t you? There might also be some fellows who are considering it as unreasonable, if they are a slightly stupid. So, since I’m a feudal lord-sama who possesses a heart as wide as the wastelands, I thought that I will give you an opportunity for revenge.” (Hifumi)

He makes a sound as if rubbing silk.

Without anyone noticing, the katana, held by Hifumi, was swung up from below.

“Guaaaaaaaaah!” (Bashim)

Having his left arm severed from the tip of the shoulder, Bashim finally ended up falling off his horse.

Holding up the arm while grabbing it with his left hand, Hifumi glares at the surroundings.

“I will return this arm if you come in front of me.” (Hifumi)

In front of the dumbfounded demon soldiers, he tosses the arm into his darkness storage and wipes his katana with repeatedly stacked papers.

While hearing the voice of Bashim, who has fainted in agony, from behind as the discarded papers flutter down, Hifumi leisurely goes home.

A person, who would try to stop him, currently didn’t exist in this place.

☺☻☺

Three days later than Hifumi’s party, Alyssa returned to Fokalore while leading the exhausted soldiers.

“I’m home~…” (Alyssa)

“Welcome back.”

Alyssa, who finished the explanation about their holidays and their assignments afterwards, had the unit disperse while having a completely exhausted expression herself as well.

Returning to the feudal lord’s mansion, Alyssa searched for Hifumi in order to give her report, but as he apparently left to meddle with Vichy right after returning and had departed casually to some place once again, she wasn’t able to meet him.

In exchange, she’s greeted by Caim and Brokra.

“Thanks for your hard work, director.”

Once she gulps down the cold tea, Brokra poured in her cup, in one go while sitting in a chair of the conference room, Alyssa prostrated limply on the table.